It turned out that the Japanese fleet had retreated. //High-speed update//Admiral Shimada did not dispatch a fleet, but only sent planes to fight, and the outcome was not good. At 15:30 on November 20, Lieutenant Na Lichun of the "Xuanyuan" discovered the retreating Japanese fleet. He immediately sent back a telegram: "Discovered the Japanese task force. The formation is huge and stretches as far as the eye can see. Position: 15¡ã north latitude. 35¡ä, east longitude 134¡ã35¡ä.¡± The Japanese fleet is 400 nautical miles and more than 780 kilometers away from the Chinese aircraft carrier. The officers on the deck of the "Xuanyuan" looked at the telegram from the beginning of spring and the command flag hanging on the "Fuxi" battleship with a pensive expression, and pondered in their hearts the decision Zhang Qifan was about to make. It is now less than three hours before nightfall, and the maximum endurance of dive bombers and torpedo planes is 800 nautical miles. If Zhang Qifan gives the order to take off, then the Chinese pilots must catch up and attack the Japanese task force in the evening. Moreover, it was necessary to fly back to the aircraft carrier at night, and there was no room to even hover in the landing circle. What's more, this calculation does not take into account the amount of gasoline required during combat. The telex machine behind the fluorescent screen in the pilot's waiting room rang, and the pilots of the "Xuanyuan" were immediately silent. The order came down, target: Japanese task force, bearing, take off immediately. The Chinese pilots picked up maps and notebooks and boarded the deck without saying a word. At 16:00, the first group of aircraft left the deck, and the ground crew stared at the aircraft disappearing in the vast sky. There was silence on the ship.
In the radio switchboard room, two speakers made a slight sound. One of the speakers was connected to the receiver of a long-distance wireless telephone, and the other was connected to the telephone of a short-distance flying aircraft. No messages were received on the receiver until the first crew chiefs reported the situation. Before the Japanese plane was discovered, the pilots did not talk to each other. Due to the long distance, the transmitted sound is difficult to hear clearly. The radio operator had nothing to do but wait. In front of the brightly lit signal board, they wore work hats and sat motionless, quietly and neatly at the reception desk. About an hour after the plane took off, the sound of one of the speakers became louder and louder. An officer immediately walked to the reception desk, and the two operators began to type on their silent little machines: "Please, everyone." Attention, the exact position is, please pay attention to the correct position" This is a reconnaissance plane speaking to the aircraft in the sky. The direction of the Japanese fleet he indicated was farther than originally reported; the planes were flying at an altitude of 2,500 meters. Directly in front of them, the setting sun had already sunk into the horizon, and the golden sunset was dazzling. At 18:00, a pilot in the leading group reported: "Several ships were spotted directly ahead." However, those were not Japanese ships, but some small dark gray clouds very close to the water. Ten minutes later, another pilot also mistook it for a warship, but he quickly corrected himself. At 18:15, a powerful voice came from the earphones, "Pay attention to that oil stain." The Japanese ship found that there were pursuers behind it, so it stopped refueling. The Chinese dive bombers began to rise slowly, trying to save gasoline.
At 18:23, the Chinese pilot discovered the Japanese oil tanker. At 18:30, the main force of the Japanese fleet was discovered. The fleet was divided into three groups and moved hand in hand, 10 nautical miles apart from each other. The Japanese fleet includes 6 aircraft carriers, 4 battleships, 11 cruisers and 212 destroyers. Now dusk has fallen over the vast sea. The commanders of the Chinese fleets made the aircraft carrier the first target for bombing. Each fleet moves quickly and agilely. The Japanese ship's anti-aircraft fire illuminated the dim night sky like daylight, and Chinese bombers swooped down despite the intensive Japanese fire. The Japanese army only had a few "Gale" aircraft in the air, a total of more than 60, and they were not deployed properly. Some Chinese planes never encountered a Japanese plane at all. However, the firepower of the Japanese air defense forces was quite intensive and violent. Probably Chinese pilots have never encountered such fierce artillery fire. The Japanese anti-aircraft guns used thermite incendiary bombs and yellow phosphorus incendiary bombs, and the ballistics in the air were colorful and bizarre. After a fierce bombing, one Japanese aircraft carrier was sunk, another was seriously damaged, and another caught fire. Other aircraft carriers also suffered some damage. One oil tanker and two Japanese aircraft carriers were also sunk. destroyer. 22 Chinese aircraft were shot down, and the rest returned successfully.
At 19:00, the Chinese aircraft carriers received a briefing on this battle. At this time, the radio station has stopped broadcasting. The officers and soldiers of the "Xuanyuan" were informed of the results of the attack, but they were unwilling to comment. It's not hard to guess what they were thinking. Very few Chinese pilots who were shot down over the Japanese fleet made it back safely. They either died on their own rubber rafts or were swallowed by sharks. As for other pilots, they faced two problems: first, flying over the aircraft carrier; second, landing on the deck. The night was pitch black and there was no moon. According to regulations, the fleet must cover all lights on the ship when sailing in the war zone.
