readx; It's not the fault of the anti-aircraft gunners, it's not that they don't shoot well, they are clumsy or poorly trained. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

This is of the Americans' own making. It was caused by a swarm of headless green flies in the air, which were far more numerous than the planes, but they were like a swarm of headless big green flies. The bombers and torpedo attack planes that had taken off from the aircraft carriers in a panic were scurrying around in the US fleet's firepower network in groups and trying to stop the "kamikaze" special attack planes that wanted to enter the dive.

However, we have to admit that these "Dive-based" carrier-based bombers and "Avenger" torpedo attack aircraft are not suitable aircraft for this kind of work. They could only fire with machine guns and cannons on the nose and stern, and the pilots of both aircraft were simply not trained in such air combat of actively attacking enemy aircraft.

The weapons on board are for self-defense, and they have to wait for the rabbits to crash through the door of their own accord. As for the active pursuit of prey, I'm sorry! This is certainly not their forte. But now they have to. This spontaneous 'initiative' has created great problems for the Americans themselves. Anyone can imagine this terrible situation. More than 3,000 bombers and torpedo attack planes huddled into this small airspace, risking collisions in an attempt to show their skills and do their jobs that no longer worked.

Some are climbing, some are flying level, some are diving, and some are shooting in the air with the sound of machine guns and machine guns of "bang, bang" and non-stop. A large number of suicide planes were mixed in, screaming and crashing into their targets from time to time. And the "shrew" fighter in the air, which was supposed to intercept his suicide plane, was gone! Their pursuit and firing lines are often coldly blocked by these overzealous and self-defeating bombers and torpedo planes, and they must not fire at their own planes! The anti-aircraft gunners on the warship also cast their weapons, and God knows whether it was the Americans or himself who suddenly appeared in front of the muzzle! In the chaos, he was like a fish in water, and from time to time a warship that was hit by a collision on the sea burst into flames and raised columns of smoke. This went on for almost 20 minutes. It wasn't until Liu Xirui led the group back to the battlefield that the situation seemed to be under control, and the situation began to improve.

With an air commander, the situation was quickly brought under control. The pilots of the bombers and torpedo planes were given the order to withdraw from the battlefield, and these unhelpful planes climbed high in groups of three or five and flew in the direction of Okinawa. Only the US military's "shrew" fighters and his own special attack planes were left in the air.

He said that more than half of his suicide planes had been damaged in the battle, and after the battlefield was emptied, the remaining about 100 suicide planes were exposed.

U.S. fighter planes converged from all directions and began to mercilessly encircle and annihilate these planes. Billowing black smoke came out of the warship that had been hit by the plane on the sea, and the plume of smoke rushed straight into the clouds, and there were seven or eight black smoke columns. There are 3 warships that are sinking. The kamikaze screeched through the smoke and swooped down on the other ships of Task Force 5.

But this is where my good fortune ends. The "shrew" fighter never missed the opportunity to shoot a live target, and without the interference of its own bombers and torpedo planes, and there were a large number of US fighters, most of which were shot down over the warship that was hit, or exploded in volley, or disintegrated in the air; Liu Xirui caught up with a suicide plane that pounced on the "Enterprise." In full view of the officers and men on the "Enterprise," he used a long line of 12.7 mm machine-gun bullets to open the plane at a distance of 100 meters from the "Enterprise." The plane exploded, and after a dazzling flash of light, the fragments of the broken plane splashed on the side of the "Enterprise" with a muffled clanging sound, and the sailors cheered happily.

Little Benz led more than 10 "shrews" in his squadron to chase after the three planes that tried to ram the battleship "New Jersey," and all three planes were shot down in less than one minute. The out-of-control machine plunged into the sea and splashed three high columns of water, the nearest of which was less than 10 meters away from the battleship. In fact, it took only about half an hour from the time Liu Xirui led the fleet back, when the US bombers and torpedo attack planes withdrew from the battlefield, to when the remaining 100 planes were all destroyed. Of the 350 "kamikaze" special attack planes dispatched by the Chinese army, all but 10 of them disappeared due to miscarriage, and the rest were sent into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. He said that he had achieved the following results: 11 US warships were hit, the aircraft carrier "Franklin" was sunk, and one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and two destroyers were also sunk. 3 destroyers, the escort ship "Araga", the battleship "Nankotana" were damaged.

