Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Hero of 1911

Text Chapter 772 Encountering War

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Wind and waves were beating against the rocks on the Riau Islands. On the two fishing boats along the coast, the fishermen shouted slogans and lowered their white sails.

    The light cruiser Pearl River, like a light gull, sailed towards the Singapore Strait against the waves.  This Xiangjiang-class light cruiser is the product of learning from the British Navy's emphasis on seaworthiness. It has a slender and graceful lead-gray hull, a floating bow, a high freeboard design, a plump stern, and a symmetrical four-seat triple 155 mm ship.  Cannons demonstrate China's determination to catch up with the world's top manufacturing technology.

    Next to it is the Qinling-class destroyer Xianxia, ??which is closely following. The square stern design appears on the sea for the first time.

    They are all from the 22 fleet escorting the A-shaped fleet. As the fast warships in the rear, they are mainly responsible for clearing the trailing ships and submarines to prevent sneak attacks by the enemy.  Of course, no warship in the South China Sea is willing to disturb them at this moment. Even the Japanese submarines they encountered not long ago can only watch them ferociously charging at them like hounds, sinking rapidly and disappearing into the depths of the ocean.

    "Report. The Japanese submarines have been expelled, and the Pearl River and Xianxia are back."

    At the east entrance of the strait, a huge fleet of ships is slowly passing through the strait at a speed of 13 knots.  Leading the way is the aircraft carrier Xikang and the heavy cruisers Wuhan and Changsha.  The flagship aircraft carrier Tibet is accompanying the fleet behind it, advancing slowly at a low speed of ten knots.  The narrow ship island is printed with the eye-catching word 06, which means that the Tibet is the sixth fleet aircraft carrier of the Republic of China Navy.  In the aviation command post with large characters protruding outwards, officers loudly reported to Zhu Binhou who was sitting on a chair reading a book.

    The short Zhu Binhou was one of the top three ace pilots in the European War. After the war, he shouldered the responsibility of establishing the naval aviation force and participated in the war to regain Taiwan.  Later, through his own efforts, he was admitted to the Naval Academy to study navigation and command, and gradually became an aircraft carrier captain from an aircraft carrier flight officer. Finally, he was awarded the rank of vice admiral the year before last and served as the commander of the 22nd Squadron of the Second Fleet.

    Zhu Binhou put down the book "Air Control" in his hand, walked to the porthole and raised his telescope.  The first thing I saw were two very familiar figures.  Taiwan and Tang Nu Uliang Hai.  These were the first two aircraft carriers of the Republic of China Navy, but with the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty and the service of the Beihai class, they were decommissioned and dismantled in 1926. Due to their wide decks and hangars, they were used for aircraft transportation most of the time.  At this moment, their deck is surrounded by a wind-proof fence. In the center of the fence are 37 Snake fighter jets fixed with ropes. In the lower hangar, there are also 45 fighter jets of the same model with their wings removed.

    Next to them are the Pearl River and Xianxia, ??which are rushing back quickly, and behind the two battleships is the Singapore Fortress bathed in the morning light.  A towering and solid fort.  Groups of fifteen-inch coastal heavy artillery were pointed here, fully demonstrating the strength of the most powerful fortress in the Far East of the British Empire.  But there was chaos in the Changi Naval Base below the fortress. Two British destroyers monitored the passage of the fleet, and behind them were troop carriers ready to go. The troop carriers were crowded with British soldiers preparing to go to Sumatra.

    In the strong watchtower of the fortress, Percival, the commander-in-chief of the British Far East Army, looked at the fleet angrily. A month ago, he would have blocked the fleet and the 22nd Fleet from entering the Indian Ocean.  But now he has no time to care about this. The intelligence from Beijing caught people off guard.  Under his order, merchant ships began to leave one after another.  Battleships gathered in groups waiting for orders, while army soldiers boarded transport ships under the scolding of officers. Heavy artillery, field artillery, machine guns, and ammunition were sent to the Jambi Province of Sumatra across the strait.

