The lens used by Hawkeye is large and the field of view is quite wide, and with the first warship followed, followed by a second, third, and fourth. *book* bar ()......

Gao Zhihang hurriedly adjusted his focus and carefully observed the ships on the sea.

In the shot, Gao Zhihang can not only clearly see the huge turret on the warship, but also vaguely see that there seems to be a flag fluttering in the wind on a large piece of white cloth. Even at the right angle, you can faintly distinguish the huge white strings on those warships.

Suddenly, a huge hull broke into Gao Zhihang's shot.

At first glance, the giant ship looks very strange, the upper part of the ship is flat and smooth, except for the three stout and tall chimneys on the starboard side, there is no structure, only four lonely guns. In the middle of the wide front of the deck, a large red circular pattern of a Japanese aircraft carrier was painted.

Soon, Gao Zhihang discovered three other aircraft carriers.

Before Gao Zhihang came to Shanghai, he had already obtained the atlas data of the Japanese warships from the Intelligence Bureau of the Fourth Route Army, and he could name the four Japanese aircraft carriers without looking at the string numbers. The two smaller aircraft carriers are the Wakanomiya Maru and the Fengxiang, and the tower crane on the Wakanomiya Maru is especially recognizable for its dedicated use for lifting seaplanes. The two much larger aircraft carriers were the Kaga and the Akaisei.

Japan now has a total of four aircraft carriers, and this time all of them sailed to Shanghai.

Because Japan is a small country, the mentality of the island nation is somewhat deformed. Japan has long had a strong aircraft carrier complex. As early as the advent of aircraft carriers, Japan had a strong impulse to become an aircraft carrier power. Therefore. Japan, whose national strength is much weaker than that of Europe and the United States, can even compete with traditional maritime powers such as Britain and the United States in terms of the speed of development of aircraft carriers.

Japan's first aircraft carrier, a seaplane carrier to be precise. It was the "Wakamiya Maru" that first arrived in Shanghai.

The "Wakamiya Maru" was originally a Russian freighter captured by Japan in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 with a displacement of 7,700 tons. In 1913, Japan decided to convert the "Wakamiya Maru" into a seaplane carrier.

In fact, this Russian freighter was built by Britain in 1900. If the "Wakamiya Maru" could not be considered a scrapped ship at the beginning, then the current 42-year-old ship is enough to become an "old ship". It's just that the Japanese army has been reluctant to throw it away. The Japanese Navy felt that it was perfectly okay to drive him to China to scare the Chinese.

In September 1914, the Wakamiya Maru achieved the world's first aerial attack from the sea. At that time, the "Wakamiya Maru" lifted 4 seaplanes on the sea. These aircraft were then used to bomb German targets in Qingdao, China. In other words, during World War I, the Japanese army had some experience in the actual combat of aircraft carriers.

There were originally four seaplanes on board the Wakanomiya Maru, which were shot down in Zhabei. Now only two seaplanes remain, which serve only as alert reconnaissance for the fleet. The current captain is three and three.

Built by the Japanese Navy in 1919 at the Asano Shipbuilding Tsurumi Shipyard and completed in 1922 at the Yokosuka Naval Shipyard, the Hosho was the world's first real aircraft carrier despite its small displacement.

Because Fengxiang was designed and built in Japan from the beginning. It is designed exactly according to a real aircraft carrier. The name "Fengxiang" comes from the meaning of phoenix flying. (_&book&bar)

After World War I, Japan, as the victorious power, actively sought to build a large navy and became a maritime power in the de facto sense.

When Japan learned that Britain had begun to build real aircraft carriers. It was immediately realized that the construction of the world's first aircraft carrier was of great significance for establishing the position of its Navy in the world. So, in December 1919, more than two years after the construction of the "Athletic God" began. Japan also began construction of the aircraft carrier, called the "Fengxiang". In order to finish the work ahead of the British "Athletic", the Japanese shipyard worked day and night in full swing. …,

Therefore. Although the Fengxiang started construction later than the British and American aircraft carriers, it was launched a few months earlier than the British aircraft carrier Athletic, so the crown of the world's first real aircraft carrier was brought to the head of the Fengxiang.

The Fengxiang has a total length of 168 meters, a standard displacement of 7,470 tons, and a speed of 25 knots.

As for the Akaisei and Kaga, they were the product of the Japanese Navy to circumvent the Washington Convention.

In the "Washington Convention" signed in 1922, the displacement of each newly built aircraft carrier of Britain, the United States, Japan, France and Italy was limited to 23,000 tons; Aircraft carriers converted from battleships and battlecruisers must also have a displacement of no more than 33,000 tons each. The total tonnage of aircraft carriers that Japan can possess is limited to less than 83,000 tons. At that time, in order to maintain their maritime hegemony, the signatory countries adopted some strategies that were more or less contrary to the law, and the Japanese warlords, who were scheming, resorted to all rogue means to circumvent the restrictions of the treaty.

