Chapter 417: Type 3 Incendiary Shotgun Shells! Start Shooting!
In the afternoon of April 17, Seto Inland Sea.
The sky was blue and clear at this moment, and even the white traces of several seabirds could be clearly seen.
As if tired of the long-distance flight, a seabird broke away from its companions and used a chrysanthemum emblem as a temporary resting place.
At its feet was a battleship 224.9 meters long and 34.59 meters wide. This steel behemoth was quietly sneaking in the waves at a speed of 20 knots.
The sea water kept hitting the hull, and layers of waves appeared, but this did not cause any obstacles to the battleship Nagato.
The camera zoomed in, and the cabin was not calm, and every corner was filled with noisy sounds.
You may not believe it, but the busiest department on the ship is not the power compartment, nor the arsenal or damage control team responsible for the management of ammunition for the entire ship, but the most inconspicuous kitchen.
"Hurry up! There are still 1,000 lunches to prepare!"
"Before the war breaks out, we must prepare today's portion! We must not let the warriors fight on an empty stomach!"
Under the command of the chief chef, nearly a hundred cooks worked vigorously, striving to prepare the impromptu lunches as quickly as possible.
Unlike the poor army, the food of the Japanese Navy at this stage is absolutely luxurious, and it is not inferior to the Royal Navy of the same period.
Ordinary cooks are responsible for the food of trainee sailors.
The officers' special kitchens are run by elite cooks.
The heads of various departments and captains can even ask the chefs of some top restaurants to come on board to serve. Such a big fuss is just to enjoy customized Western food with different tastes from different countries.
If the army idiots knew about this wasteful behavior, a civil war would definitely break out.
When the Japanese soldiers at various posts began to enjoy their lunch, Takasu Shiro, wearing a navy blue fleet commander uniform, came to the armored command tower with a proud look.
"Yano-kun, let the communication team immediately send a signal to the five battleships in the inner air defense circle. Especially the Fuso, it is too close to the flagship, just keep it at about two kilometers."
"The outermost destroyers can expand the warning circle a little bit, as long as the interval does not exceed four kilometers. Their most important task now is to detect the enemy situation, and they don't have to act as a mobile mine protection belt for the time being."
"By the way, what's the situation at the dock? Has Major General Takayanagi replied? Judging from the current fleet speed, how long will it take us to reunite."
As soon as these words came out, the three communication teams on the Nagato battleship immediately began to act.
Due to the need to maintain radio silence, they could only use flags and signal lights to convey the orders of their fleet commander to the surface ships around the flagship.
After a moment, the five iron turtles, led by the battleship Mutsu, quickly adjusted their positions and surrounded the battleship Nagato tightly in the middle of the fleet.
This scene made Takasu Shiro smile confidently. In his opinion, he was about to lead the main force of the First Fleet out of the danger zone, and there might be a chance to move up a level after the war.
"Yoshi!"
"Very spirited!"
"As long as we can maintain the current formation, even if we run into the 17th Task Force of the Ugly Country head-on, I have the confidence to fight it!"
Unlike the others in the armored command tower, the captain of the battleship Nagato, Shitsu no Hideo, looked solemn at this time, which seemed out of place in the optimistic atmosphere.
As for the reason why this colonel was worried?
There was no other reason, just because the current fleet was too slow, which gave the old devils an ominous premonition.
Logically speaking, when a large fleet is in a relatively familiar sea area and has the need for rapid transfer, a single-column formation should be selected to maximize the maneuverability of each ship.
This formation, to put it bluntly, is a long snake formation.
It can be said to be the trump card skill of every senior general in the Japanese Navy, focusing on a quick pass and fighting if you don't obey.
However, considering the enemy bombers that may fall from the sky at any time, Takasu Shiro finally chose the circular formation that he had practiced less frequently and was not particularly skilled.
There is no way, who made him stressed and worried that the fleet would be hit hard.
Simply put, this formation is to use auxiliary ships to surround the main ship, using a layered progressive method to maximize the crossfire in the short and medium-range air defense range.
When a battle occurs, no matter which direction or angle the enemy cuts in from, it must face the coordinated operations of multiple ships.
Any torpedoes, submarines and aircraft groups that want to damage the flagship must step on the wreckage of the surrounding frigates. In the jargon of a certain white-haired magic game, this is called group air defense.
