In November, the wounded warships had not yet recovered, and the Japanese attacked again, rushing to Kuah Island from a new frenzy. The Japanese cobbled together a new artillery fleet and transferred two aircraft carriers from elsewhere, including 4 battleships, 11 cruisers, and 42 destroyers, together with the aircraft carriers to form a mobile strike force. Nowadays, the Japanese army is a gambler who has lost red-eyed, betting again and again, hoping to get it back with profits. The use of gamblers is completely contrary to the minimum of military common sense.

In the face of the crisis, Commander Halsey had no choice but to drive the USS Enterprise, which had not yet been repaired in the dockyard, to the Kuah Island Theater with a scar and repairmen, and continued to repair it during the voyage. The USS Nantakta and USS Washington faithfully accompanied the Enterprise, escorted by 2 cruisers and 8 destroyers, and covered the US reinforcements together. This time, President Roosevelt, who was far away in the United States, attached great importance to the island of Kuah, which had the strange name of Spain, and did everything he could to help the 1st Marine Division.

On November 11-12, Japanese planes took off from the aircraft carrier warship and began to attack the Kuah airfield, and sank an American cruiser and a destroyer. Allied Commander Turner, fearing that the Japanese artillery fleet would destroy the mountains of military supplies in the dock unloading area and the large number of warplanes at the airfield, handed over all the warships to the command of Coaster and Callaghan. Let them block the Japanese artillery fleet at the west entrance of the strait, and at the same time Turner ordered the transport ships of Kuah Island to evacuate immediately, and his sense of smell seemed to smell the bloody wind before the vicious battle.

However, the Coaster and Callaghan divisions had only 5 cruisers and 14 destroyers. The two of them staged a heroic sacrifice in a row.

On November 12, the Japanese commander Abe led an artillery fleet into the mouth of the strait, and approached the steel-bottom cemetery in the morning of the 13th. Abe believed that the U.S. military would not have heavy warships to spend the night on Kuah Island, so the Japanese piled up high-explosive bombs on the deck of the battleship for the Kuah Island airfield. At midnight, a Japanese observation plane dropped flares over Kuah Island, and the sky over the airport suddenly became bright. The American soldiers hiding in the tunnel fortifications were horrified when they saw this scene, and there was no doubt that the stormy shells would fall on their heads again.

At this time, 6,000 US reinforcements had just landed, and the military supplies on the dock had not yet had time to evacuate. Major Baker in the tunnel turned pale and said, "The Japanese artillery fleet is here again, they are simply crazy. At present, our fleet has suffered heavy losses, especially the sinking of the aircraft carrier Hornet, which basically cannot prevent the Japanese from shelling the fleet. Jie Zhenbang was relieved: "Major Baker, we have experienced hellish shelling, but the Japanese warships will not go ashore, there is nothing remarkable. ”

"Major Baker, the final solution to the battle is the infantry, reinforcements are coming, what are we afraid of, it's nothing more than being tortured, there's nothing remarkable." Li Gang agreed. "It's always reassuring to hear you guys talk, and I'm in a much better mood." "Look, the flare is almost extinguished, why didn't the Japanese fleet open fire!" As soon as Li Gang finished speaking, a fierce cannon sound suddenly sounded on the sea on the south side. "Haha, it's our naval guns, and the fleet support is up!" Baker was excited and hurriedly ran out.

On the sea, the Japanese artillery fleet lined up in three columns and was ready to shoot, and at the critical moment, the American heavy cruiser appeared. Seeing this scene, the Japanese sailors hurriedly replaced high-explosive shells with armor-piercing shells. At this time, the fleets of Coster and Callaghan burst into enemy positions like a whirlwind. It's an unprecedented risky operation, and it's all about desperate play. Callaghan's fleet rushed into the enemy line in three columns, and the Japanese fired heavily at him, and the American ships passed through the corridor of steel and flame, and sprayed shells and torpedoes at the dense Japanese ships.

Due to the close proximity of the two sides, the rate of shell hits was amazing. Fragments of steel and human flesh were thrown into the air and splashed into the sea, and the night covered the grim battlefield. The battleship Hiei, which was 3 or 20,000 tons long, was attacked by three US destroyers and the heavy cruiser San Francisco, and was hit by a bullet and caught fire. The Japanese sailors of the Hiei were very tenacious, and the eight 14-inch naval guns were also large-caliber projectiles. The San Francisco was hit hard and smashed into a screen, and Rear Admiral Callahan was heroically short of breath and died on the spot on the bridge with the captain of the ship.

Outnumbered, Coaster's flagship, the Alexander, was hit by Japanese ships. Then the searchlights of several Japanese warships focused on the Alexander, and the continuous bombardment, Rear Admiral Coster and the battleship were killed in the sea. Although the US destroyers were tenacious and courageously took the lead, they could not withstand the bombardment of the Japanese ships' heavy artillery. The Kuxin was scarred, and the Rafite was in shambles, its trembling body like a weak grass in the wind. The Patton was torpedoed, and the Monson was beaten to pieces. 4 destroyers groaned in pain and sank into the sea one after another.

