Five Type Zero fighters covered ten Type 99 dive bombers, ignoring the two heavy cruisers and five destroyers around them, and swooped straight for the USS Yorktown.

Seven escort warships surrounded the Yorktown, and the dense anti-aircraft fire was fired at the incoming Japanese fighters, but they could not stop the surprise attack of the Japanese fighters.

At the cost of a Type 99 dive bomber being shot down, the Japanese assault planes rushed through the anti-aircraft fire network of the 17th Task Force and swooped down on the Yorktown, which was frantically fleeing across the ocean.

The Zero lowered its altitude and shuttled over the heavy cruisers and destroyers, dropping bullets on the deck, leaving the exposed American sailors fleeing in confusion.

The two experienced pilots even crossed the fuselage sideways, perpendicular to the sea with their wings, and swept over the side of the US warship, and the machine gun shells and machine gun bullets swept over the US anti-aircraft gun positions, and the gunners fell behind the anti-aircraft guns with wails, and the guns of the anti-aircraft guns splashed dazzling fire.

Nine Type 99 dive bombers launched a dive one after another, and above the Yorktown, the blue sky was instantly burst out of countless gunsmoke.

Type 99 dive bombers shuttled through the smoke of anti-aircraft shells, dropping piles of deadly bombs.

All the crew members of the USS Yorktown, including Rear Admiral Fletcher, who were able to observe the battle, stared in horror at the dense array of butterfly bombs in the sky.

Among the countless butterfly bombs, 250 kilograms of aerial bombs were hidden and smashed into the wide deck of the Yorktown.

Nine dive bombers attacked, and two 250-kilogram aerial bombs hit the Yorktown one after the other.

"The flight deck at a distance of fourteen meters from the bow of the ship was hit by an aerial bomb."

"The mid-flight deck was hit, two planes were wrecked in the hangar, fuel leaked. The hangar caught fire. ”

Fletcher was connected to two reports. Fortunately in the midst of misfortune. The two explosions did not cause fatal damage to the Yorktown.

In order to prevent the Japanese fighters from attacking again, Fletcher urgently recalled fighter jets to protect the skies above the task force.

The escorting F4F Wildcat fighter had just returned to the skies over Yorktown when it encountered a second wave of Japanese aircraft.

The fleet was still small, consisting of six Zero fighters and ten Type 97 torpedo planes.

Facing the escorted Wildcat fighters, the Japanese group was disrupted, but there were still six torpedo planes that passed through the American anti-aircraft fire and launched an attack on the Yorktown.

Six torpedo planes launched a combined attack in a sophisticated manner. Approaching the Yorktown from the bow of the ship from the two sides of the ship, at an altitude of 20 to 50 meters above the sea, they dropped torpedoes at a distance of 1,000 to 1,500 meters to block the space for the Yorktown to take refuge.

The Yorktown made an emergency left turn to avoid four torpedoes from starboard, the most recent of which slid across the sea about ten meters from the bow.

The Yorktown was not given a chance to adjust its hull again, and one of the two torpedoes from the port side hit the Yorktown in front of the left of the bow.

Fletcher stood in the bridge, watching the white spray on the bow of the ship in front of him. Feel the vibration coming from under your feet.

"We can't stay here any longer, we have to move to the heavy cruiser."

Fletcher didn't let his men persuade him. Decisively chose to leave the Yorktown.

As he fled, Major General Fletcher's mind went blank.

Last Christmas, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the three aircraft carriers USS Enterprise, USS Lexington and USS Saratoga were sunk inside Pearl Harbor.

The three aircraft carriers under his command and Halsey were urgently supported by the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet.

In just half a year, the first decisive battle with the Japanese Navy was held, and it turned out to be this result, how would he face General Nimitz, who had high hopes for this battle, in the future? How will I face the questions of my colleagues in the Atlantic Fleet in the future?

In a fit of intense remorse, Fletcher suddenly saw the bare left arm of an officer in front of him, and the tattoo on that left arm was a Star-Spangled Banner.

Seeing the Star-Spangled Banner, Fletcher suddenly remembered that today was the Fourth of July, Independence Day.

It is impossible to explain that he was defeated by the despicable Japanese on Independence Day, a day of special significance.

The more Fletcher thought about it, the more he blamed himself, suddenly stopped, and under the puzzled gaze of the surrounding officers, he took out the pistol hanging from his right waist and pointed it at his right temple.

