Chapter 19 Chapter 15 Time is getting tighter and tighter

The two fleets of the United States and Japan are facing each other.Hornet and Enterprise were on their way to Luck Point to rendezvous with TF Seventeen, recovering from the previous day's disaster.On May 30, the two aircraft carriers conducted firing exercises and general inspections.At 11:30, Captain Mitchell of the Hornet imposed non-military punishment on the ship, announcing that the two sailors would each be in confinement for five days and only allowed to eat bread and water.The reason is that one accepts cash to entitle the other to take care of laundry and the other takes possession of non-approved clothes. [Note: Hornet and Enterprise logbook, May 30, 1942. 】The life on the ship is still both luxurious and superior, but also monotonous and boring.

On this day, Midway Island began to carry out air search.Ramsey's procedural plan is based on two assumptions. First, under normal circumstances, it is estimated that the visibility will be reduced in the sea area 300 to 400 nautical miles northwest of the island; Offended enemy fleet.Therefore, an enemy attack is possible every morning.However, the very low visibility in this sea area can not only cover the enemy's night navigation, but also hinder the accuracy of the enemy's surface navigation, making it impossible to launch attacks at night.From this, Ramsey further deduced that the enemy will pass through the sea area with bad weather at one or two o'clock in the second half of the night, but will only launch an attack after confirming its navigation position when the sky is twilight.The U.S. air defense force judged that the Japanese army would send planes from 4:30 to 5:00 local time from a distance of 150 | 200 nautical miles from Midway Island, and began to attack the island around 6:00.

From the above premises, Ramsey's plan called for an early start of the aerial search.The plan stipulated: at 4:15, the reconnaissance plane was dispatched, and fifteen minutes later, the B|17 bomber took off, and the rest of the aircraft took action after the reconnaissance plane flew 400 nautical miles.This action plan certainly increased the logistical difficulties of the East Island, because the B|17 could only reduce its load to a safe landing on the island after flying for four hours.This consumes a lot of fuel, but there is no good way to do otherwise.The only alternative is to leave these flying fortresses on the ground, but Ramsay isn't going to take that risk.

However, at this stage, what Ramsey was most worried about was the night attack on Midway Island by the Japanese land-based aircraft on Wake Island, especially the night attack on the oil storage system on East Island. [Note: Lieutenant Commander Logan C. Ramsey June 15, 1942 to May 30, 1942 | June 6 Midway Defense Air Operations to Commander Pacific Fleet Report.Hereafter referred to as Ramsey's report. ] So he kept thinking about Wake Island.At about 9:45, Patrol Aircraft No. 8V55 (PBY) reported that it was attacked by enemy aircraft.At 10:08, Patrol Aircraft No. 2V55 (PBY) also said it had been attacked.Five minutes later, aircraft No. 8V55 reported that it was located at 26°55' north latitude and 173°20° east longitude.At 10:35, the aircraft reported that it was returning to base.At 11:12 it again reported that it had been attacked by a twin-engine Mitsubishi bomber.Six minutes later, another reported that it had been attacked by a four-engine bomber. [Note: Attachment to the Operational Report on the Battle of Midway (May 30, 1942 | June 7) to the Commander, Pacific Fleet, June 18, 1942, by the Commander, Naval Air Station Midway Two: May 30th, 1942 | June 6th Phase Contact Report.Hereinafter referred to as contact report. 】

Such a sequential narrative is rather confusing.The actual situation is that two Catalina planes collided with two aircraft from Japanese land-based bombers departing from Wake Island on a routine patrol were encountered.The two Japanese planes, one with twin engines and the other with four engines, severely damaged the two very slow and weak PBYs and wounded a sailor.The encounter had long-lasting consequences, and finally the Navy agreed with the pilots that the Catalina was indeed unsuitable for combat patrols.Ramsey makes this point powerfully.He sadly reported that during these two encounters, the weakness of the PBY as a search engine was exposed.Any type of Japanese aircraft could and did attack PBY. (The emphasis is Ramsey's.) [Note: Ramsey's report; McCall's report; "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", note on page 96. 】

