The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 165 - 177: Sink

In April, cherry blossoms were in full bloom across the Japanese archipelago, and spring was in the air. From Hokkaido to Kyushu, from the foot of Mount Fuji to the depths of the Imperial Palace, butterflies and bees danced everywhere, and the land was full of vitality.

Yet amid this vibrant spring, Japan was heading toward its doom. The same fate awaited the Combined Fleet. After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Combined Fleet had effectively ceased to exist. Only the battleship Yamato, anchored at Tokuyama in the western Seto Inland Sea after hasty repairs, silently testified to the former glory of the fleet.

With the U.S. landing on Okinawa, on April 5th, the Japanese Combined Fleet decided to launch "Operation Ten-Go"—a naval suicide attack consisting of the battleship Yamato, cruiser Yahagi, and eight destroyers, carrying only enough fuel for a one-way trip, to strike at the American landing forces on Okinawa in a desperate, do-or-die battle.

From a distance, the Yamato anchored at sea looked like a small mountain, while the surrounding warships seemed like pitiful children’s toys in comparison.

On the morning of April 5th, under the bright spring sun, a launch approached Yamato. After tying up alongside, Vice Admiral Kusaka, Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet and carrying orders from Naval Headquarters, boarded the Yamato. He was there to deliver Admiral Toyoda’s orders to Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito, commander of the Second Fleet—the only remaining main force of the Combined Fleet—officially issuing the combat orders for "Operation Ten-Go."

"We have decided to provide your fleet with only enough fuel for a one-way trip. Please understand that this is a special attack mission. The Second Fleet is to break through to the enemy anchorage off Okinawa at dawn on the 9th, destroy the enemy fleet, then charge into the enemy base, conduct naval bombardment, and land troops."

As Vice Admiral Kusaka relayed the orders in the Yamato’s officers’ conference room, there was a faint stir in the room. Vice Admiral Ito remained silent, staring at Kusaka expressionlessly. Ever since the Americans landed on Amami Oshima, he had known this day would come, that the final order to sortie would eventually arrive, but even so, this command still caught him off guard.

After Kusaka finished delivering the order, Ito asked the question that concerned him most.

"How many planes will provide cover?"

"Not a single one!"

"Not even a single plane for cover—how can such an operation succeed?"

Glaring at Kusaka, Ito demanded,

"You know what a special attack mission means, don’t you?"

Suppressing his inner grief and anger, Kusaka replied,

"I understand."

With those words, Ito understood everything—a special attack mission, in plain terms, was a suicide mission. Whether there were planes or not made no difference.

He nodded heavily—the thing he least wanted to see had finally happened.

At that moment—

In the afternoon, Ito Seiichi boarded the super battleship named after the Yamato people. In the conference room of the Yamato, he received all the commanders:

"The fate of the Empire truly rests on this battle. I have called for and organized a surface special attack force, which will launch a heroic and unparalleled assault. With this single act, we shall restore the prestige of our Imperial Navy, carry forward the glorious tradition of surface combat, and bring honor to future generations. All units, whether or not they are part of the special attack force, must resolve to fight to the death, utterly destroy the enemy fleet, and lay the eternal foundation for our Imperial nation."

Ito Seiichi was well aware of the fate that awaited warships without air cover, and he knew how slim the chances of success were. But he also knew he had no choice but to carry out his orders.

After the orders were read, the officers in the operations conference room remained seated in silence. Everyone sat quietly in their chairs, not uttering a word. The entire room was enveloped in an eerie stillness.

Seeing the silence, Ito Seiichi spoke:

"The Yamato represents the hundreds of millions of the Yamato people. Therefore, it must be the vanguard in the spirit of one hundred million shattered jewels! We are merely choosing the place for its death! To live and die with the Yamato is the honor of us, the officers and men of the Imperial Japanese Navy!"

With his words, the atmosphere in the operations room became solemn.

"We set sail! 0600 tomorrow! Everyone, prepare to launch the attack immediately!"

"Hai!"

The order to attack Okinawa was issued before dinner. As soon as the order was given, the thousands of sailors aboard the Yamato sprang into action. When they heard over the loudspeakers that the Americans had landed on Okinawa, they knew it was only a matter of time before the order to sortie would come.

Because they were prepared, there were few surprises. After all, it was just a battle.

"Unload all flammable materials and surplus supplies—everything is to be taken ashore!"