4 destroyers were sunk one after another, and 3 destroyers were heavily damaged. The U.S. fleet passed through the Japanese fleet, and there were not many surviving people on the San Francisco, and most of the other U.S. warships were scarred. In the brutal and unusual night battle, the front line was confused and difficult to distinguish between friend and foe, and even killed each other. After the U.S. ship withdrew, the ship's guns continued to sound incessantly, and the Japanese soldiers were red-eyed. For the sailors on both sides, fear has been replaced by numbness, the sailors seem to have become mechanical robots, and the continued shelling of the Japanese army is an instinctive numbness.

The sea was calm again, and although the American fleet suffered heavy losses, the Japanese did not get the advantage they had. Abe's plan for shelling came to naught, and two Japanese destroyers of the first rank remained at the bottom of the sea. It is said that on that night, the sharks were attracted by the smell of blood, devouring the dead and the living, and the sea was punctuated with cries of despair and terrible despair. The U.S. military has protected the military supplies on the docks and the warplanes on the airfield to the fullest, and there is no doubt that it is their turn to play their role.

Dawn broke on the 13th, and the sky was clear. Kuah Airport suddenly became noisy. Jie Zhenbang, Baker and Li Gang, who had slept in the tunnel for several hours, were awakened. The three of them got up and came to the lookout to check the airport, "What's the matter, it's hard for the Japanese fighters to attack!" "Seeing the Cactus Air Team fighter taking off, Li Gang asked." There were no terrible sirens, and besides, bombers and torpedo planes took off, and not a single fighter took off, and I can see the way out of the door now! Jie Zhenbang said confidently.

Baker praised: "Festival, it makes sense, the sound of artillery in the naval battle last night made the pilots of the Cactus Air Corps itch their hands, and they went to the battle area to fish for oil and water." "Now we can see the importance of the Kuah Island airfield, which completely curbs the appearance of Japanese aircraft carriers near Kuah Island, and it can be said that Kuah Island makes up for the lack of US aircraft carrier warships." Jie Zhenbang analysis. During the conversation between several people, US fighter planes took to the air and pounced on the warring waters. At present, it is entirely a contest of sea supremacy and air supremacy, and ground operations seem to have died down.

The cactus pilot, after listening to the rumbling cannon for half a night, saw the fire on the sea, and couldn't bear it for a long time. As soon as the day dawned, the pilots flew into the skies to the warring sea area to see if they could make a profit. Sure enough, it didn't take much effort to discover the huge body of the wounded Hiei heavy cruiser, and the 200-meter-long hull became a live target. The U.S. Red Bombers dropped bombs in turn, and soon the Hiei ship was dying and couldn't do it, and the Japanese soldiers had to sink the battleship, and the Hiei ship reluctantly burrowed into the sea, leaving a huge whirlpool.

That night, Mikawa led another artillery fleet and quietly pounced on Kuah Island. Due to the addition of a large number of torpedo boats to Kuah Island, and under the interference of the torpedo boats, Mikawa's artillery fleet fought for 45 minutes, and it ended hastily and slipped away after firing indiscriminately. However, the base of Rabaul received a report that the Kuah airport had been destroyed! After receiving the erroneous report, the Japanese headquarters immediately dispatched 12 fast troop carriers and 11 cruisers and destroyers south to the Saokou Strait, carrying half of the 38th Division's troops to Kuah Island.

At noon on the 14th, a US military reconnaissance plane spotted a Japanese troop convoy in waters 130 kilometers northwest of Kuah Island. When the telegram came back, the officers and men of the Cactus Air Corps cheered and won the jackpot. The cactus bomber group took off first and launched an attack on the Japanese troop carriers in the area of the incident. The Japanese cover battleships were the first to escape, leaving the troop carriers to the American bombers. On that day, the U.S. Aerial Fortress B17 and the fighter planes that took off from the Enterprise were like rushing to a temple fair, coming and going, and when the bombs were dropped, they refueled and hung up bombs at the Kuah Island Airport.

Under the fierce and powerful air attack, the soldiers of the seven Japanese troop carriers and military supplies were all buried in the sea. The remaining Japanese troop carriers were very tenacious, and they took advantage of the dusk to rush to the island. However, on the second day, all the Japanese troops on the island were solved by American planes and artillery, and not a single shot of the 1st Marine Division was wasted, and the thousands of Japanese troops led by Tanaka were all reimbursed. In addition, the heavy cruiser Kinugasa, which had survived the shelling of Kuah Island many times, was also killed by US planes. The Cactus Air Team shows its might.

The Japanese army suffered heavy losses and was furious, and if the Japanese army had been sober-minded at this time and had thrown off the burden of Kuah Island, it might not have reached the point where it could not be cleaned up. However, the Japanese army had been carried away by anger, and retaliation became the only option for the Japanese army. At present, the U.S. military cactus air force on Kuah Island has become a thorn in the eye and a tumor in the flesh of the Japanese army, and it must be eliminated as soon as possible. The Japanese Navy soon formed a new artillery bombardment fleet, ready to deal a heavy blow to the triumphant Cactus Air Force.

The commander of this bombardment fleet was Kondo, and it consisted of 4 cruisers and 8 destroyers. Its backbone is the sister ship of the Hiei, the Kirishima, which belongs to the Kongo-class battleship. Kondo vows to avenge the Hiei. On the night of the 14th, Kondo commanded the artillery fleet and entered the steel-bottom cemetery. The U.S. warships were on guard, and the battleships USS Washington and USS South Dakota were waiting on Saao Island. When the Japanese artillery fleet passed, two huge battleships suddenly killed. The first battleship duel in the Pacific Theater was staged.