Chapter 1089 1944: Speed ​​and Lightning (39)

Six minutes later, under the guidance of Ye Caiyun, the attack group found the Hornet again, which was running towards the southeast. Mizuo Fuchida actually vaguely saw a warship there at the beginning, but seeing that the opponent's anti-aircraft firepower was very weak, he thought it was overwhelming. I didn't bother to pay attention to it as it was an escort aircraft carrier. After repeated confirmations, I realized that this was an out-and-out Essex-class ship - the injured Wasp. The fundamental reason for the weak anti-aircraft firepower was because the superstructure and anti-aircraft firepower had been destroyed. It was almost destroyed by bombs and internal casualties.

"Torpedo attack!" he gave the order bluntly.

12 torpedoes pounced down and released torpedoes one after another. This time the hit rate was higher than before, 4 of the 12 torpedoes hit, and all of them hit the port side. Although the poor Essex class resisted the beating, it could not withstand such ravage. It struggled and sank in less than 3 minutes. In the end, only less than 200 officers and soldiers on the ship, including the pilots, escaped.

Intelligence showed that the US military had a total of 4 battleships, 1 battleship and 1 fleet aircraft carrier. Half of them should be left, but they couldn't find them after going around in circles. Although Mizuo Fuchida was a little anxious, he arranged the combat mission very well. Calmly, he ordered the most skilled Murata Shigeharu to lead two squadrons to continue searching, and at the same time ordered other squadrons to find targets to attack on their own - whichever ship they wanted to attack...

After giving the order, the fleet disbanded and split up in twos and threes to search for targets. Soon the deafening sound of bombings was heard on the sea. Escort aircraft carriers and destroyers began to be hit, caught fire, and exploded under the accurate fire of the Japanese army. Of course, there were also A few unusual American heroes.

After the fleet encountered a sudden night attack, many US military pilots took off out of righteous indignation, regardless of the fact that they had not been trained in night combat. Several flew without knowing where they went, but a few found the Japanese army. Target and tried to fire, but how could they be opponents of Japanese fighter pilots who had received special night combat training, who cleverly induced the US pilots to fire first, and those F heirlooms would pull out a string of lines of fire in the air.

It looked very spectacular, but it reminded the Japanese pilots of the specific location of their opponents - behind any long string of flame jets in the sky must be a US aircraft, because most of the Japanese pilots used 20mm MG213, which had very strong firepower, but they were all bursts. It is not the inexperienced American pilots who like to hold the trigger and pull the barrage.

In this way, it was easier to find them by following the clues, and it didn't take long for the Japanese army to defeat their opponents one after another. One US military aircraft saw that it could not defeat its opponent and could not prevent the opponent from bombing. The blood in his head surged up. He simply looked for a Meteor and hit it directly. With a "boom", the air instantly ignited. With a fireball, he knocked down his opponent by killing both of them.

This method of exchanging lives for lives quickly attracted imitators. Within 3 minutes, the Japanese army was knocked down three planes in a row. The officer leading the team was so angry that he screamed in the earphones and kept reminding everyone to pay attention.

Although there was another collision after the reminder, it was avoided by the Japanese pilots with quick eyesight and quick hands. Soon the US pilots sadly discovered that in the dark night, there were very few opportunities to hit their opponents.

Witnessing the chaos of the formation and the failure of command, Halsey was heartbroken and could not stop cursing the idiots in Washington, saying, "I would have been better off fighting the Japanese to the death." He even wanted to order the pilots to They took off to meet the enemy.

But McCain stopped him: "William, we must run out. It is refreshing to fight desperately, but this is a needless death!"

"Everyone else is dead, so we're the only ones running back? I can't afford to lose this person!"

"If you can't afford to throw it away, you have to throw it away. You can't drag thousands of people to die just for your own glory." McCain lost his temper. "This is the only backbone of the Pacific Fleet left. We all work hard." What will happen to us in the future? We are both at retirement age, so it doesn’t matter whether we die or not, but what about the others who are still young, what about their wives, their parents and their children?”

"I..." Halsey hugged her head and cried desperately.

While signaling to several staff officers and adjutants to keep an eye on Halsey to prevent him from doing something stupid, McCain gave a very clear order - "Run! Run at all costs!"

"Let the nearby light cruisers move closer to us, change the course to 25 degrees, and do not use anti-aircraft fire to avoid exposure..."

Under the command of McCain, the light cruiser Vicksburg, the battleship Alabama and two destroyers all moved closer to the flagship. The five warships formed a temporary formation and quickly broke away toward the northeast at a speed of 27 knots. It distanced itself from the rear group of warships, which is why Fuchida Mizuo failed to find his opponent in the first place.

The second attack wave brought out 178 aircraft. Now most of the aircraft are looking for targets to attack. Only the 12 bomb-carrying Meteor Kais led by Fuchida Mizuo and the torpedo-carrying Meteor Kais led by Murata Shigeharu are protected by 8 fighter jets. Next, still looking for the target.

