On the aircraft carrier Akagi, the commander of the Japanese Air Fleet, Nagumo Tadaichi, looked at the Zero fighter on the deck with annoyance, feeling that he was simply a fool who had been fooled.

Before his second group of attack planes could take off, he had to cancel the mission and let the fighters fly first to deal with the immediate crisis.

However, there is a very serious problem with this, that is, the carrier-based aircraft group attacking the US southbound fleet seems to be weak and is likely to be in vain.

If it had only been returned in vain, the Japanese reconnaissance planes tracking the US fleet would have almost run out of fuel, and the rest of the reconnaissance planes would not have been able to be transferred in that direction at this time.

After all, Marshal Yamamoto 56 had realized that to the south of his own fleet, there was an American aircraft carrier fleet hidden.

Under such a premise, all the battleships and the surface reconnaissance planes on the heavy cruisers were assigned a new mission - to the south to find the American aircraft carrier fleet.

Could it be that there is not a single superfluous aircraft left? No, it's that the other seaplanes are either faulty and unable to take off, or are on their way back.

At this time, it can really be said that the Japanese Navy has been confused by the tactics of the US Navy attacking from three sides, and no one cares about such details at all.

So on the side of the United States, has it already taken the advantage? Actually, it's not...... Because the American fleet, which attacked from three sides, was actually more chaotic than the Japanese fleet.

Halsey's fleet sent two groups of attack groups, but the American fighters covering them had only just taken off.

At the same time, the first wave of Japanese attack aircraft had already appeared in the skies over the US Second Fleet.

The last thing Spruance wanted to see finally happened, and the Japanese planes began to attack his fleet, but the fighters covering him had not yet arrived.

As a last resort, he had to rely on the anti-aircraft guns on his battleship to meet these murderous Japanese attack aircraft pilots.

Although the overall strength of Japan's carrier-based attack aircraft pilot unit has declined considerably as the war progresses, they are still the most experienced attack aircraft pilot unit in the Pacific.

One after another, the Type 97 carrier-based attack planes began to dive down, breaking through the clouds and dropping bombs on the US warships, and the tracer bombs on the US warships were like fishing nets, enveloping themselves in the water.

"Order the fleet to zigzag forward! Each ship gives priority to the Japanese planes attacking themselves! Spruance ordered the fleet to dodge bombs and torpedoes and make their course as unpredictable as possible.

This is an old way to dodge torpedoes and bombs, and it is also one of the most effective ways for the navy to evade air attacks.

As for the intensive anti-aircraft fire, in fact, the main purpose was not to shoot down the Japanese planes that attacked them, but to drive them to the designated area.

By dropping bombs in these safe areas, the American warships could calmly avoid the impact of torpedoes, and the ammunition of the Japanese carrier-based aircraft could be wasted.

You must know that in this era, carrier-based aircraft are not carrying much attack ammunition, and the Type 97 carrier-based attack aircraft can only carry one torpedo, or a bomb of the same mass.

As long as these bombs and torpedoes are consumed, the American warship will be completely safe. Because there was no heavy ammunition, the carrier-based aircraft had no way to take the battleship.

"Suddenly! Dodo! "On the battleship North Carolina, countless anti-aircraft guns fired into the air, and for a time they were so airtight that the Japanese carrier-based aircraft could not get close.

In the sky, the Japanese pilots who were attacking were also very anxious at this time. They have to take out their opponents as soon as possible, because of the ultra-long-range attack, the fuel is running out.

The Japanese carrier-based aircraft force had a considerable range, which allowed them to attack first after knowing the position of their opponents.

This time, they raided the Second Fleet led by Spruance, of course, relying on their own range advantage.

However, there are some problems with this, that is, ultra-long-range attacks, and the original powerful air time of carrier-based aircraft is correspondingly canceled out.

Looking at the fire net made of those impermeable tracer bullets, the Japanese pilots had to wander around several times, hoping to make the other side mess up.

Will the U.S. fleet mess itself up? The answer is yes...... Although it is reluctant to admit it, although the United States can build a large number of warships in a short period of time, like Germany, it cannot train a large number of qualified fighters in a short period of time.

In the Second Fleet, although there are many veterans, it is still the newly recruited sailors who play the leading role.

It is not very reliable to expect these men to be brave in the first actual battle.

The German Navy did not have much combat experience when they entered the war, but they faced British naval aviation, and they could offset their lack of experience with their own technical superiority and hit-and-run guerrilla tactics.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Navy was unable to do this, and they were fighting with the Japanese in sea battles, naval positional battles, and fleet battles—all of which the German Navy had always avoided.

So, the same recruits, the novices of the German Navy can create the miracle of wolf pack submarine warfare, and they can also play beautiful sea guerrilla warfare.

Because these battles, in the eyes of the German naval recruits, were asymmetrical operations, they were like playing games, with little losses and the possibility of escape, so they could win.

At this moment, the novices of the US military are different, they are facing the Japanese naval aviation that is parallel in technology, and when it comes to training and combat quality, it is still the Japanese aviation that has the upper hand.

Of course, this kind of operation has caused chaos in every inch of the US Navy, and no matter how much the mid-level officers of the US Navy supervise it, it will not be able to restore order.

The confusion of anti-aircraft artillery gave the Japanese carrier-based aircraft room to break through. Seeing that there was an opportunity to take advantage of, the Japanese pilots bravely launched a new round of attack on the steel monster on the sea.

The battle was heated from the start. The Japanese Zero fighters covering the Type 97 carrier-based attack aircraft all followed the dive, disrupting the anti-aircraft fire of the American fleet, and for a time the engines in the sky roared one after another.

Two bombs exploded on the side of the American battleship, stirring up a huge column of water dozens of stories high, and the Japanese pilots dropped the bombs with more precision than Spruance could have imagined.

Then the battleship North Carolina was hit by an aerial bomb with a violent explosion on the side of the hull......

The battleship was shaking, and Spruance had to grab the handrail next to him so that he didn't fall to the ground from being shaken. He struggled to get up, didn't care about himself, and asked loudly: "Check the hull damage!" Check for hull damage! Fast! ”