When it was dark, Tan Renhao relaxed, at least no bomber could threaten the fleet at night, and the US military did not have a bomber that could carry out precision bombing missions at night. After the staff officers changed shifts, Tan Renhao went to call Hao Dongjue up, and the two went to the restaurant for dinner first.

"You mean, use this opportunity to take out Spruance?" Hao Dongjue only learned about the decision Tan Renhao made during the day at this time.

"Fleet exposure is the worst, but this may be the opportunity we've been waiting for." Tan Renhao put down his chopsticks, "I thought about it carefully during the day, maybe Spruance didn't know where we were, so he kept avoiding a decisive battle with us. And now, the approximate location of the fleet has been revealed, and with Spruance's personality, it is unlikely that he will choose to continue to evade, but will want to use this opportunity to take out us, and in the same way, we can use this opportunity to take out him. ”

"The problem is, this one night is enough time for us to run hundreds of nautical miles, does he think he can catch us?"

"It's going to depend on how well Spruance knows us and what kind of judgment he makes about us." Tan Renhao looked at his partner, "According to our previous tactical arrangement, what action will we take first after the fleet is discovered by the enemy's reconnaissance aircraft?" ”

"It must be evasion, even if those long-range bombers are not a big threat to the fleet, but there is always a threat, and we must avoid it first."

"Yes, and the most straightforward way to do that is to sail north, isn't it?"

Hao Dongjue nodded, and he finished eating.

"Let's go out for a walk. Someone else has to come to dinner later. ”

The two left the dining room and, instead of rushing back to the command cabin, came to the flight deck. Nighttime. There were few people on the flight deck, and most of the officers and men would choose to rest in their cabins. And no one will be on duty on the flight deck at night.

"We're indeed sailing north during the day, but the question is, surely Spruance would have thought of that, right?"

"Any U.S. military commander would think of that."

"So, are we going to give up on this operation?"

Hao Dongjue hesitated for a moment and said, "With your character." You certainly won't give up. ”

"That's right, I believe, Spruance also thinks we're not going to give up." Tan Renhao leaned on the base of the anti-aircraft gun, "If we choose to continue the attack, then, what should we do next?" ”

"This ......," Hao Dongjue pondered for a while, "if we think that Spruance is still determined to return to the covered waters of the shore-based fighters on Necke Island, then we should find a way to go south at night, get close to Necke Island, and send reconnaissance planes." Strive to find the Fifth Fleet during the day. ”

"That's what I think directly, and that's what Spruance would definitely do." Tan Renhao laughed. "So, if Spruance is going to fight us, then he's going to have to do two things. One is to avoid being discovered by us, and the other is to discover us first. ”

"That's for sure. But what should he do? ”

"Then he won't stay in the waters north of Necker Island, which will definitely be covered by our reconnaissance planes. Secondly, he had to keep a proper position so that his reconnaissance planes could spot us and his bombers could fly over our heads. ”

Hao Dongjue nodded slightly. "Your judgment is that he will appear on the northwest side of Necker Island?"

"Yes, because we still have the possibility of returning home, So, Spruance asked the Fifth Fleet to stay northwest of Necker Island, and when the time comes, he can attack and retreat!" Tan Renhao sighed, "Therefore, I let the fleet sail to the southwest, and do not slow down at night, and strive to maneuver to his west, and by then, when the Spruance ground reconnaissance plane is still searching in the north, our bombers will have already set off." ”

Hao Dongjue lowered his head, he felt that something was wrong.

"Questions?" Tan Renhao also noticed his partner's look.

"I think there's something wrong, but I can't remember it for a while."

Tan Renhao frowned slightly, and didn't rush to ask.

Hao Dongjue lit a cigarette and walked back and forth on the deck for a few steps, and finally stopped in front of Tan Renhao. "Renhao, I think there's a problem."

Tan Renhao nodded with a smile and motioned for Hao Dongjue to say it directly.

