afterglow

Chapter 654: Great victory? Both sides lose! The calm before the storm

Unlike any previous naval battles, the sea and air battle that took place in the waters west of the Mori Fracture Zone in mid-October 1942 was an epoch-making battle.

Both sides invested a lot of advanced technology and equipment. The two evenly matched aircraft carrier task forces fought hard for three days and two nights and both suffered heavy losses. The losses of carrier-based aircraft and crew members were shocking.

The U.S. military sank two Essex-class large fleet aircraft carriers, the Yorktown and the Intrepid, one light fleet aircraft carrier, the Independence, and one destroyer, the Capps.

In addition, the Constellation was slightly damaged by a near miss, the South Dakota and Indiana were slightly damaged, and the North Carolina and Iowa were moderately damaged. The former's key damage was a torpedo, and the latter's key damage was the destruction of a main turret.

The Ming army sank a giant armored aircraft carrier, the Qiming; in addition, there was a low-speed oil tanker and a frigate, the Strychnos nux vomica. The transport fleet to which the two belonged was ambushed by the U.S. submarine Black Whale, and they were hit by torpedoes almost at the same time and sank quickly.

There were many damaged warships. Almost all the aircraft carriers involved in the battle were injured. The Taiwei Zuoyuan was seriously injured, the Changgeng was slightly injured, the Tianshu was slightly injured, the Gouchen was seriously injured, and the Ziwei Youyuan was seriously injured. Several battleships also had varying degrees of damage.

What's interesting is that the only one that was unscathed in the battle sequence was the most fragile HMS Fomalhaut. In theory, this light aircraft carrier with a wooden deck could not survive such a high-intensity sea and air battle. One heavy bomb was enough to sink it.

As for the losses of crew members, they were equally great on both sides.

British and American aircraft carriers lost a total of 344 carrier-based aircraft (excluding those scrapped after returning), and accordingly lost 299 pilots and a large number of rear machine gunners.

The Ming army fleet's aircraft carrier lost 305 carrier-based aircraft, with the corresponding losses of 262 pilots and more than rear-seat machine gunners.

The main reason why the Ming army lost fewer carrier-based aircraft was that they did not incorporate torpedo aircraft in the previous attacks, while the US army did the opposite, so their losses appeared to be greater.

Both the Ming and American militaries exposed a number of problems in the naval battle west of the Mori Fault Zone.

The Ming army's carefully planned strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking the west, and besieging a point to attack its reinforcements did not work. Instead, it resulted in the Ziwei Youyuan being severely damaged and losing a large amount of combat power.

The US aircraft carrier's air defense patrol and alert organization was excellent, but the attack formation was not very good. It was too dispersed and evenly distributed, and only in the second half did it pay attention to concentrated attacks.

In terms of reconnaissance and enemy detection, both sides have their own advantages and disadvantages.

The Ming army's unique high-speed seaplane carrier and large seaplanes equipped with long-range search radar played a crucial role. The wide-area search capability was far superior to that of the past, but due to the lack of small airborne radar, the tracking capability of the attack formation was still not ideal.

The U.S. military’s wide-area search capability is relatively weak, but due to the presence of advanced small airborne radars, the attack formation can mix in one or two radar-equipped fighter jets, greatly enhancing the attack formation’s tracking capabilities.

The survivability advantage of armored aircraft carriers once again withstood the test of actual combat. During the naval battle, several 1000-pound armor-piercing bombs that hit the Chang Gung, Tianshu, and Ziwei Zuoyuan failed to penetrate the armored flight deck. Only the 1600-pound heavy armor-piercing bombs successfully penetrated.

However, the amount of explosives in armor-piercing bombs is very small, and the explosive power after penetration is far inferior to that of ordinary high-explosive bombs.

AN-Mk1型1600磅穿甲航弹只装填了209磅（95㎏）D炸药，与之相比，500磅通常航弹都有260磅（118㎏）梯恩梯。

It is more than three times heavier and has less explosive charge. In order to pursue penetration capability, the armor-piercing bomb has thickened the wall of the projectile and sacrificed the explosive power.

Realizing that the existing attack weapons still had shortcomings - poor destructive effects, the U.S. Navy immediately proposed an improvement plan to strengthen the collateral damage power of armor-piercing bombs.

The Ming Navy had the same feeling. Some officers believed that future penetration would become increasingly difficult, and in the end, it was likely that only a very small number of dive bombers would be able to penetrate and drop bombs. Therefore, they had to pursue ultimate power and strive to severely damage or even destroy an aircraft carrier with a direct hit from a bomb.

The next day, the Cold Dew had passed and the Frost Descent was approaching, and the capital city of Yingtian, which had been brought by the refreshing autumn breeze, finally felt a little cooler.

After the battle report was sent back to the capital, it immediately caused a sensation - the enemy lost three more giant ships!

