Chapter 416 Target: Nagato and Mutsu!

April 17, 1942, Seto Inland Sea.

About 40 kilometers south of Hiroshima, there is an island with an area of ​​only 3.12 square kilometers.

If any force can send a reconnaissance plane to observe at low altitude, it will be found that there are countless small boats or modified fishing boats nearby, cruising 24 hours a day.

There are many small islands with undulating hills around this island.

From the shore to the top of the mountain, they are full of crops and various types of vegetation.

But once you get close, it is not difficult to find that the tops of these hills are all deployed with carefully camouflaged anti-aircraft artillery positions. The so-called good times are just a superficial illusion.

This small dot with tight defense, which is difficult to find on the map, is the current main base of the Honko Combined Fleet: Hashira Island.

As an anchorage carefully selected by the Honko Navy and patiently transformed at a high price, Hashira Island is far away from the conventional merchant ship route, and its location is very hidden and not easy to be spied on by the enemy.

It is strong and safe, and is very suitable for large fleets to go out to sea.

Surface ships departing from here can reach the open sea in just a few hours.

And 30 kilometers northeast of the Hashima Island is the large arsenal of the Honko Navy and the Kure Shipyard, where many ships of the Combined Fleet were launched.

Not far to the west of the shipyard, there is a quiet island that is easily overlooked, where the lively Etajima Naval Academy is located.

Almost all senior officers of the Honko Navy have received systematic naval strategy and tactics training here.

The ingenious combination of anchorage, shipyard and school makes this inland sea area the cradle of the Japanese Navy.

It is precisely because of this unique geographical environment that this place can be as famous as the French Port of Toulon, the British Scapa Flow and the U.S. Hampton, and become a world-famous military base in World War II.

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The roar of the piston engine and the whistling wind are intertwined in the ears.

Looking at the Zero fighters flying against the wind and heading northeast, a senior Japanese general wearing a white general uniform sighed quietly, his frown never relaxed.

"Takasu-kun, has the combat command contacted the Yamato battleship? When can the First Fleet leave the port?"

The old Japanese raised his hand to hold down his clothes blown by the sea breeze, and stood in the command tower to ask about the progress again.

"Those bomber groups that appeared out of thin air are coming fiercely, and they are obviously organized and premeditated strong enemies. Judging from the flight routes currently exposed by the enemy, the other party is likely to have a secret intelligence network."

"I'm worried that the navy will also become the enemy's target."

"The dock has only been trained for four months, and she and the samurai are not fully prepared for battle. If they are alone, something unexpected may happen."

The person who was speaking at this time was naturally the commander-in-chief of the fleet, the only legendary captain in Japan during World War II: Yamamoto Nanahachi.

Considering the safety of his own locusts, the old devils did not hesitate to send out all the Zero fighters of the 21st Air Fleet as soon as the hot city was attacked by air.

There was no way, he didn't want to be liquidated afterwards.

If the army idiots bite back, and then put on a big hat of not saving the emperor in time. That would really be a big deal.

But here comes the problem.

After sending all the air forces to save the emperor, the air defense force of their anchorage has been weakened to the lowest point.

Once the enemy attacks, they may not be safe with only the anti-aircraft firepower of the surface units themselves and the anti-aircraft positions deployed on the islands.

Hearing Yamamoto Nanchengba's question, Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro immediately turned into a bitter face.

Since the Japanese and the Ugly opened the Pacific War, he has been pressed by his superiors to stand by at the base in China, and was even ridiculed by the commanders of other fleets as Admiral Wugang.

There must be something wrong with the abnormality. Now that he was suddenly ordered to command the fleet in the port, the old Japanese immediately realized one thing, that is, his boss was very likely to let him take the blame.

However, the higher the rank, the more powerful he was. No matter how reluctant he was, Takasu Shiro had to do his job well.

"The combat command has contacted the captain of the ship that was anchored at the dock. They are now on their way back to the Hashirajima base. As long as they can reunite with the large fleet, everything will be fine."

"As for the situation of the First Fleet."

At this point, Takasu Shiro suddenly stopped. Then he took the telescope hanging around his neck and began to observe the military port not far away.

