afterglow

Chapter 428 Tianshi Youyuan is intact! Battle with Darwin
This Whitley MkII medium bomber, belonging to the 82nd Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, was hit by a 38.4mm tracer bullet that penetrated the middle of the aircraft during approach in horizontal flight.

The control cable broke, the vertical tail surface failed, and the hydraulic system gradually lost its function due to hydraulic oil leakage.

The crew members had made up their minds last night to throw the bomb out no matter what. If they were hit, they would hit it with the bomb!
Therefore, the pilot, Lieutenant Joyel, did not hesitate to pull the joystick with all his strength and control the ten-ton twin-engine bomber to dive towards the nearest important target, the aircraft carrier Amaichi Ugaki.

A round of 20.8㎜ and 38.4㎜ anti-explosive bombs came towards it, as if multiple spotlights were shining on it.

It is actually not easy to control a fast-flying aircraft to hit a target. A slight deviation will deviate from the target and lose yourself in vain. This is the main reason why rookie pilots perform poorly when performing such tasks.

But as a qualified pilot, Lieutenant Joyl piloted the Whitley bomber and aimed it at the flight deck of the Amaichi Ugaki, rushing towards it at a speed of 400km/h.

Because it has broken through the mid-range shooting range of the twin 38.4mm anti-aircraft guns, it only needs to face those small-caliber 20.8mm anti-aircraft guns in the next ten seconds.

Such close-range anti-air firepower is enough to cause fatal damage to a fighter jet, but it cannot shake this twin-engine bomber that is riddled with holes but is still murderous.

Less than 500 meters away and about to hit the flight deck, four [-]-pound aerial bombs detached from their belly magazines and fell forward.

"boom!!!"

A black-gray mushroom cloud mixed with orange-yellow flames emerged from the Tianshi Youyuan, and countless fragments flew in all directions.

Zhou Changfeng, who was on the bridge of the battleship Longshuo, witnessed the whole scene, his face stiffened, and then he took a deep breath.

Lin Xunzhen beside him had an expression of disbelief on his face, as if he could not accept the facts happening in the distance at all.

He spat loudly: "Damn it! This is a mad dog!"

[picture]

The bomber just hit the front flight deck of the Tianshi Youyuan at an angle of incidence of approximately 40° relative to the horizontal plane. The wooden deck absorbed a certain amount of impact, which caused the aircraft not to instantly smash into pieces, but to disintegrate into pieces. It became several large wrecks and countless fragments.

Hot metal fragments scattered all over the deck, even igniting several aircraft parked at the rear of the deck.

The 500-pound aerial bomb it dropped before impact also hit the Tianshi Youyuan——

An aerial bomb hit the anti-aircraft gun platform on the port side, and the two twin 38.4mm anti-aircraft guns and the sailors were instantly swallowed up by the explosion and fire.

The other three penetrated the wooden flight deck and steel truss diagonally, and then two hit the hangar deck armor and exploded. The other one skidded due to the small incident angle and jumped from the right side of the hangar. It slipped out of the opening and exploded in the air when it was about to fall into the sea.

The Tianshi Youyuan light aircraft carrier adopts an open hangar. The shock wave of the explosion in the hangar can be released to both sides, which can reduce the damage suffered by the warship itself.

However, the aircraft and personnel in the hangar still inevitably suffered heavy casualties. 9 carrier-based torpedo aircraft were damaged to varying degrees. 7 ground crew members and 4 second lieutenants, lieutenants, and captain pilots of the "Chu" torpedo fleet were killed on the spot. Another 26 Ground crew and crew members were injured.

The aircraft bomb that slid out of the hangar and exploded over the sea also caused some damage. The countless high-speed fragments it produced left the starboard anti-aircraft gun platform, ramp, roller shutter, and hull riddled with holes.

The fleet commander hurriedly called to inquire, but the Tianshi Youyuan reported that the situation was urgent and the loss statistics had not been completed yet.

"How is the condition of your ship? Report the damage!"

"Reply, the bomb did not penetrate the strong deck, and a fire broke out in the front half of the hangar. The fire was very large. The damage control team is working on the rescue. The power supply is unstable..."

"Boom-"

A roar could be heard from the other side in the radio communication, which immediately drowned out the human voice.

Everyone turned to look at the Tianshi Youyuan, and saw several more flashes of light and thick smoke appearing in the middle of the ship.

A major said nervously: "I'm afraid the bomb hanging on the aircraft in the hangar exploded..."

The battle will not press the pause button because of this, the fierce battle between the sky and the sea continues.

The incoming Whitley bombers and Blenheim bombers were broken up by anti-aircraft fire, and only a dozen flew over the fleet to drop bombs.

Dozens of aerial bombs exploded columns of water rising into the sky, with larger water columns weighing 500 pounds and smaller water columns weighing 250 pounds.