It's a pity that the ideal is full, but the reality is very skinny.
Although the circular formation did strengthen the overall anti-aircraft firepower, the unfamiliar coordination between the main battleships made the already slow fleet even slower.
Judging from the current situation, both the time to rendezvous with the Yamato battleship and the arrival at the rendezvous point agreed with the navy had to be postponed.
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In the next five minutes, orders were issued in an orderly manner from the armored command tower.
Looking at the warriors of the younger country running around on the deck, and looking at the sea chart placed in front of him, the captain of the Nagato, Hideo Yano, finally couldn't help but say:
"Commander Takasu, the concealed route is meaningless. The top priority now is to rendezvous with the pier and sail to a safer area as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Takasu Shiro nodded.
In the old Japanese's inherent cognition, the circular formation composed of many battleships, cruisers, destroyers and seaplane carriers must be an iron plate. Even if the enemy planes attack, he has the confidence to fight to the death with the opponent.
It's just a small man in the sky, nothing to worry about.
"Okay! Then go full speed ahead and try to reunite with the pride of the navy of our brother country as soon as possible!"
After getting the approval of the captain and the fleet commander, the navigator silently took a breath, and then ordered with full energy:
"Full left rudder! Head for the open sea! Go full speed ahead!"
At the same time, Hero Yano turned on the ship-wide broadcast and made the final mobilization of the sailors in various positions.
"Before the attack, there is no need to talk nonsense. I hope all combatants will carry forward the fearless Bushido spirit and let our strongest fleet in the country serve the expectations of the people!"
That's right, it's an attack.
Although the First Fleet left Hashira Island to avoid the attack of unknown enemies, Takasu Shiro and Yano Hideo told the middle and lower-level officers that they were supporting the rear area that was attacked.
There was no way. If they told the truth, it would affect morale.
Facts have proved that the old devil's trick is really useful.
When his voice was transmitted to every corner through the broadcasting system, the devils on the whole ship immediately entered a state of frenzy. Some grassroots officers waved or even began to wave their samurai swords, with red eyes and roared to the sky.
For the sailors of the First Fleet, they were very eager for a crushing victory.
In the current Japanese Navy, a group of senior generals including Yamamoto Nanchengba supported the so-called 70% theory.
From the current military perspective, this decision of not using the main force is indeed outrageous, and it is outrageous to the extreme.
But the devils are convinced.
Even if their own mobile fleet has gained a large enough advantage in the local battlefield, they still want to hide the First Fleet in Hashira Island.
This led to the situation that when Chuichi Nagumo's mobile fleet, with four high-speed battleships, Hiei, Kirishima, Haruna and Kongo, was killing all around, the six iron turtles of the First Fleet could only wait for the traditional sea duel on Hashira Island.
Occasional shooting training in the Seto Inland Sea was basically their entire daily routine.
The above experiences made the Japanese in the First Fleet extremely eager for a battle, which was also the reason why they were extremely enthusiastic after being mobilized.
Just after Yano Hero had just finished mobilizing, a report from the air defense command tower suddenly sounded on the radio.
"Enemy planes were spotted at 20 degrees to the left, no less than 80!"
As soon as this was said, the Japanese officers in the armored command headquarters raised their telescopes and began to observe the sudden enemy aircraft group.
"Air combat!"
"Three-type incense shotgun! Start shooting!"
After receiving the order, the No. 1 main gun of the Nagato battleship began to rotate the turret at full speed. At the same time, the two gun barrels also pointed to the aircraft group in the sky synchronously.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Showa air defense, twelve shots all in the air.
The first round of attacks by the six battleships was like a bunch of big flowers blooming in the sky, and did not hurt the aggressive aircraft at all.
There was no way, the so-called three-type incendiary shotgun was actually a special anti-aircraft weapon containing thousands of incendiary submunitions.
To put it bluntly, this thing is a large-scale spray gun, which mainly relies on shotguns to shoot down or disperse the aircraft. The actual battle results depend entirely on luck.
Seeing that the first round of counterattacks had no effect, Hero Yano strode to the commander of his own fleet. He saluted with a serious face and said:
"I will go to the battle bridge and be responsible for commanding the air defense system of the entire ship!"
Hearing this, Takasu Shiro immediately returned the salute: "I'll leave the Nagato to you!" (End of this chapter)