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Text Chapter 968 Wake Island (3)

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    Tsukahara's worries were correct. Just when he and Nanyun were discussing tactics, they returned without success in Guam, and Halsey, who was staying on Wake Island, received reinforcements.  The main force led by Rear Admiral Aubrey Fitch arrived outside the island and brought orders. The two fleets were officially merged into the US Navy's 7th Task Force.

    Two aircraft carriers: Lexington and Saratoga.

    Six battleships: Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma and the upcoming Maryland and Tennessee.

    Seven heavy cruisers: USS Pensacola, USS Salt Lake City, USS Northampton, USS Chester, USS Louisville, USS New Orleans, USS Minneapolis.

    Seven light cruisers: Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Honolulu, Helena, and Richmond and Detroit protecting Maryland.

    There are also fifteen destroyers, seven large Coast Guard torpedo boats, two supply ships, two minesweepersa total of forty-eight ships.  In terms of total tonnage, the Seventh Task Force has temporarily surpassed the Chinese Navy¡¯s XN21 Battle Group in Guam.

    The U.S. Pacific Fleet has finally shown its powerful muscles. Both Roosevelt and Kimmel regard the Seventh Fleet as the most important force to intervene in the Southwest Pacific But what makes Roosevelt and Halsey depressed is that it is so powerful  Before the fleet even showed its fangs, it had to fight a naval battle that it had to fight but didn't want to fight.

    Wake Island instantly became the center of entanglement between China, the United States and Japan.  Japan needs half a year, the United States needs to hold on to hope, and China wants to close Pearl Harbor's door to and from the Southwest Pacific  "These bullshit! Bastards! Yellow-skinned monkeys, bastards" Halsey was extremely angry. Why did you, Japan, come to mess with us, the United States, when you just left your sworn enemy alone?  Trying to take Wake Island away from you is really overestimating your capabilities!

    After the fleets merged, Halsey was still angry in front of many officers.  The constant curses in the street slang made several officers frown.  Of course soldiers can use foul language, but there are not many senior soldiers at his level who are full of foul language.  Fortunately, everyone is used to it. Anyway, he ignores any etiquette and occasion when he talks nonsense.  At one point, he even publicly stated that his flagship stocked a large amount of whiskey and brandy.  And he said it in front of Secretary of the Navy Tuckers You know, the United States has a prohibition law, and drinking is prohibited on naval ships.

    "Tock, how long will it take for the Maryland and Tennessee to arrive?"

    "Calvin, remember?! All reconnaissance planes must take off at five o'clock tomorrow morning, otherwise I will stuff you into the feces pool myself!"

    "Harry. Inform the island's radar to turn on at four in the morning. Monkeys always like to scream in the early morning."

    "Wait a minute, let the reconnaissance planes advance by half an hour, and the radars by an hour. Fighters and bombers will have to be inspected tonight, and I want them all to take off tomorrow" Halsey was full of energy.  Never give up, like an aggressive bull.  But working under him was terrible.  Because he is always issuing various orders that have unclear meaning and are self-contradictory.  Always revokes a previous order that has been issued.  Just like now, the reconnaissance aircraft and the radar on the island have just been deployed, and within ten minutes they are all overturned It is always tiring.

    You definitely can¡¯t stay at Wake Island, because Japanese carrier-based aircraft will come down from the sky at any time.  So after Major General Fitch arrived.  Halsey immediately set off with his fleet.  According to Kimmel's orders, Wake Island must not be lost, so the Seventh Task Force must patrol around the island.  Halsey chose to move north because this location was the most likely point for the Japanese fleet to move south.  In this way, the fleet will be able to compete with the aviation group on Wake Island.  But his luck didn't seem to be very good today. At four o'clock in the morning, the USS Chester and the USS New Orleans reported radar malfunctions respectively.

    At this time, the U.S. Navy had not yet popularized radar.  Only four heavy cruisers in the fleet, the USS Northampton, the USS Chester, the USS New Orleans, and the USS Minneapolis, are equipped with cxam naval radars.  The cxam radar is the first generation of U.S. naval radar, with an air range of 110 kilometers and a sea range of 37 kilometers.  However, due to the interference of sea surface clutter, sea observations are often less than 30 kilometers, which is actually the same distance as seen with the naked eye during the day.  But Halsey doesn't care about his opponents at sea. The naval battles between Ryukyu and Mariana proved that the biggest threat is in the air.  Like China, the early radar failure rate was very high. The Chinese Navy relied on large numbers, so it could start up in batches to continuously monitor the sky. However, the Seventh Task Force now lost half of its radars, and its air defense effect was greatly reduced.  .

