The team members couldn't help but be surprised. The captain, who was flying at an ultra-low altitude of 40 meters over Kagoshima City and who usually demanded that his team members carry out flight regulations more strictly than others, has now asked people to conduct training in complete disregard of the regulations. However, Fuchida continued unconcernedly, "After seeing the Yamagataya department store from the left side of the plane, there was a gas canister on the seaside, and once you dodged it, you lowered the flight altitude to twenty meters and launched it immediately. ”

The players were even more confused. Launch a torpedo at an altitude of twenty meters, and if you are not careful, the plane will plunge headlong into the sea.

"The target is a buoy on the sea surface five hundred meters ahead, which is the anchoring of enemy ships. The angle of the head is kept at zero degrees at the time of launch, and the speed is 160 knots. This launch pose is especially important! Immediately after throwing a mine, it rises and turns back from the right side, detached from the enemy ship, and then returns home. At this point, a training session is over. ”

Fuchida finished speaking casually, and looked around at the team with a sharp gaze.

"How's that, okay?"

"Okay!" The team members replied in unison.

"But it's hard, especially don't misjudge the height of the launch. As soon as you get to the beach, you have to launch immediately, otherwise you will lose the opportunity to aim. And, if you deviate from the course, you will hit an obstacle. Be bold and careful. Now, first of all, Captain Murata will give a demonstration. Start training! ”

The team rushed towards their respective planes like a gust of wind, and the propellers quickly turned. Captain Murata walked to the plane he was piloting, and Fuchida Navy Shozo walked up to him and said, "Murata-kun, you must do a good job!" ”

"No problem, look at me! Yes, guaranteed. But ......," Captain Murata lowered his voice and said, "What a clever thing you said, 'From today, we will start training in the application of shallow sea torpedo attacks.'" It's really two times, like an actor! ”

Fuchida smiled: "Okay, okay, come on." It is not an easy task to control the depth of the torpedo to 10 meters. I'm watching you from above. ”

Captain Murata got on the plane and drove it slowly to the take-off line...... On this day, the first to be frightened were the citizens of Kagoshima. Suddenly out of the Iwasaki Valley flew out of the torpedo planes, one after another, almost grazing the roof, rushing to the sea, and even some of the bamboo poles used for drying clothes were knocked down by the momentum. "Why the hell, flying so low. These guys in the Navy have been so disciplined lately! "The planes were so ruthless, ignoring the frightened people, flying out of the Iwasaki Valley one after another, and then disappearing into the sea.

"Well, good job," Fuchida couldn't help but laugh as he watched the brilliant flight from above. These team members are well-trained and have developed a set of excellent skills. Sure enough, during this day's training, not a single aircraft went wrong. The plane emerged from the narrow Iwasaki Valley with an excellent vertical gyration, swept over the city at an ultra-low altitude, and rushed to the surface of the sea. Immediately afterwards, the fuselage tilted upwards in an instant, and as soon as the wings slanted, it spun back to the right, and immediately detached itself from the target. It was truly an aerial stunt.

Fuchida Navy Commander continued to circle over Kagoshima Bay. Looking at it, he felt that the scenery under his feet was already Pearl Harbor. He seemed to see the USS Yorkcheng, USS Enterprise, USS Pennsylvania, USS Nevada, USS Maryland, USS Arizona, USS Saratoga, USS Lexington, ...... the entire US Pacific Fleet. In Pearl Harbor, where the water was as smooth as a mirror, torpedoes dragging white tracks galloped towards the target, the enemy's anti-aircraft guns began to roar, and columns of water rose one after another, followed by a large explosion, and huge steel components tilted ...... one after another. Suddenly, he looked down intently, and the planes of the next formation had already flown halfway up the smoke-spewing Sakurajima...... Since then, the players have been training hard every day. The Fleet Command announced that Fuchida Admiral Assistant Commander Nakasa was in charge of staff affairs. He freely went in and out of the chief of staff of the aircraft carrier "Pancheng" to study the mountains of new information and reports that were constantly collated up, and to immerse himself in formulating plans. Of course, this was done in the middle of intense training. In normal times, the Chief of Staff's office is locked, and it is strictly forbidden for personnel to enter or leave. Due to strict secrecy, none of the pilots knew that the purpose of the training was to attack the anchored ships, but none of them knew that the destination was Pearl Harbor. At about the same time, Captain Iwasa, the commander of the pocket submarine, was also training for night raids in Shikoku's Midtown Bay, which has some terrain similar to Pearl Harbor.

