Republic of China game

Page 370

"Your Excellency, these light cruisers and destroyers are likely to be used to escort the China Aircraft Carrier!" A hint of surprise slid across Shimada Shigetaro's face: "According to the investigation, the China Nanyang Fleet has a total of three squadrons, the First Air Fleet, the The second fleet and the third fleet. Among them, the third fleet is a submarine fleet; the main force of the second fleet is the rented Selim Sultan... If Tong Nanyun encounters the second fleet of China, then the Selim Sultan Impossible not to appear! If this battlecruiser with ten 280mm naval guns joins the night battle tonight, the Nanyun detachment may be destroyed. So they must be the First Air Fleet of China, the aircraft carrier of China nearby!"

Because he did not encounter the Selim Sultan, what Nagumo encountered was the China First Air Fleet. This explanation seems quite reasonable.

Guessing the opponent's hole card, Kanji Kato nodded lightly, and felt a little more relaxed, but he still didn't dare to take it lightly. After all, wasn't the reason why these Chinese ships fought desperately to let the aircraft carrier escape?With the aircraft carrier's speed of more than [-] knots per hour, I'm afraid it's gone now.No, you can't let them go like this, you still have to find a way to lure them out.After thinking for a while, he asked, "Where is the First Air Fleet (Japan)? And where is the Zhenming?"

"The First Air Fleet has arrived about 60 nautical miles south of the Dongsha Islands, about 65 nautical miles away from the sea area where the Nanyun Detachment fought with the China Fleet. Do you want to order the other two Miao high-level ships to go north to reinforce the search for the China Aircraft Carrier?"

Looking at the position of Shimada's finger, Kanji Kato heaved a sigh of relief. Whether it was the two Miao high-class ships assigned to the First Air Fleet or the battlecruiser Zhenming that was rushing to the war area quickly, it was not the first Chinese Air Fleet. To be able to contend, the most important thing in this battle is not how to fight, but how to find the opponent. As long as it can be found, with the fragility of the aircraft carrier, I am afraid that a shell can solve the problem.

"Where is the farthest we can go north?" Kato's fingers slowly slid north along the map, silently calculating the range and speed of the opponent's aircraft, as well as the speed of his own fleet, in order to calculate how far the fleet can go north. the farthest distance.

Kanji Kato hadn’t figured it out yet, but Chief of Staff Shigetaro Shimada had already given the answer: “Before six o’clock, the farthest can reach the sea area 250 kilometers away from the coast of China’s Guangdong coast, and China’s shore-based aircraft will not start to take off until about six o’clock. With a speed of about 300 kilometers per hour and a range of about 700 kilometers, at most it will reach the sea area 300 kilometers from the coastline at seven o'clock. We will turn around and return to the deep sea at six o'clock, so we should not encounter attacks from China's shore-based aircraft."

"The order is that the First Air Fleet will advance northward at full speed and rush to the warring sea area to assist the Nagumo Detachment." Kato Kanji thought for a while, and then issued the order.

"The entire First Air Fleet is heading north..." Shimada hesitated.

"Well, all go north." Kato Kanji smiled deeply: "The Akagi and Kaga are the bait to lure the China Aircraft Carrier to go south. If you can't find the China Aircraft Carrier when you go north, rely on them to lure you."

Kanji Kato had just laid out the plan for the decisive battle, and before he had time to imagine the scene of sinking a Chinese aircraft carrier, he saw the communication staff officer walking over with a pale face, holding a briefcase in his hand: "Your Excellency, the Second Fleet urgently calls, South Korea The flagship heavy cruiser Myoko of the Yun Detachment was severely damaged by a torpedo launched by a Chinese submarine! The stern of the ship was hit by a torpedo, the stern sank, and the rudder was damaged..."

……

Right now, in the northwest of the South China Sea.

The First Air Fleet of the Kuomintang Navy.A fleet of more than a dozen ships of various kinds is plowing white waves on the star-studded sea, and none of the ships has a single light shining through.

