"Everybody understands what you mean, General. {.}” There was helplessness in the voice of the Kuroshima Kameto, "However, for Japan, unless it defeats the encirclement of Shina and the United States, there is no better way to go." ”

Hearing Kuroshima's answer, Yamamoto Fifty-six was silent.

At this moment, the attack continues.

The main targets of the Japanese attack were Chinese aircraft carriers and battleships anchored in the port of Truk. Despite the surprise attack, the Chinese sailors moved into their respective positions with great speed and calmness, and the Japanese pilots were extremely impressed by their composure and skill. They successfully stopped the first round of Japanese air raids with heavy artillery fire. The torpedo attack on the Chinese battleship was followed by high-altitude horizontal bombing and dive bombing. The losses suffered by the Chinese Navy were mainly caused by the first attack wave, which ended at about 8:30. A moment later, the second attack wave, consisting of 272 fighters and bombers, also began to assault, concentrating on bombing ships with less damage. However, by this time, the ships of the Chinese Navy were fully prepared for combat. As a result, most of the losses suffered by the Japanese were inflicted during the implementation of the second wave of attacks.

At the end of the second wave of air strikes, the Chinese heavy cruiser "Yangtze River" was completely blown up. The tonnage of a repair ship parked on the outside of the ship was too small to act as a reliable barrier to the "Yangtze River". As soon as the third wave of air raids began, the "Yangtze River" was hit by several torpedoes and bombs, and one bomb exploded in the front ammunition compartment, causing heavy oil to burn and the fire spread, but the sailors on the "Yangtze River" still insisted on fighting and tried to save the heroic warship, the heavy cruiser finally sank, more than 400 officers and men withdrew to the rescue destroyer, and 212 crew members were killed.

On the berth, all the mid-** ships on the two sides of the ship, the outer one suffered a certain degree of loss due to hitting the torpedo. As soon as the bombing began, the battleship "Freedom Spirit" on the outside of the battleship "Republic" was hit by three torpedoes, and the old ship miraculously resisted the blow and did not capsize and sink as the Japanese imagined, much to the great surprise of the Japanese. The "Nation" on the outside of the battleship "Constitution" was also hit by a torpedo at the beginning of the air raid, and due to the rapid measures taken to control the damage, it did not cause much damage. The crew has always insisted on fighting. The losses of the ships docked on the inside were much smaller than those on the outside. Although the battleship "Constitution" was hit by three bombs and faced the danger of burning heavy oil from the battleship "Free Spirit", the losses were slight. The battleship "Independence" received only 2 bombs.

The super battleship "Fuxi" docked alone, after being hit by 5 torpedoes and 16 bombs, but these injuries did not affect the combat effectiveness of the giant ship in the slightest. The heavy cruiser "Yellow River", which docked alone behind several warships, was the first warship to sail out of its berth after being attacked. The ship hit one torpedo in the front, but still sailed in the rain of bullets, and in order to avoid sinking into the channel, it ran aground. Another heavy cruiser "Jialingjiang" was repaired at the dock and was not torpedoed; As a result of the organization of effective anti-aircraft fire, only one bomb was hit.

At this time, the main targets of the Japanese planes were warships, but the airfield in the port was also attacked. The Chinese naval aviation put up a strong resistance, but the aircraft still suffered certain losses. In order to prevent vandalism, these aircraft are grouped on several airfields. After the attack, the Chinese Navy lost 53 aircraft, most of the 374 army aircraft rose into the air in time, and only 64 were destroyed. Most of the losses of Chinese aircraft were inflicted in air battles. The Japanese lost 96 aircraft in battle over the port of Truk, and another 21 aircraft were lost on landing.

