Pathway to Japanese Literature

The five submarines that had departed the naval port

Where Does This Enigmatic Route Lead?

“The swell of the waves has grown quite high, sir.”

The Senior Officer, still gripping the railing, peered out across the dark sea.

“Yeah.
“The wind’s started to groan, hasn’t it?”

The one who had spoken was our ○-class Eighth Submarine’s captain, Lieutenant Kiyokawa.

The two shadows lined up on the conning tower remained silent after that, not even attempting to move like stone statues.
Tonight too, the Thirteenth Submarine Squadron advanced through towering waves, battered relentlessly as it pressed onward.

In the gloomy darkness ahead, the flagship Seventh Submarine of this squadron would have been advancing forward with its lights extinguished in the same manner.
Also behind them, the three submarines—Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh—must have been continuing this same grueling advance.
Every five minutes, the underwater signal device clicked rhythmically as they remained vigilant to ensure none strayed from the course.

It was early April, Shōwa year [X], when cherry buds were about to bloom, that these five ○-class submarines departed Yokosuka Naval Port.
Nearly a month's worth of days had passed since then.
During that time, they didn't enter any naval port and didn't sight anything resembling an island silhouette.

Of course, this kind of surface sailing was strictly a nighttime affair.
Since they were required to maintain deep submergence during daylight hours, the sailors couldn't catch even a glimpse of the bright surface scenery, continuing their existence much like moles burrowing through the depths.

In any case, this situation—pushing so hard for so long without making port—was unlike anything they’d experienced in previous exercises.

“Can’t figure out where our ship’s even sailing anymore.”

In the crew quarters of the Eighth Submarine, one of the sailors mending a shirt spoke.

“Even though twenty-five days have already passed, we haven’t reached any base.”

The sailor who responded paused his letter writing and glanced around at his comrades.
Even if you called it glancing around, the crew quarters were like the inside of a barrel.
To the right and left, beneath their feet and above their heads, pipes of all sizes sprawled in every direction like the innards of a gutted fish, crowding so close they seemed within arm’s reach.

“The first mystery is this ship’s direction. One moment it’s charging southeast, the next the bow’s aimed straight east.”

“That’s right. Last night I saw Orion and thought, ‘Huh—we might end up somewhere crazy interesting.’”

“You said we’d end up somewhere interesting? Where exactly?”
“Hey! I never said that!”

“Heh. That ‘interesting place’—”

“Yeah.”

“That…”

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the voice pipe installed in the compartment suddenly let out a hiss.
A Third Class Petty Officer who had been engrossed in reading "Sarutobi Sasuke" right beside it hurriedly stood up and pressed the pipe to his ear to listen.
Somehow, the sound of someone shouting could be heard leaking through from the other end.

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

After hanging up the pipe, the petty officer turned to face everyone and shouted with a stern expression.

“To all crew members: There is an important directive from the Captain. Assemble at the command post immediately!”

Everyone quickly stowed away shirts and letters into boxes, then clattered to their feet and broke into a run toward the command post.
Squeezing between engines and nimbly ducking under watertight doors where they nearly smashed their heads made for a harrowing dash.
Panicking was no good.

Declaration of War Wireless Telegram

The torpedo unit's mission bore grave responsibility!

In the command post, the Captain and Senior Officer who had been on the conning tower until moments before now stood revealed in solemn dignity.
And in Captain Kiyokawa’s hand, a single sheet of paper was firmly gripped.

“All members have assembled!”

The duty officer made his report.

“Attention!”

In unison, everyone snapped to rigid attention.
An intense tension crept through their entire bodies, and they began to tremble faintly.

The Captain took a step forward.

“Just now, there has been a grave report from the homeland, and as such, I shall inform all of you.”
The Captain reverently received the slip of paper inscribed with the wireless message and declared, “His Majesty the Grand Marshal has issued an imperial rescript declaring war upon [X Country].”

Declaration of war against [X Country]—the crew jolted as if electrified.
The crew had steeled themselves for this eventuality, but now that the imperial rescript had finally been issued, their blood seemed to boil over all at once.
On fists clenched so tight they trembled, clammy sweat began to bead.

“Let us shout Banzai for the Imperial Nation!”
The Captain said quietly.
Yet his eyes blazed with the light of loyalty and valor.