The incident was good for the U.S. military.From the location of the encounter point and the estimated speed of the Japanese bombers, Ramsey could guess with considerable accuracy when Wake Island sent the patrol planes.He noted the following conclusion for future reference: Sunset would be an opportune time to attack Wake Island.Only then were these Japanese planes parked at the airport. However, the question at the time was whether the B|17 machine should be used for search.Ramsay doesn't think so.Because, first, using the B|17 to search would weaken his attack power, and second, he was in no hurry to let the Japanese know that four-engine land-based bombers had been deployed on Midway. [Note: Ramsey's report. 】

That day, seven more large, elegant B|17s flew from Oahu to Midway.Maj. Gen. Willis P. Hale, Army Seventh Air Force [Note: Hale returned to Oahu on June 2. ], 22 officers, and about 50 soldiers also arrived randomly.McCall arranged for these newly arrived officers and soldiers to live in tents.Since the radio combat frequency of his MAG|22 had been used in an air defense exercise, it had to be replaced.Airborne radar is running around the clock.The day's activity swallowed some twenty thousand gallons of gasoline, and, as McCall said, the transportation facilities were stretched to the limit.

McCall was running out of steam.On Sunday, May 31, nine more B|17s arrived.From the point of view of completing the search and attack mission at Midway, he certainly welcomed it.However, the runway is already overcrowded, and taxiing and taking off at night are extremely dangerous.Lieutenant Colonel Sweeney C. Walter Jr., Commander of Fleet B|17, who arrived at random, along with 30 officers and 60 soldiers had to live in tents and eat what they had.McCall wrote in his official work diary: About 175 personnel ate in the officers' mess, and the mess was served day and night. [Note: McCall's report. 】

The newly arrived B|17 had just finished maintenance and had just loaded the bomb bay fuel tank and half-loaded bombs, and Ramsey ordered them to take off.Nimitz had already issued an order to him: as long as possible, on May 31 and June 1, the B|17 must be dispatched every day to conduct reconnaissance of possible Japanese assembly points 700 nautical miles west of Midway. , Moreover, the plane must take off in time to ensure that it arrives at the designated location at 15:00 local time.On Sunday, the entire search arc area was clear and very easy to observe, except for the sea area beyond 300 nautical miles to the north of 280 degrees, the weather was almost zero | zero, [Translator's Note: Zero | The weather with zero cloud cover height. 】Cannot search at all.No enemy was found in this search, but the dispatched B|17 fleet got lost and kept everyone busy.Ramsey had to use both radar and radio direction finding to navigate him.The last lost plane returned at around 3:50 on June 1, more than four and a half hours late. [Note: Ramsey's report; Commander, Seventh Air Force, report to Commander, Pacific Fleet, on the use of Air Force at Midway, July 17, 1942.Hereinafter referred to as the report of the Seventh Air Force. 】

All of this did nothing to ease the fuel strain.The fuel consumption of the day was astonishing, as high as 65,000 gallons.As McCall put it in his usual telegraphic language, the fuel problem here and on Sand Island was serious. [Note: McCall's report. 】 McCall did not record all the disturbing facts in his diary.We already know that the troops guarding the island have installed explosives at various important locations.If the Japanese army landed successfully, they had to blow up some facilities to prevent the Japanese army from getting it.Of course, fuel supply facilities were also blown up.Unfortunately, on May 22, an operation team accidentally blew up the gasoline storage while inspecting the detonation circuit of the explosives.A Marine Corps officer pointedly said: Explosives that are safe for fools are blown up by sailors.Thousands of barrels of precious fuel were destroyed in a torch, which seriously affected the mission of the air force on the island.Although the aviation army urgently needed flight training, they had to give up due to lack of fuel.To make matters worse, the aircraft had to be refueled by hand directly from the drums, which, as McCall said, was slow and tiring. [Note: McCall's report. 】

