Chapter 344: The overall situation has been decided
U.S. submarines and cruisers carried out no less than seven or eight raids at night, each time appearing in small groups. Each time they were hit by a torpedo, they immediately retreated and continued to harass in turns throughout the night.
Although the South China Sea Fleet did not suffer any losses, this kind of harassment also gave the fleet a headache. Moreover, after the carrier-based aircraft set off after dawn, their harassment will definitely become more intense. If the fleet wants to get rid of them completely, it still has It's not easy, so I have to endure the mosquito bites for the time being. Just swat a mosquito when it comes, and ignore it when the mosquito flies away.
After the fleet endured a long night of more than ten hours, daylight finally dawned, but the Atlantic Fleet's retreat and harassment were not over yet. Three of their ships had been sunk during the night, and one cruiser was severely damaged. They still refused. Rao Di carried out their plan.
After daybreak, the US surface ships did not dare to get too close. They fought and retreated, but they followed the South China Sea Fleet like a shadow all the way, like annoying pursuers who could not be driven away even if they wanted to.
At dawn, Li Guoqiang issued an order to form three bomber formations to take off immediately, escorted by six J-2 aircraft, and go to the sea ahead to find the Edel fleet, leaving behind a squadron of bombers and six J-2 aircraft. Of the two planes, three bombers were seriously injured and could not continue to perform their missions, so they had to stay for maintenance. The remaining twelve bombers and six J-2 aircraft also set off one after another, performing reconnaissance missions with anti-submarine aircraft in the surrounding airspace. The remaining The reconnaissance aircraft accompanied the formation to find the Edel fleet for attack.
Li Guoqiang, Huang Shusheng and several officers walked out of the deck. Because the threat from the air to the fleet was now basically eliminated, there was no need to worry too much about safety issues. There were submarines and destroyers outside to control the situation. The speed of the fleet slowly began to be fixed at around 20 knots. In this way, the Tang-class submarine can keep up with the speed of the fleet.
Li Guoqiang frowned slightly. He was thinking about how to get rid of the bugs in the Atlantic Fleet. He thought about it for several hours last night before falling asleep. After much deliberation, he still felt that he had to take a certain risk and use the speed advantage of the fleet's surface ships to prevent the US military from harassing the ships. Leave it behind. The longer this goes on, the more ships will be thrown away. Eventually, you will be able to pursue the US aircraft carrier with ease.
"I think it's better to let the fighter jets hit them and keep these bugs away from us." Huang Shusheng put forward his own opinion. He was also quite upset after being harassed all night.
"I would like to do this, but we have lost too many pilots. After all, the Atlantic Fleet still has anti-aircraft fire protection. If one or two more planes are lost, I can't bear it." Li Guoqiang's face sank slightly, and he said With a look of embarrassment, he then exhaled and said slowly.
"That's true. The lives of these outstanding pilots are much more valuable than those American bugs. It would be a pity to lose them." Huang Shusheng nodded slightly and then thought about it.
Li Guoqiang looked at the distant sky, and after a moment of silence, he said again: "When the plane goes out to detect where the bugs of the Atlantic Fleet are hiding, and after finding out their specific locations, we can move forward boldly with confidence. It won¡¯t be too late to let the submarine deal with them by then.¡±
Around nine o'clock, all the aircraft sent out to perform the mission gradually sent back messages, and the specific location of the search for the Atlantic Fleet had been obtained. The Atlantic Fleet had already been scattered on the north and south sides, waiting for opportunities to harass with multiple small teams, and by Accompanying the South China Sea Fleet as it advances from west to east, never abandoning it.
After obtaining the general distribution of the U.S. military, Li Guoqiang decided to divide the fleet into two parts, allowing the submarine force to slowly drag back and be responsible for attacking U.S. ships along the way, while the aircraft carrier and destroyers chased Ai in front at a speed of more than 30 knots. Del Fleet, be sure to destroy their aircraft carriers before they escape back to Panama.