As a result of the intense training that had been carried out for several days, some Kagoshima citizens were dissatisfied with the pilots' violations of flight regulations, but the skills of the torpedo crew members had greatly improved. The gauges attached to the trainer mine showed that the depth of the torpedo was already within twenty meters. A little more effort will be enough. But the training results suddenly couldn't go up. Despite painstaking and repeated training, the depth of the torpedo never decreased.

Some team members commented: "The depth of the torpedo is set at about 20 meters, where can there be a fleet anchored in such a shallow place as 10 meters!" ”

"What does the old captain think? Since Prime Minister Ishihara took office, the situation has deteriorated considerably. Could it be that the old captain is also a little nervous? ”

Finally said it was crazy.

It's no wonder that Fuchida can feel the emotions of the players. Speaking of which, the training requirements are too reluctant. However, even if this request is excessive, as long as the reason is revealed to the players, they will work hard to achieve the training goal with double motivation. However, the reason cannot be said. Fuchida had no choice but to ruthlessly ask the players to train more violently. At Pearl Harbor, a torpedo dive to a depth of 20 meters is no different from a 60-meter dive, it doesn't work. The training target can only be 10 meters, and even 1 meter is missing.

Soon, torpedoes with stabilizers were supplied to the torpedo fleet. This torpedo is relatively stable after entering the water. After training with such torpedoes, the results were quite good, and the stated goals were basically achieved. However, the situation is uneven. The fleet command demanded that all training must be completed by 15 November. It was already early November, and there were only a few days left for the rest of the training. The training has always been carried out with coach Lei, which is always reassuring. So it was decided to conduct a live shot. In Kagoshima Bay, a narrow area of water with a depth of only 12 meters was selected, and three war mines were fired. As a result, one torpedo plunged into the seabed, and the other two torpedoes were successfully fired. On that day, Fuchida Navy's eyes kept tracking the torpedo. Watch as the launched torpedoes drag two white tracks side by side on the blue sea, galloping towards the target.

The training has largely been successful. At this point, the problem of torpedo attack was finally solved. Now the problem is the night actions of large formations.

The original plan was to attack Pearl Harbor at dawn. To do this, the flight team needs to take off from an aircraft carrier at night and make a night flight in a large formation. All flight teams of various aircraft carrier warplanes have repeatedly conducted training in this regard; Therefore, the operational plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor was determined to be to take off from aircraft carriers at dawn and carry out a daytime attack.

Prior to this, the question of the ratio of horizontal bombers and torpedo planes, which had been an unsolved case, was basically concluded.

At that time, the 800-kilogram armor-piercing bombs that the bombers of this level were going to use were improvised with 16-inch shells from battleships. As a result of a thorough study of the armor of American battleships, Fuchida learned that if such a bomb could penetrate the armor of an American battleship, the minimum height of the bomb was 3,000 meters. Reducing the height of the bomb can increase the hit rate. Therefore, it was decided to change the originally planned altitude of 4000 meters to 3000 meters with a higher hit rate. Of course, doing so increases the risk of the aircraft being hit by anti-aircraft fire.

