Sea of Fire

Chapter 16

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and Harada shifted uncomfortably. “We have no way of knowing whether these events will repeat themselves,” he said, giving Fukada a quick admonishing glance. It was clear to him that his first officer had an agenda here. He now saw Yamamoto nod his head, a sober expression on his face.

“Your information is very accurate,” he said. “I do not even think the Kempetai could have uncovered some of the details you just related, at least not for another week or two. Those were the officers selected by Admiral Ugaki and I only last night, and we have not disclosed this information to anyone else. Now you sit here and recite all this chapter and verse, as if it has already occurred.”

“For us,” said Harada, “it has occurred. It is part of the history I showed you in our library. While things we have seen here are remarkably divergent, such as all this concern over Siberia, it seems some bells ring true, no matter when they are sounded.”

“Then you are telling us all these plans will fail?”

“Possibly,” said Fukada. “Knowing the outcomes, and why they failed, should allow us to prevent that. First off, no orders should be transmitted using the existing naval code until it has been updated. Secondly, if adequate carrier forces are assigned, I see no reason why the Port Moresby operation should fail, and more force at the outset sent to Guadalcanal could prevent the counterblow planned by the enemy. That island was the objective of the first American offensive of the war.”

“Not the New Hebrides?” said Ugaki. “Not New Caledonia? How could they leave those territories on their flank? Are you saying they bypassed those islands in favor of this attack into the Solomons?”

“Not exactly sir,” said Fukada. “No. The Americans already controlled the New Hebrides in the history we know. We never had any troops on New Caledonia, and in fact, they made Noumea their major support base for the Solomons operation at Guadalcanal. But things are quite different this time around. If we have strong forces on New Caledonia, that may be their first objective.”

“Then this is something you do not yet know?”

“It never happened in our history.”

“Yet you say the Americans are reading our JN-25 Naval code. Can you read theirs?”

“That may be possible.” Fukada looked at Harada now, a question in his eyes. “Perhaps our Ensign Shiota might manage that sir.”

“Perhaps,” said Harada, wishing his XO would lighten up here. “Assuming her Captain orders that.”

Ugaki smiled, pointing a finger back and forth at the two men. “These two do not quite see eye to eye on all of this, Admiral Yamamoto. Like two rats in the same maze, this one wants to gnaw his way through the walls to get at the cheese, while the Captain here prefers to sniff out every possibility before he commits himself.”

“A wise precaution,” said Yamamoto. “Isn’t that the point of the Lieutenant Commander’s warning here? Things must be well considered, and not pursued rashly or without adequate force or preparation. And yet, that said, we must act, and soon. There is one other plan we have not yet discussed. Perhaps you will know of it as well. We call it Operation FS.” Yamamoto looked at Fukada again.

“Ah,” said Fukada. “The Fiji Samoa operation. Yes, under the present circumstances, with our forces already on New Caledonia, a bold move now could fatally compromise American plans. I cannot give you details of this operation as I could with the Moresby plan, because it was cancelled in the history I know.”

“Cancelled?”

“Yes sir, the losses we sustained at Midway made that almost impossible. It never occurred.”

“I see… Well it may interest you both to know that I am issuing operational order 626 this very day, though not before we introduce a new coding system. In it, I will formally cancel the planned operation against Midway, and instead make those forces available to support Operation FS.” He said nothing more, waiting to see how these men would react.

“That is very wise sir,” said Fukada. “While Midway was a battle that we also should have easily won, the Americans again had the benefit of knowing our plans in advance. They have broken the naval code, and your order to reverse this setback is most welcome.”

“What are your thoughts concerning such a plan?” asked Yamamoto.

“Well sir, we know the Army’s view was that after the conclusion of Phase I operations, positions should be secured for a defensive front, and troops repatriated for operations in the north. The Navy, however, was not content to stand on defense, but sought some decisive engagement ground with the enemy, preferably within our sphere of influence. That Midway was selected was regrettable, as it was not in our sphere of influence at that time, and saw our fleet dispersed in a very complex operation far from any supporting bases or land based airfields. Your Operation FS is something altogether different. Beyond merely seeking decisive engagement with the enemy, it also has a broader strategic aim, that being the isolation of Australia as a base from which the enemy can mount offensives of their own. These are the crucial early months to accomplish that task, before the buildup of strong enemy forces in Australia. We already have the New Hebrides, which is a major strategic advantage that cannot be underestimated. Now is the time to link our position in the Northern Solomons to forces in the New Hebrides, and to strengthen those forces as far as possible.”