In order to improve the search efficiency, they decisively lowered their altitude and were only 600 meters away from the sea surface, and began the search patiently.

In the war room of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the main generals and staff were all dumbfounded. They had originally agreed to escape as soon as night fell, but unexpectedly the Japanese attacked them as soon as night fell. Now the situation was completely chaotic.

Who is to blame?

Blame Turner? He has warned the Japanese army many times about the danger of night attacks, and last night he warned to beware of night attacks and told the fleet to turn around and leave, otherwise they would have been beaten yesterday. It seems unreasonable to blame him.

Is it Halsey’s fault? He had no way to defend himself against Japanese attacks at night, and his pilots were simply not enough to support night battles.

Blame Spruance? He had already told TF50 not to pursue it but to return to Los Angeles to protect the transport fleet. What's the use of blaming him?

Le Hai was still regretful and pointed out that he should have let the fast column escape during the day. But can such a decision be made? Let's not say that Halsey will not implement it. If it is implemented, the morale of the Navy will be completely ruined-all kinds of warships are usually required to cover the flagship and the battleship. When something goes wrong, the battleship must run first. Who will do it in the future? Have the nerve to face grassroots officers and soldiers?

There is no way to save this situation unless God comes down to earth.

Nimitz sighed: "Let the warships disperse as much as possible and the destroyers find ways to rescue a group of people. Just keep the people and leave the warships alone..."

Dewey, who came after hearing the news, was also stunned by this scene of almost despair and waiting for death. He had to catch Turner and asked: "Why can others attack us at night so easily, but why can't our officers and soldiers do the same?"

Turner responded with a helpless smile: "Your Excellency, we used to have some elite pilots who could fly at night, but the number was not large. They were either serving as instructors or have been lost. And Japan... well... let me put it this way, training Night flying and ultra-low-altitude flying are constantly killing people. General Patton used live ammunition to simulate the real battlefield effects during training, but he was criticized by public opinion and almost retired. Do other officers dare to engage in such a training subject with a high casualty rate? ? How to explain to the people and public opinion?

Before the war, the Japanese Navy implemented the "Moon, Moon, Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Gold" training method. It selected middle school students as young as 16 years old from all over the country to become pilots. The training lasted for five years. The most desired life and career plan for young students was to attend a military academy and become an officer. , go to war, and fight a world war. Soldiers are the profession with the highest social status. Politicians who have never been generals can't even speak in the House of Representatives. Isn't this kind of cruel militarism what democrats like to criticize most?

What do young American students yearn for most? Isn’t it just to be a lawyer, a parliamentarian, a scholar, or a doctor? At the very least, you should be an engineer or technician. If others don’t tell you, just take a look at General Nimitz’s resume. Before World War I, he was our army’s leading diesel engine technical expert. As a captain, he could get a monthly salary of 240 yuan plus 40 yuan for commuting expenses, which was only a year. US$3,000 was actually not low, and a diesel engine manufacturer wanted him to resign from the Navy and work for their company, offering an annual salary of up to US$25,000 and offering him a five-year contract. Fortunately, he stayed out of his love for the Navy, otherwise there would be no General Nimitz in the U.S. Navy today, only Professor Nimitz! But one Nimitz remained, and how many Nimitz were lost from the military? "

Turner was quite polite here, and did not accuse lawmakers of the many constraints on the defense budget before the war.

Dewey was stunned, thought for a long time, nodded hesitantly, and then asked in a low voice: "You mean, we can't even defeat Japan now?"

"It is impossible to defeat, but the price will be very high..." Turner sighed, "Since the war started, our army has lost more than 1.5 million people. If you become president, you will face another loss of 5 million or even 1.5 million people." Can you make up your mind in a situation that requires 10 million to win?”

"I..." Dewey felt a twinge of pain. How could he make such a determination? He's not crazy!

"What's next?"

"I think, on the one hand, we must quickly promote peace with Germany, and on the other hand, we must find ways to contact Japan and inquire about their peace conditions..." Turner sighed, "If you don't want to lose too much, stop the war, the United States If the people work hard for 10-15 years, it is possible to fight another world war. Didn’t Germany lie dormant for 20 years after its last defeat? The United States is now untouched, so I don’t think it will take that long.”

"They still dare to attack the mainland?"

"Sir, please don't forget that to the south of the United States is Mexico. If the Germans and Japanese land in Mexico and fight north, do you think the Mexicans will resist to the end for the sake of the United States?"

At a moment when Washington was noisy and almost desperate, after careful search, Mizuo Fuchida finally found the Franklin formation running wildly in the dark.

Facing the huge bodies of the Franklin and Alabama, a smile appeared on his lips: "Let me see where you are going? Bomber! Dive! Attack the aircraft carrier first!"