Iron Cross

After Halsey launched the first attack wave, Nimitz hesitated for a moment, considering whether to let the fleet avoid and retreat immediately. Because even if the released aircraft carrier attack group cannot find the Japanese aircraft carrier formation group, it can still attack the artillery fleet group near Tarawa. In short, it will not miss the enemy. As for the carrier-based aircraft pilots, after completing the attack mission, they can go to Tarawa to parachute or make an emergency landing. If done in this way, the Pacific Fleet will be in a very advantageous position - it can hit the Japanese fleet, but the enemy will not be able to find it.

But after thinking about it for a long time, Nimitz gave up the idea for no other reason: these carrier-based aircraft pilots are too valuable. Although the overall quality is slightly worse than that of the Battle of Midway, looking at the two-ocean aircraft carrier formation, due to Frye After the two disastrous defeats of Che and Spruance, the quality of Atlantic Fleet carrier-based aircraft pilots dropped extremely alarmingly. The overall level of Pacific Fleet carrier-based aircraft pilots is considered to be the highest in the U.S. Navy.

Nimitz could abandon those hundreds of planes without frowning, but if the pilots made an emergency landing in Tarawa, once the island fell, they would all become prey for the Japanese army - a risk he did not dare to take.

After the second wave of attack aircraft was released, facing the unfavorable situation that enemy aircraft had discovered its position, the Pacific Fleet needed to adjust its route. Giffen thought Halsey would let the fleet turn north or east to distance itself from the Japanese, but later But the commander ordered: "Drive westward! Learn from Tsukahara."

The first half of the sentence was executed immediately, and everyone started thinking about the second half of the sentence. Immediately some people thought of Tsukahara 243's "divine U-turn" in the Battle of Panama, which deceived Fletcher's carrier-based aircraft pilot. Now it seems Halsey planned to learn and apply it, and even Nimitz nodded slightly in approval.

This time, luck was obviously not on the side of the Americans. The first wave of attacks sent by Tsukahara did not come from the south that had been detected by the US military, but was mainly sent by the guerrilla fleet from the west. The decision to turn around and head west was invisible. It narrowed the distance between the Pacific Fleet and the Japanese guerrilla fleet.

At 10:29, the first direct cover fighter that had been replenished with fuel and ammunition took off from the Bolzano. This ship is an Italian light aircraft carrier modified from a cruiser hull. Although it has the ability to take off and land, its standards and operating procedures are very different from those of the Japanese army. Therefore, it is not usually counted as a combat aircraft carrier and is only used as an auxiliary aircraft carrier. Now The situation was urgent, and the fleet had no time to care about so much, so it could only use the spare aircraft carrier as normal. Fortunately, the outstanding pilots represented by Akamatsu Sadaki showed great adaptability. Even with such an uncomfortable aircraft carrier, they were safe and sound. Successfully landed on the ground - the difference in the quality level of Japanese and American carrier-based aircraft pilots is evident.

Akamatsu Sadaki has achieved three more results in the sky above the artillery fleet. Now he is transferred to cover the mobile fleet. Facing the upcoming fierce battle, he is not only not tired, but also in high spirits. He hopes to kill at least five more today.

At 10:34, the first wave of Japanese attacks all landed, and the three ships Xianghe, Zuihe, and Longfeng were like clockwork, desperately accelerating the supply process.

At 10:57, Akamatsu Sadaki led all 28 zero-war modifications to take off (25 were transferred from the artillery fleet, and 3 were called supplementary aircraft), setting up an air defense umbrella for the mobile fleet. At this time, the US attack group It has not yet appeared, and everyone in the Shokaku breathed a sigh of relief, but Tsukahara's brows were still frowning - he believed that the main force of the US military had not yet appeared, and the subsequent performance and technical level should be stronger than the first wave. The current fleet's air defense fighters have passed few.

After a moment, he decisively ordered: "Adjust the order. Fighters will take off first. Once the enemy fleet is discovered, be sure to entangle it!"

At 11:04, Nishizawa Hiroyuki took off with the first 12 replenished Zero Combat Modifications, and the mobile fleet cover aircraft reached 40. At this time, the heavy cruiser Kaohsiung, which was covering the outside, sent an alarm: "The enemy aircraft group is approaching, bearing 185 , with a speed of 175 knots, an estimated number of more than 100, and a distance of 130 kilometers from our fleet..."

As soon as the news came out, the atmosphere suddenly rose, and the ground crew on the deck became even more nervous. Many people's hands were shaking so much that they could not hook the torpedo no matter what.

At this moment, the broadcast rang: "I am Tsukahara 243. The planes that have completed the replenishment of fuel bombs have accelerated to take off. Don't worry about the order. After 5 minutes, the entire deck will be cleared. All ammunition, torpedoes, and fuel that cannot be mounted will be pushed away." Enter the sea!”

Ryunosuke Kusaka had experienced the defeat at the Battle of Midway. His face turned pale, veins popped out, and his teeth gritted loudly: "Sir, I will go to the deck to take command."

"Sit down, don't be nervous, it's not that easy for the US military to defeat us." Tsukahara reassured him, "We still have time."

What followed was five minutes that lasted as long as a year. The planes on the three aircraft carriers took off one after another. At the fastest, five planes took off in one minute...

At 10:09, the US military attack aircraft group appeared within the range visible to the naked eye.

