Immediately after the Nagato sank, a huge whirlpool was rolled up on the sea surface. This whirlpool was so huge that it swept all the surrounding floating objects and the Japanese drowned personnel struggling around into the seabed.
"Has it sunk? Has the former flagship of our combined fleet, the pride of the Japanese Empire, sunk like this?" On the Akagi, Rear Admiral Matoi Ugaki saw that this 39,120-ton battleship had just sunk in such a short time.
It sank into the sea within ten minutes, and more than 1,300 officers and soldiers, including the captain, Colonel Jiro Saito, were all spared. Their eyes were red with excitement, and they shouted almost hysterically.
"Ugaki-kun, when there is a war, there are casualties. You are a soldier, don't you even understand this truth?" Yamamoto Isoroku held the command knife with both hands and scolded him with a gloomy face and pretended to be calm. However, no one noticed that Yamamoto Isoroku
Sixteen's hands holding the command knife were trembling slightly. Due to the excessive exertion, even the fingertips turned white and showed blue veins.
In fact, Yamamoto Isoroku was not surprised. When he saw Nagato being besieged by dozens of torpedo planes just now, he had an unpleasant premonition in his heart. He really didn't expect the thick-skinned battleship to be so...
It was soon sunk.
No, we can't continue the fight like this. One-third of the elites of the Japanese Empire's combined fleet are here, and they can't just be ruined in my hands. Thinking of this, Yamamoto Isoroku quickly issued an order: "Order Heaven.
The carrier-based aircraft group should not get entangled with the China fighter planes, and quickly return to the sky above the fleet to attack the China torpedo planes above the fleet. We must not suffer any more losses."
"Hai" Ugaki Matoi suppressed his grief and hurriedly issued the order.
The Japanese carrier-based aircraft group that received the order was indeed the elite of Japan's naval aviation. They immediately got rid of the entanglement of the Chinese aircraft group and returned to the sky above the task force, retracting into the fleet's air defense net. At this time, Yamamoto Isoroku
I had the opportunity to count the remaining Japanese planes, but I was shocked. In less than an hour, only 42 of the 92 Type 96 Mitsubishi fighters were left, and the loss of fighters reached 50%.
five.
This result made Yamamoto Isoroku feel dizzy and couldn't help but swayed. Behind him, the chief of combat staff, Colonel Mitsuo Yokota, hurriedly supported him and comforted him in a low voice: "Your Excellency, Commander, China's fighter plane losses are higher than those of our army."
There are quite a few.”
Yamamoto Isoroku stabilized his body and smiled bitterly, "But you have to know that their number is several times that of mine. They can afford it, but we can't."
Mitsuo Yokota quickly helped Yamamoto Isoroku sit down, took out a kettle and a glass of water and handed it to Yamamoto, "Your Excellency, Commander, please drink a glass of water first."
After Yamamoto Isoroku took a slow sip of water, he felt a little more energetic. He lowered his head and pondered for a while and then said in a deep voice: "It seems that this mission cannot be completed. We have failed the emperor's trust."
Ah, order the fleet to shrink its formation, increase the density of firepower, and hold on until dark, and we will evacuate immediately."
"No, Commander, how can we explain to His Majesty the Emperor if we retreat?" Colonel Mitsuo Yokota said in fear.
"I will explain it to Your Majesty. Our biggest problem now is how to hold on until dark." Yamamoto Isoroku's tone was full of worry. "The Chinese will not let us retreat so easily."
As if to verify Yamamoto's words, at this time, under the command of Li Guidan, more than 40 Avengers torpedo bombers launched attacks in all directions of the Japanese task force.
Seeing the Japanese task force slowly approaching the two aircraft carriers, Li Guidan immediately understood the Japanese intention. He quickly ordered the torpedo bombers to step up the attack. Some wildcats rushed to the Japanese carrier-based aircraft and clung to them.
The other part of the Japanese carrier-based aircraft rushed towards the sky of the Japanese fleet, constantly dodging artillery fire. They were gambling on their own lives and dancing on the tip of the knife to attract the Japanese firepower so that they could serve as the Avengers.
Open up a channel.
The Japanese task force's firepower immediately weakened after losing the Nagato, but the remaining warships went crazy. The vacancy of the Nagato was quickly filled by the Furutaka heavy cruiser, and they were frantically heading towards
Fire poured from the air.
One shell after another exploded in the air, forming a black barrage. At this time, the Furutaka had not been refitted as it had been in history, and the ship was not equipped with one hundred and twenty-seven weapons like the Nagato battleship.
mm large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, but the forty-two twenty-five-millimeter anti-aircraft cannons it is equipped with are superior in number. When the forty-two twenty-five-millimeter anti-aircraft artillery fires together, it is like a body full of excitement and self-defense.