“And your view on the possible invasion of Australia?”

“Not practical beyond the occupation of a few coastal enclaves to deny the enemy the use of air bases and anchorages. Darwin, Cooktown, or other landings in the Cape York area may be advisable, but no general invasion aimed at central or southern Australia would be possible.”

“Yes,” said Ugaki. “The Army has told us it would take twelve divisions to invade Australia, and we simply do not have them, let alone the sea transport to move them and keep them supplied. I tend to agree that Australia might be raided, but never occupied. But it might be strangled to death, smothered, isolated to a point where it no longer poses a threat as an enemy base of operations. This is the point of Operation FS.”

“At the same time,” said Yamamoto, “we cannot allow the enemy to regroup their naval forces. We must therefore also see this operation as a means of seeking out and destroying the American Navy.”

“Agreed,” said Fukada, looking at the Captain now, and realizing he had been dominating the discussion while Harada brooded silently. Yamamoto noticed this, and turned to invite the Captain’s thoughts on the matter.

“Captain? Do you have anything to say on this?”

Harada shrugged. “While it is all sensible from the standpoint of strategy, it is still very far from the mission we set before us when I took the risk of contacting you. Here we are talking about destroying the American Navy, but we came here hoping to find a way to avoid further escalation of the war—a way to find peace.”

“I understand what you are saying,” said Yamamoto. “My heart has been heavy with that question since the war began, but here we are, faced with a growing enemy, clear opportunities, and with the matter of peace not even ours to negotiate. It must be handled at the highest levels of our government. Given the situation as it stands, perhaps we must see the operation before us as a means of clearly demonstrating to the Americans the futility of further hostilities.”

“Perhaps, perhaps. Do you honestly believe that the United States will cease operations in the Pacific and sue for peace if we succeed here? Suppose we take Fiji and Samoa? Will they quit? From this point forward, they will get stronger and stronger. Their first offensive occurred at Guadalcanal, but it seems to me that it will simply be aimed somewhere else when it comes. Has anything been communicated to them aside from our continual fervor in prosecuting this war? How can we ever expect them to reciprocate to any diplomatic initiative if we stand ready to annihilate their fleet and carry out further offensives like this?”

“Talk softly,” said Fukada, “but carry a big stick. Isn’t that a famous maxim of American foreign policy? What were they doing in the Philippines? Who did they take those islands from? Why did they impose an embargo on Japan, as they now support our enemies in China? America was never our friend, until they beat and harnessed us like a man might tame a wayward horse. I will agree with one thing, Captain. They will not stop this war for the niceties of diplomacy. It is simply too late for that. I supported your plan to seek accommodation, but things are as they are. It is a matter of survival for us now, and you know full well what is coming. From my perspective, it is imperative that we support Japan to create the most unassailable military situation possible. That is all this discussion is about. Operation FS will start us down that road.”

“Will it? Right now MacArthur is sitting in Brisbane and scheming on how he can mount an offensive aimed at New Britain.”

“You made sure he’d make it there,” said Fukada quickly. “I had other ideas.”

“Don’t bring that up now,” Harada hardened his stance, straightening in his seat. “Understand my point. We can’t take Australia. You pointed out the futility of that just a moment ago, and even the Japanese Army itself opposes any such planning. Now you can run your operation FS and possibly succeed, but all it will do is buy a little more time. The Americans already have five fleet carriers in the Pacific by now. That matches your Kido Butai, and the Midway disaster should be a strong warning to you—they know how to fight with those carriers. They’ll add three Essex Class carriers within a year, and more and more will come. If we sink one, they’ll build three more to replace it. That’s the war you’re looking at soon, and the missiles under our forward deck will only take us so far down this road to the unassailable position you fantasize about. Well, no position on this earth will ever be unassailable—not in this goddamned war. It will be no holds barred. Understand? Nothing we do here will stop the Americans from continuing to prosecute this war. We must either make peace, or dig in for the whole show, and you and I already know how that ends.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” said Fukada. “If we are clever, resourceful—if we pick our engagements with good foresight and planning, then we can stop them. The Enola Gay need not ever come anywhere near our shores.”

Ugaki smiled. “This one tells us how we can win the war, this other one tells us we must lose it, come what may.”

“I beg to differ,” Admiral,” said Harada. “My Executive Officer tells you how we can fight this war, but he is also smart enough to know we simply can’t win it. I’ll tell you that. He won’t.”

