"Everybody knows what you mean, General." There was helplessness in the voice of the turtle man of the black island, "However, for Yuben, unless the siege of China and the United States is defeated, there is no better way to go." ”

Hearing Kuroshima's answer, Yamamoto Fifty-six was silent.

At this moment, the attack continues.

The main targets of the attack were Chinese aircraft carriers and battleships anchored in the port of Truk. Despite the surprise attack, the Chinese sailors still entered their respective positions with great speed and calmness, and their composure and skillful combat skills left a deep impression on the pilots. They used heavy artillery fire to successfully stop the first round of air raids by the Japanese army. It is said that after the plane launched a torpedo attack on the Chinese battleship, it was followed by high-altitude horizontal bombing and dive bombing. The losses suffered by the Chinese Navy were mainly caused by the first attack wave, which ended at about 8:30. A moment later, the second attack wave, consisting of 272 fighters and bombers, also began to assault, concentrating on bombing ships with less damage. However, by this time, the ships of the Chinese Navy were fully prepared for combat. As a result, most of the losses suffered by the Japanese army were inflicted during the second wave of attacks.

At the end of the second wave of air strikes, the Chinese heavy cruiser "Yangtze River" was completely blown up. The tonnage of a repair ship parked on the outside of the ship was too small to act as a reliable barrier to the "Yangtze River". As soon as the third wave of air raids began, the "Yangtze River" was hit by several torpedoes and bombs, and one bomb exploded in the front ammunition compartment, causing heavy oil to burn and the fire spread, but the sailors on the "Yangtze River" still insisted on fighting and tried to save the heroic warship, the heavy cruiser finally sank, more than 400 officers and men withdrew to the rescue destroyer, and 212 crew members were killed.

On the berth, all the ships on the side of the two sides of the ship were close to each other, and the outer one suffered a certain amount of loss due to the torpedo hit. As soon as the bombing began, the battleship "Free Spirit" on the outside of the battleship "Republic" was hit by three torpedoes, and the old ship miraculously withstood the blow and did not capsize and sink as he imagined, much to his great surprise. The "Nation" on the outside of the battleship "Constitution" was also hit by a torpedo at the beginning of the air raid, and due to the rapid measures taken to control the damage, it did not cause much damage. The crew has always insisted on fighting. The losses of the ships docked on the inside were much smaller than those on the outside. Although the battleship "Constitution" was hit by three bombs and faced the danger of burning heavy oil from the battleship "Free Spirit", the losses were slight. The battleship "Reading" hit only 2 bombs.

The super battleship "Fuxi" docked alone, after being hit by 5 torpedoes and 16 bombs, but these injuries did not affect the combat effectiveness of the giant ship in the slightest. The heavy cruiser "Yellow River", which docked alone behind several warships, was the first warship to sail out of its berth after being attacked. The ship hit one torpedo in the front, but still sailed in the rain of bullets, and in order to avoid sinking into the channel, it ran aground. Another heavy cruiser "Jialingjiang" was repaired at the dock and was not torpedoed; As a result of the organization of effective anti-aircraft fire, only one bomb was hit.

At this time, although the main target of the military planes was warships, the airfield of the port was also attacked. The Chinese naval aviation put up a strong resistance, but the aircraft still suffered certain losses. In order to prevent vandalism, these aircraft are grouped on several airfields. After the attack, the Chinese Navy lost 53 aircraft, most of the 374 army aircraft rose into the air in time, and only 64 were destroyed. Most of the losses of Chinese aircraft were inflicted in air battles. The army lost 96 planes in combat over the port of Truk, and another 21 planes were lost on landing.

After seeing that such a large loss did not bring the results it deserved, Nagumo Tadaichi once again had the idea of retreating, and he suggested that the combat operations be suspended, and Yamamoto Isoroku chose to support Nagumo's claim this time, because he had been alerted that the Chinese fleet that had been sent out was turning back at full speed, so he began to retreat north on his own initiative after completing three rounds of air raids.

