"General, it seems that the island nation has firmly decided to avoid engaging us in battle. I initially thought this war would be an easy victory, but now, it appears it's not so simple," said Rear Admiral Mauch, the fleet's chief of staff, with a worried expression aboard the flagship of the German naval expedition fleet, the *Mackensen*.
"Indeed! This is unlike the usual tactics of the islanders! I had believed their navy would fight to the death, much like their army. In that case, we could have easily overpowered them with our superior strength. Now, however, they are avoiding battle, leaving us with no choice but to force them into a confrontation!" Admiral Spee remarked grimly.
Although Admiral Spee was reluctant to give such a cold-blooded order, for the sake of the Empire's interests and the need to secure victory, he had no other choice. All of this was the islanders' doing, their own self-inflicted predicament.
"General, there is no alternative. His Majesty the Emperor expects us to win. At present, we have no capacity to deploy our army to Southeast Asia on a large scale. Therefore, we must resort to this method to pressure the islanders and force them to relinquish Southeast Asia," Rear Admiral Mauch explained.
Admiral Spee nodded solemnly. "For the Empire, even if it means bearing the weight of infamy, I shall not hesitate!"
"Order the fleet: from now on, any encounter with islander ships—whether military or civilian—must result in their complete destruction. No survivors. Since they hide and refuse battle, we shall pursue them until they are forced to come out and face us!" Admiral Spee commanded coldly.
"Yes, General," Rear Admiral Mauch responded, immediately passing the order to every ship in the fleet.
The formidable German naval expeditionary force set its course toward the island nation.
The islanders had long kept track of the German fleet's movements. Neutral merchant ships often appeared around the expeditionary force. Though the Germans were aware that these ships might be relaying their position to the islanders, they had no choice but to tolerate them, for with Germany on the verge of victory, attacking neutral ships carelessly would be unwise.
By the afternoon of August 4, the German fleet had arrived off the eastern coast of Okinawa.
"Report, General, the destroyer *V29* has spotted an islander merchant ship about 30 kilometers away," Rear Admiral Mauch reported.
"Have the *V29* deal with that ship!" Admiral Spee ordered with a cold expression.
"Yes, General," Rear Admiral Mauch nodded.
Without hesitation, the *V29* unleashed its three 88mm guns, immediately opening fire on the islander merchant ship.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The three guns fired at maximum rate, sending a storm of shells towards the merchant vessel.
"Baka! The Germans are firing! Damn it, we're just a merchant ship! How dare they attack us directly? It's shameless!" an islander on the ship shouted angrily.
"Commander, what should we do now?" The merchant ship had no weapons and was helpless against the warship.
"Turn immediately, and report the fleet's position to our homeland!" the commander ordered.
In truth, this was no ordinary merchant ship but a reconnaissance vessel disguised as such to track the German fleet's movements. However, they had not expected the Germans to open fire without warning.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Though the 88mm shells had limited destructive power, they posed a lethal threat to the nearly wooden structure of the islander merchant ship. The shells easily penetrated the hull, causing explosions, and the ship soon caught fire.
Within minutes, the merchant ship was sunk by the German destroyer.
Over the next two days, the German fleet continued its ruthless approach, sinking every islander merchant and fishing vessel encountered without giving any chance of survival. This left the islanders' intelligence agents, who had been trying to gather information by disguising as merchant ships, facing heavy losses.
On the night of August 6, under the cover of darkness, the fleet conducted a resupply. Every ship was replenished with fuel, ammunition, food, and water to ensure they could continue operations for several more days.
Once the resupply was completed, Admiral Spee ordered the supply fleet to withdraw. The fleet was about to enter the islanders' coastal waters, and the upcoming battle would be brutal. If the supply fleet continued to follow, they would be at great risk. After all, the supply ships were merely converted merchant vessels with little combat capability and no real defenses. If they were caught in a naval engagement, the consequences would be severe.
To ensure the safety of the supply fleet, Admiral Spee dispatched two light cruisers and six destroyers to provide protection. The safety of the supply ships was crucial to the fleet's survival. Without the supplies, the warships would be stranded, and their return to Germany would be impossible.
Admiral Spee instructed the supply fleet to head into the Pacific, awaiting orders from the flagship. Once the orders were given, they would rendezvous with the fleet to provide the necessary provisions. While this arrangement was not foolproof, the chances of an issue arising were minimal. If the supply fleet were to be attacked under such circumstances, it could only be said that the German fleet's luck had run out.
Of course, the two light cruisers and six destroyers assigned to protect the supply fleet were capable of defending themselves. As long as they didn't face an attack from the enemy's main fleet, they should be able to hold out.
"May God bless them," Admiral Spee muttered as he watched the supply fleet depart.
"General, although we are in the East, I believe that God will still watch over us. Tomorrow, we will be near the islanders' shores. I am confident we will encounter many islander vessels. When that happens, we will strike at them and force the islander navy into a decisive battle," Rear Admiral Mauch said with some optimism.
Admiral Spee nodded. "If this strategy forces the islanders to face us in battle, that would be ideal. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to order an attack on their coastal cities."