    Halsey was not incompetent. After realizing that there was a gap in the radar, he immediately sent the Northampton forward to the north to serve as the lead reconnaissance ship and let the Minneapolis protect the aircraft carrier.

    At five o'clock in the morning, the Seventh Task Force was already ninety-seven nautical miles northeast of Wake Island. At this time, Halsey still insisted that the Japanese fleet would appear from the north.  ?In order not to expose the fleet, he also imitated the Ryukyu naval battle between China and Japan and first used land-based reconnaissance aircraft on Wake Island.

    Although the United States entered the war late, it does not mean that it is complacent. In fact, since the war began, the U.S. military has continued to draw experience from Europe and Asia and conduct various exercises.  As the two largest aircraft carrier battles in the world, Ryukyu and Mariana have greatly benefited the US Navy.  The problem is, because there is no direct participation, this kind of benefit is always specious, because China will not be kind enough to tell the U.S. Navy specific tactics and experience, and Japan is even less likely, so the U.S. Navy cannot master the most basic tactics.  The core stuff¡­.

    3 PBYs and 4 B-17 bombers temporarily acting as reconnaissance aircraft left Wake Island and fanned to the north. At the same time, 42 Zero Fighters transferred from Truk were on the Eniwetok Atoll in the south of the island.  and 16 Ninety-Six Land Attackers also took off.  At the same time, Tsukahara ordered the carrier-based aircraft to prepare for attack!

    "This shit, is the intelligence wrong? Harry, turn left 45 degrees, full speed" The Japanese fleet was never found, which made Halsey a little anxious. He ordered to turn at full speed and prepare to change positions.  But Captain Frederick Sherman, the captain of the Lexington, immediately realized the problem and shouted: "General, the battleship's speed is only twenty knots."

    Before the North Carolina class, American battleships had a common problem, which was that they were thickly armored but slow.  Of course, the United States is not ignorant of the importance of speed.  But at this time, the two North Carolina-class ships have not yet entered service, and the four South Dakota-class ships will have to wait until next year.  Therefore, Major General Fitch did not join the aircraft carrier formation at all.  This is also the most embarrassing thing for Britain and the United States at the moment, having to watch the battleship Bismarck and two Scharnhorst-class battle cruisers wreak havoc in the Atlantic Ocean.

    The problem of battleships not being able to keep up with aircraft carrier formations has been repeatedly exposed in the "Fleet Problem" exercise, so the U.S. Navy likes to form battleships and aircraft carriers separately.  Halsey also adopted this method and asked Rear Admiral Fitch to lead four battleships, two heavy cruisers, and three light cruisers to move alone northeastward and tow behind the right rear of the aircraft carrier, a distance of forty nautical miles.

    Halsey has a hot temper, but he is actually very cautious. This distance is exactly within a ten-minute radius of the carrier-based aircraft. If something happens, he can quickly retreat to Hawaii.  But he didn't know that yet.  The Yamato battleship, four Kongou-class battleships, and two Tone-class heavy cruisers led by Nagumo are heading towards Rear Admiral Fitch at a speed of twenty-six knots!

    Before his reconnaissance plane could detect the enemy, the Wake Island radar station took the lead in issuing an alarm, and a large number of enemy planes appeared in the southwest of the island.  It was the aviation group led by Hiro Nishizawa and Toshio Ohta that boarded the plane from Eniwetok Atoll.  It was later learned that the information Shen Honglie received was wrong. In fact, there were no P-40 fighter jets on Wake Island, but 36 F4F "Wildcat" fighter jets and 24 B-17 "Flying Fortress" bombers.  Same as the Battle of Ryukyu.  The U.S. Navy, which participated in the war for the first time, made many mistakes. First, a B-17 overran the runway during takeoff and crashed into the Wake Island lagoon. Then Wake Island recalled four B-17s that were scouting north to participate in the bombing mission.

    Halsey actually agreed to Wake Island¡¯s request to make up for the loss of four reconnaissance aircraft.  Another 12 SBD reconnaissance/bombers took off to take over.  But in this way, the Seventh Task Force lost a full twenty minutes!  Later I learned that if one of the B-17s could fly forward for ten minutes, it would be able to see Nagumo's battleship formation.  Perhaps the Battle of Wake Island will change forever.

