Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Heroes of the Republic of China

Text Chapter 230 Adding insult to injury

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Chapter 230 Adding insult to injury

    Before dark, Yamamoto Isoroku finally got a piece of news about the Third Fleet. The fleet, which had been sailing from the Philippines, encountered two battleships of the Chinese Navy on its way to the North Pacific, which the Chinese called  The Wuhu-class battleships Wuhu and Tongling have a standard displacement of 32,000 tons and nine 305mm cannons.  The Chinese have built four battleships of this class, two are in the Third Fleet, and the other two are in the First and Fourth Fleet respectively.  In front of such a warship, the fleet did not even dare to send out a distress signal and surrendered obediently.  The crew members were thrown onto small boats with limited water and food to fend for themselves. Fortunately, before dark, they encountered a fleet from Java. After being rescued, they sent a message through the fleet's telegraph.  Since these two battleships are there, the aircraft carrier belonging to the Third Fleet should also be there.

    In other words, the Third Fleet appears in the northeast of the Philippines. What is it doing?  Eleven cargo ships were sunk by torpedoes without any suspense. The purpose of the Chinese Third Fleet still seems very clear, to break diplomatic relations!  The question is, can it be used on the aircraft carrier to break up the traffic?  This is also a luxury for him. Yamamoto Isoroku never has a clear concept because this matter is really inconsistent with common sense.

    As Yamamoto's most trusted adviser, Kuroshima Kameto promptly put forward his own point of view: "Sir, I think it is likely that the Second Fleet is cruising behind me, waiting for an opportunity to join the decisive battle with my combined fleet. Previously, because of  Because of the existence of our fleet, the Third Fleet cannot go north on its normal route, so the Chinese deliberately went in a circle."

    This possibility exists and is very high.  After all, the Third Fleet has two aircraft carriers (actually the task force has three).  Yamamoto Isoroku never imagined that the Third Fleet was headed for Naha.

    At this time, Yamamoto¡¯s thoughts were entirely on the main force of the Second Fleet.  After all, there are four large aircraft carriers of the Chinese Navy here, as well as four of the largest battleships. It can be said that as long as the Second Fleet is defeated, the initiative at sea can be achieved.  When approaching Miyakojima, Yamamoto felt much more at ease.  The lost aircraft quickly took off from the island and all landed on the deck before dark.  The current Japanese naval pilots have not shown any particular shortage and can basically cope with them.

    It was getting dark, so Yamamoto and his combined fleet took the time to rest and wait for tomorrow's battle. The Chinese Navy's Second Fleet must be following far behind.  Look for opportunities to attack the combined fleet.  In Yamamoto Isoroku's view, if China wants to defeat Japan, it can only defeat the Japanese navy first. To defeat the Japanese navy, the combined fleet will bear the brunt.  If he were the commander of the Second Fleet, he would not give up this opportunity easily.  After all, the Chinese Navy's aircraft carrier has greater advantages.

    The battle during the day allowed Yamamoto to understand the combat effectiveness of the Chinese Navy, and at the same time he was full of new hope for defeating the Chinese Navy.  More fighters can be sent to fight tomorrow, and then the main force of the fleet will approach Miyako and Ishigaki Island, so that they can receive assistance from the Zero fighters deployed on the islands in advance, which will be very helpful in winning this battle.  You can even use the Zero to take off directly from the island and serve as a fleet escort fighter jet.

    When Yamamoto was thinking about what to do tomorrow, he was on the sea in the dark.  A sneaky little dot appears.  This thing is a periscope for a submarine. Speaking of which, Japan also has submarines. The I-3 is a relatively inferior product. It is just fine for reconnaissance and is also good at throwing mines.

    Unlike China, Japan uses all its steel on large surface warships and attaches very little importance to submarines.

    Submarine No. 037 has been operating in this area. When it discovered the Japanese combined fleet, it was so frightened that it quickly dived. After the fleet passed by and quietly surfaced, there was no radar on the submarine.  You can only use a periscope to peek from a distance.  It is difficult for a submarine to attack a warship. The only option is to sit back and wait for an ambush, or to sneak into the military port for a sneak attack if you are brave enough.  After all, submarines are slow. Let alone battleships, they generally go in front of destroyers.  Submarines also die in the face of light, so there is a reason why the Japanese Navy does not pay attention to submarines.

    Luck is hard to say. Just after submarine No. 037 reported the location of the Japanese navy and was preparing to dive, a Japanese warship suddenly appeared in the periscope and the speed was not too fast.  Pang Yushan, the captain of 037, is a desperado. He was tempted when he saw the opportunity, especially the Fuso that appeared in front of him. This is a big guy.

    ¡° If we release the torpedo at this time, there will no longer be a question of whether we can run away, but a question of whether we can hide or not.  If you dive after hitting a torpedo, destroyers and light cruisers will definitely surround you. Even if you bully the Japanese navy without sonar, it is still very dangerous. In front of such a large fleet, you will basically sink to the bottom of the sea.

    But after much deliberation, Pang Yushan decided that it was appropriate to take a gamble. If the submarine were to be replaced by a battleship, he would not lose money no matter what.  He gritted his teeth, felt his heart tremble, and ordered the torpedoes to be loaded.  Swish, swish, swish, after sending out four torpedoes, regardless of whether they were hit or not, they immediately?Dive down, and then slowly leave step by step at a very low speed.

