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Re: 戦争クロニクル帝国日本 – Sensō kuronikuru teikoku Nihon
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 6:38 pm
by Bigfish2012
#007 First East Asian Colonial War of 1914/1915
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, February 25, 1915
Osaki Satoshi had assumed that the whole of February 1915 would be one of the most boring months of all time. But then came an important event that finally exposed the weakness of the British Empire. In Kenya, rebels rose up against the occupying power and the Empire had great problems getting the situation under control.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, March 3, 1915
The fact that not only the fighting, but the entire conflict was on the wane was also evident from the fact that the navy shifted its priorities. The turn of the month brought important research results that would have a lasting impact. Osaki Satoshi now expected the start of new peace negotiations every day.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Thursday, March 18, 1915
March also bobbed along. There was little or nothing to be noticed of the Royal Navy in Asia and it would probably stay that way.
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Until now, Osaki Satoshi had little time for the foreign press. Until his forced leave, he had also hardly paid attention to the Japanese newspapers, including his own. Now, however, for the second time in a short time, a French editor had attracted his attention.
Although the war was not yet over, this man raised the question of the post-war order and Japan's next plans. That was kind of brazen, because he should have asked this question himself long ago. It seemed that the Empire of Japan was moving more and more into the focus of the foreign press.
He could not deny it, Japan had entered the stage of the great powers and was thus in the spotlight of the world public!
Whether that was an advantage or not, of course, was not yet clear.
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In the middle of his thoughts, one of his editors burst into his office and held a document under his nose.
Satoshi recognized at once that this document should never have come out of the Ministry of the Navy. It contained all the information about the current condition of the 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force). It was particularly piquant that all current aircraft designs had been classified as pathetic.
But then Satoshi felt the scales fall from his eyes!
He counted: Fifty-six plus fifty-six plus fifty-six plus twenty-eight. That makes one hundred and ninety-six. 196 completed aircraft were listed there, but not a single one was in service! And that was not surprising, because Japan had not yet designated a single base for its aircraft. At least not officially.
There was probably a lot going on in the ministry. He had to find out whether this was related to the hasty change of government, or whether there were more fundamental problems here?
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Then he couldn't believe his eyes. On the second page, there were comparisons with the other nations in the field of aviation. Where did Japan get this information from? These were not particularly precise, but the existence alone spoke for extensive Japanese espionage activities. If that came out, it could become a burning fuse on a powder keg.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, April 5, 1915
At the beginning of April, the news came that the Navy had begun to build airfields near its important bases. But Satoshi's attention was more attracted by the fact that the Royal Navy had a new tactic: cruiser warfare!
The number of losses of Japanese merchant ships due to British trade disruptors and mines had risen sharply. The Royal Navy was probably not capable of more at the time, but the Royal Navy was excellently positioned for a cruiser war with its worldwide bases.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Friday, April 30, 1915
VICTORY!
The British Empire has agreed to the Japanese surrender conditions.
On the first of May, the war is over!
In the early hours of this morning, a British battle squadron dropped anchor off Hong Kong. The envoy of Her Majesty King George V was taken to the Japanese battlecruiser Iwate, where the peace treaty was signed in a short ceremony.
From tomorrow, the guns fall silent and the British Empire recognizes the bases of Wēihǎiwèi and Hong Kong as Japanese mandate territory. All properties of British citizens in Hong Kong and Wēihǎiwèi will also become Japanese property.
The war is over!
The British Empire was unable to continue the conflict and had to acknowledge Japan's claims in Asia. In his magnanimity, the Taishō-tennō did not impose any further conditions on the British Empire in order to give the British people a sign of Japanese generosity in their distress.
Picture 123: The defeated British fleet brings the royal negotiator to Hong Kong for surrender
Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Bri ... _Fleet.jpg
Author: unknown
Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire
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#118 RTW2-JAP#
Re: 戦争クロニクル帝国日本 – Sensō kuronikuru teikoku Nihon
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 6:53 pm
by Bigfish2012
#008 The First Aircraft Carrier
From the War Chronicles of Imperial Japan:
>> Memorandum of Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō on the First East Asian Colonial War of 1914/1915 <<
Distinguished officers and members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei),
the war is over!
We have achieved more than we could have dared to dream!
I would like to inform the honored members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) that the Rengō Kantai has achieved an unexpectedly clear triumph over its opponent the Royal Navy. I also cannot emphasize clearly enough that the cooperation between the army and navy made the incredible conquest of Hong Kong possible in the first place. Under the rivalry, which has not yet and still not completely ended, we would never have succeeded in doing so.
