afterglow

Chapter 623: No Message Received; Assault! Essex!

As his orders were given, the three armored aircraft carriers, Ziwei Youyuan, Qiming and Changgeng, began to turn and increase their speed, leaving arc-shaped tracks on the sea.

"Class A, Type I loadout! Class A, Type I loadout!" The broadcast in the hangar repeated the order to prepare for the attack.

Based on past experiences, Ouyang Zhanghua decided to adopt a more extreme attack strategy this time.

In the first wave, the Qiming launched all available dive bombers at once, the Changgeng launched all torpedo planes and fighters; the Ziwei Youyuan launched half of the fighters and dive bombers each.

In the second wave, the Qiming and Changgeng swapped positions. It was the Qiming's turn to launch all torpedo planes and fighters, while the Changgeng launched dive bombers. The rest remained unchanged.

When launching an attack, carrier-based aircraft formations should follow the principle of saturation strike to ensure that one wave can severely damage or sink an aircraft carrier.

This may result in waste, but Ouyang Zhanghua believes that there is no need to be greedy and there is no need to deliberately pursue the maximum utilization of bombs and torpedoes.

Because of the long distance, the Bing-104th Air Attack Fleet sailed south at high speed for an hour before releasing the carrier-based aircraft that were ready to go.

At 13:55, dozens of planes rushed out from the flight deck one after another as ground crew and sailors waved and said goodbye.

启明号放飞了31架三七式舰轰和5架元年式舰驱；长庚号放飞了12架三六式舰雷和21架元年式舰驱；紫微右垣号放飞了14架元年式舰驱和10架三七式舰轰。

This was the first wave of attack formation, totaling 40 fighters, 12 torpedo planes, and 41 dive bombers.

An attack formation consisting of nearly a hundred aircraft swooped down on the US fleet, ready to send it to the bottom of the sea in one breath.

Earlier, the Hornet and Essex both launched several carrier-based aircraft to carry out reconnaissance missions.

Twelve Dauntless dive bombers from the Hornet's VS-8 squadron searched the northwest direction; 12 Dauntless dive bombers from the Essex's VS-9 squadron searched the northeast direction.

At the same time, both sides rotated fighters to conduct defensive patrols to ensure that there were fighters over the fleet at all times.

Not surprisingly, the reconnaissance bomber squadron discovered the bait Type 85 Air Attack Fleet at noon, and the fleet also received the telecommunications sent back by the carrier-based aircraft.

"230 miles, not good, it's a bit far." Major General Thomas Kinkaid felt embarrassed - under heavy load, such a distance was a bit difficult for the Dauntless dive bomber.

Now that we know we have been discovered by Ming army carrier-based aircraft, what should we do?

After hesitating for a moment, he ordered the fleet to turn right and move away from its current position at high speed to avoid the Ming army's air raid that would come soon.

"Maybe we can just go with a 500-pound bomb."

"I think so, General. When lightly armed, the Dreadnought has a 300 mile combat radius."

During this period, several squadron commanders and staff requested to attack with a light load, but they were all rejected by Thomas Kinkade.

The armored aircraft carrier was the key, and it was not something that could be dealt with by light bombs. Attacking with a light load would not only fail to effectively damage her, but would also result in the loss of aircraft in vain.

At 14:03, the TF-49 task force changed its course to due north, thus shortening the distance between them.

At 15:10, the TF-49 task force, which was in the process of tactical maneuver, released its attack formation, and a large number of Hellcats, Dreadnoughts, and Avengers rushed towards the northwest.

At 15:56, the first wave of aircraft sent out by the Bingzi th Fleet arrived at the estimated sea area, but found no trace of the US fleet. They chose to search westward, but found nothing and had to return.

At 17:11, the carrier-based aircraft formation of the TF-49 task force also arrived at the sea area inferred based on the telecommunications sent back a few hours ago, but the sea surface was as calm as a mirror and there was nothing on it.

The sun was setting, and the day of April 4 was coming to an end. On this day, both the U.S. and the Chinese military discovered each other, but for various reasons, the carrier-based aircraft formations failed to accurately find the target.

This made Ouyang Zhanghua even more anxious. He repeatedly told himself to trust his judgment and not to scare himself.

He tossed and turned that night and couldn't fall asleep. In order to ensure that he had enough energy for the next day, he asked the military doctor for a sleeping pill in the middle of the night.

The next day, quarter of an hour before dawn.

The pilot restaurants of the Ziwei Youyuan, Qiming and Changgeng were crowded with people, ground crews were coming and going in the hangar, and several reconnaissance planes were parked on the flight deck, ready to go.

Then, they glided one after another, accelerated and took off, and soon disappeared into the dark sky in the distance.

The main fleet is searching vigorously, so the decoy fleet will certainly not be idle.

About 200 kilometers to the southeast, Foshimen and Ziwei Zuoyuan were doing the same thing.

At sunrise on April 4, there were a total of 8 Ming army carrier-based aircraft carrying out reconnaissance missions in the vast sea east of Hawaii.

