Section 13 The Siege of "Akagi" (Part II)

While the "Akagi" evaded the bomb, two groups of 16 "Ospreys" were already in place. The Osprey had enough fuel to return home, so the pilots did not need to rush to attack. A group of eight "Ospreys" went around to the port side of the "Akagi" and successfully avoided the anti-aircraft guns of the nearby heavy cruisers, and at an altitude of less than 100 meters above the sea, the eight "Ospreys" had already begun to approach the "Akagi."

The heavy cruiser "Maya", which was located in the port direction of the "Akagi", immediately aimed all its guns at these eight "assassins" with "daggers". However, the "Maya" anti-aircraft artillery had been dealing with dive bombers in the sky above, and by the time these anti-aircraft guns turned around, the "Osprey" group had already bypassed its rear and rushed directly to the "Akagi" aircraft carrier. The anti-aircraft gunners on the "Maya" could not control so much, and at the risk of the anti-aircraft shells hitting the "Akagi", more than 20 anti-aircraft guns (mostly machine guns) on the starboard side of the heavy cruiser opened fire almost simultaneously, trying to intercept these "Ospreys".

Three "Ospreys" were hit before dropping the torpedo, but one of them was not very damaged, and insisted on throwing the torpedo, but it was never pulled up again, and the second batch of flying shells directly tore it to pieces, and the two pilots of the Imperial Navy on it did not have the slightest chance of escaping.

When six torpedoes were fired at the "Akagi," eight "Ospreys" from the starboard side of the aircraft carrier also bypassed the "Takaya" heavy cruiser, and although three "Ospreys" were unable to drop their torpedoes, the other five "Ospreys" all successfully dropped their torpedoes.

Eleven torpedoes were fired at the "Akagi" at the same time. The bomb to which the "Akagi" began did not destroy the power system, but only caused a fire in the hangar, so the carrier's ability to maneuver was not affected. The aircraft carrier, under the command of Captain Aoki, is like a huge whale, avoiding the "harpoons" that shoot from under the sea. The aircraft carrier turned left at one moment and right at another. Miraculously, all 11 torpedoes missed, and none of them hit this huge aircraft carrier.

Deng Zichao couldn't believe his eyes, the "Akagi" was 250 meters long, longer than most battleships, and all 11 staggered torpedoes were dodged by it. This must be a miracle, Deng Zichao wondered if there were gods helping this aircraft carrier, otherwise, it would be impossible for the "Akagi" to dodge such a dense torpedo attack. However, the good fortune of the "Akagi" ended there.

When the aircraft carrier was evading the torpedo attack, the last 8 "Kingfishers" that did not drop their bombs came up. At that time, all the officers and men on the aircraft carrier were concerned about the torpedoes under the sea, and even the anti-aircraft guns on the two heavy cruisers nearby were desperately firing at the torpedoes under the sea, hoping to intercept the torpedoes. These officers and men of the Japanese Navy have forgotten that the real threat comes from above their heads, not from beneath the sea.

Under the guidance of Deng Zichao, 8 "Kingfishers" effortlessly arrived over the "Chicheng". Just as the "Akagi" dodged the last torpedo, the dive bombers, which had been divided into two groups, entered the dive channel almost simultaneously. The pilots on these 8 "Kingfishers" must have been in a hurry to return to their fleet, and did not dare to waste any more fuel, otherwise they would not have started attacking at the same time.

The sharp whistling of dive bombers became the sound of air defense sirens for Japanese battleships. However, the muzzles of the anti-aircraft guns on the heavy cruisers on both sides were aimed at the sea, and by the time they aimed at the dive bombers above, the bombs had already been dropped, and it was too late.

In less than two seconds, all eight dive bombers dropped their bombs, and then they broke away from the dive channel and headed straight back to the northeast. It seems that the pilots on these eight fighters really want to "go home" as soon as possible, and they have no idea of fighting at all. However, for Nagumo Kazutada on the "Akagi", as well as his staff officers, and all the Japanese naval officers and men on this battleship, they were left with more than just suffering.

Four of the eight bombshells hit the Akagi, which was making a sharp evasive maneuver. Aoki may be the best aircraft carrier captain in the Japanese Navy, but at this time, he is powerless. Even a god could not save the "Akagi", let alone an ordinary Japanese naval officer.

The most lethal thing for the "Akagi" was the bomb that went straight into the bullet hole in the flight deck. This bomb drilled directly into the belly of the "Akagi", and finally exploded in the No. 1 boiler room located under the hangar, and the 20-mm steel plate through the No. 3 boiler room could not block the powerful shock wave at all, and both boiler rooms were blown up at the same time. What's more serious is that the heavy oil boilers on the battleship at that time were running at maximum power, and the pipes were full of oil, and the explosion ignited the oil, and at the same time damaged the boilers, releasing a large amount of high-temperature steam, and the firefighters could not enter at all. The other three bombs only damaged some minor parts of the hull. However, the fire in the boiler compartment was out of control and soon threatened the front ammunition depot, as well as the aviation fuel depot. If the fire is not controlled, if the ammunition is detonated, or the aviation kerosene is ignited, the consequences are unimaginable.

The firefighters on the battleship did their best to cool the ammunition and fuel depots, and some even began to throw bombs and torpedoes directly into the sea. Although these munitions are worth a lot of money, it is much more cost-effective to lose them than to blow up the aircraft carrier. However, the steam of hundreds of degrees Celsius immediately "roasted" all the firefighters in the vicinity. In addition, when the seawater poured into it evaporates, new steam is immediately formed. The situation quickly spiraled out of control.

Nagumo Kazutadashi and his staff were forcibly transferred to the heavy cruiser "Maya". At this time, all the "Kingfishers" had already dropped their bombs, and more than a dozen "Kingfishers" hurriedly threw their bombs at the other warships around the "Akagi" because of insufficient fuel, and then returned home. Deng Zichao radioed the surrounding bombers, and as a result, only 6 "Ospreys" had not yet dropped their torpedoes. Deng Zichao immediately commanded the six "Ospreys" to drop torpedoes on the "Akagi," and then immediately returned home with them. However, before that, the fate of the "Akagi" had already been decided.

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