On June 3, 1942, Midway Island was the heart of the war, but there were no fierce battles. And the Japanese feints on the other three sides were all launched.

In the first direction, the "Aleutian Raiders Force", with the Japanese Fifth Fleet as the main force and the commander of the Fifth Fleet, under the command of Vice Admiral Hososuma Shuziro, took the lead in action. Its formation consisted of two seaplane carriers, 7 cruisers and 12 destroyers, as well as auxiliary vessels.

Its task was to capture the islands of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands, an American territory in the northern Pacific Ocean, before the main attack on Midway. In this way, the US fleet will be attracted to the north and play a role in containing the main force of the US army.

This was the operation of the Japanese army in the northern Pacific Ocean. Nominally, this is because the United States may use the Aleutian Islands, located in the northern Pacific Ocean, as a springboard to launch airstrikes on the Japanese mainland. But the Japanese devils also understand that the climate there is cold, and in the summer in the northern hemisphere, it is also cold and biting, rain and fog, which is not suitable for fighters to take off, and at most three or four months of the year are suitable for combat.

The occupation of the Aleutian Islands actually made little sense, and its main purpose was to attract the attention of the US military.

This military operation of the Japanese army was the same as what it did in history, except that it was originally used by the two light aircraft carriers of the Fourth Air Force, the Hayabusa and the Longxiang. This time, two seaplane carriers were used.

In the second direction, the Fourth Fleet with Inoue Narumi as the "main force" was accompanied by two battleships, two heavy cruisers, and two light aircraft carriers. Continued to attack Port Moresby, and fought with the U.S. Army MacArthur.

This is very different from history, where after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese army divided for a while, and then only occupied a few deserted islands in the Solomon Islands in the Central Pacific, including the famous Kuah Island.

The butterfly effect is gradually fermenting. Lieutenant General Inoue Narumi is now in a much more difficult situation within the Japanese army than it was in history. Defeated again and again, Inoue Chengmei has become Zhao Kuo on paper in the Japanese army. In the Japanese Navy, as long as Inoue Narumi's Fourth Fleet is mentioned, it is one sentence: "Why, lost the battle again?" ”

Such a sentence almost drove Inoue Chengmei, a great talent, to death. Recently, Lieutenant General Inoue Narumi has had some magic obstacles, and he has wanted to commit suicide with a knife several times. But the scholar is a great talent, and he is used to holding a pen, and it is really difficult to pick up the command knife.

There is really no way to live, Inoue Narumi once again begged her old friend Yamamoto Fifty-six. Raid Port Moresby. has become the last fig leaf for Inoue Narumi.

However, MacArthur was not stupid, and the U.S. military had strengthened the defense of Port Moresby after nearly a month of preparation, and whether the attack launched by Inoue Narumi would be effective. It will also take time to verify.

However, Inoue Narumi, a talented man in the Japanese Navy, has put down his face, and he is invincible if he is shameless. I don't know if this sentence can be experienced in Narumi Inoue. Inoue Narumi hosted several banquets for Japanese army generals. Among them is Tsuji's credit staff.

Talent, it's not good to fight. But after putting down his face, he can still fool a few thugs.

But it was MacArthur who he encountered. Now MacArthur had no way back. Professor Yuan Ye went to the United States, but he had already held an exhibition in the United States with the information about the Bataan Death March obtained by the special team in Zuo Shandong. The Americans are increasing their hatred of the Japanese army.

MacArthur is a super actor, but no matter how high his acting skills are, he can't afford to lose now. If Moresby was lost, MacArthur was driven back to Australia. The consequences are simply unimaginable.

At that time, he was General MacArthur, who had left tens of thousands of men from the Bataan Peninsula and fled back to Australia, and his speech was impassioned and sonorous. Roaring like a wolf: "I'll be back." ”。

If he was driven back to Australia by the Japanese army, would he still be like a gray wolf, howling in every episode: "I will come back." ”

As you can imagine, this battle must be a stumble.

