afterglow

Chapter 496 Chapter The game between the two sides; an empty city strategy?
More than a dozen searchlight beams swung back and forth, trying to capture the Ming army aircraft flying in the sky.

The 1mm high-explosive shells fired by the M76.2 anti-aircraft cannon continued to explode, but the mechanical fuses hastily set by the US anti-aircraft artillery were obviously set too high. The explosion height of the shells was more than meters above the aircraft formation, posing no threat at all.

In Pearl Harbor below, dozens of warships, large and small, were quietly moored in place, and the deep sea surface reflected the white light emitted by aviation flares like a mirror.

The crew members seized the opportunity to take photos one after another, recording these valuable pieces of information on the small pieces of film.

In fact, in the initial reconnaissance plan, in addition to reconnaissance of the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, each seaplane was also required to carry four 4kg aerial bombs to bomb the naval shipyard.

The length of this dock is 1,100 feet, also known as the Double Ten Dock. It supports the repair of any warship and is of great military significance.

But this is obviously an unreliable idea that just slaps the head - not to mention whether the explosion is successful, what is the use of a few small bombs dropped by a few seaplanes even if they all hit?

So after consultation, the task was removed from the formal plan.

"I didn't see any aircraft carrier, not even one."

"I didn't see it either. I'm afraid they all left the port!"

The wind blew into the cabin through the dense bullet holes, making a whistling sound.

The four Wildcats faced attacks one after another, but intercepting bombers at night was still too difficult for the US military rookie pilots. Most of the bullets missed or hit the fuselage.

The Type 12.8 seaplane has good protection capabilities. In addition to the self-sealing fuel tank, there is a twin mm aviation machine gun self-defense turret on the back and tail.

Loud gunshots came from there, and the twin self-defense machine guns were firing fiercely. The smoking shells fell down and accumulated in a small pile.

The SX-4-2-4 aircraft next to it may have had its wing fuel tank ignited, and it was engulfed in fire within a few seconds!

"understood!"

The mechanic who went to get ammunition from the front came over with a bullet box. Upon seeing this, he quickly dropped the bullet box and went to get the first aid kit.

Large aircraft generally have a lot of structural redundancy, and machine gun bullets are like scratching an itch. Therefore, the key to intercepting bombers is to attack their engines or wing roots as much as possible.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta-"

The tail turret of SX-4-2-1 was also attacked. During the half-hour chase, the 70mm thick heavy bulletproof glass blocked several rounds of 12.7mm ordinary bullets and tracer bullets. But in the end it was overwhelmed and broken.

【Picture】

The Ming army's seaplane formations threw flares majestically, which illuminated the port area and also exposed themselves.

In the cockpit of the seaplane numbered SX-4-2-1, the pilot and co-pilot were talking.

After the machine gunner took out the bandage from inside, he pushed him away with all his strength, and gestured incoherently to control the machine gun.

Following the guidance of the searchlights on the ground, several US military fighter jets pounced straight towards them.

The flight mechanic left his seat and walked through the middle of the cabin toward the tail.

A Wildcat was hit by multiple 12.8mm armor-piercing incendiary bombs and caught fire. It hurriedly withdrew from the battle and flew into the distance, dragging the conspicuous flames.

"Wu Ming, go to the back and help!"

The F4F Wildcat fighter rolled deftly and fired a stream of tracer bullets towards the No. engine on the left wing.

Suddenly, the machine gunner in the self-defense turret on the back of the aircraft shouted loudly, "Sun! The enemy plane is approaching!"

The self-defense machine gun roared again, and tracer bullets like fire whips pierced the night and were drawn towards the following enemy plane.

The mechanic turned around and glanced while changing the bullet chain, only to see that the machine gunner, who was bleeding profusely, had stopped moving. The huge amount of blood pouring out of the abdomen completely soaked the bandage and accumulated into a pool under the body...

The next day.

In the temporary shack on Midway Island, dozens of developed photos were placed in front of the staff, including some over-exposed waste films.

Everyone carefully compared these bright and dark black and white photos to determine as much as possible which warship this was.

Afterwards, the reconnaissance results were quickly forwarded to Guam.

Neither the USS Saratoga nor the USS Enterprise were at Pearl Harbor?

This situation made the Ming navy generals very vigilant - the two must be ambushing in the deep sea, waiting for opportunities.

"I'm not stupid, so I should do this while waiting for work." Song Zhongkai said while scanning the telex newspaper: "So we must be more careful when fighting and ensure that our tactics are concealed."

