afterglow

Chapter 498 Chapter : Engage the enemy; those idiots in the Army!
The huge B-17 has a larger reflection area than a single-engine aircraft. The attack formation of more than ten B-17s allowed the experimental radar carried by the Ziwei Zuoyuan to receive the echo signal when it was 77 kilometers away.

After confirming that this was not clutter interference, the department officer immediately reported the situation.

At 10:33, Ouyang Zhanghua ordered the radio silence to be lifted.

Following his order, the Ziwei Zuoyuan began to guide the alert fleet in the sky to intercept. At the same time, the remaining carrier-based aircraft on standby on the flight deck that were responsible for direct cover tasks immediately took off.

After receiving the telegram from the first formation, the two Ziweiyuan-class ships had already launched more than 20 fighter jets.

Now, the 23 Sanqi-type carrier-driven aircraft of Zuoshu Team and Youshu Team continued to climb to an altitude of meters according to the instructions of the aircraft carrier, and then flew head-on towards the incoming aircraft group.

"Group two by two, cut in from the upper left, and then escape to the right. Don't rush. Let's see if they panic first."

"Do you want to be a bait?"

"I!"

The attack methods of the Ming Navy's naval aviation against bomber formations are still immature. Compared with the "Methods for Intercepting Enemy Heavy Bombers" booklet issued by their superiors, the pilots still believe more in the conclusions discussed among themselves.

About twenty seconds later, while the enemy was attracted by the bait, the Ming Army carrier-based aircraft formation in the sky officially launched an attack.

The fighter jets performing the escort mission came from Kauai Island - this way they were closer to the Ming army fleet, allowing the shorter-range fighter jets to stay in the air longer. The two sides should then meet 30 kilometers west of Kauai Island.

Even if the effect is minimal, the towering water column caused by the previous bombshell falling into the water and exploding still makes the fledgling rookies excited.

However, something went wrong at the Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai - a Buffalo fighter jet's landing gear broke during takeoff. While the aircraft was damaged, it leaked fuel and ignited a fire, blocking the runway.

The Ming Army's carrier-based aircraft made continuous dive attacks, and the lead aircraft's dorsal self-defense turret was quickly penetrated, and the transparent bulletproof glass dome was spattered with red blood.

As time went by, the Ming fleet was getting closer and closer to Hawaii, so aircraft with a closer combat radius also joined the attack sequence this time.

"Fuck! There are so many boats."

The Type 37 carrier-based destroyers are arranged in groups of two, with twenty seconds between each group. They give priority to attacking the enemy's lead aircraft or pilot aircraft.

On the other hand, Chester Nimitz was as calm as ever, "Believe 50% and doubt 50% such abnormal reports. You should know very well how strong battleships are, and the possibility of serious damage to them by bombs is very small."

At 11:02, more than carrier-based aircraft flew near the US military fleet and visually confirmed these big guys coming together.

The two sides were heading in opposite directions, head to head, but the Ming army's aircraft group was at a higher altitude.

However, Corporal Down's luck today may not be very good. The bomb delivery device malfunctioned, and only three of the eight 500-pound aerial bombs were successfully released.

"Calm down, you are an officer."

This is not easy for US military aircrew members. You must know that a few months ago many of them were ordinary people, including farmers on farms, store clerks, bus drivers, and flying club enthusiasts...

The anti-aircraft fire fired from below was extremely fierce. The shells fired by the large-caliber high-level dual-purpose cannon continued to explode behind the aircraft fleet. The shock wave shook the aircraft up and down, and high-speed fragments carved holes in the thin aluminum alloy skin.

However, the authorities were confused. The US military crew members did not know the results of this round of air strikes. They hurriedly flew away from the airspace that was almost blackened by anti-aircraft fire.

After paying the price of two bombers being shot down, they barely persisted and reached the sky above the first formation of the Ming Army's spy fleet.

At 11:15, a white flare shot into the sky from Wheeler Army Airport in central Oahu, and the second wave of attack formations began to take off.

"Understood, sir, do we need to send a sub over?"

Although the battle reports sent back by the B-17 fleet were serious, they also greatly boosted the morale of the three aviation teams.

From the bombsight, the bombardier could see the Ming fleet making evasive maneuvers on the sea.

Due to insufficient preparation, the modification work of the bomb delivery pylon was only completed last week. Everyone only heard the naval pilots describe the steps and essentials of torpedo delivery. However, most army pilots only remembered to pay attention to the lead time when launching torpedoes.

According to the careful planning of the staff, this wave of attack formations can be escorted by fighter jets.

Immediately, a Type 37 shipwreck broke away from the formation and began to dive down alone.

