At 6 a.m. on June 4, the aircraft carrier Akagi. The second group of assault aircraft was immediately lifted from the lower decks of the aircraft carriers, one by one, by elevators to the upper flight decks. This batch of aircraft was mainly "Type 97" carrier-based torpedo attack aircraft. The pilots of the torpedo machine were the essence of the Japanese naval aviation. Although, according to intelligence, there are simply no American aircraft carriers in the vicinity; Moreover, according to Admiral Yamamoto's estimate, the US aircraft carrier will not be able to reach the waters of Midway until 7 June at the earliest. However, Vice Admiral Nagumo left his best pilots on board the ship as a precautionary measure, so as to deal with the attack of the American fleet.

Now the war room is busy, and a large group of staff officers are busy. Suddenly, an officer ran towards the commander of the fleet, Admiral Nagumo, who came to Nagumo, stood upright, raised his hands and saluted.

"Oh, did something happen?" Nagumo asked as he returned the salute.

"We just found out that there is a radio station near the fleet. It is suspected that it is an enemy reconnaissance aircraft or submarine. ”

"That's ......," Nagumo's eyebrows furrowed. The position of the fleet seems to have been revealed. The enemy will definitely attack the fleet. The enemy's attack could come from the Midway airfield, or from the aircraft carrier formation. Now the question is whether the enemy's fleet is really not nearby. There's nothing wrong with being cautious. Obviously, the enemy fleet is more threatening to his fleet. That was his first goal. So he turned his head to his chief of staff, Kusaka, and said:

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"Caolu Jun, our torpedo machines have all been hung up with torpedoes, right? What news is there from our reconnaissance aircraft? ”

"The torpedo machine is ready to attack as soon as the enemy fleet is spotted. Reconnaissance planes have not yet found anything, general. In addition, there was a problem with the catapult of the Tone, and although it was repaired, the reconnaissance aircraft left half an hour later than the other reconnaissance aircraft. ”

"Then now we can only wait."

As the minutes ticked by, the sun was already high and the golden sunlight dispelled the milky white mist on the sea and gilded the "97" carrier-based torpedo attack planes that were neatly parked on the deck.

"General, Captain Tomanaga is calling."

"Read it."

"The bombing of Midway Island was completed, but by the time of the attack, all enemy planes had already fled, so the attack failed to destroy the enemy planes at Midway, and the damage to the airfield was relatively limited, and it is estimated that the enemy airfield could still take off and land aircraft. If the enemy's air power is to be destroyed, it is necessary to strike again at the enemy's airfield. ……”

"Caolu-kun, do you think we will launch a second strike immediately?"

"General, let's wait for the news of the reconnaissance plane, I estimate that in a few dozen minutes, the reconnaissance plane will have news."

"Okay."

Nagumo has always been obedient to his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Kusaka, so much so that some people believe that Kusaka is the real commander of this fleet.

……

At 7:10, the destroyer Wufeng raised the flag: "Enemy aircraft spotted." The signal flag was raised on the mast of the Japanese ship, and the sirens sounded in the sea and air.

On the starboard side of the Akagi were six Avenger torpedo attack planes and four B-26 bombers that took off from Midway. They don't have any fighter protection. Fighters were put into interdiction operations.

The Zero, who was responsible for guarding the aircraft carrier, pounced on these uncovered bombers. The anti-aircraft guns on the ship also fired constantly.

The planes are piloted by young rookies, many of whom have not yet completed their full training courses. So much so that they could only form a single line under the leadership of the captain and plane, and brave the artillery fire without making any evasive movements and pounce straight towards the Akagi, because once they dodged, they might not even be able to find an effective attack line for themselves.

Before they could get close to the aircraft carrier, three torpedo planes had already been hit by the Zero and plunged headlong into the sea, and these planes crashed into the sea and shattered to pieces. One of the planes leaned over and the wings touched the surface of the sea first, and the huge impact caused the wings to break in two, and then the plane slammed into the water, splashing huge waves.

The remaining 7 planes continued to approach and dropped torpedoes in turn.

These torpedoes raced forward in a long white trajectory, and countless eyes were staring at these torpedoes. The experienced seafarers breathed a sigh of relief, and they all judged that none of these torpedoes would be able to hit.