After seeing that such a large loss did not come in exchange for the results it should have, Nagumo Tadaichi once again had the idea of retreating, and he suggested that the combat operations be suspended, and Yamamoto Isoroku chose to support Nagumo's claim this time, because he had been alerted that the Chinese fleet that had been sent out was turning back at full speed, so the Japanese began to retreat north on their own initiative after completing three rounds of air raids. …,

In the eyes of the Americans, the disaster at Port Truk was not as serious as the Chinese population believed, and it was much less mild than they thought. The Chinese ships sunk in Truk Harbor are all old ships with slower speeds, which can neither be used to fight Japan's new super battleships nor escort China's fast aircraft carriers. With the exception of a few heavily damaged warships, most of the sunken ships were later salvaged and refitted. These converted warships were mainly used to carry out artillery strikes on land targets and guard harbors. On the other hand, the loss of the battlefleet enabled China to replenish its aircraft carriers and amphibious combat forces, which it felt was lacking in skilled ships at the time, and prompted China to adopt an aircraft-carrier-based method of warfare, which later proved to be very effective. The Japanese took the ships as the targets of their concentrated assaults, neglected the attack on the machine factory, and in fact did not touch the repair facilities. A large amount of heavy oil still stored in the oil tanks near Truk Harbor was not destroyed by the Japanese army. These long-standing fuels are invaluable in terms of China's obligations to the Pacific. Because once this fuel is lost, the Chinese fleet will not be able to sail from the port of Truk for several months.

For China, saving most of its aircraft carriers from damage was the greatest success of the offensive and defensive battles at Truk Harbor. At that time, the "Dragon Phoenix" and "Dragon Mountain", both of which belonged to the "Dragon King" class, had already gone to the coast of India, the "Dragon Pavilion" had already gone to Australia, and the "Dragon Sky" was on its way back to the port of Truk after transporting the plane to Australia. Only the "Dragon King" was damaged by the attack in the harbor, and two other light aircraft carriers of the "Jingwei" class were sunk. In fact, the number of damaged light aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers in the Chinese Navy is extremely limited. In this way, the warships used to form the fast aircraft carrier assault force were largely intact, and in later battles, this type of assault force was the most effective type of naval combat force.

By the evening of the same day, Vice Admiral Zhang Qifan, commander of the "Longtian" aircraft carrier formation, learned that the port of Truk had been attacked by Japanese planes, and immediately ordered the fleet to sail to Truk at full speed. The fleet under his command is actually a small task force, and the most powerful combat strength in this fleet is the flagship "Longtian" aircraft carrier, but there are not many spare planes on the ship at present, followed by the 10-year-old "Huaihe" heavy cruiser. There is also a "Nakshatra"-class light cruiser "Kuimu Wolf", and three other destroyers, which are "Tiangang Disha" class destroyers built between 1917 and 1918. Previously, Zhang Qifan had expected that Japan might attack Truk, and after learning the news of the attack on Truk Harbor, he ordered the fleet to attack immediately. Despite the lack of reliable intelligence on the enemy's targets and locations, he decided to attack.

Since the attack on Truk Harbor, the various fleets of the Chinese Navy have lost communication links, and it is not so easy to gather enough forces to pursue the retreating Japanese forces. The aircraft carrier "Dragon King" was torpedoed and is still undergoing repairs; The aircraft carriers "Longsheng" and "Longhai" did not return to Truk Harbor a few days ago after carrying out air raids on Japanese troops in the Philippines. Although the two aircraft carriers were returning at full speed, it was difficult to arrive in time. The only units that could immediately participate in the battle were Zhang Qifan's "Longtian" aircraft carrier formation and a nearby submarine force. In addition, the Chinese heavy cruiser "Heilongjiang," which was on guard duty at Truk Harbor, arrived from the Marshall Islands, and two heavy cruisers, the "Nujiang" and the "Songhuajiang," led by Rear Admiral Wang Haiwen, arrived from Australia to participate in the war. Due to the easy success of the previous victories, the Japanese overestimated their strength, and after they learned of the appearance of these medium ** ships, they did not take special precautions, because most of the Japanese believed that their current strength was enough to guarantee the destruction of these medium ** ships. …,

The aircraft carrier formation, under the unified command of Zhang Qifan, quickly moved into action. Two days later, Zhang Qifan learned that the Japanese had retreated, so he led the "Longtian" aircraft carrier formation to the north, and soon the reconnaissance plane discovered the rearguard of the Japanese fleet, and Zhang Qifan dispatched planes to carry out many air raids, sinking several small Japanese ships. After the heavy cruiser arrived, Zhang Qifan organized these warships together and formed a circular warning curtain with the cruiser and the destroyer as the three aircraft carriers, which he directly controlled and acted in unison. Zhang Qifan's deputy, Major General Lin Moqian, has extensive experience in commanding aircraft carrier operations, and he serves as the tactical commander of aviation operations.

