Winter Storm (36 page)

The
Japanese are likely to achieve at least historical damage on the American
fleet, he thought. If my warning prompts them to risk those two carriers, all
the better. And if the Americans get lucky, perhaps with a little assistance
from my long range helos, they just might put some hurt on this
Kido Butai.
That failing….

He
smiled, for indeed, he had plans within plans within plans.

*

Mount
Niitaka was the ‘New High Mountain’ as it was called, on
the Japanese possession of Taiwan, was climbed for the first time by Japanese
explorers in the year 1900, a most grueling ascent, studded with perilous
cliffs, steep stony walls, and slide zones where the risk of avalanche was very
great. It was so named because it was even higher than the sacred heights of
Mount Fuji on the home islands, and it was symbolic of a great task to be
performed.

On the
morning of December 2nd, 1941, that was the code phrase that was flashed to
Admiral Nagumo’s
Kido Butai,
Climb Mount Niitaka! Japan was about to
embark on their arduous expedition onto the steep, stony cliffs of WWII.

“
Climb
Niitakayama,”
said the Lieutenant. “The operation has finally been
approved!”

Vice
Admiral Chuichi Nagumo gave the man a quiet look, his white gloved hands still
gripping his field glasses as he studied the wild sea. Those last numbers in
the signal, 1208, were simply the date, December 8, 1941, which would be Sunday
the 7th in Hawaii on the other side of the international date line. Yamamoto’s
long planned operation was finally about to reach its terminal phase.

It had
been a long, silent journey from the Kuriles, with the sudden rising winds and
sea of a winter storm to brave as they went. Yet the Admiral was not bothered
by the weather. His real concern was in being spotted and in wondering whether
this whole affair would ever come to fruition at all.

He was
a navy veteran, having graduated from the academy in that fateful year of 1908,
too young then to see action when Admiral Togo faced down that strange Russian
ship off Oki Island. Ever thereafter, it was said that that enemy ship had been
emboldened by the soul of the legendary sea Dragon,
Mizuchi
, and the
shock of that encounter had done much to spur the development of the Japanese
naval building program. They were determined to get sea dragons of their own.

Now
Nagumo had them, right there in the
Kido Butai,
six of the eight fleet
carriers with over 440 planes at his command. The words of the Commander in
Chief, Admiral Yamamoto, were still fresh in his mind that night. The two men
had met just before the fleet departed home waters.

“We
have received certain intelligence from the breakaway Russian Republic of Orenburg.
Sakyamuno labored all night to get this information to Urajio by rail.”

“What
is it?” Nagumo eyed the diplomatic pouch carefully.

“A very
strange document,” said Yamamoto. “It contains a map of the American anchorages
at Pearl Harbor, the exact positions of their ships, or so we are to believe.
There is one thing notably absent on the map—there are no American carriers.”

“How
could this information be accurate? It will be two weeks before we are in range
to attack. Anything could happen in that time.”

“That
is what is so strange about this map,” said Yamamoto. “It appears as if… well
as if this has already happened! It even indicates our planned flight approach
for the first attack wave! How could the Russians have this? I am in doubt
about the entire mission now.”

“You
suspect a security breach?”

“This
man—Volkov—he clearly seemed to know all the details of our attack,” Yamamoto
shook his head. “Sakyamuno told me that it was imperative we focus our effort
not only on the battleships and cruisers we may still find there, but also on
the submarine pens… here.” Yamamoto pointed to the map. “Also note these fuel
tanks that were discussed as potential targets.”

“It was
determined we could damage them, but not destroy the oil,” said Nagumo.
“Remember, they are surrounded by dikes.”

Yamamoto
nodded. “Yet this man, Volkov, insisted that they must be attacked, along with
the dry docks and ship repair facilities.”

“The
Prophet,” said Nagumo with a dismissive look. “I have heard of his many
predictions. He flits about in that antiquated airship, whispering in Hitler’s
ear one day, and in Tojo’s the next.”

“Yes,”
said Yamamoto. “He predicted there would be a fire in Moscow, and the Soviet
Government would flee to Leningrad. He predicted what happened to Sergei Kirov
as well!”

“Guesswork,”
said Nagumo. “I could have predicted that myself.”

“Nonetheless,
I am inclined to consider the possibility of a third wave strike to target
these things. Can it be done?”

“Genda
argued strongly for this,” said Nagumo. “In fact, he still thinks we should
invade Hawaii!”

“That
will not happen this time out.” Yamamoto smiled. “Give thought to this. If such
a third wave could be mounted, then perhaps Genda’s voice should be heard. I
will leave this up to you. But there is more here.”

“More?”
Nagumo eyed the leather pouch again, and Yamamoto handed him a second page.