It was also the case, all the torpedoes passed by the side of the aircraft carrier, and none of them hit. However, the torpedo planes that were pulled up after dropping the torpedoes were fired at by anti-aircraft guns, and they were attacked by the Zero, and one after another was shot down.

There was cheering on the aircraft carrier Akagi, not only the Akagi, but the entire fleet.

At this time, Yamaguchi Tabun was also watching the battle from the bridge of the aircraft carrier Wyvern, and the staff officers around him were also cheering when they witnessed the American torpedo planes being shot down one after another.

Yamaguchi said to the captain of the Wyvern, Jio Calais, who was standing beside him watching the battle, "Calais-kun, what do you think of these American pilots?" ”

"Generals, their technical level is very low, they obviously lack training, and they are no match for the imperial pilots at all, but ......" Calais hesitated for a moment, and Yamaguchi glanced at him lightly and said:

"But they're all brave, aren't they?"

"Yes, sir, they are all respectable samurai. I can't imagine that Americans can be so brave, no less than the samurai of the empire. ”

Yamaguchi nodded, and said with no worries, "Chief Yamamoto once mentioned his conversation with one of the Army guys - of course, the Army guys are fools with no heads...... When Chief Yamamoto said that the industry of the United States far surpasses that of our country, the guy said, 'We have the spirit of Yamato!' 'I should let those fools come here and see it, they have an American spirit!' Once this spirit is combined with a huge material force, the prospect of war is really ......"

"General......" Calais looked at Yamaguchi in disbelief.

"So this battle has to be won, and it has to be a big win, a complete victory. Only in this way can the empire have a better tomorrow. Perhaps, it is time for us to raise the Z-flag again. Yamaguchi patted Kalai-kun on the shoulder, smiled, and said, "Kalai-kun, we all have to work hard." ”

"Yes, General!"

At this time, on the aircraft carrier Akagi, Nagumo was discussing with his chief of staff, Kusaka.

"Caolu-kun, these planes should be from Midway. The airport at Midway is a huge threat. ”

"Yes General, Tomanaga-kun also mentioned that the airfield was not devastated, and if it cannot be destroyed, such blows will follow. Although we are just unscathed, the slightest negligence can cause losses. "General, I think we must now completely destroy the air power on Midway. I propose that the planes already parked on the flight decks of the aircraft carriers "Akagi" and "Kaga" be re-transported back to the lower deck by elevator so that the torpedoes hanging under the fuselage can be unloaded and the bombs can be attached to the planes. Then strike and destroy the Midway airfield! ”

After thinking for a while, Nanyun followed Kusaka's advice again.

"Inform Akagi and Kaga to return the torpedo machine to the lower deck, unload the torpedo and replace it with a high-explosive bomb."

As the order was given, through the window of the bridge, it could be seen that the deck was immediately busy, and one plane after another was carefully moved to the elevator and then settled on the lower deck. Maintenance personnel in vests of various colors ran around the plane, and all kinds of flags and signal lights danced non-stop.

By 7:30 a.m., the planes had basically been retracted to the lower deck, and the work of replacing the torpedoes with the bombs was in full swing. At this time, a staff officer hurriedly ran towards Nagumo and Kusaka with a document in hand.

"General, the reconnaissance plane has spotted the American fleet!"

"What!" Cao Lu turned his head in astonishment and snatched the document directly from the staff officer's hand.

This gaffe is not due to a lack of education, but the consequences are simply too terrible. If it is the US aircraft carrier formation, it means that the enemy's blow will immediately fall on their heads. The entire fleet would be in danger of annihilation.

The report was very succinct: "Ten U.S. ** ships were found in the southeast direction. ”

"This damn reconnaissance plane, that damn liaison can't explain it? What warships are ten? There are no aircraft carriers in this! Kusaka thought angrily.

