Chapter 12 Chapter 8 Can you hold Midway?

Before the Japanese attacking force sailed away from the mainland, some doubts remained to be clarified, and some problems remained to be resolved.Therefore, at 8:30 on May 24, the map exercise for the Midway and Aleutian Islands operations was carried out again on the Yamato. [Note: Diary of Ugaki and Sanhe, May 25, 1942. 】Yamamoto stood in the middle, surrounded by his loyal chief of staff Ugaki, staff officers Kuroshima, Watanabe, Sanwa and others.They have great confidence in their beloved Commander-in-Chief.It was he who boldly devised the strategy for attacking Pearl Harbor.How could the battle plan for Midway made by this victorious chief go wrong?

The exercise shown in the picture went smoothly according to plan.In the afternoon, Yamamoto held a combat review meeting.A specific question arose at the meeting: In case the enemy fleet came out to meet it, what should the northern troops do?The participants generally agreed that if no strong enemy was dispatched, the air raid on Dutch Harbor should be carried out as originally planned. Kuroshima spoke slowly but convincingly, and the attack on the island should be the main purpose.However, if the fighter planes of the enemy fleet, including aircraft carriers, are seized and destroyed, the above principles no longer apply.

Chief of Staff Ugaki turned to the sole representative of the Northern Forces and Chief of Staff of the Fifth Fleet, Admiral Yusuke Nakazawa, Chief of Staff of the Fifth Fleet, and asked: Even if it is found that the northern operations are impossible, do you think that the Midway operation can still be carried out as planned? Nakazawa replied: We have no objection to this. Sanhe, who had been listening carefully, said: In that case, the attack on the island should be suspended for a while, and we should look for opportunities to engage the enemy fleet. At this time, Yu Yuan made a short speech, emphasizing that the enemy's report of the reconnaissance plane must be accurate.Next, Sanhe spoke and said:

If there are enemy fleets on both sides, it can be concluded that the southern fleet is stronger than the northern fleet.For example, if there are two regular aircraft carriers, two modified aircraft carriers and several warships out to meet our army, it can be considered that the southern fleet is composed of two regular aircraft carriers, and the northern fleet has only two modified aircraft carriers. If the enemy fleet appears in the south of the island group, we can transfer our northern troops to the south and join the main force according to the main situation at that time. If the enemy's powerful fleet appears in the north, our northern troops should try our best to lure them to the southwest so that we can join forces with our main force to attack them.

However, if the enemy fleet appears east of 160 degrees west longitude, our submarine force should attack it repeatedly, and the main force of our mobile force should look for opportunities to attack it.Depending on weather conditions, the attack on the island can be postponed. [Note: The description of the exercise on the map of May 25, 1942 is taken from the memorandum of Vice Admiral Yusuke Nakazawa.According to Sakamoto, a researcher in the Defense Agency's history division, the memo is the only surviving source on the exercise so far.Among the materials Sakamoto provided to Professor Prange through Chikusa was this memorandum by Nakazawa.Hereinafter referred to as the data of Sakamoto. 】

Destroy enemy ships whenever possible!That really puts the top priority at the forefront.Hei Dao mobilized all his thinking organs to think seriously, and then, he put forward his own opinion: we should not rely too much on the aviation force, and the surface naval force must be prepared to make sacrifices when necessary. Ugaki, who often disagrees with Kuroshima, agrees with him on this point.He said that while aviation is useful in striking at the enemy's weak points, there may be situations where this principle cannot be applied.Ugaki also further emphasized the weakness of aircraft carriers, citing Rear Admiral Hara's Coral Sea naval battle report as evidence. [Note: Ugaki's diary, June 8, 1942. 】

As usual, it was Ugaki who spoke at the end.He said in a cheerful tone: I am as pleased as you are to see that the necessary preparations are in place to launch this campaign on schedule.He then admonished: Since this operation is carried out in a vast sea area and involves a large number of troops, we have to estimate that accidents may occur at any time.Therefore, I must emphasize: there must be coordination between the various units, and there must be no hesitation in signaling when necessary, and must participate in other units when necessary. [Note: Information from Sakamoto. 】 On the way to Midway Island, Nagumo broke the radio silence for precisely this purpose, but afterwards he was accused by all parties, including Ugaki himself.At this time, if someone emphasizes Ugaki's statement, it would be nice to do justice to Nagumo.