“This
is where the carriers will be.”

“Another
prediction? This Russian dictator cannot possibly know this. Predicting where
these ships will be before they even leave port is ridiculous.”

“Our
men on the Hawaiian Islands confirm that the carriers have been moving in and
out of the harbor. One departed today. This paper says there are only two
operating out of Pearl Harbor, not four as we first thought. A third is on the
American West Coast, the fourth was called to the Atlantic. It indicates that
the Americans will try to reinforce their mid Pacific islands, one carrier to
Midway, another to Wake Island, most likely ferrying aircraft or delivering
troops and supplies.”

“Most
regrettable,” said Nagumo. “If they accommodate this man and do as he predicts,
then I will not get a chance to destroy them at Pearl Harbor.”

“Let us
not put too much faith in this report,” said Yamamoto, “but if it is true,
those carriers will not be able to interfere. Just the same, do keep a wary eye
over your right shoulder as you turn south for the final approach. If all goes
well, you should receive the final go order sometime after your refueling
operation on December 2nd.”

“Climb
Mount Niitaka,” said Nagumo. “Someday I will go there to see the real mountain.
I have heard it is a difficult height to master.”

“The
one you already have in front of you will be trouble enough,” said Yamamoto.
“Do not forget the words of Admiral Togo at Tsushima!”

“How could
I forget them?” said Nagumo. “That is where your hand was injured.”

“Aboard
the armored cruiser
Nisshin
,” said Yamamoto. “We fired almost every
round we had during that fight, and the ship took much more damage than this
old left hand of mind. Yes, I lost two fingers, but the Russians lost the
war—twice…”

“It was
the second victory that mattered most for us,” said Nagumo. “That’s when we
finally put them in their place.” He smiled.

“Just
the same,” said Yamamoto. “Now we are about to strike the most dangerous foe we
have ever fought. Remember Togo’s words, and remember the
Nisshin
. I
know you had your reservations about this plan, but if you are asked to climb
this mountain, when you get there, fire every round you have.”

Nagumo
put that remark beside their discussion about a third strike wave, and though
Yamamoto had politely left the decision to him, he nonetheless felt that the
Commander In Chief was urging him to strongly consider Genda’s exhortation for
that third strike.

The
flags rose on the main mast of
Akagi
precisely on
schedule, at 5:45 AM in the pre-dawn hour of December 7th, 1941. Time and Fate
were stubborn, and determined to restore their dignity, no matter how badly
ruffled their skirts were by the violations of
Kirov
and crew. They had
conspired that day to bring the
Kido Butai
to precisely the right place,
at precisely the right moment, to launch the most infamously famous attack of
the war.

Strangely,
it would not be the Japanese that would actually initiate hostilities. It
would be the US destroyer
Ward
, which fired on a Japanese midget
submarine that was creeping up behind a tug towing targets for live fire
exercises near the entrance to the harbor. That was the first hit scored in
what would soon become a long desperate struggle over 63.8 million square miles
on the largest body of water known in the universe. And in Fedorov’s history,
the last hit would come many years later, again delivered by the Americans. It
would be scored by Bafford E. “Loopy Lew” Lewellen, commanding the US Submarine
Torsk
as it stalked a Japanese cargo ship escorted by a frigate on
August 14, 1945.
Torsk
would sink the escort with a new fangled sonar
guided torpedo aimed by a gizmo the crew called a torpedo data computer, the
legacy of the terror brought back to this tumultuous past by a ship called
Kirov
.

1945
was very far away when Admiral Nagumo stared down the staircase of
Akagi’s
three flight decks, descending one after another to the bow of the ship as it
turned into the wind. He knew what the flags on that mast were now saying to
every member of the
Kido Butai
that could see them. They were the same
flags Admiral Togo had raised at the Battle of Tsushima, the same words Admiral
Yamamoto had pressed him to never forget.
“The fate of our nation depends on
this battle—All hands will exert themselves to their utmost.”

Nagumo
had a lot on his mind, the weight of that statement hanging right over his head
on that mainmast. He had been entrusted with command of this operation, and the
cream of Japan’s fleet carrier divisions, in what he always thought was a
risky, and highly dangerous operation. There were too many things that could go
wrong. The long sea journey east, the risk of early detection, the prospect
that they would arrive and find an enemy fully alerted and ready for battle.
And there was one other question he wished he could answer now—where were the American
carriers?

In
spite of Japan’s clear superiority in that category, any carrier on the sea was
deemed to be a threat by Japanese navy planners, and always a target of the
highest priority. There were only three in the Pacific, with two more scheduled
to transfer there soon, hoping to arrive before war came, but they would not
get there in time. In spite of warnings that had come from many quarters, the
British, US intelligence, blunt threats broadcast by Tojo himself, and that
final secret message delivered by Vladimir Karpov, the US was woefully
unprepared for the outbreak of the war.

