The luck of the Pacific Fleet was actually not bad, just after 9 o'clock, almost at the end of the reconnaissance plane's range, the observer spotted the mobile fleet, and although the Japanese air defense fighters quickly shot down the daring SBD, the exact location of the Japanese fleet was passed back: ...... 2 regular aircraft carriers, 1 medium aircraft carrier, 4 light aircraft carriers, 4 heavy cruisers, and more than 16 light cruisers or destroyers. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Everyone in the Essex bridge was in good spirits, God forbid, and finally the enemy fleet was the first to be spotted!

"Inform the specific location."

"Located about 245 kilometers southeast of Tarawa and 570 kilometers from the center of the fleet, if the movement of the enemy and us remains unchanged, the distance between the two sides will be shortened by about 65 kilometers per hour...... "The staff officer quickly calculated the result by working on the map.

"Carrier-based aircraft ready to go, all attack......" Halsey gave the order and looked at Nimitz, who nodded slightly.

At 9:17 a.m., the first SBD took off from the USS Essex, and soon the first TBF took off from Saratoga - the pilots of the carrier-based aircraft of Fleet B were much more skilled than those of Fleet A.

At 9:39, the first strike wave of the US military was assembled, with 36 SBD dive bombers, 32 TBF torpedo attack aircraft, and 32 F6F fighters, which is exactly a formation of 100 aircraft. They roared and pounced to the south - according to the map, the distance between the two fleets should have been reduced to about 540 kilometers.

After the first attack wave took off, the remaining planes of the three aircraft carriers of the US fleet took off one after another, but Halsey and Nimitz had considerable differences of opinion on where the second attack wave would be used.

Halsey listened to the report of the attack aircraft group of Fleet A, believing that they had sunk/severely damaged at least 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, and some small warships of the enemy, and believed that the report, even if exaggerated, would not be too far from the truth, after all, Fleet A used more than 100 aircraft. He believed that "at least 1 battleship should have been taken out." ”

This judgment is slightly different from the facts, and the wave of Fleet A actually only hit the Haruna hard, and the other results were insignificant. According to this logic, Halsey believed that the second attack wave should attack the enemy's artillery fleet, and take out 1-2 more battleships, and then his own artillery fleet would have the advantage and could attack in a hurry, even if not to defeat the Japanese fleet, and force the enemy to withdraw from Tarawa - the defenders of Tarawa reported the beginning of the Japanese landing.

Nimitz did not deny the results of the A Fleet, and was even more optimistic than Halsey's estimate, and he hoped that the two attack waves would strike at the same time and completely wipe out the Japanese aircraft carrier formation; as for the artillery attack formation, it would fight today if it had the chance, and it would be okay if it had no chance to stay until tomorrow or later -- after the two battleships supported by China were in place, the Pacific Fleet would not be afraid of its opponent even in traditional naval artillery combat, but the threat of the Japanese aircraft carrier formation was too great and the number was too large, and he was not optimistic that the first attack wave would be fully effective. Good fortune like Midway can't be replicated over and over again.

The two sides argued for five minutes, and some of the staff officers supported Nimitz and others supported Halsey, and the number was about the same. Major General Giffen is the third most influential figure, and he has not taken a position because he is afraid that his statement will have uncontrollable consequences.

Time passed minute by minute, and seeing that it was approaching 10 o'clock, and the second attack wave was about to be prepared, he was finally ready to speak to echo Nimitz's opinion, when suddenly someone shouted: "The Japanese reconnaissance plane ......"

Halsey and Nimitz immediately rushed over to check the situation: an AR-372 maritime reconnaissance plane was circling in the distance to observe the situation of the fleet, and even when their own F6F fighters pounced, they did not flee for their lives, but still sent a telegram in circles in a circle in a hurry - the arrogance was simply arrogant to the extreme!

"The fleet is exposed!"

As soon as this variable came out, all the controversy immediately disappeared, and Halsey immediately stated: "The target of the second attack wave is still the enemy aircraft carrier!" ”

At 10:07, more than 80 planes of the US Second Strike Wave were all dispatched, and Halsey left only 32 covering fighters for the fleet.

At this time, Tsukahara on the Shozuru had just received a report of the location of the US aircraft carrier: The enemy fleet was 200 nautical miles northeast of Tarawa, with 2 regular aircraft carriers, 1 light aircraft carrier, 3 battleships, and more than 20 cruisers and below.

The atmosphere in the bridge of the Shozuru was very tense: first, the position of the mobile fleet was exposed earlier than the enemy's position; Second, the first attack wave of Fleet A has just returned after the air raid and is preparing to land.

Unlike the U.S. military, Uchizukahara, the mobile fleet, was an authority, and his orders were true to his word, and he pondered for a moment and asked, "How far is the guerrilla fleet from the enemy fleet?" How far is it from this fleet? ”

"620 km from the enemy, 550 km from the fleet."

Tsukahara nodded: "Let the whole army of Tsunoda attack, and leave no air defense fighters!" This fleet sent 20 attack aircraft to assist him! Groups of aircraft from both sides gathered 100 kilometers east of Tarawa! ”

Kusaka Ryunosuke immediately received the order to call.

"The remaining attack aircraft of the fleet took off, and 18 air defense planes of the artillery fleet were assigned to the guerrilla fleet to replenish fuel bombs and cover on the spot, and the rest of the planes gave priority to the Bolzano to land and replenish fuel bombs; The planes of the first attack wave were on alert and waiting in the air, and the direct guard planes of their own side turned to provide an air defense umbrella for the shelling fleet......"

"Hello!" Minoru Genda immediately executed.

"Inform everyone to speed up and play 120% efficiency, the US military may attack at any time!"

At 10:14, more than 20 comets set off, and the first attack wave hovering in the air and waiting for it immediately fell down.

At the decisive moment just now, Tsukahara implemented an extremely complex fleet scheduling, which was dazzling: 67 aircraft of the guerrilla fleet + more than 20 attack planes of the mobile fleet converged into the first attack wave to attack the US army; Of the 43 anti-aircraft fighters of the artillery fleet led by Sadaaki Akamatsu (originally 54 in total, 11 were lost in the repulsion of the A fleet), 18 were assigned to the guerrilla fleet to replenish and assume cover tasks on the spot, and the remaining 25 were resupplied by landing in the mobile fleet; The 32 mobile fleet air defense fighters led by Tetsuzo Iwamoto went to the sky above the artillery formation to provide cover because of the abundance of fuel bombs (there was no engagement in the first round, only auxiliary fuel tanks were used); The first attack wave led by Mitsuo Fuchida waited for the time being, and then landed for supplies after all the attack planes had taken off.

"Quick! Fast! ”

Minoru Genda shouted at the top of his throat!

The situation was unprecedentedly tense, and even the confidential staff officers, who had always been above the top, ran out of the bridge and rushed onto the deck to help the ground crew load ammunition and replenish fuel...... (To be continued.) )