At 2:30 p.m. on February 20, 170 nautical miles west of Wake Island.

The aircraft carrier Zuizuru, who was injured in the bow, slowly sailed towards the Ogasawara Islands under the protection of three destroyers including the Yukikaze and eight Zeros. An aircraft carrier whose bow has been "cut off" by a bomb is like a dangerous rock that can collapse at any moment, and it needs to be carefully balanced with special care. Sailors gathered at the wounded area, threw the broken wooden deck into the sea, plugged the leaky steel plate with thick wooden hairpins, and poured water hoses over the fire site to prevent the recurrence of the ashes.

"The bow hydrants are all open, pay attention to the pressure of the sealed cabin, and keep the left rudder balanced. Captain, there is too much water and something needs to be thrown away! Backup generators are not enough, and it is better to restore the main engine pumping. "In order to ensure that there would be no fuel gas due to a short circuit (the strong ventilation of the aircraft carriers in World War II was relatively poor, and more than half of the aircraft carriers died in the secondary explosion of oil and gas), the captain of the ship, Yokokawa Ichihei Daisa, cut off the power supply.

Yokokawa Ichihei was unwilling to take risks, and when he spent thirty years depleting the imperial treasury and gambling on the fortunes of the country for a hundred years, he finally won a great victory, and any adventure was a crime against the empire. "No, the internal wires are very dangerous. Throw away what you don't need! Let the Yukikaze provide us with electricity. So he refused to restart the power.

Fortunately, the Zuihe was not seriously injured this time, and after the Yukikaze threw the cable, the six pumps were finally able to meet the displacement of the bow. "Captain, the pressure in the watertight compartment is normal, all the leaks have been blocked, it seems that we can return home." The first officer, covered in oil, ran into the bridge and happily reported the damage management. The rest of the officers and men were just like him, maintaining an enthusiastic attitude towards work. Because everyone has learned about the fire and burning of two American aircraft carriers, as sailors, they know too well the consequences of the burning of the whole ship, unless the gods appear, the two Lexingtons are destined to sink. And there are still three aircraft carriers on their side intact, as long as they can stabilize the injuries of the Zuizuru and drive the aircraft carriers back to Japan. A complete victory is just around the corner.

Since 23 August last year, how has the Japanese Navy ever won such a hearty victory? When the news returns home, all of Japan and even the Axis allies will be encouraged by the victory of the navy! However, with a terrible shout, the Yokokawa Ichihei Zuizuru suddenly fell from heaven to hell. "Enemy planes! It's a ship-blown machine! At the end of the lookout's fingertips, more than a dozen silver-gray bright spots appeared on the top of the white clouds. Although the escort Zero quickly climbed and tried to block it, Captain Prece, the leader of the Saratoga dive bomber, bravely led the team to dive down to the Zuihe when it was likely that he would not be able to return home.

11 SBD dive bombers, at the moment as its name suggests. Deflect the fuselage and dreadnought.

As it turned out, it was their bravery and sacrifice that gave the rest of the Task Force 7 a chance to escape.

"Right full rudder! Full speed evasion! "The sailors of Yokokawa City never thought that when the enemy's two aircraft carriers were finished, there were still enemy planes in the sky! The aircraft carrier, with a full load displacement of more than 30,000 tons, is like a frightened deer dodging the eagle's attack, galloping wildly on the sea. The huge inertia when turning even threw several sailors out of the bow of the ship. "Be careful. Left! "Everyone was activated, and while the dense shells pounced on the enemy aircraft, the port lookout screamed again." Left full rudder! Under his reminder, the Zuihe, which had just completed the left full rudder, made a sharp turn again. Maneuver with a zigzag. It was able to avoid a bomb dropped from a height of 700 meters.

The water column less than 30 meters away from the hull of the ship pushed the hull fiercely with the big hand of a giant. "Turn right sixty degrees, anti-aircraft shelling!" Although Yokokawa Ichihei tried his best, he dodged several bombs in a row. But in the end, he did not dodge the 500-kilogram armor-piercing bullet dropped by Captain Preless. The bomb poured down from the middle of the deck and exploded in the hangar. The hangar, which was already full of oil and gas, suddenly burst into flames, and the shock wave was rampant. Knock down a Japanese sailor, rip off pipes, and set power lines on fire.

