Iron Cross

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What made Fuchida Mitsuo helpless was that although the Essex had been hit by a torpedo, it seemed that it had little impact, and its evasive action was still very flexible. Its speed was also maintained at more than 23 knots. Three consecutive Comet-type attack groups were successfully avoided by the opponent.

He had no choice but to let the Tianshan-type release all the remaining torpedoes, and then try to create a chaotic scene to launch a bombing war. At this time, the Honolulu (Brooklyn-class) had rushed to block it. The ship blocked two of the eight torpedoes that were deployed in a fan-shaped surface, and the remaining five were deflected. The Essex was hit by another torpedo, and a large amount of seawater poured in, and the tilt was aggravated. Taking advantage of the chaos of the US military, the last batch of Comet-type attacks rushed down to drop bombs. The front and rear decks of the ship were hit by a bomb each, and black smoke rose to the sky.

But the unexpected situation occurred. The Essex had been hit by two torpedoes and two bombs, but it was still floating on the water and refused to sink. At this time, the Japanese planes had used up all their bombs and torpedoes. Fuchida Mitsuo reluctantly announced the end of the mission and led the remaining planes back home in a sullen manner.

This round of attack almost killed the Essex. The bombs near the bridge on the front deck directly killed more than 200 ground crew members and sailors, and the bombs falling on the rear deck blew the stern into a mess. The two torpedoes caused the warship to take in more than 4,000 tons of water, but thanks to the efforts of the damage control team and the luck that was against the sky, this new fleet aircraft carrier did not sink directly.

However, at this time, the speed of the warship dropped to only 8 knots, and its footsteps were staggering and shaky, and it was in danger of capsizing at any time.

"Sir, the captain suggested that we change the flagship."

"Retreat, we can't fight anymore." Halsey sighed to the sky.

The generals, led by Nimitz, boarded the lifeboat in a panic and transferred to the battleship Alabama. During the transfer, he was silent for a long time before saying: "Retreat, try to save the Essex!"

"What about the attack aircraft that have been launched?" Giffen wanted to suggest abandoning the mission and returning directly, but looking at the furious Halsey, he did not express this idea.

"Continue to perform the mission and return, land on the Saratoga as much as possible, and arrange 1-2 destroyers to pick up the parachuting pilots and bring everyone back. The fleet cannot lose them." Halsey gave the order.

"Should we notify the Japanese fleet attacking the west?" Giffen proposed again.

After repeated consideration, Nimitz refused, because the troops were not clear about the situation in the west, and rashly going there would only cause unnecessary losses.

At 15:17, Shigeharu Murata led the fourth wave of Japanese attack from the mobile fleet. This wave only brought 53 aircraft in total. Tsukahara left 27 anti-aircraft fighters to cover the mobile fleet. At this time, there was no anti-aircraft fighter over the guerrilla fleet, and there were only 8 fighters over the bombardment fleet. Hearing that the fleet suffered heavy losses, Hori Teikichi reduced the number of anti-aircraft fighters again, leaving only 8 in the end.

15 minutes after the fourth wave set off, the last attack group of 40 aircraft launched by Essex arrived. 27 Zero fighters did their best to intercept, and all the aircraft attempting to attack Zuikaku were intercepted. However, an accident soon occurred: a TBF saw that the dive bombers could not gain an advantage in the direction of Zuikaku, so it took advantage of the opportunity to attack Ryuho. Although this TBF was the only one among nearly ten TBFs to drop a torpedo, and it was soon shot down, the torpedo hit the midship of Ryuho squarely and penetrated easily. The Ryuho, which weighed only more than 10,000 tons, could not withstand such destruction, and a large amount of water was taken in and tilted. The whole ship floated on it like a dead fish.

"Sir, the Ryuho can't be saved."

"Abandon the ship." Tsukahara looked at the more than 10 American planes that retreated in a scattered manner and smiled bitterly, "I don't know how Fuchida's results are. Tell him the situation here and ask him to go to the guerrilla fleet for replenishment. All the attack planes that can fly here are transferred to Kakuta."

Kakuta Kakuji has received the situation report. On the one hand, he was surprised by the loss of the mobile fleet, and on the other hand, he was shocked by the sturdiness of the Essex. He said to the people around him fiercely: "Fight again, and we must send the Essex into the sea!"

At 16:48, Murata Shigeharu arrived over the battlefield. His mission was to find and destroy the two severely damaged aircraft carriers of the US military. But perhaps because the pilots were too tired from continuous missions, they did not find the large force where Nimitz and Halsey were at the first time. By mistake, they started a search and found the New Mexico and Saratoga sailing separately in another direction-there were less than 6 destroyers around them.

