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Text Chapter 925 Japan¡¯s Counterattack (3)

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    The sky gradually brightens, and the cities along the southeast coast wake up from their sleep.  But today is very different. When people walk out of their homes and prepare to go to school and go to work, they find that the streets and alleys are already filled with military vehicles and fire engines on standby. On the platforms of high-rise buildings, in parks, and beside rivers, camouflaged doors are torn open one after another.  Anti-aircraft guns pierced the sky. National Guard reservists wore eye-catching red cuffs and operated telescopes, listening devices and searchlights. Groups of fighter jets flew overhead from time to time.

    When people were still wondering what happened, the radio broadcast brought explosive news: China and Japan were at war!

    "The peace in Northeast Asia has ended, the blood on Qingdao and the Northeast has not yet dried, and the Yongzhen Mountain and River Monument in Port Arthur still stands there, these Japanese careerists are reaching out to us again!  They deceived 60 million Chinese people! They brazenly attacked our border guards and civilians! They sank our patrol ships! This led to the tragedy of hundreds of naval officers sacrificing their lives! We can't bear it anymore! In Nanyang, millions of our compatriots were trampled and lost their dignity by the Japanese cavalry. In  In the southeast, the entire island chain is under threat! Our goods and fleets cannot enter and exit the sea freely! In the southwest, hundreds of thousands of enemy troops are eyeing our country, Yunnan and Guangxi, and are intervening in Annan's conspiracy to overthrow the new regime! So I am not going to pray anymore.  Peace, and I am not prepared to enter into any negotiations with the Japanese government! I have ordered the army to use any means to fight back! I have decided to stand with our allies and punish this country that has repeatedly caused terror in Asia, with unlimited strikes  Japan is planning the war! This time we will not compromise. Unless Japan unconditionally surrenders, hands over all equipment of the navy, air and army, and disbands the army, the war will continue to the end!"

    At the entrance of the Capitol Building, Yang Qiu spoke harshly in front of reporters.  His speech quickly spread across the land of China through radio waves. When the radio informed that the Japanese army had begun to attack North Korea and Sakhalin Island, and signs of Japanese military activities appeared outside Yunnan and Temple Street, there was another massive war parade across the country.  Countless passionate young people waved their arms.  Solidarity with the motherland and support the president's decision to declare war on Japan.  The public opinion war that had been prepared for a long time was fully launched. Newspapers, magazines, radio and even street commentaries were all describing the atrocities committed by the Japanese army since their southern advance and telling the story of Japan's planning of war to undermine peace.  The Navy Ministry will also send injured soldiers back to Beijing for interviews with reporters.  Under such a propaganda machine, Japan instantly became the source of despicable and shameless arrogance and the source of world war and destruction of peace.  Similarly, news of the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war quickly spread throughout the world.  Britain, Saudi Arabia and other allies immediately stood up to support and declare war on Japan. Churchill even made a special radio speech.  I think this is one of the wisest decisions made by the Chinese government in the past 20 years.  The Typhoon Operation that night shocked the world. A total of 37 major targets including Fukuoka, Sasebo, Kagoshima, Naha, Miyakojima, Seoul, Busan, Jeju Island, Tsushima Island, etc. were bombed in multiple rounds.  During the entire night of bombing, a total of four Japanese battleships, three cruisers, nineteen destroyers and twelve other ships were sunk or damaged, more than twenty airports were bombed, and 270  Important facilities such as bridges, warehouses, seaports and power plants were bombed, 531 aircraft of various types were destroyed on the ground, and 3,000 Japanese soldiers and 2,000 civilians were killed or injured (all statistics after the fact! The bombing of Kyushu was mainly  Concentrated on military and urban facilities. It does not include strategic bombing, so personnel losses are small).  However, the Republic of China only paid a small price for the loss of two destroyers (the 15th Fleet lost one in the first encirclement and suppression), 37 bombers, and 15 fighter jets.

