January 2, 1942, 3 a.m. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

In the hangar of the USS Lexington, several aircrew soldiers slowly pushed an F4F "Wildcat" carrier-based fighter with folded wings onto the elevator, and slowly lifted the fighter onto the flight deck with the help of a hydraulic oil pump.

After many days of hiding in Tibet, Lieutenant General Halsi has just given the order, and today will be a good day to kill the Japanese!

"Edward, how's the light? Can it fly? ”

Squadron Leader of the Carrier-Based Fighter Squadron on the USS Lexington, Edward Brown. Captain O'Hare sat in the cockpit of his F4F and ascended to the deck together. At this time, the radio on the plane came out with flight control officer Richard . Major Gore's voice.

It's 3 a.m., and it's still dark at 3 a.m. in the sea near the equator. There was also no moon or stars in the sky, apparently a thick layer of clouds - which was very advantageous for the 1st American Task Force. After sending out carrier-based aircraft, the fleet could sail southeast under the cover of clouds to avoid Japanese aircraft carriers and those terrible suicide planes.

"It's okay, I can see people and things on the runway." Captain O'Hare replied.

Because there was a possibility that there would be a Japanese submarine nearby, the searchlights on Lexington should not be turned on too brightly, so as not to expose the target.

However, although the light is slightly dim, although it does not affect the take-off, the planes flying into the sky have no way to form a team, so they can only circle around the aircraft carrier a few times from a distance, and then fly north after all the planes have taken off, and then form a formation after dawn.

"All right," ordered Major Gore, "Edward, you must remember to lower your altitude and skim the sea when you enter the 300-kilometer radius of Oahu. ”

Lowering altitude and skimming over the sea are meant to evade radar – and now pilots on American aircraft carriers have finally learned this trick. However, taking off at night and skimming the sea are difficult tasks that not every pilot can play. So Halsey had to concentrate the more skilled pilots on the five aircraft carriers (although the Hornet was sunk, but the pilots on it were still alive) on the Lexington and Saratoga, and also gathered 72 F4F fighters and 74 SBD dive bombers, a total of 146 aircraft.

However, these 146 planes were not there to bomb the Japanese fleet, because the Americans now only know that the Japanese fleet is in the waters near Oahu and Kauai, but they cannot determine their exact location. And Halsey's aircraft carrier is now 1000 kilometers from Oahu, and it is impossible to send aircraft to reconnoitre. As a result, all 146 aircraft that flew today were equipped with high-explosive bombs (1 500-pound bomb and 2 100-pound bombs on the SBD, and 2 100-pound bombs on the F4F) to bomb the Japanese ground forces on Oahu.

After the bombing, the SBDs and F4Fs will not be able to return home, and will instead land at a makeshift military airfield in the Scaffield barracks on Oahu. Admiral Short has had ammunition, spare parts and aviation fuel salvaged from several major airfields and oil depots on Oahu, enough for the planes to fight on Oahu for four to five days. After that, all the planes will be blown up, and the pilots and ground crews will retreat by submarine from the northeastern coast of the Kurau Mountains.

One by one, the planes were lifted up to the deck and lined up neatly behind the take-off line. At the same time, the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS Saratoga began to sail at full speed against the wind, and the huge deck winds almost blew down those standing on deck. At this moment, the flight indicator suddenly turned on, and the two F4F fighters suddenly started, ran wildly along the flight deck, and then rose into the pitch-black sky.

……

On the plains of Oahu, fighting between the U.S. and Japanese militaries is raging. For several days, units of the 2nd and 38th Divisions of the Japanese Army landed on Haleiwa Beach and were then thrown into offensive operations. The Japanese Army's heavy firearms were also gradually transported to Oahu, and although the Navy still refused to send their "tired" carrier-based aircraft to assist in the battle, the support of naval guns was still quite effective.

With the support of powerful firepower, the Japanese army's attacks became more and more fierce, and the Americans began to be a little overwhelmed. The commander of the Japanese 16th Army, Jun Imamura, also went ashore on December 28 and personally sat in the town of Haleiwa to supervise the desperate attacks of the various units.

The fierce battle at the northern foot of the Wyanai Ridge was also decided on the last day of 1941. After paying the price of nearly 1,000 killed, more than 800 seriously wounded, and the Sendai 4th Wing almost disabled, the Sun Flag was finally planted on the top of the mountain at the northern foot of the Huai Nai Ridge.

After capturing the northern foothills of the Wai Nai Ridge, the Japanese advance accelerated sharply, advancing nearly 10 kilometers in just two days, reaching the town of Wahiawa and the north of the Scaffield barracks. It is a 10-kilometer-wide "plain" from which Pearl Harbor is 15 kilometers south.