The strategic trends of the Ming army are no longer a secret - Midway Island and Wake Island are already under control. What else can the next step be but Hawaii?
Although the strategy is clearly revealed, both sides still have to compete around tactical concealment and reconnaissance.

"There are estimated to be 400 aircraft available on the islands of Kauai and Oahu. We still need to be careful of the enemy using shore-based aircraft to cover the fleet." Wei Yingchun, the commander-in-chief of the fifth formation, said.

Song Zhongkai nodded and said calmly: "Step by step, take Kauai Island first, and then get a firm foothold."

Even without considering the two missing aircraft carriers, the threat from shore-based aircraft to the Ming fleet is not small.

The second is the large number. The most important thing is that airports cannot be sunk or damaged like aircraft carriers. It only takes a night or even a few hours for the U.S. military with perfect engineering equipment to bomb the airport into craters.

The main fleet of the Ming army must rush to the Hawaiian Islands with wave after wave of continuous air attacks, and release landing troops to land and seize the islands. During this period, they must always be on guard against a desperate counterattack by a US battleship formation, or a sudden sneak attack by a hidden aircraft carrier. .

The campaign to conquer the Hawaiian Islands will never be easy. It will still be a complex and difficult battle.

In another wooden house at the fleet admiral's residence, Zhou Changfeng was also discussing with a group of Marine officers the landing plan for the first target, Kauai Island.

Kauai is 150km northwest of Oahu, 53km long and 43km wide. Lihue Airport is located on the eastern coast of the island, with lush vegetation and mountains.

It is not impossible to attack Oahu directly, but that is a last resort, and it is inferior to finding a foothold as a starting position.

The former commander of the Third Marine Brigade resigned due to illness. Although the new brigade commander Yu Daixin is four years older than Zhou Changfeng, his actual combat experience is far less than that.

The first echelon's landing operation was fully commanded by Zhou, and there was little room for others to interfere. Yu Daixin, who knew that he was not as good as Zhou in every aspect, behaved very humbly.

"...According to intelligence, the U.S. military has not many troops deployed on Kauai, about one thousand to two thousand. After the fleet suppressed the airport, our army first tried to rely on a small team of elite troops to solve the fort on the southern mountain. If it was blocked, then The large forces will attack directly from the southeast." Next to the exquisite sand table, Zhou Changfeng held a baton and pointed the country.

He clicked heavily on the mountains in the south and northeast - the US military deployed coastal defense artillery there, but they didn't know the caliber or number.

"The department will never return unless it wins." Cai Zhichen said with his fists in hand.

Zhou Changfeng smiled slightly and said only eight words, "Do your best and act flexibly."

The ready-made special forces do not need to be used in vain, as long as they are not used indiscriminately. Now is the time for them to come in handy.

Historically, during the Normandy landings, in order to eliminate the threat of the German coastal defense artillery deployed on Pointe du Hoc, the U.S. Rangers climbed a nearly thirty-meter-high cliff and successfully found and blew up the German coastal defense artillery after a hard battle.

【Picture】

Yiluansi has completed many missions beautifully since its establishment. While winning honors for itself, it also proved that an elite team can indeed perform miraculous effects under certain circumstances.

In addition, someone in Zhou Dynasty had always disliked the small size of Yiluan Division and pushed for expansion, so now this special force has reached a size of nearly 400 people.

When the Ming Dynasty naval generals were discussing the final matters before the expedition in Guam, the US military was doing the same thing on Oahu, more than 6,000 kilometers away.

At 4:22 on the afternoon of April 15, five or six middle-aged officers walked into the Pacific Fleet Headquarters building one after another.

They are Raymond Spruance, William Halsey, and combat staff Lieutenant Colonel Barnett and others.

The atmosphere in Admiral Chester Nimitz's office became solemn due to their arrival, and a combat meeting to determine the direction of the war was about to be held here.

At the beginning, Lieutenant Colonel Barnett was full of disdain for the new commander-in-chief who was parachuted in by the president. He looked down on this seemingly ordinary little old man from the bottom of his heart.

However, after spending this period of time together, he completely changed his previous view. As a commander-in-chief who was appointed in a critical situation, this admiral who was promoted on a rocket showed surprisingly cool, calm, professional and intelligent. This is his most outstanding feature. quality.

And what surprised Lieutenant Colonel Barnett was that Chester Nimitz had a much better temper than Haspen Kimmel, and he was very open-minded and willing to listen to all kinds of opinions.

"The situation is serious! Have you ever played Chinese chess? In its rules, the 'cannon' needs a fulcrum to fire. Now that the enemy controls Midway, they have a fulcrum to fire, and the artillery shells will be here soon. But I think we’re ready for it.”

