The Mizhou Army's attack on Victoria started from seizing air control. The aircraft had become a key force in determining the direction of the war in the later period of the First World War. After more than ten years of development, the performance of the aircraft was more advanced.
Understanding is also more mature, which was particularly evident in the Brazilian Civil War.
In the Brazilian Civil War, the ground forces and the Brazilian army participated, and the air became a battleground between Southern African pilots and US military pilots. Now the number of aircraft owned by the new government has exceeded 300, and the number of aircraft owned by the US-Pakistan coalition has reached nearly 400.
, however, in the battle, the US-Pakistan coalition was still in a weak position, and the new government had huge advantages.
When the bombers began their air raid on Victoria Airport, in the high-altitude clouds, Captain Strachey of the Fourth Group was flying his Tornado fighter plane waiting for the US fighter planes to take off from the USS Lexington aircraft carrier.
Compared with ground airports, aircraft carriers have a tighter defense network. If they launch an attack on an aircraft carrier, they will suffer greater losses. Strachey must win the greatest victory with minimal losses.
As predicted before the war, the air raids had just begun, and the fighter jets carried by the USS Lexington took off one after another to join the battle.
The USS Lexington was designed to carry 120 aircraft, but later it could only carry 90. The aircraft it carried were fighters, fighter-bombers, dive bombers, and torpedo planes.
The first batch of aircraft to take off were all fighter jets, the naval version of the Cerberus. The performance of these aircraft was far inferior to the Tornados flown by Strachey, and there were not many of them. There was only one fighter squadron in all.
Probably 36, or 37 fighter jets.
The Americans have also learned from the experience of southern Africa. In air combat, they use multiple aircraft to cooperate, use low-altitude dogfights to attract, and then use high-altitude dive operations, and have achieved good results.
Strachey was also prepared for this. The team he led had a total of six fighters, two "Tornades" and four "Strong Winds".
When he saw the U.S. Navy Cerberus taking off, Strachey issued an attack signal, and the four Strong Winds immediately lowered their noses and dived towards the Cerberus that had just taken off and had not yet gained altitude.
In a decisive battle between masters, life and death can be determined in an instant. If a southern African pilot is bitten by a "cerberus", there is no guarantee that he will be able to escape unscathed.
The "Cerberus" is at a higher risk of being shot down if bitten by "strong winds".
So the moment the "strong wind" appeared, the "cerberus" reduced their speed and fled in all directions, hoping to disperse the "strong wind" and defeat them one by one.
The pilots in Southern Africa are of high quality, and the performance of the "Strong Wind" is indeed powerful.
Although the reaction speed of the US military pilots was fast, two "Cerberus" were still shot down by "strong winds".
However, the "Strong Wind" was also successfully held back by the "Cerberus". The situation was very chaotic for a while. There were planes circling and chasing each other everywhere. From time to time, some planes were damaged and swerved away from the battlefield while emitting black smoke. Some unlucky ones were shot in the air.
Damn it, the pilot didn't even have a chance to parachute.
At this time, the casualty rate of both sides skyrocketed. When Strachey was preparing to join the battle, a "Strong Wind" was damaged and the pilot had no choice but to parachute. According to the custom during the Rio air battle, it was not possible to attack the parachuting pilot at this time.
of.
It is true that the U.S. Navy pilot did not shoot at the parachuting pilot, but a U.S. Navy warship suddenly shot at the pilot.
The parachuting pilot had no protection at all in the air. The tracer bullets fired by the US warship directly ignited the pilot's parachute. The pilot's descent speed suddenly accelerated and he fell into the sea in an almost vertical fall.
At such a high altitude and at such a fast speed, there is almost no possibility of survival.
Strachey had no time to mourn, nor did he have time to check whether the parachuting pilot survived. He swooped down, grabbed a "Cerberus" and fired directly, blowing up the Cerberus in the air, and then climbed directly to find the second target.
Strachey confirmed that the camera on the plane had taken photos of the US warship shooting at the parachuting pilot. This score will be settled after the war.
The addition of the two Tornados poses a greater threat to the Cerberus.
More "Cerberus" continue to take off, more and more "Strong Winds" and "Squally Winds" are participating in the battle, and the "Sea Eagles" in the sky are also ready to attack. Their target is "Lexington"
aircraft carrier.
"Sea Eagle" is a dive bomber equipped by the Southern African Navy. This dive bomber is a derivative of the Army's ground attack aircraft. The aircraft has two crew members, a maximum takeoff weight of 5,000 kilograms, and a maximum bomb load of 500 kilograms. Due to the horizontal wingspan
With a smaller cross-section, the aircraft is faster and has stronger survivability.
After all the "Cerberus" took off for combat, six "Sea Eagles" and six "Sea Harriers" were ready to attack.