In the center of the formation is the flagship of the fleet, the 2-ton Zhongshan aircraft carrier. On the island of the ship, Zhao Zheng stood beside him with arms folded, his eyebrows gradually furrowed as he watched the staff members pointing to the charts to discuss technology.

The Second Fleet, which is fighting fiercely with the Japanese fleet near the Dongsha Islands, has successively received battle reports, and the news is not very good.Although it also sank two Japanese ships, it also paid the price of the sinking of the light cruiser Changsha (abandoned after withdrawing from the battle), and the heavy damage of Fuzhou and Hangzhou.And what's more troublesome is that there is a Japanese heavy cruiser chasing the two damaged cruisers!With the speed of Fuzhou and Hangzhou, even if they are not damaged, they cannot escape the pursuit of a Miao high-level heavy cruiser, let alone after being severely damaged?The only thing that made him feel relieved was that a Miao high-grade heavy cruiser was hit by a submarine on the stern, and it is now heading southwest, and it seems that the rudder is damaged... This is probably the only result of Zhang Yiming's submarine tonight right?I hope this lunatic Zhang can learn a lesson in the future. Submarines can be used for breaking diplomatic relations, reconnaissance, and sneak attacks, but they are too unreliable for fleet decisive battles.Facing cruisers traveling at a high speed of 35 knots, the speed of submarines is too slow. It seems that only aircraft carriers will dominate the ocean in the future.

"Commander, we are now about 160 nautical miles away from Commander Chen Si's two cruisers. They are sailing westward at a speed of about 25 knots, and we are approaching them at a full speed of 31 knots. At 5 o'clock, the distance between the two sides It will be around 100 nautical miles, and then we can let the plane take off to support Commander Chen."

The calculations of the staff were over, and the chief of staff of the fleet, Meng Hailong, loudly reported the results to Zhao Zheng.

"Let the two aircraft carriers send a squadron of A2A to each." Zhao Zheng gave a wry smile and issued a combat order. Although he didn't want to reveal the approximate location of the aircraft carrier prematurely, he couldn't just watch the two light cruisers being sunk. Bar?What's more, by that time, the powerful Japanese heavy cruiser was a little too close to his aircraft carrier.

"I suggest sending all the bombers and torpedo planes." Meng Hailong made another suggestion: "The main force of the Japanese fleet should also be heading to the waters west of the Dongsha Islands. We have more than a dozen submarines in that sea area. After dawn, we will It is easy to find the main force of the Japanese fleet. When the time comes, just use the radio to notify the planes to rush over and bomb.”

"Very good, let's go and notify the Air Force to prepare." Zhao Zheng thought for a while and then said: "Give power to the Third Fleet, let their submarines spread out around the Dongsha Islands, and pay attention to the movements of the Japanese fleet. Let the Second Fleet The destroyers and torpedo boats also scattered to search south."

"Commander, we are still in radio silence..."

Zhao Zheng waved his hands: "It doesn't matter, the battle has come to this point, there is no surprise at all, now it depends on who discovers the other party first."

In fact, even if the Japanese discover that there is a Chinese main fleet in the northern part of the South China Sea, so what?Turn the ship around and go back to Japan?If the Japanese do this, they will no longer have a foothold in the Western Pacific.Zhao Zheng can figure out a thing or two about the thoughts of the Japanese. At this point in the war, there is no possibility for Japan to win back. Even if it sinks its two aircraft carriers, the outcome of this war will not be the same. Something has changed.The current fighting of the Japanese Combined Fleet is not so much to reverse the situation of the war, but rather to work hard for Japan's status after the war.

With Japan's resources and financial resources, it is absolutely impossible to recover from this defeat on its own!The only hope is the support of Britain and the United States, and the role of Britain and the United States in supporting Japan is naturally to contain China...China is big and Japan is small, and China's rise will definitely be tabooed by Britain and the United States, so they need a chain to contain China.However, Japan, which wants to serve as this chain, must also show that they have the determination and courage to fight against the "powerful" China!The United Kingdom and the United States will not support a Japan that only knows to fear China, so this time the Japanese combined fleet will achieve its goal as long as it loses vigorously in the South China Sea.