At 17:03, the USS Saratoga, a veteran of the Pacific Fleet that had been on the front line since the Battle of Pearl Harbor, was finally sunk by three torpedoes in the turbulent central Pacific Ocean. Accompanying it was the USS New Mexico, a veteran of World War I with a service life of nearly 30 years, which finally followed the footsteps of the Mississippi and Idaho of the same class. Its sinking also announced the complete destruction of this class of battleships.

At 17:59, the Japanese army, which had become a spent force, gathered the last 45 attack aircraft to carry out the fifth wave of attack missions, hoping to finally deal with the USS Essex, but Tsukahara considered it again and again, worrying that it would be too dark when returning, and the pilots were too tired, and it was likely that the losses would be too great. Despite everyone's persuasion, he gave up this round of attack, but agreed to fight again tomorrow.

Just when the Pacific Fleet suffered heavy losses, the U.S. military in Tarawa also reached its final moment. When they learned that the Pacific Fleet was retreating and that they could no longer receive any support, the morale of the U.S. Marine Corps, which had lost nearly half of its strength, finally collapsed, and in the evening they chose surrendered.

Early the next morning, Kusaka Renichi reported the overall battle situation to Horikichi with a sad face.

"Sir, the situation is very bad..."

"Tell me, I'm mentally prepared."

"The Shokaku was seriously damaged and is expected to require 5-6 months of repairs; the Zuihe was slightly damaged; the Ryūho and Bolzano sank; the Béarn was moderately damaged and needs to be docked for overhaul, with the loss of nearly 180 aircraft and pilots (Group) There are 84 people who did not return, and there is almost no chance of survival... Haruna..."

He had just finished speaking when a confidential staff officer quietly handed him a piece of telegram. As soon as Kusaka Ren saw it, his face turned pale and his hands trembled. After a long time, he said: "The Yukikaze and Shigure sent a telegram, encountering a US submarine. , the Haruna, which was the first to leave the battlefield and go to Truk yesterday, was struck by three mines at dawn today, and was ultimately unable to be saved and sank..."

"Haruna doesn't matter. The loss of pilots is too heartbreaking. The battle loss rate exceeds 30%. I originally said that I would take them all back to rest..." Horikichi sighed, "There are always sacrifices in wars. Forget it... Let me tell you. The result."

"Sinked the US regular aircraft carrier Saratoga, 1 Independence-class light aircraft carrier, 6 escort aircraft carriers, 1 New Mexico-class battleship, 2 Brooklyn-class light cruisers, 1 Kent-class heavy cruiser, and 1 unknown cruiser , 8-9 destroyers, severely damaged the Essex, and may have had some other results, but the details are unknown, shooting down nearly 400 enemy aircraft..."

In addition to the above-mentioned statistics for the losses of the US military, the most heart-wrenching loss is the loss of carrier-based aircraft pilots: excluding fleet A, fleet B has a total of more than 200 pilots (groups) with a loss rate of nearly 75%, of which more than 30 (groups) ) had successfully crash-landed or parachuted on Tarawa Island, but because the island was eventually occupied by the Japanese army, these people also became prisoners. If the loss of A fleet pilots is included, the loss rate of the entire Pacific Fleet's aviation forces in the battle is as high as 86% - almost all of them were wiped out.

In addition to pilots, Pacific Fleet sailors also suffered a lot of losses. The combined personnel losses on each ship were as high as more than 3,000, not counting the losses of the army and aviation on Tarawa and Tuvalu. Whether strategically or tactically, the winner of the Battle of Gilbert was the United Fleet - although their losses were not small.

Horikichi's eyes lit up after hearing this: "Very good, this means that there are only two South Dakota-class ships left in the main force of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitz can only hide in Pearl Harbor for the next 6-8 months. What else can he do? Can’t do it either.”

"But we can't move. Dafeng won't be able to serve until December, and Zuihe will have to rest for at least a month."

"Takuda with two light aircraft carriers is enough to run rampant." Horikichi laughed, "We don't have to go to Hawaii, we can intercept the U.S. military's shipping with a squadron. Without supplies, the U.S. forces in Australia and New Zealand can still Is it ridiculous? Taking a step back, even if Australia and New Zealand can barely maintain it, will the US military still have the ability to intervene in the situation in India? "

Caolu Renyi figured it out and turned his worries into joy.