There was a celebratory atmosphere in the court, everyone was beaming with joy, and the Tonghui Hotel also received instructions to prepare a banquet.

In addition to many court officials, there were also some dignitaries in the political and business circles, and elegant and charming socialites and celebrities were also unwilling to be absent.

The celebration banquet lasted from noon until late at night. Everyone talked about their great victory and invincibility, drank and chatted, and there was great joy and laughter. The only thing missing was singing and dancing.

That night.

After Luo Fu presented the specific results and losses counted so far, Fang Shujun smiled and said, "What a great victory! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Our army has once again defeated the enemy."

Zhu Lingjing didn't look happy. She lowered her head and walked slowly, saying with a disdainful tone, "Both sides suffered losses. A great victory? It's a little too early to be happy."

Luo Fu nodded in affirmation and said, "We must be vigilant. The enemy has several aircraft carriers that are intact and can fight again after a short rest. The situation in Hawaii is still unclear and the threat is not small."

“Should we consider withdrawing our troops from Maui?”

"This... Your Majesty, I can't say."

"Zhou Kexing reported that the enemy showed signs of counterattack, which is not a good sign." Zhu Lingjing was worried about the situation of the Ming army on Maui.

Although the tens of thousands of Ming troops deployed on Maui were not numerous, they were the elite among the elite and the aces among the aces. Their status in the Ming army sequence was equivalent to that of the Great German Division to the German Army and the 1st Red Division to the US Army.

The U.S. military was both afraid and disgusted with them and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.

The battle of Maui has been at a stalemate for half a year. Zhu Lingjing is now hesitating whether to continue the confrontation. She does not want to expose this amphibious fist force to the risk of annihilation for a long time.

Once the logistics line is cut off, tens of thousands of elite troops will immediately fall into the dilemma of hunger, lack of ammunition and medicine, and be trapped in a corner of the isolated island until they are wiped out. After all, this is not the battlefield on the mainland where they can break out of the encirclement.

The Hawaii Regiment's aviation unit has been under tremendous pressure for a long time. For more than half a year, it has been fighting for air supremacy and defending transportation lines at a high loss rate. Thousands of aircraft and crew members have shed their blood in the sky.

But how long can this situation last?

On paper, the speed at which the Ming Air Force trains qualified pilots is slightly faster than the speed at which it loses them. At the same time, vassal states such as Korea, Ryukyu, Lanzhou, and Japan can also provide some pilots. There is no need to worry about the number of aircraft manufactured, as it cannot be used up at all. There are always aircraft in stock and waiting for people.

In other words, while the Hawaiian Airlines war of attrition could theoretically continue for a long time, it may take three to five years to determine the winner.

Unless...something more powerful breaks this situation and takes the lead.

Zhu Lingjing had a hunch that the colluding Britain and the United States would continue to invest in new technologies to gain tactical advantages - just as they had already used new technologies on the European battlefield. This was the potential risk that she was worried about.

It can be said that the Ming Air Force stopped the reckless air raids of the US Air Force at a huge cost. For half a year, supplies have been continuously supplied. Otherwise, the situation of tens of thousands of Ming troops on Maui would not be much better than that of the Japanese troops on Guadalcanal in history. The US Army Air Force also realized this problem - although it often won air battles and produced dozens of ace pilots, it did not achieve the mission goal of cutting off the logistics line. The results were brilliant but essentially a failure!
The president once again urged the military to strike while the iron was hot and launch a counterattack on the Hawaiian Islands before the public outrage (from the Seattle air raid) had cooled.

General Henry Arnold, commander of the Army Air Force, flew to the Big Island of Hawaii to meet with Chester Nimitz. The two strolled around and chatted, and decided that the army and navy would work together to jointly launch a large-scale air offensive.

Henry Arnold instructed: "I don't want to see you proudly saying that a new ace pilot appeared today. I want to see the air raid report. Destroy enemy planes wherever they are found!"

The U.S. military prepared for the air offensive in many ways.

25. Modify a batch of B- medium bombers with enhanced forward-firing power and equip them with some bouncing bombs.

Second, mobilize BC-348 frequency detectors, APA-4 pulse analyzers and various electronic warfare equipment.

Third, request an electronic warfare advisory team from the Royal Air Force for guidance.

Fourth, Lieutenant General George Kenney took over as commander of the Army's 7th Air Force, and Colonel Curtis LeMay was also transferred to take over as commander of the heavy bomber unit.

For the past two years, the transport fleet to Hawaii has maintained a frequency of no more than one trip per week, regardless of rain or shine, and has never been interrupted.

A few days after the naval battle west of the Maury Fault ended, another transport fleet loaded with aviation gasoline, aerial bombs, and spare parts left San Francisco.

Previously, on October 10, the escort aircraft carrier USS Kitkun Bay was sunk by the Ming army's shore-based aviation force. Now, on October 11, another Sangamon-class escort aircraft carrier USS Suwannee was sunk by a Ming army submarine in the waters east of the Big Island.