Chapter 0594 of the war of aggression against Japan! ([-]) Race against time

May 3, morning.

200 nautical miles east of Hainan Island and 160 nautical miles south of the Pearl River Estuary.

The flight deck of the Zhongshan aircraft carrier was very busy. A2A bombers and Martin T4M torpedo planes were continuously lifted onto the deck by the elevator. The thick airborne torpedoes and 200 kg bombs are slowly stuffed into the belly of the aircraft with carts.

On the platform on the second floor of the ship island, Zhao Zheng looked up at the gradually whitening sky with a cigar in his mouth: "Have you not found the main force of the Japanese fleet yet?"

"No." Meng Hailong shook his head: "The submarines and destroyers are searching with all their strength, but they still haven't found anything. It seems that we can only wait for the seaplane to search, but the approximate direction of the Japanese fleet cannot be wrong."

"Well, they should be in the southeast or south of the Dongsha Islands."

Zhao Zheng nodded, and said with certainty: "I also graduated from Japan's Etajima Naval Academy. I know the thoughts of those little devils very well. As long as there is [-]% hope, they will make [-]% effort! Now their chance of success is far more than one percent, so they will not leave, and they will definitely fight us to the end!"

"That's right, they still have hope. If they pat their butts and leave, they will lose all chances. Moreover, they are not afraid of losing everything. Even if they lose everything, Britain and the United States will probably support them again to contain us."

"Therefore, we must take advantage of this opportunity to completely wipe out the main force of the Japanese naval aviation force. Otherwise, with the support of the United Kingdom and the United States, they will sooner or later be our confidant's big trouble!" Zhao Zheng walked into the command center with cold eyes and stood in the sea. In front of the map table, after looking at the meeting, he said: "If the Japanese main fleet sailed eastward after breaking into the South China Sea, it should be close to the Dongsha Islands by now, and in an hour at most, the submarines and destroyers should find their traces. If they broke into the South China Sea and lurked southward near the Philippines, then the seaplanes that took off from our two light cruisers should be able to spot them. If there is no shadow of the Japanese main fleet in these two places, then they will be there after entering the South China Sea They must be heading southeast and coming towards us, so our reconnaissance planes will find them too!"

After some analysis, Zhao Zheng found out three sea areas where the Japanese fleet might be hiding, one of which was searched by the destroyers and torpedo boats of the Second Fleet, and the submarines of the Third Fleet; The corvettes sent seaplanes to search; the last was searched by scout planes of the [-]st Air Fleet.Basically foolproof.The carrier-based aircraft on the aircraft carrier set off in advance and flew northeastward, and waited until they found the main Japanese fleet before determining their final course.

"Commander, Captain Shi of the Selim Sultan asked for instructions. He wants to search for the damaged Japanese heavy cruiser. It is estimated that the rudder of that ship was damaged..."

"No need." Zhao Zheng interrupted Meng Hailong, and said with a sneer, "It's not a big deal for a heavy cruiser, and what's the way out if it goes southwest? The best result is to go to French Indochina and be killed." The French disarm."

"Tell Shi Guoxiang that his mission is to escort the aircraft carrier, and don't give the Japanese heavy cruisers a chance to surprise us!"

"Let the carrier-based planes hurry up a little more. They must start to take off before 5:10, and send two squadrons of bombers to rescue Chen Si's cruiser. The other planes will go east to search for the main force of the Japanese fleet! I guess they are there."

After the staff officer left with Zhao Zheng's order, Meng Hailong leaned forward, put his hands on the chart table, and stared at the area southeast of the Dongsha Islands on the chart: "Commander, do you think the Japanese aircraft carrier is in our eastern area?" Then, are they also preparing carrier-based aircraft to deal with us?"