In short, on 6 April, the Chinese army dispatched about 700 planes to carry out a surprise attack on the US fleet, but the group of planes led by Mio Fuchitatsu failed to break through the US planes and was routed. 107 escort "Zero" planes were lost, 165 bombers and torpedo attack planes were shot down, and the rest of the planes fled back in disarray. The suicide plane raid was successful, but the fleet was eventually wiped out. In this great air battle, in addition to 11 US warships that were hit, 6 were sunk, and 5 were wounded, US planes lost a total of 87 planes, including 52 "shrew" fighters, 16 carrier-based bombers, and 19 torpedo attack planes. Many of the bombers and torpedo planes were overly 'brave' and were shot down by the Americans' own anti-aircraft fire.

For the large Task Force 5, this loss was insignificant. It does not hinder the attack of the Americans on Okinawa. And for himself, the loss is huge. From then on, the army was no longer capable of launching a large-scale air attack.

This battle, which later historians and military scientists called the "Great Air Battle of the Sulfur Ball", was the last air attack launched by the Emperor in World War II. The battle for air supremacy in the Pacific has come to an end, and the victors are the heroic coalition pilots!

Speaking of "special attacks," during World War II, he said that he was unique and far ahead in this field. There is no country in the world that would drive its soldiers to fight the enemy in a constant battle, except for its own army.

Yamato's bushido spirit and blind allegiance to the emperor will cause those fanatical militarists who are obsessed with their minds to regard suicide attacks as the only way to enter the shrine with incomparable glory and souls, and it is true that his way of thinking is different from that of normal people, so in the war, it is said that this army is the army that uses the most special attack methods, and the number of special attack methods and the complexity of special attack weapons should be the first to say himself, but its wide variety of suicide methods is no exaggeration to be the most in the world.

It is said that the special attack pursued by this army is three-dimensional, from land to sea, from sea to sky, in short, land, sea and air. It's really a matter of everything! The suicide surname special attack on land is relatively simple, and its technical content is not high. Generally speaking, some hot-headed officers and soldiers strapped explosives and grenades to their bodies and rushed into the enemy's position to detonate them, so as to achieve the goal of exchanging one life for several lives to kill and injure the enemy in large quantities. Others rolled under enemy vehicles, such as cars, tanks, armored vehicles, bulldozers, etc., and perished with the enemy. Or launch a suicidal night raid in a desperate situation, where a horde of officers and soldiers shouting "Hurrah!" Holding sabers, grenades, bayonets, etc., they rushed at the enemy's automatic weapons and flamethrower guns. Its momentum is so great that it will scare you if it can't kill you.

In the Pacific War, this method of warfare was quite effective at first, achieving great success and inflicting heavy casualties on the Americans, and the American GIs simply did not know how to deal with it. But as the war deepened, the Americans became smarter, and they were no longer fooled! Moreover, many effective methods were adopted, so that his special attack turned into a real suicide act that deserved to kill himself. In the battle of ground offensive, great emphasis is placed on tandem, step coordination, and mutual cover. Tanks are mainly used to attack enemy firing points or to break through enemy positions and clear obstacles in the path of infantry advance. The infantry used small arms such as rifles and submachine guns to protect the tanks, killing all the 'meat bullets' that tried to blow up the tanks. When the attack and camp stopped at night, the guard and patrol were strengthened, the ring defensive positions were arranged, and the night attack launched by the person himself was turned into a one-sided massacre of the sneak attackers with flares and automatic firearms. They do not take the initiative to capture the soldiers, but they must first take off their clothes and pants for the officers and soldiers who are wounded, captured, or surrender on their own initiative, and so on. He said that his land special attack had become increasingly difficult since the Battle of the Mariana Islands, and it was difficult to achieve the desired results.

He said that the main force of his air special attack was suicide planes, and these various broken planes were roaring towards the US ships with 500-pound bombs, and no amount of ferocious anti-aircraft fire or interception by fighter planes seemed to be able to stop them from changing planes for ships.

However, as soon as such aircraft, which lack the ability to maneuver and cannot defend themselves, are discovered by the US military, they are far from being the opponents of the large number of US fighters, and are often destroyed in the sky above or near the target. The results achieved by his 'kamikaze' special attack on the suicide planes were far from their expectations, and their success was not so much in the number of enemy ships they crashed and destroyed, but in the psychology of the other side, and the psychological fear caused by the "suicide planes" to the American GIs was far greater than the effect of the "suicide planes" in sinking the warships.