After the surface ships protruded forward, they gradually pushed away the US warships on the left and right sides. However, the ships ambushing in the road still posed a greater threat. The destroyers and anti-submarine aircraft of the South China Sea Fleet moved around very carefully in order to find the target as soon as possible. Dispel or annihilate them.
Since the speed of US submarines is less than fifteen knots, it is difficult to approach the aircraft carrier fleet from the side. They can only intercept it from the front. Soon several US submarines entered the aircraft carrier's defense circle. Anti-submarine aircraft and destroyers jointly strangled them. As a result About three U.S. submarines were all sunk.
This time, the U.S. submarine did not choose the hit-and-run tactic. Instead, they began to choose to desperately break through the aircraft carrier's defense circle in an attempt to get close to the aircraft carrier, because the Atlantic Fleet had discovered that if they continued to use harassment tactics like at night, it would no longer work, because After the South China Sea Fleet abandoned the submarine, their speed immediately increased by one-third. With this high-speed navigationIt is almost impossible to harass the aircraft carrier's fleet at any time, so the US military commander had to order his warships to take the initiative to attack and try to break through the aircraft carrier's defense circle. However, the harassment of small groups of ships did not have much effect.
The South China Sea Fleet fought through obstacles all the way, sinking and damaging more than a dozen submarines and several cruisers along the way. Slowly, there were fewer and fewer U.S. harassing ships on the way, while the Tang-class submarine formation trailing behind only targeted The U.S. submarines carried out strangulation warfare, but did not intend to annihilate the entire Atlantic Fleet, because they carried a limited amount of ammunition and lost the fleet's supplies. They did not want to be too threatened when they ran out of ammunition.
The vast ocean also provided good concealment for US submarines, and the pursuit battle between the two sides did not achieve much results. The US ships abandoned by the South China Sea Fleet knew that they could not catch up with the South China Sea Fleet, but they still wanted to do it again when they returned. They are ambushed on the way, so the Tang-class submarines still need to do their best to find the US submarines and annihilate them.
After all, unlike Tang-class submarines, U.S. submarines can lurk underwater for one to two weeks before surfacing for air. U.S. submarines need to surface for ventilation every day. Of course, they can sometimes choose to surface at night.
The Tang-class submarine formation has maintained a complete formation, following the surface ships of the South China Sea Fleet from west to east, in order to rendezvous with the fleet as soon as possible after they complete their mission.
After a long flight and search, the second bombing aircraft finally found the position of the Edel fleet at about ten o'clock. They were about 300 kilometers away from Li Guoqiang's expected route, so the aircraft did not move at first. Their location was found, and after an extensive search, they were discovered and eventually tracked by a reconnaissance aircraft.
Four bomber formations conducted a second round of bombing on the US aircraft carrier. This bombing went very smoothly. Although the total number of aircraft was not as high as last time, without the interference of US aviation, the bombing effect was much better.
The USS Fulton caught fire and exploded inside, sinking into the depths of the ocean. The cockpit and steam turbine of the USS Washington were severely damaged, lost power, and could no longer move forward. It was abandoned by Edel, and the crew on the ship was urgently transferred to other warships. , all the important equipment that could be taken away was taken away.
Although the other three aircraft carriers were each hit by five to ten artillery shells and torpedoes, they did not sink in the end because of better luck.
However, at this time, the number of bombers in the South China Sea Fleet dropped sharply again, and only about forty aircraft were left to return for supplies. Excluding the severely damaged aircraft, by the time of the third round of sorties, the total number of bombers was less than forty. At this time, fighter jets also shouldered a certain responsibility. bomb-dropping mission, but the amount of bombs dropped is very limited.
The third and fourth rounds of air strikes ended around the afternoon. So far, only the USS Chicago is still intact. The USS New York and the USS Los Angeles have suffered major damage. Among them, the USS Los Angeles has serious internal damage. It is estimated that the US military will not be able to carry it out at all. After its emergency repairs are restored, it will be grounded soon. The New York can barely continue to move forward with the Chicago. However, the hull is full of holes and it seems that it cannot withstand much wind. If it is replenished with a few more shells, it may sink. .