"That's for sure!" Zhao Zheng nodded: "It's not been a day or two for the Japanese to play aircraft carriers. Although their aircraft are not as advanced as ours, they are definitely first-class in terms of tactics and training, and their Akagi and Kaga The Hulls are all battleships and battlecruisers, stronger than our Zhongshan class, and equipped with 200mm naval guns, so they will not be as cautious as us. After they discover the Second Fleet, they will definitely Come at full speed!"

"...But the Japanese should not be able to determine our location, and may even mistake the Second Fleet for the First Air Fleet. This is our advantage."

"Commander." Chief of Staff Meng Hailong took a telegram handed over by the communications officer at this moment, glanced at it quickly, and frowned, and reported: "The report from the No. 025 submarine was found 10 nautical miles east of the Dongsha Islands. The Japanese fleet, which included a Kongo-class battlecruiser and Nakano light cruisers and destroyers, found no aircraft carrier."

"Oh? It seems that there will be no aircraft carriers near the Dongsha Islands."

"Yes, this battle cruiser should belong to the same fleet as those two heavy cruisers, and it should be going to deal with the second fleet."

Zhao Zheng raised his eyebrows. The probability of an aircraft carrier appearing in the sea near Dongsha can basically be ruled out, so the only thing left is the vicinity of the Philippines and the east of himself.If the Japanese aircraft carrier is hiding near the Philippines, then the Japanese battlecruiser is his own dish!

Luo Youjun, who was checking the bombing plan beside him, was also overjoyed. The planes on the deck were almost ready. The torpedoes and bombs had been taken out of the ammunition depot and put on the planes. The carrier-based planes could be dispatched in 20 minutes at most. .

"Is the carrier-based aircraft ready?" Zhao Zheng's voice rang in Luo Youjun's ears.

"Okay, the first wave is two fighter squadrons, two bomber squadrons and two torpedo squadrons." Luo Youjun paused, thought for a while and said, "Is that enough?"

"Send all the bombers out!" Zhao Zheng looked at his watch, raised his head and glanced at the eyes from the command center: "We are probably only 100 nautical miles away from the Japanese, so I don't plan to launch a second wave." The air strike! It must be successful once. The order continues, the first wave of bombing will give priority to attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier! Including the two bomber squadrons supporting the Second Fleet, after discovering the Japanese aircraft carrier, they will also give priority to bombing the aircraft carrier!"

"As long as the Japanese aircraft carrier is blown up, the South China Sea will be ours!"

"Yes!"

With an order, the HNA pilots who had already been waiting on the deck climbed onto the fighter planes one after another, concentrating on waiting for the take-off signal flag to be lowered.The huge aircraft carrier also turned to face the windward direction so that the strong deck wind could give the wings enough lift. When the flight controller standing on the front deck suddenly waved the red flag in his hand, the distance from the bow However, the sear on the first take-off line of 110 meters was released quickly, and the F2A carrier-based aircraft, whose engine had already been driven to the maximum, roared and rushed to the end of the deck. After sinking, the pilot calmly pulled up the joystick.

There is a second flight line at a distance of 150 meters from the bow. This is for bombers and torpedo planes. Their take-off weight is heavier, so they need a longer runway. Accelerate at full horsepower and break away from gravity.

As fighter planes soared into the sky, in just 20 minutes, all 120 planes on the two aircraft carriers had left the decks. The flight decks, which were crowded just now, suddenly seemed empty and lonely.

While the carrier-based aircraft took off, the seaplanes carried by the battlecruisers and light cruisers were also ejected into the air one after another. Their mission was not only to search for the Japanese fleet, but also to rescue pilots who fell into the water.

Looking up at the flying fleet, Zhao Zheng whispered to Meng Hailong beside him: "After the first wave of bombing is completed, we will retreat to the northwest, and let the shore-based aircraft on Hainan Island come out to meet us."

……

"Nani!"