    In one night, Japan lost a quarter of its sea and air power, and the power of air strikes was fully demonstrated!  This operation also affected the endless air battle over the English Channel.  Both Hitler and Churchill began to consider plans to use large fleet bombings to destroy the enemy's physical strength and war capabilities.  Tojo Hideki and Hirohito, who also just came to power, were also stunned by the huge losses.  However, Japanese newspapers, as mouthpieces, were not to be outdone, and vilified the typhoon operation as a shameless sneak attack on Japan. This statement also aroused the unanimous indignation of the Japanese people who did not know the truth. A homemade bomb even appeared in front of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.  Bloody incidents such as seppuku protests.  All Chinese commercial institutions in Japan were smashed, looted and burned, and dozens of Chinese were martyred.  In order to quickly plug the power vacuum in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea after the destruction of Sasebo, the Japanese Navy immediately deployed dozens of additional destroyers and cruisers from Yokosuka.  Fighters were dispatched from Tokyo and other places to supplement losses.  At 6 o'clock in the morning, Hirohito also delivered a national speech. In the speech, he called for national mobilization for the first time. All male citizens over the age of 16 must participate in military training, and women must also participate in labor. Domestic enterprises were required to do their best to manufacture aircraft, warships and other military equipment.  In his speech, he vowed to fight to the death with the Republic of China, and believed that the scene of the Battle of Tsushima would reappear. Finally, he officially expressed his hope that the four countries of the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy and Japan would complete alliance negotiations as soon as possible and jointly attack the enemy.

    The news spread to Europe, and Hitler, who suffered a bloody head collision over the English Channel, was shaken again.??began to seriously consider an alliance with the Soviet Union.  After all, the capabilities displayed by China's army, navy and air force are so surprising. He and Germany are also worried that Japan will no longer be able to contain China after its defeat.  Moscow also has mixed feelings. It is happy that China and Japan have finally started a war. No matter how weak Japan is, China will have to fight on two fronts for at least one to two years.  Worried about the continued retreat in the direction of Central Asia, Timoshenko tried his best, but still could not stop the Wehrmacht's ground-air coordination tactics. Within three weeks, Petropavlovsk was completely surrounded, and the Siberian Railway was also in danger.  .  Affected by this, Stalin immediately reached a formal alliance agreement with the visiting Hirota Koki, and provided Japan with weapons including T34 tanks, radars, IL2 attack aircraft, 57mm long needle anti-tank guns, etc., and also provided weapons to the world again through the Communist International  The gc organization recruited international fighters to go to Japan to resist Chinese aggression. It also handed over all guerrillas operating in Okhotsk and the Siberian tundra to the command of the Japanese army.  Finally, he vowed to mobilize the troops entering India within two weeks at the latest to cooperate with the Japanese army in attacking southwest China.  This generous attitude even surprised Hirota Koki. Of course, the weapons and equipment provided by the Soviet Union could not break through the British Navy's blockade, so most of them were blueprints and some skilled workers who secretly transferred to South America to Japan.

    In the end, Stalin strictly ordered Motolov to speed up negotiations with Ribbentrop and agreed in principle to return the heavy cruiser Petropavlovsk (the heavy cruiser L¨¹tzow sold by Germany to the Soviet Union in the Soviet-German non-aggression agreement).  Germany also agreed to sell the Kirov light cruiser and sell two light cruisers, the Kalinin and Kaganovich, whose hulls have been built but have not yet been equipped with cannons, to Germany for continued construction.  At the same time, it also agreed to sell ten destroyers, 33 submarines, ten minesweepers and all nine large torpedo boats, and exchange these warships for 1,500 BF109s and provide more weapons and machine tools.  But refused to sell the battleships.

    "However, this naval agreement also has a prerequisite, that is, the Soviet Union and Germany must first form an alliance.

    The chaos in Europe is gradually expanding, and it is still unknown whether Hitler will agree to Stalin's request. But for Yang Qiu, these are still unknowns. The war in Northeast Asia is what he is most concerned about at the moment.

    At 9:30 in the morning, just after the president¡¯s speech, Liu Yu turned off the radio and walked to the take-off deck of the Guizhou aircraft carrier.  Guizhou is the second ship of the Sichuan-class fleet aircraft carrier. It has a standard displacement of 27,000 tons, a full load of 35,300 tons, a maximum speed of 33 knots, eight twin 85mm, twelve twin 40mm anti-aircraft guns and twenty-four single-barreled guns.  25mm rapid-fire cannon.  It carries a standard HNA group, consisting of thirty-six Lightning fighter squadrons.  Twenty-eight Yasha dive bomber squadrons, twenty-four Osprey torpedo bomber squadrons, plus spare parts, the maximum aircraft carrying capacity is ninety-six aircraft.