In the eyes of the Americans, the disaster at Port Truk was not as serious as the Chinese population believed, and it was much less mild than they thought. The ships sunk in Truk Harbor are all old ships with slower speeds, and they cannot be used to fight against the new super battleships of the new type, nor can they escort China's fast aircraft carriers. With the exception of a few heavily damaged warships, most of the sunken ships were later salvaged and refitted. These converted warships were mainly used to carry out artillery strikes on land targets and guard harbors. On the other hand, the loss of the battlefleet enabled China to replenish its aircraft carriers and amphibious combat forces, which it felt was lacking in skilled ships at the time, and prompted China to adopt an aircraft-carrier-based method of warfare, which later proved to be very effective. The army focused on ships as the target of its assault, neglected the attack on the machine factory, and in fact did not touch the repair facilities. A large amount of heavy oil still stored in the oil tanks near Truk Harbor was not destroyed by the Japanese army. These long-standing fuels are invaluable in terms of China's obligations to the Pacific. Because once this fuel is lost, the Chinese fleet will not be able to sail from the port of Truk for several months.

For China, saving most of its aircraft carriers from damage was the greatest success of the offensive and defensive battles at Truk Harbor. At that time, the "Dragon Phoenix" and "Dragon Mountain", both of which belonged to the "Dragon King" class, had already gone to the coast of India, the "Dragon Pavilion" had already gone to Australia, and the "Dragon Sky" was on its way back to the port of Truk after transporting the plane to Australia. Only the "Dragon King" was damaged by the attack in the harbor, and two other light aircraft carriers of the "Jingwei" class were sunk. In fact, the number of damaged light aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers in the Chinese Navy is extremely limited. In this way, the warships used to form the fast aircraft carrier assault force were largely intact, and in later battles, this type of assault force was the most effective type of naval combat force.

In the evening of that day, Vice Admiral Zhang Qifan, commander of the "Longtian" aircraft carrier formation, learned that Truk Harbor had been attacked by Japanese military planes, and immediately ordered the fleet to sail to Truk at full speed, and he planned to use the planes of the "Longtian" and the two "Jingwei" class light aircraft carriers on escort duty to launch an attack. The fleet under his command is actually a small task force, and the most powerful combat strength in this fleet is the flagship "Longtian" aircraft carrier, but there are not many spare planes on the ship at present, followed by the 10-year-old "Huaihe" heavy cruiser. There is also a "Nakshatra"-class light cruiser "Kuimu Wolf", and three other destroyers, which are "Tiangang Disha" class destroyers built between 1917 and 1918. Previously, Zhang Qifan had expected that he might attack Truk, and after learning the news of the attack on Truk Port, he ordered the fleet to attack immediately. Despite the lack of reliable intelligence on the enemy's targets and locations, he decided to attack.

Since the attack on Truk Harbor, the various fleets of the Chinese Navy have lost communication links, and it is not so easy to gather enough forces to pursue the retreating Japanese army. The aircraft carrier "Dragon King" was torpedoed and is still undergoing repairs; The aircraft carriers "Longsheng" and "Longhai" have not yet returned to Truk Harbor after carrying out air strikes on Philippine troops. Although the two aircraft carriers were returning at full speed, it was difficult to arrive in time. The only units that could immediately participate in the battle were Zhang Qifan's "Longtian" aircraft carrier formation and a nearby submarine force. In addition, the Chinese heavy cruiser "Heilongjiang," which was on guard duty at Truk Harbor, arrived from the Marshall Islands, and two heavy cruisers, the "Nujiang" and the "Songhuajiang," led by Rear Admiral Wang Haiwen, arrived from Australia to participate in the war. Because of the ease with which the victories had come easily, the Yue army overestimated their own strength, and did not take special precautions when they learned of the appearance of these [***] ships, because most of them believed that their present strength was sufficient to guarantee the destruction of these [***] ships.