For example, Japan's so-called "aircraft carrier reserves" have taken into account the needs of possible future conversion into aircraft carriers in the design of some warships, so as to facilitate future refit work. In addition, the Japanese military also participated in the design and construction of merchant ships in the form of investment, and requisitioned a large number of these merchant ships during the war and carried out modifications and commissions to enhance its aircraft carrier strength. The large number of aircraft carriers that were converted or modified during World War II owned by the Japanese Combined Fleet was the product of these tricks.

Construction of the aircraft carrier Akagi began on December 6, 1920, as a battleship, and was converted into an aircraft carrier in 1923. When changing from a battleship to an aircraft carrier, the main hull remained largely unchanged. Above the main deck it was completely rebuilt with a double-storey hangar.

With a full load displacement of 41,300 tons after refitting, it is the largest tonnage aircraft carrier in Japan. It has an island superstructure on the starboard side, powered by steam turbines, 19 boilers, 4 shafts, 133,000 horsepower, a maximum speed of 31 knots, and is armed with 6 single-barreled 203-mm main guns, 6 double-barreled 120-mm secondary guns, 28 25-mm anti-aircraft guns, and up to 91 carriers.

The Akasei is also famous because Isoroku Yamamoto, who is regarded as an alternative in the Japanese Navy and is currently the head of the technical department of the Naval Aviation Department. He served as its third captain. The current captain is Masao Shibayama.

The Kaga was also originally designed as a battleship and was completed in 1928.

The Kaga has a displacement of 28,000 tons, and its overall layout is similar to that of the Akagi aircraft carrier. Both are equipped with three-section flight decks, and they are also the only two aircraft carriers in the Japanese Navy to adopt three-stage flight decks in World War II. 90 carrier aircraft.

The so-called three-section flight deck is divided into three layers in a stepped shape, the top deck is a dual-purpose deck, with a total length of about 190 meters and a width of about 30.5 meters, the middle and lower two floors are connected with the double-decker hangar for aircraft to take off directly from the hangar, and the middle deck is for small aircraft to take off, about 15 meters long. The lower deck is long for large aircraft to take off, and is about 55 meters long and 23 meters wide. The upper flight deck is a bridge that spans the portside of the hull below the forward end. Unlike the "Akagi", the horizontal chimney extended near the stern. It was also equipped with 203 mm guns, the purpose of which was to suppress surface ships that attacked the fleet with torpedoes. The current Captain Onishi Jiro.

Gao Zhihang found these four Japanese aircraft carriers. On their periphery, five battleships led by Haruna, including Ise, Hinata, Nagato, and Mutsu, six cruisers led by Mikasa, including Furutaka, Nachi, Haguro, Suzuya, and Kumano, and four destroyers led by Hakaze, Akikaze, Taitokaze, Saikaze, and Nokaze, were also discovered.

In addition to the Nakajima-type fighters of the two squadrons of the Japanese army, which performed alert cover missions over the fleet. The Japanese planes, which had just finished their combat mission, had already begun to circle in the air in formation, preparing to land in batches.

The three Japanese aircraft carriers Chisei, Kaga, and Fengxiang have also distanced themselves, with their bows facing east, so as to prevent the sunlight from affecting the landing of aircraft. Be prepared to receive the aircraft. …,

Because in the eyes of the Japanese army, on the vast sea more than a hundred kilometers from the coast. There was also a fleet of more than a dozen battleships and cruisers and destroyers heavily protected, and any invading Chinese warships would sink to the bottom of the sea under their huge cannon blows. It is absolutely impossible for them to be attacked in any way, and their safety is absolutely guaranteed. Therefore, all four aircraft carriers, including Wakanomiya Maru, have dropped their anchor links to keep the aircraft carrier as stable as possible.

"Ask the Flying Eagle and the Flying Tiger and the Flying Leopard to report the position and altitude, and whether they can accurately receive the navigation signal of our aircraft." Gao Zhihang ordered without raising his head.

The Flying Eagle is the name of the fighter wing, and the Flying Tiger and the Flying Leopard are the code names of the bomber wing and the strike aircraft wing, respectively.

In order to inflict heavy losses on the Japanese fleet, Gao Zhihang sent all 38 Jian-2 and 72 Jian-2 that had just been refueled for modification, as well as all 38 of his bombers.

Observers who work as part-time communications will immediately communicate with the group through the voice communication system.

Although Hawkeye uses a new wooden structure to reduce weight and uses three high-power engines, in order to fly at an altitude of 10,000 meters, it still needs to be strictly limited in terms of occupants. It has a standard crew of only four, and in addition to the pilot--captain and the operator, both observers are required to work part-time in communications.

The voice signal was transmitted by several communication relay planes, and soon made contact with the attack aircraft group of the Fourth Route Army, and the voice of Chen Honglu, deputy commander of the fighter squadron codenamed Red Eagle, came from the microphone.