The hit rate of horizontal bombing is not high, and the dense anti-aircraft firepower significantly affects the targeted bombing.

Therefore, in the end, only the heavy cruiser Yanshan was hit on the stern by a 250-pound aerial bomb, causing one person to be killed and four others to be injured; another minesweeper was hit by a near-missile, causing a small amount of water intrusion.

The actions of Lieutenant Joyel's crew undoubtedly inspired other Australian pilots, and soon another damaged Blenheim MkI light bomber changed course and dived straight towards the Ming fleet.

Before, they were at a loss because they did not expect it for the first time, but this time the Ming fleet did not dare to take it lightly.

The air defense control officers of each ship were giving stern instructions, and at that time almost half of the fleet's air defense firepower was focused on it.

The 20.8㎜ and 38.4㎜ anti-explosive bombs and tracer anti-explosive bombs gathered from all directions were like spotlights in the exhibition hall.

The left wing of the Blenheim bomber broke off and then turned into a rolling fireball. It deviated from its flight direction and fell heavily into the sea, just over 200 meters away from the heavy cruiser Yinshan.

This thrilling battle ended like this. The officers and soldiers responsible for controlling the weapons may be able to breathe a sigh of relief, but the damage control team members continued to fight.

The light cruiser Liujiang approached the Tianshi Youyuan at low speed and tried to help put out the fire and rescue.

The previous violent impact caused the bomber's own fuel to spill on the deck and ignite a fire. The hot metal fragments also ignited more Ming army carrier-based aircraft.

Although the 500-pound aerial bomb that exploded in the hangar failed to penetrate the strong deck, it opened a large hole in the flight deck.

Half of the hangar was filled with flames, and thick smoke poured out from the openings around the hangar, converging into a huge black smoke column over the aircraft carrier that shot straight into the sky.

The fire sprinkler system was turned on, but the violent explosion damaged many pipes, so only half of the sprinklers were functioning properly.

Countless fine water mist sprayed down, barely restraining the spread of the fire.

Ordinary lights cannot work in thick smoke, so emergency lighting emits orange-red light with a longer wavelength that can more easily penetrate smoke and dust.

The damage control teams of Ming Navy ships are usually divided into three categories, distinguished by the colors of their sleeves - red is the fire prevention team, yellow is the electrical team, and blue is the water pump team.

The standard attire of the fire protection team in combat is to wear a steel helmet on the head, a fire-retardant scarf on the neck, fire-retardant gloves that extend to the elbow, and clothes and pants made of pure white flame-retardant fabrics.

"What are you doing standing there?! If the bomb explodes, you'll die! Throw them all into the sea!" "Report! The oil drum over there is swollen!"

The damage control team members pushed everything with a risk of explosion into the sea through the openings around the hangar - throw away the oil drums! Throw away the bomb! Throw away the torpedo!
The high temperature generated by the flames caused the water mist sprayed by the spray to heat and boil. The black smoke and white steam were mixed together, and the visibility was only a few steps away!

Many people suffered from heatstroke without even realizing it, or even fainted and went into shock. Everyone had to wash each other with water guns at regular intervals to cool down.

Thick toxic black smoke enveloped the superstructure of the Tianshi Youyuan, and the captain had to order everyone to evacuate the bridge...

"Is there any structural damage?"

"Back to the commander, no, the power deck is still intact. It's okay, this ship can't sink!"

The generals on the bridge of the Longshuo breathed a sigh of relief as a result of the feedback.

There is no structural damage. No matter how badly damaged it seems, it won't be a big problem and it can be repaired as good as before in a few months.

Zhou Changfeng was greatly moved. He did not expect to witness such a fateful exchange in Australia during his lifetime.

Originally, I claimed that I wanted to see what Australians are capable of, but it really opened my eyes...

The number of casualties suffered by the Tianshi Youyuan light aircraft carrier in this battle reached 88, with 19 officers and soldiers killed, 22 seriously injured, and 4 others missing.

Given that some of the injured were severely burned, I am afraid that more people will continue to die from their injuries in the next few days.

After the damage control team members took turns fighting, the fire was completely extinguished that night. There was no risk of the Tianshi Youyuan sinking and the condition was stable.

At the sea burial ceremony held the next day, the navy officers had mixed emotions as they looked at the body bags falling into the sea from the stern of the ship one by one.

The naval fleet shot down a total of 4 enemy aircraft, and the carrier-based aircraft launched to intercept also shot down 5.

It was supposed to be an easy air attack, but after being hit like this, the result was a direct counterattack.

Because of the inconvenience of preserving corpses, navies of all countries almost without exception adopt sea burials. Although Akito insists on being laid to rest, as long as he wants to board a warship, he must agree to sea burial.

Such kamikaze behavior is undoubtedly a huge blow to morale. It will not only make people highly nervous, but also make people doubt the legitimacy of their own attack.