In addition, the town of Wahiawa and the Scaffield barracks are almost in the center of Oahu, and the nearest coastline is 15 kilometers northwest (that is, Haleiwa Beach), considering that the battleships cannot dock close to the beach, so the battleship's main guns are more than 20 kilometers away from the American positions in Wahiawa Town and Scaffield Barracks. Although this distance was also within the effective range of the battleship's fire, the accuracy of the shelling had decreased.

Moreover, the U.S. Squefield Barracks was built with the possibility of being fired upon by naval guns in mind, so a valley in the middle of the Wyeone Ridge was chosen as part of the camp. As long as the troops were placed in this valley, the naval guns of the Japanese battleships could not hit.

So after the northern foothills of the Wyanai Ridge, the Scaffield Barracks and the nearby town of Wahiawa became the battleground for a bloody battle between the two sides.

And the U.S. military also put on a non-stop posture on the front line of Wahiava Town and Scaffield Barracks. The main forces of the Army's 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions moved up and put up stubborn resistance by relying on the town of Wahiava and a river north of the Scaffield barracks.

In order to urge the various wings to storm onwards, Maruyama Masao, the commander of the 2nd Division of the Japanese Army, has been setting up his headquarters very close to the front line for the past few days. He also went to the front line frequently regardless of the danger, squatting in the muddy trenches to observe the positions of the American troops with his own eyes. At this time, the German military adviser Paulus also always took the adjutant and "cameraman" Rudolf. Ribbentrop followed Maruyama to the front.

He needed to see for himself how the U.S. Army fought the war. While relations between the United States and Germany seem to be improving, Rudolph . Hess had been a guest of honor at the White House since mid-December 1941, and had studied the Roosevelt family genealogy with President Roosevelt. In the end, Roosevelt and Hess also concluded together that the ancestor of the Roosevelt family, Claes. Marton Zeng. Feng. Luzevelt must have been a Germanic, most likely a German nobleman at all! So Roosevelt thought his full name should be Franklin. Draenau. Feng. Luzevelt ......

However, Paulus did not know when President Roosevelt might be the head of the United States, Luzewilt, and the telegram sent to him by the General Staff of the Wehrmacht did not contain any content of goodwill. So Paulus still saw the Americans as enemies of Germany. At 6 o'clock in the morning on 2 January, he and Maruyama Masao, commander of the Japanese 2nd Division, who was very shabby and miserable, walked on wooden sticks and on muddy roads to inspect the front line -- because he wanted to save space to transport troops, weapons, and supplies, the dignified division commander had no choice but to go to the front line to inspect the front, let alone a car or horse.

Of course, the 2nd and 38th Divisions have also upgraded from the mechanization of burning horse dung to the mechanization of relying on two human legs. The supply of ammunition was sent to the front line by manpower, and this battle was really difficult. And the casualties of the troops were not small, and on the way to the front, Paulus constantly saw the bloody and seriously wounded who were carried down on stretchers. It reminded him of positional warfare in the First World War, where wounded people were carried off the battlefield and then died or were disabled for life.

Maruyama's mood was very high, and he didn't care about the heavy casualties of his subordinates, and discussed the battle situation with Paulus in English along the way (Maruyama was the British expert in the Japanese Army).

"The Americans are now the last struggle, but it is useless, they cannot withstand the attack of the 2nd and 38th Divisions. In 3 days at most, we will be able to break through their defenses, and after capturing the town of Wahiawa and the Scaffield barracks, the next targets will be Pearl Harbor and Honolulu. In a week at most, Oahu will be the Japanese Empire......"

Just as they were boasting about Haikou, a group of Japanese soldiers walking in front of Maruyama and the others suddenly became chaotic and dispersed on both sides of the road, and some people shouted loudly.

"Air raids! Air raid! Enemy! Enemy aircraft ......"

Air raid? Enemy? How is this possible? Maruyama Masao was stunned for a moment, and was wondering who must have made a mistake, when the sound of an explosion came from ahead, and then he was dragged by someone who didn't know him to the forest on the side of the road.

When he reached the woods, he realized that he was being dragged by the German military adviser Paulus, who raised his hand and pointed to the sky outside the woods. Maruyama Masao looked in the direction of his finger and saw that the sky was densely packed with blue-painted airplanes! I don't know how many, all of them rushed in the direction of Haleiwa, and occasionally a few planes would drop a bomb down, blowing up the Japanese soldiers on the road below, and creating great chaos at the same time...... (To be continued.) )