Fukada folded his arms. “We may not be able to win this war decisively, but at the very least, we can prevent them from winning it. We can make their road to our homeland so costly a venture that they may have no other choice but to seek a negotiated settlement. If we act now, and vigorously, then we might dictate terms favorable to Japan. If we equivocate at this key juncture, wasting time in seeking negotiations that you already know the Americans and British will not entertain, then we lose the advantage we have now. Face it, Captain. Our enemies will not give us peace now. It’s too late. The only way we can have that is to take it from them, show them there is no alternative, and there is no better time than this moment. You know that, as well as I do. The real difference is that I’ll admit it, and speak my mind, but you won’t.”

“Gentlemen,” said Yamamoto. “It is clear you have differing views on this matter. I have heard both, and while I look for a way to end this war as swiftly as possible, I am a realist. Given that we cannot now proceed with a negotiated settlement, I can only do what honor demands, and seek the most advantageous outcome possible for the forces under my command. I have asked, and you have answered, Captain Harada. You have placed your ship at my disposal, but now I must ask you if you can continue to lead your ship and crew if the only immediate choice before us is renewed offensive operations. We will soon have to take steps to check the threat in the north posed by the Siberians. I expect they will attempt further operations by mid-May. Until then, we have time that cannot be wasted, six precious weeks that cannot see our forces sit idle. If we do so, the Army will withdraw its support and return units to the homeland. So I have decided. Operation FS will proceed immediately, and if you are true to your word, I will expect the full cooperation of your ship and crew.”

Harada shrugged, but said nothing. It was clear to Yamamoto that he was a reluctant warrior, but he also thought that of himself. His studied eye had taken the measure of the man. There was a reserve of calm water in the center of his soul that will be the source of his real strength. His Executive Officer puts on the brave front, and he is the hot volcano wanting to explode as that monster did in the Sunda Strait. Together the two may balance one another, as yin and yang, but I must watch this relationship carefully.

“Admiral Ugaki,” he said. “Please brief us on the planned offensive.”

Ugaki bowed his head briefly, acknowledging the Admiral’s decision. “We had thought these operations would have to be conducted on a shoestring, but given the swift capitulation of enemy resistance on Java, we do not perceive a threat from the British on that front. Therefore, the Army has placed the entire 48th Infantry division from Java at our disposal. The 38th will remain there as garrison, except one detachment under Sakaguchi. Beyond that, we will employ the South Seas Detachment, Shoji Detachment, and other Naval Marine groups in these operations.”

“Where will we begin?” asked Fukada eagerly.

“Port Moresby. Orders to that effect will be sent immediately, using an altered Book B encoding. Orders indicating our intention to strike at Midway will also be disseminated using the old Book B encryption keys. After discussion with Admiral Yamamoto, it was determined that Operational order 626 would be transmitted in the new code, Book C, but that every outward sign would be made to convince the enemy that Midway and the Aleutians is our next objective. It is our hope that if the Americans have broken Book B, then they will muster their carrier forces to oppose the fictitious Midway operation, leaving our carriers free rein to support operations in the Solomon Sea.”

“One comment,” said Fukada. “At present, the only way you can disseminate information on the new code encryption keys is by using the existing code, correct? That will be risky. They may learn we are changing our code, and act accordingly.”

“What else can we do?”

“Just use the existing code for the moment, Book B, but assemble all forces required for either operation at Truk. There it will be possible to meet with all senior officers, informing them of the new encryption keys in person. Our people can help with this. We also have equipment on board that can help the transition to a new code. Otherwise, I agree that the orders pertaining to the Midway Operation should be sent in the old code, as long as our forces know enough to ignore them.”

“Very well,” said Yamamoto. “Truk is a suitable point to muster the fleet. At that point we will issue orders that appear to indicate Midway as the next target, and even dispatch initial covering forces as a ruse. Then the real operation aimed at Port Moresby will proceed instead.”

“And after Port Moresby?” Fukada seemed to have a restless energy about him now.

“Port Moresby will be taken,” said Ugaki, “concurrent with two other operations. One will be aimed at Tulagi and Guadalcanal, the second to reinforce New Caledonia with the Shoji Detachment, and then, once these objectives have been secured, the 48th Division will invade Fiji. We will meet to discuss concluding operations again after the successful completion of that invasion. In the meantime, your ship, Takami, will be assigned to operate with the Kido Butai.”

“Where will Yamato operate?” said Fukada.

“This ship will remain at Truk as a floating operational Headquarters.”