Nimitz was very worried when he heard the news of the Midway accident.Time was running out, he said, and Midway needed the oil.He temporarily rented a cargo ship and sent it to rush the last batch of barreled aviation gasoline to Midway Island. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964. ] When the ship arrived in port, McCall ran into trouble again.As soon as the anchor broke down, the ship clamored that it had exceeded the stipulated time. [J Note: Working hours exceeding trade union regulations. 】So, that night, the first mate, second mate, bosun and others on the ship used winches to unload the oil drums together with the marines. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway Island, and Submarine Operations", page 86 | 87. 】 Spruance's fleet sometimes snaked, sometimes straight ahead, to meet Fletcher.They've also been worrying about fuel. (The Enterprise and the Hornet were refueled from the tankers Cimarron and Pratt. This was the last refueling before the campaign began. On this day, the Hornet was not only refueled, but also honored At 14:25 U.S. Navy Captain Mark A. Mitchell was sworn in as Rear Admiral of the U.S. Navy using the unemotional language of the ship's logbook. [Note: Hornet and Enterprise logbook, 194 May 31, 2002.] This excellent naval officer deserved this promotion. It was his aircraft carrier that transported Doolittle's bombers, thus ensuring the success of the latter's air attack on Tokyo. All Nagumo's ships also refueled smoothly that day (June 1, Tokyo time). [Note: Narration in Japan, p. 6. ] But Genda lived in the patient cabin.The aviation staff officer has been unwell since the Nagumo Force left the Hashirashima anchorage.Symptoms of nagging colds and more serious illnesses sapped his energy.Finally, the doctor diagnosed him with early pneumonia and rushed him to the patient cabin. I think it's due to fatigue, Genda himself thinks.There is no doubt that this is quite true. [Note: Genda's statement. 】As early as the early spring of 1941, he was obsessed with Yamamoto's idea of ​​attacking the US Pacific Fleet on Oahu, and enthusiastically worked hard on it.If Yamamoto was the father of the Pearl Harbor bombing plan, then Genda should be regarded as the mother of the plan.It was Genda who injected his own spirit and exerted his own wisdom to make the plan come out, and it was Genda who nurtured the plan with his own hard work and protected it from interference from all sides. [Note: For a detailed study of Genda’s role in the attack on Pearl Harbor, see Dawn, We Are Still Sleeping. ] His success on the morning of December 7 made him ecstatic when he saw the validity of his hopes and beliefs.That success also gave him new responsibilities.Since then, Nagumo has seen him as a jack-of-all-trades.Over the past few months, Nagumo has had an incredible string of victories.During the past few months, Genda has been advising Nagumo for him, and his status is second only to Chief of Staff Kusaka. Indeed, Genda in 1941 and early 1942 should be worth studying by psychologists or sociologists. A complete model of humanity in war, a model of a busy man.Now, God finally got angry and punished him. For the next few days, Genda was unable to contact the commander on the bridge due to living in the patient's cabin.Nan Yun and Cao Lu were too busy to chat with him.Of course, some acquaintances in the staff and some pilots often came to visit and tell him important battle situations. [Note: Genda's statement. 】However, in the extremely critical three days before the naval battle, Nagumo failed to receive direct help from the officer who had the most say in naval aviation operations. On May 31 (June 1, Tokyo time), Yamamoto's main fleet dispatched a patrol plane from Hosho to look for the oil tanker due to the scheduled refueling the next day.According to the report of the tanker Naruto, they were about thirty nautical miles behind the original position.But Fengxiang's patrol plane did not find them.Yamamoto sent the Ninth Cruiser Squadron and two destroyers to look for it, and instructed them to refuel as soon as they found it. Standing on the bridge, the stout, chest-tight Yamamoto gleamed in his white military uniform.The Imperial Navy stipulated that summer clothes should be changed from June 1st, but Ugaki informed the rest of the fleet not to change clothes for the time being. When to change clothes, another notice will be given.It's still cool.Ugaki felt that changing to white summer clothes too early and staying on the bridge for a long time would affect his health. [Note: Ugaki's diary, June 1, 1942 | 3rd. 