    Liu Yu is the captain of the torpedo squadron.  As soon as he reached the door of the cabin, he heard a whirring sound, and the corners of his mouth suddenly curved downward.  "Damn it, what are those reconnaissance planes doing for food? There's no news yet. What time is it? If I wait any longer, I will fall asleep. If I had known this, I would be better off searching for it myself than those turtles on the shore.  Hurry!" Lei Shaobao, leader of the dive squadron who returned from the northwest, stood in front of his plane.  I¡¯m very dissatisfied that I haven¡¯t found a Japanese aircraft carrier yet.  A circle of dive bomber pilots standing nearby also looked anxious and nodded in agreement with his statement.

    There are no dedicated reconnaissance aircraft on the aircraft carrier. Generally, dive bombers need to take care of reconnaissance missions.  But because this battle took place offshore, it was very close to the Ryukyu Islands.  Yang Guochang was unwilling to waste the few carrier-based aircraft in vain, and shore-based reconnaissance aircraft would not reveal the location of the aircraft carrier, so he handed over all reconnaissance tasks to the shore-based reconnaissance brigade.  However, dozens of Blue Swan seaplanes taking off from Taiwan, Shanghai, Mawei and other places have been pulling nets near the Yaeyama Islands and Ryukyus since 5 a.m., but no news has been returned.  Did he just flee back to his homeland?  When Liu Yu was puzzled.  Lei Shaobao suddenly stopped him, raised his eyebrows and waved his fist in demonstration: "Liu Yu, don't forget the bet we made!"

    Liu Yu glared at him fiercely.  The two are classmates in aviation school and are also the top HNA pilots.  But his temperament is completely to the left, so he has fought openly and secretly over the years.  Before setting sail, the two made a bet that whoever dropped the bomb and missed the target would have to hand over a three-month cigarette quota.  "Captain, what did you and Lei Dazui bet about?" Several comrades gathered around. You must know that there has been a dispute within Hainan Airlines about who is the protagonist of the attack between dive and torpedo, so the competition between the two squadrons is usually fierce.

    "It's nothing." Liu Yu has a low-key temperament and is not as flamboyant as Lei Shaobao. Instead, he pays attention to the tactical essentials.  "Yang Fan, your movements are too big. Such a large maneuver before dropping the bomb is easy to stall. Li Ming, pay attention to the distance. If it is too far, the target will easily escape. And you, don't descend in a hurry before attacking. Fly sideways at 30 degrees to enter the bombing channel.  When the rear is flattened, your wrists should be as gentle as possible. Also, everyone should be alert and pay attention to the rapid-fire cannon when pulling it up. Do not fly in a straight line for a long time, otherwise the rear machine gun will not be able to see down.The enemy planes in the rear are a blind spot.  "

    After the instructions, Liu Yu took the helmet from the air crew and began to check his fighter plane.  The Osprey is a two-seat torpedo aircraft/bomber developed in 1937. Its performance is similar to that of the later TBF Avenger, but its appearance has changed greatly.  The main reason is that the Osprey uses Airbus' twin Mustang 2000 horsepower engines with a maximum output of 2265 horsepower. In order to reduce wind resistance, it uses a streamlined belly-type semi-buried torpedo rack with a fairing, which looks like a giant-bellied bird.  There are two 12.7mm machine guns on the nose and a twin 7.62mm self-defense machine gun on the back seat. It has a maximum level flight speed of 490 kilometers, a maximum range of 1,600 kilometers, and a maximum combat radius of 550 kilometers.  Like all torpedo planes, the Osprey has very wide wings and has excellent sea-skimming and low-altitude capabilities.  But for this reason, the speed is slow, and the maximum cruising speed when torpedoed is only 370 kilometers.  It is an easy target for enemy fighters.

    At this time, the wings of the Osprey are still in a folded state. Because the target distance is not known, two 500-liter auxiliary fuel tanks are hung at the wing roots.  After checking it carefully, he found that half an hour had passed, which made him anxious, and he couldn't help but look at the flagship sailing outside.

    Inside the battleship Dinghai, Yang Guochang and Lin Ruosheng, who had been waiting for several hours, finally got the first news.  "Report, received a report from Haiying 109, and found a target suspected to be the battleship Itsukushima in the southwest of Ryukyu."

    "Oh?" The anxious Yang Guochang immediately grabbed the telegram from the staff and asked, "Do you have the specific location?"

    "Here. Between Kerama and Ryukyu Island, about 280 nautical miles away from us."

    Lin Ruosheng quickly drew a circle in the Kerama waters, raised his head and asked, "Didn't you see the aircraft carrier? Can you contact Sea Eagle?"