“If I might make a suggestion… it was found that one great flaw in our Midway deployment was the segregation of heavy fleet elements from the carriers. In effect, our carriers now operate independently, with only cruiser escorts. Later in the war, the Americans discovered that the heavy AA fire support from their battleships and heavy cruisers served to add a strong measure of support against possible enemy air attack. May I suggest we consider adopting such a policy? It would mean that we assign fast battleships and cruisers in direct support of the Kido Butai, and not in a separate screening task force.”

Ugaki deferred to Yamamoto on this, and he considered it briefly before responding. “I find such a proposal interesting,” he said. “In fact, I think I will order it. Yamato is already being referred to as “Hotel Yamato” at Truk. Musashi is due there soon, and certain Combined Fleet support elements can transfer to that ship. But yes, I think I will take Yamato out with the Kido Butai, and Admiral Ugaki, please assign any additional fast battleship support that may be available. If nothing else, I will have what the Americans call a front row seat to these operations. Now then… The timetable… Gentlemen, if I am correct, we have the next six weeks to try and win this war. Should we fail, then we can all sit here again and argue about how best to lose it. Yet for now, I want your full and unqualified support. The British also have a quaint expression which applies here: in for a penny, in for a pound.”

He smiled.

Chapter 17

Karpov was restless. The long hiatus imposed by the harsh Siberian winter had left him chafing for action. Yet ice in the Sea of Okhotsk was particularly severe that winter, one of the coldest in memory, and so he had taken Kirov down through the Kuriles as Fedorov advised, and out into the North Atlantic. They moved at night, through thick weather, with excellent charts of these waters, and passed quietly through the Nadezhdy Strait, a 20-mile gap between two small rocky islands. Radar returns from the high volcanic peak of Sarychev Mountain on the northern isle of Matua guided them through, and the Admiral mused on the fickle nature of the earth itself.

So Krakatoa has blown its top down south, he thought, and right in the middle of the Japanese landings on Java. From all reports the entire western segment of that island is largely uninhabitable now. That must have cost the Japanese a good deal in men and ships if they landed where Fedorov predicted they would. The British pulled out, having no stomach for the fight after that, though it was probably a simple case of logistics that forced their withdrawal.

That’s my problem now, isn’t it—logistics. I have good divisions waiting at Magadan for this damn ice field to thin out, but Fedorov tells me winter may hang on longer than normal now. That damn volcano has sent up so much silt and ash that it’s literally blocking sunlight from reaching the earth. It wasn’t even supposed to happen this year. The eruption was supposed to occur in 1883, but Mother Nature can be a headstrong lady. Look what she did to us right in the middle of that fight with Tanner and his 7th Fleet in 2021.

Yes, it was that demon of a volcano that sent me here, and I had a real good look at what the US Navy is going to look like by 1945. A pity I was on the wrong side back then, and still hot headed from that engagement with Tanner. All I could see was red when it came to the Americans, and I picked a fight there without properly thinking the situation through. Orlan paid the price for that, and everyone aboard. I never really did think to look in the history books to see how that little farce was written up, but then again, what does it matter? It’s 1942 here now, and everything is different. My little sortie to 1908 took care of that, but it also gave rise to the dragon I am now dueling with up here—Imperial Japan. None of those events I lived through in 1945 are ever likely to happen now, particularly since the Americans will be on my side this time around.

Hell, they were unbeatable without me, but with Kirov at my disposal, the outcome of this war is certain now. I’ve already shown the Japanese that I’m not to be trifled with. Fedorov tells me they were worried about the opening of a northern front all through these early months of the war. Well, now I’ve given them one. The loss of Kamchatka must have reddened quite a few faces in Army and Navy circles in Japan. The loss of that aircraft carrier and the other ships I pummeled also clearly demonstrated what I can do to them if they dare to oppose me.

Yet Fedorov tells me they’ll keep fighting. He says the Japanese Empire will simply not quit. In fact, that little tidbit he shared the other day was quite revealing. They have no word in their language to describe what we would call a military retreat. The word they use simply means “advance in a new direction.” And any withdrawal they make is simply viewed as a consolidation aimed at preparing for a new offensive.

So I must not underestimate my enemy here. I must think this through from a strategic standpoint, and in doing that, Fedorov has been most useful. He tells me that our occupation of Petropavlovsk may not be as important from a strategic standpoint as I had planned. I wanted to immediately offer those airfields to the Americans, but Fedorov says it is all of 1500 miles from that place to Tokyo, well outside the combat radius of their B-17 bombers, which is under 900 nautical miles with a basic bomb load, and under 700 nautical miles with a maximum bomb load. They could barely reach the northern tip of Hokkaido from there. How inconvenient. Beyond that, we both know weather conditions at Petropavlovsk are miserable most of the time. It’s one of the foggiest regions of the world.

