Chapter 150 Battlefield Leverage The scorching sun at noon was shining with dazzling light. Intercepted by dense fire nets all over the mid- and low-altitudes, the last fighter plane with a plaster mark finally fell into the sea dragging its remaining smoke. (¡ª¡ª) Except for the gradually dispersing smoke of war, except for the naval officers and soldiers in urgent need of treatment, and except for the only injured destroyer that was still burning, everything was back to normal. Under the brilliant sunshine, three large aircraft carriers turned proudly into the wind. Around them, a battle formation composed of seven light and heavy cruisers and more than 20 light escort ships quickly reorganized their formation and withstood the test of the harsh battle. Pride is written on the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the wind, and on every sailor who has gone through hardships! It is true that a victory in an air defense battle is not enough for people to completely erase the psychological trauma left by the Battle of Saipan. In that naval and air battle of a similar scale, the U.S. fleet, which also went all out, lost many battleships to repeated attacks by Japanese naval aviation. The number of naval officers and soldiers killed reached 3,400, setting a record The worst record since the Spanish-American War. However, every victory will bring some positive factors: the improvement of confidence, the accumulation of experience, and the increase of skills, which will in turn create a "butterfly effect" on the invisible, colorless and elusive destiny! "Sir!" On the Lexington-class aircraft carrier used as the temporary flagship of the U.S. fleet, the staff officer said to his boss, William Frederick Hall, known as the bull, with an expression of surprise and joy. Xi reported on the battle situation: "According to the results of radar searches and statistics from various ministries, there were about 120 Japanese carrier-based aircraft that came to attack this time. Most of them were intercepted by our land-based fighters. In the end, only the ones that broke into the sky above the fleet were About forty aircraft dropped about 20 bombs and 9 torpedoes. None of our ships sank, and the three aircraft carriers did not suffer any losses! " "This is really a beautiful battle! The cowboys of the Army Aviation performed well. Oh, and the Germans, they played pretty well, right?" Halsey, whose shoulder straps were adorned with three general stars, had half a cigar in his mouth and looked toward the north with bright eyes. Now that the air defense operation has been successful, it now depends on whether our attack formation can find the Japanese main fleet and give them a hard blow! Although the size of the first echelon of the US aviation attack is slightly smaller than that of its opponents, it still has more than 120 fighters and bombers. If the attack goes smoothly, it can also deal a heavy blow to the Japanese fleet's aviation ships, and this is not all the attack force. . The design concept of American aircraft carriers originally focuses on carrier-based aircraft operations. The number of aircraft carriers is much greater than that of aircraft carriers of the same level in other countries. Now that it has cleared the obstacles at mid- and low-altitudes, it can serve as the second echelon of carrier-based aircraft for attack. The machine began to prepare for attack. On the spacious flight decks of the three aircraft carriers, the service personnel quickly pushed the fighter planes from the elevator position to the take-off area, and unfolded their folded wings one by one. After a while, the war eagles loaded with fuel and ammunition were launched. Launched with a pleasant roar, they will bravely pounce on the enemy as soon as the service personnel wave the signal flag! "Wait a minute!" Although he did not turn his head, Halsey, standing on the bridge, could feel the expectant looks from his subordinates and staff. Nowadays, the radar installed on the main ships of the US military belongs to the second batch of official models, and its performance is no less than the same equipment of the German Navy. However, the increase in radar detection range cannot keep up with the expansion of the combat radius of carrier-based aircraft. The use of Zero fighters The Japanese fleets of , 99 ship bombers and 96 torpedo bombers can launch attacks from hundreds of nautical miles away, while the maximum sea detection range of the US shipborne radar is only 50 to 60 nautical miles, and the air detection range barely exceeds 100 nautical miles nautical miles. In this case, in addition to estimating the position of the opponent's ship based on the flight path of the opponent's attack aircraft group, one can only rely on the "fierce eyes" of one's own pilots. In just two minutes, all the carrier-based aircraft included in the second batch of attacks had started, and the scene of the propellers turning together was spectacular. However, the roars now turned into a croaking noise urging the commander to issue the take-off order. If Without full determination, how can you continue to stick to your decision? Fortunately, in the telegrams sent by the first group of attack aircraft, the pilots reported the exact position of the enemy fleet and the number of main ships, and estimated the results of the first attack - two of the six aircraft carriers were seen exploding. Fire, thick smoke, and several near-misses may cause damage to their hulls and personnel! Although this hasty battlefield report was very satisfying, the US torpedo bombers that attacked suffered heavy losses, and not a single torpedo was seen hitting an enemy ship, which made the US military have more concerns about the choice of aircraft for subsequent attacks. Now that the arrow is on the string and the bullet is in the chamber, there is no reason to retreat midway! Following Halsey's order, the signal flag for the aviation team's attack was raised high, and the carrier-based aircraft flew off the mothership deck one after another. Dive bombers took the lead in the fleetA large formation of forty aircraft was assembled in the air, and twenty torpedo planes then took off and flew northwest in formation. The last thing to take off from the aircraft carrier was the F4F carrier-based fighter with auxiliary fuel tanks. When the attack is launched, they will also try their best to interfere with the enemy fleet's anti-aircraft firepower and gain the best possible attack opportunity for their own bombers! Watching these nearly a hundred carrier-based aircraft flying in three distinct air formations towards the main force of the Japanese combined fleet 300 nautical miles away, the officers and soldiers of the U.S. fleet were all looking forward to it. If they could win this victory, it would be a heavy blow. If the main force of the Japanese navy is defeated, then the Pacific War will no longer be a boulder that weighs on the hearts of every American and makes them deeply panic. However, these people also know very well that due to the heavy losses in the Battle of Saipan, the number of U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean is now at a disadvantage, and several old aircraft carriers and escort aircraft carriers converted from cargo ships are not suitable for fleet operations. They have high hopes for the attacking fleet. Why don't the Japanese eagerly hope that their aviation force can complete the battle? It is absolutely true that war is gambling. The gambling table of war is huge, and the chips are sometimes even bigger! At this time, at Saipan Airport, the f that landed