"The past few battles have been smooth sailing, but now I'm facing a life-and-death opponent... I really can't adapt to it all at once."

Lin Xunzhen was both annoyed and embarrassed. He had been quite confident before, saying that the Australian army could not pose a threat to the fleet without dive bombers, but he was immediately slapped in the face.

Zhou Changfeng beside him put his burned cigarette in the ashtray and said calmly: "150 years is enough time for people here to develop a sense of territorial identity. It sounds very short, and it is incomparable with hundreds of thousands of years of history. , but if you think about it carefully, it has been seven generations."

"Indeed, but this can only be regarded as a slight increase in difficulty."

"You're... being a little too dismissive."

"This group of people is stubborn. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed." Lin Xunzhen said fiercely with an awe-inspiring face.

Zhou Changfeng could sense that, perhaps because of his special background, Lin Xunzhen had a particularly strong sense of national identity, and many times his remarks could be described as cruel and cold-blooded.

Compared with the losses of the Navy's surface ships today, the Army has suffered much more in the days since the landing.

The Australian 6th Infantry Division fought to the death in deep positions, leaving the Army's No. 20 [-]th Infantry Division, which was responsible for the main attack, confused.

The number of casualties exceeded 70. The fierce battle caused the No. 40 Ninth Regiment to suffer huge losses. Several infantry teams were almost completely empty, with only three to [-] people left.

The 3.7th Regiment, which took over the attack, was even more unlucky. Although it achieved a breakthrough with the support of the [-]st Attack Tank Battalion, the Australian army used QF [-]-inch heavy anti-aircraft guns to attack the Ming army's heavy tanks with flat fire.

This 94mm anti-aircraft gun can penetrate 114mm thick homogeneous steel armor. Even the Tiger that was born two years later cannot resist it, let alone today's early heavy tanks.

The First Attack Tank Battalion was destroyed and damaged many Type [-] heavy tanks in a short period of time, and was forced to retreat.

The 6th Brigade of the Australian 18th Division immediately organized five companies to launch a crazy counterattack - the artillery support fired by Xu Jin was so close that it almost stuck to the faces of the infantry, which was far below safety standards and even caused accidental injuries.

A bloody hand-to-hand battle broke out between the two sides on the position, and then the [-]nd Battalion of the [-]th Regiment was driven out of the position they had just captured.

Unwilling to admit defeat, Zhong Chenhan, the commander of the [-]th Regiment, personally wore a steel helmet and went to the front line to direct the battle. As a result, he was shot in the chest by an Australian sniper and died.

After several days and nights of hard fighting, the Australian 6th Division was finally completely repulsed by the Ming army. The remaining troops withdrew into the city and tried to hold on to the end.

The 27st Marine Brigade also suffered more casualties than expected, but it was generally okay - because the commander of the [-]th Division took over all the tasks before the war, the field attack was mainly borne by him.

But there was no way to stay out of the ensuing street fighting, otherwise the [-]st Marine Brigade would definitely be ridiculed in the future for not caring about the life and death of friendly troops and not fighting hard. Mu Xiu Yu Lin is already in a dangerous state. If he doesn't maintain good relations with his neighbors, he will definitely be isolated.

Standing with his arms crossed, Zhou Changfeng stared at the map and said seriously: "Darwin is dominated by low-rise bungalows, with more brick-concrete structures and fewer reinforced concrete buildings. The key is to seize those reinforced concrete buildings as support points."

"It's better to cooperate with the naval artillery fire to level this city. It's too troublesome to clear it up a little bit." Lin Xunzhen suggested: "Once you mark the block where the enemy is firmly entrenched, launch a fierce shelling on it."

Zhou Changfeng waved his hand and rejected it as soon as he heard it, "No, it's just nonsense. The worse the explosion, the harder it will be to fight."

The Luxun command ship was still in the running-in period for its personnel, and it was still half a month before the training was completed when it set off. Zhou Changfeng didn't want to hurry up, so he didn't take them with him.

After the Battle of Darwin is over, the Luxun can set sail and join the fleet. Then the actual combat effectiveness of the amphibious command ship can be tested when landing in Moresby.

According to the formulated combat plan, the No. 20 Seventh Infantry Division is responsible for Nancheng District, and the [-]st Marine Brigade is responsible for Beicheng District.

They attacked from north to south, splitting the entire Darwin in two, capturing important buildings as advancement points, and severing the connections between the defenders, making it impossible for them to support each other.

"Once again, we emphasize the intensive use of automatic weapons, multiple and efficient use of flamethrowers and explosives, and steady advancement. Remember not to go deep alone. No unit can escape more than 150 meters alone."

"Order!"

Zhou Changfeng nodded slightly, raised his left hand, "Check the watch."

[Schematic diagram of virtual dizziness operation]

(End of this chapter)