Struggle Pacific, page 5
part #3 of Pacific Alternate Series
“Another miss, captain,” said the spotting officer, also receiving confirmation from the watchtower people. “Damn,” said Benson in a frustrated voice.
“Reload, let's try again,” finished the captain as Washington again sook with the hits by the Japanese Howitzer ordinance they were trying to destroy. “Yes, Sir,” responded the gunnery officer.
Extract of Tameichi Hara's book Teikoku Kaigun no Saigo 1967
The transfer to Samoa, August 25th to August 30th
By the middle of August, the 2nd fleet received important reinforcements under Vice-Admiral Gunichi Mikawa. The man was said to have courage and judgment and be gentle and softspoken at the same time. The Admiral came along with two of the cruisers that were kept in reserve in Japan, namely the Chokai and the Kumano.
His arrival coincided with a new set of orders for my destroyer, Amatsukaze. It could not have come at a better time since my crew and I were frustrated to stay in Rabaul and play escort between the base and Truk in the Carolina Islands. It was frustrating to hear the news of the constant battle in Port Moresby and stay holed up in port or play escort to some non-descript merchantmen.
To this day, I still do not understand the high command’s mentality of not sending the fleet for one last kill against the enemy harbor. For me, it was then (and still is) a simple equation. We only needed to show up one more time, with all guns blazing, to close the deal and destroy the rest of the Allied defenses. According to the intelligence briefings I had available to me then, it seemed like the Allied fleet was decimated and that the killing stroke would have been a simple matter of braving enemy planes. But there, again, the prevailing view in Combined Fleet HQ was not to risk the ships for undue reasons. But I still wonder what had been the point of building all those magnificent ships of war if it was to shepherd and fear losing them?
In any case, I was soon to be far removed from that frustrating state of affairs and would instead be thrown into my first real surface action of the war, where Amatsukaze played a major role.
Vice Admiral Mikawa was under order to take a detachment of Inoue’s 2nd Fleet and sail to West of Samoa, where Allied activity had been reported to increase significantly in the weeks of July and August. Of particular worry to the high command was the news that the Allies had built an airfield and a seaplane tender base in the Cook Islands.
The set of fifteen islands was dead center in between our Samoan base and the French-held islands of French Polynesia. Allied presence in the area only meant that they intended aggressive action toward Samoa. Mikawa was thus ordered to Pago-Pago harbor and investigate these claims from the few floatplanes that had spotted airfields and ships.
The fleet that sailed on August 25th (just as the battle of Port Moresby unfolded) was very powerful since Grand Admiral Yamamoto himself had taken a keen interest in shutting down any enemy activity in the area. If the Allies could get their hands on Pago-Pago deep water port, it would mean trouble for the Empire. Mikawa had under his flag three powerful heavy cruisers. The Nachi, the Chokai (the admiral’s flagship), and Kumano. Three light cruisers followed (Katori, Kashima, Kashii) and five destroyers, including my dear Amatsukaze.
We knew at the time that the French operated a sizeable fleet in the area. What we didn’t realize is that it was a very powerful force of two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and three destroyers.
Since I now have the power of hindsight with which to write my book, I can tell the story from the other side. After the complete occupation of their home country (Metropolitan France), the French Government rebased to Africa. It moved all of its naval assets to bases across the area, including Canada and the United States. The American and British logistical systems then took over their supply.
The French Fleet was the fourth largest naval force globally after Britain, the United States, and Japan. Its strength included seven battleships, nineteen cruisers, seventy-one destroyers, and seventy-six submarines. It consequently participated heavily in the conflict.
Stories of French ships fighting alongside their Anglo-Saxon brothers abound in every history book of the period. The United States and Britain, having their hands full everywhere in Europe and in the Pacific, were quick to ask the French for assistance where it was needed.