"Attack... entangle them and buy more time for the fleet." Akamatsu Sadaki gave the order, and more than 40 Zero War Kais roared over.

The excellent technical level of the Japanese army ensured that the flying movements remained normal at such a tense moment. Even if they saw the appearance of US planes, the pilots were still able to take off safely. Only two people were too nervous and fell into the sea.

"Sir, there are still more than 60 aircraft without ammunition." Minoru Genda asked in a low voice, "Push them into the sea?

"Is there any fuel on board?"

"Basically there's still half of it."

"There is no need to hang bombs. The planes in the front will take off as much as possible and land with the guerrilla fleet. The planes in the back will all be pushed into the sea..."

The ground crews on the three aircraft carriers immediately divided into two groups. One group assisted the aircraft parked at the front of the deck to take off as soon as possible, and the other group pushed all the aircraft parked at the back that were obviously too late to take off into the sea, looking at the Tianshan Mountains with hundreds of thousands of them. The comet crashed into the sea, and a large group of people burst into tears - if they didn't push it, the remaining gasoline on the plane might become a serial bomb.

The first wave of US military attacks found themselves running into a strong fortress composed of Japanese fighter jets. No matter whether they rushed left or right, it was difficult to break through the interception of Japanese aircraft. Lieutenant Colonel Langton, who was leading the team, was very anxious - he saw planes taking off one after another from the Japanese aircraft carrier not far away. If he didn't rush over, the enemy would come to intercept more planes - now not only was there zero combat change, Those Comet Kais that did not carry bombs and relied purely on speed and maneuverability also rushed into the battle group and fought with the SBD and TBF. The red-eyed Japanese pilots used a powerful impact method-anyway, they could still continue after parachuting. beat. Only Tianshan Kai knew that he was powerless against aerial combat, so they all avoided the battlefield and flew to the guerrilla fleet.

In the end, in order to break through the obstacle, Langton relied on the slow TBF and the most powerful F6F to cover the SBDs as they rushed over. He shouted on the intercom: "The formation is disbanded...Each fleet dispersed to break out."

When this order was issued, the U.S. military had shot down 19 SBDs, 15 TBFs, and 13 F6Fs in the 4-minute exchange of fire. The Japanese losses were also considerable. 17 were lost in Zero War and 8 were lost in Comet. shelf.

The scattered US military fleets that broke through the encirclement began to attack. The SBDs roared and circled down, with the primary targets targeting the Shokaku and Zuikaku with the most distinctive features. Although the Japanese fighter jets tried their best to intercept, some things could not be stopped.

At 11:17, the Zuikaku avoided three bombs and lost three anti-aircraft guns on the starboard side.

At 11:18, a downed SBD fell down together with the aircraft and bombs. Shokaku had taken a torpedo in the Australia-New Zealand naval battle, and its maneuverability and speed were not as good as Zuihe. It was inevitable to avoid this bomb. Finally, Driving to the aft deck, they heard a loud "bang", everyone in the bridge felt a violent earthquake, and then saw a raging fire at the stern of the ship.

"Asshole!" Genda Minoru's eyes turned red.

"Damage control quickly reported the situation."

"The rear deck and elevators were destroyed, and the hangar is temporarily unusable... The fire is currently being extinguished."

Everyone thought: Thanks to the commander's decisive request just now to clear the ammunition on the deck and the aircraft that could not take off in time, if they were still there, the explosion would not be as simple as opening a hole and damaging the elevator.

At 11:24, the U.S. attack aircraft group retreated. The Zero War Kaimen did not dare to fight and immediately jumped down to replenish their ammunition.

"The destroyer salvaged the fallen officers and soldiers, Shokaku made emergency repairs, and the other two ships immediately called in supplementary fighter jets and took off. The Comet Kaimen all went to the guerrilla fleet to land and supplement." Tsukahara 243's face was ashen, "The enemy has three aircraft carriers, two large and one small. Not only the current strength, but also at least one wave.”

The fire on the Shokaku was quickly brought under control, but the twisted steel on the rear deck looked shocking. The aircraft carrier is currently temporarily paralyzed, and at most 15-20 aircraft can land.

"Sir, do you want to change the ship?" Kusuka Renyi asked.

Tsukahara shook his head: "We won't use it for the time being, and I don't know how effective the first attack wave will be."

"No news has come..."

At 11:38, the 16 newly added Zero Fighters from each ship took off. The Béarn simply approached the Bolzano and temporarily carried out dangerous battlefield dispatch work. Zero Fighters loaded with oil bombs one after another left the ship. The ship was lowered onto the Bolzano using a crane.

At 11:49, all the zero-fighting fighters that each ship could fly took off, and there were only 49 fighter jets left for air cover. Tsukahara sighed slightly: "I don't know if I can escape this disaster..."

His premonition was verified 2 minutes later, when the second wave of US military attacks hit, "It is expected to be between 80-90."

"The wheel-shaped anti-aircraft array is deployed...the anti-aircraft firepower is fully unleashed. Success or failure depends on this."

The distance between the Pacific Fleet and the Guerrilla Fleet continued to shorten due to Halsey's orders. Therefore, although the Japanese army discovered the US military very late, due to the distance and the speed of the attack fleet, the first Japanese attack wave arrived at about 11:45. Over the heads of the US military, the attack quickly became intense...