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Text Chapter 1006 Yamamoto is finished (Part 1)

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    The war is like a fog. Only by peeling back the cocoon and pondering carefully can we discover that in the decisive naval battle that was later called the "Battle of Kerama", the Chinese navy faced a force due to Wake Island.  Great victory', the morale of the combined fleet gradually recovered.  Therefore, if you fight one-on-one, you may not be able to win completely.  For this reason, Byubun and the navy tried their best to use the capture of Kume Island and Ie Island to set up a situation and force Yamamoto to enter the decisive battle in the East China Sea.  Yamamoto's choice was not a big mistake, because if he did not send Nagumo to lure away the '21 Aircraft Carrier Battle Group', then after entering the East China Sea, he would inevitably be attacked by 10 aircraft carriers and the Chinese Air Force.

    Bingwen and the navy knew that Yamamoto did not dare to enter the East China Sea to fight during the day, because the East China Sea was narrow and our air force could fully cover it.  So I deliberately took advantage of this and let Yamamoto fight at night.  Taking this opportunity, we took the initiative to swap the tasks of the '21 Aircraft Carrier Battle Group' and the '12 Aircraft Carrier Battle Group', and continued to maintain the situation of inserting a knife in Yamamoto's back.  After the communication code was deciphered, Yamamoto's every move was monitored.  When Yamamoto decided to attack and use the "short, flat and fast" tactics to enter the East China Sea, and use the night to attack the Chinese navy's "driving patrol formation" and the main force patrolling here, a legendary scene occurred, setting up ambushes between Kerama twice.

    ¡°In the history of mankind, there has never been any case of two ambushes being set up in the same sea area.  So when Yamamoto, with the results of sinking 1 cruiser, severely damaging 3, sinking 7 destroyers, and damaging 5, fought all the way from the north of Ryukyu Island to the south of the island, he was about to surround the remaining 4 Chinese cruisers and obtain the victory.  When the two sides achieved their greatest maritime victory since the war began, he was stunned by the sudden appearance of dense artillery shells at the T-position.

    ??Outside the visual range at night, the straddle fire on the Nagato was completed in just three rounds. The gunners of the Shandong, their hands were so hot!

    But it was not good for the Japanese navy, three rounds of passionate bombardment.  The bright and flashing firecrackers made the Japanese captains understand who they had encountered.

    The Shandong battleship, a super battleship that only the Yamato can suppress!

    "Retreat! Retreat! Disperse and break out!" In the Battle of Wake Island, the chaotic retreat and breakout scene where the American fleet encountered the Yamato appeared again, but this time it was replaced by Japan.  At 4:36, east of Oshima, while the carrier-based aircraft of both sides roared into the sky, Yamamoto asked Kondo Nobutake to lead the Kongo and Hiei to quickly turn.  Leaving the Shandong's cross-fire area.  Because this is a '16-inch contest', this kind of contest is not something that these two fast battleships, which have been in service for nearly 30 years, can compete with battle cruisers.

    "Continue to bombard Nagato and let Shanghai and Chongqing deal with Kongo" Facing Yamamoto's breakout, Zhang Xiaoyu was calm and confidently chose to challenge the two Nagatos alone.  But a new staff officer was greatly surprised and even worried.

    As one of the G7, the initial protection of the Nagato-class battleship ranked last among the seven super battleships.  However, after recent major changes, the thickness of the shield at the front of the turret has reached 356 mm. Due to the tilt, the actual protection is close to 500 mm.  The thickness of the side line main assembly belt is 305 mm.  The originally weak dome armor has also been strengthened. Armor steel with a thickness of 127 to 280 mm has been added to different locations such as the ammunition depot, and the defense at the thickest point is close to 580 mm.  And the 410mm main gun it is equipped with uses Type 91 armor-piercing projectiles and new propellants.  The range, power and reloading speed have all been greatly improved. It is said that the vertical penetration can reach 450 mm at 20 kilometers.  Moreover, the Nagato class has served in the Japanese Navy for a long time.  It has always been used as a trump card, and its gunnery capabilities are far superior to other warships.  It is reported that the "ultimate record" in the walking world was only 126 meters, which was 28,000 meters.