    But there are no ifs in war. When the strength is equal, whoever makes fewer mistakes will be the ultimate winner.  Japan, which has experience in two aircraft carrier naval battles, has lost a large number of outstanding pilots.  But the experience is very rich.  Nagumo didn't know that he had escaped disaster. After receiving the signal from the Eniwetok Air Force, he ordered the two fake aircraft carriers to leave the formation and assume an offensive posture towards Wake Island due south at high speed. He also arranged 10 escort aircraft  Zero Fighter and six Zero water reconnaissance aircraft were disguised as a fighter formation patrolling the aircraft carrier.

    At this time, Tsukahara and Halsey were still standing still because the reconnaissance planes of both sides had not yet discovered the other side.

    At 9:40 a.m., the air battle over Wake Island broke out.

    42 Zero Fighters and 36 F4F "Nightcats" encountered 40 kilometers southwest of Wake Island.  The morale of the US military pilots was high, but it soon gradually became depleted, and seven of them were shot down in just ten minutes.  In fact, in terms of fighter performance, the Zero Fighter is slightly better than the F4F "Wildcat" in terms of hovering, climbing and maneuverability. However, the latter inherits the typical American tradition of thick armor and strong protection. If they are familiar with each other, they should be comparable.  But American pilots don¡¯t understand zero combat at this time, and the Eniwetok Air Group is not simple!  The team led by Nishizawa Hiroshi and Ohta Toshio were elite pilots trained in Japan and had thousands of flying hours.  After the Ryukyu Battle, a large number of pilots were lost. They were transferred back to the mainland to supplement Akagi and Kaga. They participated in the Battle of Mariana with the two ships and shot down Lightning fighter jets.  The aircraft carrier was sunk before it made an forced landing on Saipan, and retreated to Truk before Chen Shiying launched a night attack.

    OthersThe pilots are also the same as them. They all come from the four aircraft carriers in the Mariana Sea Battle. In the four months from October to now, they have fought against the Chinese Navy's Lightning and Air Force Tianquan many times. Not only are they rich in experience, they are also experienced.  I learned a lot about China¡¯s naval and air combat experience.  Compared with Lightning and Tianquan, the f4f "Wildcat" is undoubtedly far behind. It is like infantry facing artillery tanks every day and suddenly encountering guerrillas with only a few rifles.

    On the contrary, although U.S. military pilots have trained hard and improved tactics based on their experience in the Eurasian battlefield, they have not personally participated. These tactics have always been smoke and mirrors separated by a layer of paper.

    After Nishizawa Hiroki shot down the fourth F4F Wildcat, there were only 13 enemy planes left in the sky still struggling.  He looked at the fuel gauge. It was impossible for him to fly back at this time, so he simply forgot about returning and pushed the control stick to pursue the B-17 bomber.  However, the b-17's durability really made the Japanese pilots helpless. They almost used up all their bullets and only shot down 5 of them.

    The defeat of the f4f "Wildcat" caused the door of Wake Island to open wide, and 16 96 land attack aircraft immediately bombed the airport and facilities on the island indiscriminately.  However, the US military's preparations are still very sufficient.  In addition to not expecting the fighter to be defeated so quickly, the island's anti-aircraft firepower was very complete, so Jiuliu Land Attack was constantly shot down.  Nishizawa Hiroshi originally wanted to help, but at this time he received a signal from the flagship Shokaku aircraft carrier.

    "Abandon Wake Island and immediately join the Shokaku and Zuikaku for refueling and replenishment."

    Although he was unwilling to give up, after receiving the order, he took the remaining 33 Zero Fighters and gave up supporting the 96th Marine Battle. After dispersing a few lonely F4F "Wildcats", he accelerated towards the aircraft carrier.

    The reason why Tsukahara asked them to retreat back to the aircraft carrier was simple.  Because Halsey was exposed!

    At 10:30, an SBD reconnaissance/bomber that replaced the B-17 reported that it had discovered two "aircraft carriers" with obvious "through-deck" characteristics under the protection of destroyers.  But the SBD failed to lower its altitude and was encircled and suppressed by four Zero Fighters and lost contact.  It was escorted by fighter jets, and it was still "straight to the deck." Halsey judged that this must be a Japanese "aircraft carrier," so he immediately ordered the attack fleet that had been ready to go.