If I wanted to hit Tokyo, I would have to possess bases in Southern Sakhalin, Karafuto to the Japanese, at least until the Americans produce their B-29 bomber, but that is some years off. Fedorov says that the ranges to any targets of value would require a very direct route, and it would force the bombers to fly right over Japanese held territory in Hokkaido, where they would most likely sustain very heavy losses. If I wanted to approach from the sea, then it would mean I have to hold islands in the southern Kuriles, as far south as Ostrov Iturup, which the Japanese call Etorofu, and that’s where my friend the Demon lives. Might it awaken one day here like that monster in the Sunda Strait? Not likely, but always something to think about. I can’t take anything for granted now, not in these Altered States.

So I need that island as an end point of my planned offensive, and I need to drive the Japanese completely off Sakhalin Island. I already have a toe hold in the north with troops I’ve moved in by airship, but that force isn’t big enough to conduct a real offensive south. It will take strong reinforcements, one or two more divisions from Magadan, and I can’t lift them until mid-May, when ice conditions ease up. Even so, the Japanese will reinforce from Hokkaido, so that is likely to be a very bitter fight when we get down south on Sakhalin Island.

As for the Kuriles, my amphibious landing capability is very limited. I have a small transport fleet, and I must protect those ships using Kirov’s AA defense shield at all costs. I thought the Americans could help out with additional shipping, but Fedorov tells me resources were very thin at this time in the war. I’ll prosecute these campaigns, and also have my younger self apply pressure on Northern Manchuria, but so much of our combat power has been sent to Sergei Kirov that we will have real limitations in this theater.

For the moment, I still have Kirov, and we’ll operate from Petropavlovsk, a nice Northern Pacific outpost. I know what the Japanese will be up to soon—Midway and their Aleutian Islands Operation. Perhaps the best way I can hurt them now is to insure that battle becomes the naval disaster it was for them, and help the American fleet get up a good head of steam here. They pulled off their Doolittle Raid, right on schedule. It’s amazing to see how the history walks in its own shadow. So Midway will be the next operation, or perhaps that preliminary carrier duel in the Coral Sea.

I’ve had Nikolin intercepting Japanese military signals for some time now, and Fedorov produced a nifty little program that decodes everything. It looks like Volkov didn’t even have the presence of mind to tell the Japanese the Americans were reading their code. Very well… How to best position Kirov to ambush the Japanese carriers? I thought they would react much more violently to our Kamchatka operation, as did Fedorov, but they’ve been very cagey. It appears they have learned to fear and respect the naval threat I now represent.

As soon as Nikolin informs me that signals traffic for the Japanese Midway operation picks up, I’ll take Kirov southeast from Petropavlovsk. About 1200 nautical miles should do the trick. That will put me a little north of the historical route of approach of their vaunted Kido Butai. This is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. I can spare the Americans a lot of hand wrenching, take out all four carriers for them in one coordinated missile barrage, and then simply radio the US fleet the position of Yamamoto’s group and the invasion fleet approaching Midway. I’ll let the American carriers finish the job, and that will be that.

Yes, after Midway, Japanese naval power will be a shattered sword. I’ll see to that. Then perhaps they’ll pay just a little more attention when I renew my demands for the return of Vladivostok and Primorskiy Province. Fedorov thinks they’ll just dig their heels in as they did historically, but perhaps I can get them to consider a negotiated settlement with me. Can I afford to consider a separate peace here? How would the Americans view that?

After I win the Battle of Midway for them, they will most likely be very inclined to treat with me as an equal. At the moment, they are open to my proposal to provide airfields on Siberian territory, though Fedorov tells me they are doing so more as a means of opening a new Lend Lease route by air to Soviet Russia. I think I had better watch that closely. I should demand the lion’s share of any supplies that come over Siberian territory. After all, my support for Sergei Kirov has been more than generous.

Alright, it now looks like I can expect the decisive turning point in all this within 30 days or so—Midway. After that it is merely a matter of holding Japan’s feet to the fire until they yelp with so much pain that they will make the concessions I demand of them. After they lose their precious carrier fleet, they may not be so eager to have me as an active belligerent on their northern flank. If I get what I want, then the Americans can handle the rest, and I’ll focus my energy on resettling Primorskiy Province and supporting the Soviets. And I mustn’t forget Ivan Volkov.

