943 smashed open the door of the United States, four kamikaze missiles

North Atlantic, southwest Bermuda, October 27, 1939, 4 a.m./

In the morning light, a milky white mist drifted on the sea, dozens of tall masts loomed in the distant fog, and the roar of the ship's engine was faint, drifting with the early morning breeze.

A shrill whistle suddenly sounded from the ships hidden in the mist, and with this long whistle, the sea seemed to boil in an instant, and after three whistles, two long and one short, one dazzling searchlight after another, pierced the thin morning fog in an instant.

Standing on the railing of the USS Liberty, William. Admiral Halsey was already a little hot with excitement, and looking at his huge fleet, a surge of war intent arose.

Although Halsey had not felt the slightest uncertainty about a decisive battle with the German navy near Bermuda in the previous days, the belligerence in his blood made him excited about the battle that was coming! In particular, he had just gotten the result of a mid-air match from the Norfolk base. According to a report from the US-British Combined Fleet Command, in this air contest that took place yesterday afternoon, the United States lost 167 fighters and shot down 102 German FW-190C fighters. Judging from the number of aircraft lost, it seems that the United States lost the war, but considering the huge production capacity of the United States and the proximity of the battlefield to the United States' home advantage, the result of the air battle is undoubtedly beneficial to the United States! What's more, in this air battle, the F4U carrier-based fighters equipped with 2000 horsepower engines performed extremely well, and of the 102 FW-190Cs lost by Germany, two-thirds were shot down by F4U, and the losses paid by F4U fighters were only 54 units.

Halsey knew that even a six- or seven-fold discount on Norfolk's reported results would be good news. Because the United States already had a fighter that could counter German air superiority. Now the United States only needs to turn on its industrial production capacity and build thousands of F4Us, which is enough to defend itself. Even if the four medium and large aircraft carriers of the 1st and 2nd task forces were completely wiped out in the ensuing battle

"Report, the USS Liberty and USS Dreadnought are ready." The voice of Welch, the chief of staff of the fleet, echoed through the operations command center on the island of the USS Liberty, and Admiral Halsey straightened his uniform, turned and strode to the chart.

"USS Liberty, 10 F4U fighters of the 4th Flying Wing Fighter Squadron, 18 SBD dive bombers of the Dive Bomber Squadron, 17 TBD torpedo bombers of the Torpedo Squadron; HMS Dreadnought, 8 F4U fighters from the Fighter Squadron of the 7th Flying Wing of the British Royal Navy, 20 SBD dive bombers from the Dive Bomber Squadron, and 17 TBD torpedo bombers from the Torpedo Squadron are all combat-ready and ready to strike! Colonel Welch closed the folder in his hand and stood in front of Halsey, awaiting the final order to attack.

Seven German and Italian super-battleships are now shelling US airfields and batteries in Bermuda, and according to reconnaissance aircraft reports, this German battleship formation is only escorted by one aircraft carrier, and 20 FW-190C carrier-based fighters have been killed on it. And the US-British task force 1 and task force 2 can exclude 182 carrier-based aircraft at a time, of which 4 F3U fighters are enough, which is enough to solve 20 FW-190C. Therefore, Ernest who was in command of Norfolk was in charge of the whole situation. Admiral King decisively ordered two task forces lurking in the southwest waters of Bermuda to attack and bomb the German and Italian battleship forces.

"Where did the main forces of the German fleet go?" Halsey took a deep breath and asked, "Their aircraft carrier must be waiting somewhere to ambush us, right?" ”

"The T-6 long-range reconnaissance plane reported half an hour ago that the main force of the German-Italian fleet is still in the ocean about 250 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda, 360 nautical miles, that is, nearly 660 kilometers, from our group, and their reconnaissance planes should not have found us." Speaking of this, Welch paused, and then said: "By the way, the reconnaissance planes also reported that they found a German transport fleet 180 nautical miles southeast of Bermuda, about 5 20,000-ton transport ships, and several destroyers guarding them, estimated to be loaded with German landing troops. ”

Halsey breathed a sigh of relief, although the distance of 660 kilometers could not guarantee the absolute safety of his first task force, the threat of German carrier-based aircraft was indeed not too great. Because these German planes are not Japanese kamikazes! They have to carry enough fuel for a range of more than 1,400 kilometers, so they can't carry many bombs. What's more, the two US-British aircraft carrier formations have so far not been detected by German reconnaissance aircraft. As for the fleet of the German transport landing force, Norfolk will naturally arrange submarines or long-range bombers to deal with it, which has nothing to do with aircraft carriers, or wait for the carrier-based aircraft on the aircraft carrier to blow up the German battleships before picking them up.

"Good!" Halsey glanced around at the officers in the Operations Command Center, each with an excited look on their faces as a big battle was approaching.