"Sea Harrier" is a torpedo bomber, and their target is also the "Lexington". Whether it is a bomb or a torpedo, as long as it hits the "Lexington", the "Lexington" can lose its combat effectiveness.
Although the aircraft carrier is powerful, its protection is also very fragile. As long as a bomb hits the flight deck, the fighter planes will be unable to take off and land, and will only be passively beaten.
By this time, the "Lexington" had left the port. Although it was protected by destroyers, its defensive capabilities were greatly reduced.
What's more, there are ghost submarines looking for opportunities under the sea not far away. The new government now has six ghost submarines, enough to pose a threat to the US-Pakistan coalition.
When the "Sea Eagle" and "Sea Harrier" were preparing to attack the "Lexington", the "Lexington" was already in chaos.
This is the first time the Lexington has participated in such a large-scale naval battle. When Victoria Airport was attacked, the Lexington was tasked with protecting Victoria Airport and preparing for possible attacks on government ground forces.
attack by bombing.
Hence, the fighter-bombers aboard the Lexington were immediately equipped with aerial bombs, preparing to be used as bombers, and were not prepared for a possible large-scale air battle.
As a result, the battle began, and all the "Cerberus" carried by the "Lexington" took off to fight, but still did not have an advantage. John Gilbert, the captain of the "Lexington", ordered the fighter-bombers to remove their bombs and replenish their ammunition, preparing to participate in the air battle.
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The "Lexington" had a total of two elevators. At this time, the elevators were used to transport fighter planes, and the aerial bombs prepared for the fighter-bombers could only be piled on the aviation deck.
This order became the fatal reason for the final sinking of the "Lexington".
When the "Sea Eagle" began to dive towards the "Lexington", the "Lexington" immediately began tactical maneuvers in an attempt to avoid the aerial bombs dropped by the "Sea Eagle".
By this time, the "Sea Harrier" had also arrived at the combat position, flying close to the sea towards the "Lexington", preparing to throw torpedoes at the "Lexington".
The "Lexington"'s top speed can reach an astonishing 34.5 knots, which is faster than many destroyers.
When the "Lexington" began to maneuver, the destroyers that provided defense for the "Lexington" also began to move closer to the "Lexington". On the one hand, they had to provide anti-aircraft firepower for the "Lexington";
It is also the last line of defense for the Lexington.
If a torpedo is about to hit the "Lexington", then these destroyers must attack it as soon as possible. They would rather blow themselves up than let the "Lexington" be harmed.
The 50-kilogram aerial bomb was so powerful that the Lexington struggled to navigate in the water column stirred up by the aerial bomb explosion.
The anti-aircraft weapons on all the destroyers were firing desperately. The wing of a "Sea Eagle" was damaged when it dived. After the pilot dropped all the aerial bombs, he did not pull up the aircraft, but fired at the "Lexington"
The flight deck crashed directly into it.
“Fire, fire, shoot him down!” John Gilbert’s voice broke directly, and a bullet chain formed by several tracer bullets was instantly drawn towards the swooping "Sea Eagle".
The "Sea Eagle" was hit again, the engine emitted huge smoke, and still dived firmly towards the "Lexington".
"Lexington" tried its best to avoid, but only had time to avoid the flight deck.
The "Sea Eagle" hit the side of the "Lexington" with unhesitating determination.
A large hole was knocked out of the side of the "Lexington", and sea water suddenly rushed in. The remaining aviation fuel of the "Sea Eagle" ignited a fire, which was spreading to the interior of the "Lexington".
“A broadside fire, power is affected, our maneuverability is decreasing—” the first officer warned John Gilbert.
"Damn Southern Africans, kill them all!" John Gilbert was shrouded in great fear. He seemed to realize that "Lexington" could not escape unscathed this time.
It is indeed impossible, "Lexington" has been severely damaged.
At this time, many "Sea Harriers" successfully flew near the "Lexington", and more than ten torpedoes were enough to cause fatal damage to the "Lexington".
A U.S. Navy destroyer bravely approached it, but was hit by two torpedoes almost simultaneously. The destroyer was almost blown to pieces, and the USS Lexington's defense circle finally showed a breach.
The submarine "Shark", which had been staying under the nearby sea surface to look for opportunities, seized this fleeting opportunity. The four torpedo tubes on the bow of the boat fired torpedoes at the "Lexington" at the same time. Chen Yan did not even have time to observe the torpedo attack.
The effect is to fill the water and dive after launching the torpedo, leaving the relevant waters as quickly as possible.
Two minutes later, the "Shark", which was hundreds of meters away from the launch site, heard three huge explosions.
Chen Yan was in no mood to cheer and ordered the submarine to leave at full speed.
Submarines are like this, it’s really exciting to run away after fighting.
