My love for my Aircraft Carrier
Sortie here; sortie there every single day I would be sortied to the vast frontier. Wearing my brown pilot's vest I would immediately rush towards my A7M2 Reppu and would wait for hours and hours until the time for my squadron to be sortied.
And whenever we are sortied however, we knew that the situation is bad.
One sortie in particular had our numbers on a staggering disadvantage. A single pilot against 10 Abyssal Hellcats, the fleet was really on a big disadvantage.
Couple of shipgirls then and there was doing their best to fend off the abyssal attack. My fighter squadron composed of ten pilots was easily eradicated and I was the only one that managed to land back on the flight deck.
The look of my woman's face when she saw the number of pilots coming back alive pained my heart. Her warm and cheerful smile was gone and the only thing that was painted all over it was despair and guilt.
Did I really do my job right on protecting her and her fleet? Did I do my very best to bring back my squadron in one piece?
Repeating those words over and over in my head, but I actually knew what the answer was. The thing is...I was just not acknowledging it.
That was years ago, right now I am currently returning back to my woman after an hour long reconnaissance mission. After giving her my landing signal I slowly descended towards her flight deck and successfully landed. I turned off my engine and opened my cockpit and saw a maintenance personnel hurriedly checking the plane's exterior. I got out of from the plane and slowly walked towards the hangar elevators before heading immediately towards my squadron cabin. With a squeaking sound the steel doors opened revealing an empty room.
There are five bunks in double bed configuration, mine's located at the farthest one. Slowly I approached my bunk whilst removing my brown flak jacket that I always wear during sortie. I felt tired, really tired, my fingers were sore and my eyes were twitching uncontrollably from overuse.
No, my woman didn't force me to sortie on a hour long reconnaissance mission. I did it on my own accord. After all, I need to somehow do something about this tingling feeling inside of me.
I slowly closed my eyes and drifted into the abyss. It was a fleeting fleeing, with your eyes closed you could feel the twitching slowly subsiding. My back was facing the ceiling of the upper bed, I could feel my breathing slowly turning into a couple of short pauses as time passes.
And before long, I didn't even realize that I was already asleep.
"All fighter pilots are to sortie now! This is not a drill! All fighter pilots are to sortie now! Torpedo bombers and Dive bombers after!"
And just like that, her deep voice called me from my slumber like an alarm clock. I could hear the wake of an ongoing naval battle just outside my squadron quarters.
I hurriedly got up from my bunk and grabbed my flak vest as well as my leather flight helmet that I accidentally crushed by my own weight.
I ran and ran towards the lower hangar where fighter pilots were already performing their last checks before entering their planes. I was the last one to arrive before other pilots belonging from a different group form up behind me.
"Miyamoto, your plane is on arrow one. You'll be sortieing with Green 1 as of this day!" A maintenance worker shouted ahead of the long line of pilots awaiting their turn to hop on their planes.
Just as the maintenance worker said I was now formally transferred to Fighter Group Green 1. It was a newly formed fighter group that just came out of pilot school.
I immediately hurdled my way towards the front where a metal staircase could be seen in front of the line leading to the launching area. I could see the faces of the new pilots who were waiting for me to meet up with them.
Green 1 is has three sub squadrons of units so to say. That's Green 1-1, Green 1-2, and lastly Green 1-3. I was selected to be part of Green 1-3, as a squadron leader of 1-3.
The group leader or also called Flight Commander was named Shirogami Hageki. An old looking man that had a small mustache and a slit eye that you would have mistaken that he is sleeping. He was giving orders to the young pilots about the new addition of the group, which was me.
"2nd Lieutenant Miyamoto Amagi" I said with a plain tone.
The young pilots only nodded towards me after I stated my name. Before long the green light was lit above us indicating that our woman is about to launch the first group which is unfortunately us.
