How a Submarine Captain Exploited Enemy Weaknesses to Sink Key Warships

Описание: November 21, 1944. East China Sea. USS Sealion II. Commander Eli Reich.
Through the periscope, Reich observed eight Japanese warships, including the battleship IJN Kongō, steaming in perfect formation. On paper, the attack was suicidal. But Reich had studied every vulnerability, every escort pattern, every doctrinal assumption. He had a plan—a decoy torpedo that would manipulate the formation itself, exposing Kongō’s flank.

Over the course of the mission, Sealion II launched twelve torpedoes, including the decoy, and sank Kongō while crippling the destroyer Urakaze. The crew executed the attack with surgical precision, exploiting enemy doctrine, predictability, and psychological blind spots.

Reich’s raid demonstrated that even heavily escorted capital ships could be vulnerable to a single submarine that understood enemy procedures and assumptions. The mission highlighted a critical truth of submarine warfare: knowledge and audacity can be deadlier than firepower alone.

The sinking of Kongō accelerated the collapse of Japan’s surface fleet in the final months of the Pacific War and became a case study in submarine tactics for generations of naval officers. Reich received the Navy Cross, but the tactical lessons—decoy, timing, positioning, and doctrinal exploitation—have endured far beyond individual heroism.

Discover the story of how a single captain turned enemy doctrine into a weapon and changed the rules of submarine warfare forever.

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This video is educational and historical only. All events are based on verified wartime patrol reports, post-war analyses, and historical sources. The content reconstructs tactical decisions and their impact. It does not glorify war or violence.