In order to make up for the losses and strengthen the strength of the "sea airport" forces, the US military simply deployed four escort aircraft carriers, bringing the number of escort aircraft carriers performing sea airport missions to eight.

Although the Pacific Fleet has always looked down on these fragile escort carriers, they are cheap and numerous after all, so the Pacific Fleet proposed to send a few more.

However, the eleven Casablanca-class ships that had just been built and put into service still needed some training and would not be put into actual combat until the end of the year at the earliest, so the Navy Department rejected this proposal.

A violent offensive is about to hit, and now is the last calm before the storm.

Of course, the so-called tranquility is only relative.

"Woo-wu-wu-"

The all-clear echoed across Maalaea Bay, just south of Maui’s Bottleneck.

Dozens of small black dots disappeared in the eastern sky. Ripples still remained on the surface of the bay. The gasoline leaked from the sunken speedboat formed colorful oil spots, and there was a faint smell of gunpowder in the air.

In the nearby anti-aircraft artillery position, the ground was littered with empty brass shells that were still warm. The veterans casually took out cigarettes and lit them with the red-hot gun barrels, while the new recruits were picking up the scattered shells.

Such air raids have become commonplace, and the entire army has long been accustomed to them.

Ever since Lieutenant General Simon Buckner used a mobile task force to counter the piecemeal tactics, Zhou has gradually stopped this strategy.

Since then, the Ming and American armies on Maui have once again turned to a sit-in war. Under the instructions of Zhou, the Ming army has also formed a large number of sniper teams and mobile mortar teams to use cold guns and cold artillery to kill and injure American troops.

The rotorcraft equipped by the Ming army could fly silently into the rear of the US military positions at night, which had many miraculous effects, but also caused many setbacks.

The torpedo boats and gunboat units of both sides were extremely active and brilliant, and a skirmish broke out basically every two or three days.

"With the fighting going on like this, the fleet won't have the strength to come for a while!" Deng Siquan held a lit cigarette in his right hand and put his left hand on his waist.

"This time, the navy focused on the combined attack and killed us without leaving any chance of survival. They did sink three aircraft carriers, but the enemy still has several usable ships. The burden on our air force is still very heavy." Zhao Hanfeng went on to list the British and American aircraft carriers that were still capable of combat.

Zhou Changfeng poured himself a cup of tea and said calmly, "I think the Americans are quite anxious recently. Since they still have energy left after the naval battle, they will definitely come to deal with us next."

"I'm afraid so, Your Excellency." Zhao Hanfeng nodded solemnly, "The enemy's small units have been quite active in the past two days, and the frequency of wireless communications has increased a lot. The enemy lieutenant officer captured yesterday confessed that this was indeed the case. It was probably in the past few days."

"Come on! We've had enough of this rotten island!" Xie Wancheng patted his military uniform and smoothed his collar. "What's annoying is that these bastards just hide away. Now they're attacking me. That's exactly what I want!"

"The enemy is likely to choose the center as the main attack direction, almost certain." Zhou Changfeng took a sip of tea and continued, "In short, the general principle is to fight with caution, be sure to save ammunition, and not waste firepower. The supply line is very fragile and may be cut off at any time. This point must be emphasized repeatedly."

"Yes."

Zhou Changfeng and thousands of soldiers stayed at the front lines preparing for battle, and countless factories thousands of miles away in the country were also bustling with activity.

Most people feel that such efforts benefit the country, at least they think so themselves.

This day was the Double Ninth Festival in the second year of the Jinghe period. On this day, the employees of the government-run Fushan Shipyard only worked half a day and had a half-day holiday in the afternoon.

The three naval officers who took the train from Shanghai to Fushan Prefecture last night finally arrived around noon.

"Thank you for your hard work. You must be exhausted after traveling all night. Would you like to have some persimmons? We also have chrysanthemum cakes and date cakes. They are all freshly made."

The shipyard manager who came to receive the three people greeted them, and the group went straight to the farthest factory building.

On the road you can see ships being built, most of which have already taken shape.

The Fushan Shipyard is medium-sized and is currently building two destroyers and three frigates as well as several merchant ships.

"The final assembly is almost 80% complete, but there are still some parts that have not been delivered. The First Machine Company said that the small turret has been built and is waiting to be loaded onto the vehicle. However, Yongchang has been slow in delivering the goods, and it took four reminders before it was sent to the radio station. It's really not smooth at all." The engineer in charge of the project introduced as they walked.

When we arrived at the destination and just stepped into the factory, we saw three steel behemoths standing side by side quietly waiting there, more than two people tall.

"But I still don't understand, how can this thing weighing more than 100 metric tons be transported by sea? The largest crane on a cargo ship can only be 50 tons."

"Don't worry about that." One of the captains said coldly.

(End of this chapter)