】 At about ten o'clock, a reconnaissance plane reported that there was an enemy submarine eight kilometers to the port side of the fleet.The destroyers Shigure and Ayanami immediately went to destroy the boat, and at the same time, the fleet accelerated to the right to avoid it. Sanwa expressed doubts about the reported enemy situation.Then, the Fengxiang signaled that it had hit, based on the fact that it saw an oil film 20 meters wide and 50 meters long on the water surface.But that's not necessarily the result of the offense.Perhaps they mistook the slick for a submarine.Miwa also points out that people sometimes mistake whales that float up for submarines. [Note: Sanhe Diary, June 1, 1942. 】 However, submarines were also spotted elsewhere that day.A seaplane on Wake Island spotted several submarines in waters 400 to 500 nautical miles north-northeast and northeast of the island, and an aircraft on Waterje Island spotted a submarine 500 nautical miles north-northeast of the island. submarine.After receiving these reports, Ugaki concluded that the Americans were aware of the Japanese army's intentions.Of the more than 180 radio contacts in the Hawaii area monitored by the Japanese side, as many as 72 were marked as urgent. It can be considered that the enemy must have been aware of our actions and is preparing to meet us.Ugaki wrote.In particular, they almost certainly had their submarines about 600 nautical miles southwest of Midway.Together with the aircraft, they have stepped up security on the island. [Note: Ugaki's diary, June 1, 1942. 】In fact, English's submarine cordon was almost due west of Midway. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", page 97. 】 That night, another disturbing piece of news reached the Yamato, much to the chagrin of the officers.Sanhe wrote: Sydney Radio said that the Japanese army launched an attack in Sydney Harbour, but the relevant troops did not make an official report, so the details of the attack are unknown.I am very concerned that they may well fail to return. [Note: Sanhe Diary, June 1, 1942. 】 Radio Australia talked about a pocket submarine attack by the Japanese, saying that what the Japanese did was trivial, stupid and futile.Ugaki is very interested in pocket submarine operations, and he himself has the idea of ​​success or failure.He had a special fondness for young men who fought bravely but achieved nothing, at least in his informative diary.He wrote: It can be conceived that the attack of these submarines must have caused considerable damage to the enemy.May God bless the crew for their safe return. [Note: Ugaki's diary, June 1, 1942. 】 Alas!Ugaki is so convinced of the destructiveness of submarines, and prays so devoutly for the safety of his subordinates!However, the only damage was: a torpedo passed under the target US cruiser Chicago, and blew up the bottom of an old ferry that was used as a barracks, killing some sailors.The Chicago spotted the attacker and fired at it, but because the pocket submarine was too close, right under the ship's nose, the shots went too high and missed.It was such a trivial matter, but the Imperial Headquarters issued a distorted but vigorous communiqué, describing in vivid detail how the British battleship Wospite was struck by a mine and caught fire in Sydney Harbour, and how it sank to the bottom of the sea. [Note: For a detailed description of this operation, see Battle of the Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations, pp. 65 | 68. 】 That day, the Japan Times and Advertiser published an editorial commenting on the strength of the U.S. Navy.The editorial cheered up the breakfast-eating readers.The editorial said: Now the United States is desperately building warships, which is very natural.But battleships are not built overnight.In terms of air power, the United States suffered the heaviest blow with the loss of five of its eight aircraft carriers.By the time the United States had rebuilt its fleet, Japan had been able to build the same number of warships.In ship design, Japanese ships have been convincingly demonstrated to be superior to those of the United States.Moreover, it is impossible for the ships of the rebuilt American fleet to appear at the same time, they must be built one by one and appear one by one.In this way, if it builds one, we eat one.Is there any force that can stop my superior Japanese navy from doing this?Moreover, the mobility of the American fleet has been almost unbelievably weakened by the occupation of its naval bases by the Japanese Come to think of it, who in the world has any brains who would believe that the United States could launch a successful attack on Japan?What else will Americans gain from endless setbacks and failures? [Note: June 11, 1942. 