Ugaki continued to say seriously: Enemy submarines have been active recently.According to the information intercepted from the radio, more than 20 enemy submarines have been discovered recently, and our side has been attacked by them, and our losses are increasing.We must be on high alert against enemy submarines. Then he thought about the US's intentions and said: It is still difficult to accurately estimate the enemy's next move.But according to newspaper reports, they were heading for Australia.Right now, the location of the two enemy aircraft carriers is unknown, either in Australia or in Hawaii.In this way, we cannot expect to wipe out more than half of the enemy in the next operation.Therefore, we very much hope to maximize the results of the battle. [Note: Information from Sakamoto. 】

Besides Ugaki, who else would express such great disappointment when only fifty percent of the enemy troops will be wiped out? This part of the Council's work ended at 14:00.Then, the meeting spent an hour reviewing the Coral Sea operations.Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, commander of the Fifth Cruiser Squadron, complained that the Japanese were out of luck in that engagement.Sanhe is very annoyed by this, he thinks that a person's luck is good or bad depends on himself. [Note: Sanhe Diary, May 25, 1942. 】 However, the next day's newspaper headlines contrasted sharply with Sanhe's scathing and honest views.The newspaper praise for the Battle of the Coral Sea was elevated to a hymn:

Wednesday is Navy Day.On Monday, two days before the momentous holiday, the imperial headquarters delivered good news In the Battle of the Coral Sea, our side has achieved certain results: Sink five enemy battleships.They are: a US California-class battleship with a displacement of 35,000 tons, a US Saratoga-class aircraft carrier with a displacement of 33,000 tons, and a US Yorktown-class aircraft carrier with a displacement of 19,000 tons Nine million tons, one Portland-class A-class cruiser with a displacement of 9,800 tons, and one destroyer. Two enemy battleships were severely damaged: one was a Waspite-class British battleship with a displacement of 30,600 tons, and the other was an American Louisville-type A-class cruiser with a displacement of 9,050 tons.