"Strengthen high-pressure ventilation! Boom! Without waiting for the bridge order to be issued, the Zuihe trembled violently again. The second bomb hit the port side and exploded after drilling into the waterline by inertia against the hull bulkhead. The explosion ripped open the steel plate of the hull on the port side, and a nearly four-meter-long gap appeared at the port side waterline, and a huge whirlpool suddenly appeared on the sea, and thousands of tons of seawater rushed into the gap.

Despite their best efforts, the Escort Zero was unable to hold off the last third bomb. The bomb hit the bow of the ship, which had been badly damaged, and not only that, but the US pilot who was hit was unable to control the plane and crashed headlong into the Zuihe Island! A few minutes later, the aircraft carrier Zuihe began to lean to the left, and billowing smoke billowed from the entire deck. "Open the starboard water injection pipe and start the pump! We must save the aircraft carrier! Send a telegram to Lord Tsukahara, we are attacked! ”

"Captain, the Yukikaze untied the cable and left!"

"Nani?!"

By the time the telegram was sent, Yokogawa Ichihei's entire face was blackened. But when he rushed out of the bridge, he found that the destroyer Yukikaze had untied the cable and hid far away! They also signaled flags because they were worried that the overturning would affect their own safety. Yaga! If you get closer, you'll die if you use a water dragon to help extinguish the fire!

The people of Yokokawa are stupid, but the disaster has just begun, because the cloud of smoke from the burning Mizuru has already been discovered by two American submarines. That night, the Mizuru, who had managed to stabilize its injuries, was sunk by a U.S. submarine 230 nautical miles northwest of Wake Island. The most annoying thing is that the Yukikaze, which was closely protected, was also attacked by torpedoes, but the two torpedoes that hit it did not explode because of fuse defects! It was also firmly inserted into the hull of the ship and returned to Yokosuka.

And the three MK14 torpedoes, which hit the Zuizuru using the same fuse and being ridiculed as the worst in the world, actually exploded.

"What!"

After receiving a telegram from Yokokawa Ichihei, Tsukahara, who was preparing for the second wave of attack, was poured from head to toe like a basin of ice water! "Could it be an enterprise number?" Shibata Takeo and the officers who were next to him quickly put away their smiles, and they were all nervous. You know, the US Pacific Fleet has three aircraft carriers, and the Enterprise did not appear from beginning to end! So, could it be the Enterprise that attacked the Zuihe? The thought that there might be a US aircraft carrier nearby, and that a large number of attack planes might have been dispatched, made them feel as if they were being targeted by a poisonous snake that spits letters, and their whole body is uncomfortable. You know, at this time, the three aircraft carriers were full of planes refueling and hanging bombs.

It must be said that the intelligence of the Japanese Navy was very poor. Before the war, the United States had at its disposal only five aircraft carriers. Because the Raider is undergoing a major overhaul in Virginia, it won't be back into service until at least the end of October. The Vespa light aircraft carrier, which was built by the Navy using the difference in tonnage of the Navy in history, did not appear here, because because the Chinese Navy's Sichuan-class service began to serve at that time, the U.S. Navy did not want a light aircraft carrier, and the premonition that the naval treaty might be dissolved, so the Vespa was secretly changed to the Yorktown-class No. 4 ship, which is currently being outfitted and will not be in service until at least August.

Tsukahara and the Japanese Navy only knew that the Yorktown had been wounded in Malta and that it would take at least July to repair it, but they did not know that Roosevelt had decided to land in North Africa. So Enterprise was transferred to the Atlantic as early as ten days ago. If they knew, then Halsey and Task Force 7 would be 100% wiped out! But there is no such thing as a war if and the thought that a large number of fighters are likely to be approaching, the first thing Tsukahara has to do is to find the Enterprise and do his best to keep the victory. So he immediately suspended the second wave of the attack, and sent all the fighters who came back early to search, and also sent Zero to protect Nagumo.

That is, the second wave of the attack, which was supposed to be launched at three o'clock, was postponed, and instead the two American ships of Lexington fled back to F4F on Wake Island. It has joined up with the surviving fighters there and assembled into a total of 37 escort aircraft. Wait until the reconnaissance plane reports that there is no aircraft carrier nearby at half past three, and relaunch the second wave of attacks to reach the sky over the American battleship, at least half past four! And the F4F "Wildcat" of the US military has been waiting for half an hour over the fleet.

Of course. Neither of these parties is currently aware, so Nagumo is also in a dilemma. At this time, his four Kongo-class battleships had blocked Rear Admiral Fitch's battleships, but compared to American battleships. The battle patrol foundation of the King Kong level is destined to be unable to form a battle line. In the face of four American battleships with a total of forty-four 356-mm guns, the only thing that could be done was to drag the opponent with speed. Wait until the Yamato and the second wave of attack aircraft arrive.