"Order, the 4th Flying Wing of the U.S. Navy, the 7th Flying Wing of the British Royal Air Force to attack, the target, the German and Italian battleship units near Bermuda!"

"Remove the radio silence, send electricity to the Norfolk base, and have them send P-38 fighter jets from home to cover Task Force 1."

"Tell Bermuda that our First Task Force is here! We're going to kill the Germans! ”

"Did you find an American aircraft carrier?" On the island of the heavy aircraft carrier USS Frederick the Great, Marshal Raeder repeated the question again.

Fleet B and the main fleet had already sent seaplanes out, but they were not discovered for a long time. Germany's radar technology is inferior to that of the United States, and the German fleet, far from the European continent, does not have large shore-based reconnaissance aircraft such as the T-6 long-range reconnaissance aircraft available, and even Germany does not have long-range carrier-based seaplanes such as the Min-25 available. It was not that Germany lacked the relevant technology, but that the German Navy never imagined that it would one day fight off the coast of North America, and all this time their eyes were only fixed on the British home fleet, staring at the tiny North Sea.

"Marshal, the target has not yet been found." Chief of Staff Eric . Rear Admiral Bei shook his head: "Seaplanes are searching, but still nothing has been found, maybe the American aircraft carrier is not"

"Nope! I'm sure that the American aircraft carrier is nearby! ”

Raeder affirmed: "The Americans are reluctant to give up Bermuda, and once this archipelago falls into our hands, the entire east coast of the United States will be threatened by German bombers." So, even Ernest. King was reluctant to fight, and Roosevelt would have forced him to defend Bermuda with all his might. Not to mention, we also took out seven battleships and an aircraft carrier as bait. ”

"This decoy is big enough." Welch's eyebrows suddenly twisted, "By the way, Z Fleet reports that their whereabouts have been discovered by American reconnaissance planes." Do you think that their combat operations were canceled? They have nearly 800 expensive missiles and 785 highly trained missile pilots. ”

"No, it can't be canceled, the Americans should not abandon such targets as battleships and aircraft carriers, and go to embarrass a few transport ships." Raeder sneered, "Besides, the lives of these Japanese have already been sold to the German Empire, if they are not allowed to take risks, who else can they be allowed to take risks?" ”

"Sir," the communications staff officer handed a telegram to the chief of staff of the fleet, Eric. Major Admiral Bei, Major General swept it and said to Raeder: "It's Admiral Lütjans's telegram, the radar of the B fleet has detected the American fleet, about 150 or more, flying from the northwest and southwest directions, but I don't know if it's a carrier-based aircraft." ”

"It must be!" Raeder clapped his hands and sneered: "Great, the Yankees' aircraft carrier has finally been hooked out." Tell Lütjans to stop shelling Bermuda and prepare for an air defense operation. Seaplanes were then sent to carefully search the northwestern and southwestern waters of Bermuda, not to miss any suspicious targets. ”

"Order the aircraft carriers Frederick the Great, Wilhelm the Great, Charlemagne, and Otto the Great to immediately send FW-190 fighters to cover Fleet B."

"Order the Z Fleet to speed up to the west, and tell the Japanese Kengoro Nakasa that his kamikaze attack group is ready to launch a missile attack at any time."

"Sir." Lieutenant Toshiyama Yasuda, who had just applied to fly a P-35 missile to his death two days ago because of his hot head, suddenly hurriedly broke into the officers' lounge of the Kiev. Leitch's chess-playing liver Kengoro Fu stammered and shouted, "Ray Eddell, Commander Ray Del's order has come down, he wants us to be ready to attack at any time!" ”

"What's wrong?" Liver Fu Kengoro glanced at Yasuda, whose face was covered with beads of sweat, and said with a smile: "Afraid of death?" It's too late to regret it now. ”

"No, not afraid!" Yasuda shook his head vigorously and snapped his head, "I feel extremely honored to dedicate myself to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire. As he spoke, he lowered his head to the liver. I also wish the chief of the liver to become a god as soon as possible! I hope to meet the chief in Kudanzaka as soon as possible! ”

“。” Hearing such wishes, Kengoro Hetofu's fat face darkened with a brush, and he easily resisted the urge to flatten people, gritted his teeth and squeezed out a somewhat relieved smile, nodded and said, "Mixi!" Then please ask Yasuda-kun to go first and occupy a good seat in the Yasukuni Shrine for me. ”

"Hay!" Yasuda Toshizo nodded excitedly, "Then the humble post is waiting for the big fight in the Yasukuni Shrine!" With that, he turned and walked out. And Liver Fu looked at his back and scolded in an inaudible voice: "Baga! ”

"What's wrong? What did Mr. Yasuda say that made you angry? Hannah who was sitting face to face with Kengoro Liver. Leitch couldn't understand Japanese, but he could see some clues in the face of Tetsu Qing.

"He wishes me to die soon!"

"Looks like you hate to die." Hannah. A look of disdain slipped over Leich's face.

