The four flying formations on the aircraft carriers USS Hornet and USS Wasp flew nearly 150 nautical miles, and after arriving at the expected battlefield, they did not find any trace of the Japanese fleet.

The formation of dive bombers and fighters continued to fly southwest in the clouds.

Below the clouds, the formation of torpedo planes flying at a lower altitude turned their noses and flew north.

The combat radius of the TBF Avenger torpedo aircraft was only 175 nautical miles, and the flight distance at this time was already 150 nautical miles, which was close to the maximum combat radius, and it could only tentatively search for traces of the Japanese fleet to the north.

If they can't find it, the fleet will have to make a decisive U-turn and return to avoid running out of fuel and crashing.

Less than five minutes after flying, the 8th Squadron of TBF torpedo planes from the USS Hornet spotted a large fleet of fighters circling like big birds in the sky.

After signaling the friendly group, sixteen torpedo attack planes of the 8th Squadron rushed towards the Japanese fleet without hesitation.

On the bridge of the Flying Dragon, as the commander-in-chief of the two aircraft carriers Flying Dragon and Soryu and the surrounding escort fleet, Rear Admiral Yamaguchi Tawen had already learned that a large group of enemy planes were approaching behind him, but he was not alarmed.

After launching a round of attacks on Midway, Rear Admiral Tabun Yamaguchi made the fleet turn north and move at full speed away from Midway, with the aim of moving away from the range of Midway's fighters and devoting all his energy to dealing with the US aircraft carrier formation.

Based on the radios obtained from friendly reconnaissance planes and telegrams from Isoroku Yamamoto and Tadaichi Nagumo, Tarumi Yamaguchi had learned that at least three US aircraft carriers were operating in the nearby waters.

When the U.S. military plane appeared on the radar display of the Wyvern, Yamaguchi Tabun decisively ordered.

"Send out all reserve fighters, whether fighters, torpedo planes, bombers, and be sure to disrupt the enemy's offensive formation. Stop them from dropping bombs. ”

The Zero fighters, which had been given priority for refueling, and the spare fighters on the two aircraft carriers took off one after another, and before the US torpedo planes arrived, they had already occupied the favorable airspace over the fleet.

As soon as sixteen TBF Avenger torpedo planes appeared in the field of vision of the Japanese pilots, seventeen Zero fighters roared towards the Avenger torpedo planes.

The Avenger torpedo machine pulled down and rushed towards the Japanese fleet at a height close to the sea.

The Zero fighter also pulled down the altitude. Rush towards the Avengers at high speed.

In the open sea, almost every Avenger torpedo plane was followed by a Zero fighter.

Whether it is the combat experience of the pilots, or the performance of the aircraft, the Zero fighter occupies an overwhelming advantage.

In the eyes of the Zero pilots, the slow Avenger torpedo was a live target to the door.

The brief battle presented a one-sided situation.

Dazzling fireworks erupted in the sky, and the fallen fighters fell to the surface of the sea, splashing white waves, and none of the sixteen Avenger torpedo planes survived the pursuit of the Zero, and all of them were shot down to the surface.

During the battle. The Zero fighter pilots showed great skill, did not suffer any losses, and did not even leave the opportunity to drop torpedoes to the American pilots, and won the first battle.

Before the Japanese pilots had time to celebrate their victory, the second squadron of torpedo planes of the US army flew to the battlefield, a formation of torpedo planes from the USS Wasp.

Before the Zero fighter formation could regroup, the fourteen TBF torpedo planes split into two teams and rushed towards the aircraft carriers Wyvern and Soryu.

U.S. military pilots fly planes. Weave through the web of fire woven by anti-aircraft guns, and pass the cruisers and destroyers that are firing wildly at them. Rushing madly towards two aircraft carriers.

Despite the escort of the Zero fighter jets and the dense anti-aircraft fire net protection of the escort warships, the aircraft carriers Flying Dragon and Canglong still made evasive maneuvers to prevent the ship's side from facing the direction of the incoming torpedo aircraft.

During the chase and counter-chase, only six of the fourteen Avenger torpedo planes successfully fired torpedoes, but the hastily dropped torpedoes were missing. Didn't hit any targets.

When the attack ended, only five of the fourteen torpedo planes that participated in the second wave survived.

On the bridge of the aircraft carrier Wyvern, Tashi Yamaguchi glanced at the sea in front of him.

A TBF Avenger torpedo plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire, dragging the flames and black smoke to the surface of the sea, stumbling and rolling out of the sea for a long time. A long first white spray came out, almost hitting the right side of the Wyvern's bow.