The aircraft carrier formation, under the unified command of Zhang Qifan, quickly moved into action. Two days later, Zhang Qifan learned that the Yue army had retreated, so he led the "Longtian" aircraft carrier formation to the north, and soon the reconnaissance planes discovered the rearguard of the Yue army, and Zhang Qifan dispatched planes to carry out many air raids, sinking several small ships of the Yue army. After the heavy cruiser arrived, Zhang Qifan organized these warships together and formed a circular warning curtain with the cruiser and the destroyer as the three aircraft carriers, which he directly controlled and acted in unison. Zhang Qifan's deputy, Major General Lin Moqian, has extensive experience in commanding aircraft carrier operations, and he serves as the tactical commander of aviation operations.

Zhang Qifan gathered his troops, just in time for the fighter plane. At this moment, the aircraft carriers "Xianghe" and "Zuihe" bypassed the southeastern tip of the Marshall Islands and entered the Mariana Sea under the escort of alert ships. The fleet was commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, and the aircraft carrier formation was commanded by Rear Admiral Tadaichi Hara. Takagi had already received information in advance that the Chinese fleet was in pursuit, and that he had narrowly succeeded in attempting to capture the Chinese Navy's aircraft carriers in a pincer motion after rounding the Marshall Islands. The next night, as the fleet was rapidly approaching the Chinese naval fleet, which was replenishing fuel, Takagi suddenly received an order from Isoroku Yamamoto to return home, when in fact he was less than 70 nautical miles away from the Chinese fleet.

At dawn on the third day, the Chinese Navy's task force sailed in the waters off the northern tip of the Caroline Islands, heading northwest. At nearly 7 o'clock, Zhang Qifan ordered two heavy cruisers and three destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Wang Haiwen to search and advance in the northwest direction, and at the same time, he ordered the aircraft carrier formation to sail north. Before that, neither Takagi nor Zhang Qifan knew that the other was operating in the area. Although Zhang Qifan learned from intelligence that eight aircraft carriers of the Yue Army participated in this operation and sent planes to conduct a search, due to bad weather, he was unable to find the two heavy cruisers of the Yue Army in this area. Takagi had always relied on seaplanes for searches, and although at one point he spotted a formation of Chinese aircraft carriers, but later the seaplanes lost their targets and were no longer able to provide any valuable information.

The weather is gradually getting clearer. In the early morning of the 17th, a Chinese reconnaissance plane on a reconnaissance mission in this direction began to report on the enemy's situation. At 8:15 a.m., a Chinese pilot reported that 2 aircraft carriers and 4 heavy cruisers had been spotted in the sea not far north of the island. So, Zhang Qifan ordered the assault aircraft group on the two aircraft carriers to be dispatched. Eighty-two aircraft were dispatched before the reconnaissance aircraft returned. It was later ascertained that the above information was inaccurate due to a mistranslation of the code. The report of the reconnaissance aircraft would have been: 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers were found.

Zhang Qifan judged that since he had discovered the fleet of the Yue Army, there must be a more suitable target for attack nearby, so he resolutely decided to carry out the attack. The correctness of this decision was confirmed at 10:20. It was reported that just 35 nautical miles southeast of the target of the assault group, two more aircraft carriers and several other ships were discovered. With a slight correction of course, the assault group could spot this new target.

At about 11 o'clock, the assault group began to attack the light aircraft carrier "Baifeng". In the first assault, 13 bombs and 7 torpedoes hit the target, causing the "White Phoenix" to sink to the bottom of the sea in the blink of an eye. After the first wave of assault planes landed on the ship, Zhang Qifan decided not to dispatch the second wave of assault planes until several other aircraft carriers were discovered. In addition, Zhang Qifan judged that the Yue army may already know the location of China's aircraft carriers, and the aircraft carrier force led by him may be about to be attacked.