Therefore, both of them erupted into large groups of fire that were different from the spray falling into the water and smoke that reached into the sky. They looked like they were extremely damaged, which made many US military crew members shout with joy.

After nearly twenty minutes of busy work, all 12 Army B-18 Machete bombers and 11 Marine Corps SB2U Vindicator dive bombers took off.

On the sea more than 2,000 meters below, warships of different sizes were like ants, drawing arc-shaped white tracks on the sea.

On the way back, after four or five telegrams, I couldn't wait to fly back to Hickam Airport on Oahu.

"Sir, sir, Colonel Clarence, they did it!"

The sudden situation attracted the attention of the US military crew members. At least five or six self-defense machine guns were firing at the lone fighter jet.

In the Pacific Fleet Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Barnett, the operational staff officer, was also very excited. For a moment, his originally slim hope was ignited in his heart - as if bombers alone could repel the enemy?

After Corporal Tang En aimed at the target, he activated the automatic bomb release mode. The aircraft maintained its course and automatically dropped the bomb when it flew to the calculated bomb drop point.

The B-17 bomber formation quickly shrank into a tighter diamond formation, with each aircraft only twenty feet, or six meters, apart, almost wing to wing.

The battleship Kaihuang was directly hit by an aerial bomb on the stern deck of the ship, and the battleship Jianwu was also directly hit by an aerial bomb and a near-missile. A total of 8 people were killed and 25 were injured.

This tactic of head-on dive attack can avoid counterattack from the powerful tail turret of the B-17 bomber. The disadvantage is that the window period is short and the opportunity to fire is fleeting.

"Yes, sir. The bomber squadron reports that they hit 2 battleships and 3 cruisers or destroyers. Two enemy battleships are on fire and may be seriously damaged."

"of course."

Each B-18 abandoned aerial bombs and instead carried Mk13 torpedoes, which was an unprecedented first for Army pilots.

Then, it began to fire long bursts from a long distance, and then continuously performed barrel roll maneuvers to fly past the front of the US military aircraft group and dexterously circle below them.

"Well done!" Colonel Clarence couldn't help but cheer loudly, shouting "well done" several times in a row.

The performance of the Army Air Force's bombers in attacking surface ships was not improved at all compared to the Battle of Tarawa. It can be said that the more than 90 heavy bombs were thunderous and rainy, and basically fell into the sea with a loud noise.

Ground crews, soldiers, and bulldozers rushed forward, but the remaining dozen or so fighter jets were unable to take off in time, and the originally planned rendezvous was in vain.

At 13:13 in the afternoon, the second wave of US military aircraft arrived over the Ming fleet.

There were only three F2A Buffalo fighter jets escorting the fleet. Facing the swarming Ming army carrier-based aircraft, they were destined to be hard-pressed with two fists, not to mention that the fists were very tight on the crotch.

The air battle strictly lasted only four minutes, and all three Buffaloes crashed into the sea. Among them, the Sanqi-type shipwreck numbered QZ-ZWY-1-3 malfunctioned, and the 12.8mm machine gun on the nose jammed, otherwise it would have been damaged. The battle can be ended earlier. Next, US military planes continued to be shot down, and new fireballs could be seen falling from the sky almost every half minute.

The B-18 Broadsword medium bomber is not as strong as the Sky Fortress, and its self-defense firepower pales in comparison. The pilots tried their best to maintain the formation, but they were still broken up by the rampaging Ming fighter jets.

【Picture】

Farther away, the Marine Corps' dive bombers were even more miserable, with only 11 of the 2 SB6U Vindicators left.

The U.S. military planes in twos and threes continued to attack under conditions of improper organization and disorder. Most of the pilots ignored the outer screen guards of the Ming army fleet and attacked the battleship in the center without any scruples.

Although he knew that a gentleman should not stand behind a dangerous wall, Zhou Changfeng could not help but come to the platform outside the bridge.

He saw countless traces of light shooting into the blue sky, the roar of anti-aircraft guns was deafening, and dense tracer bullets and tracer explosive bombs created a huge fire net.

It can be said that the bravery of the US military pilots far exceeded their attack skills. The inexperienced army pilots dropped the torpedoes very unfamiliarly.

After the heavy torpedo left, the lighter aircraft suddenly jumped upwards. Many people were even startled by this sudden momentum.

Several B-18s that broke into the center of the fleet dropped torpedoes one after another at heights ranging from to meters. This exceeded design expectations. Fragile torpedoes lacking deceleration devices could easily malfunction due to the huge impact of falling into the water.

Four torpedoes made no movement after entering the sea and sank directly to the seabed thousands of meters deep. Another torpedo may have damaged the gyroscope and was unable to maintain a straight course. It began to circle in the middle of the Ming fleet, scaring the Kaihuang. , Longshuo and Kunlun Mountain fled east and west.