“Great Japanese Empire, *Banzai*!”

“*Banzai!*”

“*Banzai!*”

“*Banzai!*”

The submarine’s interior reverberated as though it might tear apart.

“Next――”
The Captain changed his wording.
“His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, currently deployed in the South Pacific, has issued orders regarding this squadron’s mission. However, before reporting those orders, I will explain this submarine’s current position.”

The crew, upon realizing they would finally learn this submarine’s long-awaited position, involuntarily gulped.

“—This submarine is currently positioned approximately two thousand kilometers east of the American territory of Hawaii.”

The crew involuntarily let out small cries of “Ah” under their breath.

Ah, enemy territory—Hawaii.

The island that served as the enemy fleet’s sole foothold in the Pacific.
Hawaii, home to a large naval port.

There, two thousand kilometers further east of Hawaii—closer to [X Country]’s mainland—our submarine squadron had penetrated.

It was exactly like being inside the enemy’s nest.
A mere stretch of their hands would immediately bring them into contact with prime targets.
And while this meant they themselves faced grave danger, not a single crew member showed any concern over such matters.
Even so, what could the mission of our submarine squadron’s distant expedition possibly be?

“Finally, I shall read aloud the orders issued to this squadron.”
The Captain gave a sweeping look around at the assembled crew.

“Orders from the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet.”
“The enemy’s Atlantic and Pacific Combined Fleet, having gathered at Pearl Harbor Naval Base in enemy-held Hawaii Island with the aim of occupying Our Empire’s territories, now prepares to sail into the Western Pacific—*yet a critical flaw has been discovered in their Hawaii stronghold’s defenses.*”
“Therefore, they have immediately loaded two divisions of troops and a large quantity of weapons onto a large merchant fleet, sent them through the Panama Canal, and dispatched them toward Hawaii.”
“Should this merchant fleet reach Hawaii, the island would become an impregnable fortress overnight, enabling [X Army]’s advance into the Orient and thereby precipitating a grave crisis for our Imperial Nation.”
“Therefore, the Thirteenth Submarine Squadron shall deploy to waters between Hawaii and the Panama Canal to intercept and annihilate them en route.”
”

It was an extremely grave mission.
When the main fleets of Japan and [X Country] were about to engage in decisive battle soon, if this large merchant fleet reached Hawaii, the [X Country] fleet would become as strong as a tiger standing upon a rock.
On the contrary, if we could destroy this large merchant fleet, our Combined Fleet’s operations would be greatly eased.
Therefore, depending on whether we destroyed this large merchant fleet or were repelled by the enemy fleet protecting it, the outcome of the decisive battle between both fleets would be clearly determined.

After explaining this matter to subordinates in full through every detail, Captain Kiyokawa steeled his voice and declared:

“By imperial command of His Majesty the Grand Marshal, from this moment onward, our Thirteenth Submarine Squadron shall undertake this honorable mission. —All hands, man your stations immediately!”

The crew stifled their urge to shout *Banzai* once more, snapped into crisp hand salutes, and pledged their loyalty and valor.
On every face rose unmistakable elation—as if New Year’s and Obon had arrived together.
The helmsman dashed to the steering gear; the torpedo gunners raced to the launch tubes.

Spotted by enemy destroyers—eight cannons
An audacious maneuver under cannon fire.

Emboldened and resolute, the Thirteenth Submarine Squadron drove their ships hard from that day onward, advancing toward the east-southeast sea—the enemy nation drew ever nearer.

It was an afternoon that fell exactly six days after hearing the declaration of war.
The Eighth Submarine’s conning tower suddenly sprang to life.

“Seems like a patrol ship (lookout warship)!” shouted Captain Kiyokawa.

“It seems they haven’t noticed us yet.”

The Senior Officer lowered his binoculars and said.

“Captain! A report from the flagship.”
“Two [X Country] second-class destroyers sighted on the frontal horizon.”

There was a messsenger.

“Good work.”

As they advanced, the faint column of smoke rising high ahead gradually grew larger. Upon closer inspection, those were indeed two enemy second-class destroyers advancing side by side toward them—vessels that could move at twice the speed of submarines and carried superior artillery, making them formidable adversaries for submarines—and there were two of them. Therefore, under these circumstances, it was standard procedure for a submarine squadron to slip away undetected.