The U.S. military did not dare to slack off and sent 17 seaplanes to the Big Island of Hawaii in succession. However, as several seaplanes had not been fully prepared, they could only send so many at once. Therefore, the U.S. military subsequently dispatched three B-3 bombers to serve as part-time aircraft.

A large number of US military aircraft searched the area in a fan shape ranging from 45 to 80 degrees with a radius of about one thousand kilometers, centered on the big island.

At 8:08, the Essex's new SC radar detected an unidentified flying object 69 km away.

"Sir, IFF is negative, this must be a Chinese plane."

"Don't let it get close to the fleet. Guide the patrol aircraft to get close to it, and if necessary, shoot it down."

This reconnaissance Type 49 carrier-based bomber almost missed the TF- task force. The clouds were a bit thick today, and the crew members obviously did not see the US fleet in the distance.

However, the plane did not see it, but the submarine did.

Xiaoman-1 was originally carrying out her first experimental combat cruise mission here. Four days ago, she received instructions from Pearl Harbor - submarines operating in the waters east of Hawaii should keep an eye on the US fleet and report its movements in a timely manner.

There is no doubt that the navy or the air force will make some big move.

In the morning, Xiaoman No. 1 moved forward underwater with the power of a diesel engine, charging while sailing and testing the status of the ventilation pipe in actual combat.

At 8:15, the sonar operator heard a faint propeller noise, about ten kilometers away.

The captain immediately ordered the periscope to be raised. Soon, Xiaoman-4, which was sailing at a slow speed of 49 knots at periscope depth, discovered the TF- task force.

"Where's the identification booklet? Bring it here!"

"It's a Yorktown-class, no doubt about it, but which one? Enterprise or Hornet?"

"What about the other one? Judging from the bridge, it's probably the latest Essex class."

The Xiaoman class is the Ming Navy's most advanced ocean-going submarine. Its size, equipment, torpedo tubes, and diesel engine configuration are the same as the Lixia class, but the electric motor has been increased from the original 850 horsepower to 1000 horsepower. In addition, the shape has also been streamlined and optimized for drag reduction, and the underwater speed can reach 14 knots.

The Ming Navy had tested an experimental submarine that specialized in underwater speed ten years ago, but since there was no snorkel technology at the time, it had no practical value and the test results were only used as a technical reserve.

If the German Type XXI submarine in history was a truly modern submarine, then the Ming Army's current Xiaoman-class submarine can be seen as a product of the transition from early submarines to modern submarines - it does not have an additional silent cruise motor, and the noise of underwater navigation is not small enough; it did not remove the deck gun, but only installed a hemispherical fairing for it.

At 8:42, the C-th Air Raid Fleet received a telegram forwarded from Pearl Harbor and learned the location, course, and speed of the U.S. fleet.

"Okay!" Ouyang Zhanghua ordered without hesitation: "There is no time to lose. Pass the order and attack immediately."

Just before dawn, the Qiming and Changgeng had already prepared for the attack formation. The flight deck was filled with dive bombers and torpedo planes, as well as a small number of fighters serving as direct cover.

How to prevent a surprise attack during this period? Ouyang Zhanghua's solution was to let Ziwei Youyuan be responsible for the fleet's air defense cover and continuously rotate fighter patrols.

In this way, there are 6 to 7 fighter jets over the fleet at all times, and the Qiming and Changgeng can launch 24 to 26 direct-aircraft fighters within ten minutes.

We returned empty-handed yesterday, so we must defeat the enemy today! "The clouds are a bit thick. I think we should separate the formations a bit to avoid missing any mistakes," the deputy team leader suggested.

"Okay, Team Two can move one kilometer to the side." Major Lei Heying, who was leading the team, agreed.

The pilots, with high morale, rushed to their respective planes and quickly prepared for takeoff.

Soon, dozens of carrier-based aircraft with a dark blue upper and light pink dusk paint scheme flew over the aircraft carrier deck one after another and began to form a formation...

At 8:55, a PBM Sailor seaplane discovered the Type Air Attack Fleet, which was the main fleet consisting of three aircraft carriers.

However, the message sent back by the plane was not received.

At 8:59, an SBD Dreadnought belonging to the Hornet discovered the th Air Attack Fleet, which was a decoy fleet composed of the Beiluo Shimen and Ziwei Zuoyuan.

"Enemy fleet spotted, heading 150 degrees, 2 aircraft carriers, 1 battleship, 2 heavy cruisers, and some destroyers."

At 9:40, the Cod (SS-224) submarine also discovered the Ming army's decoy fleet.

「HNL时间9时31分，我舰在夏威夷大岛北偏东48度420海里相对位置发现一支特混大队，包含2艘航母、1艘水上飞机母舰、1艘重型巡洋舰、2艘轻型巡洋舰。」

The message sent by the dreadnought was incomplete, lacking its specific location and speed, but the type of battleship was accurately identified.

The Cod also made mistakes. She mistook the Kaihuang for a heavy cruiser and the oiler for a seaplane carrier.