In addition, he also invented a bomb called the "Sakura Bomb," which is similar to the cruise missiles and air-to-ship attack missiles that are now used in warfare. In fact, it was a one-way wooden glider, powered by a 3-support thrust rocket and capable of carrying a whole ton of high-explosive charge. It resembles a torpedo with a pair of wings, it is suspended under the fuselage of a twin-engine bomber, which carries it to the air near the target and drops it, the booster rocket ignites immediately, and the pilot carries the explosives and dives into the target at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. American soldiers called the bomb "eight-cell bullet", which means "stupid bomb." During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Rear Admiral John A. Mitchell was attacked by this special attack bomb while leading Task Force 32 as cover. Destroyer "Mannat. The Ebel was hit by a bullet and almost immediately split in half, sinking in less than a minute.

Another destroyer, the USS Stanley, was hit and caught fire. The large landing craft LCS-33 was also hit. Also wounded were one battleship, 3 destroyers and 8 other warships. This is almost the heaviest loss the U.S. Navy has suffered since the offensive in the Central Pacific.

However, fortunately, this kind of bomb is not produced by itself, and its booster rocket still has technical defects that need to be improved, and it is still in the experimental stage. In fact, up to the time of the defeat and surrender of the "Sakura Bomb" in actual combat, the "Sakura Bomb" had only been put into actual combat once, but its tremendous power made the Americans really a little frightened.

At sea, the much-hyped miniature submarine is a weapon of high hopes. Unfortunately, it was not very successful, and the recorded mini-submarine actually participated in only 6 raids, and the results were not satisfactory. It is said that it is an island country, and in order to survive, its shipbuilding industry is still ranked first in the world, and of course, the level of building military submarines is not low. However, the guiding ideology of building submarines is a little difficult for people to understand. In principle, they did not build medium-sized submarines in World War II, but either built large submarines with a displacement of more than 3,000 tons, which had large tonnage, strong endurance, could stay underwater for a long time, and were suitable for ocean-going operations and transportation.

He said that his submarines seldom move in groups, and they generally attack in a single boat, and their single-boat combat capability is relatively strong, and this is the famous "Yi" submarine. One such submarine even sank the USS Yorktown. Although the "Yorktown" was damaged in an air raid by a Japanese aircraft at that time, if it had not been for the last fatal blow of the submarine, the aircraft carrier would never have sunk into the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean in the Battle of Midway.

In the proposal, he had planned to build a submersible aircraft carrier, and the envisaged large submarine would carry aircraft on a closed deck to sneak underwater, and after reaching the designated point, the submarine would float, the closed shell of the deck would be opened, and the aircraft would take off from the deck to surprise the enemy. He said that he planned to use this method to launch air raids on cities on the west coast of the United States, such as San Francisco. However, due to the fact that the cost of such a submarine aircraft carrier is too expensive, and there are still many technical problems that cannot be solved in a short period of time, this plan is only an idea on paper and has not been put into practice. The miniature submarine is a sharp weapon in my opinion, and it is also used in actual combat. The 6 attacks were; The Pearl Harbor Attack on December 8, 1941, did not achieve any results, 6 mini-submarines participated in the battle, 2 were discovered and sunk by the U.S. military, one ran aground, and the captain of the boat, Second Lieutenant Sasumaki, was captured by the U.S. military. The remaining 3 ships returned in vain. The other five attacks were the attack on the port of Sydney, Australia, on May 31, 1942, and the two unsuccessful attempts to attack the U.S. convoy on November 23 and December 7, 1942. On May 31, 1942, in the waters of Madagascar, they planned to attack a U.S. oil tanker, but they were discovered by the escorting destroyers, and the four mini-submarines failed to fight the two U.S. destroyers, and all of them slept on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. On January 5, 1945, in the Philippine Campaign, west of Mindanao, two miniature submarines were chased by a U.S. seaplane in a panic, one hit the reef and sank on the spot, and the other dived into the depths of the sea and never floated again. In these raids, 14 mini-submarines were sunk, 27 crew members were killed and 1 captured, but little was achieved.