“Captain.”
“Your Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief is on the line.”

The messenger was busy and reported to Captain Kiyokawa.

“Right...”

When Captain Kiyokawa picked up the wireless telephone, the Commander-in-Chief’s voice came through immediately.

The telephone call, with × on hold, lasted nearly two minutes.
In the meantime, a plan to overcome this crisis was formulated.

“Well then—” said the Commander-in-Chief from the other end of the telephone line, straightening his posture.

“I pray for your ship’s martial fortune and divine protection.”

“I humbly thank you.”
“Then I shall take action at once.”
“Forgive me—”

The telephone was set down with a clatter.

(Now—all right, let's do this!)

On the Captain’s face, an expression of firm resolve was starkly evident.

“All hands to battle stations!”

The Captain who had shouted that now watched intently from atop the conning tower as the flagship and four sister submarines maneuvered.
The four ships swung their bows sharply to the right in unison.
And then they rapidly submerged.
In the blink of an eye, their forms vanished amid the waves.
What remained on the sea was only our Eighth Submarine.

“Surface navigation, full speed ahead!”

With a whir, the propeller began churning the waves with a resonant roar.
What reckless, incomprehensible behavior this was!
It was as if they were leaping headlong into the enemy’s jaws themselves.

Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes...

The X patrol ship, which had slightly strayed from its course, suddenly swung its bow around and came charging toward us like an arrow.

Ah—at last came the head-on collision between two X destroyers and the Eighth Submarine. Even a layman could tell who would prevail here.
From beyond the submarine's artillery range, the vastly superior destroyers would likely bombard it with 10-centimeter shells like snowballs in a winter fight.
There would be no surviving that.

Yet Captain Kiyokawa remained calm and composed.
It was now quite far from the four allied ships.
At that moment.

“Hard right rudder!”

At the Captain’s command, the bow jerked sharply to starboard.

The enemy patrol ship also abruptly altered its course, clinging tightly in pursuit.
Four thousand meters, three thousand meters….
The enemy ship’s four gun barrels creaked steadily to starboard.

“Ah!”

From eight gun muzzles flashed a dark red flare.
Simultaneously, pitch-black smoke burst outward.
It was a coordinated barrage.

Boom.
Boom-boom!

A thick white water column erupted from the sea just behind the conning tower.
The shots still fell slightly short.

“The X ship’s panicking!”

Captain Kiyokawa smiled.

“Just a bit more.”
“Full speed ahead!”

The Eighth Submarine ran with every ounce of speed it could muster.
However, the enemy ship closed in rapidly, drawing ever closer until it was nearly within effective firing range.
The gun barrels appeared to have already been loaded with fresh shells.
Once they fired this time, that would be the end—the submarine would either sink outright or at least sustain catastrophic damage.
The crew members felt something cold as ice touch their guts.

At that moment.

Boom, boom, BOOM!

Black smoke abruptly enveloped the surroundings.

“Ah—!”

“We’ve been hit! What’s wrong, messenger?!”

It was the Captain’s voice.
The shell sliced off part of the conning tower into the sea...

“Stay strong—the wound is shallow,” said the Senior Officer.

The X ship’s guns had finally locked onto their target.
At the critical moment…

“Oh, look at that!”

A thick water column suddenly erupted from the flank of the enemy patrol ship that was now in full pursuit.
A dizzyingly blinding flash.
Then, after a brief pause—a thunderous roar that seemed to blast apart the surroundings!

Boom... Crash!

Black smoke gushed out and spread in all directions from the enemy ship’s midsection.
The mast snapped off and soared into the air.
The smokestack was blown halfway off, sent flying to who knows where.
Countless pitch-black objects—whether they were wooden fragments or iron plates—fluttered through the air.

“The plan succeeded!”

The captain shouted—the X Fleet had discovered Captain Kiyokawa’s Eighth Submarine and was now pursuing it frantically.
Completely unaware that four other submarines lay hidden, they had fallen perfectly into the trap—lured straight into the torpedo sights of four waiting sister vessels.

Though sizable, it was a second-class destroyer.
It tilted further by the moment.
Enemy sailors were leaping into the sea in desperation.

“Banzai!”