A US North Carolina-class warship with a displacement of 35,000 tons can also be said to have been severely damaged. Ninety-eight enemy planes were shot down. [Note: "Japan Times and Advertiser", May 26, 1942. 】 On that day, Sanwa went to the Naval Command in Tokyo.While there, he heard another report on the Battle of the Coral Sea and discussed the Midway operation with the command staff.In addition, he also dropped by the Maritime Division of the Ministry of the Navy.Sanhe did not gain anything in business during this trip.He was not given specific instructions.He wondered how much these rhetorical officers really knew about the Midway operation. However, on a personal level, Sanhe took full advantage of the opportunity to spend two days with his wife.For Sanhe, leaving home to go to work in the morning may mean the end of their married life.Sanhe and his wife had no choice but to accept this fact.Therefore, on the eve of leaving home to fight, Sanhe was not particularly excited.His wife, of course, didn't know about it, but her mood seemed to be the same as Sanhe's. [Note: Sanhe Diary, May 26, 1942. 】 At Midway, routine patrols by aircraft continued on May 24, and construction work continued.Emergency supplies have been distributed, some are stored in air-raid shelters, and some are scattered on the island.On the 25th, another 80 people were sent, and they were incorporated into VP44.McCall said with concern: The number of dining officers has tripled the normal number. [Note: McCall's report. 】 In Haibo, Rochford and his subordinates had been busy all night to decipher a particularly long intercepted Japanese military message.He was busy when Nimitz called him to the staff meeting.Rochford was late for a full half an hour, and the General was of course very unhappy.But after seeing the materials that Hai Bo produced, any commander would forgive the cryptanalyst for any fault, as long as it was not treason or murder.The information said the Japanese order of battle and other things.One of the points mentioned that the Zuihe was still unable to participate in the battle, and the offensive would not start until around June 3 at the earliest. [Note: "Amazing Victory", p. 2; "Nimitz", p. 81|82. 】 This information gave Nimitz an unusually accurate estimate of the Japanese forces attacking Midway: 2|4 battleships, 4|5 aircraft carriers, 8|9 heavy cruisers, 4|5 light cruisers, 16| Twenty-four destroyers, at least twenty-five submarines.Little did he know at the time that Yamamoto's main force would also join the battle. [Note: Part of an unpublished research article from the U.S. Naval War College in 1948 entitled Strategy and Tactics Analysis: June 3 | 14 June 1942 Battle of Midway (including the Aleutian Islands phase) , p. 41.Hereinafter referred to as the analysis of the Battle of Midway Island. ] It would be better not to know this situation, he was disturbed enough already.Because even if it is not counted as the main force, the Japanese army will surpass the US military in the number of ships of various types. It may be foreseen that this information is too complete and has aroused the suspicion of the commander of the Pacific Fleet and Washington.Are the Japanese deliberately spreading disinformation to the Americans?Why did the Combined Fleet send out such highly classified information by radio waves?Why send such a huge fleet to such small targets as Midway, Kiska, and Attu?Despite these doubts, Nimitz once again trusted his intelligence officers. [Note: "Amazing Victory", page 27; "Nimitz", page 82|83. ] After all, it is better to base one's strategy on intercepted radio intelligence than on vague what-ifs?much better. Hai Bo has already intercepted and deciphered this extremely important information without losing the opportunity.The Japanese replaced the JN25 cipher system after confirming the plan and sending out the combat order by radio.It took several weeks for Hai Bo to decipher the new Japanese code. [Note: "Amazing Victory", page 28; "Nimitz", page 82. 】 After Nimitz received the information, he wrote to Semade and Shannon on the same day that the Japanese army postponed the attack time until June 3rd. [Note: "Marines in the Battle of Midway", p. 3. ] This delay gave the two Midway commanders a much-needed few days of reprieve.Although they are both over fifty years old, they are known as the best tennis doubles players on the island.In the defense of Midway they played as well as on a tennis court. Shannon, who participated in the First World War, firmly believed that barbed wire was a very effective defense facility and ordered it to be set up everywhere.An anti-aircraft gunner shouted angrily: Barbed wire, barbed wire!God!The old man thought he could block enemy planes with barbed wire! In addition to the barbed wire fencing Shannon favored, the atoll also contained large quantities of explosives, which proved dangerous to the defenders.As a result, large quantities of explosives were dumped into the sea. [Note: McGlashan's letter. 】 Shannon shares at least one characteristic with Yamamoto, and that is that he falls asleep quickly and wakes up quickly.Although he drank coffee all day and had a few more in the middle of the night, he fell asleep in bed, but was very alert when woken up. [Note: "Marines in the Battle of Midway", page 19. 】 Under the leadership of such energetic people, the two small islands of Dongdao and Shadao are full of cannons, barbed wire fences are erected everywhere, and the beaches and surrounding waters are densely covered with mines and sea mines.Eleven torpedo boats were ordered to patrol the atoll at all times, salvage the pilot who had made an emergency landing, and support the ground troops with their anti-aircraft firepower.A yacht and four converted tuna fishing boats were on standby for ambulance duty.Nineteen submarines guarded the various passages into the island from the northwest to the north 100 to 200 nautical miles. [Note: The Saturday Evening Post, March 26, 1949, page 52, J. Bryan III's article The Unprecedented Battle of Midway.Hereinafter referred to as the unprecedented Battle of Midway. 