"The red eagle reported to the eagle that the flying eagle, the flying tiger and the flying leopard had reached the sky above Chongming Island, at an altitude of 5,000, and the navigation signal was clear. Report complete. ”

Although Chen Honglu's voice had clearly reached Gao Zhihang's ears, the observer still repeated it loudly to Gao Zhihang.

"Tell Red Eagle that the sparrows have begun to land, and that it will take forty minutes."

Gao Zhihang looked at his watch and continued to give orders: "Order Red Eagle, Flying Tiger, and Flying Leopard to arrive at the designated airspace before 9:40. Now, above the flock of birds, there are twenty-four sparrows flying, three thousand at a height. They will not land. ”

In order to give more support to the ground forces, the three Japanese aircraft carriers carried carrier-based aircraft to the maximum extent possible, so the hangars and decks of each ship were crowded. Fortunately, the planes on the aircraft carrier Kaga were transferred to land along with the planes of the army, and space was vacated on the Kaga, and the captain of the Akasei, who was acting for Nomura to command the fleet, Masahiro Shibayama, ordered the carrier-based aircraft on the Akasei and Hosho aircraft carriers to be reconfigured on the three aircraft carriers to speed up the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft.

Moreover, the Japanese Navy has so far developed catapults used by aircraft carriers, and because the three aircraft carriers do not have catapults, the carrier-based aircraft of the Japanese Navy are designed to be very lightweight, and they can be quickly towed aside by trailers and ground crews after landing on the ship, giving way to the runway. The aircraft was then quickly refueled and replenished with ammunition.

Therefore, the Japanese carrier-based aircraft group landed on the ship very quickly, and it only took half an hour for nearly 100 planes to successfully land on the ship.

According to the battle plan agreed upon by Song Zhewu and Gao Zhihang, while Jian-2 solved the Japanese escort alert planes, the strong 2nd of the three squadrons launched an attack on the three Japanese aircraft carriers for the purpose of destroying the Japanese landing planes. In particular, it is necessary to focus on destroying the Japanese planes that are still on the flight deck, so as to prevent the Japanese planes from taking off and provide a guarantee for the subsequent successful attack on the aircraft carrier and the Japanese naval fleet.

However, due to the relatively fast landing of the Japanese carrier-based planes, although the 38 faster Jian-2 had already arrived in the predetermined airspace, the Qiang-2 and the bomber group still had about 10 minutes to arrive. At that time, not only had all the Japanese planes already landed, but it was also very likely that the carrier-based planes on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier had already been pulled aside and parked at that time, and it was very likely that the Japanese carrier-based planes that had already replenished the oil bombs would not be able to completely prevent the Japanese carrier-based planes from taking off. …,

After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Gao Zhihang made a decisive decision.

"Order Red Hawk, target the Japanese aircraft carrier in the air, and act immediately. After arriving, two squadrons of 1 and 2 attacked and annihilated the Japanese alert planes, and the 3rd squadron strafed the Japanese ships and aircraft, destroying one or more Japanese carrier-based planes on the flight deck as much as possible. ”

"Order the group of attack aircraft and bombers to speed up and launch an attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier as soon as possible."

Five minutes later, there were only six Type 13 attack planes left in the Japanese carrier-based planes that had not yet landed, and at this time, the 26 Jian-2 planes flying from the north had already arrived first. At an altitude of 5,000 meters, they had just emerged from behind a white cloud, and they were immediately discovered by the Japanese alert planes, and the 24 Japanese Nakajima planes immediately began to climb high, intending to seize the high altitude to meet the battle.

The 26 Jian-2 planes were located at an altitude of 5,000 meters, and under the command of Gao Zhihang, they quickly discovered the Japanese warning aircraft group, and without waiting for the Japanese troops to climb up from 3,000 meters, they immediately attacked the Japanese aircraft group from a high place.

The Jian-2 group, which surpassed Nakajima's in terms of speed, firepower, and agility, swooped down condescendingly, immediately scattered the Japanese planes, and then engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese planes in a two-plane formation and the Japanese planes that still used a rigid three-plane formation.

The six carrier-based planes that had already been attacked by the Chinese Air Force did not dare to delay, and they rushed toward the three aircraft carriers one after the other, one in one after the other, and they wanted to land as soon as possible before the fuel was exhausted; otherwise, once the Nakajima-type fighters, which had already refueled their fuel bombs, took off to meet the battle, they would no longer have time and opportunity to land, and the pilots would have to abandon the planes and parachute.

At this moment, twelve Jian-2 planes rushed towards the Japanese fleet from the north at an altitude of one thousand meters.

The Japanese aircraft carriers, which had already discovered the Fourth Route Army aircraft group, were already in chaos at this time

At that time, there were very advanced wooden aircraft, the most successful of which was probably the British mosquito bomber, and even in World War II, the German aircraft were helpless against it. (To be continued......)