"Niang Xipi! It's turning around again!"

"Shut up!"

"Full right helm."

Lin Xunzhen quickly walked out of the main gun control tower of the Longshuo, looked at it for a while, and then said to the secretary on the side: "It is suspected of being attacked by a new type of enemy torpedo. You can find the target independently. Do you hear me? Record it in the book!"

Next, the remaining dive bombers also began to attack.

At 13:31, a ball of fire suddenly appeared on the port side of the Kaihuang. Many debris splashed into the water, and several sailors were also thrown into the sea by the shock wave.

The 500-pound semi-armor-piercing aerial bomb is of little significance to a battleship. It cannot penetrate the horizontal deck armor or destroy more deck facilities.

Another defender strafed the heavy cruiser Taihangshan while diving, and several sailors operating anti-aircraft guns were shot and killed.

As soon as the plane dropped its bombs, it was hit by several 20.8mm shells and fell into the sea while billowing with black smoke.

The aerial bomb it dropped fell into the sea almost at the same time as it. Two water columns, one high and one low, completely wet the starboard deck of the Taihangshan...

At 14:10, a Catalina belonging to the Marine Corps discovered the fifth formation.

Suddenly, a telegram made everyone in the Air Force headquarters nervous.

"The enemy fleet was discovered, 1 aircraft carrier, 2 seaplane carriers, a large number of transport ships, heading 255 degrees."

"This is a Chinese landing force! Sir!"

"We must try to weaken them as much as possible," Colonel Clarence asked. "Ask them to report their course."

The headquarters immediately called back to inquire, but there was no news. Little did they know that Catalina, who sent the telegram, was being hunted by Ming army carrier aircraft and had no time to respond to the base's inquiries.

Only half an hour later, more important information was received at 14:38.

An SBD fearless conducting a search based on radio direction finding sent back a message - "Two enemy aircraft carriers found, bearing 2 degrees, distance 260 nautical miles."

In an instant, the airport that had just released the third wave of attack formations became busy again, and the exhausted ground staff had to prepare for the fourth wave of air strikes.

Ouyang Zhanghua had already prepared for the exposure of his fleet. The previous lifting of radio silence meant that the possibility of being discovered was greatly increased.

Now, it's our turn to launch a counterattack.

The U.S. aviation force on Kauai must be dealt with as cleanly and neatly as possible to stifle their ability to counterattack.

"Report! Chief Soldier, all teams are ready and can take off at any time!"

"Send the order and attack."

At 14:45, Ouyang Zhanghua issued the order for the carrier-based aircraft formation to attack.

The two Ziweiyuan-class armored aircraft carriers have increased to their maximum speed and turned to the windward direction. Ship-to-ship cruisers and bombers loaded with ammunition slid off the flight deck and took off.

Because it was not clear where the Saratoga was, out of caution, Ouyang Zhanghua then ordered the C-20 air raid fleet to turn to the northwest, away from its previous position.

Although the radar gave the US military an advantage, the interception force released by the US military stationed on Kauai failed to take advantage of this advantage.

The original high-altitude ambush plan was disrupted, and nine P-9 fighter jets of the Army Air Force launched an unauthorized attack. The commander leading the team thought he had discovered a wonderful fighter plane and could not miss the opportunity.

The 12 F4F Wildcat fighters of the Naval Air Force took off later, and they had not yet climbed to the scheduled altitude.

Seeing that the Army had launched an attack, the pilots were immediately stunned, and the commander also cursed on the radio.

The menacing Ming army aircraft fleet was suddenly attacked, and in the blink of an eye, two or three aircraft burst into flames and smoke.

This is the first time a Ming Dynasty carrier-based aircraft pilot has encountered a P-40 fighter jet. This "pointy nose" aircraft gives people the impression that it must fly very fast.

However, the fierce air battle soon became one-sided. The smug army pilots failed to take advantage of the P-40 fighter jets and even boldly engaged in close combat.

The performance of the Type 37 carrier-based destroyer is at best mediocre and has no special features. At best, it is a "hexagonal fighter, impeccable."

The power that such an aircraft can exert under the control of a skilled veteran is actually no worse than the Type 36 destroyer of the Ming Dynasty Air Force, which is famous for its outstanding rolling ability.

The naval fighter jets that arrived later met the same fate because they were eager to save people. In fact, the theoretical performance of the F4F Wildcat fighter jet was stronger than that of the Type ship-driven ship.

Defensive barrel roll, scissor maneuver...

Facing sharp opponents, US military planes fell into the sea one after another, dragging black smoke.

"Damn! Those son-of-a-bitch idiots in the Army!" someone yelled angrily on the radio.

(End of this chapter)