My plane was slotted unfortunately at the back once again. With that said I waited for the young pilot in front of me to enter his plane before I enter mine. Using my dominant hand I grabbed the outside hook of the cockpit and pulled my body inside. Using my other hand I made sure to attach the newly developed radio around my neck placed the transmitter on my right just below my acceleration lever.
A maintenance worker then showed up right beside me and performed a couple of checks on the flaps, rudder, and so on.
The maintenance worker then gave me a thumbs up gesture before jumping away from my view. Using my dominant hand once again I grabbed this small latch that was riveted underneath the glass canopy and slid it forward to close the cockpit.
I could see the white sky in front of me. It was littered with black clouds and a couple of Hellcats passing by. It was at this time that I realized how close the enemy was.
We were on a tilted position in a somewhat 60 degree angle. I was fortunate enough to be placed at the black and was sitting upright unlike the new pilot that is currently underneath my plane, who is sitting upside down.
Unconsciously I tapped my fingers on the engine start button but not applying too much force that would actually activate the igniter.
We waited, and waited, and waited until a random shell found its mark on our woman's back tearing a hole that's three inches in diameter.
"Shoukaku!" I yelled unknowingly to the point that I was already leaning forwards constantly pressing the ready for lunch button in front of my instruments.
Usually the RFLB button is only available for the Flight Commander's Plane but due to the fact that I was formerly the flight commander of the now disbanded 12th Fighter Group, although the group has already disbanded I was still able to keep my plane although I already lost my rank as a flight commander.
After abusing the button a couple of times I could see Shoukaku's hand covered in blood reaching towards us. Slowly, Shoukaku hoisted us to her bow and placed the string of her bow on the slit just behind me.
I could see her pale face breathing horridly as she put excess force to pull the string at maximum stress.
I looked at her with a worried expression. She glanced towards me with her brown eyes and showed a warm smile.
"A Wo-class carrier is spotted around eleven kilometers from our current position. I want this fighter group to deny her the opportunity of receiving her retreating bombers by intercepting them. I could only send three fighter groups as of now, so please everyone in this fighter group. Do your best to intercept the Wo-class' bombers and fighters as much as you can until the Bomber groups arrive to finish her off." Shoukaku said in a faint tone.
"We'll give her a beating, I promise you this Shoukaku!" I gave her my most determined look that I could do and yelled inside my plane.
"Miyamoto, please don't be reckless okay?" Shoukaku smiled and said those words at me before releasing the stressed string launching us in supersonic speeds.
It only took us four seconds before FC. Hageki ordered everyone to deform the formation. After pressing the detach button I hurried used the rudder to break away from the arrow and pressed the ignition button to start up the engines.
With a loud ruffle the engines heated up and before long my plane was already flying on its own.
The new pilots also successfully detached themselves from formation and had already formed up to their own squadrons.
"Green 1-3, this is Green Actual form up on me." I said via radio.
"Green 2, already on standby."
"Green 3, already on standby."
"Green 4, already on standby."
"Green 5, already on standby."
"Green 6, currently having engine problems but I am on standby."
I glanced to my sides and saw the pilots that belong to my squadron. Although I do not know their names I will be utilizing their callsigns as much as I can.
"Alright, maintain present course in V-shape formation. We need to catch up with Green's 1-1 and 1-2 as soon as possible." I announced.
I receive no reply so took that as an indication of yes out of speculation. It was not a moment too soon that we saw the Wo-class carrier with a To-class cruiser and an unknown class destroyer trailing behind it approximately 8,000 feet below us.
"This is Green 1-1 Actual, approaching Wo-class carrier and To-class cruiser in angles 1-4 bearing 1-9-9." A deep male's voice was received by my radio.
"Green 1-1, this is Green 1-3 Actual. Approaching bearings 1-9-9 and angles 1-4, how copy?" I replied.
"Solid copy"
"This is Green 1-2 Actual, Abyssal Hell Dive Bombers at angles 3-2, bearings 9-2!"
