Tong Haifeng confidently decided to attack south and engage Spruance in a decisive battle with the fleet. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Info: He thinks that his strength is not much different from Spruance's, and even better than his opponents.

At the same time, the victory of Lin Luo and Han Dongwen greatly boosted the morale of the Ming navy, and at the same time gave confidence to the entire fleet. Even if it was a lose-lose fight with Spruance, it was earned for the Ming Navy.

Tong Haifeng, who had made great achievements in the war against Japan, was full of confidence, and he believed that if he fought Spruance in a decisive battle, he would at least be able to draw it. Now that Lin Luo and Han Dongwen have won a complete victory, even if there is no his First Air Fleet in the next battle, the Ming Navy will have an absolute advantage over the last American fleet. What's more, Tong Haifeng thinks that he has a better chance of winning.

Then, a telegram completely disrupted Tong Haifeng's planning and confidence.

When the time came to 2:12 p.m., Tong Haifeng had already released his attack aircraft group and launched an attack on the Spruance fleet that had already entered his attack circle.

Just as Tong Haifeng was about to release his second attack wave group, a reconnaissance plane conducting a reconnaissance mission in the sea area about 300 nautical miles southwest of Tong Haifeng's fleet suddenly sent back a telegram that was very important and made Tong Haifeng cold.

The reconnaissance plane that took off from the aircraft carrier Xingkaihu sent back a telegram saying that a large US fleet had been spotted 300 nautical miles southwest of the First Air Fleet. The reconnaissance aircraft reported the discovery of at least six or more large fleet carriers!

The sweat on Tong Haifeng's forehead immediately flowed. Not long ago, he had received a report from another reconnaissance plane that an equally powerful American fleet had been spotted in the southeast direction of his fleet. Reconnaissance aircraft reported the same sighting of several large fleet aircraft carriers.

After scrambling with a pencil and ruler on the chart, Tong Haifeng found that he had formed a relatively equilateral triangle with the two American fleets.

His fleet was at the apex, about seven hundred nautical miles southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. The other two U.S. fleets were located to the southeast and southwest of the fleet. The distance is also about three hundred nautical miles, and they have all entered their respective attack radius. Again, the distance between the two fleets was about the same.

Tong Haifeng did not suspect the mistake of intelligence, he was not the kind of person who was indecisive. The only possibility for the large US fleet that can suddenly appear here at this time is the 57th Task Force of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet, which was supposed to be in the waters of Kiribati!

Although I don't know how Halsey managed to play such a trick, Halsey's sudden appearance forced Tong Haifeng into a desperate situation. Because the reconnaissance plane that discovered the Halsey fleet reported that the decks of the American aircraft carriers were all empty!

Halsey's fleet had already released its own attack planes, and Spruance on the other side had also released its own attack planes. For Tong Haifeng at this time, he had no room to escape, and the fleet's air defense capabilities could not withstand an attack of this scale. In other words, he's done this time.

“NND。” After a moment of silence, Tong Haifeng, whose eyes were already red, suddenly stood up, and raised his hand to tear off his style and discipline button. Panting heavily, the whole person looked like a gambler who had lost the last copper plate and was ready to jump on the table to gamble for his life.

"Order the fleet to immediately release the fighters of the second attack wave!" Tong Haifeng almost yelled and shouted, "Let them all out!" The target is southeast of the US Navy's 58th Task Force! Kill them all! ”

Tong Haifeng's decision was very simple, since he couldn't run away, in the face of the siege of the superior enemy army, he would choose one to beat to death. The first attack wave has already departed, so continue to choose the same target and attack violently! You must make sure you get your money back.

At this time, Tong Haifeng has already let go, anyway, he has already lost, so fight to the end, "Order!" Each aircraft carrier does not need to return to the core of the air defense formation and release fighters as much as possible. Fighters were launched as anti-aircraft fighters, and bombers and torpedo planes flew in groups to attack the American fleet in the southeast. There is no need to carry out large formations, and each group of lift-off aircraft sorts out in small detachment mode. ”

Tong Haifeng was determined to release all the power in his hands as much as possible before the arrival of the Americans' attack planes, and strive to destroy Spruance in one fell swoop. In this case, even if his own fleet would be overwhelmed by the huge fleet of American aircraft, the counterattack force released would deal a heavy blow to Spruance's fleet, and perhaps he would be able to recover his capital. After all, Lin Luo and Han Dongwen's fleet still maintained its combat effectiveness.

At 3:19 p.m., the radar of the heavy cruiser Yichang, which was on air defense duty on the periphery of the First Air Fleet, detected a large number of warplanes flying from the southwest, and Halsey's attack aircraft group had arrived.