Chester was as calm as ever, seemingly confident in his next defense.

Fleet operations take time, and this is the last time the major generals get together to analyze the situation and exchange views before the battle breaks out.

If there are no objections or changes, the fleet will set off on time, and Raymond and William will also leave together.

"Do we really want to abandon the battleships? If necessary, it is possible to repel the enemy in a brave line battle." Raymond said.

Among the existing deployments, Chester first kicked out the battleships of the TF-30 task force. He believed that the outcome of this battle depended entirely on the aircraft carrier and the aviation on the Hawaiian islands.

"Of course, the battleship is of no use, only the North Carolina is, but she is still in the shipyard."

"Commander, I think we should get the Enterprise back, we can't guarantee the British will arrive on time."

William Halsey was also a little worried because the Enterprise was sent to reinforce the TF-27 Task Force in the Southwest Pacific.

The Brave and Glory sent by the British are arriving at night and day, but who can ensure that nothing goes wrong?
Chester waved his hand calmly and said: "Don't worry, Oahu's defense force is very strong, and we have plenty of time to wait for the assembly."

According to his idea, the entire Pacific Fleet would evacuate Pearl Harbor, and all warships except the submarine force and aircraft carrier task force would go to Christmas Island, 2080 kilometers south of Hawaii, to be on standby.

The aircraft carrier will lurk in the vast sea of ​​the Eastern Pacific, waiting to rendezvous with the British aircraft carrier before attacking together.

The Pacific Fleet 12-16 combat plan that has been formulated is:
First, 11 ocean-going submarines perform combat patrol missions within a fan-shaped range from due west to southwest of Hawaii.

Second, all warships in the Pacific Fleet that are not in the combat plan must "tactically maneuver" to Christmas Island, and they must depart no later than April 4.

Third, the TF-31 task force with the Saratoga as the core will arrive in the established waters 5 kilometers east of Hawaii by May 4 at the latest.

Fourth, PBY Catalina seaplanes taking off from Kauai, Oahu, and Johnston Atoll carried out non-stop long-range reconnaissance to understand the movements of the Ming fleet as much as possible.

Fifth, the British aircraft carrier is expected to join the TF-5 task force at point S on May 20. After that, it will try to launch an unexpected air attack on the Ming fleet.

Chester Nimitz once again elaborated on his core point of view - although the US military is seemingly at a disadvantage, it is not without opportunities. The US military also has many favorable conditions.

First of all, the US military guards important strategic nodes where the Ming army will definitely attack. It can roughly guess the movements of the Ming army and can deploy them in a targeted manner.

Secondly, as the defender, the US military has the advantage of sitting back and waiting for work, and it also has the advantage of home field. The land airport is an unsinkable aircraft carrier and has a strong aviation force.

In addition, huge sums of money were previously spent to lay the Pacific submarine cables on the seabed to communicate with Johnston Atoll, Hawaii, and the West Coast, which can ensure safe and smooth communication. The Ming army does not have any technical means to eavesdrop.

Finally, the US military has advantages in technical equipment - radar can detect enemy aircraft early; the new F4F wildcat fighter jets and SBD fearless dive bombers are also better than the Ming army's carrier-based aircraft.

At the end of the meeting, a calm-looking Chester warned calmly: "I hope you can do your best, but it would be a pity if God is not on our side this time. If the war situation is unfavorable... You should retreat immediately and bring more ships back safely."

The energetic William Halsey first gave a military salute, then clenched his fist and said confidently: "I can't wait to kick them hard from behind!"

Two days later, on April 4, Guam.

The main force of the A-180 special agent fleet pulled anchor and set sail. One warship after another slowly left its berth and sailed towards the morning light in the east...

Only two hours late, in distant Central America, the Brave, the Brilliant and four destroyers passed through the Panama Canal safely and officially entered the Pacific Ocean.

The Ming army knew nothing about the fact that the British aircraft carrier had left the Panama Canal, and the most vigilant people in the governor's office did not expect that the British would move so quickly.

At midnight that day, a telegram from New Caledonia was intercepted by the Ming Army's radio listening station in Moresby and was quickly forwarded back to Dongshoujian on the mainland.

As a result, the decipherable part of this telegram gave an incredible situation-the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier has now reached the Southwest Pacific!

This, this, this...isn't this right?

The war is imminent, and one of the two remaining aircraft carriers has actually fled. How can it be like an empty city strategy?

(End of this chapter)