】 The endless setbacks and failures of the Americans simply did not contemplate, and their preparations to confront the Japanese threat remained unaffected.Hope to engage Japanese surface forces. Said in the unofficial flight log of VF|6.Then, the recorder added another sentence angrily: the sky is cloudy, the sea is calm, and little Japan has good luck as usual. Midway is also preparing itself safely and efficiently.The next day, June 1, two Catalinas on patrol encountered two patrolling Japanese bombers 450 | 480 nautical miles west-southwest of Midway.At 9:45, one of the PBYs reported being attacked by a Japanese aircraft at a position of 228 degrees from Midway Island and a distance of 500 nautical miles.Fifteen minutes later, the plane further reported that it had just been attacked by two bombers.In less than six minutes, it reported its exact position again: 560 nautical miles from the island, bearing 230 degrees.Since then, the Midway Island radio station has not received any reports from the aircraft until it requested to return to Hong Kong.The radio station instructed it to wait for further instructions.However, five minutes later, the reconnaissance plane suddenly replied: I am returning, and three people are injured.At 10:42, another reconnaissance plane reported that it was attacked by the enemy, but did not report the position and distance. Within 12 minutes, it reported again: I am returning. [Note: Contact report. 】The two PBY planes returned to Midway, bringing back a wounded officer and two wounded soldiers, thereby further proving that this large and heavy aircraft is indeed vulnerable. [Note: Report by Ramsey and McCall. 】 News of the encounter reached Nagumo's flagship Akagi.Fuchita stretched out his hands and feet on the bed in the patient cabin, and then made some calculations. The Japanese army had estimated that the radius of the air patrol of the US Midway Island would not exceed 500 nautical miles, but according to the report of the incident just received, the encounter point was located at It is 500 nautical miles north-northeast of Watje Island, which indicates that the defenders of Midway Island have expanded their search radius to 700 nautical miles. Fuchita calculated again, and frowned after getting the result.If the Americans flew this far out of Midway Island, the convoy convoy, which is now a thousand nautical miles west of Midway Island and heading northeast at a daily speed of about 240 nautical miles, will arrive two days before the mobile force bombs Midway Island. On that day, June 3, he entered the US patrol circle.The battle plan called for Tanaka to intentionally make his fleet visible to the Americans, so that they would mistakenly believe that the Japanese army would attack from the south.However, the time for self-disclosure should be on June 6th, which is N|1 day. [Note: See Chapter Four of this book. ] From this point of view, Tanaka may have come too soon.And that would do more harm than good. [Note: "The Battle of Midway Island", page 122. 】 Stimson is more worried than Fuchida!In Washington that morning, Stimson convened a meeting of the Armed Services Council.At the meeting, Marshall reported on his trip to the West Coast.The Secretary of the Army said that we are diverting all possible aircraft to be sent to deal with the Japanese threat.The situation is serious.They are much better than us at carrying ships and aircraft carriers.Also, our warships have to stay close to the coast in order to be protected by land-based aircraft.However, if the navies judge the situation and don't risk driving out of the air umbrella, we may be able to lure them (meaning the Japanese) into a position where we can make a difference and beat him a few times. It could be better. [Note: Stimson's diary, June 1, 1942. 】 Stimson's vision of the upcoming campaign is at least interesting.He imagined that the battle would be fought somewhere off the coast of southern California, and that American warships would be fighting close to shore with trepidation.If the mobile units of the navy do not leave the protection of the land-based bombers of the army, then they can only take a chance to beat up a few times and ease the irreversible situation a little bit.