He smiled now, thinking of the recent forced withdrawal Volkov made from his Trans-Volga bridgehead. Strange, he thought. This time the Germans got into Moscow, and even took most of that city, but the Soviets still pulled off that amazing Winter Counteroffensive—thanks to the three Siberian Shock Armies I sent to Georgie Zhukov. If I had them here, and had adequate shipping, I could retake Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles in a heartbeat.

So where is the Eastern Front likely to go now? Fedorov thinks the Germans will operate in the south. They already have the Crimea, though the Soviets are still holed up in Sevastopol. Fedorov thinks they will plan and execute an offensive something like their Fall Blau, Operation Blue. That was the drive that took them all the way to Stalingrad—Volgograd now. Sergei Kirov will not give that city up without a major battle, so that is where the real action will be as soon as the weather and ground conditions permit.

I’m told the Germans are introducing new tank designs, and much earlier than they did in the real history. I wonder if Volkov is behind all that? Tyrenkov tells me that the British have a new heavy tank in North Africa as well. It also fought in Syria, and stopped the German intervention there cold, so it must be very good. Yet my intelligence Chief has been unable to get me any real hard information on this development. I must light a fire under him about that.

One day I will need to consider the mechanization of my own forces. Kirov has been true to his word in allowing me to wet my beak as his new T-34s come off the assembly lines. I’ve been able to put together a few tank brigades for my forces around Irkutsk, but they are nothing approaching the tank army strength I will need if I have to really get serious with the Japanese and invade northern Manchuria. Beyond that, I wonder if the Soviets are also working on new designs. I’ve given Sergei Kirov a lot of friendly advice, but suppose I deliver the blueprints for the Josef Stalin Tank? It will have to be called something else of course. Yes, the JS-1 will be rightfully relabeled the VK-1, and they’ll call it “Vlad” for short.

That prompted another smile, though he knew the tank would likely be named the SK-1 if it was ever designed and produced. Sergei Kirov will want his name on a few more things than cities and towns. But if the Germans are building new tanks, we must do the same. Perhaps I can trade those blueprints for a commitment to bolster my air force. My Zeppelin fleet is very useful, but I need fighters and better bombers as well. I can’t build them here, but the Soviets can, and the Americans. And I have things to trade both parties for the toys I need. For now, however, I must finish up arrangements for Operation Midway. The Japanese are about to get the surprise of their lives!

At that moment, Tyrenkov came in. He had come over from Tunguska to make his monthly report to the Siberian Karpov, relating details of the operations now being coordinated by his younger self.

“Has Baikal shaken the dust off and worked into the fleet yet?” Karpov wanted to know about the latest T-Class airship that had just been commissioned.

“Yes sir, and the Admiral was very pleased with it. He took it out for a shakedown cruise, and it performed as expected. On that note, he has asked if an additional Oko radar panel and radio sets could be sent over, and any light AA missiles that may still be available would be most useful.”

“Yes,” said Karpov. “Every T-Class ship will get Oko Panels.” He had been taking the light SAMs that were in inventory for his KA-40s and sending them to equip Tunguska with a formidable air defensive shield for his Zeppelins. The airships were quite durable with their amazing self-sealing gas bags and the inert helium lifting gas making them less vulnerable to incendiary rounds. They could hold their own against most fighter attacks, and dish out a great deal of firepower on defense. With the missiles, and the Oko panel radar sets to see the enemy coming, he could rest assured that his Zeppelin fleet would remain a viable force. Its only real vulnerability in the operations he had been conducting was to ground based heavy flak guns. A 90mm AA gun could wreak havoc on one of those easy targets.

His brother self had been busy coordinating the airlift of troops and supplies to the northern Sakhalin bridgehead. He had a Marine battalion on defense there, and was bringing in additional air mobile troops with supporting heavy weapons by air, mostly flying during heavy overcast days to minimize the threat of enemy air interception.

“The Japanese are bringing in reinforcements from Hokkaido,” said Tyrenkov.

“As we expected.”

“It isn’t much, just one more additional regiment.”

“That should not prove difficult to overcome, but I’ll want a full division in Northern Sakhalin before we make our push. And don’t forget that we have to seize Lazarev on the mainland, and the mouth of the Amur River. That waterway is our route inland in the north. In the south, I’m still pinning my hopes on the planning for the Chikhacheva Bay operation. Once we push as far south as Aleksandrovsk, the time will be ripe for that. It will be quite easy to move west into Primorskiy Province from there, and then we can follow the Amur River for the real offensive push to Khabarovsk. I want to try and get there by July, and clear all of Sakhalin Island as well. Then we plan the Vladivostok operation. For now, I must turn my attention to breaking the back of the Japanese Navy, which should be accomplished in due course.”