However, on August 17, Zhang Qifan's fleet was not attacked by the Yue army. Because the reconnaissance information of the army was wrong again and again, the enemy situation was not ascertained until the evening of the same day. Before 9 o'clock on the 17th, Nagumo Tadaichi, who was in command of the "Pancheng" in command, received information that two Chinese aircraft carrier formations had been discovered. In fact, one is Zhang Qifan's aircraft carrier formation, while the other is Wang Haiwen's formation of cruisers and destroyers. Then, Nagumo received intelligence from Tokyo that there was another Chinese aircraft carrier in the eastern part of the sea. In fact, this is the oil tanker "Huakai". This oil tanker left Zhang Qifan's squadron on the evening of 16 June and was sailing for the rendezvous area under the escort of the destroyer "Antares II."

At 9:50 a.m., his planes took off from the aircraft carrier in turn and went to attack the westernmost Chinese naval formation. After returning home, the pilots reported that they had sunk one battleship and one cruiser. In fact, the military planes failed to cause any losses to Wang Haiwen's team.

Mistaking the "Huakai" oil tanker for an aircraft carrier had a considerable impact on the operations of the Chinese army. Because after receiving the information, the army immediately launched a fierce air attack on the unfortunate oil tanker and its escort ships. The destroyer Antares had three bombs, and most of the crew were buried at the bottom of the sea along with the warship. Although the "Huakai" oil tanker was hit by 7 bombs, it did not sink, and it was not until the fifth day that all the crew members were rescued by the [***] ship that rushed to the tank.

This erroneous attack put the army in a dangerous position. Despite the approaching darkness, Takagi was determined to sink the Chinese aircraft carrier before it attacked the fleet again. He selected pilots who were good at night battles and flew 37 dive bombers and torpedo planes in the direction of the Chinese aircraft carrier at 16:15.

As it turned out, this adventure was not worth it. The planes actually flew over the vicinity of Zhang Qifan's fleet, but did not find the target due to poor weather and poor visibility. The fighter planes of the Chinese Navy, guided by radar, fiercely intercepted the planes and shot down 13 of them. An hour later, several lost planes flew back over the Chinese aircraft carrier. At this time, Chinese planes were hovering over the aircraft carrier "Longtian", preparing for the ship. As soon as the plane was about to escape, it was discovered, and the Chinese [***] ship quickly opened fire, and five more planes were shot down by anti-aircraft guns, and the other planes fled in confusion. Of the planes that flew this sortie, 18 were shot down, and another 11 fell into the sea when they landed. Of the 37 planes sent by Takagi, only eight made it back safely. What is even worse is that the radar of the "Longtian" aircraft carrier found that there were planes circling about 30 nautical miles to the east, preparing to land on the ship. This is tantamount to telling the commander of the Chinese Navy that the aircraft carrier is nearby.

According to the returning pilots, the Chinese aircraft carriers were nearby, no more than 50 to 60 nautical miles away. As a result, the commanders of both warring sides were aware of each other's approximate positions and had cautiously considered a night attack by surface ships, but none of them carried it out, because the proximity of the battle and the fear of weakening their alert forces on both sides. In this way, the main battle of the Battle of the Marianas was postponed to the next day. As a matter of fact, the distance between the fleets of the two armies is larger than the estimates of the commanders of the two sides. According to post-war surveys, the actual distance between the two armies was nearly 100 nautical miles.

So far, the Chinese and Chinese militaries have been operating together in the Mariana Sea for two days, and on two occasions they have approached within 100 nautical miles, but there has been no direct exchange of fire. On the evening of 17 August, the commanders on both sides felt that the enemy was at hand, and there were signs that a decisive battle would be fought the next day. At night, Zhang Qifan commanded his formation to evade first to the south and then to the west; At the same time, Takagi's fleet headed north. For the commanders of the two armies, victory or defeat depended on whether they could find out the enemy's position before the enemy on the morning of the 18th. Both sides sent reconnaissance planes to search in the early hours of the morning, and just after 8 o'clock, reconnaissance planes from both sides discovered each other almost simultaneously.

The battle of August 18 was fought in rather unfavorable conditions for the Chinese Navy. The Chinese Navy has 3 aircraft carriers and 121 aircraft, Takagi has 82 aircraft, and Nagumo has 125 aircraft behind him.

(To be continued)