I immediately raised my head and saw a squadron of Abyssal Hell Dive Bombers above us. Using my non-dominant hand I hurriedly pulled the hanging part of my breathing mask and attached it on a magnetic metal on my leather flight helmet. I could feel my breathing increasing erratically as slowly raised my speed to maximum, bleeding the potential energy that I managed to store from Shoukaku's supersonic launch just to reach the Abyssal Hell Diver Bombers above us.
"Scramble angles 3-2! Above us!" I yelled on the radio.
Green's 4 and 5 followed my lead and also pointed their nose upward to reach the Hell Divers from below. At 200 meters I squeezed the trigger of my combat stick or joystick and a burst of 20mm rounds of IRHE (Incendiary Rounds High Explosive) rounds tore a hole at Hell Diver's circular shape.
I scratched one, I said to myself passing my way at the burning Hell Diver that I just took down. Glancing to my side Green's 4, 5 and 6 also got their first kill.
The Hell Divers immediately scrambled from formation. I was already tailing one after my recent kill and immediately took it down after a short burst.
In just a short time window I managed to scratch six Hell Divers in three pass. Glancing to my side I saw Green 5 leveling beside me.
"Got 3!" Green 5 shouted at the radio.
He was giving me a visible three finger gesture with his hand. I was about to reply with my own kill when suddenly a Abyssal Bearcat fighter swooped down from above, instantly vaporizing Green 5 in a single pass.
I immediately stepped on the right rudder turning the nose of the plane towards the rear of the Bearcat's large figure and started chasing it.
"Bearcats!" Someone shouted from the radio.
Abyssal Bearcat Fighters are tier 3 enemy fighters that had a robust circular figure, a large mouth and a white surface. They mainly fire 20mm rounds from their large mouths and could outperform a Type 0 Zero-52 during turns. These Bearcats are also excellent in energy fighting as well as turn fighting, both are the most common aerial combat style amongst common aerial combat styles.
In fact these Bearcats are so rare to encounter that the last time I saw one was during the Battle of Iwo Jima two years ago.
One weakness of these Bearcats however—
"They tend to spin out of control if one their ears are shot-off."
Slowly I trailed my orange crosshair and added a little bit of lead since it was performing a dive. Just before I could put pressure on the trigger the Bearcat suddenly performed a sharp right turn completely evading my line of fire.
I tried realigning my aim but if I force it even further I could have my wings ripped off due to the sharp turn and high speed.
Unable to realign my aim I just kept my attention fixated on the Bearcat and followed it on a low angle.
"Regroup! I said regroup goddammit!" Yelled someone from the radio.
I glanced back to my left and saw balls of fire falling from the sky. Yells of help and calls of being shot upon were repeating over and over that it slapped me on the face as a wakeup call saying that I am currently grouped up with a newly formed Fighter Group.
It was just not a single Bearcat though, there are hundreds of them chasing after FC. Hageki's squadron. Unfortunately for me, I am currently flying on a low altitude and with my current slow speed and bleed out energy I could reach their positions to help them.
Slowly, slowly, slowly but surely the radio chatter almost came to a total silence. And by the time I reached their former positions. I was the only one remaining flying on the blue sky.
"How?" I said to myself.
How am I going to keep the Wo-class at bay all alone?
Cautiously I rotated my view around the cockpit trying to get a spot on a diving Bearcat. But there seems to be none, which is strange.
I got myself flying in parallel with some thick clouds around 8,000 feet and stayed in cruising speed there for about twenty minutes when suddenly I saw a slit opening between two small clouds revealing a small fleet of heavily wounded Wo-class carrier, and an undamaged To-class cruiser.
How the hell did the Wo-class managed to get herself wounded when I didn't even received a hail indicating that the bomber groups have arrived at the battle zone.
Was it because I was too narrow minded to reach 10,000 feet that I didn't realize that the bomber groups have already reached their targets and there were no fighters present to screen them?
