With an attack order from Nagumo Tadaichi, the aircraft carriers Akagi and Kaga were immediately enveloped in the deafening sound of aircraft engines.

Two batches, each consisting of eighteen fighters, eighteen Type 99 dive bombers, and eighteen Type 97 torpedo attack planes, slid off the runway, then assembled in the sky and flew mightily to the north.

The lure of the enemy was successful, and the battlefleet, which had been carrying out an artillery bombardment mission near Diego Garcia Island, also turned its bow and quickly sailed in the direction of the main force of the fleet commanded by Nagumo.

In the sea northeast of Diego Garcia, Vice Admiral Cajario restlessly walks around the bridge.

The fleet had now closed to about 200 nautical miles from Diego Garcia Island and could allow the carrier-based aircraft to take off and attack, but the reconnaissance planes had not yet found the location of the Japanese aircraft carriers.

After hesitating for a while, Lieutenant General Cajario couldn't contain the restlessness in his heart and finally made a crucial decision.

"Give the Sparrowhawk an order for the planes to take off and attack the Japanese warships near Diego Garcia Island."

The Sparrowhawk was converted from the ocean liner "Augustus", and when the order to attack was received, the warplanes that had already been parked on the deck immediately started their engines.

16 RE-2001G fighters and 32 FI-167 torpedo planes imported from Germany rushed off the runway and flew to the island of Diego Garcia in the southwest.

No sooner had the carrier-based aircraft group on the Sparrowhawk disappeared into the sky than Cayario received a report.

"Reconnaissance aircraft spotted the Japanese fleet two hundred nautical miles to the south, the enemy had three aircraft carriers."

Cajario scolded: "Damn, it's so close, why didn't you find it earlier?" Quick, let the carrier-based aircraft take off and attack, the Japanese may have discovered us a long time ago. ”

Eight RE2001G fighters and 32 FI-167 torpedo planes took off urgently from the USS Eagle, converted from the luxury cruise ship Roma, and then assembled over the fleet.

Before the carrier group of the USS Eagle disappeared from Kayario's sight, a warning from the lookout post reached him.

"The organic community is approaching in the south-facing direction, and the organic community is approaching in the south-facing direction."

Mournful sirens sounded one after another on the battleships, hovering over the fleet, and the anti-aircraft gunners looked vigilantly at the southern sky.

The only remaining 14 RE2001G fighters on the two aircraft carriers all took off and escorted the fleet.

No sooner had this been done than the Japanese Zero fighters rushed down into the clouds and quickly became mixed up with the Italian fighters guarding the fleet.

In the Italian fleet, anti-aircraft guns of various calibers, including 20 mm, 37 mm, 65 mm, and 90 mm, opened fire one after another, and together with the fighters, they resisted the Japanese air attack, and countless gray-black gunpowder smoke burst out in the blue sky.

Accompanied by the sound of gunfire, the slower Type 99 shipburst and Type 97 torpedo attack planes belatedly and brought a deadly attack to the Italian fleet.

The Type 99 dive bombers attacked the Italian ships either from the bow or from the stern, with two aircraft carriers and two battleships undoubtedly the primary targets.

The Eagle aircraft carrier was converted from an ocean-going cruise ship, but the Italian designers installed two engines dismantled from the light cruiser, with a powerful power of 140,000 horsepower, so that the warship with a displacement of more than 23,000 tons has a speed of up to 30 knots.

With a speed of 30 knots, the USS Eagle rushed left and right on the surface of the sea, trying to evade the air raids of Japanese bombers.

However, for the battle-tested Japanese pilots, any evasion of the Eagle aircraft carrier was a futile effort.

Type 99 dive bombers were grouped in groups of three and dropped bombs one after another in the face of enemy anti-aircraft fire.

In the first round of bombing, a 500-kilogram bomb hit the No. 1 elevator in the middle of the USS Eagle, and the aerial bomb penetrated the elevator and drilled into the battleship, and black smoke and steel shards sprayed out of the bullet hole.

After the second round of bomb dropping, two more flames erupted from the stern of the USS Eagle.

The attacks of the Type 97 torpedo attack aircraft followed, because they had to go around the side of the Italian battleship, the attack of the Type 97 torpedo aircraft was a step slower, but it was more deadly.

Faced with two rounds of six torpedoes fired by the Japanese, the USS Eagle struggled to dodge four torpedoes and was no longer able to dodge.

On the bridge, Vice Admiral Kayario clearly saw the starboard side of the battleship, where two torpedoes, dragging a silvery-white trajectory, crashed into the front of the starboard side.

"It's all over." The last thought that crossed Lieutenant General Cayario's mind was followed by two huge white water sprays rising into the sky, instantly encircling almost half of the battleship.

The sound of the explosion was heard at the same time as the violent tremors, and Lieutenant General Cajario's mind was buzzing, as if countless mosquitoes were flapping their wings and flying, and his body shook and almost fell to the ground.

After settling his feet, Vice Admiral Cayario hurriedly looked over the starboard side of the battleship and saw the rushing sea water on the deck, as well as billowing black smoke.

Under the fierce attack, the biggest weakness of the Eagle aircraft carrier was exposed, and the body of the luxury cruise ship was destined to not provide strong protection, two torpedoes tore two huge wounds on the starboard side, and tons of seawater poured into the hull of the Eagle aircraft carrier.

After receiving reports of injuries from various departments, Vice Admiral Cajario decisively gave the order to abandon the ship.

After this moment's hesitation, two more aerial bombs hit the flight deck of the Eagle aircraft carrier, and the entire deck was in a mess, with black smoke trails everywhere and fragments of different sizes and shapes.

When Lieutenant General Cajario, surrounded by his lieutenants, hurriedly escaped from the USS Eagle in an escape boat, the massive hull of the Eagle was already tilting to the right and was slowly marching towards the depths of the Indian Ocean.

Vice Admiral Cajario looked around and happened to see the rear of the port side of the Eagle sister ship, the Sparrowhawk, near the tail rudder, being torpedoed.

The violent explosion nearly tore apart the stern of the Sparrowhawk, and the hull, which had been surrounded by black smoke and flames, could no longer hold on, and the stern sank rapidly, and the bow slowly lifted out of the water.

The Sparrowhawk is also finished, where do I go?

A destroyer quickly approached Cayario's location, first lowering the rope ladder to rescue Cayario, and then began salvaging the rest of the crew who had fallen overboard.

Upon boarding the destroyer, Cayario soon received a report of battle damage.

The Eagle and Sparrowhawk both sank, and the battleship Caesar was torpedoed on the starboard side, and the hull tilted six degrees to the right, but it was able to hold on.

The battleship Cavour was a little luckier, having received three 500-kilogram bombs and is not in danger of sinking at the moment.

Cayario's mind went blank when he was pondering what to do next when he heard an alarm.

"Discovery of the fleet in the south, discovery of the fleet in the south."

Cajario hurriedly rushed to the bridge window to look outside, and could faintly see a black spot in the sky in the distance.

The Japanese came back so quickly? It's really over this time. 8)