"Quick, tell the drawing room to calculate the distance immediately! -- General, there is no indication of the type of enemy ship, and the key is that we do not know whether there are aircraft carriers. ”

"Caolu-kun, pay attention to calm!" Nagumo was a little dissatisfied with Kusaka's somewhat gaffe performance, "Let me see, ah, ten warships, this scale, there shouldn't be no aircraft carriers, right?" -- Send a telegram to a reconnaissance plane asking for confirmation of the enemy's type of ship. Patrol fighter units were ordered to increase vigilance. ”

The mapping room quickly reported the distance of the enemy fleet: 320 km.

"General, maybe the situation is not so bad," seeing this figure that was within the strike range of the opponent's bombers, Kusaka calmed down, "Our position has long been exposed, if the enemy has an aircraft carrier, then the enemy's carrier-based bombers should have launched an attack on us a long time ago." This speculation also relieved everyone in the bridge.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the reconnaissance plane still did not send back a message. A feeling of uneasiness gradually floated in everyone's minds: What happened to the reconnaissance plane? Was it shot down by an American carrier-based fighter?

"Order, lower deck, suspend the replacement of bombs." Nagumo broke the unsettling silence and gave the order.

Just then, the sirens sounded again. The fleet again came under air attack.

This time it was 16 Dreadnought dive bombers that were attacked, and there were no fighter escorts. The planes simply failed to break through the fighter's defensive circle and were dispersed by the Zero Battle. They either panicked and dropped bombs to flee for their lives, or they were ruthlessly shot down by fighter jets.

"Caolu-kun, where do you think these planes came from?" Nagumo asked.

"General, it should still be Midway, otherwise it would be impossible to be escorted without fighter jets."

As if to confirm this, another batch of 15 bombers appeared. This time came the most typical roadbed bomber, the B-17 Flying Fortress. This is a heavy bomber with four engines. They have strong self-defense firepower, good high-altitude performance, good bomb load and range, and are a good strategic bomber. However, this bomber is not suitable for striking moving targets on the sea surface. None of the bombs they dropped at an altitude of 6,000 meters hit. Then there were 11 more dive bombers, and of course, their fate was no different from the previous one.

Although several attacks were unsuccessful, the threat from the Midway airfield was already on full display.

"General, the reconnaissance plane calls back! The enemy does not have aircraft carriers! ”

"Panicked, what it looks like! Take it and I'll take a look. ”

Nagumo opened the file, and Caolu also leaned over to look at it together. The telegram clearly stated: "10 US ** ships are 5 cruisers and 5 destroyers." ”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that a fleet without aircraft carriers was almost no threat. A few cruisers and destroyers are nothing, even if there are battleships, and when Midway is cleaned up, the bomber and torpedo forces are confident that they can send them all to the bottom of the sea with just one assault. It's like taking out those two British battleships. As a result, Nagumo ordered to continue preparations for an attack on land targets at Midway. The deck was again in chaos: planes continued to unload torpedoes and replace them with ordinary bombs. Although it was hectic, compared to just now, everyone felt very relaxed. Now the bomber has re-hung the bomb and is being sent to the flight deck again. The aircraft carrier began to turn to the headwind, and in a few minutes the second wave of bombers would take off and bomb Midway again.

However, at this moment, the reconnaissance plane again sent back a telegram: "The enemy fleet has been spotted, and aircraft carriers seem to be in the rear. ”

"Amaterasu is on top, what's going on with these guys! Is there an aircraft carrier or not! What is called seemingly! Anger burned in Nagumo's heart, and he couldn't wait to pull those damn guys out of the reconnaissance plane and replace them with himself, "Can't these guys see clearly?" ”

Taking a deep breath and calming his emotions for a moment, Nagumo turned to the grass deer.

"Caolu-kun, what do you think of this information?"

……

Kusaka pondered for a moment, "General, this information should be reliable. A fleet of this size should not be without aircraft carriers. General, we must give priority to attacking enemy aircraft carriers. ”

"But now the bombers are carrying high-explosive bombs for ground attack, and the effect of using these bombs to attack warships is very limited." An officer next to him spoke.

The one who spoke was Minoru Genda, one of the best bomber commanders in the Combined Fleet, who was supposed to be directly in command of the first wave of attack planes against Midway today, but he had to stay because he had a bad cold. As for how to strike at sea targets, Genda, who participated in the Battle of Pearl Harbor, is definitely an authority.