    China uses electric torpedoes, which are characterized by low movement and difficult to detect, especially at night.  The disadvantage is that whether the torpedo will sound or not depends on God's face.  Although the Fuso was not directly hit by a bullet during the day's battle, it did take several near-misses, all within fifty meters.  Nothing happened at the time, but suddenly there was a problem with the power system. One of the boilers was broken and the speed could not be increased.  After reporting to the flagship, the Fuso slowed down and tried to repair it as much as possible. If that didn't work, it would drive back to Naha while it was dark for repairs.

    Who would have thought that at this time, submarine No. 037 was secretly preparing to do bad things. The observation post of the slowing down Fuso could not see far at night. It tried hard to widen its eyes. Even if it was eaten with cod liver oil, it could not be seen a thousand meters away.  Spotted torpedo coming.

    When the torpedo was close to 200 meters, the white spray was finally discovered, but Fuso was too late to hide. All four torpedoes hit, and one of them directly hit the boiler.  037 was lucky. Three of the four torpedoes went off. The violent explosion caused Pang Yushan, who was praying with his eyes closed underwater, to be shaken. He waved his fist excitedly and started amidst the cheers of the entire ship's officers and soldiers.  A difficult escape.

    When Yamamoto heard the news, the Fuso was already hopeless. All four boilers were destroyed. The hole in the front section caused by two torpedoes was no longer a problem. The entire battleship was sinking at a speed visible to the eye.  .

    After struggling for less than half an hour, there was only one flagpole left on the sea.  The commander of the combined fleet was so angry that blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and ordered that the submarine that committed the crime must be cut into pieces.  Destroyers and cruisers were busy on the sea, and depth bombs were thrown around as if they were free.  No. 037, which sank directly to the bottom of the sea, was leaving the scene of the crime firmly and slowly at a snail's pace. No matter how the vibrations were, a battleship had been killed anyway. No matter how bad the result was, wouldn't everyone be finished together?

    Don¡¯t tell me, the Japanese Navy¡¯s anti-submarine capabilities are really not that bad. There are dozens of light cruisers and destroyers in total, but they didn¡¯t sink the No. 037, which has a relatively strong ability to withstand pressure.  Two hours later, when No. 037 escaped five kilometers away at a turtle speed, the movement of the depth bomb could no longer be felt. Pang Yushan let out a breath and quickly reported the good news.

    Fang Jianxiong, who had not yet fallen asleep, saw Chen Shaokuan coming to announce the good news in person, and felt a little incredible that such a thing could happen.  How could such a large fleet, which was still in motion, find an opportunity for a sneak attack by a submarine, and the submarine escaped safely? What the hell is this?  This ship captain is really a lunatic.

    No matter what, this is a good thing. All the officers and men of submarine No. 037 were commended with power, and each was awarded a bonus of 1,000 yuan. Captain Pang Yushan was promoted to one rank, and collectively won a second-class Silver Star Medal.  One thousand yuan a month is not a small sum these days. The average worker only gets sixty or seventy yuan a month.  This bonus is really nothing compared to a Fuso.

    For Isoroku Yamamoto and his combined fleet, which are already in a difficult situation, this will really make things worse.  The attacks during the day were ineffective, and they were attacked secretly at night. It was hard to say what the outcome of this battle would be.  What Yamamoto didn't know was that the Chinese navy was actually not confident enough. Even though it had many aircraft carriers and many battleships, it was really trying to fight the Japanese combined fleet. The officers and soldiers below were fine, but the officers above were really trembling and had to take responsibility for the entire fleet.

    It¡¯s dawn and it¡¯s a nice day again, perfect for everyone to risk their lives on the sea!  After the four Japanese aircraft carriers directly dispersed all their fighters, the main force of the fleet quickly headed for Ishigaki and Miyako Island, and 80 Zeros that took off from the islands rushed over to escort them.  The Zero fighter jets achieved a complete victory against the U.S. Navy. Some of Japan's Zero fighters now belong to the Navy.  Moreover, the Type Zero of this time and space came out relatively early and is already the main combat aircraft of the Japanese Navy.

    Interestingly, She Zhenxing had the same plan. After approaching the Miyako waters, the Mustang fighter jets taking off from Taiwan were actually not far away. Moreover, the Mustangs were faster and could even take off in the early morning before dawn. The aircraft was dangerous.  The time is when landing. Taking off does not require very high requirements for day and night.  Moreover, the bombers in the sky also have experience in night flights.

    All the Mustangs that flew from Taizhou yesterday went to Taiwan, so at 4 a.m. plus a Mustang fighter wing stationed in Taiwan, a total of 156 Mustang fighter jets took off and flew from Taiwan to the sky above the Second Fleet, relying on their long endurance.  capabilities to ensure that the fleet can safely leave dangerous sea areas after releasing carrier-based aircraft.  At this time, Yamamoto did not know that the endurance of all carrier-based aircraft of the Chinese Navy was more than 3,000 kilometers.  The Mustang has an extraordinary range of 3,900 kilometers. Not to mention taking off from Taiwan and back, there is no problem at all in flying around the fleet for two hours.

    Both sides want to go together, and both plan to make full use of shore-based aircraft to catch their opponents off guard.
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report