I can hardly overestimate the importance of Hong Kong. Dear members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) – the conquest of Hong Kong allows us to make the leap to the whole of Southeast Asia!
But of course the sting of 青島の戦い bothers us. We have to do something about it. I would like to ask the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) to ask my expected successor and all relevant agencies to develop plans for the necessary measures. During the battles with our opponent, numerous officers have demonstrably recommended themselves as suitable for higher tasks. This qualified knowledge can be used for the tasks at hand.
Let me now illustrate how great our victory over the British Empire has been:
We regret the first loss of a larger warship, the protected cruiser Yaeyama
For this purpose, we have the torpedo boats
DD Hakaze
DD Hatsuzuki
DD Hayanami
DD Michishio
DD Miyuki
DD Nenohi
DD Okinami
DD Tachikaze
DD Takanami
DD Teruzuki
DD Yugiri
DD Yunagi
lost. A total of twelve pieces. Compared to the last great war, we were able to note a considerable increase in the artillery performance of our ships. Although we were never on a par with the enemy in the larger calibers, this circumstance could be more than compensated for due to the unexpectedly mediocre performance of the British Admiralty.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that it was again the incredible performance of our torpedo weapon to which we owe the results in this clarity.
The strategy of a large torpedo boat fleet can also be assumed to be recommendable for the future.
This is all the more true since it is already becoming clear that Japan will never be able to build a large battle fleet. I don't want to start talking about the maintenance of a battle fleet, especially in times of war.
Let the gentlemen take their own look at the economic data.
It can be seen that we have to stop or even cancel some, if not all, currently ongoing construction and repairs!
We cannot afford the current armaments volume. If we do not want to completely strangle our economy after this long and deprivation war, we must scale back all measures in favor of civilian production.
This is all the more regrettable because we have to devote ourselves to a new element of warfare, air warfare. The current aircraft came too late to have played any role in the outcome of the war or a battle. However, numerous officers express great potential in this technology.
I therefore strongly recommend that this branch of research and production be given the greatest importance!
Air warfare research should be the last area in which savings are to be made. We have a unique opportunity here to act on a par with the other nations or even to take the lead.
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So we now come to the confirmed losses of our opponent!
So, as a result of the peace negotiations, we now know the exact losses of the Royal Navy. These are:
the Four Battleships
BB Albemarle
BB Albion
BB Glory
BB Montagu
the two battlecruisers
BC Australia
BC Invincible
the seven ships of the line
B Barfleur
B Benbow
B Empress of India
B Magnificent
B Redoubtable
B Venerable
B Victorious
the six armoured cruisers
CA Aboukir
CA Andromeda
CA Ariadne
CA Drake
CA Europe
CA Leviathan
the five protected cruisers
CL Andromache
CL Cordelia
CL Latona
CL Pandora
CL Phaeton
as well as the following twenty torpedo boats
DD Acorn
DD Afridi
DD Basilisk
DD Brisk
DD Comet
DD Foxhound
DD Garry
DD Ghurka
DD Goldfinch
DD Maori
DD Mohawk
DD Mosquito
DD Nautilus
DD Racoon
DD Renard
DD Saracen
DD Scorpion
DD Scourge
DD Tartar
DD Viking
plus a corvette, two auxiliary cruisers and forty-nine cargo ships.
Immediately before the outbreak of hostilities, the British fleet had eleven active battleships and twelve active battlecruisers or battlecruisers under construction. Of these twenty-three ships, we were able to destroy six. So these were only about a quarter of the enemy's modern large warships. We may wonder what the rest of the Royal Navy did when their comrades went to their wet deaths?
We do not need to speak of the huge number of standard ships of the line that are considered obsolete.
Out of seventeen armoured cruisers, we were able to sink six, i.e. about a third. Out of thirty protected cruisers, we only caught one-sixth with five.
Twenty out of sixty-one torpedo boats make up a third. The enemy's torpedo boat gun was thus nominally the worst done, which is currently pushing the Royal Navy into an extraordinarily defensive position and may have been decisive for the ultimately surprisingly quick peace agreement. The Royal Navy is currently simply not in a position to provide its large warships with sufficient escort ships. Of course, the shipyard capacity of the Empire is gigantic and within a year the Royal Navy should have more than compensated for the losses of torpedo boats.
All in all, the Empire remains an opponent to be reckoned with!
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Thus, I may instruct the honored members of the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) to decide on my further use. I strongly recommend that the 大本営 (Daihon'ei) consider an officer who sufficiently appreciates air warfare when filling the command. Technological development is making great progress and it is the prerogative of young people to question the previous tactics and to supplement or replace them with new, more suitable approaches.