"Then, let the ground crew immediately replace the bomb with a torpedo." Grass deer said.

Nagumo thought for a moment and ordered: "Execute according to the advice of the chief of staff." ”

"Don't send the plane down any further, change it directly on the deck, be quick!" Grass deer added.

The deck was busy, the bombs on the torpedo planes were unloaded and replaced with torpedoes, and the high-explosive bombs on the dive bombers were replaced with semi-armor-piercing bombs. In order to gain time, the unloaded high-explosive bombs did not have time to be returned to the ammunition depot, but were piled up here and there directly on the deck of the aircraft carrier. This became the key to the fate of these aircraft carriers.

It was 8:30 a.m., and the roar of aircraft engines was heard over the fleet. However, this time it was no longer American bombers that appeared, but the Japanese's own fleet. The Tomanaga group of planes returning from the attack on Midway had flown over the Japanese fleet.

Now the most troublesome situation has happened: the first assault planes to Midway, having returned, they are almost running out of fuel, and they must be immediately allowed to land on the mothership; The second group of assault aircraft was not ready, they still occupied the flight deck. And those "Zero" fighters that protect aircraft carriers, which are running out of fuel, also have to land for refueling.

"Oh my God, all this mess has come together!" A sense of bad luck gradually floated in Nagumo's heart.

Now there are several options in front of Nagumo:

First of all, he can immediately send out attack aircraft on the flight deck to attack enemy ships, thus freeing up the runway. However, these planes have not yet completed the refitting of torpedoes, and can only use less lethal bombs mounted on bomb racks to carry out air strikes, plus there is no fighter escort. And to use bombers without fighter escort to attack heavily defended aircraft carriers, the American planes that have just suffered heavy losses but gained nothing are an example. Now, if you send them out, I'm afraid that they will be beaten with meat buns and dogs, and they will never return. And it takes a lot of time to take off, and I'm afraid that some planes will run out of fuel before the deck is free. Perhaps dozens of planes will crash in front of their own people because they run out of fuel. The Japanese Navy will lose dozens of its best pilots in vain. This loss was unacceptable for Japan, which already had insufficient reserves of pilots.

Secondly, he could order the attack aircraft on the flight deck to be sent to the lower deck again and leave the flight deck empty. Once these planes have landed, send them into the hangar, raise the bombers that are already fully prepared to the flight deck again, and then deliver the deadliest blow to the enemy. Only, will the enemy give him so much time?

It's a tough choice, and no matter which one you choose, you come with a huge responsibility. Nagumo felt that it was difficult for him to make up his mind, in fact, he was not a man with the strength of steel. So he habitually consulted the chief of staff, Major General Kusaka.

Kusaka also felt a headache, he muttered for a while, and saw that the bomber commander Genda was next to him, so he asked him: "Genda-kun, what do you think we should do?" ”

Genda looked at the group of planes hovering over the aircraft carrier, and there were many people there who were his brothers in life and death. So Genda said: "I think, our plane has to land and refuel first." ”

Thus, a decision that should have been made by the supreme commander of the fleet that affected the entire campaign, and even the entire war, was finalized by a lieutenant.

As a result, the planes parked on the decks of the two aircraft carriers, "Akagi" and "Kaga", were again urgently put into storage to make room for the "Zero" fighters, who were desperately refueled, and the exhausted attackers returning from Midway. Once again, the deck was busy like a construction site. Again and again these poor planes were brought out and sent back, thus setting a record in the history of naval warfare that no one could ever match again - to move a fleet of planes between the hangar and the flight deck five times in three hours, but in the end they could not be dispatched. As the deck was emptied, the Toonaga group of planes hovering for landing began to land one after another. This large number of planes, one after the other, took a total of 40 minutes. By the time the wheels of the last plane touched the deck, it was already 9:18 a.m. The most precious time is lost in vain.

At 9:25 a.m., the group of attack aircraft that had been sent back to the hangar was lifted to the flight deck again, and for the last time. The aircraft carrier began to sail against the wind. Prepare for a long-delayed attack. At this moment, from the anti-air observation post, he came out and shouted: "Enemy torpedo machine spotted!" ”