Zhang Qifan gathered his troops, just in time for the fighter plane. At this moment, the Japanese aircraft carriers "Shozuru" and "Zuizuru", escorted by alert ships, bypassed the southeastern tip of the Marshall Islands and entered the Mariana Sea. This Japanese fleet was commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, and the aircraft carrier formation was commanded by Rear Admiral Tadaichi Hara. Takagi had already received information in advance that the Chinese fleet was in pursuit, and that he had narrowly succeeded in attempting to capture the Chinese Navy's aircraft carriers in a pincer motion after rounding the Marshall Islands. The next night, as the Japanese fleet was rapidly approaching the refueling Chinese naval fleet, Takagi suddenly received an order from Isoroku Yamamoto to return home, when in fact he was less than 70 nautical miles away from the Chinese fleet.

At dawn on the third day, the Chinese Navy's task force sailed in the waters off the northern tip of the Caroline Islands, heading northwest. At nearly 7 o'clock, Zhang Qifan ordered two heavy cruisers and three destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Wang Haiwen to search and advance in the northwest direction, and at the same time, he ordered the aircraft carrier formation to sail north. Before that, neither Takagi nor Zhang Qifan knew that the other was operating in the area. Although Zhang Qifan learned from intelligence that the Japanese army had eight aircraft carriers participating in the operation and sent planes to search for them, due to bad weather, he was unable to find two Japanese heavy cruisers in the area. Takagi had always relied on seaplanes for searches, and although at one point he spotted a formation of Chinese aircraft carriers, but later the seaplanes lost their targets and were no longer able to provide any valuable information.

The weather is gradually getting clearer. In the early morning of the 17th, the Chinese reconnaissance plane, which was on a reconnaissance mission in this direction, began to report on the enemy situation. At 8:15 a.m., a Chinese pilot reported that 2 aircraft carriers and 4 heavy cruisers had been spotted in the sea not far north of the island. So, Zhang Qifan ordered the assault aircraft group on the two aircraft carriers to be dispatched. Eighty-two aircraft were dispatched before the reconnaissance aircraft returned. It was later ascertained that the above information was inaccurate due to a mistranslation of the code. The report of the reconnaissance aircraft would have been: 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers were found.

Zhang Qifan judged that since the Japanese fleet had been discovered, there must be a more suitable target nearby, so he resolutely decided to carry out the attack. The correctness of this decision was confirmed at 10:20 a.m. It was reported that just 35 nautical miles southeast of the target on which the assault group was heading for attack, two more Japanese aircraft carriers and several other ships were discovered. With a slight correction of course, the assault group could spot this new target.

At about 11 o'clock, the assault group began to attack the Japanese light aircraft carrier "Hakuho". In the first assault, 13 bombs and 7 torpedoes hit the target, causing the "White Phoenix" to sink to the bottom of the sea in the blink of an eye. After the first wave of assault planes landed, Zhang Qifan decided not to dispatch the second wave of assault planes until several other Japanese aircraft carriers were discovered. In addition, Zhang Qifan judged that the Japanese army may already know the location of the Chinese aircraft carriers, and the aircraft carrier forces led by him may be about to be attacked.