Karpov was very pleased with himself, a smug confidence being the outward cloak his darkened soul wore each day. His muse seemed very well reasoned, very logical and precise. But he was very wrong, at least about the battle of Midway. And he would soon find out that the artful stratagem of surprise could be used against him as well.

Chapter 18

Another man was thinking about Midway, sitting in a cellar deep beneath the administration room at Pearl Harbor. The building above had been gutted by fire, but the cellar housing Station HYPO had survived. In the last three months the rubble had been cleared, new construction started, and it was nearly complete. Yet all the while, the station, a branch of OP-20-G Naval Intelligence section in Washington DC, had continued to operate. Their mission was signals intelligence and decryption, and they had some very talented minds there, including one Lieutenant Commander Joseph Rochefort, who had joined the Navy while still in high school in 1918. A man with a complex mind, much like Alan Turing, Rochefort delighted in solving crossword puzzles, or analyzing the possibilities of card games, particularly bridge. It was the kind of mind that was tailor made for code breaking, and that is what Rochefort did.

Station HYPO, sometimes called Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC), had a sister station labeled FRUMEL in Melbourne, and together they had been listening… listening…. All the real decryption work was piling up at those two sites now, as Hong Kong was gone, along with Batavia, and Corregidor. They took the burden, and worked hard, and had some real success in breaking the Japanese JN-25B naval code. Now it was telling them some very dangerous things.

Orders were afoot, signals traffic up all across the bands, and ships were on the move. This made for late hours and long shifts at HYPO, but slowly, a rather ominous picture was being painted by the signals traffic. Lieutenant Commander Jasper Holmes had been very methodical, working from the assumption that something was up for the Central Pacific. The Americans had learned that the movement and deployment of the Japanese carriers was the first thing to look for, and they had clearly identified a carrier with a name ending in “kaku” ordered to Truk. Only two ships had that suffix, and they were both in the same Carrier Division, Number 5, Japan’s newest and most modern carriers.

Holmes came up to Rochefort’s desk, the green eye shades the men used to protect their eyes from the endless overhead fluorescent lighting now perched high on his forehead. He had caught a few hours sleep on a cot by the wall, then was up early to see if anything new had come in. He was very pleasantly surprised. Rochefort was sitting behind a wall of stacked file folders and reports, half way through a cup of coffee. A veil of pipe smoke always seemed to surround his desk, like fog hugging the ragged shore of some isolated Pacific island.

“If Div Five has moved to Truk,” said Rochefort, “what makes you think they’re heading for the Central Pacific?”

“Truk is the center of the wheel,” said Holmes. “From there they could head south into the Solomons, or southwest towards the Coral Sea. There are good objectives there. We know they want Port Moresby. That’s why Fletcher has Saratoga and Yorktown off Fiji right now, ready to move west into the Coral Sea. They could save him the trouble and also head right for Fiji from Truk, and that has a lot of folks worried. So I decided to play a little game.”

“A game?”

“Right. We know the call names of several objectives, so I put out some traffic on the radio last week, just an innocuous little laundry list of maintenance trouble, and I sent it in the clear. I had the report say they had trouble with the water condenser on Midway, and needed lubricating oil for a crane at Suva Bay—two nice fat objectives the Japs might be eyeing now. And guess what. We picked up a message just yesterday. The Japs took my bait, hook, line, and sinker!” His smile drove the weariness from the lines of his face.

“What do you mean?”

“A.F. sir, that was one of the call signs attached to an objective point. We picked up a message repeating that A.F. had trouble with its water condenser. I decoded it myself. So A.F. has to be Midway, and by elimination, we figured out what Fiji must be. No action there, but everything else seems to be pointing to Midway. We even picked up movement order for fleet unit 8 O K.I. We know what that is sir, because the Japs always pair sister ships, and 9 O K.I. was clearly ordered to Kwajalein right after the attack on Pearl. That was Kaga, the ship Halsey busted up in that first engagement. So 8 O K.I. has to be the Akagi, and they want it ready for a move to support the operations for A.F—for Midway.” He folded his arms, a smug look of satisfaction on his face.

“Midway,” said Rochefort. “Why the Central Pacific?”

“Unfinished business,” said Holmes. “If they can knock off Midway, then we lose that important watch on all that turf out there.”

“Or maybe something else,” said Rochefort. “Know thine enemy, Holmes. We know Yamamoto has been wanting to lock horns with our carriers for some time. That’s his guiding principle—seek out a decisive engagement. That’s why he hit us at Pearl.”