"Strange information, is this the same fleet?"

Major General Thomas Kinkaid was puzzled and ordered his staff to quickly calculate on the nautical chart to see if the planes and submarines had discovered the same fleet.

At this time, the Hornet and Essex had already launched their attack waves, and hundreds of carrier-based aircraft rushed towards the north in a mighty force.

Suddenly, the sailor seaplane that first discovered the main fleet of the Ming army sent back a second message, and this time the fleet successfully received it.

"The enemy fleet turned to 105 degrees and the speed dropped to 18 knots. It was confirmed that the two large aircraft carriers were of the 'Venus' class and the other was of the 'Ziwei' class."

However, because the previous message was not received, this message seemed particularly abrupt and bizarre, and incoherent.

"What? Damn it!"

Upon hearing the news, Major General Thomas Kinkaid and his staff were stunned.

Are you kidding me? How come there are three more aircraft carriers?

After a brief moment of shock, everyone reacted and realized that this was a terrible trap.

"The attack formation continues to move. The fleet turns to a new course of 160 degrees, increases the speed to 29 knots, and increases the number of patrol aircraft in the sky. Tell the headquarters and the Enterprise that there is another Chinese fleet in the northern waters, and its location is unknown."

"Yes, sir!"

Later, Xiaoman-1 discovered that the US fleet had changed its course and was accelerating.

Seeing that the enemy was making a tactical shift, she immediately sent a telegram to report the situation. However, Pearl Harbor did not receive the message, but Midway Island did.

The radio monitoring team of the TF-49 task force detected the abnormal radio communications and became alert, so they detached the Anthony (DD-515) to drive away the enemy.

Nearly two hours later...

At 11:26, the first wave of attack formations released by the Bingzi th Fleet arrived at the target sea area.

The clouds were thick and low, and the visibility range was small. The pilots still hadn't seen the target fleet, and they were anxious and annoyed.

At this time, someone shouted on the radio: "There is a track in the east, it seems to be a small boat."

The fleet then turned and flew over, and found a lone destroyer.

This is the Anthony, which returned empty-handed after a battle of wits and courage with Xiaoman No. 1.

In fact, the Anthony's radar had already discovered the Ming army's aircraft group, and she began to turn, but it was no longer important in this situation.

"Don't look at the arc! The direction of its closest straight track is the enemy fleet. Hurry, chase it!" Lei Heying made a prompt decision.

Only seven minutes later, the man with the best eyesight shouted excitedly: "See it! The enemy fleet!"

More than ninety carrier-based aircraft slightly adjusted their course and flew straight over.

Relying on the performance advantage of radar, the TF-49 task force has launched 18 F6F Hellcats during this period, and 7 more are taking off.

More than a dozen Hellcats climbed to high altitudes above the clouds in advance. Neither the Ming nor the American aircraft could see each other, but under the guidance of radar, the latter occupied an advantageous position.

A sudden air battle occurred suddenly in the air nearly thirty kilometers away from the fleet. The bulky Hellcat may not be a good plane, but it has a very fast dive speed.

A dozen Hellcats swooped down from the thick clouds and caught the Ming army's attack formation off guard. Several planes were shot down in the first encounter.

The Ming army planes reacted quickly and climbed slightly, sticking close to the bottom of the clouds to avoid the enemy planes' repeated use of the dive-attack-pull (BZ) tactics.

When the U.S. plane dived again, it found the target nearby as soon as it broke through the clouds. It passed it in an instant and was forced to abandon the attack.

In this way, the Hellcats that came to intercept had to give up their advantages and fight with the Ming army's Yuannian-style destroyers, or boldly and fearlessly just chase the bombers.

The American sailors could see planes catching fire and crashing, one after another, with black smoke trails running all over the blue sky and white clouds.

As the distance shortened, the entire fleet's anti-aircraft firepower covered the Ming army's attack formation.

Countless 127mm anti-aircraft bombs exploded in the air, like a series of orange fireworks, leaving behind dense clouds of gray smoke. With the support of the Mk37 fire control system, the battleship North Carolina alone shot down six or seven Ming army planes.

But this was still a futile resistance. By this point, 41 of the 18 Type D bombers had successfully penetrated and approached the Essex.

"Ready—Go!"

At 11:39, although the team leader Lei Heying had been shot down, the Ming army dive bombers still spontaneously began to dive at an average frequency of one plane every ten seconds as per training.

Dozens of Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns fired "thump thump" sounds, like a net of fire covering the incoming Ming army planes.

One officer even pulled out his pistol and fired into the sky, only to fall over as the Essex was making a sharp turn to evade.

"Fuck! Shoot it down! Shoot it down!"

"Watch out! Incoming bomb!"

The American officers and soldiers saw the Ming army dive bomber open the speed brakes on both sides of the fuselage and swoop down, and then pulled up and turned around amid the hail of bullets.

A black dot fell from the sky towards him, at an extremely fast speed, getting bigger and bigger...

[Type 37 carrier-based bombardment, I had already drawn it before...]

(End of this chapter)