Halsey had been radio silent, and Spruance knew he was already here but didn't know the exact location of his fleet. Halsey even sent his own reconnaissance plane unit before Spruance and discovered Tong Haifeng's location. Although this reconnaissance plane was shot down, Tong Haifeng thought it was a reconnaissance plane flying from the Spruance fleet at that time.

Halsey, who had already made all the preparations, immediately sent his own group of attack aircraft as soon as he received the telegram.

Although Halsey is known as a brute because of his impulsive personality, he himself is a bold and careful character. Shortly after he released the first attack wave, he released the second attack wave again. After the fighters of the second attack wave flew away, his fleet was discovered by Ming reconnaissance aircraft. Halsey, who was exposed to his position, immediately turned on the radio to get in touch with Spruance, and dispatched the remaining forces in his hands to strike again. Trying to completely defeat all of Tong Haifeng's strength.

Spruance, hundreds of nautical miles away, was pleasantly surprised to receive a telegram from Halsey, but did not release the second wave of the attack again. Instead, they chose to increase their air defense forces and protect their own strength. He knew that Tong Haifeng would inevitably strengthen his attack on him. If he did, he would do the same. This is the difference between a good commander and a mediocre one.

At 3:29 p.m., Halsey's No. 1 Attack Wave Aircraft Group broke through the interception of Tong Haifeng's fleet of air defense fighters and entered the fleet's air defense circle after paying a heavy price.

All the Ming warships on the sea were frantically spitting tongues of fire into the sky. Countless anti-aircraft guns of various calibers turned the entire sky into a sea of fire.

The name of the First Air Fleet alone tells that the warships and officers and men in it are veterans who have been tested in battle for a long time. Even when they were facing an unfavorable situation, they did not have the slightest fear or retreat. All the officers and men stuck to their posts and fought with all their might.

Like Daming HNA, the US HNA with an advanced communication system can send a very large number of fighters in one attack wave. Far more than the Japanese Navy, which could only be contacted with gestures and a clipboard.

Halsey's first attack wave had 72 Hellcats, 84 dive bombers and 108 torpedo attack aircraft. This huge group of attack aircraft lost nearly half of its losses when it broke through the air defense battle circle composed of elite pilots of the Ming Dynasty!

The quality of the Ming pilots, who had been trained in a long and fierce battle with the Japanese Navy, was very high, and their skills and tactics, as well as their morale and bravery, far surpassed that of the Americans. Although the number of anti-aircraft fighters was not too large, they did their best to shoot down many American fighters.

When the American bombers and torpedo planes smashed into the air defense circle of the First Air Fleet, the dense anti-aircraft fire brought nightmarish losses to the Americans. About 30 dive bombers and nearly 50 torpedo planes were shot down during the attack.

Wait until they finish their attack, except for the Hellcats who escort them. Of the 84 dive bombers, only 15 escaped, and only 12 of the 108 torpedo planes, which flew at slower speeds and lower altitudes, made it out.

And such a tragic loss was nothing more than a heavy damage to the aircraft carriers Hongzehu and Dongpinghu, and damage to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Java Sea. At the same time, one cruiser and four destroyers were wounded in the attack.

Watching the Fighting Falcon chase those US fighters who fled all the way, in the bridge of the USS Coral Sea, Tong Haifeng's face did not show much improvement. Because he knows this is just the beginning.

"How is the situation in Luan Weiguo?" After a moment of silence, Tong Haifeng put down the binoculars in his hand and turned his head to ask the chief of staff behind him.

"They have already begun to launch attacks on the Americans." The chief of staff, who also did not look good-looking, responded: "However, the Americans' defense is very strong, and they have not yet broken through the outer air defense circle. ”

"Hmm." Tong Haifeng sighed secretly in his heart, turned his head to look at the Hongzehu aircraft carrier burning in the distance, and ordered with a complicated gaze, "All ships pay attention to air defense operations, and we must hold out until dark no matter what." ”

It was already 3:56 p.m., and the sun was already beginning to set in the west. Once the sky is completely dark, the fleets of both sides, which are not capable of fighting at night, will be forced to abandon the battle. This is good news for Tong Haifeng, who is at a disadvantage. However, it will not be easy to hold on until that time.

It can be expected that in the next hour or so, Tong Haifeng's fleet will inevitably be attacked overwhelmingly.

Don't look at the previous attack wave that was good, that's because the First Air Fleet has done a very complete job in all aspects. Moreover, the air defense fighters in the sky are also at a point where they are very rich in fuel and ammunition. The battleships on the sea are also in good condition. But they can't stay that way all the time!

Especially when the air defense fighters need to land to replenish fuel and ammunition, Tong Haifeng's fleet will suffer huge losses. (To be continued.) )