afterglow

Chapter 470 Macro Comparison; Performance of Recoilless Rifles

After that, the two Ziweiyuan-class ships of the second formation immediately released their fleet, scrambling to carry out violent bombing of the US military airport on Makin Atoll.

The voyage log of the Taiwei Youyuan was properly transferred, and the destroyer Qingjiang and the light cruiser Fenhe also recounted the situation at that time.

The naval admirals previously thought that the attack on the Taiwei Youyuan was purely due to carelessness, but now analysis has revealed that it does not seem to be the case.

The supervisor of the Ziwei Zuoyuanhao thought about it for a long time and said seriously: "It's not that I am partial to anyone, I think this is really unpreventable."

"Attack from the east and attack from the west, while attracting people from the front, and at the same time using large bombers to make a low-altitude surprise attack on the back side." A colonel's staff also shook his head slightly, "Tsk, this is the first time I encountered something strange, so I can't be prepared."

Others hold a different view, "Actually, there may be some faults. If they had kept radio silence, maybe they wouldn't have been discovered this time."

But this argument was quickly refuted by others, "How can you predict everything? There are always gaps in everything. According to what you said, we are also at fault. Why? Because there is no airport that gives Ma Jin a break at dawn. Blow up.”

Good guy, why don't you think about who should be held responsible?

Zhou Changfeng, who was a little annoyed, frowned and said: "Is it meaningful to pursue responsibility and fault? To be honest, your responsibility cannot be compared to the army troops I have encountered before."

His words hurt the hearts of many people, but it was hard to do it in person, so Zhou had to give him some face.

Ouyang Zhanghua glanced at the officers present and waved his hand: "An unsatisfactory ending cannot change the ending. Return to their respective posts."

Those who had something to say suppressed their words, everyone clasped their fists in salute, and then dispersed.

After a while, Zhou Changfeng said with a wry smile: "Senior Ouyang, you said that you planned to lose three or four ships yesterday, and now it has come true."

"This lesson is very expensive." Ouyang Zhanghua pondered thoughtfully: "But this is unlikely to happen again. The four-engine large aircraft is too bulky, and the low-altitude bombing of warships can only be considered a coincidence, taking advantage of the unexpected. .”

"Early warning is very important. This time the electrical detection did not play much role. Our army is at a disadvantage in this regard." Zhou Changfeng pointed upward with his index finger.

"That's it, we need to speed up the progress in this area." Ouyang Zhanghua nodded lightly and said: "According to the report of yesterday's attack, it is estimated that the range of the Americans' electrical detection can reach 200 miles. This gap is not small. ”

At 13:21 that day, due to an out-of-control internal fire, a large number of cables and equipment were burned, and power was cut off in most cabins of the Taiwei Youyuan.

This further aggravated the spread of the fire, and some of the missing scattered ammunition exploded due to being burned for a long time.

The destroyer Qingjiang fired torpedoes to sink it. However, it was not until 14:35 that the Taiwei Youyuan, which was tilted 24° to the left, had not capsized. The Qingjiang had to fire torpedoes again, and then it was completely destroyed. sunk.

Judging from a macro perspective, whether it is tactics or strategy, the winner of the Tarawa naval battle is still the Ming Navy.

After this battle, the Gilbert Islands will be under the control of the Ming army, the routes between the United States and Australia are basically cut off, and the Ming army also has a base to attack Hawaii from the south.

The Ming Navy still has 1 Taiweiyuan-class aircraft carrier, 1 Fomalhaut-class light carrier, 2 Ziweiyuan-class armored carriers, and 2 Tianshiyuan-class aircraft carriers.

The Tianshi Youyuan, which was severely damaged in the Battle of Darwin, has now been repaired and will soon be restored to its original state.

Due to differences in construction techniques and unfamiliarity with the structure, the repair period for the captured Lexington will be longer, possibly until mid-summer.

In addition, the large armored aircraft carrier converted from the Yongle-class battleships No. 3 and No. 4 is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

For comparison, the U.S. Navy only has the USS Saratoga and the USS Enterprise left. The third Yorktown-class ship, the Hornet, is currently working overtime and is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.

It is foreseeable that the Americans' strategic defense will be extended for some time.

At dusk that day, the three formations converged off the coast of Tarawa Atoll.

As far as the eye can see, the sea is covered with warships of all sizes, and aircraft groups that have completed their bombing missions are returning calmly.

In the Yongle battleship conference room, everyone discussed the island landing strategy for the next day, and then took the topic to a more profound level.

"The United Kingdom and the United States are very close now, and they seem to be colluding with each other," Song Zhongkai picked up the teapot and poured a small cup, and said leisurely: "Maybe there will be a British aircraft carrier to support the scene."

