Fist From the Sky by Peter C. Smith

Author:Peter C. Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781461750987
Publisher: Stackpole Books

SMryū, (ID Code JQVA) under the command of Captain Ryusaku Yanagimito, had been assigned to the First Air Fleet, CarDiv 2 on 10 April.

Leave to all concerned was given in November and Egusa had a last opportunity to visit his wife. He could not share with her the great secret of his forthcoming mission, nor warn her of the grave danger he was in, but they could enjoy their time together, although this was tinged with sadness. Proud as he was to be so chosen to strike the initial blow for Japan, Egusa had a secret burden when he finally left his family to rejoin his Air Group. Unbeknown to his comrades their commander was concealing worries over and above those concerning the attack. His beloved Kiyoko was expecting their second child and it was proving a difficult pregnancy. Also, their son, Hiroyuki, was fighting for his very life with a serious illness. Egusa could not be at their side at this grave juncture, and rarely can any commander have gone to war with so many burdens on his shoulders.

Meanwhile at the highest levels Egusa’s fate, with millions of others, was being decided upon. The Liaison Conference between the Japanese Government and Imperial General Headquarters was held on 1 November 1941. Here the Navy Minister, Admiral Shigetaro Shimada, again reiterated the prospects of a war with America and Great Britain:

‘In the event of war, the Naval High Command believes that the Navy stands a very good chance of victory in both the early stage operations and the interception operations against the enemy fleet, with the present power ratio. However, should the war continue into its third year and become long term, according to comprehensive research by the various Navy departments, shortages of war materials and the inadequacy of Japan’s industrial potential will then begin to have their effect on the Navy’s strength. Under the latter conditions, it would be difficult for us to have any measure of confidence that we could bring the war to a victorious conclusion.’122

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.