One of these places was in the remote areas of the Pacific, like Tahiti. Since it was a French territory, it was only natural that Generals de Gaulle and Petain agreed to transfer forces there to cover the area. The so-called “French Pacific Fleet” (Flotte du Pacifique in French) that sailed into the Papeete harbor at the beginning of July was led by Admiral Célestin Bourragué and included the heavy cruisers Suffren and Algerie. Two light cruisers, the Montcalm and the Gloire, plus three destroyers (Aigle, Chacal and Triomphant).
Its mission was not defensive, as not much Japanese military strength was in Samoa. The French mission was to retake the important harbor. The Americans fueled their effort by transporting three French battalions to the theater. Some came from French Guyana in South America, and others from the metropolitan army’S leftovers.
The first step in the Samoan liberation operation was to establish airfields and recon bases (seaplane tenders) in the small Cook Islands archipelago. From there, the Allies could send air raids and establish some form of aircover (the two sets of islands were approximately 1000km away). They would not be able to send fighters, but B-17s would do just fine, especially since the Imperial Army and not yet been able to send a real fighter force to the area in August 1942. The needs of other fronts had taken priority over a quiet theater.
Thus, with this state of affairs, I sailed along with Mikawa’s fourth Fleet toward some of the most intense battles of the Pacific to date.
Back in action
USS Wahoo attack near Timor Harbor, August 30th, 1942
USS Wahoo’s recall had had as much to do that it needed to be resupplied as it was slated for a new mission. The Allied submarine fleet based out of the Australian Western Coast (Fremantle Harbor) was tasked to cover the upcoming Operation to attack Broome and Derby.
Indeed, General MacArthur launched Operation Chronicle the same day that Wahoo arrived at its designated coordinates. He was part of a twenty submarines force positioned along the Japanese 1st Fleet’s routes as it would assuredly sortie to support the Japanese troops in the attacked areas.
Cloutier’s part in the grand scheme of things was to attack any shipping, whether a battleship or a transport, which would venture in his path. MacArthur’s main objective for the subs was to impede the Japs from intervening too soon into the operation, and all the better if Jim and his comrades sunk some enemy ships.
A few hours after the start of the Allied attack on Broome, Japanese Admiral Raizo Ishaka’s 1st Fleet sortied out of its main base at Dili Harbor in occupied Dutch Timor. The fleet was much-diminished in strength as many of its fighting ships were sent to Admiral Inoue in Rabaul to bolster the forces there for the Coral Sea campaign.
Ishaka’s nonetheless called on a small carrier, the Shoho, two powerful battleships (the Ise and the Tosa), two heavy cruisers (Takao and Aoba), three light cruisers, and ten destroyers. It used to be a twelve light cruisers and twenty-five destroyers naval force. But the needs of the merchant marine (that was getting slaughtered in the Dutch East Indies waters) made high command dispatch most of them into the sea lanes to protect the shipping transports.
As luck would have it, Cloutier’s coordinates perfectly intersected the Japanese 1st Fleet route. Being near the coast, the submarine skipper feared for planes, for they were near the enemy airfield at Penfui. But alas, it could not be helped. His orders were clear. Attack on sight to confuse the Japs and perhaps even convince them to turn back. By then, American leaders like MacArthur were starting to figure out that Japanese commanders were very careful with their major naval units and planned accordingly.
The enemy ships were all grouped together with the destroyers screening in front, on the sides, and in the rear, ready to intervene when a submarine attack happened. Cloutier watched as a big dreadnought appeared in his periscope view. The Mark 14 torpedo had a 4000 meters range (4500 yards), and Jim intended to fire from as far away as possible.
In doing this maneuver, he reduced his chance of a hit but, at the same time, followed his orders to the letter. He was to confuse the enemy and make him think that a lot of subs were in the area.