At the last moment, a large hand grabbed the revolver and lifted it upward.

There was a "bang" of gunshots, and the bullet flew over Fletcher's brimmed hat.

A few pairs of big hands hugged their waists, and those who grabbed guns grabbed guns.

Fletcher struggled and shouted, "Let me die・・・・・・ let me die・・・・・・

"The fleet still needs you to command, you can't die, General."

The adjutant and staff officers worked together to snatch Fletcher's revolver from his hand and drag Fletcher out of the building and onto the lifeboat.

No sooner had he transferred to the heavy cruiser Astoria than Rear Admiral Fletcher received a good message from the Yorktown.

After emergency repairs by the damage management team, the loophole in the bow of the Yorktown that was torpedoed was brought under control.

The fire in the hangar no longer spread, and the Yorktown was temporarily out of danger of sinking, but it could only move at a speed of about twenty knots.

The good news is like a shot in the arm, and Major General Fletcher is no longer looking for death, but looking at the sky under the reminder of his subordinates.

The weather in the Pacific Ocean is like a child's face, and it changes when it is said.

In the morning, the sky was clear, but by noon it was already overcast, and it looked like it was going to rain.

Rainy weather is good weather for the escape, and he must lead the surviving battleships of the fleet back to Pearl Harbor.

Fletcher gave himself a reason to live.

In the following hour, Major General Fletcher received two more pieces of good news in a row.

The first piece of good news is that it's raining.

The second good news is that the Yorktown's damage management team has worked tirelessly to make the Yorktown's sailing speed gradually recover, and it has been increased to 25 knots, and the chances of a victorious escape have been improved.

God bless America. At least the weather is on our side. The Yorktown was saved.

Maj. Gen. Fletcher watched the rain get heavier and heavier outside the window. Keep thanking in my heart for the "good" weather that came in time.

The sudden thunderstorm was good weather for Rear Admiral Fletcher, but extremely bad for the Japanese Combined Fleet.

The main fleet commanded by Isoroku Yamamoto and Nagumo's mobile fleet, under the influence of bad weather, could not let the planes take off, so they could only sail at full speed to pursue the fleeing American fleet.

On the aircraft carrier Wyvern, Yamaguchi Tashi did not have the joy of winning the battle at this time.

The two small groups that attacked the Yorktown were all from the USS Wyvern, which he was on. Although the pilot brought back the good news of hitting the Yorktown, Yamaguchi Tarumi was still not happy.

The steering gear of the Wyvern was damaged, and after emergency repairs, it was still difficult to turn at this time, and it was temporarily unable to participate in the pursuit of the US fleet.

And most importantly, the sister ship of the Wyvern, the aircraft carrier Soryu, has reached the last moment of its life.

Billowing smoke rose from the hull of the Canglong, and a series of large and small explosions occurred on the hull, and from time to time parts of the ship were thrown into the sky by the explosion air waves.

After staring at the Soryu for more than ten seconds, Yamaguchi Tawen made up his mind.

"Let the destroyer launch torpedoes. Give the Canglong a ride. ”

Receiving an order from Tashi Yamaguchi, surrounded the destroyer fleet that was on guard around the fleet. The destroyers Nobu and Maikaze rushed to the starboard side of the Soryu and fired four torpedoes at the Soryu aircraft carrier in succession.

All four torpedoes were hit, and after a violent explosion, the huge hull of the Canglong quickly tilted to the right and sank sharply to the bottom of the sea.

In less than half an hour, the Canglong completely disappeared from the sea.

When the Soryu sank, the focus of the battlefield in the south, near Midway.

In the Japanese landing fleet, large and small warships with two battleships as the core cruised in the nearby sea, suppressing the US firepower point on Midway Island with artillery fire, clearing the way for the landing force.

The pursuit of the American fleet lasted a whole afternoon, and at 8:30 p.m., Yamamoto Isoroku decisively gave the order.

The main fleet stopped pursuing the U.S. fleet, made peace with the mobile fleet led by Nagumo, and used carrier-based aircraft and naval guns to cooperate with the marines to capture Midway, and then returned victoriously.

Although the two aircraft carriers Fengxiang and Soryu were also lost, in Yamamoto's eyes, the losses suffered by the Combined Fleet in this battle were completely acceptable, while the US Pacific Fleet had basically lost the ability to confront the Combined Fleet in the Pacific after losing two air parts.

