One by one, these deadly torpedoes hit the aircraft carrier and exploded. It actually hit 12 torpedoes, almost tearing off one side of the aircraft carrier. Almost simultaneously, 16 1000-pound and 3 500-pound bombs drilled into the hull from the flight deck. As a result, the warship was trampled under the water by the feet of a giant, and disappeared in a huge cloud of smoke and water vapor.

Fletcher was anxious to know the outcome of the attack on the "Habakuk". All of them believed that the squadrons must have done a good job, and in the radio room, some pilots could be heard, but the interference of the sky was so great that many of them could not be heard clearly. People stared at their watches, counting the time they would enter the battle, which naturally made them even more anxious.

Major Richie's firm and clear voice came over the radio: "Kill an aircraft carrier called Ben Yan!" Dixon called the aircraft carrier. Take out an aircraft carrier! At this time, the nervous people on the aircraft carrier "Habakuk" breathed a sigh of relief.

This news caused the entire aircraft carrier, from bow to stern, from deck to undercabin, resounded with long-lasting cheers and applause.

The whole battle went so quickly and with such a clean ending that some pilots in the torpedo and dive bomber squadrons regretted that they did not take the opportunity to attack the aircraft carrier. For example, a torpedo plane saw that an aircraft carrier was on fire and went to attack a cruiser. Another pilot of the squadron had already dropped a torpedo on the aircraft carrier, but when he saw the accomplice, guessed his intentions, he went to attack the cruiser with a torpedo plane without a torpedo and an accomplice's plane that had not yet dropped a mine. Of course, he was feintifying, because he didn't have a torpedo, but he was not doing it in a false way. The pilot said: "I flew with it in order to attract some of the anti-aircraft fire, otherwise it would be too fierce if the fire would be concentrated on one plane." Unfortunately, he did not know if his torpedo had hit.

The gunners of the USS Tahiti were passengers in the back seat of a reconnaissance plane that day, and went to observe the effects of heavy bombs on warships. He watched the aircraft carrier sink and was surprised to see a heavy cruiser capsize and sink after entering the water at its stern. His attention was focused on the aircraft carrier, and he did not see any attack on the other ships in his fleet.

By the time he returned to his aircraft carrier, the other planes had already returned. The first thing the officer did was to ask which pilot or pilots sank the cruiser. It was as if no one understood what he was talking about. But there is a way to find the answer, and that is to hand in the pilot's personal report. A pilot who receives a bomb or a torpedo to participate in such an air raid will explain how he uses it when he returns home. These things cost a lot of money, and the pilots don't go out and drop them somewhere without telling anyone.

The reports of the pilots of the aircraft carrier "Tahiti" were examined, but no mention of the attack on the cruiser was found. All the reports of the pilots on board the "Habakuk" were also checked, and the result was the same, only the 100-pound bomb of the second lieutenant Pratt attacked the cruiser, but did not hit.

All the air guidance officers were very interested in this matter. All the personnel on both aircraft carriers who participated in the air raid were called together and asked if they had seen someone hit a cruiser with a bomb or torpedo. Finally, a young lieutenant walked up to his squadron leader and said, "I'm sorry, sir. I did it. I was about to bomb that aircraft carrier, but saw that it was sinking. While I was thinking about which ship to give this bomb to, the cruiser opened fire on me. I said, 'Okay, I'll give it to you!' That's what I did. It's just a light cruiser, and I don't think it's worth reporting. ”

This is the typical attitude of all pilots. They know better than anyone that if they can take out the aircraft carriers of the enemy fleet, they will destroy its air defense and offensive forces, that is, destroy the combat capability of the enemy fleet, and it will be easy to deal with other ships.

Although the attack was successful, the casualties of the pilots were not small, and many of them lost their comrades, many of whom were fighting for the first time. About 40 Allied planes were shot down, most of the pilots died heroically, and only a few survived, such as Second Lieutenant Jones, who had made contact with the warship by radio. He was attacked by a Zero fighter. The left aileron was hit, badly wounded, and the left aileron malfunctioned. He tried to fly back to the aircraft carrier, but only halfway through the flight, he reported having to land. At that time, he was asked if he could fly back to the aircraft carrier, because it was not far away. He replied, "I'm afraid not, my oil is running out." The squadron leader told him that there was a nearby island that was the best place for him to land, and that they would do everything they could to rescue him and Siegel, the radioman. A joker radioed Jones in the plane to beware of the "brown-skinned beauties." The last thing people heard from him was: "Tell the guys that we are ready to take to the beach on the waves." "Eighteen days later, normal patrols between the islands in the area were carried out, searching for a U.S. submarine belonging to the American pilot who was killed, and the two of them were rescued.