The Yamato is still 45 kilometers away from the battle circle, and in order to open fire, it must be at least 26 kilometers closer. But the US Navy is also breaking through at 20 knots, that is, even if Yamato maintains full speed, it will not be able to catch up until four o'clock. To make matters worse, there is not a single aircraft over the fleet at present, and they have all returned to the aircraft carrier to prepare for a second wave of attacks.

If the Enterprise can be found, then even if it catches up at four o'clock, there is hope that the American fleet will be completely destroyed. The question is, can you find it? Nagumo began to worry and stood quietly by the porthole. Do you take the plunge or give it up?

Just when Tsukahara and Nagumo were struggling to choose, 120 nautical miles east of Zuizuru and 110 nautical miles north of Wake Island, Rear Admiral Fitch, who had to make a bloody way to break through, had already led three battleships and quickly formed a battle line that once dominated the sea. "Turn the bow to the east and turn 180 degrees to the right! Shak, how much time do I have? He looked at the staff officer. The vice admiral is gathering the fleet, and the Maryland and Tennessee are still twenty-five minutes! General, the Japanese carrier-based aircraft has already left for forty minutes, counting the time to refuel and replenish the deterioration and return again, we have only seventy minutes at most! ”

"Seventy minutes." Major General Fitch had a dark face, his hands on the railing, and he leaned slightly. To this extent, it is not an exaggeration to say that the first battle between the US Navy and the Seventh Task Force was defeated. The only thing that can be done now is to run as far as possible before the enemy's carrier-based aircraft return. "May God be with us!" After the European War, on the deck of the British Royal Fleet, Rear Admiral Fitch, who was fighting with German submarines, slowly straightened his waist, solemnly pressed his helmet, and suddenly raised his voice: "It's not over yet!" Contact Wake Island and there will definitely be planes that will survive. Tell them, before four o'clock! Gotta appear above me! Gentlemen, get ready for us to get out! Report the array, report the number! ”

"A-Nevada in position, B-Oklahoma in position, C-Arizona in position, D-Pennsylvania is approaching. Captain Eddie says their cannon is still usable! The distance is 27,000 yards and the speed is 26 knots! General, they are faster than us! Calculate the angle! Tell me the wind speed. ”

"General! 23,000 yards and still approaching! God, they fired! ”

"Boom."

At 2:40 p.m., the captain had just reported the latest distance, and Tanaka Yorizo, who was leading the four King Kongs, opened fire first. "Shoot back, shoot back! Scony, I need the heaviest firepower! Let them taste it! ”

"Jack! Contact the Maryland, and I'll release smoke at three o'clock to distract those mongrels from their sight! Let them speed up! Teach them a hard lesson! Rear Admiral Fitch roared, and the four battleships of the Task Force 7 hit at the same time. It's a pity. Due to the stall of the Pennsylvania, it could not be lined up on the battle line, so it had to hide behind the flanks and fire separately with 12 356 mm / L45 naval guns. Boom, boom, boom, the forty-four 356-mm naval guns of the 7th Task Force threw revenge shells at four King Kong at a rate of one per minute.

On the one hand, there was an attempt to continue to expand the results of the battle and completely destroy the thirty-two 356-mm guns of the main force of the US Pacific Fleet. On the other side are two Nevada and one Arizona, which had just suffered a crushing defeat and were desperate to survive, with a total of 34 356mm guns. There were also the twelve 356-mm guns of the Pennsylvania, which were dragging behind, abandoning their own safety and determined to cover the retreat of the main force. In just a few minutes, a dense column of tall water rose from the formations of both sides. Black-brown smoke spreads from the bottom of the water column. It resembles a layer of mist flowing on the surface of the sea. The same caliber, almost the same weight of armor-piercing bullets, crazy to create the most terrible steel sound! Seventy-six naval guns sang in unison, and even the air was shattered.

"Hit!"

"Hit!"