However, if we make a pertinent assessment, Inoue Narumi's military action is as crazy as the overall strategy of the Japanese army. But tactically it is quite sharp, and the location of Port Moresby can be regarded as a real hit on the vital point of the US military.

Don't look at Port Moresby, the U.S. Army is responsible for defense, but it affects the whole body. Admiral Nimitz received this news and almost revoked the order for the First Battle of Midway.

If these two Japanese military operations are not directly related to the Naval Resistance Army, the other military operation is closely related to the Naval Resistance Army.

Rear Admiral Jizaburo Ozawa, commander of the Japanese Southern Fleet, led four heavy cruisers, two battleships, two light aircraft carriers, and several destroyers to launch an attack on Ceylon. It was followed by the Japanese Army, which had at least one division.

Li Guang didn't know anything about this news. Nimitz personally ordered and sent agents to destroy the radio station of the Maritime Resistance Army, and restricted the movement of Tian Muyi, the submarine staff officer of the Maritime Resistance Army. Since the loss of Nauru Island, the Maritime Resistance Force has also lost its signal relay base in the northern Pacific, and all military intelligence and other information in the northern Pacific must be relayed through Tian Muyi's submarine coordination group.

Nimitz was worried that Li Guang would affect the Battle of Midway because of the Ceylon War. This usually amiable old general who makes people feel like a spring breeze reveals his ruthless experience.

If the Japanese feint to the north was victorious, this would have little effect on the United States. And Nimitz has symbolically sent a small fleet to the rescue.

If the Japanese army succeeds in attacking Ceylon, it will affect the situation of the entire Indian Ocean. But it was Britain that suffered the most, and Britain had huge economic interests in India. This loss is insignificant for the United States.

However, if Port Moresby is lost, the impact on the entire situation of the war will be greater. Once the Japanese captured Moresby, the richest areas of northern Australia would be under attack by Japanese fighters. It was even possible to attack Australia directly after the Japanese army got the springboard.

Australia is the main base of the US military and the Allied forces in the Pacific, and there is absolutely no room for error.

If it had not been for the discovery of the Japanese army's strategy unit on 3 June, Nimitz's determination to fight might have been shaken.

Nimitz made this determination, not only to trap the Tang Kingdom, but also to the United Kingdom, in fact, it was also a gamble for the United States itself. The actions of the Japanese army were not useless at all. The scale of the Japanese sorties was so great that Nimitz was misinformed. He believed that the Japanese were operating together in four directions, and that in addition to Midway, there were aircraft carriers in all three directions (in fact, it was two seaplane carriers that attacked the Aleutian Islands, and the intelligence was not accurate enough.) According to the general configuration of forces, the Japanese army should be equipped with at least six aircraft carriers in these three directions. In this case, the Japanese army should not be able to use no more than three, at most four aircraft carriers in the Midway direction.

The intelligence of the US military is not omnipotent, and to this day, the US military has not been able to figure out how many aircraft carriers Japan has. One of the more surprising things for Li Guang is. Now the Japanese still have a light aircraft carrier Fengxiang in the First Fleet. You must know that in the first battle in the Arabian Sea, the Naval Resistance Army sank 100% of the Japanese Fengxiang light aircraft carrier.

Li Guang estimated that the Japanese Navy had refitted another light aircraft carrier in order to cover up its failure. Anyway, merchant ships have to be faster, and it is not difficult to convert them into aircraft carriers. There is not much problem in transforming a light aircraft carrier with Japan's national strength. But the sinking of the battleship Kirishima was not acknowledged in Japanese newspapers, and the whereabouts of the battleship Hiei were not mentioned. To know. The battleship Hiei was badly damaged by the Naval Resistance Army during the Battle of the Arabian Sea. This point puzzled Li Guang. More than a year is enough time to transform an aircraft carrier, but it is not possible to transform a battleship in one or two years.