At the same time, after repeated exercises, Fuchida also realized that it was not necessary to use a 9-plane formation. The 5-machine formation can also maintain the same degree of hitting. In the end, Fuchida decided to organize a five-plane formation into 10 attack units, with a total of 50 "99 shipblasters" organized into a horizontal bomber squadron, and the remaining 40 planes into a torpedo squadron. While the torpedo squadron was training in Kagoshima Bay for shallow sea torpedo attacks like aerobts, the horizontal bomber squadron was training at the naval bombing range off the coast of Shibushi in Ariake Bay. They painted a white mark on the ground the same size as the US battleship "West Virginia" and conducted bomb throwing training every day. As a result of some efforts, the bombing technology of the guide bombers has been greatly improved, and the error of bombing at an altitude of 3,000 meters is generally not more than 30 meters. This guarantees an eighty percent hit rate, that is, eight out of ten attacking units can hit the target. The horizontal bombardment of ships can achieve such a high hit rate, which can be said to be very successful.

Around 15 November, the flight teams of the First Air Fleet withdrew from their bases and returned to aircraft carriers. The base was empty, so the instructor units of the 12th Combined Air Force of the Kyushu side were stationed to replace the flight team of the First Air Fleet. The huge flying unit with 400 planes used to conduct flight training here day and night, and if they suddenly disappeared, no matter how much attention was paid to secrecy, they would immediately become the topic of conversation on the streets, and it would be impossible for them to evade the astute enemy spy organs. Therefore, in order to conceal people's eyes, the navy cleverly camouflaged such a major change in the various aviation bases in Kyushu, and another group of fighters was transferred to the base where the fighters were located, and another group of dive bombers was stationed at the base where the original dive bombers were located, and a large number of planes were still flying non-stop at bases such as Kagoshima, Izumi, Kasanohara, Tomitaka, and Saeki. In the area of communications, the main force and the training unit continued to exchange false telegrams, maintaining the original volume of communication.

During this period, the ships of the mobile force that attacked Pearl Harbor quietly set off from their respective locations on different routes, and sailed one or two to the assembly site of Shan Guan Bay. In order to guard against the possibility of US submarines conducting surveillance in the vicinity of the Japanese mainland, special attention was paid to the precautionary measures taken by the warships when they set off.

Because once the assembled ships are discovered or tracked by the enemy, the whole plan will be frustrated. Therefore, a huge fleet of more than 50 warships will be concentrated in Danguan Bay, and special attention has been paid to the issue of choosing a shipping route, so that the shipping route will be far away from the merchant shipping lane, and some ships will make a detour through the Pacific Ocean, while others will go to Danguan Bay via the local sea. The transceivers of all ships and carrier-based aircraft were sealed with lead seals, and strict radio seals were implemented. On 17 November, the flagship "Bancheng" was escorted by two destroyers, departed from Saeki Bay, made a detour to the southern islands, rounded the Pacific Ocean, and then sailed all the way north to Danguan Bay; while the "Panjo" was departing from Saeki Bay, Yamamoto Isoroku came from the battleship "Nagato," the flagship of the Combined Fleet, which was parked in Saeki Bay, to the "Akagi" to see off the officers and men, and met with the leader, captain, and flight captain of the First Air Fleet, and gave instructions. He encouraged everyone: "The purpose of our operation is to attack the main force of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in case we have to go to war against the United States." Therefore, the success or failure of this operation will determine the fate of our entire operation in the future. ”

"Although we have overcome all difficulties and drawn up a plan of operation aimed at taking the enemy by surprise, Admiral Kimmel, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, is a visionary admiral who, in his experience, is extremely careful and prudent. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that they have taken careful precautions in order to deal with any situation that may occur. You must fully anticipate the possibility of a strong attack, and you must not be careless. ”

Yamamoto Fifty-six is still so strong, but he also shows a tragic look. He was opposed to the start of the war, but he was the initiator of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is precisely because he fully understands the strength of the United States that he advocates that the Pacific Fleet must be attacked first. He was a second lieutenant candidate in the naval battle of the Navy, which won a great victory in the Navy, and now as the supreme commander of the Navy, he will fight with the United States in the vast Pacific Ocean. However, the way of fighting is completely different from what it used to be. Even if the attack on Pearl Harbor is successful, it may not determine the entire situation of the Pacific War. However, if this operation fails, the navy will lose all the old one, and the prospect will be pitch black, so it is not surprising that Yamamoto Isoroku's expression has a tragic meaning.