Major Hamilton returned to the aircraft carrier with a heavily shaken engine. There were quite a few bullet holes in the propellers of his plane, and he said: "I broke through the anti-aircraft artillery fire net and dropped bombs." I didn't notice, I pulled the trigger too hard and the cannon went off. Of course, I didn't know it at the time, but the plane began to shake violently, and I guess it might have been hit by the fire. I pulled up and retracted the throttle and found that I could fly back slowly. After landing, I checked to see where it had been hit, only to find that the firing coordinator of one of the guns had fallen off, and the propeller had been pierced by my own bullets. ”

He said that when he pounced on the aircraft carrier at an altitude of 3000 meters, he approached an escaped cruiser. All the guns on the ship opened fire on him in unison, and the fragments of the shells exploded so close to his plane that the air waves made the plane jump up and down violently, and the longitudinal rod in his hand shook back and forth.

"I circled the cruiser with a slight incline, and it followed me, always facing the side of the ship at me, in order to use all its firepower. The artillery fire pursued me until I flew out of the effective range of the artillery. Their shooting skills couldn't have been better, but they didn't hit me. ”

When the planes of the attack formation returned home, it was clear from the posture in which they flew that some of the planes were injured. When the plane entered the landing route, people saw that some planes had tear holes in the metal skin, and later it was seen that they were bullet holes in the wings and tail. One of the planes did not land in the prescribed order, and the doctor, who was always on duty on the flight deck, immediately ran to the plane. The plane slid to a standstill, and the doctor stood on the wing and cut the shirt of the tail gunner, whose upper left lung was pierced by a bullet. They carried him to the lower deck on a special naval wire stretcher.

Second Lieutenant Zhang Honghao and his gunner Hu Jun also returned to the aircraft carrier "Xuanyuan" with the scarred plane. In this battle, they have already shot down three Zero fighters. They flew a "Javelin" carrier-based attack plane, which was not easy to deal with fighters. They had just flown about 90 nautical miles at a distance of 180 nautical miles, when they suddenly noticed a few nautical miles ahead of them a plane of the Saiben water fighter, but this did not prevent them from returning.

However, for the two of them, no matter where they are, they are always themselves. Zhang Honghao followed and quickly caught up with the seaplane. This plane is also a two-seater, and it is waiting to meet them. As a result, the two sides engaged in a short but fierce duel in the air, which ended with the plane crashing into the sea. In this way, Zhang Honghao and Hu Jun shot down four planes on this day.

When their plane finally landed on the aircraft carrier "Xuanyuan", the ground crew ran up to surround the plane and carefully inspect it. The plane resembled a chef's colander in many places, with bullet holes in the wings, fuselage, tail and ailerons. The bullet holes were blown by the wind as the plane was flying, making a sharp whistling sound. The pilots were skeptical about how such a plane could have been. Its return is undoubtedly a great encouragement to Chinese aircraft and engine manufacturers.

The maintenance crew looked at the cockpit and saw that some of the bullets had penetrated the plexiglass canopy, missing the driver and gunner by just a few inches, but completely shattering several pieces of the instrument panel. A bullet knocked off the back of the driver's right shoe, and another bullet entered the cockpit, "buzzing around the cockpit like a bee," in Zhang's words, through the leg of his flight suit and finally found at the knee of his pants.

The lunch, just in time for the pilots to return, became a celebration. The results of the battle were not small, first of all, the destruction of an enemy aircraft carrier and all the aircraft on it, and then the sinking of 1 heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers, 4 destroyers, and the shooting down of more than 70 enemy aircraft.

In the afternoon of the same day, the fleet continued to move south, and the weather quickly deteriorated. The fleet entered the rainstorm zone, the clouds were extremely low and foggy. Visibility is zero most of the time, sometimes slightly better, only a few nautical miles. Pilots of aircraft carriers are struggling to fly in such complex meteorological conditions, risking getting lost.

In the evening, the little glimmer of light in the rain began to sink in the west. At this time, Captain Ramsey, the leader of the fighter squadron of the aircraft carrier "Tahiti", who was patrolling the air with fighter jets, reported by radio that he had spotted nine "Zero" fighters in the rain over the fleet. He went on to say that he was ready to carry out the attack, even though only three planes were with him.

The radioman heard, and his fellow fighters and another pair of fighters in the formation said: "See? There were five in the formation of long planes, two in the middle and two in the rear. George, you fight the middle two, and I fight the back two. Do you understand? Go back and attack the rest. Prepare to attack! ”

After a moment of silence, another voice was heard, this was Jimmy from the aircraft carrier "Tahiti"? Flatley. He apparently heard Ramsay's report and had come to war. After a moment of indiscernible conversation, Paul was heard asking, "How many did you kill, Jimmy?" ”

"I'll kill three. What about you, Paul? An answer came.

"It's terrible, it's only two." Ramsey replied regretfully.