    The staff officer shook his head, and a trace of sadness flashed across his face: "Haiying 109 broke off contact after sending the telegram." Both Yang Guochang and Lin Ruosheng knew what breaking contact meant, which meant that Haiying 109 water reconnaissance aircraft had probably already  Shot down.  So it was Ryukyu's surviving shore-based fighter that shot it down?  Or an aircraft carrier-based aircraft?  This is a very important question!  Since there is no exact damage figure from last night's bombing, no one knows how many surviving Japanese planes there are in Ryukyu.  Everyone only knows that Japan deployed a naval aviation shore-based brigade and two army aviation brigade in Ryukyu before the war.  There are a total of about 330 aircraft of various types, and there are also 50 or 60 second-line old-fashioned aircraft in the Yaeyama Islands and Amami Islands.  But the big island of Ryukyu is not small. With its high mountains and dense forests, there will always be fish that slip through the net.  Then the number of people slipping through the net becomes the key.

    "The battleship Itsukushima is an old ship from the European War. The Japanese navy is short of money, so it has not been modified much. Its air defense capability is very poor, so it cannot operate alone." Lin Ruosheng analyzed: "Both Fengxiang and Zuifeng are light aircraft carriers. They carry aircraft.  Insufficient, the two ships combined are not as good as one of ours, so Yamaguchi Takan must seek shore-based aircraft protection. He will not let the battleships move alone to distract the air defense force. But he is afraid that we will not be able to escape when we attack Ryukyu, and our  Two Hokkais are also coming, so I think there is a high possibility that he is hiding in Kerama and cooperating with land-based aircraft! Pre-war intelligence said that there are three brigades in Ryukyu. Even if two were killed last night, there will still be about a hundred aircraft left.  . Excluding the Army bombers, there are at least three to forty fighter planes inside, plus two aircraft carriers, the total number will not be less than sixty. This is our position, 75 nautical miles southeast of Yaeyama, and it has already entered from the distance  The radius of the Japanese bombers on Ryukyu Island. So once we launch an attack, Yamaguchi Tawen and Ryukyu's remaining bombers will definitely come over, even if they are fifty." After finishing speaking, he looked at his watch again: "Now  It's 10:10. The estimated time to launch the attack is 11:30, and the recovery of the aircraft after success is 1:30. At the latest at 1:00 pm, we will enter the radius of Yamamoto Isoroku's Zero fighter, and enter the Type 97 dive at 2:30  Maximum attack radius of a bomber.¡±

    Yang Guochang nodded, this was the problem that troubled him.  The two aircraft carriers have a total of 72 fighter jets. If there are many surviving aircraft in Ryukyu, they will need to increase the escort intensity, so that their own air defense capabilities will be poor.  On the contrary, if Ryukyu survives less, it can send fewer fighter jets to strengthen the fleet's air defense.  Moreover, he must always pay attention to Yamamoto's main force, which is rushing towards him at all times, so he is somewhat hesitant about how much to send.  "How about letting the Air Force come to help." Lin Ruosheng suggested.  Yang Guochang tapped his fingers on the table a few times.  The two Beihai-class ships of the First Fleet have not yet arrived, and the only one that can support Ryukyu from home is Jian Ba ??Tianquan.  However, the four Tianquan brigades deployed in Fujian, Shanghai and other places all participated in last night's escort. The pilots were very tired, so even if they could come, there would not be many.  The HNA brigade from Penghu can come, but they must seize the opportunity. Going out now is just a waste of gasoline.

    "Leave twenty-four no! Thirty-two, and the rest will set off! Lift the radio silence and call the air force to help immediately! After the fleet leaves, first let the patrol planes land for refueling, and at the same time send out a second batch of patrol planes  , ensuring that there are at least twelve Lightnings above us at all times." Fighter PlaneIt was fleeting and there was not much time left for Yang Guochang, so he chose to be conservative after careful consideration.  But precisely because it was conservative and left eight more fighter jets, the entire fleet was saved.

    The long-awaited attack signal was finally sent. After the two aircraft carriers accelerated to 32 knots against the wind, forty Lightning fighter jets took the lead and rushed into the blue sky. After circling for a few circles, they quickly formed their own formations to protect the Yasha and Osprey divided into four groups towards Kerama.  Fly away.  At the same time that the 23rd Fleet was launching the first aircraft carrier naval battle of the Republic of China, on the battleship Kongo 670 nautical miles northeast of Ryukyu, Genda Minoru quickly walked into the command tower holding a telegram.