I was faced with such confliction that I was urged to break intercom silence but at the last second stopped my urges when I remembered Shoukaku's state before I got here.
Here lonely warm smile resurfaced in my head. I remember the blood coming from her head wound trailing from her white hair to her right eye. How she didn't flinched when the blood reached her right eye…..how she focused all her attention towards, us.
"No" I said to myself.
I can't just risk it. Shoukaku already received enough damage in this battle alone. Her fleet could've escaped the ranges of the Abyssal Bombers, I couldn't risk the fact that if I break intercom silence now, I would run the risk of announcing my own position as well as Shoukaku's fleet.
Having decided not to break intercom silence I stayed in the clouds for another 10 minutes, stalking the Wo-class carrier's fleet that was heading southeast.
If I remember correctly, approximately 60 kilometers from my current position resides Taiwan. A small island nation that's 13,976 square miles wide and is located 120 kilometers from mainland China.
In between that 120 kilometer gap is Route 47, which is a shipping route for the cargo ships from China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. If that Wo-class' fleet reaches Route 47 the unarmed cargo ships would be raided by Abyssal Bombers…..
I need to do something about this…
I felt my hands trembling for the first time in a long while.
My hands trembled at the control stick. I glanced at my remaining fuel, I only had 10 minutes of remaining fuel. My ammo counter is also at its all-time low….
I was not in a position to take out the Wo-class carrier as well as the To-class cruiser.
There was this faint stillness inside of me when realized the position that I was thrown in. I am low in fuel and ammo, I have two big targets sailing 10,000 feet below me. One is a carrier and another is a cruiser.
The most dangerous one is the carrier since I discovered that the carrier is currently armed with Bearcats and Hell Divers. Those planes will destroy those cargo ships that are currently sailing in Route 47.
With a click of my tongue I have decided on what to do. And I knew pretty well that Shoukaku wouldn't be happy for thing that I am going to do right now.
With my left hand I immediately pulled the acceleration level and activated my WEP or Wartime Emergency Power. With the control stick I pulled it backward going in with a steep nose dive.
300 kph, 430 kph, the speed kept on increasing. All in all my aim sight is aligned on the Wo-class carrier's opened hangar.
I do not have a bomb on my plane nor have an explosive belt on my cannons. What I only have is a plane that has 10 minutes of fuel left and has an accelerating speed reaching 700 kph.
At 2000 feet my plane was already starting to vibrate, compression is breaking in. The extreme G-force that I am experiencing was so immense that my vision was already hued in deep red.
My instruments were out of control, it was not long before the plane would start to break itself apart. But I will not let that happen, I will sink that carrier no matter that cost.
Reaching 883 kph, I saw the Wo-class carrier's shocked expression. Her purple eyes were wide open as well as her mouth, she did not expect me to be diving in.
Her hands were stuck on her cane, she was having trouble on what to do. But I knew what I was going to do.
The distance closed in, the hanger was open for the taking.
Shoukaku, I am sorry. But it seems I won't be coming home…
December 3, 2050
After Operation Battle Report for Sortie 1140.
Flagship: Standard Carrier Shoukaku
Fleet: Emergency Detachment 7
Remarks;
Sortie 1140 is an emergency sortie ordered by Combined Fleet Admiral Goto. Emergency Detachment 7 was sent near Taiwan to escort an important cargo from Taiwan with its arrival to the Korea expected to be at December 10th. Sortie 1140 ended in failure with most of the cargo ships as well as the ship containing the important cargo sunk. One carrier was only heavily damaged and two others were lightly damaged.
Battle Results;
Standard Carrier Shoukaku [Heavily Damaged]
Light Cruiser Noshiro [Light Damage]
Destroyer Wakaba [Light Damage]
Ryuusei Kai Planes lost [30]
Reppu Planes Lost [42]
Suisei Planes Lost [24]
Total Fairy Casualties:
347 Personnel KIA
96 Pilots KIA
453 Other Personnel WIA
