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Navy Order No. 5
21 November 1941
Order to: Yamamoto, C in C, Combined Fleet
1. The Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet will dispatch at an appropriate time the necessary forces for the execution of operations to positions of readiness. [4]
2. The Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet is empowered to use force in self-defense in case his fleet is challenged by American, British or Dutch forces during the process of carrying out military preparations.
3. The details concerned will be directed by the Chief of the Naval General Staff. [5]
By Imperial Order
Chief of the Naval General Staff
Nagano Osami
[4]. So-called positions of readiness were designated operational sea
areas. They were as follows:
Southern Force (2nd, 3rd and South China SeaSouthern Expeditionary Fleets) (Elements in Western Caroline Area)South Seas Force (4th Fleet) Inner South Seas AreaNorthern Force (5th Fleet) Kurile AreaSubmarine Force (6th Fleet) Hawaiian Sea AreaCarrier Striking Task Force Hawaiian Sea Area(1st Air Fleet)
Commerce Destruction Force Indian OceanLand Based Air Force (11th Air Fleet) Formosa, French Indo- China and Palau[5]. On the same day C in C, Combined Fleet, issued the necessary orders
for dispatch of forces to the designated operational sea areas. Time of
departure was left to the discretion of respective force commanders.
(JAPANESE MONOGRAPH NO. 97)