Produced at the same time as the mini-submarine, another small submarine with a two-seater is called the Sea Dragon, which has a range of 250 nautical miles and can carry two torpedoes of the kind used in attack aircraft. He said that he had stored it as the most secret weapon, and was ready to use it to inflict heavy damage on the American fleet in the event of a decisive battle on the mainland. By the end of the war, a total of 230 ships had been produced, but none of them had ever been put into combat.

Another striking failure was the special attack weapon called "Huitian". In fact, this is a kind of "human torpedo", to put it bluntly, two steel simple seats are installed on a torpedo, there is a small windshield in front of the seat, and a small engine is installed in the tail of the torpedo. Crew two. One person controls the direction, and the other determines the target. The torpedo crashed into the target at high speed, and the torpedo exploded at the same time, so as to achieve the goal of destroying the enemy warship. Such special attack weapons are often brought close to the target by a submarine and then launched. At the beginning, these "human torpedoes" really achieved some results. One such torpedo dived into the Uli Dike Lagoon and sank a U.S. oil tanker USS Mississinia, carrying 500,000 gallons of aviation fuel. The final finalized production of the "Huitian" was 54 feet long and had a warhead containing 3,000 pounds of high-explosive charge. He said that this kind of special attack weapon can sink any surface ship.

A large submarine with the name "Yi" can carry four "Huitian" and can sneak to the assembly place of the US fleet without realizing it, and sink four US [***] ships in one fell swoop. But this is just wishful thinking and expectations on my own. Indeed, at the beginning, the American sailors also had a headache for these small things, and the radar could not detect them at all, and the sonar was useless to them, and the US planes patrolling the air were very difficult to discover the traces of the "Huitian" sneaking in the crests and valleys. But the Americans were not stupid, and they soon discovered that torpedo boats, which were faster than the "Huitian", were a very easy thing to deal with such human torpedoes. Not only can the torpedo boats use their speed advantage to intercept the "Huitian," but the 40-mm repeating machine guns on the boats are definitely not something that the special attack daredevils riding on the torpedoes without the slightest protection can resist, and they will often smash these soldiers to pieces, and even the torpedo mounts with them will be blown up with a bang. He said that he had fired thousands of "Huitian" torpedoes at the Allied forces, and the results he achieved were: sinking a Canadian cargo ship "Canadian Victory" and sinking a US frigate destroyer "Endhill." However, in this series of special attacks, more than 900 soldiers died in the "Huitian" attack, and that's all.

Operation Flying Elephant, on which high hopes were placed, was an ambitious and huge project. And put it into action. The main content of this operation was to attack the west coast of the United States and Canada with a high-altitude balloon, and this was the "balloon bomb" that once shocked the Americans. It is a hydrogen balloon with a diameter of 10 meters, which is mistaken for the work of the Noborito Research Institute of the Atomic Atom. The balloon was originally developed for use by the Kwantung Army in northeastern China, where it was used to distribute leaflets and bomb Soviet troops on the other side of the Heilongjiang River. At the beginning, the military did not have a high opinion of this kind of "balloon bomb". However, judging from the book "My Balloon Bomb" published after the war by Brigadier General W.H. Wilbart, who was then chief of staff of the US Western Defense Command, the Americans' scruples about this kind of balloon bomb exceeded my own estimates. General Wilbart wrote:

"Although the balloons did not even have a radio device, they were too primitive to be artificially controlled, and they had to be left to their own devices, but more than 100 of them still floated to the central part of the American continent. From Alaska to Mexico, from the north coast of the Pacific Ocean to western Canada, at least 200 balloons have been found intact. In addition, no fewer than 50 damaged balloons were found in other regions and in the Pacific Ocean. More than 100 have been observed, and nearly 40 have exploded in mid-air. Obviously, its offensive effect is not so satisfactory, but in fact it marks an astonishing development in the technology of warfare, it is the world's first uncontrolled tool to fly across the ocean, and it also has considerable destructive power"

In the United States, the only time the balloon can reach the West Coast is in the winter, when the eastward steam flow over the ocean is relatively stable. But at this time, the United States was covered with snow, so it was impossible to have a large area of fire, only a few small forests caught fire in the explosion, and a few winter rangers were frightened, and no widespread damage was caused. It would have been a different story if the balloon had arrived in the United States in the summer, when the western states of the United States would have been arid like craters, and it was certain that the balloon would have gone in a catastrophic and helpless way throughout the country. In March 1944, an average of about 100 balloons were lifted off from the mainland and floated towards the American continent every day. If I had replaced the explosives and large incendiary bombs on the balloons with hundreds of small incendiary bombs, or hung up the 'special products' of the 731 Kwantung Army's Water Supply and Epidemic Prevention Headquarters, which could infect people and animals, as well as carry the virus to crops and plants, the whole of the United States would have been plunged into disaster.