The hedgehog had various weapons erected all over his body, blocking the surrounding waterways tightly.
"Report 6023: The enemy ships Furutaka and Kako have blocked our attack channel, and the enemy fighters are not entangled with our fighters. They are desperately attacking our torpedo planes, making it impossible for our torpedo planes to attack.
, requesting fighter cover." A voice calling for help rang in Li Guidan's headset.
Li Guidan looked at the fuel gauge. The battle had lasted for an hour and a half. If the fleet did not return within forty minutes, the fleet would not have enough fuel to return. Thinking of this, he immediately ordered: "Order the 1st HNA Division and Regiment to expel immediately
The Japanese planes are entrenched in the sky above the enemy fleet, and the Second Regiment is attracting enemy planes at medium and high altitudes to open a channel for the Avengers. We are running out of fuel and must end the battle within thirty minutes."
"clear"
After receiving the order, the 1st and 2nd Hainan Regiments immediately pounced on their respective targets. The Wildcat fighter jets were much more professional than the bulky Avengers at luring the enemy. They were seen flying up and down flexibly over the Japanese fleet.
Freely shuttle among various barrages.
After the firepower of the Japanese task force was attracted by the Wildcat fighters, more than forty Avengers torpedo bombers immediately took the opportunity to attack the Japanese task force from all directions at low altitude.
Although the Japanese fleet's anti-aircraft firepower was very fierce, because there were fighter planes flying at high, high, and low altitudes this time, the Japanese air defense firepower inevitably had some loopholes. These loopholes were immediately caught by Li Guidan.
"The 1st torpedo squadron will attack from the west immediately, and the 2nd torpedo squadron will attack from the east. Remember to move quickly, and run away after releasing the torpedoes. There must be no delay."
"clear"
More than forty Avengers immediately approached the Japanese fleet from the east and west. Although they could not completely escape the eyes of the Japanese flying at low altitude, they were too busy dealing with the fleet of aircraft in the sky at the moment and had no time or energy to take care of themselves.
Taking into account these low-flying torpedo planes, the opportunity came.
The commander of the torpedo plane seized the best opportunity to drop bombs in the long sky. The pilots only heard the commander's decisive voice coming from the earphones: "Torpedo attack, torpedo attack."
"Attack the belly of the enemy ship, attack the belly of the enemy ship"
"Horizontal shooting attack"
No matter what the sentence is, it all means the same thing: to launch a torpedo
As the target in the sight zoomed in, the torpedo operators sitting in the back pressed the buttons around them one after another.
"Brush brush brush"
One torpedo after another detached from the aircraft body and rushed towards the target. Nearly fifty torpedoes rushed towards the Japanese task force.
"torpedo torpedo"
"Hurry up and avoid it, hurry up and avoid it"
When the ship commanders in the task force saw so many torpedoes with white trails rushing towards the fleet, they became a little confused and ordered the ships to avoid them. For a while, the formation of the task force became a little chaotic.
"good chance"
Li Guidan, who was high in the sky, quickly ordered: "All torpedo planes attack together, attack together."
After receiving the order, the torpedo planes that were originally outside the fire range of the battleships immediately jumped down from high altitude and rushed towards the task force.
"Unfortunately, the Chinese are about to launch a general attack." Yamamoto Isoroku, who had been relatively calm on the Akagi, also put away his usual melancholy expression: "Quickly, order all fleets to pay attention to low-altitude defense. All the Chinese are here this time.
Torpedo planes, they have to attack from low altitude."
For a time, the artillery fire from each ship seemed to be more intensive, and from time to time, fighter planes plumped black smoke from the sky and fell into the sea. But even so, the torpedo plane pilots launched the attack without hesitation.
"boom"
An Avenger preparing to drop mines happened to be shrouded in the barrage when a seventy-six-caliber anti-aircraft gun from the Furutaka exploded. The Avenger exploded at low altitude with its crew and aircraft.
However, the following Avengers rushed through the barrage without hesitation and continued to charge towards the ship resolutely.
"Brush brush brush"
Another row of torpedoes were thrown into the water, and waves of white waves rose on the sea.
After Li Guidan persevered in throwing mines and made heavy sacrifices, this young naval force finally achieved results.
"Boom boom"
The heavy cruiser Furutaka was hit by two torpedoes in its tail. The main propeller was severely deformed after being hit. Suddenly, the Furutaka stopped slowly like a dead fish. The location where the battleship was hit began to appear at the tail of the battleship.
The thick smoke looked like a dying fish that was unwillingly spitting out its anger.
"Your Excellency, Commander, the Furutaka reported that their propeller was destroyed and has lost power." A staff officer quickly reported to Yamamoto Isoroku in the control room.
Yamamoto Isoroku slowly closed his eyes in pain. He knew what it meant for a ship to lose power in a fierce battle. Furutaka was finished.