    "Your Excellency, General! This is a telegram from Okinawa. They shot down a China water reconnaissance plane in Kerama." After staying up all night, Minoru Genda, who was thinking about how to fight back, said in a hoarse voice: "This  It must be the attack signal from the China aircraft carrier! Maybe their carrier-based aircraft have already taken off." "Not bad." Tsukahara 243 also agreed with this guess and said: "This is the place where the Furutaka encountered the main force of China last night.  Judging from the speed, they should already be within 300 nautical miles of Okinawa. In addition, they definitely don¡¯t want to be too far away from shore support, so I think it should be" His finger slid north from the east coast of Taiwan,  Staying on the south side of Ishigaki Island on Yaeyama, he said repeatedly: "Yaeyama!"

    Nagumo Chuichi shook his head: "Yaeshan is close to Keelung and can be supported by the China Air Force. Yamaguchi-kun and Okinawa still have a total of eighty-nine fighter jets, but the total number of army heavy bombers, ship bombers and ship attack aircraft is only thirty-five."  . The number of attack aircraft is insufficient, and it will be difficult to defeat the China fleet." Genda Minoru was waiting for this sentence. After hearing this, he immediately stared with red eyes and loudly said: "So, please give the order to take off immediately, and cooperate with Yamaguchi-dono to unite  attack."

    "Now?" Kuroshima Turtle shook his head repeatedly, and even snorted with disdain: "Genda-kun, are you crazy? We don't know the specific location of the China fleet, Mr. Tsukahara is just guessing. And the sea area is so  Big, it will take a long time to fly to find the China fleet! What's more, we are still 630 nautical miles away from Yae Mountain. Even if Zero War can fly over, there will be no remaining fuel for air combat, and it will be impossible to come back if the ship explodes and attacks. So,  You are sending the empire¡¯s precious pilots to die!¡±

    Genda Minoru was so angry that he was shaking all over and was about to refute.  Next to him, Tsukahara Er4san saw some clues and immediately said in a deep voice: "Genda-kun, this is a critical moment for the empire. If you have any solution, just be direct."

    "Hi!" Genda Minoru bowed immediately.  He apologized for his excitement, and then pointed at the sea chart to express his thoughts to Yamamoto Isoroku and others.  "Your Excellency, General, generals. Although the combat radius of Zero War cannot reach Yae Mountain. But why do we have to let the plane fly back? Needless to say, Zero War, 97 Ship Attack has a range of 1,900 kilometers, and 99 Ship Explosion also has a range of 1,400 kilometers.  Even with torpedoes and bombs attached, they can take off now and stay here for thirty minutes before flying back to Okinawa."

    Tsukahara 243 is an aviation expert. After hearing this, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Genda-kun, what do you mean, the plane will return directly to Okinawa after the attack?"

    "Yes! No matter how powerful the Chinese are, they cannot take away Okinawa. Therefore, it is completely possible for the attack fleet to return to Okinawa to refuel, and then fly back."

    "Is thirty minutes enough? The sea area of ????Yaeyama is very large, and we don't know yet" Yamamoto Isoroku frowned.  The idea was good, but he was still worried about finding an opponent.  But Minoru Genda was confident: "Your Excellency, General, you can immediately ask Lord Yamaguchi to dispatch all aircraft capable of attacking to search and attack. As soon as the China fleet is discovered, you can immediately notify our fleet by radio"

    Genda Minoru spoke faster and faster, Yamamoto Fifty-six and others nodded repeatedly, and Tsukahara Fifty-six even said that they could try it.  Only the Black Island Turtle's face was livid, feeling as if his position had been taken away, and he felt very unhappy.  "You don't have much time, General!" After Genda Minoru finished speaking, he raised his head and asked Yamamoto to make a decision with his bloodshot eyes.

    "Your Excellency General! According to the telegram from the base camp, the Chinese are destroying the Huatai Island oil field! Also, the Philippine Army Air Force has set out to attack Guangzhou, Zhanjiang and Hong Kong. General Itagaki Seishiro's troops have also broken through the north-south dividing line and are heading toward Kaicheng and  Motoyama attacks forward!" Yamamoto Isoroku was still hesitant at first, but the three important messages brought by his staff made him grit his teeth suddenly.  The hard-working but ultimately destroyed Sakhalin oil field was equivalent to cutting off half of the navy's pipes. The army's counterattack made the navy even more shameless when it was attacked.

    So after thinking about it, I took a deep breath and issued a counterattack order: "Execute Genda-kun's plan! Please do your best for the sake of the empire!".

    (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!
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