"There are two bases for all our judgments, one is that Spruance will make us the first target, and the other is that Spruance is not confident in his own strength and wants to rely on the support of shore-based aviation." Hao Dongjue said as he sorted out his thoughts. "I don't think there's much of a problem with the previous inference, I'm afraid Spruance also sees us as the number one opponent, otherwise he wouldn't be so careful this time. But I think the latter inference is a bit problematic. ”

"You're saying Spruance believes that the Fifth Fleet can challenge the First Task Force alone?"

"No, it's not." Hao Dongjue shook his head, "I mean, he will definitely use the help of shore-based aviation, but he doesn't have to let the fleet enter the cover range of shore-based fighters, he has many ways to use the power of shore-based aviation, and with the help of fighter cover, it is just a way." ”

Tan Renhao's eyes fell on his partner. "Let's go back to the command cabin, and you think about it again."

The two quickly returned to the command cabin, and with the help of the charts, they were able to judge the situation on the battlefield more accurately.

"The big problem now is that we don't know much about the U.S. military aviation on Necke Island.

Are the fighters deployed here mainly tactical aircraft, or long-range bombers, or are they mainly non-combat aircraft? Also, Is it a HNA plane, or an American Army Airlines plane? We are not very clear about these situations. If it is the US Navy, then their main fighter should be the F4U, and if it is the Army Airlines, then it is the P-51D. And the combat radius of these two fighters is very different, in addition, the F4U can land on an aircraft carrier. And the P-51D could not. Hao Dongjue also roughly clarified his thoughts at this time, "In addition, when we are exposed." Where is Spruance, and does he have enough time to return to the waters off Necker Island?

And. Is there any connection between Spruance and U.S. forces on Necke Island? None of this, we don't know. ”

"There's too much uncertainty." Tan Renhao sighed, "According to you, if he doesn't let the fleet return to Necke Island, then how can he use shore-based aviation?" ”

"For example. He could get the bombers to depart from the fleet and return directly to Necker Island instead of returning to the fleet after completing the bombing mission.

In this way, after the bombers are released, the Fifth Fleet can evade at full speed without waiting for the bombers to return. Hao Dongjue shrugged his shoulders, "And after these bombers complete their bombing mission and arrive at Necke Island, they can also replenish their ammunition." One more bombing, and finally a return to the fleet for landing.

During this period, it is difficult to determine the exact location of Spruance. Of course. That's just my guess. ”

"It's a possibility, but the question is, how does Spruance make it happen? At the very least, he had to find us first. ”

"This can be done with the help of long-range reconnaissance aircraft on the island. And those long-range patrol aircraft, of course, he will definitely arrange carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft. Hao Dongjue took out another cigarette, "Since the last attack on the Second Task Force, I no longer doubt Spruance's courage and ability to think creatively. If he's sure it's the best chance and there's a good chance of a complete victory, he'll not hesitate to attack. And by the time we find the bombers he sent, maybe the Fifth Fleet is out of range of our bombers. ”

Tan Renhao fell silent, Spruance must have this guts. Moreover, the limit speed of the Fifth Fleet is comparable to that of the First Task Force, as long as Spruance runs at full speed, then he has enough time, and the First Task Force cannot catch up. Herein lies the problem, if Spruance were to make a desperate attack, then it was likely that Task Force 1 would only have the order to be beaten passively. And as long as the Fifth Fleet escapes, then Nimitz will replenish him with bombers, and then the Fifth Fleet will regain its strength and fight the First Task Force again.

It was clear that Spruance could consume bombers, and Task Force 1 was far from the rear base and could not be replenished and reinforced in time.

Hao Dongjue didn't continue to speak, he had already put forward his opinion, and the decision-making power was in the hands of the commander.

"Looks like we're going to have to get ready." Tan Renhao smiled bitterly, "If we can't beat it, then we can only run for our lives!" ”

"It's not a shame to be able to keep the fleet and escape!"