    "But Zhang Xiaoyu didn't believe it.  Because according to intelligence data, the new Type 91 armor-piercing projectile equipped with the Nagato class weighs 1,020 kilograms and has a muzzle velocity of about 780 meters per second. Even if the projectile body is further optimized, it will not exceed 400 millimeters when it reaches the sky at 20 kilometers.  On the contrary, the Shandong uses a 1225 kg extra heavy armor-piercing projectile with a muzzle velocity of 762 m/s.  Although the muzzle velocity is slightly lower, due to the weight and projectile optimization, the vertical penetration can stably exceed 450 mm at 20 kilometers.  As for the accuracy of shelling, it is even less credible. Water patterns, climate, speed, etc., and even psychology can directly affect the accuracy.  Moreover, shooting from static to static and shooting from dynamic to dynamic are completely different concepts.  Especially in action-to-action shooting, the ballistic elements must be recalculated for each round of launch, which happens to be Japan's weakness.

    Because Japan lacks good fire control, during a battle, after a target is discovered, the three teams of rangefinder, aiming and deck observation first report the data to the fire control team. The fire control needs to be manually input into the calculator and then printed on the drawing.  Draw possible locations for enemy ships to reach.  After all these are calculated, they are sent to the turret. The turret takes the data and starts adjusting the guns, and then relies on luck to make a living.  This work had to be repeated for each round of bombardment, and during the attack, the two Nagato ships must maintain a straight and steady sailing speed, otherwise

    On the contrary, both the Beijing-class and the new Shandong-class have adopted the latest RPC system.  Simply put, it is gyroscope and computer automatic control, a bit like the artillery stabilized fire control system of later tanks.  After installing this system, regardless of the navigation posture or the size of the wind and waves, the muzzle can quickly and consistently point at the enemy.  Taking the Shandong as an example, thanks to the direct imitation of the drawings and superior electronic technology, the radar is the core server and the fire control computer has achieved full automation of the artillery pitch and rotation. The RPC also provides continuous and accurate target tracking functions, ballistics  The calculation has been computerized, and there is very little manual participation in the entire attack.  Therefore, the reaction speed of its 12 406mm main guns is the fastest in current technology. It can not only achieve a sustained speed of 2 guns per minute, but also allow the captain to continue maneuvering during the attack and reduce his own probability of being bombarded.

    So when the radar discovered Yamamoto 45 kilometers away, Zhang Xiaoyu planned to use his technical advantages to defeat Japan's accuracy.  Seeing the concern of the staff, he smiled deliberately: "Left rudder 5 degrees, increase to 25 knots, return to the original position after 3 minutes, continue bombardment. Don't worry, it's just two Nagatos."

    "Two Nagato ships, that's all" The new staff officer was speechless to this unkempt captain and formation commander.  But his worries were quickly suppressed by a shout.

    "4:40, fifth round, target, Nagato, portscore! Score! Score!" the rear island observer said excitedly.  echoed within the bridge.  The 1,225 kilogram armor-piercing projectile passed through the upper part of the Nagato island, which was as tall as a demon-suppressing tower, at a distance of 18 kilometers.  The armor in this area was very thin, so the armor-piercing projectile did not explode after passing through the island building.  However, the vibration and internal electrical fire were still discovered by observers.

    At this time, the two Nagato ships had just completed turning their rudders and fired their first salvo.

    Just as Zhang Xiaoyu expected, the distance was 18 kilometers at night, the radar and RPC were not good, and the fire was fired in a hurry.  The 16 artillery shells that fell from the sky flew directly to the "State of Java".  On the contrary, the Shandong, which has completed the cross-fire score, can not only maneuver slightly to increase the difficulty of the opponent's aiming, but has also completely locked onto the target!

    "Fire! Fire!" Under the command of the gunnery commander, the gunners rolled up their sleeves and repeated simple regulatory actions sweating profusely, maximizing the use of the four triple-mounted 406mm main guns.

    At 4:42, Shandong scored again.

    This time, two armor-piercing bombs hit the Nagato at the same time.  The first one.  It directly destroyed the No. 2 turret of the Nagato.  Although it failed to penetrate the front face, the vibration and explosion broke two gun barrels and damaged the turret bearing seat, making the turret unable to rotate.  The second hit the main armor belt on the port side.  However, it was blocked from the dome armor by continuous armored partitions. Although it was not fatal, it also caused the Nagato to show signs of water damage and stalling.