His plan was subtle but simple. Fire all forward tubes (the American Gato-class submarines had six) from as far as possible, dive, and move to a new firing spot. With a bit of luck, he would be able to get three salvos before the enemy destroyers were on him. His orders to the radio room were also to transmit as soon as possible to all other subs within the established grid to gather on his coordinates. They would all come to the fore because this is where the Japanese fleet was sailing. The radio transmission would be possible the moment the antenna was out of the water, which would be at the same time that the Wahoo would be in a position to fire its weapons (at the right depth).
A few minutes later, the boat was ready to unleash its weapons. Cloutier’s target had the Ise, the big bastard of a dreadnought that sailed carelessly in front of him.
“Remember men. On my signal, we fire, and then we dive as fast as possible, move to the new coordinates, surface, and fire again. We also need to get the torpedoes loaded in time.” Cloutier had calculated that there would be a gap of at least seven minutes between shots. He knew he would fire two salvos, but Jim was unsure he would try a third, as this would greatly diminish the Wahoo’s survival chances.
“Fire and dive,” he yelled, starting his countdown with his chromometer. And the six mark 14 torpedoes swished loudly away toward their unsuspecting target.
The weapons made good time to their destination, but one of the watchful Japanese destroyers detected their wake early and soon raised the alarm, radioing the Ise that torpedoes were coming his way. The big Imperial Navy ship turned sharply to starboard and pushed its speed to maximum (Ise could make 23 knots at full velocity). Its central funnel suddenly surged with dirty smoke that towered above the big battlewagon, and the vessels moved away from the wakes.
The American weapons were destined to miss their intended target and miss they did by at least six hundred meters. Exactly seven minutes later, Wahoo resurfaced a few kilometers away and fired its second salvo, again at Ise. Cloutier’s quick look around with the periscope once he fired convinced him that it was not really good to try another shot, as the enemy destroyers were almost on his submarine.
“Dive as deep as possible, cut all engines! Complete silence on the boat.” And the Wahoo plunged into the deep waters near Timor. The enemy vessels sailed overhead and dropped their depth charges but never got close to the American sub.
CHAPTER 2
Operation Chronicles part 1
The Allied attack on Broome, August 30th to September 2nd, 1942
Operation Chronicles was the codename for the Americano-Australian operation to liberate the city of Broome and then the city of Derby.
The West Coast was not MacArthur's first strategic choice to attack. In his analysis, the troops would have been better spent in a landing operation in New Guinea or sent to Port Moresby as reinforcements. But the famous General was forced to attack there following heavy pressure from Australian Prime Minister John Curtin, in turn strong-armed by popular demand and other politicians in the country. Notwithstanding the strategic consideration, the real reason for the Aussies to push hard to start the liberation of the occupied parts of the country was out of pride, of course, but mostly because terrible stories emanated from the occupied zone and especially on the way the Japanese were treating prisoners of war and the civilian population.
“Nothing short of horrible,” had been Curtin’s word to the SPWA commander. Since America was only but a guest in Australia, MacArthur decided that it was better to please the host than to antagonize it. It wasn’t his first choice, but it was an attack on the enemy, so it wasn’t really bad. And besides, the area needed to be liberated one day, so since he was forced to do so, the General applied all of his talents to succeed in the attack.
The attacking Allied forces included the 7th Australian Brigade, 5th Marine Brigade, and the 12th Armored, fully equipped with Shermans. The confident Japanese were about to get an unpleasant surprise with their flimsy Type 95 tanks that would get sliced by the excellent American tanks.
The attack started early on the 30th of August with Allied troops spilling out of Sherlburough, not too far from Broome. The city of Broome was defended by the 64th Division, a relatively inexperienced and lightly equipped unit. Japanese high command had bolstered the somewhat weak force with the brigade of Type 95 light tanks it had in Australia.
The Americans started the attack with a powerful airstrike from their 300 assembled planes and smashed Broome and the Japanese defenses. Then came the Shermans in their multitude. The Japanese commander on-site sent in the Type 95s, thinking they would do the trick. Tanks against tank made sense, right? But Japan had never really experienced a fight against modern armor.