The Battle of Midway can be called a victory.

Unlike Yamamoto Isoroku, Rear Admiral Fletcher's heart was still heavy, and after contacting the heavy cruiser Portland, Fletcher learned that Vice Admiral Halsey was still unconscious, but out of danger.

After contacting Admiral Nimitz, Admiral Nimitz's reply made Major General Fletcher feel very warm.

"I will bear all the consequences of this battle, and you will lead the fleet back as soon as possible."

When night fell, Major General Fletcher's heart calmed down.

After a sleepless night, Major General Fletcher ushered in the dawn of July 5th.

After an overnight emergency repair, the deck of the Yorktown was ready for aircraft to take off and land.

Fletcher urgently dispatched six dreadnought dive bombers to reconnoiter the rear of the fleet for a Japanese fleet to pursue.

The heavy cruisers escorting the ship also sent seaplanes to jointly take on the alert duty.

For an entire morning, Rear Admiral Fletcher did not receive any news of the sighting of the Japanese fleet, nor did he receive reports of Japanese planes appearing near the fleet.

Another afternoon flew by, and on the evening of 5 July, Rear Admiral Fletcher confirmed that the Japanese fleet had been evacuated, and he boldly returned to the repaired aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.

On the night of 5 July, Major General Fletcher was still on the run.

At dawn on July 6, while Major General Fletcher was enjoying breakfast, he did not know that on the atolls of Midway, there were only sporadic gunfires.

The red and white plaster banner has replaced the Star-Spangled Banner and flies high above Midway.

Under the combined air and naval artillery of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the defenders of Midway held out for only one day before crushing.

In the process of capturing Midway, the battleship Yamato also joined in the bombardment of the American troops, showing off the power of nine 460 mm guns.

When the American prisoners, under the surveillance of the Japanese marines, marched to the beach to board the transport ship, a periscope rose silently from the sea near Rear Admiral Fletcher's 17th Task Force.

After the periscope rotated with the hull of the USS Yorktown, four white sprays suddenly appeared on the sea.

Under the surface of the sea, four Type 91 torpedoes rushed towards the Yorktown like sharks, and the torpedoes swept across the water, dragging long silver lines.

In the Yorktown dining room, Rear Admiral Fletcher felt that the coffee in his mouth tasted like chewing wax, without any taste.

His mind at this time was all about how to write a combat report.

Halsey is seriously injured, and this task must be completed by him.

After the defeat at the Battle of Midway, how should the Pacific Fleet use the only remaining Yorktown as the main force to deal with the attack of the Japanese Combined Fleet, and should it be that the Pacific Fleet was reinforced by transferring training aircraft carriers from the mainland?

What will Admiral Nimitz and himself, and Halsey receive?

In his thoughts, Major General Fletcher finished a tasteless breakfast and got up to leave the dining room.

A loud "rumbling ・・・・・・" came from outside the restaurant.

In the violent tremors, Major General Fletcher's body involuntarily flew out upside down, and as soon as he sat on the ground, Fletcher instantly felt that his waist was about to break.

Before Fletcher could grin and react to what had happened, three violent explosions entered the dining room in quick succession, and the floor of the dining room shook violently.

"Torpedoes, torpedoes, we were hit by torpedoes・・・・・・"

Shouts came from outside the cafeteria, and Fletcher took the adjutant's hand with difficulty, endured the sharp pain in his lower back, stood up, and rushed out of the cafeteria.

"Make every effort to repair it, and you must keep the Yorktown."

Fletcher's shouts echoed across the bridge.

At noon on 6 July, on the route from Midway Island to the Japanese mainland, nearly 200 warships, the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet, sailed mightily on the sea.

On the battleship Yamato, Yamamoto said to Minoru Genda: "In this battle, our army successfully captured Midway Island and sank the opposing aircraft carriers Hornet and Wasp, in addition to the warriors of the Empire, we also have to thank the Diablo who was far away in Europe. Genda-kun, I said that after the victory, I will give you a holiday and let you go to Europe. When you return home, you will immediately leave for Europe, thank our Mr. Diablo in person, and purchase some naval equipment from him. ”

Minoru Genda first finished reading the telegram that a staff officer had just sent, and then said to Yamamoto with a smile: "Commander, I will leave as soon as I return home." However, I would like to inform you that the Yorktown was ambushed by the submarine I-162 this morning and sank an hour ago. (To be continued.) )