The war
fighting elements of the US Fleet were organized into three large Task Forces.
TF 1, commanded by Vice Admiral Pye, was the heavyweight, with 6 battleships, 6
cruisers, 18 destroyers, 12 submarines, and 5 minelayers. It was also supposed
to have a carrier, CV
Saratoga
, but this ship was fresh from overhaul in
Seattle and off to San Diego to pick up her planes.

An old
battleship man who had served on five such ships in his early career, Pye had
boasted that there was little danger to the fleet at its new forward base in
Pearl Harbor. “The Japanese will not go to war with the United States,” he said
as late as the 6th of December in staff meetings with Fleet CinC Admiral
Kimmel. “We are too big, too powerful, and too strong.” Thus, in spite of the
war warnings, he had his powerful task force sleeping quietly in the harbor,
with his overconfidence about to be roundly skewered in a matter of hours.

The
other two task forces were at sea. TF 2, under Vice Admiral William Halsey, had
three battleships,
Arizona, Nevada
and
Oklahoma
, with 18
destroyers and 3 cruisers. The battleships were to conduct night fire exercises
west of Hawaii, while Halsey organized a new TF 8, and slipped away with
Enterprise
along with the heavy cruisers
Northampton, Chester, Salt Lake City
and
nine of those destroyers.

Halsey
took this force out on November 28th, heading for Wake Island to secretly
deliver 12 Marine fighters. The planes were flying off the deck for Wake on
December 2, just as
Kirov
reappeared in these troubled waters, and the
signal to attack Pearl Harbor was delivered. He had planned to return to Pearl by
December 6, but was delayed by a storm in Fedorov’s history—weather that was
not going to occur in these altered states. The swirling, ever random moods of
sea and sky would simply not obey the dictates of Fate and Time, and this would
soon have a dramatic impact on the Japanese plans.

Vice
Admiral Brown’s TF 3 was designated the scouting force of the navy, led by CV
Lexington
under Admiral Newton, along with eight cruisers, 9 destroyers, 17 submarines
and 12 minelayers. Like Halsey’s special mission, Newton organized a smaller TF
12 and took “Lady Lex” and heavy cruisers
Chicago, Portland
and
Astoria
,
with five destroyers, out to deliver planes to Midway.

It is
often said that a single day can make all the difference in the world, and Fate
was also to change the tabular record of movement for this group, when Newton
went on his way 24 hours early, thus finding himself one day ahead of schedule
on his return leg to Pearl. Instead of being 500 miles southeast of Midway, and
effectively out of the game on December 7th, TF 12 was a little over 500 miles
further on, steaming just 150 miles west of Kauai Island, northwest of Pearl.

The
night firing exercises went off without a hitch, and Halsey had a mind to
dismiss his three slow battleships and send them back to Pearl on December 5th.
In Fedorov’s history, this is what he actually did, which doomed all three as
proverbial sitting ducks in the harbor. But with Lexington ahead of schedule,
and his own task force unhampered by foul weather as it was, the Enterprise
group was very near Lexington on the way home.

Rear
Admiral John H. Newton was Commander, Scouting Force, getting a rare chance in
the seat of a carrier commander for this one special mission. Otherwise his
senior, vice Admiral Wilson Brown, would normally be in charge. Seeing the
close proximity of the
Enterprise
as a unique training opportunity,
Newton sent a message to Halsey asking if he would care to organize an
impromptu fleet exercise involving all the assets they presently had at sea. The
signal was simple, but Halsey could read between the lines. He smiled,
realizing Newton knew he was about to be bumped back down to the cruisers as
soon as they made port. With nothing else other than a dull cruise home, Halsey
agreed.

It was
to be a cover and converge exercise, where the three battleships and the two
carrier groups would stage as if they were a covering force for some other
operation, and then converge on a rendezvous point. Thus those three
battleships were not detached, and as Halsey looked at his map on December 6,
he got a screwball idea.

“Hell,
we always come into Pearl from the west. Why not make this rendezvous point up near
Kauai? This time we’ll swing north of that island and come home from the
northwest. We can have the battleships inshore, and the carriers and cruisers
covering.”

What
Admirals decide they often do, and this became the plan for the morning of
December 7th, 1941. It would mean the two carriers would not be where Volkov’s
report predicted, nor would Battleship Division 1 be waiting in the harbor with
the rest of Pye’s ships. Instead, the American carriers would mount morning
search patrols as part of the exercise, and aboard CV
Enterprise
,
Scouting Squadron 6 was tapped for the job. Halsey had planned to send out such
a mission anyway, having his planes search out in a 150 mile arc, and then just
sending them on to land at Ford Island. There, they would have arrived just as
the Japanese attack began, with six destroyed in that chaos as they tried to
land. This time, Halsey decided they would fly an out and back mission, and
return to the
Enterprise
.