    The Lexington class, like the Japanese Kaga, was modified from the battlecruiser hull before the "Navy Holiday", with a standard displacement of 38,746 tons.  The full load displacement is 43,400 tons.  This time they were equipped with 39 F4F Wildcats, 40 SBD Dauntless dive bombers and 21 TBD Devastator torpedo planes.

    Leaving aside the 12 reconnaissance SBDs, Halsey still has 110 attack aircraft.  So while he recalled the reconnaissance SBDs, he also sent out two waves of attack aircraft totaling 88 aircraft (28 F4F Wildcats, 42 SBDs, and 18 TBDs).  He did not release all the attack aircraft because the surviving F4F "Wildcats" and B-17s on Wake Island reported.  The Japanese fighter jets did not fly towards the location where the aircraft carrier was discovered.  He realized that there were two more aircraft carriers to the west!  Therefore, after the two waves of attack aircraft groups left, all the remaining 36 attack aircraft (20 SBDs, 16 TBDs) and 16 F4F "Wildcats" were organized into the third attack wave to attack the two Japanese aircraft carriers to the west.  It was also decided that after recovering the 11 reconnaissance SBDs, they would also invest in the west.

    After the three waves of attack aircraft left, there were only 16 escorts left above the aircraft carrier and 18 F4Fs waiting on the deck to take off and intercept.  So he ordered the fleet to prepare for air defense, and also ordered the battleship formation to speed up.  But ten minutes later, for unknown reasons, he canceled the order for the battleship formation to come over, and actually asked Rear Admiral Fitch to lead the fleet to move northwest to prepare for battleship engagement.  Later, he said that he felt that the Japanese battleship should be between the two aircraft carriers, that is, at the northwest corner. He ordered this because he was worried that the Kongang-class battleship would use high speed to approach the aircraft carrier.  Moreover, the Maryland and the Tennessee were already fifty nautical miles east at that time, fully capable of protecting Rear Admiral Fitch's right wing.

    But no matter what, this decision is wrong!  Because judging from the movement trajectories of the battleships on both sides, after Rear Admiral Fitch moved northwest, his right wing happened to be exposed to the muzzle of Nagumo's gun, which had not yet been discovered.  Although the Maryland and the Tennessee were protected on the right wing from the perspective of course, the Japanese battleships were faster, and even the Yamato could run 26 knots, so a large gap was formed between the two formations.

    Less than fifteen minutes after Halsey's attack group left, Japanese reconnaissance planes also discovered two Lexingtons and four battleships moving northwest. After Nagumo got the news, he first asked Tsukahara to send Zero Fighter to protect him.  , and then let the four Kongos speed up to intercept the US battleships, and led the Yamato and two Tone-class heavy cruisers to follow, but the Japanese reconnaissance planes also did not detect the approaching USS Maryland and USS Tennessee.

    In view of the disadvantages exposed in the last two naval battles that the fighter jets were not as good as the opponent's and their numbers were insufficient, Tsukahara readjusted the carrier-based aircraft configuration this time.  Each Soryu-class ship carries 26 Zero Fighters, 24 Nine-Nine Ship Explosives, and 18 Nine-Seven Ship Attacks.  The two Shokaku-class ships are 30 Zero Fighters, 30 Nine-Nine Ship Explosives, and 28 Nine-Seven Ship Attacks. The emphasis is on strengthening fighter aircraft, while maintaining ship explosions, and appropriately reducing them.Ship attack torpedo machine.  Although doing so will reduce the aircraft carrier's attack capability, its ability to defend itself and compete for air supremacy will be greatly improved.  Moreover, he also used the four-month adjustment period to install a large number of 25mm anti-aircraft guns on the four aircraft carriers. Although this modification was only an emergency response and was not thorough, and the layout was even more disorganized, it did increase the firepower density a little.

    "Follow us and sink them!"

    Lieutenant Colonel Tetsuo Iwamoto, who participated in the Battle of Ryukyu and the Battle of Mariana and shot down four Lightnings in total, wore a white belt and walked past each attack aircraft with a very serious look on his face.  After shaking his fist to encourage his friends in the cockpit, he got into his own zero battle and closed the cockpit fiercely.  "Take off!" With a loud shout, 146 attack aircraft formed three formations, and under the protection of 44 Zero Fighters, they all rushed towards the two Lexington-class aircraft carriers!  Then the fourth batch of 38 Zero Fighters also rushed towards the US battleship formation with 42 attack aircraft.