After a whole day of continuous pursuit, the aircraft carriers of the Edel fleet finally failed to escape misfortune. Three of the five aircraft carriers sank, leaving only the riddled USS Washington and USS New York parked on the sea. Had to be abandoned by Adel.
At dusk at around six o'clock in the evening, the last aircraft to land on the South China Sea Fleet aircraft carrier were only a dozen or so. Among them, two fighter jets, twelve bombers, and other aircraft had crashed on the sea. Although the South China Sea Fleet was completely All the aircraft carriers of the Adel fleet were wiped out, but they also suffered huge losses.
The most critical moment of the collision between the two strongest fleets in history has ended. The naval aviation of both fleets has been almost completely lost, and the South China Sea Fleet cannot continue to pursue the remaining ships of the Edel fleet in depth, because moving forward will not be enough for the aircraft carrier. Words are not very safe.
After Li Guoqiang learned of the total loss of the US aircraft carrier, he immediately ordered the fleet's four large tugboats to tow the Washington and New York back to the rear of the fleet and sail with the fleet from east to west.
The entire night fleet returned at full speed, and their destination was the Hawaii area, because after the Adel fleet was annihilated, the Hawaii landing battle would start. The Marine Corps had already set off from Okinawa and Taiwan, and arrived in Hawaii about a week later, losing the U.S. The possibility that the Hawaii area supported by the country can hold on for a long time is very low.
The remnants of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet were still engaged in harassment operations, but their energy gradually disappeared. As the South China Sea Fleet returned to the west coast of Hawaii, they were sunk and dispersed one after another, and the remaining ships almost lost their combat effectiveness. Because their ammunition and material supplies were insufficient, the US military was unable to form a supply line from Panama to Hawaii, nor was it able to provide these ships with long-term effective operations.?Supplies.
Although the remaining naval aviation force of the South China Sea Fleet only has about thirty aircraft, it is enough to dominate this area of ??the sea. It is no longer possible for the US military to transport supplies to Hawaii Island, and those stragglers have to return to Panama one after another.
Li Guoqiang ordered the fleet to rest for a week, only perform simple reconnaissance missions, and wait for the arrival of supplies from the First Fleet a week later. At this time, the entire fleet only had less than one-tenth of the aerial artillery shells and torpedoes left. If it continued There is an air strike mission, and it is obvious that the operation cannot be sustained for a long time, and we must wait for the arrival of supplies.
The first batch of supplies arrived in Hawaii two days later, and more supplies are being transported to the large forces behind. After capturing Hawaii, the Chinese Navy will use Hawaii as a long-term base. It must store enough supplies to cope with the response. Down America Plan.
When they learned that the aircraft carriers of the Edel fleet had been wiped out, the defenders in Hawaii immediately felt extremely nervous and disappointed. All the reinforcements they had hoped for had been blocked, and Hawaii was now under heavy siege.
Hawaii can still communicate with the mainland of the United States through undersea cables and obtain the latest intelligence. The order given to them by the U.S. Department of Defense is still to defend Hawaii and wait for reinforcements. However, the U.S. Navy does not have much remaining strength, and the so-called reinforcements are only some They are just stragglers, and their combat capabilities are completely different from the Pacific Fleet, which originally had seven aircraft carriers. The South China Sea Fleet does not need aircraft, and can annihilate them all with only destroyers and submarines.
Paul, the commander of the Hawaii Marine Division, and Lollman, the commander-in-chief of the Hawaii Army, Navy and Air Force, were currently hiding in an air defense shelter in the southeastern mountains of Oahu, urgently formulating a battle plan for the next Hawaii defense battle, but the tactics that could give them options had already been There is not much left, and it seems that apart from defending the strongholds, there is no good way to prevent the Zhenguo Army from landing.
The Edel fleet, which had lost its aircraft carrier, fled back to Panama in disgrace. After passing through the canal, it fled towards the United States. Robert, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, detoured from the South Pacific and entered the South American continent. After landing, it headed north and gradually entered the United States.