“Submarine Squadron, banzai!”

A roar of joyous voices erupted, pressing down upon the sea surface.

A Bitter Wound

The Eighth Submarine Left Behind

Having sunk two enemy patrol ships in their first engagement and raised triumphant cheers, our Thirteenth Submarine Squadron promptly reformed their formation and prepared to continue advancing.
However, a grave problem arose.

It was that the hatch of the Eighth Submarine—the one that had achieved the greatest feat—had been destroyed by an enemy shell.
If this wasn't securely closed, they couldn't submerge.

Of course, this pained Captain Kiyokawa and the Commander, but when they thought of the crucial mission ahead, they couldn't afford to dawdle there.

The Commander-in-Chief resolved to leave the Eighth Submarine behind and, leading the four undamaged vessels, proceeded toward their objective near the Panama Canal.

How desolate must the wounded and abandoned Eighth Submarine have felt!
Before repairs on the hatch could be completed, were a destroyer like before to spot them now, they would unquestionably be sunk this time.
What a cruel reward for a vessel that had accomplished such a feat!

Yet ever-stalwart Captain Kiyokawa commanded all hands and promptly commenced repairs.
Now that matters had reached this point, fate would be entrusted to heaven.
Having relinquished all to providence, he found himself adopting an unexpectedly buoyant disposition instead.

After over an hour had passed and nearly two hours were approaching, the iron hatch at the entrance finally became serviceable as a temporary fix.
It was a tremendous effort.
And this vessel, blessed with military fortune, managed to avoid detection by X ships during that time.
Uncontainable joy rose to the surface on all their faces.

“Phew.”

“Let’s all have a smoke to celebrate.”

The entire crew let out a collective sigh of relief and were just beginning to stretch their backs when—

The lookout suddenly shouted.

“Captain, sir! I can see an enemy ship.”
“It’s twenty degrees to port on our vessel.”

“What? An enemy ship!”
The captain immediately grabbed the binoculars and scanned the sea surface.
“Hmm, this is an X-country steamship.”
“This one’s big.”
“At least thirty thousand tons.”

“It seems they’re carrying military supplies.”
“They’ve piled them up all the way onto the deck.”

While the vice captain was saying this, the steamship suddenly changed course and charged toward them.

“Oh, that bastard’s coming right at us!”

“This looks suspicious.”
“It doesn’t seem to have any cannons, though.”

“Anyway, fire a warning shot to order them to halt.”

“Aye! Prepare to fire main guns!”

The submarine interior suddenly tensed.
It was an extremely dangerous situation.
Had it been just thirty minutes sooner, there’s no telling what might have become of the submarine.

“Captain, sir! Reporting!”
The lookout suddenly shouted.
“Aircraft have launched from the enemy ship!”
“Current altitude approximately two hundred meters!”

“Hmm. They’ve finally dropped their mask. Since they’re carrying aircraft, they’re acting all high and mighty.”

“Captain, sir!
“It’s a carrier-based attack aircraft.”

“That’s a Curtiss aircraft.”

The captain showed no sign of panic and stared intently at the steamship and attack aircraft.

Bold and Fearless Captain

Exhilarating Sacrificial Maneuver

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
This time’s opponent was aircraft—submarines’ most formidable foe.
Once encountered, no matter how deep they dove or desperately tried to flee, it would be futile.
Because at depths of thirty or forty meters, they remained clearly visible through the seawater.
Even if they fled across the surface at full speed, in a race between a submarine and an aircraft—truly a tortoise and a hare—they would be overtaken in the blink of an eye.
The Eighth Submarine had thought it narrowly escaped death, but no matter how they struggled, this time—this very time—their end seemed imminent.

The large steamship came charging toward them, hoisting a vivid enemy flag atop its mast and turning this way with spiteful composure.
They undoubtedly intended to watch from a safe vantage point just how thoroughly their aircraft would destroy the Japanese submarine.

“Impudent steamship.”

The Senior Officer shouted under his breath as if he could no longer endure it.

However, everyone had already resolved themselves.
All that remained now was to await a decisive command from the captain.

Voyage distance: six thousand kilometers. Having left the homeland and bravely entered X-country’s waters, must even the Eighth Submarine now be pointlessly laid to rest on the ocean floor there?