    Someone wants to ask, Japan¡¯s four aircraft carriers only have a total of 112 zero-fight aircraft, and 82 were dispatched at once. There are still 12 aircraft protecting the Nagumo formation. The remaining 18 aircraft carriers are not enough to protect the four aircraft carriers.  Tsukahara uses a little trick here.  The backhand is the 33 zero battles of Nishizawa Hiroyuki and others who are returning.  As mentioned before, Nishizawa Hiroki and the others had all participated in the Mariana Battle and had experience landing on aircraft carriers, so Tsukahara planned to use them to strengthen their air defense capabilities from the beginning.  And he didn't expect that the American F4F "Wildcat" was actually much worse than the Chinese Lightning, and there were still 33 left.  The only worry was that Hiro Nishizawa and the others had been flying for two hours and their physical strength was severely reduced.  It is difficult to say whether it can fulfill the important task of protecting the four aircraft carriers.

    Tsukahara¡¯s excellent aircraft carrier tactics and carrier-based aircraft allocation capabilities were fully demonstrated at this moment. His deep understanding of aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, and his speed in learning from failures.  No worse than any aircraft carrier commander in the world.  Moreover, after he took over the First Air Fleet, he also reused Takeo Shibata and Takan Yamaguchi, who were originally marginalized aviation factions.  If it weren't for the Chinese navy's rapid raid, which resulted in the loss of six aircraft carriers in less than a month, there would probably be many twists and turns in the battle between the Chinese and Japanese navies.

    It¡¯s eleven past five.  Nishizawa Hiroyuki led 33 Zero Fighters to throw off the pursuers and land on four aircraft carriers.  It only took the Japanese naval aircrew half an hour to refill the plane with fuel.  The pilot, who had loaded his bullets and munched on chocolate and cod liver oil, didn't get off the plane at all and was pushed back to the takeoff line to wait for orders.

    Ten minutes later, the 10 Zero Fighters protecting the two "aircraft carriers" encountered Halsey's first group of attack aircraft. Facing 28 escorting F4F Wildcats, in order to attract American attack aircraft, the Japanese pilots gave up their own safety and risked the F4F's attack.  Intense firepower, attack the attack aircraft with all your strength.  In their desperate attempt, nine U.S. attack aircraft were shot down before entering the fleet's air defense circle.  But their number was too small after all, so the remaining 51 US military attack aircraft rushed towards the two "aircraft carriers".

    The whistling sound of SBD when diving was sharp and ear-piercing, and bombs continued to explode around the two maneuvering "aircraft carriers" and escort ships.  Just like the Battle of Ryukyu, the US military pilots who participated in the war for the first time did not show their strength at all. A dozen bombs and torpedoes in a row failed to damage the two "aircraft carriers". It was not until the first bomb hit the bow of the target ship ten minutes later that they were allowed to fly.  The two "aircraft carriers" instantly revealed their true colors.  The sea of ????surface fire that quickly spread from the bow to the stern of the ship stunned the US pilots

    "Damn! We've been fooled! Get out of here, get out!" Lieutenant Colonel Ault, who commanded the attack fleet, immediately realized something was wrong, but at this time, 25 attack planes had already dropped bombs and torpedoes.

    At this time, the Lexington sent a message saying that a reconnaissance plane had discovered a Japanese battleship formation in the north, so he decisively gave up the attack and let the planes without bombs go back first. He led the remaining 23 F4F Wildcats and 35 attack planes towards Nagumo.  Fly away.  But the problem was that the Lexington did not tell him that Rear Admiral Fitch's four battleships were also north.  So when they discovered Rear Admiral Fitch's battleship formation, they almost dropped the bomb!  When it was confirmed again and again that it was one of our own, Tsukahara 243's third attack wave also rushed over the fleet because of its close distance!

    38 Zero Fighters instantly discovered the F4F "Wildcats" and attack aircraft groups hovering over the American battleships, and rushed towards them without hesitation!  The f4f "Wildcat" also discovered Zero War, but the problem is that there are 42 Nine-Nine Ship Explosion and Nine-Seven Ship Attack behind Zero War.  Considering the safety of the battleships, US military pilots had to attack the Japanese attack fleet first.  Similarly, Zero Fighter pilots also knew that the Yamato, which symbolizes the Japanese nation, was not far away, so they gave up competing with the F4F and went all out to hunt down US attack aircraft.  138 fighter planes from both sides fought fiercely over four American battleships. The tragic battle scene made many sailors on the American battleships unable to bear to watch it anymore.

