If you look at it from a distance, oil tankers and aircraft carriers are very similar, they are both huge in size, and the upper decks are flat.

In this era, when sailing in the ocean, it is necessary to be accompanied by oil tankers, after all, the fuel carrying capacity of aircraft carriers is limited, and the carrier-based aircraft on it will fly for a few days, and the fuel will be urgent, and in combat situations, it will be replenished almost every three days.

And after Captain Masao Sato discovered these two ships, he did not immediately fly close to observe, for fear of being discovered by the other party, and in this way, they actually made a mistake.

A large number of carrier-based aircraft took off, and one oil tanker was found, and the other was not a cruiser, but a destroyer of several thousand tons!

After pulling up his plane, Captain Akira Sakamoto shouted on the radio: "A small team, a simulated attack, and other squads, search for the Americans' aircraft carrier formation on the sea!" ”

Since this is an American oil tanker, then maybe, the aircraft carrier is nearby, and now, they are attacking the two ships, and the other party will definitely send a cry for help backwards, summon their aircraft carrier, and carry out a large-scale attack on their own side!

Captain Akira Sakamoto guessed half right.

They found the oil tanker Neosho and the destroyer Sims, which had been with the fleet yesterday, but then separated, and they were going back to their home port to refuel and look for the formation.

In this way, they were separated from the US aircraft carrier group by more than 200 nautical miles, and they did use radio to call the aircraft carrier group in the rear, but the formation did not send planes over.

Because at this time, the US aircraft carrier group is making the same mistake as the island country's aircraft carrier group!

An hour passed, and the attack formation did not find the American aircraft carrier, and they finally gave up.

"A squad, dive attack!" Senior Lieutenant Akira Sakamoto gave the order.

The range of the Stuka bombers was not long, and the fuel they had left now was only enough for them to return to the mothership, and they could not delay any longer.

So, the two Stukas swooped down and dropped a bomb at their target, and although the two ships had already spotted them and were ready for battle, their anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns had a fairly small range of fire against the planes that were diving overhead.

These two kinds of ships did not have much air protection, and soon, two black smoke rose from the sea, and the oil tanker Neosho and the destroyer Sims were already burning on the sea.

The carrier-based aircraft formations that pounced on the air returned to the mothership one after another.

At the same time as the carrier-based aircraft of the formation returned, Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi received the news that made him angry that the aircraft carrier Xiangfeng had been sunk!

Dive, attack!

93 fighters and bombers, torpedo planes, following the targets discovered by their own maritime patrol aircraft, found the enemy's naval formation.

According to the report of the patrol aircraft: "Two aircraft carriers and four heavy cruisers were detected". U.S. Navy Commander Fletcher thought it was a Japanese aircraft carrier force and attacked with all his might.

When they arrived, they found that they were two light cruisers and two gunboats, which were the covering force for the Japanese landing, but they were more lucky, and after continuing to search at sea, they finally found a worthy target in the exaggerated fleet: the aircraft carrier Xiangfeng.

This aircraft carrier is not a fleet aircraft carrier in the formal sense, when it was first built, it was used as a submarine carrier, and then it was transformed into an aircraft carrier, and this aircraft carrier with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons is just a role similar to that of an escort aircraft carrier.

After discovering that the US carrier-based aircraft had flown in, the aircraft carrier immediately turned to the headwind and prepared to take off and land the carrier-based aircraft, but unfortunately, the carrier-based aircraft had not yet taken off and was bombed by the US Navy in turn.

Almost in a few minutes, the Xiangfeng sank, although it was not a capital aircraft carrier, but the sinking of this ship was of practical significance, the US Navy destroyed an aircraft carrier of the island country for the first time in battle!

"We must continue to take off carrier-based aircraft and attack the aircraft carrier formations of the Americans!" On the Zuizuru, Vice Admiral Takagi Takeo's face was cold.

The Imperial Navy has lost an aircraft carrier, and this loss must be recovered from the US Navy!

Yuan Zhongyi frowned, now he can be determined, the two sides are just at the edge of the opponent's attack range, and they have been able to know the correct position of the target, which is ninety degrees worse than previously expected!

But now, they are facing another problem.

If they take off now to attack the American aircraft carriers, then by the time the carrier-based aircraft return, it will be dark!

In this era, the night take-off of carrier-based aircraft is full of risks, and landing at night is absolutely terrible.

They can take the risk of taking off in the early hours of the morning and by the time they return, it will be dark, but if they take off in the afternoon and land at night, the consequences of a failed landing can be dire.

"Only take off the attack formation, 20 Stuka." Hara Tadaichi still made a decision: "Pick the most experienced pilots to carry out this mission, the empire needs their dedication!" ”

After landing, having eaten and resting for an hour, Captain Akira Sakamoto received an order to strike again.

Without hesitation, stepping into his cockpit, Captain Akira Sakamoto looked at a photo in front of the cockpit, it was his own woman, at this time, did she know that she was about to die for the empire?

Even a veteran like Captain Akira Sakamoto knows what it means to strike at such a time, he may not be able to come back, but he will definitely not be afraid to fight!

The Stuka bomber, with the wings of the Seagull down, slid on the aircraft carrier, took off, and under the belly, it still carried the advanced one-ton bomb.

This sortie was almost on the edge of the combat radius, so no matter whether the target was found or not, the bomb would be dropped when returning home, so as to avoid the terrible consequences of a collision accident if it landed at night.

30 Stuka, taking off from two aircraft carriers, went in a new direction.

When flying on the sea, you have to rely entirely on your own instruments, and many times, you will have the illusion of flying, or even think of the sea as the sky, and then plunge into it all at once.

Especially after flying for more than an hour, foggy water vapor rose on the sea, which made Captain Akira Sakamoto more cautious.

As the water vapor spreads, the field of vision gradually narrows.

"Lower the altitude and observe the sea." Captain Akira Sakamoto shouted over the radio, and the machine gunners behind him also tried their best to look down, looking for targets on the sea, but unfortunately, the sea was foggy and could not see anything clearly.