Scouting
Six had 9 planes, led by Lieutenant Commander Hopping. They would each take a
slice of the search arc, with names that would begin rewriting the history of
that eventful day, Teaff, Kroeger, Gallaher, West, Dobson, Dickensen, Hilton
and Weber. It was Ensign Teaff in plane 6S-2 that would score the jackpot, for
his slice of the morning sky would take him directly at the point on the sea where
Nagumo’s
Kita Butai
was now launching the first strike wave. Commander
Mitsuo Fuchida was up to lead them, and they soon darkened the skies above
those carriers like fitful bats, their dark wings barely silhouetted against
the gloaming dawn.

The
planes howled away on their mission, cruising through the grey early morning,
lulled by the quiet songs from a radio station on Honolulu. When they had gone,
preparations were made for the second wave, and Lieutenant Saburo Shindo would
be among the first to fly, leading nine A6-Zero fighters in three
Shotai
.
He would take the first
Shotai
up immediately, with extra fuel tanks to
loiter over the task force on a defensive watch until the second wave was up.

The
Japanese had every hope that they would catch the Americans by surprise, as a
seaplane off the heavy cruiser
Chikuma
had reported the fleet was there
with at least six battleships, but with no carriers present. One of those six
was the
Utah
, now designated a target ship. The other five belonged to
Admiral Pye’s TF 1. The three notably absent were now rounding the northern
shores of Kauai Island, about 10 miles north of Princeville. They were simulating
a shore bombardment on that island, screened by the carriers and cruisers.
Amazingly, they were just far enough west so that the first strike wave could
not spot them.

Events
were now about to careen in a wild new direction, all because of the fickle
weather, Lexington’s hasty efficiency, and a crazy yearning by a cruiser screen
commander to try his hand at carrier operations. Then came the message Karpov
had quietly arranged, and the altered states were about to alter yet again…

*

“What
do you make of this?” said Halsey, looking over the strange signal that they
had just received on fleet channels. Captain George Murray leaned in closer,
his eyes tight.

“Who
could have sent it?”

“Came
in properly formatted,” said Halsey. “Looks like it’s from Chief of Naval Ops,
but the signal faded out and we lost it. This is all we got, but by god it’s a
mouthful! This thing is telling me the Japanese fleet is a couple hundred miles
northwest of our planned rendezvous point!”

“Could
it have been a sighting by one of our PBYs , or perhaps a sub?” Murray was very
interested now.

“Well
we need to get someone out there and take a good long look. This little
exercise we’ve planned may become something else sooner than we expect. Let’s
get Search Six up right away.”

*

“Squadron
Leader to Little Lost Lambs… report status by assigned order.” Lieutenant
Commander Hopping was in Plane 6S-1 polling his sheep.

“Little
Lamb 2, all clear,”
same the voice of
radioman Jinks on Ensign Teaff’s 6S-2. And one by one the others in the flock
all called home, until Ensign Weber’s radioman Keaney was about to sign off
with the last all clear. But Teaff’s keen eye thought he saw something,
probably another oiler like the one they had overflown ten minutes
earlier, the Richfield tanker,
Pat Doheny.
But the longer he looked, the
more he saw, until his eyes finally widened with the shock that was soon to
ripple through the entire US Pacific Fleet.

“Holy
cow! Jinks! Do you see what I see off the port bow?”

“Who
the hell are they?” said Jinks.

“Christ
almighty! Those are aircraft carriers. Damn things are launching planes! Get on
the blower and report!”

“Squadron
leader, this is Little Lamb 1. Big Bad Wolf at 20 miles! My position: two-sixer
point three north, one-five-seven west. Repeat Big Bad Wolf! Big Bad Wolf! Carriers!”

Jinks
was so rattled that he sent that message right out in the clear, and it hopped
into Lieutenant Commander Hopping’s head like a thunderbolt.

“Little
Lamb One. Confirm. Did you say carriers?”

“Roger
Sheep Leader. Five or six big flattops, and they’re launching planes! Mother of
God… It’s the Japanese!”

Hopping
needed no further persuasion, and he wasted no time, passing it on to the
Enterprise
,
where Halsey got the news at 07:00 hours, just as a ward officer was reporting
the three battleships had successfully made their simulated bombardment run off
Kauai. He was about to give the order to sent the battlewagons home when the
news hit him like an electric current.