】 Since mid-November 1941, when the Pan Am express flight carrying Saburo Kurusu to the United States was blocked and waited at Midway for three days, the defense of Midway had greatly improved.At that time, in order to impress the Japanese special envoy on the strength of Midway Island, Shannon and Saimad arranged for the Marines to walk slowly in a long snake on the road leading to the Pan Am Hotel.As Laiqi and Shannon's car drove past the group, Shannon explained to Laiqi that this was a small part of his staff conducting a routine training exercise.In fact, in order to assemble this disgraceful team, he mobilized all living people, even chefs and cooking soldiers. [Note: "Marines in the Battle of Midway", page 9. 】 When inspecting the atoll on May 2, Nimitz asked Shannon: If I give you everything you need, can you hold Midway under a large-scale amphibious assault?Shannon replied very simply: Yes.Naval historian Samuel Elliott Morrison agrees with this judgment. [Note: Same as above, page 22; "Battle of the Coral Sea, Battle of Midway and Submarine Operations", page 85. 】Some junior officers are eagerly looking forward to the enemy's attack.They have been waiting for six months, believing that the Japanese army will definitely not be able to capture the island. [Note: Bard's interview with retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel John F. Carey, July 1, 1966.Hereinafter referred to as Bard's interview with Carey. 】 Other officers were not so optimistic and confident.On Sand Key, McCall's pessimism was almost as low as the normally cocky Marine would allow.Although he has a radar in his hand, it is an old-fashioned SC270 type, which cannot even display the height of the target, and many bright spots displayed on the screen may be Japanese aircraft or low-flying albatrosses.In order to judge the situation a little more clearly, the Marine Corps arranged for its own aircraft entering Midway to enter in a certain way.As long as the bright spots displayed on the screen conform to this entry method, they can be considered as American aircraft. [Note: Bard's interview with Colonel Wayne J. McCall of the US Marine Corps, June 1, 1966, hereinafter referred to as Bard's interview with Cormer. 】However, during the air attack on Pearl Harbor, the entry angle of the large Japanese fleet and the pre-arranged entry angle of the B|17 fleet were only a few degrees different on the screen.This experience has shown that such general identifications are wrong. [Note: "Dawn, We Are Still Sleeping Soundly", page 501. 】 The dive bomber of the Marine Corps on the island is the SB2U|3 type, the official name is the Avenger, and the nickname is the vibrator, also known as the weathervane.These old antiques often undergo geotropism.During the dive test at the beginning of 1942, the body tissue was separated from the wing and had to be glued on. [Note: "Marines in the Battle of Midway", page 22; "Amazing Victory", page 50. 】 The fighter of the Marine Corps is the F2A|3 (Buffalo), which has the dreaded name Air Coffin. [Note: The Unprecedented Battle of Midway, page 52. 】At the beginning, the Buffalo was a very good aircraft, with good maneuverability and easy driving.But it also has several flaws that make it easy to shoot down in the air, so it has fallen behind. [Note: For a discussion of the technical performance of the Buffalo, see the article "Air Power" magazine, March 1972, Farewell, The Fighter Forgotten by the Fleet: Brewster F2A. ] The horizontal flight speed of the Japanese Zero fighter is greater than the highest safe dive speed of the Buffalo. [Note: Bard interview with McCall, June 1, 1966. 】 A few months ago, the F2A|3 and SB2U|3 aircraft on the carrier were replaced by F4F and SBD aircraft, respectively.As a result, the Navy allocated these old-fashioned aircraft that had been replaced to the Marine Corps.Naval Warfare College's analysis of the Battle of Midway said of this arrangement that the practice of equipping Marine Air Groups with older aircraft resulted in excessive losses for Marine Corps Air Group Twenty-Second in the Battle of Midway one of the factors. [Note: Analysis of the Battle of Midway Island, page 49. 】 To make matters even more troubling: there was no plan for coordinated air operations at Midway.Although the airmen were brave, tenacious and eager to fight, they came from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps and were not used to fighting together. [Note: The Unprecedented Battle of Midway, page 52. 】 McCall said: At the time it seemed hopeless to win.It is difficult to fight with these things.That said, it's a mess.Seeing the weakness of Midway, McCall believed that the only chance of escape was to attack the Japanese aircraft carrier while the Japanese aircraft were still on the deck.This required extremely precise timing, great luck, or both.Otherwise, although Midway Island will do its best, it will not be able to withstand the large-scale Japanese attack. [Note: Bard interview with McCall, June 1, 1966. 】 McCall's thinking coincided with Nimitz's.According to Nimitz: To prevent the enemy from continuously attacking, Balsa must be used [Note: Balsa is a code word at the time, referring to Midway Island. ] The aviation force quickly destroyed the flight deck of the Japanese aircraft carrier as soon as possible.Our goal is not to repel the enemy's initial attack on Balsa, but the deck of the aircraft carrier. If this method is correct, Balsa's air force should go all out to directly attack the enemy's aircraft carrier and protect the island and deal with the first batch. The task of attacking enemy aircraft was left to the anti-aircraft artillery units. [Note: Undated memorandum to Captain Arthur C. Davies, Pacific Fleet Air Staff Admiral, quoted in Marines at the Battle of Midway, p. 23. 