The Eternal Zero Page #2

A real carrier landing's a far cry

from practice drills.

A choppy sea makes a ship

a bucking bronco.

Undercarriage down, deck hook clear,

clear for landing!

He's down!

That was superbly done.

He's from the 12th Air Group.

Were you carrier-based before?

No, this is my first time.

I just followed instructions.

I'm Kyuzo Miyabe, nice to meet you.

Petty Officer Izaki.

Hey!

Don't start to admire Miyabe

or you'll be in for disappointment.

He's the biggest coward

in the entire Imperial Navy.

Thinks his life's the most precious...

We were plunged into intense training.

The infamous "eight-day week" regime.

In those days, I think

I can say without exaggeration,

our air force was the best in the world.

We had the best airplane

coupled with the best pilots.

Even in that company,

the Flight Chief's ability

was still a cut above the rest.

It wasn't long before those skills

were put to the test.

War in the Pacific had begun.

It was the attack on Pearl Harbor.

December 8th, 1941.

Cleared for take-off!

Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!

So then,

as we crested Barber's Point,

there was Ford Island.

All their battleships were lined up

like sitting ducks

as the pride of the Imperial Navy

slammed torpedoes into each one!

Then I saw the Arizona erupt

in a huge cloud of black smoke.

Like a massive volcano!

Chief Officer Miyabe!

Izaki, it's you.

Why so gloomy? Aren't you happy?

We didn't find a single carrier.

Without that,

I think today's mission was a failure.

What's more...

They say 29 planes didn't make it back.

Today,

I witnessed a plane hit the water.

In an instant' three lives blown to bits.

It's terrifying.

I don't want to die.

What's that?

What did you just say?

When he spoke of not wanting to die.

I remember I felt an intense loathing.

June 5th of the following year,

the Flight Chief's concern

at not having destroyed the US carriers

came back to haunt us tenfold.

The Pacific.

It was the Battle of Midway.

Midway Island

June 5th, 1942.

Those damn enemy carriers

still haven't been located.

Maybe they're running scared from us.

Look at our planes.

They're removing the torpedoes...

The higher-ups must've figured

the carriers are gone.

Enemy carrier group heated.

Switch out bombs for torpedoes.

- We just took them off!

- Give us a break.

Didn't you hear?

Replace torpedoes on the double!

We can't afford the delay.

We need to launch.

But bombs don't sink carriers.

That doesn't matter. We must strike first!

But we might as well sink them?

Then why switch them out

in the first place?

If it's carriers we're after

we should've waited with torpedoes.

If we're attacked now,

it'll be a disaster.

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