"Everyone, be happy, we are the victors! The battle is over, and the next step is to go home. When we return to the mainland, I will treat everyone to a drink! Let's have a good drink together. Prime Minister Mussolini gave me several bottles of expensive red wine." Horikichi waved his hands in high spirits, comforting everyone, "At least the Shokaku is still there, isn't it? I have long been planning to send it to the shipyard for repairs and add a catapult; Bolzano came here in vain, and if it is lost, it will be lost; It's a pity that the Dragon Phoenix can counterattack, but it's totally possible. This is a real victory. We don't need to lock you up in a naval hospital to whitewash the situation."

As soon as this joke came out, everyone burst out laughing.

"I helped Minister Yamamoto do what he originally wanted to do but failed - to destroy all the Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers!" Horikichi said with pride on his face, "What's not satisfying about this? You can't win without a fight. Right? How can Americans still be called the hegemons of two oceans if they are so weak?

Everyone in the commander's tower saluted respectfully: "We would like to congratulate you, sir!"

"Everyone, let's go to the island. Let's go see where the Marines are holding on..."

Although the Marines immediately asked the U.S. side about the whereabouts of their prisoners and Shibazaki after accepting the surrender of the U.S. Army, the U.S. officers and soldiers said they did not know, inferring that they might have been killed directly by artillery fire - no bones left. The Japanese army was inclined to accept this kind of explanation.

After listening to the complete story of the bloody battle of Tarawa told by the American prisoners, and seeing the fortifications where the two sides fought bloody battles, the listeners were all moved and sighed. Horikichi said: "What a pity! It's my fault! I'll do it. It’s too late! Collect the bones of the fallen and bring them back home so that their heroic spirits can finally rest in peace!”

"play music!"

The military band played the passionate "Warship March". Starting from the second stage, led by Horikichi, more than 1,000 officers and soldiers who landed sang loudly:

…

The corpse floats on the sea with the waves;

stepping over mountains;

The body itself withers away without weeds;

I will perish for you;

Die without regrets!

Coal burning smoke billows across the Pacific Ocean;

Let the wind blow and fly with the dragon!

The loud roar of the broadside and heavy guns shook the Pacific Ocean;

Like thunder hitting the ears, sudden like lightning, and powerful like breaking thousands of bamboos;

waves that span thousands of miles;

…

"Sir, it's a military song, a naval song, it's the Battleship March!" The remnants in the cave cried and jumped, almost going crazy, "The Combined Fleet won! Won! Come to save us!"

"Could it be that the enemy disguised and tricked us out?"

"No, how could the American and British devils sing the Battleship March? This must be our own people, our own people."

Shibasaki waved his hand weakly: "Go out! If you don't go, we'll all be doomed."

"Damn it, the cave is blocked by big rocks and can't be dug out!" Someone cried, "Are we going to die here?"

When the Combined Fleet bombarded Tarawa on a large scale, the cave where the remnants of the Japanese army on Tarawa were located was fortunately not directly hit by a single shot, otherwise they would all die directly, but the rocks and debris in other places inevitably covered this place.

"Don't you still have grenades? Blow them up! Blow them up!"

"It won't blow them up."

"Idiot, who told you to blow them up? Just make some noise."

"Boom!" A muffled sound came out.

"What's that noise?"

"Protect the commander!" Someone nearby shouted anxiously. A bunch of lieutenants and staff officers surrounded Hori Teikichi and almost trapped him to death.

"Go and have a look. There may be some American soldiers left. Be careful!" Hori Teikichi panted and told his men, "The battle is over. Don't kill people at will. Focus on humanitarianism. Capture prisoners."

Speaking of humanitarianism, the Marines drove the Type 4 tank directly over there - who knows what's hidden there.

Half an hour later, someone rushed over to report: "Commander, good news, good news. General Shibasaki is still alive. He and more than 20 officers and soldiers are trapped in a cave, but they are in very poor condition."

"What?" Hori Teikichi was overjoyed. "I'll go and have a look." "

"Military doctor, military doctor, call the military doctor over." Kusaka Renji thought for a moment and ordered, "Use the special medicine on the Musashi, quickly!"

When Hori Teikichi arrived at the scene, the cave had been dug up, and the officers and soldiers who could still walk were rescued first. Shibasaki, who could no longer walk, was carried out of the cave.

Seeing Shibasaki and the 22 surviving officers and soldiers who were struggling on the brink of life and death, their bodies like skeletons, almost the same as "living dead", Hori Teikichi bent down deeply and bowed: "I am Hori Teikichi, leading the combined fleet to rescue late, please forgive me! You have worked hard!"

The surrounding officers all bowed their heads: "We are very sorry for being late in rescue! "

Shibasaki raised his shaking hands and saluted on the stretcher: "I am Shibasaki Keiji... I was ordered to defend Tarawa, but I was defeated... I lost my army, please punish me..."

After saying this, he fainted...