    When the Japanese planes appeared, Major General Fitch secretly guessed that this battle might be dangerous, so he ordered immediate evasion. However, many Japanese attack planes still broke through the blockade of the F4F "Wildcat".  Break into the fleet's air defense circle.¡°Compared with the extremely dense firepower of the Chinese fleet, the current air defense firepower of the U.S. fleet can only be said to be slightly higher than that of Japan. It has not reached the level of Ryukyu and Mariana that can deal with forty or fifty attack aircraft at one go.  For those elite Japanese pilots who had participated in the Battle of Ryukyu and witnessed the abnormal anti-aircraft firepower of the Chinese fleet, this moment actually felt like a walk in a garden.  Less than five minutes into the battle, the battleship Pennsylvania was the first to receive an 800-kilogram aerial bomb.

    In order to ensure a fatal hit, Tsukahara really racked his brains this time and put all the few 800 kilogram armor-piercing bombs in the country into the fleet.  As an old battleship, the Pennsylvania's horizontal armor could not stop 800 kilograms of aerial bombs at all.  After the bomb hit the midships, it penetrated into the electrical equipment compartment, causing a loss of 70% of the power.  Seeing that their battleship was hit, the US military pilots were even more anxious, especially the attack group led by Lieutenant Colonel Ault. Seeing that the opponent was not far to the northwest, they were chased to pieces by 38 Zero Fighters. There were constant attacks.  The plane was shot down.  The first battle, which was exactly the same as the Battle of Ryukyu, was tense and harmed the U.S. military.  Japanese fighter planes with more combat experience continued to break through the interception of the F4F "Wildcat" and fired bombs and torpedoes at Rear Admiral Fitch's fleet one after another.

    At the same time that the Pennsylvania received the bomb, Halsey, who learned that he had been fooled, had no time to adjust and was also attacked.  The attack came from 11 Japanese 96 land attack aircraft that had finished bombing Wake Island.  Facing heavy Japanese bombers with poor self-defense firepower.  The f4f "Wildcat" was quite relaxed, but they didn't know that in fact, these bombers didn't even have a bomb. It was entirely the bait thrown by Tsukahara to hold Halsey back.  A scene that surprised the US military appeared.  In order to hold back the American escort fighter jets, the two bombers, which knew they were lifeless, dived at high speed and rushed straight towards the aircraft carrier!  Although it did not hit the aircraft carrier in the end.  However, it hit the heavy cruiser Salt Lake City on the left side of the Saratoga.  More than a ton of gasoline and the impact of the impact ruined the Salt Lake City. Within a few minutes, the entire deck was filled with thick smoke. The captain and sailors struggled to put out the fire, but still could not save it, and finally had to give the order to abandon the ship.

    The madness of the Japanese pilots made the American sailors feel cold all over. Only then did they realize that the war was not as easy as they imagined!  After experiencing two tragic sea and air battles and suffering heavy losses, Japan was not a broken wall that could fall down at a push. Instead, it was trained by war and turned into a bloodthirsty and terrifying beast.  At this time, the Seventh Task Force was like a rich young man wearing gold and silver, learning some superficial kung fu, and leading a lot of thugs.  And Tsukahara was basically the bandit who had been beaten to death. He racked his brains and used all kinds of tricks, such as tripping ropes, gold triangular nails, iron finger cots, etc., and finally stuffed quicklime bags on the bandits.  Pocket After the fight, without waiting for the thug's reaction, first sprinkle lime, and then take a full meal of king's eight punches.

    To make matters worse, the black smoke provided the coordinates for Tetsuzo Iwamoto, who had been looking for the aircraft carrier.  At the same time that the Minneapolis heavy patrol radar issued a warning, the first attack group consisting of 30 Zero Fighters and 66 attack aircraft had already rushed over with murderous intent.

    Facing the mistake, Halsey ordered 34 F4F "Wildcats" to intercept with all their strength, while taking back the reconnaissance, and the last 11 SBDs that completed the bomb replenishment were sent to the west to attack Tsukahara's aircraft carrier.