Captain Kiyokawa did not flinch in the slightest. Making a commotion or giving in to despair there would disgrace imperial soldiers.

(A Japanese man must keep striving, piling effort upon effort, as long as he draws breath!)

The captain muttered under his breath something he’d long thought.

When observed, the enemy attack aircraft positioned themselves somewhat farther away from our submarine’s artillery range, as if avoiding our gunfire, and were now focusing entirely on gaining altitude.
It must have been their strategy to soon commence bombing from an altitude beyond our reach.

“Alright, let’s do this!”

The captain seemed to solidify some resolve, his eyes beginning to glisten vividly.

“Submerge! Depth thirty meters, full speed ahead!”

The captain barked the order with vigor.

The submarine vanished from the surface in moments, plunging deeper still.
The periscope sank completely underwater, leaving the hydrophone as their only means of detection now.
With this, there was no telling when the enemy aircraft might begin their bombing run.

The crew grew impatient, wanting to quickly know what was in the captain’s mind.

“Depth thirty meters.”

The diving planesman reported in a clear voice.

“Alright, On-duty Officer! Use the hydrophone to probe our way and slip right under that enemy steamship’s belly. If we’re not directly beneath it, it’ll be dangerous!”

The command that came from the captain’s lips—what a bold and unforeseen operation plan it was! Of all places, he was ordering them to dive beneath the enemy ship’s belly. Indeed, this large steamship’s belly was so spacious that five or six No. ○ Submarines could hide there without difficulty.

The crew maneuvered the hull with spirited enthusiasm.

The enemy steamship that noticed this panicked in a great flurry, but while it was loading shells into its mounted guns, the submarine had already dove in so close to the ship’s bottom that they couldn’t fire their cannons.

The enemy attack aircraft had been flying slightly away to avoid the submarine’s gunfire, so by the time they noticed in shock, the submarine had already swung around in a sharp half-turn and nestled snugly against their ally’s hull.

“Well, this is trouble.”

Even the formidable large steamship, seemingly carrying bombs in its hold, was downright unnerving.
They could drop depth charges into the water, but if mishandled, the explosion might not only blast a hole through the Japanese submarine’s hull but potentially tear a gaping breach in their own ship’s bottom.
How could they possibly risk such a dangerous move?

“This is a problem.”

The enemy aircraft, having assumed attack positions and soared high into the air, also let out similar cries of dismay.
The fact that they had gone to the trouble of planning to drop bombs on them was now meaningless.
The enemy commanders shed tears of frustration in large drops and seethed with bitter regret.

To make matters worse, evening fell at the worst possible time.
The sea surface, which had been bright until now, was rapidly growing darker.
In the western sky, thick mouse-gray clouds massed like reinforced concrete walls, causing evening’s darkness to begin spreading its wings with alarming speed.
No sooner had the afterglow of the setting sun dyed a portion of the sky and illuminated the wave crests crimson than the light abruptly faded, and pitch-black darkness began enveloping both sea and sky.

Night descends abruptly!

To their misfortune, the positions of the adversaries locked in a standoff were being reversed.

“Call the rescue destroyers!”

“Are there any ×××× submarines in this area?”

“The planes are coming down! Looks like they’re out of gas!”

Such a commotion broke out aboard the × steamship.
The sailors who had been smiling until moments before all lost the color from their lips, as if by prior agreement.

“Captain.”
“Something’s wrong.”

A communication officer hurriedly came up to the bridge.

“What’s wrong?”

The ruddy-faced, portly captain felt his heart leap involuntarily as he stared at the communication officer’s face.

“The Japanese submarine isn’t here. The sound of the enemy ship’s propeller that had been coming through the water since earlier suddenly stopped.”

“What? The propeller noise stopped? When did that happen?”

“It was about ten minutes ago.”

“Why didn’t you report this sooner?”

“The enemy ship has probably already escaped.”

“Idiot! Wh-wh-what in the world…”

The captain’s face twisted as if he were having a convulsion.

At that very moment.

A great explosion like a hundred thunderclaps collapsing ripped open the large steamship’s side.
The Eighth Submarine’s torpedo that had slipped out from beneath the hull struck home.

Clang-clang-clang—

Cargo, boats, and sailors were all sent flying into the air together.
Next came billowing black smoke—the ship, now engulfed in flames, was already beginning to sink.