It is said that the Maritime Resistance Force now has several ships that are suitable for transforming into light aircraft carriers, among which the aircraft carrier PC and four merchant ships from the German trade and a captured French merchant ship are all very fast. They can easily reach twenty-three verses.

However, the Maritime Resistance Force does not have so much money, and only the two regular aircraft carriers and several submarines under construction have already absorbed the liquidity of the Maritime Resistance Force. If we can't get some assistance from the United States, let alone the future aircraft carrier Pacific, even the aircraft carrier Indian Ocean, which is now being outfitted, will have difficulty mustering anti-aircraft guns. radar, and other ancillary facilities.

There is a big difference between the thinking of Americans and Japanese. Don't look at the United States' current shortage of warships, but if you want Rear Admiral Halsey or Rear Admiral Fletcher or Rear Admiral Spruance, these genuine generals lead a motley aircraft carrier, they will definitely be rejected. It has only been half a year since the start of the war, and the United States does not have one or two escort aircraft carriers now, but these American generals will not include them in the battle formation at all.

U.S. generals can accept the Independence-class light aircraft carriers under construction, but they can't accept those miscellaneous aircraft carriers (escort carriers). And the Japanese devils are not strong enough to achieve national strength, and light aircraft carriers are also regarded as treasures.

As for the Freedom Dragon of the Naval Resistance Force, it is a special case. The American generals simply did not look at it. Bringing the Liberty Dragon into battle is only a stopgap measure. Nimitz took out an Independence-class light aircraft carrier, which inevitably had no intention of showing off. Of course, the Naval Resistance Force has a regular light aircraft carrier, which also fights for the Allies and will also help the U.S. military. The Americans' business scriptures are extremely shrewd.

Therefore, Nimitz inevitably miscalculated. In his concept, the Japanese army would fight such a battle, and the first sortie would have to be a light aircraft carrier, not a miscellaneous modified aircraft carrier. Therefore, the number of Japanese aircraft carriers attacking Midway was identified by Nimitz at three, and no more than four.

In this way, the US-Tang joint fleet also has four aircraft carriers, and Midway can be used as two aircraft carriers, which is another big advantage, and the US military has the chance to win.

This is also the reason why Nimitz is bent on fighting the battle in front of him, regardless of the other three directions.

June 3, 7:38 p.m. Spruance's flagship aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, sent a light signal, and he prepared to move west.

In the projections of the American forces, the Japanese fleet should be in the northwest direction of Midway. And the lucky spot is northeast of Midway.

Having said that, no one can be sure from which direction the Japanese fleet attacked. After all, during the day, the Japanese fleet that was discovered was located north-south of Midway.

In the middle of the game, Li Guang also failed to understand the significance of Major General Sprunes' move. Keep in mind that the Japanese fleet may approach from the south, from the north, from the west, or from any angle of the 180-degree fan west of Midway.

Afterwards. Spruance's action was described as: "A magical move." ”

This action is entirely a judgment made by the intuition of a general.

At this time, Rear Admiral Fletcher was still refueling the Yorktown, and there were still more than fifty nautical miles from the 16th Task Force.

Spruance's order was exactly what Li Guang meant. He didn't want to mix with Major General Fletcher in the first place. Looking at Rear Admiral Fletcher's refueling operation, Li Guang was even more tired, and Rear Admiral Fletcher took away the heavy cruiser and destroyer without saying hello.

This has not yet taken place, and the Liberty Dragon is left without a heavy cruiser escort. In the middle of the battle, Rear Admiral Fletcher might have dared to order all the ships to protect his Yorktown.

Therefore, Li Guang immediately decided to follow Spruance's 16th Task Force. In his mind, Li Guang had already found a reason. It was not safe for the Liberty Dragon to stay alone in the lucky spot with three air defense destroyers. This is the interpretation that will be given to Nimitz in the future.

(Li Guang said to ask for a monthly pass, otherwise Midway would never go to war.) (To be continued......)