“Right. Well I think they’re going to sortie into the central Pacific, and take a pot shot at Midway. They know Halsey has been nipping at the Marianas, and that stunt Doolittle pulled off must have reddened quite a few faces in the navy over there. If they had Midway, they could put seaplanes there and we would have never been able to pull that raid off. It’s a big blind spot for them out there, and possession of Midway solves that problem nicely.”

“How sure are you about this?”

“Well, we’ve also got Nagumo’s call sign—that was 8 E YU, before they changed it to 8 YU NA. We have sixteen readings where that call sign is paired with the 8 O K.I. for the Akagi. So that has to be the flagship for this operation, and they’re moving it to Truk to link up with Carrier Division 5. That’ll give them at least three big flattops ready to move in five days. And there’s more, we’ve got the handle for one of their fleet replenishment ships, Kyukuto Maru. It’s the flagship for the tanker fleet. It’s got orders to proceed to support this operation A.F. too.”

“Have you run this by anyone else?”

“Rear Admiral Layton, and he thinks it’s good. He wanted me to get this to you right away.”

“What about Tommy Dyer?”

“I’ll get to him next. I wanted you to see this first hand.”

Rochefort thought for a moment. “Let me look over those traffic decrypts. A lot is riding on this, and we need to get our ducks lined up perfectly. Did you put these latest ship movements up on the big board yet?”

Holmes was in charge of tracking all ship movements, and he had rigged out a large plotting board on the wall where he would update positions on all the key players in this complex game of chess in the Pacific.

“Find anything else we’ve got on A.F. See if you can cross reference anything. I think the file is under that box there.” Rochefort pointed to a clutter of boxes and stacks of paperwork surrounding one of the other desks like a coral reef. Each man sat on his private little island, with mountains of file folders and jungles of paperwork. They never did set up any proper filing system, but there was a hidden order to the apparent chaos, and just like that, Rochefort could point to a box on the floor and know the A.F. ship track file was tucked away beneath it. Many of the men there had near photographic memory for things like that. To them the clutter was like a road map or navigation chart, and they could read it unerringly.

“So you figure this is what they called off the Indian Ocean thing for?” Rochefort scratched his head.

“They had 5th Carrier Division all set to move that way after Java, but then that volcano popped off and that was that.”

“I don’t blame them,” said Rochefort. He leaned back, taking a short drag on his pipe.

“Sir,” said Holmes. “We know what they want. It’s either Milne Bay and Moresby in the Coral Sea, the lower Solomons—probably the anchorage at Tulagi, and then something big has been in the works after that, and for a good long while.”

“Right,” said Rochefort. “Marines are already working up plans for Tulagi. But these carrier movements are another thing altogether. You figure they’d move with only three?”

“I’m watching the light stuff too, sir. I’ve got a line on Zuiho, Shoho, and Ryujo—that’s the CVE they used in the Sumatra-Java invasion. They pulled that ship east to Rabaul, and whatever was left of that covering force off Java. Everything is shifting that way, and the buildup at Truk is looking pretty mean.”

“Nothing on Fiji?”

“Not a peep. Not a whisper. That would be a third or fourth down objective for any drive they run now.”

“Alright. Get me the intercepts. I want to look things over before we go to Nimitz with this, but we’ll have to move soon. Enterprise and Hornet made it back to Pearl, and they’ll have to get to sea fast if you’re right about this.”

“Leave it to me sir!” Holmes snapped off a quick salute and then hurried off through the archipelago of desks and file boxes, destination unknown.

Rochefort settled back in his chair, his eye on a map. Big Five was already at Truk with Zuikaku and Shokaku. Now Nagumo was shipping in on the Akagi, and with the number one fleet tanker in the mix. Yamato was at Davao, and coast watchers there said there was quite a show put on there—something about rockets being fired off. Probably flares or signal rockets, he thought. You had to be careful with some of these native coastwatcher types. You’d get in a report that sounded crazy at first—a large bird reportedly landing on a ship at sea, which immediately sunk from the heavy weight. That nonsense soon became the landing of a seaplane rendezvousing with a Japanese submarine, which then submerged.

Well, we thought Yamato was heading home, but that ship turned for Truk last week as well. Holmes says the Japs fell for his little ruse hook, line and sinker, but who’s the real fisherman here? Yamamoto doesn’t fool around when it comes to big ship movements like this. I’ll tell you what, there are two types of fisherman—those who fish for sport, and those who fish for fish. Yamamoto is looking to land something real big here. Yes, something is up… something real big.