"According to reliable information, the Glorious will be commissioned immediately, and the Formidable will be ready in August or September." A lieutenant colonel said without thinking.

"This possibility is relatively high. The British do not have much demand for aircraft carriers in Europe."

"It makes sense. The Germans are reducing their ship-breaking operations. From now on, these large fleet aircraft carriers will have no use in the Atlantic."

Last year, although the German Navy's surface ship breaking operation had many highlights, it was a strategic failure.

Today is not what it used to be. Today's reconnaissance and search capabilities are no longer the time for the European War. No matter how fast a high-speed destroyer is, it cannot be faster than an airplane.

Moreover, the risk of using expensive capital ships to hunt merchant ships is too high, the cost-efficiency ratio is not optimistic, and the cost of sinking is unacceptable. A VII-class submarine costing 470 million marks is the general trend.

It’s not that capital ships cannot afford them, but submarines are more cost-effective.

As the Veneto and Littorio of the Royal Italian Navy were "leased" to the British army, the Workers' Naval Command suddenly felt pressure and threats.

Because they were not designed to operate in the Atlantic, the Veneto-class battleships had average seakeeping and a short range. They tried to pursue Franz and Bruno several times, but they all ended in failure.

The Workers' Navy Command was worried that something would happen one day - its two battlecruisers had little chance of winning against the Italians' new battleships.

And how can I not get my shoes wet when I often walk along the river? If there really was an encounter, another precious battleship would be destroyed if it could not be saved.

Therefore, they are considering withdrawing several battle cruisers and heavy cruisers that are performing the task of breaking the diplomatic relationship and postponing the action of surface ships to break the diplomatic relationship indefinitely.

"Looking at it this way, by the end of this year, the situation in the Pacific will be nine ships versus five ships at most."

"Taking all things into consideration, it is better to take advantage of the greater advantage now and seize the day to plan an offensive. After that, it is time to turn to the defensive."

"Yes, this is exactly the most suitable time to seize Hawaii." The captain of the Xuande was full of confidence. He waved his hand, "The battle fleet and landing fleet are pressing forward, the aircraft carrier fleet is cruising outside, and the army is coming ashore to take this bone. Chew it down! There won’t be a shop like this after passing this village.”

The naval generals, including Zhou, all believed that now was a rare opportunity and they must make every effort to expand the results.

The Taiwei Youyuan was suddenly attacked and sunk after the naval battle ended. It can only be said to be an accident. It was like driving back to my hometown to celebrate the New Year. It was almost scratched and dented at the door of my home. It was unlucky, but at least I got home safely.

Dozens of pilots who collectively abandoned their planes and parachuted to the Mayana Atoll, except for a few who died of serious injuries, were all rescued before sunset. The pilots belonging to the Taiwei Youyuan were shocked after learning the news of the attack on the aircraft carrier. Surprised. As the sun sets over the western ocean, the fleet is undergoing refueling operations.

The oil tanker and the target warship approach, one behind the other, with the oil tanker in front and the warship receiving refueling behind, and then throw out the cable and oil pipe.

The Ming Navy usually uses second-class heavy oil for ships. This sticky, black heavy oil is the residue left after crude oil is refined into gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. It looks like cough syrup and needs to be preheated to 100°C. Delivered via pipeline.

But at this moment, a signal flare suddenly shot into the sky from a destroyer on the west side of the fleet, and a cry of "torpedo tracks found" came from the radio frequency band.

Being attacked by an unidentified submarine, the officers and soldiers finally relaxed their tension again.

A few minutes later, the heavy patrol Wuyishan reported that it seemed to have been hit by one or two torpedoes. The officers and soldiers in the lower cabin claimed to have heard an obvious impact sound, but there was no explosion and no loss.

The destroyer Cangzhou went to drive away, and the depth charges rumbled, setting off huge waves on the sea.

There was such a fuss that after a long time, the submarine alarm was finally lifted.

The next day.

The sky was dimming, and the officers and soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Marine Brigade had already pulled the rope net onto the landing craft.

Artillery of various calibers were spitting flames, and raindrops of shells hit the dilapidated US military positions, adding to the mess. With the direct fire support of five destroyers, they landed in the middle of the Tarawa Atoll.

Last night, Zhou Changfeng and Yan Chenwu determined the final strategy for landing on the island. It is very simple to say, that is, they will first go ashore from the middle, cut off the long and narrow atoll from the middle, and then gradually sweep the remaining positions step by step.

Zhou Changfeng, who was observing the war, was actually not very interested. The US military, which had lost the naval battle, was now fighting alone, and its morale was average.

Its position construction is relatively rigid, lacking the dexterity to adapt to local conditions, and its actual combat performance is lackluster.