However, on August 17, Zhang Qifan's fleet was not attacked by the Japanese. Because the Japanese army's reconnaissance information was wrong again and again, the enemy situation was not ascertained until the evening of the same day. Before 9 o'clock on the 17th, Nagumo Tadaichi, who was in command of the "Pancheng" operation, received information about the so-called discovery of two Chinese aircraft carrier formations. In fact, one is Zhang Qifan's aircraft carrier formation, while the other is Wang Haiwen's formation of cruisers and destroyers. Then, Nagumo received intelligence from Tokyo that there was another Chinese aircraft carrier in the eastern part of the sea. In fact, this is the oil tanker "Huakai". This oil tanker left Zhang Qifan's squadron on the evening of 16 June and was heading for the rendezvous area under the escort of the destroyer "Antares II." …,

At 9:50 a.m., Japanese planes took off from aircraft carriers in turn and went to attack the westernmost Chinese naval formation. Upon their return, the Japanese pilots reported sinking 1 battleship and 1 cruiser. In fact, the Japanese planes failed to inflict any losses on Wang Haiwen's team.

Mistaking the oil tanker "Huakai" for an aircraft carrier had a considerable operational impact on the Japanese army. Because the Japanese army received the information, they immediately launched a fierce air attack on the unfortunate oil tanker and its escort ships. The destroyer Antares had three bombs, and most of the crew were buried at the bottom of the sea along with the warship. Although the "Huakai" oil tanker was hit by 7 bombs, it did not sink, and on the fifth day, all the crew members were rescued by the Chinese ** ship that rushed in.

This erroneous attack put the Japanese in a dangerous position. Despite the approaching darkness, Takagi was determined to sink the Chinese aircraft carrier before it could strike the Japanese fleet again. He selected pilots who were good at night battles and flew 37 dive bombers and torpedo planes in the direction of the Chinese aircraft carrier at 16:15.

This adventure of the Japanese army turned out to be very unworthwhile. Japanese planes actually flew near Zhang Qifan's fleet, but did not find targets due to bad weather and poor visibility. The fighters of the Chinese Navy, guided by radar, carried out a fierce interception of the Japanese planes, shooting down 13 of them. An hour later, several lost Japanese planes flew back over the Chinese aircraft carrier. At this time, Chinese planes were hovering over the aircraft carrier "Longtian", preparing for the ship. As soon as the Japanese plane was about to escape, it was discovered, and the Chinese ** ship quickly opened fire, and five Japanese planes were shot down by anti-aircraft guns, and the other Japanese planes fled in confusion. Of the Japanese planes in this sortie, 18 were shot down, and another 11 fell into the sea when they landed. Of the 37 planes sent by Takagi, only eight made it back safely. What is even worse is that the radar of the "Longtian" aircraft carrier found that there were planes circling about 30 nautical miles to the east, preparing to land on the ship. This is tantamount to telling the commander of the Chinese Navy that the Japanese aircraft carrier is nearby.

The returning Japanese pilots reported that the Chinese aircraft carriers were nearby, no more than 50 to 60 nautical miles away. As a result, the commanders of both warring sides were aware of each other's approximate positions and had cautiously considered a night attack by surface ships, but none of them carried it out, because the proximity of the battle and the fear of weakening their alert forces on both sides. In this way, the main battle of the Battle of the Marianas was postponed to the next day. As a matter of fact, the distance between the fleets of the Chinese and Japanese armies was larger than the estimates of the commanders of the two sides. According to post-war surveys, the actual distance between the two armies was nearly 100 nautical miles.

So far, the Chinese and Japanese militaries have been operating together in the Mariana Sea for two days, and on two occasions they have approached within 100 nautical miles, but there has been no direct exchange of fire. On the evening of 17 August, the commanders on both sides felt that the enemy was at hand, and there were signs that a decisive battle would be fought the next day. At night, Zhang Qifan commanded his formation to evade first to the south and then to the west; At the same time, Takagi's fleet headed north. For the commanders of the two armies, victory or defeat depended on whether they could find out each other's positions before the enemy on the morning of the 18th. Both sides sent reconnaissance planes to search in the early hours of the morning, and just after 8 o'clock, reconnaissance planes from both sides discovered each other almost simultaneously.

The battle of August 18 was fought in rather unfavorable conditions for the Chinese Navy. The Chinese Navy has 3 aircraft carriers and 121 aircraft, Takagi has 82 aircraft, and Nagumo behind him has 125, the Chinese Navy has an advantage in bombers, and the Japanese Navy has an advantage in fighters and torpedo planes.

!d@T