Regarding the almost complete annihilation of the Pacific Fleet, the U.S. Department of Defense did not have much to say, but in any case, Robert's position as commander-in-chief could not be saved. He announced his resignation on the third day after returning to the country, and was subsequently replaced by a Vice Admiral Clayton is also a very senior officer in the U.S. Navy.
Clayton was formerly the chief of staff of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He was fifty-three years old. He was a smart and capable officer with many years of rich naval command experience. He had performed well in many joint exercises with friendly forces. Once known as the hope of the U.S. Navy, he won the trust of senior U.S. officials. After a short selection, the U.S. Department of Defense decided to appoint him as the commander of the upcoming reorganized Ocean Fleet.
At this time, after losing control of the sea in the Pacific region, the US military no longer divided the fleet into two parts, the Pacific and the Atlantic. Instead, Clayton commanded a unified fleet. The mission of the fleet also changed from decisive battles outside the ocean. It changed to defending the United States from enemy attacks, and the Americans had to choose a homeland defense strategy.
The frustrated Edel retained his original title and served as deputy commander of the fleet. Although he did not make any achievements in this battle, he still retained part of the fleet's strength. The U.S. Navy did not have many candidates to choose from, so it had to retain Edel. , let him continue to direct.
As for the destruction of the Pacific Fleet, one can imagine the sensation in the United States. Since the United States decided to join the war, it has suffered consecutive defeats and has hardly fought a decent battle. The powerful United States fell in front of the giant of New China and was defeated. He was beaten all over his body and his vitality was greatly lost.
In the early days of the war, the Americans' strategic mission to gain control of the South China Sea in the Taiping region was completely frustrated. Only then did they realize the huge impact of the technological gap. The United States, with its strong shipbuilding capabilities, could not withstand the strength of the Chinese navy. With the momentum of its rise, the illusion of strangling the Chinese navy in its rapid start-up stage has been completely shattered, and their decision to choose war with China has dragged the United States into a huge quagmire. Americans can no longer see them. The hope that I wanted to see.
The United States was in an uproar, and the streets and alleys were filled with a sad atmosphere. The New York Times made the quickest comment, with a low tone: "As an old capitalist power, as a country that accounts for more than one-third of the world's industrial production, A powerful country was defeated by the emerging capitalist China. This day is a shame for the Americans and the most tragic situation since the founding of the United States. The entire American people feel extremely sad"
Other major newspapers have made long comments. Regarding the failure of the United States, the American media and people have expressed a great sense of loss.The arrogant country, which considers itself to be extremely noble, has been defeated by the newly rising backward countries. However, the proud heads of the Americans cannot be lowered at this moment. They are still not convinced, because the inferior impression of the Chinese yesterday is still deeply imprinted on them. In their minds, the appearance of Li Tiancheng will not easily change their minds.
"America cannot fail, we must continue to fight." A Chicago media ran a headline in an attempt to restore morale.
Domestic analysts in the United States are making further analyzes and predictions about the future situation. They are analyzing the consequences of the continued fighting between the United States and China, the possibility of reversing the war situation, and the period when the war may reach a turning point.
Between October and November, four more aircraft carriers of the US military will be launched into service at shipyards in Boston and New York. During this period, it will be difficult for the Chinese navy to recover and it will be impossible to pass through the Panama Canal. Attacking the east coast of the United States, the Americans seemed to see hope again.
The unfortunate news for them immediately came from the other side of the ocean. On October 22, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced to the world that the other two aircraft carriers of the Zhenguo Army, Taiwan and Hainan, had been launched into service. The fourth aircraft carrier of the Zhenguo Army had been launched. The fleet was built, but due to insufficient training, the fleet was not able to participate in the Battle of Hawaii in time. It would not officially participate in the battle until two months later.
In two months' time, the other two aircraft carriers of the Zhenguo Army, the Huo Qubing and the Han Wudi, will also be put into service. By then, the Zhenguo Army Navy will have a powerful combat power of more than eight aircraft carriers and can be worthy of being called the number one in the world. navy.