"Okay, you go and arrange tomorrow's reconnaissance mission, add a key reconnaissance direction, perhaps, Spruance is waiting for us there." Tan Renhao also made a decision, "I'll ask the navigation staff to adjust the course of the fleet, at least, we still have a few hours to prepare." ”

After eight o'clock, the speed of the fleet slowed down, and the course was changed, and by about half past eleven, the fleet was no longer sailing in a southwestern direction, but was put into maneuvering standby.

The battle order was also issued at 12 o'clock, and the first to be mobilized was the air force in the fleet, and the aviation service personnel who had rested for a few hours were the first to get busy, and they would overhaul every fighter plane at night to prepare for tomorrow's operation. Then, the officers and men of the battleship who were responsible for assisting the aviation unit also began to move, and they would be responsible for inspecting the catapults, elevators, arresting cables and other equipment of the aircraft carrier.

Hao Dongjue arranged the reconnaissance mission at about two o'clock, and the fleet had two key reconnaissance directions, one was to the north and the other was to the northeast. Within a 120-degree sector, Hao Dongjue arranged 36 carrier-based reconnaissance planes, a squadron of dive bombers, and 42 seaplanes. The planes were divided into two groups and departed half an hour apart, with seaplanes responsible for reconnaissance and search missions in the inner layer and carrier-based reconnaissance planes in the outer planes.

Tan Renhao worked out several sets of sailing plans with the seafaring staff at night, including the retreat route after the decisive battle with the Fifth Fleet, the escape route that would be attacked if the Fifth Fleet was not found, and the route that should be sailed after the Fifth Fleet was not found and was not attacked. These tasks are relatively complex and cumbersome, and they cannot be done without a deep foundation in navigational operations. This is also where Hao Dongjue is weakest, so in the fleet, these things are arranged by Tan Renhao, and a lot of detailed work is handled by the navigation staff.

By about half past two, the relevant preparations were arranged. At this time, the fleet was about 120 nautical miles away from the sea area determined by Tan Renhao in the afternoon of the previous day, that is, the fleet was about 55 degrees northwest of Necker Island and about 350 nautical miles away from Necke Island. The patrol radius of the US military's shore-based tactical reconnaissance aircraft is about 300 nautical miles, while its shore-based tactical bombers can fly at least 250 nautical miles away to drop bombs.

Tan Renhao did not let the fleet withdraw a little farther, otherwise he would probably not be able to catch the Fifth Fleet. Moreover, if the Fifth Fleet had been near Necker Island, the battle would have begun in the morning, and it would have been possible to find the Fifth Fleet at dawn, or be discovered by the Fifth Fleet. Well, it is very likely that the shore-based bombers of the US military will not come in handy. When the time comes, it will be the carrier-based bombers of both sides that will decide the victory. In addition, if the fleet is exposed, it can immediately retreat to a safe area, so this distance does not seem excessive.

At half past four, Hao Dongjue personally assigned tasks to each pilot of the reconnaissance plane and explained in detail each reconnaissance route. By half past five, the first reconnaissance planes began to take off one after another. At six o'clock, the seaplanes began to take off. Tan Renhao also gave the battle order at this time, and the air defense fighters also took off one after another. On the carrier, aviation crews began to prepare the bombers for takeoff, and if the Fifth Fleet was nearby, the bombers would have departed between seven and half past seven.

The sky gradually brightened, and Tan Renhao and Hao Dongjue did not go to the restaurant to eat, but had someone bring them breakfast. The staff officers of the fleet are also concentrated in the command cabin, and there will be no shift system during operations.

When the first light of dawn appeared in the East, the air defense fighters all left the flight deck of the aircraft carrier and flew towards the predetermined patrol airspace, and the three aircraft carriers also returned to the core of the formation, and the atmosphere in the fleet became tense, although it was still unknown where the Fifth Fleet was at this time, but everyone believed that today they would encounter the Fifth Fleet.