The smile on his face flashed, and Yamaguchi Tawen quickly ordered: "Send a report to Vice Admiral Nagumo that our fleet is being attacked by the enemy's group of aircraft, and the number of escort fighters is insufficient, so let them be sure to assign half of the escort fighters to us." ”

Yamaguchi's request was quickly responded to by Nagumo, and about twenty more Zero fighters flew in from the north to join the battle to defend the Soryu and Wyvern.

As soon as Yamaguchi received reinforcements, the real showdown began.

A formation of dive bombers from the two aircraft carriers, the Hornet and the Wasp, appeared at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters and did not hesitate to launch a dive towards the fleet of Tarumi Yamaguchi.

The Zero fighter rushed towards the US bomber group, but collided head-on with the US F4F Wildcat fighter, and the Japanese pilots could only brace themselves to meet the US fighter plane.

When the fighters of both sides were in a melee, the SBD dreadnought dive bombers attacked fearlessly, and the sky was full of fighters with their noses downward, shuttling through the fire net.

The aircraft carriers Soryu and Wyvern were in a hurried U-turn, ready to turn southeast and release the planes on deck that had been refilled with fuel and ammunition.

In the bridge where Yamaguchi Tashi was, on the anti-aircraft gun emplacements around the deck, and in the cockpit of the plane on the deck, countless pairs of eyes were staring at the US fighter plane that was rapidly diving down.

The anti-aircraft guns shot countless barrages in the sky, and some of the pilots of the Zero fighters turned their heads and rushed towards the US dive bombers despite the pursuit of the Wildcat fighters, trying to stop the attack of the other side, but to no avail.

When the fourth SBD dreadnought dive bomber finished dropping bombs, a burst of fire erupted from the planes parked on the left side of the Canglong deck, and the two Type 97 torpedo planes were swept away by the shock wave in the smoke of gunpowder, and then fell into the sea.

More planes were skewed under the onslaught of 250-pound aerial bombs. It's no longer neat as before.

At the point where the bomb landed on the deck, there was a huge bullet hole in the wooden deck, and billowing black smoke came out of it.

In the face of the attack of the American army, the Canglong still firmly completed the turning action, and the Zero fighters lined up in a long line and rushed out of the deck quickly.

After the emergency release of three Zero fighters. Two aerial bombs fell in the middle of the deck and then on the right side.

The hole in the center of the deck blocked the take-off path of the Japanese fighters, and the bomb that fell on the right side detonated the aerial bomb carried by the Type 99 dive bomber.

In a series of chain explosions, the deck of the Canglong was covered beyond recognition, covered in the flames and smoke of the explosion, and the wreckage of the plane was washed into the sky by the blast of air, and broken parts flew in all directions, mixed with the flesh and blood of the pilots and ground crew.

In less than twenty minutes, the deck of the Canglong was covered in endless black smoke, and the thick black smoke rose with the wind and rushed into the sky.

Yamaguchi Duowen stared at the smoke-billowing hull of the Soryu for more than ten seconds. Only then did he retract his gaze with difficulty.

In the original plan, the fleet led by himself had the task of attracting enemy attack aircraft groups and buying time for the fleet led by Nagumo.

In less than an hour, the Canglong lost its combat effectiveness, and judging by the injuries, there was almost no chance of success.

Even if the two battleships under his command were all sunk, it would be worth it to be able to buy precious time for the main fleet.

With the belief that he would die, Yamaguchi Tawen decisively gave the order.

"The Wyvern ceases evasive behavior. Try your best to ensure the stability of the hull and let the carrier-based aircraft take off as soon as possible. ”

Yamaguchi Tawen is very determined. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Nagumo Fleet, which he was bent on defending, had been attacked.

Informed by friendly forces, the Yorktown's aircraft formation also turned north to track the Japanese fleet.

The torpedo formation flying under the clouds had a good view and easily spotted the fleet led by Yamaguchi Tabun, and the twelve torpedoes immediately attacked.

The dive bomber formations and the escort fighters were blocked by the clouds. Passing by Yamaguchi's fleet, the crooked strike spotted the aircraft carrier formation led by Nagumo.

The first to be attacked was the lone aircraft carrier Fengxiang.

As a veteran ship that has been in service for 20 years, the Fengxiang light aircraft carrier only has a maximum speed of 25 knots, while the Akagi and Kaga aircraft carriers and escort ships generally have a speed of more than 30 knots.