    The powerful Shandong made Yamamoto very angry in just a few minutes.  Just one turret was lost, the port side was flooded, and the two ships on my side didn't hit even once!  This achievement.  Still a well-trained ace?  Angrily, he grabbed the microphone directly and asked the watchtower: "Far bomb? Near bomb? Didn't it appear even once?!" This is not a good sign. As a fleet commander, even if he wants to direct an artillery battle, he should ask directly.  The gunner who controls the firepower of the entire ship.  This shows that after many setbacks, the combined fleet commander is close to collapse.  "General, both Tsukahara-kun and Oshima Air Force have released their fighter planes." Matoi Ugaki walked to his side and reminded him that the First Air Force and the Ryukyu Island Army Air Force were taking off. As long as they held on until the sky brightened, they could allocate part of their strength.  Come and rescue them.

    Ugaki kept asking Yamamoto to calm down, but before he could make the next order, a fireball rose into the sky in the distance on the left.  The King Kong was hit!

    If the two Nagatos can at least compete with the Shandong, then the Beijing-class fast battleships are completely level-suppressed against the Kongo-class!  After major modification, the 32-knot Beijing-class is versus the 30-knot King Kong, the L55 380mm main gun versus the 356mm/L45 type, the waterline main mounting is 305mm versus 203mm, the turret main mounting is 380mm versus 280mm  Coupled with the same RPC as the Shandong class.

    There is no advantage at all.

    At the beginning of the battle, Yamamoto thought that Zhang Xiaoyu did not dare to divide his troops, so he asked Nobutake Kondo to turn right to Naha Port and lead his troops to intercept three Chinese battleships.  But he didn't expect that Zhang Xiaoyu ignored the threat of the two Nagato ships and decisively divided his forces!  The Shandong singled out the two Nagatos, leaving the Shanghai and Chongqing free to pursue Kondo Nobutake's Kongo and Hiei.

    Facing the two Beijing-class fast battleships, any efforts made by Kondo were in vain.

    When the fighting distance was quickly shortened to 13 kilometers, disaster broke out.

    At 4:45, the Shanghai gave the King Kong a fatal blow.  The nine main guns tore through the King Kong's main armor belt at close range, and two of them penetrated deep into the interior and exploded.  Three minutes later, Hiei was also hit by Chungking.  The armor-piercing projectile easily shredded the main armor, then penetrated multiple layers of armor and exploded in the boiler room.  After the shell exploded, the entire boiler room was shredded by whirling shrapnel. Thick smoke, steam and flames escaped, forming a black and red fire line of more than 100 meters amidships. The speed also increased from 30 knots to 22 knots

    At 4:49, a shell from the Mutsu finally hit the waterline main armor of the Shandong.  Just as Zhang Xiaoyu scoffed, the Type 91 armor-piercing projectile was boasted by Japan. It did not penetrate the 410mm main armor belt of the Shandong over a distance of 18 kilometers.  However, the second shell hit the rear island observation platform, killing seven soldiers and injuring many others.

    But this was also its final result. At 4:57, the Shandong completed a classic "deck washing" bombardment.  Among the 12 main guns, 5 shells hit the Nagato's superstructure at the same time.  In an instant, the Nagato seemed to be on fire. A series of explosions occurred on the deck. The violent explosions and vibrations also affected the command tower protected by thick armor.  "Let the Yukikaze come closer!" The impact of this bombardment was unimaginable even by the instigator. For the safety of Yamamoto and the staff, Ugaki Matoi ordered loudly, preparing for Yamamoto to withdraw to Naha first.

    He chose the Yukikaze for escort.  Because Yukikaze is a very lucky destroyer, it has participated in many battles without any damage.  During the Battle of Wake Island more than two months ago, he was hit by two torpedoes, both of which failed to explode because the fuses were damaged. This shows how unlucky he is.  The Japanese navy is very superstitious. Even the chief of staff like Ugaki Matoi is obsessed with it. Therefore, such a good-luck ship is of course the first choice to carry Yamamoto and the staff for retreat.