"Hai!"

Mattresses and flammable items were carried out by the sailors and piled up to be removed from the Yamato. Empty cabins were labeled "wartime corpse storage" or "emergency aid station." The anti-aircraft gunners fortified the open quadruple 25mm mounts with sandbags to protect themselves.

By evening, after all the battle preparations were complete, the sailors and officers assembled on the deck of the Yamato. Both port and starboard sides were lined with sailors. Ito Seiichi stood on a wooden platform, holding Admiral Toyoda’s order from the Combined Fleet, and read it aloud:

"Hereby, a special attack force is ordered to engage the enemy at all costs. By this, we will carry forth the glorious tradition of the Imperial Navy and pass this supreme honor to future generations. The fate of the Empire rests on this battle. All units must remember the mission of the special attack, fight bravely, and annihilate the enemy fleet. Let the world know that the Imperial Japanese Navy is invincible. That is all! Salute!"

As Ito Seiichi finished reading the order and saluted the officers and men before him, the atmosphere aboard the Yamato changed.

Then, thousands of men raised their arms and shouted, "Banzai for the Empire of Japan!" again and again, raising their arms high.

For a moment, the resounding cries merged over the anchorage. At that time, the setting sun dyed the sea and the Yamato a fiery red, as if foreshadowing misfortune.

Everyone understood that this would be a one-way battle with no return.

After dinner, farewell parties large and small filled the battleship Yamato and the other nine ships of the Second Fleet with a lively atmosphere. Songs and shouts poured from the officers’ mess, where almost all the officers gathered, boisterously venting their emotions.

Each ship carried only enough fuel for a one-way voyage. The officers knew that this was a certain death mission. This freed them from all restraint. There was no need to worry about military discipline or anything else—they just sang, shouted, and let it all out.

Listening to the singing and shouting from the officers’ mess, Escort Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Komura Keizo and Captain Hara of the Yahagi left, wandering around the ship.

In the sailors’ quarters, Komura saw the young sailors sleeping peacefully in their hammocks. Some had tears on their faces; some mumbled in their sleep, calling for their mothers. The sounds echoed in the cabin, and the scene weighed heavily on Komura’s heart, but he kept walking.

When he reached the engine room, still feeling heavy-hearted, he saw another scene. In the engine room, a mechanic, drenched in sweat, was meticulously checking the engines, his expression serious and focused. Normally, checking the engines would take only thirty minutes, but Komura stood at the hatch for quite a while, and the mechanic was still checking, muttering to himself as he worked.

No one knew how much time passed before the mechanic finally stood up. When he saw the commander at the hatch, he immediately snapped to attention and saluted.

"Commander!"

"At ease."

Komura entered the engine room and looked at the mechanic, who was covered in sweat.

"Why are you taking so long to check the engines?"

"Reporting, Commander! I must ensure that there will be no electrical failures when we reach Okinawa."

"Yoshi!"

The mechanic’s words deeply moved Komura, whose heavy heart was touched. He gently patted the mechanic’s shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to leave the engine room. As he climbed the ladder, tears streamed down his face.

His tears were for everyone, because he knew very well that they had no chance of reaching Okinawa.

At the same time, near the gangway of the Yamato, the officer cadets were struggling with the duty sailors, grabbing the railings and crying out loudly. After all surplus supplies had been unloaded, according to orders, the sick and the officer cadets who had not yet graduated from Etajima were forced to leave the ship.

"We want to die together with the Yamato!"

A reserve cadet tearfully pleaded with the officer standing behind the duty sailor, begging—who would want to leave the ship at a time like this?

Very few were willing to leave. In their eyes, carrying out such a special attack mission was the greatest honor of their lives, but now they were being driven away.

"Baka!" (Idiot!)

The officer shouted angrily, stepped forward, and slapped the reserve cadet twice across the face. Then he grabbed him by the collar and glared at him.

"You must live! Do you understand?"

"I want to die with you! We are also sons of Yamato!"

The reserve cadet cried out loudly. Looking at the stubborn faces of the other cadets, the officer suddenly pulled the sobbing cadet into a tight embrace.

"You are all sons of Yamato. But it is precisely because of this that you must survive. In the future... you are the hope for the Imperial Japanese Navy’s rebirth. Do you understand?"

With a sudden shove, the officer pushed the cadet away. Tears streaming down his face, he shouted,

"Get them off the ship! Quickly..."