In the course of the transfer of the fleet to the north. The USS Fengxiang was undoubtedly left behind, and then encountered the USS Yorktown's fleet of U.S. aircraft with the four destroyers escorting it.

There was no time to think about why this aircraft carrier was left alone, and the US aircraft group did not hesitate to attack.

All the fighters carried by the Fengxiang were released to look for the US aircraft carriers, and in the face of the fierce US fighters, they could only rely on air defense guns to defend their own safety.

The weak firepower of the four destroyers was completely unable to effectively ensure the safety of the Fengxiang.

The Fengxiang is also dominated by the strong desire to survive, rushing left and right on the sea, and at the same time releasing smoke to fight for a glimmer of life for itself.

Five minutes later, when the Zero fighters rushed from the Nagumo fleet to join the battle after receiving a distress report from the Fengxiang, the Fengxiang had already been hit by a 250-pound aerial bomb.

The flames and black smoke made the Fengxiang more conspicuous in the eyes of the US pilots, and in less than ten minutes, three more aerial bombs fell on the Fengxiang aircraft carrier.

The Fengxiang is the oldest aircraft carrier in the Combined Fleet, and it is destined to have fatal holes in its design.

There is no dedicated reserve tank designed for jet fuel on the Fengxiang, and all jet fuel is stored in the form of gasoline drums.

The entire crew was non-smoking, and even the Fengxiang, which was not even allowed to lighter on board, naturally turned into a flaming ship after receiving four aerial bombs in a row.

The aviation gasoline was ignited by the bombs, and a wave of flames and heat swept through all the passages and crevices inside the Fengxiang, and the entire crew was swept into flames, either suffocated or charred to dry corpses along the way.

The elevator of the Fengxiang, the junction between the deck and the hull, the broken rift, drilled out puffs of flames and smoke.

In the excited anticipation of the American pilots and the frightened eyes of the crew of the escorting destroyer, an earth-shattering explosion erupted inside the hull of the Fengxiang, and the middle and rear parts of the hull were torn apart.

The remaining first half, driven by inertia and shock waves, began to sink rapidly after driving forward for more than 100 meters.

In less than twenty minutes from the start of the attack, the huge hull of the Fengxiang disappeared forever from the sea, and only the wreckage and black oil stains floating on the sea surface proved that this was the burial place of the Fengxiang.

A butterfly in the Amazon rainforest of South America, with a few occasional flaps of its wings, can cause a tornado in Texas, USA, two weeks later.

In the Battle of Midway, the Fengxiang successfully played the role of a butterfly in the "butterfly effect".

While the US pilots were rejoicing in the sinking of the Fengxiang, they did not know that they had wasted a lot of time and precious aerial bombs on this old ship with weak combat effectiveness.

After dropping the bomb, the dive bomber turned around and fled, leaving his comrades to face the Zero.

Five or six SBD dreadnought dive bombers rushed towards the Nagumo fleet not far away, obsessively trying to complete their mission, but they were blasted in the sky by the tracking Zero fighters and anti-aircraft fire, and they did not even get the opportunity to dive.

Unable to get rid of the entanglement of the Zero fighters, the slow SBD dreadnought bombers attacked sporadically, but found nothing.

When all the bombers had dropped their bombs, the nine surviving Wildcats could only escort the surviving bombers out of the battlefield.

After learning that the American fighters attacking the fleet had withdrawn, the horizontal flesh on Nan Yunzhong's face relaxed, but it quickly tensed again.

Nagumo's nervousness comes from combat losses.

"The Fengxiang sank, and all the five hundred and fifty people below the captain were shattered."

"How's the loss at Yamaguchi-kun?" Nagumo asked.

"The Soryu was hit by three aerial bombs, the fire was so great that it had burned to the fuel tank and ammunition compartment, and the captain of the ship, Yanagimoto Yanagisaku Daisaku, had abandoned ship. The tail of the Wyvern was damaged by a near-miss, and the steering gear was damaged, and it is currently being repaired. ”

"Well・・・・・・ I know. Don't report the losses to Commander Yamamoto for the time being, don't affect his mood, and wait until the battle is over to inform him. ”

Nagumo looked at the sea level in silence and muttered, "Calculate the time, our fleet should be attacking the enemy's fleet at this time, and good news will come soon." ”

Almost at the same time, in the battleship Yamato, Yamamoto looked at his watch.

"The time has come, let the carrier-based aircraft attack, and give priority to attacking the fleet where the two aircraft carriers are located."

After a pause, Yamamoto Fifty-six said, "Ask Nagumo-kun, how is his situation there?" How big the loss is. (To be continued.) )