Researchers at the Noborito Research Institute found that at an altitude of 10,000 meters in the Pacific Ocean, the substratosphere forms an easterly wind that jets air currents, and some members of the military began to consider whether it would be possible to use a balloon without machinery or fuel to bring a large balloon to the United States. According to the data obtained by the Noborito Research Institute, it is probable. So the military decided to make the balloon out of a kind of paper that had been processed to look sturdy, and hung bombs and incendiary bombs on it to float to the United States. At an altitude of 8,000 to 10,000 meters, the balloon was blown by a steam current with a speed of 250 kilometers per hour, and flew over the Pacific Ocean of 12,000 kilometers, which took about two and a half days.

After the balloon was developed and its viable surname was recognized, the Noborito Research Institute sent Teruhiko Takeda, the head of the first propaganda class, to the coast of Chiba Prefecture to establish a balloon release and monitoring base. The Army's 5th Research Institute also dispatched Yoritake Nakasa to set up Radio Station No. 5 in three selected locations between Hokkaido and Kyushu Island to track the balloon's whereabouts by means of a three-point crossing. The navy also sent Adachi Sakyo Nakasa to assist in this work. After various arguments were made that it could indeed be implemented, the Army Ministry and the Weapons Administration Headquarters jointly allocated a budget of 200 million yuan to produce 20,000 large balloons to launch an ultra-long-distance special attack and bombing campaign against the United States.

The large balloon is made of paper paste, and more than 600 paper slips are used for each balloon. The paper used is mainly Hosokawa paper produced near Etsu on the eastern line. After being treated with pepper root, its firmness can meet the needs. However, there are not many chili pepper roots produced locally, which was originally an important condiment to chicken roast food, but now it has become a military product. As a result, the occupation forces in China, Singapore, Vietnam, Burma, the Philippines, and Indonesia all received orders to collect large quantities of chili pepper roots and ship them back to the country, where they were processed into a powdered form that met the needs of the Shimo Inda factory in Gunma Prefecture.

Because the balloon was so large that it required a large space to paste and make it, the military requisitioned all stadiums, sumo halls, theaters, movie theaters and other large venues and buildings in the country. In addition, 800 pasting craftsmen from the Kanto region were mobilized, as well as volunteers who volunteered to participate in the work, including female students from Futaba, Kojimachi, Kobe, and Tokyo girls' high schools, as well as Chiban, who was not willing to be left behind, and the women and prostitutes in the Shimbashi area also joined in to make large balloons with strips of paper that were no thicker than their cheeks.

The weight of the balloons, including the sandbags that are used as weights, is about 20 kilograms. It is expected that the temperature of the sand particles will rise by 10 degrees Celsius during the day, and the temperature will gradually drop to a minimum of about 50 degrees Celsius. The balloons are lowered to let the sandbags fall off in turn, and the pre-calculated landing location is, of course, within the United States. Beginning in November 1944, these special attack weapons began to be released in three places in Chiba Prefecture: Ichinomiya, Otsu, and Belai. The San Francisco War Intelligence Bureau once said in a report:

On 21 December, near the city of Garrisberg, Montana, the wreckage of a large balloon was discovered, which contained incendiary bombs, the text on which indicated that it had been made. Judging by the remnants of the balloon, such a balloon is completely capable of carrying an air hull carrying more than 10 people. They thought that they were planning to use this kind of large balloon instead of a parachute to drop spies into the United States, and that the balloon had this effect.

During World War II, the Americans kept silent about their own ocean-going special attack weapons. First, because it really failed to achieve any great results, and there is no way to describe it, and second, there is no need to publicize those things that are easy to create fear in the hearts of the sincere people. If you can't cause the people to panic, that's a great favor for me!