"Yes, Miss Leitch, I'm afraid of death, I'm afraid of death!"

Kengoro's face had calmed down, and he slowly put away a pair of chess pieces spread out on the table. Then he smiled at Hannah: "Now you see who I am, right?" I am a person who can send thousands of my own people to hell without any shame. I won't be like that stupid guy just now, who went to death because of shame! I want to live well until the end of this century. I watched my motherland grow stronger day by day and became the most powerful power in the Eastern world, and I saw that my compatriots could eat rice and drink broth. ”

"Oh, so you Japanese like to eat rice and drink broth" Hannah. Leich muttered, wondering whether to say hello to the Kiev's kitchen and replace the last lunch of the kamikaze members from German pickled pork knuckles and fish rice balls to rice broth, when the piercing battle sirens sounded! Then, the radio in the officer's room sounded in stiff Japanese: "Attention all kamikaze commandos, first-class combat alert!" Level 1 Battle Alert! All kamikazes should meet on the deck of the Kiev in 10 minutes! ”

It seems that the aircraft carrier formations of the Americans have already been discovered!

On the front and rear decks of the Kiev missile cruiser, the whistles of assembly, the sound of dense and messy footsteps, the shouts of German or Japanese, and the sound of battle sirens mingled together in a chaotic manner. The two teams of Japanese kamikazes, who were obviously a little excited, were already lined up in front of the two steam catapults on the front and rear decks of the Kiev, and Hefu and another Japanese shozo were lecturing the two teams of Japanese kamikazes.

German aircrews lifted P-35 manned missiles with a cramped cockpit onto the deck by lift, and then pushed them next to two steam catapults by cart. With the combined operation of several Germans, two P-35 missiles were quickly loaded onto catapults.

"According to the plan, the entire Z fleet will launch 150 P-35 missiles in the first wave of the offensive. In a few moments, all the kamikaze members whose names are named will become gods that everyone will admire! The German seaplanes will use radio signals to guide you to attack, hoping that each of you will sink a US ** ship! In return for His Majesty the Emperor's kindness, we will live up to the expectations of all the people!

Great Japanese Empire, onboard! Your Majesty the Emperor, onboard! Onboard! On-board !! ”

Seeing that the Germans were ready to launch, Kengoro Hetofu and another shozo also ended their incendiary speeches at the same time, hurriedly gave orders, and shouted counter-revolutionary slogans, pushing the atmosphere of the scene to the highest level. Finally, the two men pulled out a list from their pockets and named each of them. The Japanese kamikaze member whose name was called had tears in his eyes, shouted slogans, and walked with slightly trembling steps towards the P-35 missile, which had been mounted on a steam catapult.

And Lieutenant Toshizo Yasuda, who had just sent "good wishes" to Kengoro Hitofu, was very honored to be one of the first two "lucky people" to climb into the cockpit of the missile. It's not that he's a personal vendetta, but that he was one of the commanders of the first wave of manned missiles. The reason why it is one is because the technology of this manned missile is not mature, and the failure rate of launch is as high as 25%, so Kengoro Hetofu has prepared three commanders for each wave of offensives, but Yasuda Rizo is the "first commander-in-chief".

"Can such a thing really launch a missile?" Yasuda sat inside the missile, buckled up his seatbelt, and muttered to himself. In the previous training, the FW-200 bomber carried the practice missile to drop in the air. It's the first time I've launched a catapult into the sky, and I don't know how safe it is?

Just when Yasuda was thinking about the safety of his life, a huge explosion suddenly sounded in his ears, he only felt dizzy, so he closed his eyes in despair, and said in his heart: "Sure enough, I failed, I don't know if the Yasukuni God Society will not accept it if he dies like this?" But what awaited him was not a headlong plunge into the sea, and only a few seconds later, the huge roar of the impulse jet engine rang out. When Yasuda opened his eyes, the small missile was already soaring in the sky about 3 to 400 meters above the sea.

And another missile launched at the same time was successfully lifted into the air, and a burst of cheers broke out on the deck of the Kyiv! The launches of several other missile cruisers were also mostly successful, with only two P-35 missiles being ejected without successfully igniting the engines, and as a result, they plunged headlong into the Atlantic. However, these two launch accidents did not affect the subsequent launches, and one after another manned missiles were pushed onto the catapult, and then they were ejected into the sky by a huge thrust. In the meantime, some missiles have accidents due to various reasons, or crashed into the sea or exploded! Of course, the kamikaze attackers sitting on it had no survivors, and they went to the Yasukuni Shrine in advance to grab a seat.

When he saw that all 150 missiles had been launched, and there were less than 120 slender missiles carrying a pulsing engine circling in the sky, he took a deep breath, shouted at the airborne radio station, and raised all the dantian qi: "Follow me, all kamikaze members!" Target American aircraft carriers, forward! Advance!!! ”