    But the Yukikaze failed to hold on to its good luck and left twenty minutes later.  Just seven nautical miles away from Naha Port, it was ambushed by a submarine and hit by three torpedoes in succession. It sank to the bottom of the sea without even sending a signal.  More than two dozen senior officers and staff, including Yamamoto Isoroku, Ugaki Matoi, and Kuroshima Kameto, all died.

    Of course, at this time, the officers and soldiers on both sides did not know that Yamamoto had secretly evacuated.

    Just as the Yukikaze accelerated to leave the battle circle, the stalled Hibii exploded in series.  Under the stormy close-range bombardment of the Chungking, the warship that once became the Emperor's imperial warship finally completed its 27-year service life and sank 37 nautical miles southwest of Naha Port in a sea of ??fire and smoke.

    The explosion of the Hiei.  Nakajima Torahiko, who replaced Yamamoto in command, realized that it was impossible to break through the interception, so he ordered the destroyers to attack, trying to take three battleships back to Naha Port first.  But he was unlucky, the destroyer hadn't gotten close yet.  The Nagato was hit hard again.  In the 19th salvo, a near-missile bomb from the Shandong broke through the defense from underwater. After entering the water, the armor-piercing bomb with a strange ballistic trajectory penetrated deep into the hull from under the main armor belt and exploded deep inside.  finally.  The explosion opened a six-meter-wide hole underwater, causing the Nagato's speed to drop to 15 knots and the deck to tilt.

    The deck tilted.  Nakajima knew that the Nagato was doomed!  Because the hull and tonnage continued to increase after the modification, the Nagato's redundancy was very small, and it could not be controlled once water entered, so the ship had to be abandoned.  A large number of Japanese sailors rushed onto the deck, but the increasingly tilted deck caused them to slide into the sea.  Fortunately, the Shandong had already turned its guns towards the Mutsu at this time, so 1,100 Japanese sailors eventually escaped.

    At the same time, the King Kong was severely attacked by the Beijing and Shanghai. Under the crazy fire of 18 380mm main guns, the injured King Kong only lasted for 5 minutes before being attacked by two Chinese naval torpedo boats that used artillery fire as cover.  Sunk with four torpedoes.

    In just 50 minutes, 2 of the 4 Japanese battleships were killed and 2 wounded, among which Nagato had begun to sink.  This result brought the morale of the fleet to a boiling point, but just when Zhang Xiaoyu decided to continue pursuing the Mutsu, a radar alert was issued.  "Enemy plane!" More than ten Jiujiu ships exploded and appeared in the sky above Naha Port.  This number of aircraft is not enough to break through the battleship's air defense circle, but the fleet's position is too close to Naha at this time, and God knows how many more aircraft will come in a while.  Zhang Xiaoyu was very aware of the threat from aircraft, not to mention that the battleships were landing behind and needed to provide fire support for the troops. An easy loss would cause a passive situation, so he decided to retreat first after careful consideration.  This order was later considered to be very correct.

    At the same time, on the other side of Kerama, there was no suspense about the encirclement and suppression of the Mikawa fleet. Under the attack of the three patrol formations and the sudden appearance of the battleships Beijing and Nanjing, all Mikawa's remaining five cruisers were sunk.  , only the Chokai and Atago, which were injured and evacuated early, survived.  At the same time, Zhang Zhaoyang also sent back a telegram. Pursued by four battleships, the heavy cruiser Myoko of the Nagumo Fleet was sunk at 23:15 last night, but the Haguro and Ashigara were sunk by Nagumo.  Under the leadership, they used the wind and waves to escape.

    "You still can't contact General Yamamoto?"

    At 5:30, the flagship Shokaku aircraft carrier released its last fighter jet.  But Tsukahara 243 and the First Air Force actually lost contact with Yamamoto.  How could we lose contact?  Even if it is ambushed, the Nagato cannot be sunk instantly. Yamamoto and the staff have enough opportunities to escape.

    Tsukahara is very confused. He urgently needs to contact Yamamoto now because he has to choose whether to support the battleship or attack the Chinese aircraft carrier.  But just as he asked the correspondent to continueWhen he contacted Yamamoto, the staff officer brought a telegram from a reconnaissance plane: "Report. Three Chinese aircraft carriers were found 45 nautical miles south of Daitš­ Island, 180 nautical miles away from us. Mr. Xinyuan said On the deck  Already empty!¡±.

    (To be continued)
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