After the US artillery positions were either destroyed or suppressed, the losses of the 2nd Marine Brigade plummeted as expected, with most of the casualties concentrated at the beginning of the artillery bombardment.

Excluding these unsurprising things, the only thing that concerned Zhou Changfeng was the prototype Type 40 recoilless rifles.

Half of the thirty doors completed by the Wuhan Army Arsenal working overtime were given to the Second Marine Brigade. The Battle of Tarawa Atoll was a good time to test its effectiveness.

Although the rocket launcher has significantly improved the Ming Army's infantry unit's ability to attack difficult tasks, its range and accuracy are not satisfactory. Grassroots officers and soldiers have always longed for a companion weapon that is lightweight, highly accurate, and has a long range.

The recoilless rifle perfectly meets this demand. Although the total combat weight of more than 160 kilograms is still a bit bulky, it is good to use at the moment. What kind of bicycle do you need?

Following Zhou's suggestion, each infantry battalion transformed the original combat anti-gun platoon into a recoilless gun platoon, replacing six 80 mm combat anti-guns with four 14.4mm recoilless rifles.

In actual combat, the lower issue is usually assigned to one or two teams participating in the battle. When encountering enemy firepower, they can be directly targeted and bombarded to remove them in time, which significantly improves the overall combat efficiency.

In particular, the trial-produced Type 40 recoilless rifle can accurately fire at 300 meters, while the Type 37 combat rocket launcher often has to get as close as dozens of meters.

How many casualties will a gap of more than two hundred meters increase in actual combat, and how much time will be lost? The superior performance of the recoilless rifle has won praises from the officers and soldiers of the Second Marine Brigade.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Da da da da——"

"Down! Machine gun!"

Next to a rolling land north of the airport, an infantry squad of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Regiment was suddenly shot while searching. The soldiers hurriedly lay down to find cover, lying on the reverse slope of the earth slope with their backs against the crater.

As the leading mission, they ran into a forward position. The front was relatively flat, and it was an open area where the firing range had been cleared.

The target is two squad positions, about thirty meters wide, and about forty meters apart. They are not connected together. At least one heavy machine gun is deployed.

The heavy machine gun position was built with a civil engineering bunker, made of logs, steel plates, and earth. Mortars were powerless against it.

In the past, the textbook response method was to attack with no less than the enemy's force, first request the superior mortars to suppress the fire, and then slowly approach from the front or side under the cover of smoke bombs to a distance of one meter. More than a hundred meters away, the attack started.

Then, in the process of alternating leaps forward, try to concentrate fire to suppress this heavy machine gun firepower point, and use rocket launchers to eliminate it at the right time. Finally, rush forward with rifles, submachine guns, and grenades to eliminate the remaining enemies.

It is much easier now that the same infantry team is used to carry out this offensive mission.

"That's it, move quickly."

"Follow!"

"Only five shots left, take it easy, take it easy!"

After choosing a good place nearby, the gun crew members carried the recoilless rifle to the firing position and completed the preparations by firing three times, five times, and two times.

Open the breech to the left, load a special 80mm explosive bomb, close the breech, aim at the bunker that is being fired wildly, cover your ears, and fire!

"boom!"

Gunpowder gas gushes out from the Laval nozzle at the rear of the gun and sweeps across a fan-shaped area of ​​tens of meters behind. Sand and soil fly across, and some dead branches and dry grass are instantly ignited. The noise is no less than that of a large-caliber artillery.

After a series of battles, everyone has become quite proficient in the use of this cutting-edge weapon, and can hit the target with one shot.

As the fire suddenly appeared, the heavy machine gun that was still firing desperately just a second ago suddenly became mute. Smoke and dust filled the air, and the blown soil and wood chips scattered one after another.

After removing this biggest obstacle, the Marine infantry immediately launched an attack, sweeping away more than a dozen enemy soldiers here like a whirlwind.

However, the soldiers also had complaints - these artillery pieces were easy to use, but there were too few shells. There were only 500 rounds in total, and on average each gun could only get more than 30 rounds.

Zhou Changfeng was also helpless. The artillery shell production line for this thing had not yet been set up. The hundreds of rounds of artillery shells were all semi-manufactured by workers at the Wuhan Army Arsenal who worked overtime.

There is not much suspense in the battle to seize the island, and the intensity of the US military's resistance is not high.

"The Second Brigade fought quite well. It is estimated that the battle will be over tomorrow with no more than 300 casualties." Zhou Changfeng commented.

"I rarely hear Zhou Kexing praise others." Yan Chenwu laughed, cupped his hands casually, then looked to the northeast and sighed: "Recuperate quickly, maybe I will go to eat those copper peas soon."

(End of this chapter)