After Yamamoto Isoroku finished his instruction, he suddenly walked up to the ranks of the flight captains and silently shook hands with Fuchida. He stared at Fuchida and showed absolute trust in his subordinates; Fuchida replied with a victorious gaze and answered the chief's expectations.

In the evening, the flagship of the mobile unit "Pancheng" lifted anchor. The giant ship was light-controlled and quietly headed south from the Bungo Waterway at night. During the voyage, near Shioyazaki in Fukushima Prefecture, all the carrier-based aircraft of the "Bancheng" took off from the mothership and conducted the last air raid training. On November 21, under the guidance of the destroyer, the "Pancheng" sailed into Danguan Bay.

To the north of the Honji archipelago, which stretches from north to south, Kunashir Island, which is close to the Nemuro Strait at the eastern end of Hokkaido, is the Kuril Island, and then north across the Kunashir Channel, is the largest island in the archipelago, Setsujima. It is a slender island that stretches from northeast to southwest, about 200 kilometers long from east to west. On the central south shore of the island there is Single Crown Bay; Its outer harbor is called Nianmeng Port, and its inner harbor is called Tianning Port. They are all small fishing ports that go almost unnoticed. It is usually only during the flood season that fishing boats are located. This is a remote port in the north.

Winter in the Kuril Islands comes early, and snow begins to fall in November. Except for the occasional Hokkaido boat that comes here to deliver food to the islanders, there are no more people visiting here. In winter, with heavy snowfall, the island appears quiet and peaceful.

It was in this remote single crown bay that something happened that shocked the islanders deeply—the fleet came into port, one, two...... There are more and more warships of all kinds. The children on the island climbed the high slope and counted, and there were nearly 80 large and small ships in total! Among them, there are also battleships and aircraft carriers that have only been heard of but have never seen!

"What's going on? Why are there so many warships? ”

"Maybe it's a drill......"

On November 22, amid the chatter of the islanders, the battleship "Kaga" finally sailed into Shan Guan Bay. At this point, the entire mobile force has been assembled.

The ships of the mobile forces assembled here are: eight aircraft carriers: "Tenryu", "Pancheng", "Soryu", "Hiryu", "Shozuru", "Zuizuru", "Unryu", and "Amagi", four battleships "Akagi", "Kaga", "Hiei", and "Kirishima", nine heavy cruisers, 12 light cruisers, 20 destroyers, nine submarines, and 16 oil tankers. In addition, there are some alert ships and supply ships sent by the Ōminato Garrison Office.

How could the islanders not be shocked when a fleet of this magnitude entered the port. To the particular astonishment of the islanders, as soon as the fleet entered the port, it severed all communication between the island and the island. The whole island is like a stuffy gourd, and not only transportation but also communication links have been cut off. Only the Omatoma Garrison Bureau's guard ships were on guard around the island. Naturally, the islanders would not be notified of this in advance. The island is not self-sufficient, and it relies on a liner ship to bring food from Nemuro. Now the ship can't come. In order to ensure the livelihood of the islanders during this period, the navy specially sent supply ships to bring food and other daily necessities to the islanders. After the mobile force departed from here, these supply ships and alert ships remained in Single-crown Bay, and like the islanders, they could not communicate with the outside world.

The measures taken by the Navy to keep the secret attempt at Pearl Harbor secret were very thoughtful. The Pearl Harbor operational plan was separate from the general operational plan, and only the troops concerned were notified, and among the units concerned, only a small number of the personnel concerned were notified until the mobile unit departed from Singlecrown Bay, and no one else knew about it.

When the mobile unit departed, there was no such grandeur as the crowd cheered, and none of the crew members said goodbye to their relatives. Due to the readiness for combat, what is not needed is left on the ship. The same applies to personal letters. All personal letters to parents, wives and children were examined and seized until the day of the war.

(To be continued)