】 Of course, Nimitz knew the situation well and didn't expect Midway to defend himself.He wasn't prepared to passively wait to be beaten at all.But his only chance of defeating Yamamoto lies in absolute secrecy.It would be great if absolute secrecy could be achieved.Certain key commanders knew that the Midway defenders would be well supported by naval forces, including aircraft carriers. [Note: McGlashan's letter. ] But the battle commander didn't know.In fact, someone went out of their way to tell Navy shore-based pilots that they could not count on support from the aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier had to defend Hawaii. [Note: Bard's interview with U.S. Navy Ensign A. K. Ernest, April 28, 1966.Hereinafter referred to as Bard's interview with Ernest. 】 Judging from the situation at the time, people can understand that the top leaders did not explain to the Midway Island troops that they did not expect them to create any miracles in order not to leak the secrets, and did not tell them that Midway Island was not fighting alone.They were both members of the Navy and Marine Corps, and they knew that the defense of any small island depended on controlling the surrounding waters. If there were many Japanese ships parked on the sea beyond the range of Midway's artillery and covered by a large number of fighter jets, the defenders of Midway would have no air power to drive them away.If Yamamoto had used the powerful guns of the battleships of his main force to attack the atoll instead of placing these ships at the rear of the fleet as a command post at sea, he could have taken Midway by sheer force of steel.Fortunately for the Americans, Yamamoto and Ugaki are always thinking about saving battleships, and only God knows what to do with them.Ugaki didn't even let Caolu use the communication equipment on the Yamato. At that time, the Japanese Navy mainly relied on intercepting enemy radio communications to understand the enemy's activities. Kusaka explained that in view of this, the flagship of the United Fleet Command, Yamato, had a higher mast than Akagi, so it was more suitable. I firmly emphasized this point to the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, but he refused to accept it on the grounds that it would lead to the premature disclosure of the position of the Combined Fleet flagship. . 】 In addition, Yamamoto was also influenced by Alfred Thayer Mahan.Mahan articulated his theories on naval power in his book, The Impact of Sea Power on History.He objected to the idea of ​​battleships bombarding shore installations. [Note: McGlashan's letter; "Marines at the Battle of Midway", p. 23. ] Therefore, Midway would not be subject to this type of attack. According to Nimitz's revised combat schedule, on May 25, a 37mm artillery battery from the 3rd Garrison Battalion of the Marine Corps arrived at Midway Island and quickly deployed four guns on the two small islands.Since the antiaircraft gun was placed high on the sand dunes, when shooting flat, the positions of the two aimers on the gun were much higher than the gun barrel, and the silhouette of the gunner was reflected on the sky like a dead target on a shooting range, an eyewitness recalled. Fortunately, at least for the 37mm gunners, the enemy did not attempt to land. Also flooding the island that day were more extraordinary reinforcements from the 3rd and 4th Companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Capt. Donald H. Hastie and Lieutenant John Apages respectively.This newly formed battalion, commanded by Maj. Evans F. Carlson, became known throughout the war as Carlson's Raider Battalion.The battalion's training, posture, and appearance were greatly influenced by Carlson's admiration for the Communists, who had spent time as a civilian observer in Communist-controlled areas of China.His Raider battalion was to a regular Marine battalion what a wild swing dance festival was to a grand opera, but they were available when needed and that was what the commanders were concerned with right now.Sanlian soon disappeared into the bushes on Shadao, and Silian was sent to Dongdao. [Note: "Amazing Victory", p. 50; "Marines in the Battle of Midway", p. 23. 】 Carlson, Deputy Battalion Commander Major James Roosevelt, Hastie, and Apakis had all been briefed and instructed at Pearl Harbor and had heard the most alarming news that the Japanese were planning to attack Midway.Apages wrote years later: How this information was obtained is still a mystery. Rumor has it that Tokyo Rose is employed by us.She keeps sending us information through regular broadcasts, and there are also rumors that Japanese pacifists are giving us information because they want an early end to the war. The most likely thing is that the code of the Japanese Empire has been broken by our navy. [Note: Prior to February 1948, Major John Apages of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve commented on the manuscript of "The Marine Corps in the Battle of Midway". 】 May 26 was a busy day at Midway.Major General Clarence Tinker, commander of the First Air Force, and his staff arrived at Midway on a B|17 from Oahu for a one-day visit.They brought Major Joe K. Warner and two soldiers to temporarily perform Army Liaison Detachment duties.In addition, the USS Kitty Hawk brought 22 officers and 35 soldiers to MAG|22, as well as 19 SBD|2 and seven F4F|3 aircraft.The marines stationed on the island unloaded all night.Seventeen of the twenty-one incoming pilots, McCall wrote, were fresh out of aviation school.Now the number of officers has almost tripled and the number of soldiers has halved. [Note: McCall's report. 】Due to the large number of pilots, the proportion of officers is higher than that of soldiers, and there are no maintenance soldiers among the newly arrived soldiers. Midway can only support a minimum number of non-flying personnel.Therefore, the daily maintenance and maintenance of the aircraft can only be done by the air crew themselves. [Note: Davidson's report. 】 One thing is certain: at this stage, taking into account prevailing conditions, the quality and availability of military materiel, and the geographic constraints of Midway, Midway was rapidly becoming a well-manned, well-armed, and highly vigilant outpost , the question is: Is such preparation enough?