    But even so, the solid fortress known as the "Gibraltar of the East" at his feet still gave him and the British army confidence.  Everyone was just surprised.  Unexpectedly, Japan would send a huge fleet before the negotiations were officially announced to be over.  Although this "sent" is still in doubt because there is no news about the Japanese fleet so far, they finally decided to trust Chinese intelligence.  After all, no military would suddenly change communication codes for no reason.  So Percival decided to send two more infantry divisions to Jambi Province, and immediately transported four 203mm heavy artillery that had been stored in Singapore after the European war. This decision did cause a lot of trouble for the Japanese army.  In particular, the four heavy artillery pieces caused considerable losses to the Japanese army.

    Of course, after careful consideration, Percival did not take the initiative to attack first. Instead, he sent the news back to China overnight to wait for orders.  Because he felt that there was no need to give Japan an excuse, and he believed that even if the Japanese navy came forward with full pressure, Singapore would not be captured.

    It was this decision that completely ruined the Anglo-Dutch coalition in the Far East.

    "The British didn't seem to have any reaction." After Deng Haogan checked the navigation chart, signed it and handed it to the navigator, he walked over and looked at the silent fortress, and was surprised: "The Military Intelligence Agency didn't give them the information?"

    This tough-blooded young man who dared to fight to avenge his father in the Qingdao War finally embarked on the path of his father and is now the staff officer of the 22nd Fleet Rear Admiral.Marquis Zhu Bin smiled and pointed at the group of fortress cannons on the opposite side: "The waterway in the Singapore Strait is narrow, and with such a strong fortress as its backing, does Percival need to be anxious?"

    "That's true." Deng Haoqian agreed with this sentence.  Because the fleet is heavily involved in combat, the most feared thing is the fortress with large-caliber heavy artillery. Therefore, even if the Second Fleet comes to fight, it can only rely on aircraft bombing, and then send the army to take a retreat from Malaya.  However, the British have almost 100,000 troops stationed in Malaya, and the Netherlands recently sent 20,000 army troops to assist, so there is really no need to be too nervous.

    After taking another look, he put down the telescope and asked: "Brother Yunzhang, judging from the telegram from the General Staff, the Soviet army's move south may have happened in the past few days. What do you think we should do if the Soviet army quickly takes over Iran?  What to do? The internal sea of ??the Persian Gulf is narrow, less than 400 kilometers at its widest point. If we deploy aircraft in the Hormud Strait, we may have to withdraw to the Indian Ocean."

    Marquis Zhu Bin scratched his eyebrows, this was also what he was worried about.  Losing Iran means losing access to and from the Persian Gulf, and the 22nd Fleet will definitely bear the brunt.  Moreover, the waters of the Persian Gulf are too narrow for fleet movement. If the Soviet army deploys bombers in the Strait of Hormuz, the fleet must retreat to the Indian Ocean.  The problem is that the Republic of China only has a base in the Addu Atoll in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, which is very close to Sri Lanka. If Japan attacks Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the probability of conflict with the Japanese navy will greatly increase.

    It is not afraid of the Japanese navy. Although the 22nd Fleet only has two aircraft carriers, they have all been equipped with the latest fighter jets before departure. The torpedo planes and dive bombers are also much better than Japan's.  And aviation tactics are also more complete.  What worries him is that the conflict will lead to the failure of the General Staff's strategy of exchanging space for time, and he is also worried about how to repair the ship after it is damaged.

    "Didn't the General Staff say they want to negotiate with France? I think it's better to let the country contact the French Navy and allow our supply ship to take a few destroyers there for a while. If the negotiation can succeed, even if the Soviet Union takes Iran, we can go to Djibouti  Rest.¡±

    "This is a good idea. Fake electricity, beep beep." Zhu Binhou was only halfway through his words when the harsh air defense siren suddenly sounded.  "What's going on?" The officers gathered around the navigation chart were all startled.  Zhu Binhou's pupils shrank sharply.  You must know that this is a strait.  There is a fleet of ships blocking the waterway ahead. If there is an air attack, there will be no place to cry.

    Deng Haoqian was also shocked and immediately looked at the combat staff and communications officer.

    "Report! A water reconnaissance plane taking off from Natuna discovered a large group of Japanese aircraft 353 kilometers southeast of us. It was initially identified that there were at least 46 96 bombers in the group."