Thus, the officers of the 軍令部 (Gunreibu) of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the 参謀本部 (Sambō hombu) of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the 海軍省 (Kaigun-shō) may take favorable note of the course and outcome of the war against the British Empire.
Long live the Rengō Kantai, long live the Imperial Japanese Navy, long live the Emperor!
Kaigun-chūjō Ijūin Gorō, May 1, 1915
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Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Saturday, May 1, 1915
"Everyday life" – what a funny word Osaki Satoshi thought. After more than a year of war, peace was now back in everyday life.
But it wasn't quite like that!
Editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi had actually done as stated and the end of the war right at the turn of the month was also the perfect moment. The glasses had been emptied, the sushi had been eaten and the editorial offices had surrendered to silence. Kamata Itachi hugged Satoshi tightly, then let go of him and took three steps back:
"All the best, young friend! You will master it, even if editor-in-chief Fukuzawa Saburo will certainly have different priorities than I do."
"はい" (hai) came out of Osaki Satoshi's mouth as he bowed.
"I will certainly keep an eye on the newspaper."
"はい"
"I still have many good friends here."
"はい"
"Good friend – the next war is sure to come. I know the military, they have finally tasted blood. You'll have a lot of work to do to figure out what happens next. I don't want to keep you from working any longer - どうもありがとうございます (Doumo arigato gozaimasu) – young friend!"
"どうもありがとうございます"
Both men bowed, then former editor-in-chief Kamata Itachi straightened up, turned to the door and left the room.
Osaki Satoshi was alone!
Japan had won a tremendous victory and brought the most powerful navy in the fleet to its knees. It was supposed to be a day of jubilee, a day of joy, but Satoshi felt as if the rising sun had gone out and eternal night was imminent.
For almost twenty minutes he stood motionless and stared at the door that had closed behind his foster father. As if he thought he saw a movement that the door would open again and a smiling Kamata Itachi entered and announced that it had all been just a dark dream.
"But he didn't come – the door remained motionless – Kamata Itachi had left"
"どうもありがとうございます (Doumo arigato gozaimasu)", Osaki Satoshi shouted to the dead wood of the door of his speech
"どうもありがとうございます (Doumo arigato gozaimasu)"
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Osaki Satoshi walked the few steps to his separate office and took a seat at his desk. The first post-war reports were already found there:
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Satoshi hadn't really noticed the reports. He left the editorial office and enjoyed the mild air and the warming rays of the sun. Spring had started late this year and the cherry blossom may have reached its peak in Tōkyō today.
It was hard to deny it - Japan had indeed received divine blessings when the cherry trees were in full bloom the day after the nation's greatest military victory.
Satoshi ran towards the Imperial Palace, where a large crowd not only celebrated 花見 (Hanami), but also cheered the victory of the navy.
Picture 124: Cherry blossom festival in Tōkyō
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... Hanami.jpg
Author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Toyohara_Chikanobu
Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami
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#119 RTW2-JAP#
Re: 戦争クロニクル帝国日本 – Sensō kuronikuru teikoku Nihon
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 7:07 pm
by Bigfish2012
#008 The First Aircraft Carrier
Editorial Board of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Tuesday, July 6, 1915
Osaki Satoshi had difficulties getting used to the new situation. He asked himself what was worse: being a war chronicler in peacetime or the new tone from the publishing house's management?
Satoshi had spent the last few weeks working through the past year of the war, working through all the information again and separating the important from the unimportant.
All in all, his editorial archive was impressive, but very concentrated on Japan. He knew little about foreign countries. His trip around the world felt like something from a previous life, but it was only eleven and a half years ago. But during this period, the world's war fleets had changed drastically, and a whole new chapter was about to begin. He needed more information from abroad. Jane's Fighting Ships was last published in 1914, but was not available in Japan because of the war with the Empire. Although the navy had found one or two copies in a roundabout way and had them copied for their captains, it was only now that it came onto the market in numbers. A good part of the information was outdated, because a good part of the Royal Navy ships that had made it into the factory were now at the bottom of the sea.
Setting up your own editorial network abroad was complicated. As a Japanese in Europe and America, you immediately attracted attention – especially if you were too interested in the military. In addition, they would have had to compete against the Wolff-Reuter-Havas cartel , and the publishers of this cartel were much more powerful than even the largest Japanese publishers were. The Wolff-Reuter-Havas cartel would know how to withhold information from overly curious Japanese. Last year's scandal had proven that.
Perhaps it was possible to cooperate with smaller European newspapers, but the new editor-in-chief did not want to know anything about a commitment in this direction. So for the moment, everything would continue as before.