Having snatched survival from hell through audacious tactics, the Eighth Submarine began advancing after witnessing the enemy ship’s demise on the distant sea.

The captain’s vigorous commands could be heard.

“Advance on the surface following allied ships!
Course north-northeast, speed twenty knots!”

Targeting ×’s large merchant convoy

The target loomed overhead!

Through the pitch-black night where one couldn’t see their own hand before their face, they pressed onward, ever onward.
The sea surface appeared choppy, and the hull was being tossed about incessantly.

Captain Kiyokawa of the Eighth Submarine continued to stand imposingly atop the conning tower.

“Communications officer!” the captain called out.

“Yes, sir!”

“Has there still been no radio message from the flagship?!”

“Not yet, sir.”

“I see.”

Voices vanished, and once more the oppressive darkness descended.

From below the conning tower came the sound of engines straining.
The engine crewmen took no rest, single-mindedly guarding the engines.

“Communications officer!”

And again the captain shouted.

“Yes, sir! I’m here.”

“Has there still been no signal from the flagship?!”

“Unfortunately, there still hasn’t been one.”

“I see.”

The captain closed his mouth again.
He let out a light sigh and moved two or three steps within the cramped conning tower.

“Captain, report!”

The messenger who had been standing beside the communications officer suddenly shouted.

"Ah, I see."

“A report from the flagship.”

The white telegraph paper was passed into the hand of the captain holding a flashlight.

“This vessel has just received a wireless telegraph from what appears to be X Country’s merchant fleet.”
“Direction detected as southeast by east.”
“Maintain vigilance.”

“Hmm.”

The captain groaned.
“So we’ll finally encounter them.”
The Senior Officer who had approached said cheerfully.

Around this time, X Country’s merchant fleet—as our submarine squadron’s flagship had discovered—were sailing toward Hawaii after leaving the Panama Canal. Knowing that Japanese submarines were nearby, a cruiser fleet consisting of five ships was providing strict protection. When night fell, the enemy commander tightened the formation of the massive 47-ship convoy forcefully. The lateral distances between merchant ships arrayed in five columns became extremely narrow, while fore and aft, the vessels closed ranks as tightly as possible. They positioned one cruiser each at the front and rear, with the remaining two vessels constantly circling around the convoy on watch—a cautious formation indeed.

No wonder.
Whether this merchant convoy reached Hawaii safely or not would make a significant difference in X Country’s fleet strength, after all.

“Captain, our vessel has finally managed to rejoin the main squadron. We have now been incorporated into the formation as the Fifth Ship,” the Executive Officer explained.

At last, the Eighth Submarine had rejoined the main squadron.
The hydrophone was working vigorously, and operational coordination with the flagship was being conducted.

“Submerge to thirty meters, temporary engine stop!”

At last, the submarine squadron submerged deep into the ocean depths.

“X Country’s merchant fleet now attempts to pass over our squadron.”
“Under Operation Kanete, all vessels shall maintain contact and annihilate the X Fleet in one coordinated strike.”

No sooner had this order been transmitted from the flagship than the cruiser leading X Country’s merchant fleet arrived directly above our main force.
Destroying them would have been simple enough, but our present mission focused on the merchant vessels rather than their escorts.
Endure!
Endure again!

Before long, the large merchant convoy, engines clamoring, drew overhead.

The brilliance of our torpedo skills

Pillars of fire dancing across the dark Pacific

“Combat begins!”

From the flagship came the long-awaited order.

In every last torpedo tube of each submarine, torpedoes had been loaded, their mechanisms thrumming with imminent release.

“Halt submergence!
Surface!”

In the midst of the large merchant convoy came the order to surface.
What a bold command this was.

“Torpedo launch—commence!”

From the four torpedo tubes of each vessel, enormous torpedoes shot forth swiftly.
With targets practically at point-blank range—close enough to touch their prows—there was no chance of missing.
But without waiting to witness their impact,

“Submerge! Twenty meters!”

The Captain barked.
Having fired torpedoes, detection by X was inevitable—to evade counterattack, they plunged toward the seabed.
The periscope now fully submerged below the surface left nothing visible from within the barrel-like hull.
Only through the hydrophone could they sense contact signals pulsing through water from the flagship.
——The depth gauge needle began its smooth clockwise sweep.