When the plane approached the aircraft carrier, the noise of the inter-aircraft wireless phone was first heard from the broadcast loudspeaker on the ship. This sound was mixed with the noise of the broadcast loudspeaker, and the sound became louder and louder.?The bigger. The officers huddled in front of the wireless telephone quickly identified the noise as the sound of garbled voices, but they could not make out a complete sentence, but occasionally they could make out a few words. Then, when the noise died down by chance, everyone unexpectedly heard a sentence, and the voice was particularly clear: "There is no way, Lao Wang, I am going to fall into the water. Farewell, good brother." This was said in a calm tone. Lao Wang didn't answer. At this time, a higher voice came from the noise. It was a pilot repeating a call sign endlessly: "I am call sign. Who can tell me my position in the air. Please tell me." My location! Please, tell me my location! I am". Then came another calm voice: "I'm Lynn, I have twenty liters left. I'm going to land on the water." Now, the voice from the speaker was very clear. Standing in front of the loudspeaker, I felt very uncomfortable listening to these sounds. The pilots were still shouting to each other, although the tone was different, but they all felt as if they were isolated from the world, as if no one could hear their voices, as if there was no other world outside the group of birds in the dark. Nothing exists anymore. None of the pilots had any illusions about landing on the deck. Some of them said, "I still have ten liters." Some said, "I still have five minutes of gasoline." A pilot who was about to land said, "Brothers, try to come to me tomorrow." The gasoline was gone. There are more and more planes. After some pilots reported their call signs, they simply said: "I have no more gas." Another pilot told his wingman that he still had enough gas left to fly back, but he still wanted to fly back with him. The wingman went back together, "Let's go together!"
At 20:15, the aerial reconnaissance force reported the arrival of the first batch of aircraft.
Zhang Qifan paced back and forth on the bridge of the "Fuxi". Lieutenant Colonel Bai Wei came over and said: "General, many pilots cannot land on the deck. I suggest turning on the lights to illuminate the aircraft carrier." The night was dark, and the escort ships could barely be seen with the sails raised. The rumble of the motors of the first batch of returning planes came from the sky above the "Fuxi", and the red, green, and white signal lights on the planes flashed and turned. At this time, Bai Wei walked away, and Zhang Qifan was still pacing back and forth. He thought over and over: Should he turn on the lights to illuminate the aircraft carrier and let the task force take risks? Or should the pilots go in the dark and take the greatest risk? Only Zhang Qifan has the right to make the final decision. The task force carries nearly 100,000 people worth billions of dollars. Moreover, people cannot conclude that there are no Japanese submarines in this area.
Finally, Zhang Qifan stopped in the darkness. His officers watched him enter the watch room and quietly close the door. He walked a few steps, turned around and sat on the leather-covered couch placed against the wall. He was smoking, not looking at anyone, and keeping silent to everyone else. After a minute and a half, the general pushed back his large-brimmed baseball cap, rubbed his forehead back and forth with his hands, then stood up from the leather cushion, turned his resolute face and looked at Colonel Deng Keng Say: "Turn on the lights."
The order was immediately conveyed to each ship through short-range wireless telephone, the navigation lights were turned on, and beams of searchlights pierced the night sky. In order to mark aircraft, each aircraft carrier turns on a vertical searchlight for positioning aircraft and several horizontal searchlights for deck illumination.
In the night, the planes gathered behind the "Xuanyuan" like softly chirping swallows. As soon as the lights on the deck came on, the landing commander waved his command board. The first plane landed on the deck, and the ground crew rushed to greet it. This is a Yaosaki aircraft on board the aircraft carrier "Xingkai Lake". The pilot of the plane said: "I have run out of gasoline, and I almost went to hell." At this time, a notice from Zhang Qifan was read over the loudspeaker: "Attention all aircraft of the Fu Renxuan task force. "Please land nearby." The soldiers of "Xuanyuan" seemed to feel that there were swarms of bees buzzing above and around their warship. It can be seen from the signal lights on the top of the wings that these aircraft are clustered together in groups, which is very dangerous. Planes were seen flying back and forth, and the landing commander signaled the pilots to keep their distance. He could only guide one plane down at a time, and they all wanted to hit the deck at the same time. It was obvious that they were exhausted and could no longer hold on. At this time, a plane ignored the guidance signal and passed a plane that had entered the landing route to land first. All the plane's signal lights went out. A blind man has truly become a madman. The first time, like a tornado, it slid over two meters above the deck. The landing commander watched as the wingtips of the plane passed by his chest. When he bent down, the plane had flown over and almost fell into the sea. The plane flew over for the second time, but still ignored the landing commander's signal, and the ship's siren went off. Everyone on the deck ran away, and only the landing commander was still standing at his position. The plane hit the deck with a roar and burst into flames. A minute later, we heard the sound of a fire extinguisher spraying. Soon the searchlights went out. This is to tell the pilots: the deck is temporarilyOut of service. Cleaning your deck should take at least five minutes.
The plane has been circling over the task force. Investigators found a distress signal from a fallen pilot on the sea. The flares soared into the night sky, and a beam of blazing white light fell on the sea. The destroyer rushed over to rescue the pilot who fell into the water. Occasionally a searchlight suddenly shone a long beam of light. Like a delicate tentacle that explores the sea for a while and then retracts. If a Japanese submarine group is discovered in this area, it will definitely be quite dangerous! But there is not a single submarine either.