Osaki Satoshi left the current news, but apart from the fact that the British Empire was still suffering from the consequences of the lost war, there was nothing really exciting about it.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Thursday, July 29, 1915
>> The Imperial Japanese Navy Breaks New Ground <<
In a brief statement on the post-war plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy Yashiro Rokurō announced yesterday the completion of several bases for the 帝国海軍航空隊 (Teikoku Kaigun Kōkūtai - Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force). Although the navy is currently living massively beyond its means, the rearmament continues unhindered. It can be assumed that the navy wants to act in a leading position in the race for this new weapon of war from the outset.
Despite the great hardship, especially of the Japanese rural population, politicians seem unwilling to reduce military spending in order to get the civilian economy back on track.
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Morning edition of the Tōkyō Shinbun of Friday, September 03, 1915
>> British Empire in crisis! <<
The powerful British Kingdom is still in an existential crisis after losing the war against Japan. Kenyan insurgents are still questioning British supremacy and inflicting painful losses on the soldiers of the Empire in constant skirmishes. At the moment, the situation seems to be slipping away from the Empire, which calls into question its continued existence as a colonial power as a whole.
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Editorial office of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Monday, September 6, 1915
Osaki Satoshi had spent a lot of time with his family for weeks and had done little work. There was simply no news. The new government had erected something like a wall of silence and apart from the sparse official announcements, nothing simply leaked out.
But now, at the beginning of September, Satoshi had learned by chance that things were already starting to boil again. He had dined the evening before at the Imperial Hotel and had been able to experience the appearance of an excessively angry German envoy completely by chance. Not that he had learned much, because the gentlemen at the next table spoke German, which he only understood in fragments. But that the kitchen and the service felt the resentment had been experienced by all those present.
What he had understood was probably about equipment for warships and that the Japanese had demanded or done something completely unacceptable. At least he could hear that the once-useful relationships were cooling down.
In the morning in the editorial office, he scoured the international press at the time of the end of the war against the Empire. Then he found something remarkable. He didn't find something more precise and that was the real news.
After the end of the armed conflict against the British Kingdom, Japan alone had sent its war fleet into reserve, and for the most part had completely mothballed it. All other countries, without exception, seemed to be keeping large parts of their warships under steam, and the Russian fleet was almost entirely in Vladivostok. The Tsar had almost three times as many warships operational in Northeast Asian waters as Japan.
According to his recollection, this had not been the case since the turn of the century, that Japan was not ready to defend itself.
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Editors of the Tōkyō Shinbun – Wednesday, November 03, 1915
Gradually, the news became more interesting again. The government had begun to set up a lively trade in military equipment and at the same time landed a real coup with the licensed production of American 5inch guns of higher quality. The fact that the company's own development departments were able to present a breakthrough in the equally important 10inch caliber almost simultaneously made an elementary improvement of Japanese artillery possible.
The 5inch caliber is the relevant secondary caliber for cruisers and battleships, and the 10inch caliber is the largest caliber for the armoured cruiser class. In addition, the captains of the torpedo boats vehemently demanded a larger caliber for their ships and that could only be a better 5inch caliber. However, 5 inches still seemed oversized for torpedo boats.
Be that as it may, trade with foreign countries probably also led to acceptable offers of foreign technology.
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Extra sheet of the Tōkyō Shinbun from Monday, December 13, 1915
>> Kenyan rebels defeat the British Empire! <<
In a completely surprising major offensive, the Kenyan insurgents have committed a massacre of their British occupiers. There are also said to have been hundreds of deaths among the white civilian population. Observers on the ground speak of a panicked flight of the former colonial masters from their plantations and other possessions.
The flag of the new Republic of Kenya flies over the capital Nairobi.
It is further reported that the poor roads from Nairobi to the port city of Mombasa are overcrowded with fleeing troops and civilians. The railway line between the two cities is unusable. British battleships have reduced a large part of Mombasa to rubble in order to maintain control of the city and port as long as European citizens are still in the country.
Some French and Germans who lived in Kenya are also said to be among the victims, but there has been no reaction from the Grande Nation and the German Empire so far.
A certain Harry Thuku, who probably plays a leading role in the rebels, has declared Kenya's independence! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kenya)
British East Africa is thus lost to the Empire!
Picture 125: Railway line near Mombasa
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kurv ... ombasa.jpg
Author: unknown
Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya
Picture 126: Map of British East Africa
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Africa_1909_16a.png
Author: National Geographic Society
Info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya
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#120 RTW2-JAP#