At this time, the Hashirajima fleet had been awakened. On the deck of the previous flagship battleship Nagato, countless crew members in sailor uniforms were busy lifting anchors.

Around the Nagato, there were 21 warships including Mutsu, Ise, Hyuga, Fuso and Yamashiro.

It seems that because of the hasty attack, these large surface ships did not even prepare fuel, ammunition and daily supplies, so the waterline was much higher than usual.

"If everything goes well, the main battleship of the First Fleet should be able to leave the port in half an hour. Other surface units will be relatively slower, but it will definitely not exceed three hours."

After this, Yamamoto Shichiba breathed a sigh of relief.

Under normal circumstances, it takes at least three to four hours to start the Nagato battleship. The situation of Mutsu, Ise, Hyuga, Fuso and Yamashiro is similar. Don't think about leaving the port for a few hours.

However, the above situation changed after the mobile fleet attacked Pearl Harbor.

The boilers of the battleships in the anchored state are basically not turned off. Unless they are returned to the factory for overhaul, the high-pressure steam boilers will maintain the lowest power operation.

There is no way, Japan is not a big country with a large family.

The battleships of the Hashima Island are the assets prepared for the decisive battle. If they are successfully attacked by the enemy, there is no possibility of replenishing them in a short time.

"Hey, I hope everything goes well."

"Now is the weakest moment of the entire fleet. If it is attacked, the consequences will be unimaginable. Just give me another half an hour! Then the sky is high and the birds fly!"

The Pearl Harbor incident made the Japanese Navy fully realize the importance of protecting ships from torpedo attacks, and they cannot relax their vigilance even in the inland sea.

For this reason, Yamamoto Shichirohachi specially laid anti-torpedo fences around each light, heavy cruiser and battleship.

However, it was precisely because of the above-mentioned protection measures that the old devils were caught in a dilemma after receiving the news that the headquarters was attacked.

Immediately let the main ships of the First Fleet leave the port for safety?

So before entering the Seto Inland Sea, the surface ships were not protected by anti-torpedo fences and could not take advantage of their mobility. What should they do if they encountered enemy torpedo bombers?

Not leaving the port?

The enemy obviously had a special source of intelligence, so they could bypass many observation posts silently. Who knows if the other party would target their first fleet.

What if that group of powerful enemies with unknown origins carried special bombs specifically for large surface ships, wouldn't the main battleships that were standing still become lambs to be slaughtered?

Thinking of this, Yamamoto Shichiba simply gave up the two-choice gamble. In order to avoid becoming a XX hero, the old devil directly pushed the problem to Takasu Shiro.

Passing the buck?

You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. He is the vice admiral commander of the first fleet, and it is his job to command the entire fleet.

What's more, this gave two options.

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Tokyo time, 2 pm on April 17.

In the sky above the vast sea, a large fleet of aircraft is advancing silently like a ghost. They are the second team of this strategic bombing.

Here, it is only 120 nautical miles away from the anchorage of Zhudao Island.

"Captain Liu, there is news from the brother unit. They have successfully completed the mission and are leaving the battlefield according to the predetermined route."

"At present, the 26th Air Fleet of the Japanese Army has appeared in pursuit. I believe that the 21st Air Fleet of the Navy has also fallen into our trap!"

Hearing this, the highest commander of the Air Force 3rd Division showed a confident smile.

Looking at the history of war from ancient times to the present, no country or major force with blood can allow the rear to be attacked without resistance.

Therefore, this strategic bombing operation is an open conspiracy, an open conspiracy that maximizes the intelligence advantage and equipment advantage.

If there is no intelligence provided by the Yellow River, or if Xiaorizi can build a monitoring radar station on the coastline, the Eighth Route Army Air Force would not dare to be so arrogant.

"Pass my order, have all the crews increase their fuel and speed up, and try to block the Japanese in the Seto Inland Sea."

"According to the intelligence provided by the superiors, there is only one understaffed First Fleet in the enemy's homeland. So when you attack later, pick the big ones."

"Remember! The priority targets are Nagato and Mutsu with four twin-mounted main guns. Other illegal buildings will be used as backup when there is really no good angle to cut in! Action!" (End of this chapter)