The battle in the rain was fought from a height of 3,000 meters to the surface, and Ramsey later reported that at one point he found himself only 10 meters above the surface. They shot down seven of the nine enemy planes in Chinese-backed Skylark fighters. Captain Baker, who had already shot down two Zero fighters and a seaplane that morning, did not return. His wingman pilot Edward? Second Lieutenant Selstum said Baker shot down a Zero fighter and collided with another on fire, crashing both planes. Another fighter pilot named Baker also went missing in this battle. He was not wounded, but the aircraft carrier was in heavy rain at the time, and it was pitch black all around, making it very difficult to find. He was a fighter of the aircraft carrier "Tahiti", and people listened on the fighter frequency, and they clearly heard him asking about the direction of the aircraft carrier, and in order to let him return safely, the "Tahiti" aircraft carrier and the fighter control department kept calling him.

After more than an hour, he was running out of fuel, and he finally said he saw the land below, apparently an island nearby. The officers judged that he had gotten rid of the complicated weather here by flying north, and he finally radioed to land on this land.

After dinner, many people stood on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier "Tahiti", and they saw the most amazing scene of the whole day. There was no prior signal from the ship, and suddenly the hum of the engines of the aircraft was heard in the fog overhead, and a total of nine bombers flew through the torrential rain towards the fleet, only as high as the ship's mast. The long plane in front saw the "Tahiti" and flew towards it with its navigation lights on, followed by the rest of the planes. One officer described them as lining up "like a flock of exhausted birds returning to their nests."

The long plane entered the landing route and began to send identification signals. But the signal he used was somewhat similar to the identification signal of the army, and everyone was surprised. At this moment, a reconnaissance plane returned, and the pilot, seeing the unfamiliar navigation lights, immediately opened fire. The fire of tracer bullets as he fired at the last plane was seen. The escort destroyer also opened fire after seeing the tracer ballistics. Mistaking the "Tahiti" for his own aircraft carrier, he quickly turned off his navigation lights and flew away into the dark night sky.

"Think about it! What would happen if they landed! Someone laughed.

"This sea must be full of aircraft carriers." Someone intersected.

He's right. A British reconnaissance plane followed the plane, and soon saw them land on an aircraft carrier only 30 nautical miles from the fleet.

The reconnaissance aircraft returned to the "Habakuk" by radio guidance. He reported that on the side of the water antenna there was a very large enemy fleet, full of warships. He said he thinks there are two aircraft carriers, and possibly more.

Through this situation, Fletcher knew that the enemy was undoubtedly looking for them in the dark. It was suggested that Fletcher carry out a night attack with the elite cruiser and destroyer forces of the Allies. He thought twice, but he didn't organize it. Since there was always a possibility that the two fleets would meet before dawn, the gunners of the ships were on guard all night.

The two powerful attack fleets were only 30 nautical miles apart, but they could not see each other because it was night and it was raining heavily. Everyone knew that the next morning was going to be a grim moment. The British and the Americans, and even the Chinese, recognized that the enemy they faced was stubborn and fanatical, and that their courage and cunning were not to be taken lightly. The strength of the two sides can be said to be equal, but who will win first is still a question mark. Everyone felt that a battle between two of the most powerful aircraft carrier forces in the world would break out at dawn, and each side would know the existence of the other, so there was no sudden surname factor in this battle. Everyone felt in their hearts that as the warships broke the waves in the dark night, a new chapter was being written in history.

Life on an aircraft carrier makes a person's meteorological awareness very strong. The next day, they had become accustomed to looking out on the flight deck before breakfast. Looking from the exit of the superstructure, it was a beautiful and sunny morning. But for an aircraft carrier, it is safest to be in the rainstorm and fog like an airplane entering enemy territory, and if it were not for this reason, everyone in the entire fleet would have enjoyed the day when the weather was excellent. As a result, the "Habakuk" remained active in clear weather throughout the day. He said that he had taken advantage of it, and the weather in the place where their fleet was located had always been ideal, and they had been drilling from one rainy area to another all day. They conceal themselves in these natural barriers, and the ships skillfully take advantage of every favorable meteorological condition.

It is likely that the two fleets will encounter each other at dawn, and it is also possible for each other to come into each other's line of sight. On board the "Habakuk," various departments always held their positions in battle, and only waited for the reconnaissance planes to be dispatched before the sky was completely bright. Perhaps they will spot the enemy within 15 minutes of takeoff.

Fifteen minutes, 30 minutes, one hour passed, and the reconnaissance plane did not report anything. They take off from the ship and spread out like a strip on a rim, flying in all directions. An hour passed, and the people on board the "Habakuk" breathed a sigh of relief, and everyone relaxed their bellies and had a good breakfast.

At 8:10 a.m., Second Lieutenant Smith sent a report of engagement. His reconnaissance plane flew the allotted 225 nautical miles to the northeast, flew another 90-degree right-angled course, and spotted the enemy when it flew 25 nautical miles on its return course. "4 aircraft carriers, 8 heavy cruisers, a lot of destroyers were found, with a course of 120 ° and a speed of 20 knots," he reported. The enemy position is about 175 nautical miles to the northwest. ”

(To be continued)