In Bai Yao, reconnaissance planes were sent out to find the pilots who were still in distress on the small orange rubber rafts. In the dusk attack on the Japanese fleet, 22 Chinese aircraft were shot down. In what seemed to be a hopeless situation, many of the crew members who fell into the water escaped. Zhang Qifan specially dispatched a cruiser, and the aircraft on the cruiser found the victims after taking off. On the way back and while waiting to land, 79 Chinese aircraft crashed into the sea. Despite the best efforts of the rescuers, 52 Chinese pilots were not rescued. Task Force Fu Renxuan lost a lot of time in the process of rescuing the pilot who fell into the water, so he was unable to catch up with the fleeing Japanese fleet. However, even if the Chinese fleet does not need to waste time rescuing the pilots, it will not be able to catch up with the Japanese fleet, which has already retreated. Why did the Japanese fleet retreat so easily? First of all, the Japanese fleet commander was unwilling to invest his warships in this battle, but sent aircraft to engage in the battle within the limits of their endurance; secondly, he raised his sails and did not want to sail too far; thirdly, he did not want to sail too far away. The second is that the sailing distance was not as far as he originally wanted to go, because the strong east wind at that time often forced the aircraft carrier to turn its rudder and sail eastward, making it easier for fighter jets to take off and land.
Despite this, the Japanese losses were still considerable. After that, the Chinese army can attack Saipan with confidence and boldness. The Japanese fleet will not come back to disrupt this military operation. The task of supporting the advance of ground forces was assigned to 10 escort aircraft carriers. The battle to capture Saipan lasted for more than a month. After the Marines landed, Army troops also landed on Saipan on November 19. The tactics used by the Army and the Marine Corps are different. The Army follows the artillery and advances forward, while the Marine Corps attacks forward in a scattered manner.
The Japanese army tried their best to build trenches and defend Saipan. The defenders of each cave fought desperately until the last moment of their lives. At dawn on December 7, about 3,000 to 5,000 Japanese troops armed with machine guns, knives and bayonets launched a desperate counterattack. The furious Japanese army rushed towards an artillery battalion of the Chinese army. The Chinese artillery fired flatly at the Japanese army. The detonators of the artillery shells were set at one-fortieth of a second and exploded within 50 meters. Although the Japanese army captured two cannons, they could not withstand the fierce fire. With their absolute superiority in strength and equipment, the Chinese army recaptured this position that was already littered with corpses.
The Japanese on Saipan began to commit suicide. Most of the remaining Japanese soldiers committed suicide with grenades. The Japanese refugees hiding on the top of Saipan saw no one to protect them. They were afraid of falling into the hands of what Japanese propaganda said was the devil, and countless people committed suicide. The cost of the Chinese army's capture of Saipan was: 4,125 people died and 12,000 people were injured.
After seizing Saipan, the Chinese Supreme Command believed that the time had come to launch a fierce attack on the last Japanese positions and the Japanese mainland. Shen Honglie authorized Wu Qianlong to form a huge fleet. He divided the fleet into three parts: an "expeditionary fleet", which was specially used to capture target escorts, protect transport fleets and support landings; a "forward fleet", which was always responsible for supporting the "expeditionary fleet"; the third The fleet is directly under his command and is called the "covering fleet". This fleet concentrated the best fast battleships and almost all aircraft carriers with escorts. In short, the third fleet is the main force of the entire offensive force. This "covering fleet" is also called the strike fleet. Its mission is: "Seize every opportunity that can be utilized or created to destroy Japan's most effective force." Wu Qianlong always had a way of assigning himself tasks that he had always been interested in: a kind of pirate job. However, this time it was a big move.
The first battle of this expedition was the attack on the Palos Islands from January 6 to 23, 1946. The Japanese garrison on the island had no air protection. Palaus Island had been subjected to air attacks by the Chinese army for several months, and they lacked ammunition and supplies. They relied entirely on courage to carry out desperate resistance. The Chinese army made arduous efforts to capture certain strongholds. The Chinese army launched an attack on January 7, and the fighting lasted until the end of January. However, during this time, the Chinese fleet did not delay in front of the reefs. As soon as the fleet arrived, the preparatory bombardment for the attack began, and then the troops began to land in accordance with a set of impeccable procedures. As soon as the troops landed on the island, they established a strong beachhead. The fleet left several escort aircraft carriers to ensure air "support", and then retreated to another Japanese stronghold.
After capturing the Palos Islands, the next target of the Chinese army is the Philippines.
September 1944, ChinaIt was necessary to recapture the Philippines, which had fallen into Japanese hands. After the surrender of the US military, the Chinese volunteers became the main force resisting the Japanese army. They successfully launched guerrilla warfare, making the Japanese occupation of the Philippines very unstable. Now the islands have become targets for attack again.
¡á¡á
<<High-tech Warlord>> Text, readers are welcome to log in. Read the latest chapter of the full text.