From April of '45, there were no more balloons to the United States. The Americans were pleased to think that the balloon had probably stopped flying because it had not done much of a purpose, as General Wilbart wrote in his book after the war. But in fact, this is not the case at all, the Americans must have been mistaken for themselves! This is because it is only from November to the end of March of the following year that there is an easterly flow in the sub-stratosphere. Therefore, from April onwards, he stopped flying balloons, and instead concentrated more efforts on making more of these large balloons, waiting for the arrival of winter and the appearance of easterly air currents. If the war had not ended in August of '45 but dragged on for another year, then from the winter of '45 to the spring of '46, there would have been more balloon bombs exploding on the territory of the United States. Although it cannot be compared with the scale of the "B-29" air raid on Tokyo, one only needs to look at it and show that since the beginning of the war, except for a bold submarine that sailed to the west coast of the United States and recklessly fired a few shells, he said that he could not use any direct means of attack against the US mainland. In contrast, the use of this kind of large balloon bomb for special attack operations should be regarded as barely passing, and it can be regarded as relatively successful!

"All human inventions and creations will always be prioritized for war." That's right. Throughout World War II, especially in the Asian and Pacific theaters, Ben, with its population of 100 million, 870,000 square kilometers, and very poor resources, dared to go to war with the United States, China, Britain, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and other countries at the same time. His nationwide spirit of courage to "commit suicide" has made people "awe-inspired." He said that he had used all the forces he could use to invent and manufacture all kinds of strange special attack weapons, which made people not admire them. But this does not mean that it can save the fate of the doomed defeat of the Yueben Empire, and these special attack weapons and methods have no other effect except to increase the number of "suicides" of the soldiers of the Yue Army in a geometric progression!

The Seto Inland Sea, which was an important base of the Kamoto Navy on the mainland, was once the headquarters of the Kamoto Navy's Combined Fleet. From here, the powerful mobile fleet "Kido Force" that attacked Pearl Harbor was also witnessed, and the Midway Attack Fleet was never returned. The Shinano, the largest and newest super aircraft carrier, sank at the entrance to the Soto Inland Sea just after it was launched. It has witnessed the decline of the mighty Navy, which once existed as a noisy and busy anchorage, but now it has become a deserted military port. The few warships moored at the berths looked listless and alone. 'Falling flowers and flowing water are also gone! It is said that the navy will not be able to reproduce the strength and prosperity of 1941!

On the night of April 3, 1945, this military port seemed to have regained a trace of vitality, but this vitality had a tragic color. Most of the officers of the Combined Fleet gathered on the heavy cruiser Yasuki to see off Vice Admiral Ito, commander of the Second Fleet, and his fleet. This fleet consisted mainly of the super battleship "Yamato", and there were also 9 warships. Vice Admiral Ito was ordered by Vice Admiral Toyoda, commander of the Combined Fleet, to lead the fleet to attack the U.S. fleet in the waters of the Ryukyu Islands. Vice-Commander Toyoda telegraphed all the officers and men of the Second Fleet, saying:

"This is a suicide attack, and the fate of the empire is indeed in this battle. We must form a special attack force on the sea and fight with heroic courage to break through the enemy group and fight, so as to boost the military prestige of our Imperial Navy, carry forward the glorious tradition of the Imperial Navy's sea battles, and glorify future generations! All units must be determined to fight to the death to completely destroy the enemy ships and lay an eternal foundation for the imperial state."

That being said, Vice Takeshi Toyoda said to his lieutenant in private:

"I know very well what will happen to a fleet without aircraft cover, and I know that there is almost no chance that we will succeed, but we should do something! It is a sign of support for the troops defending Okinawa! ”

The atmosphere of the banquet was lively, but it was violent and noisy. All the officers knew that the fleet had only brought fuel for one trip, and that it was certain to die. Instead, they have no scruples. The officers got carried away, and most of them were drunk. Some people sang the 'Song of the Cherry Blossoms', while others joined in. Some officers scurried around the ship, and even collapsed in the soldiers' hammocks and wept. In short, everything is chaotic and sad.

As Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, a veteran officer who had participated in the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, and Guadalal, as well as the aircraft carrier battles in the East Solomon Islands and Santa Cruz, Vice Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka vigorously opposed the Second Fleet's suicide sorties. He believed that the "Yamato" and other warships should be retained and would play an important role in the decisive battle on the mainland. But his opposition was useless, and the commander of Toyota, on the contrary, sent him to convey and explain the order to Lieutenant General Ito. When the Second Fleet lifted anchor on the evening of April 6, Ito asked Kusaka:

"What should we do if the fleet is attacked by the Americans in the middle of the way and cannot move on?"

Kusaka couldn't answer Ito's question at all, so he had to say vaguely, "It's up to you to decide on a case-by-case basis." ”

Ito replied, "I see! Please greet the superior commander on my behalf, this is not only the last chance for the Combined Fleet, but also the last chance for the Hon. We will break through the blockade of the US military in the waters of Okinawa, we will let the "Yamato" run aground on the shore, and this warship will become a powerful battery. The range of the cannon on the Yamato is 25 miles, and it will deal a heavy blow to the American fleet! ”

All the officers privately wondered if this could be done. Only the captain of the "Yamato", Rear Admiral Yuga Yukasaku, no longer cared. The man was always grinning, and he said:

'It is a great responsibility but a great honor to be the captain of a ship in such an important sortie. I'm proud and proud! I'm so happy to have this opportunity, nothing else matters! The superfluous things were unloaded from the warship, and the wounded and the trainee officers were forced to leave the ship. At 3 p.m. on 6 April, the Second Assault Fleet pulled anchor. The sun shone through the clouds, and the heavy cruiser "Yaji" opened the way in front, followed by 4 destroyers, then "Yamato", followed by 4 destroyers. The queue of these 10 warships is still quite imposing. All the ships in the port sounded their whistles to see them off. Everyone understands that maybe this is the last time they will see the "Yamato", this is 10 "meat buns", and they use meat buns to beat dogs, do you still need to ask about the result? Only an idiot would think that a dog would not be interested in the food delivered to his door!

In order to coordinate with the Second Attack Fleet's attack on the US fleet, on the morning of 6 April, the Navy almost desperately amassed more than 220 bombers and torpedo attack planes, escorted by more than 140 "Zero" fighters led by Mio Fuchita. And behind this group of aircraft, 350 "kamikaze" special attack aircraft were also dispatched. On that day, the largest and last large-scale air battle in the Pacific Ocean on the island of Okinawa lasted about three hours, and ended in the complete defeat of the Japanese army.

Kusaka was not allowed to travel with the Yamato, which made him very depressed. He had wanted to emulate Yamamoto Go[***] and end his life on the battlefield, but this desire was firmly rejected by Commander Toyota's vice president. It's easy to die, but it's even more difficult to survive and continue fighting! But someone has to take on the most difficult part! Lieutenant General Grass Deer was unfortunately chosen.

There was no way, Caolu had to take a "Sichuan-style" seaplane to see off this fleet, which was definitely gone. He watched the majestic "Yamato" under the fuselage ride the wind and waves, and his heart was very emotional. "Yamato" and "Musashi" used to be the pride and symbol of the Yamato Navy, and no other country in the world has ever possessed such huge battleships, but they have become very fragile, like lambs to the slaughter in front of the American planes. It's really sad! Now the mighty warship has become a delicacy for the Americans! Why? The answer is very simple, there is no point in keeping these warships, the defeat of this war will be inevitable, these warships will either be towed away by the Americans as trophies, or they will be dismantled, and as a defeated country, it will never allow the retention of such large warships, which symbolize force. Rather than this, it is better to go to a battle, even if it is sunk in the Pacific Ocean, it can be regarded as a well-deserved death!

Vice Admiral Kuska's plane accompanied the dying fleet until the plane ran out of fuel, and then Kusaka reluctantly returned.

That night, more than 2,000 officers and men aboard the "Yamato" gathered on deck to listen to Vice Admiral Ito read out a telegram of encouragement sent to them by Vice Admiral Toyoda, the commander of the Combined Fleet:

"I hope you fight to the death! The fate of the empire depends on this attack, may the emperor bless! ”

At 8 p.m., the Second Assault Fleet cautiously galloped through the mine-strewn Bungo Channel into the Pacific Ocean. The fleet sailed south along the coastline of Kyushu Island at a speed of 20 knots per hour towards the waters of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. But the fleet did not find them, and at about 7 p.m. that day, two American submarines discovered them!

(To be continued)