Nine meters below the surface, ten meters, eleven meters…

Rumble…

A dull yet eerie, thunderous roar reverberated through the ship’s walls.
Torpedoes struck the midsections of at least five—possibly as many as ten—enemy ships, detonating them.

“It’s a hit!”

“We did it!”
“Banzai!”

The torpedo operator leapt up on the spot.

Then came booms—one after another, far and near—each a tremendous roar.
The panic-stricken state of the merchant convoy on the sea surface was as clear as day.
Now that things had come to this, they had their opening—they had to finish off the remaining merchant ships while they had the chance.

Each vessel proceeded to launch its second torpedo salvo.

Thud, thud, THOOM!

Boom, boom, BOOM!

A siren resounded across the sea.
The panic-stricken escort cruiser swiftly released several searchlight beams across the sea surface and swung them about.
However, our submarine was far too close.
Moreover, since we were right in the middle of the merchant convoy, the merchant ships themselves became obstacles, making it impossible to see ahead at all.
It was not only the searchlights that proved ineffective.
The countless cannons—twenty-six on each ship—were utterly useless.

Then torpedoes struck here and there, and massive explosions erupted across the waters.
Heavy oil ignited with a roar.
The loaded explosives caught fire, making the blasts intensify further.
With that, soldiers from X-country's two army divisions went flying high into the air in rapid succession.
Merchant ships collided with each other...

The Enemy’s fear of Japanese submarines had driven the fifty-ship merchant convoy to recklessly close ranks—a grave tactical error.

No—this was an utterly chaotic triumph.

The Eighth Submarine fought battle after battle.
Captain Kiyokawa’s face glistened greasily with sweat and oil.
The crew members, in their fierce struggle, fought with their upper bodies bare and sailor caps perched atop their heads.

“Cease torpedo fire!”

The Captain issued a command.

“Abort submergence! Surface immediately!”

If they had come this far, the majority of the Enemy should have been dealt with by now. From this point onward, Captain Kiyokawa’s plan was to pummel the remaining Enemy ships relentlessly with the deck guns.

When they surfaced and looked, what a sight met their eyes!
On the sea, there were no longer any Enemy warships or vessels worth targeting visible.
Well, well—they had all been sunk!

“All vessels, assemble!”

A new order arrived from the flagship.

The Eighth Submarine hurried to the flagship’s side with seemingly tireless vigor.
Submarine No.11 had already arrived.
Slightly later, Submarine No.9 hurriedly arrived.
They had been pursuing fleeing transport ships.

However, the remaining Submarine No. 10 showed no signs of joining them.
From the flagship, they tried sending wireless telegrams, underwater signals, and the like once again.

“No response whatsoever.”
“What’s happened to Submarine No. 10?”

Lamentable imaginings—they grew ever more vivid, staining comrades' hearts.

“It’s finally been sunk.”

“Ah, the brave Submarine No. 10!”

Captain Kiyokawa, who had once believed he himself would meet his end, now found himself placed by a strange twist of fate in the position of worrying about his comrade’s circumstances.
Was this what they meant by military fortune?

It was at that very moment when all submarine squadron comrades bore uniformly anguished expressions.
A wireless telegram suddenly arrived from the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet.

Ah, a wireless telegram from our Combined Fleet!

“Our Combined Fleet is now poised to launch an attack against Enemy Country’s fleet, having departed its base in the South Seas ○○ Islands and currently sailing due east.”
“The Enemy fleet has already departed Hawaii’s Pearl Naval Port and is heading in force toward the Western Pacific.”
“The Great Pacific War is finally upon us! The fate of the Empire and the peace of the Orient now hang entirely on this decisive battle.”
“Your Thirteenth Submarine Squadron shall pursue the Enemy fleet’s course and seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack upon the Enemy’s main squadron.”
“End.”

Ah, the Thirteenth Submarine Squadron’s new mission—this was the greatest opportunity they had long awaited.
To engage in battle with the despicable Enemy’s powerful fleet targeting our homeland stood as imperial military personnel’s truest aspiration.
Forward! To the glorious battlefield!
To the Pacific—where the Empire’s survival hung in the balance!