    At this time, Tsukahara's two Shokaku-class aircraft carriers have also been attacked by the remaining B-17s from Wake Island and Halsey's third wave.  Nishizawa Hiroki and others who took off from Eniwetok Atoll and landed on four aircraft carriers became the saviors of this naval battle.  Originally, Halsey's third attack wave had insufficient numbers. There were only 16 F4Fs and 36 attack aircraft. With neither experience nor quality prevailing, Halsey had to face the desperate interception of 51 zero-fighters. The result can be imagined.  .

    In the end, only 12 US attack aircraft completed the bombing, but the bomb still hit the bow of the Zuikaku.  Fortunately, the bomb only penetrated the open bow before exploding, blowing up the bow flight deck and causing only minor damage inside.  Driven by the thought of protecting the ship, Tsukahara immediately sent eight zero-fighters and destroyers to protect the Zuikaku and retreat north alone, but this order ruined the Zuikaku.

    Compared to Tsukahara, Halsey is really miserable!

    Although the f4f "Wildcat" was very heroic, and the U.S. military pilots were also angered by the tragedy of the Salt Lake City, their opponents also had red eyes, knowing that they could not win this battle and the country would perish, and they had no way out and were forced to  The wolf in the corner!

    When Tetsu Iwamoto led 30 Zero Fighters and tried their best to block the F4F Wildcats rushing towards the attack aircraft group, the Japanese attack aircraft pilots also showed their precise hit rate at the beginning of the war.  In less than twenty minutes, the Lexington was hit by four bombs and two torpedoes, and the Saratoga was also hit by three bombs and one torpedo.  Before Halsey could recover, two subsequent waves of 14 zero-fighters appeared again over the aircraft carrier with 86 ship-to-ship explosions and attacks

    At 1:35 p.m., Tsukahara¡¯s first three waves of attack aircraft completely destroyed the Lexington and Saratoga at the cost of 37 aircraft!  A total of seventeen bombs and nineThe torpedoes hit both ships respectively.  Even if it is a modified battlecruiser, even if the US warships always attach great importance to protection, it is impossible to withstand such huge damage.  Ten minutes later, the Lexington listed first, and then the Saratoga's stalled bow sank rapidly.  In addition to the two aircraft carriers and the USS Salt Lake City, which was abandoned by bombers, five light and heavy cruisers, USS Pensacola, USS Minneapolis, USS Phoenix, USS Honolulu, and USS Helena, were also damaged to varying degrees.  Four of them, the USS Pensacola, the USS Minneapolis, the USS Honolulu, and the USS Helena, sank or caught fire. Facing the tragic situation of the fleet, Halsey and the officers of the Seventh Fleet were in tears.  , we can only order the abandonment of the ship and let our destroyers launch torpedoes at the aircraft carriers and cruisers that can no longer be saved

    At 2:10 in the afternoon, Major General Fitch could no longer see a fighter plane.  Almost all US military attack aircraft were wiped out, with only 17 F4F "Wildcats" surviving.  Knowing that the two aircraft carriers could not be saved, the "Wildcat", which had run out of fuel, had to retreat to Wake Island.  Relying on the bravery of the pilot and thick armor, after barely blocking the attack wave, Major General Fitch also knew that if he did not escape immediately, I am afraid that the entire fleet would be found here.  Therefore, he cruelly left the severely damaged Pennsylvania, which was already running at less than 15 knots, and let it break out on its own. He led the remaining three battleships and five cruisers at full speed eastward, trying to join the Maryland and Tennessee, and then retreat to Pearl Harbor together.  .

    But before the Maryland was seen, four King Kong-class ships had already appeared on the retreating channel.

    "Fire!"

    When the captain of the Kongo, Colonel Yorizo ??Tanaka, ordered to fire, the Maryland and the Tennessee had quietly approached his right flank.  But the Yamato battleship also gradually closed the distance with the Kongo class at 26 knots.

    At the same time, the last 11 SBD dive bombers sent by Halsey learned the news of the sinking of the aircraft carrier. Faced with the threat that if they continued to attack, they would not be able to ensure their return to Wake Island, Captain Preece and all the pilots decided to find the enemy and continue to drop them.  bomb!  Their bravery paid off.

    At 2:30, the Zuikaku aircraft carrier, which was retreating alone, with only eight Zero Fighters and a few destroyers as escort, appeared under their wings

    (To be continued)
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