    The communications officer¡¯s words were like a sledgehammer hitting everyone on the head.  War breaks out!  Japan must have discovered the 22nd fleet and suspected that the secret was leaked, so they took action in advance without waiting for the fleet to arrive!  In the bridge, it suddenly became quiet, as a soldier.  No one wants to jump into this torrent and fight!  Go and sacrifice!  But Zhu Binhou knew better that this war was not yet a war for the 22nd Fleet. His mission was to safely escort the fleet to the Persian Gulf, where his own battle was.  So quickly put aside the messy thoughts.  Pick up the compass and lie on the chart to calculate carefully.

    "The Type 96 bomber is the best bomber of the Japanese Army now. It can carry 800 kilograms of torpedoes or bombs, has a combat radius of 1,500 kilometers, and a maximum speed of 330 kilometers after loading bombs. If it comes towards us, it will take about seventy minutes to make contact." Zhu Binhou was very quick.  He calculated the time for the Japanese fleet to arrive. After hearing what he said, Deng Haoqian immediately asked: "How long will it take for the fleet to pass?"

    "You can all enter Malacca in two hours. Pass through Kuala Lumpur in fifteen hours."

    After hearing this, Deng Haoqian immediately frowned: "The channel is too narrow. If the Japanese plane targets Singapore, I'm afraid we will also be bombed. Brother Yunzhang, do you want to evacuate the next batch of transport ships to Mersing Harbor?"

    Zhu Binhou waved his hand vigorously.  Seeing that the Soviet army is about to move south, the A-shaped fleet is the only guarantee for quick intervention. Each ship is extremely precious. Who can guarantee whether they can pass through Malacca if they are evacuated?  Therefore, he did not want to abandon any ship. After asking about the wind, he ordered: "The wind is southwest now. The Xikang can release the aircraft at full speed to the west. He ordered the Wuhan and Changsha to clear the waters ahead immediately, and the first batch of fighter jets took off half an hour later. l  The air force cruised along the Sumatra side of the Lingga Islands. Any Japanese aircraft trying to cross the strait would be directly shot down without reporting. Each ship accelerated through the strait and prepared for air defense. It sent a light signal to Singapore to inform the Japanese aircraft group of its location and arrival time.  !¡±

    "Brother Yunzhang, is this true?"

    "We don't have to worry about so much anymore! The Hurricane fighter of the British Far East Air Force is similar to the early Snake fighter of our Air Force. It has a great advantage against the Japanese Type 97 fighter. Since we are not suitable to do it ourselves, let them do it."  After Zhu Binhou interrupted, he immediately looked to the combat staff and asked to execute the order immediately.  A few minutes later, a destroyer broke away from the formation and sailed?The Singapore Fortress used semaphores and light signals to indicate the time and location of the Japanese attack and the arrival of the aircraft fleet.  This news caused complete chaos in the Singapore Fortress. Fifty-seven British Hurricane fighter jets took off one after another. The British transport ships that originally wanted to wait for the fleet to leave did not care about the risk of collision and left the port towards Sumatra.

    Thirty minutes later, the first batch of 12 "Li Feng" carrier-based fighter jets passed over the accelerating fleet. News also came from the radio that the British army encountered a Japanese aircraft formation. A few minutes later, the first major air battle in Southeast Asia broke out.

    On February 23, 1939, while the Chinese Navy¡¯s 22nd Fleet and Fleet A passed through the Singapore Strait, more than a hundred Japanese fighter planes took off from Batavia in an attempt to bomb the British-Dutch Allied Forces position 15 kilometers west of Palembang.  But what Japan didn't expect was that Zhu Binhou would inform the British Far East Air Force of the news in advance.  Facing the escorting Japanese Army Type 97 fighter jets, the British Far East Air Force, which had a clear advantage in performance, killed all parties and shot down 23 Japanese aircraft at the cost of twelve aircraft.  At the same time, the Japanese Fifth Division, which had already landed at Lampung Port, crossed the Musi River and launched a tidal wave of attacks on the British-Dutch-controlled Jambi Province and Belitung Island.

    Half an hour after the war broke out, the Japanese negotiating delegation, which successfully completed the delaying task, submitted a declaration of war to the British and Dutch governments in London
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report