In a scene reminiscent of German Panzers against American tanks, but this time reversed, the 12th U.S. Armored literally sliced through the Japanese tank brigade like it was mere empty air. In an incredible display of firepower, the Shermans destroyed over 90% of the Nipponese brigade in a short three-hour fight just outside Broome.
Then the 12th armored immediately moved toward the Nipponese infantry positions set up around Broome. The Imperial force’s supply situation was not great, as the fleet was having a lot of trouble supplying them (not a lot could be moved overland). The American machines smashed into the Japanese infantry like a hot knife through butter. The 64th Division lacked heavy weapons, and the ones they thought they had didn’t penetrate the Allied tank’s armored hulls.
Closely following behind were the infantry units of the 5th Marine Brigade and the 7th Australian. They quickly consolidated the Sherman’s gains and eliminated all leftover pockets of resistance since the Australians-Americans just kept attacking forward while the infantry mopped up behind. It didn’t take long for the low experience, low combat capability Japanese division to have its hand full. After a full day of battle, the Japanese forces reached a critical point and started to break down completely.
The engagement results were nothing short of catastrophic for the Japanese forces. The 64th was also soon overwhelmed, and while they fought longer and resisted better, by the 2nd of September, the fight was over. The unit was eliminated amidst catastrophic losses and desperate infantry charges. The Allied only setback came from the shock of seeing the enemy attack in waves after waves of suicidal Banzai attacks.
In what seemed an instant, Broome was back in Allied hands, and for a moment, it seemed that the Allies would simply run over the whole area. One fact became very clear to Allied and Japanese leaders alike. The Imperial Army was not necessarily on par in terms of equipment compared to the modern American forces.
But the next unit in line (the one stationed in Derby) was a special unit: The Imperial Guard Division, the best equipped, most numerous, and most elite unit in all of the Japanese Imperial Army.
Extract of Tameichi Hara's book Teikoku Kaigun no Saigo 1967
The first battle of the Cook Islands, September 1st and 2nd, 1942
“My choice of a night action was made because I had no air support on which to rely, and reliable air support was vital to anything but a night action since the Allies had airfields in the Cook Islands. On the other hand, I had complete confidence in my ships and knew that the Japanese Navy’s emphasis on night battle training and practice would ensure our chances of success against the French Pacific Fleet.”
Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, 1949
The 4th fleet arrived in Samoa on the 30th of August in the middle of the night. We had to wait until morning to enter, as we needed to be directed into the Pago Pago harbor with specific instructions. A large merchant ship had been sunk by a submarine a few months earlier (by the Wahoo), and it almost blocked the entrance. The whole thing was mapped, so we relied on the base’s instruction to get in the place.
The base’s unpreparedness struck me. Admiral Mikawa had briefed us all on the state of Samoa; the sheer impracticability of defending it dumbfounded every one of us aboard the fleet. So far, nothing much had been accomplished. A battalion of Marines had been landed, a few planes (four Zeros) had been eventually shipped, and a seaplane base was installed into the large harbor-protected area. The ship that had been sunk contained most of the equipment that the base had needed to equip itself with flak guns, oil, and other necessities. Another shipment had been sent, but it had mostly been food for the garrison to survive. Since then, nothing.
The sad reality for Imperial Japan was that it was already struggling to cater to the needs of its soldiers closer to its supply base. While General Harukichi Hyakutake had plenty of supplies because they were fighting a life-and-death struggle in Port Moresby, the bases around him were wittering on the vine. Places like the Marshall Gilbert or even New Hebrides Islands were basically left to their own devices. The troops relied in part upon local produces to get by and hoped for a monthly shipment of war equipment that most of the time didn’t come.
My impression of the strategic implications of this predicament was quite vivid at the time. The Empire had over-extended itself and fought too many enemies. It didn’t take a genius to discover that stark truth.