Under this level of artillery fighting, any thought that it will be intact is a pipe dream! As the distance closed to 21,000 yards, seventy-six shells hissed every minute and fell around the opponent. Heavy armor-piercing shells either rolled up terrible waves on the surface of the sea or landed on the enemy's armor. Burst into a blazing fireball! The soft copper cap was squeezed out of shape, and the hard warhead chiseled through armor that seemed almost impossible to damage. The hot, spinning high-speed shrapnel turned into the most terrifying killer, in a cacophony of grinding teeth. Break through the steel plate and kill all living creatures around the blast point.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Major General Fitch took the lead in "scoring". Intensely surviving**, plus better fire control than in Japan. Helped the Nevada hit the Kirishima in 22,000 yards in the twelfth round. The armor-piercing shell was loaded directly onto the main armor belt, tearing a large hole. This was followed by thirteen rounds. The second armor-piercing projectile also coincidentally hit this position and exploded deep into the mine-protected compartment below. The explosion shook the Kirishima and the entire warship shuddered a few times. Then the damage pipe reported that the watertight compartment at the bottom of the port side began to depressurize rapidly, and the sea water poured in from the bottom of the ship like a fountain.

claimed to have accepted the world's most rigorous training method of Yueyue, Water, Fire, Wood and Gold, but was "scored" by others first, which made Yokokawa City unable to hang his face. Thankfully, three minutes later, the Hiei helped him vent his anger. The armor-piercing shell hit the Pennsylvania, which was trying to keep up with the main force, and the shell rushed into the turret of the 127-mm secondary gun, which was already wounded on the port side, and exploded after penetrating deep into the ammunition depot. More than 100 127-mm shells were detonated, and fierce and terrifying fireballs erupted from the amidships of the ship, like a corona erupting under an astronomical telescope! When the smoke faded, a huge smoke gap appeared on the port side of the battleship, which was inwardly recessed, the depth could not be seen clearly, and the width was nearly 15 meters, and the speed of the battleship dropped sharply from 16 knots to less than 13 knots.

"Slow down! The Pennsylvania slowed down! On the King Kong, there was a cheer. With 3,700 kilometers to Hawaii and 2,100 kilometers to Midway, without any islands and U.S. military bases along the way, 13 knots means death! "Dazuo, the rice animal has released smoke!" Before the cheers had passed, the three American battleships on the opposite side and the escort ships further away began to release smoke. "These fools, it's afternoon! Pull away a little and the wind will help us. ”

"Haha, the rice animal is really afraid of death, otherwise how could it release smoke in the vast Pacific Ocean on a clear afternoon?" Seeing this, Yorizo Tanaka and the Japanese officers sneered disdainfully.

"Dazuo, General Nagumo asked us to drag the rice animals!"

"Great, the Yamato is up!"

"When Tsukahara's plane arrives, we can sink all the rice beast warships!"

Nagumo decided to attack because he thought the Enterprise would definitely attack Tsukahara's Second Air Fleet. Time counts, it's not enough for the second wave of bombing, so don't worry about planes before dark. Of course, he also believed in his heart that the Yamato was not afraid of planes, so he hoped to compete for some credit. His decision made the equal officer of Yokokawa City not even care about the injury of the Kirishima. But the Japanese Navy did not notice that under the shroud of smoke, behind the three American cruisers lined up, two black dots were rapidly approaching. "I want to see something! To the south, behind them. In the watchtower at the top of the mast, a "cat's eye" rubbed his eyes suspiciously, and asked his partner to confirm.

"Is it a cruiser?" The gray dots that the partner also saw. But because of the smoke, and because there were a large number of escort ships behind the battleship, they did not dare to confirm it. It wasn't until the cruiser showed a glimpse of space that the strange-looking cage mast made them open their mouths sharply: "Battleship!" Three-point location, due south! "The officers of Yokogawa City are all standing on end. At this time, how could there still be battleships?

At this time, the bows of both fleets are pointing to the east, so it is not their own people who can appear from the south! "Colorado, it's Colorado!" Until the distance approached 28,000 yards, with the help of an eightfold Zeiss telescope, the "cat's eye" confirmed the target.

The high-pitched screams of terror spread throughout the fleet. Three Colorado, two Nelson and two Nagato, the most powerful battleships in the Navy's vacation. Even China's Beijing class is excluded because of the caliber. This is also the greatest confidence that the Japanese Navy can steadily suppress China and is confident that it can easily defeat them! So Yokokawa Ichihei is too familiar with the appearance of Colorado, and just by looking at it, the cold air rises quickly from the soles of his feet!

"Boom."

The Maryland and Tennessee, which were approaching under the cover of smoke, opened fire quickly, and the ratio of strength between the two sides suddenly became eight 406 mm guns, forty-four 356 mm guns against thirty-two 356 mm guns (the Pennsylvania had already fallen behind), and Yokokawa Ichihei had no chance of winning! "Full speed, pull up to 35,000 yards! Yaga! Why hasn't the plane come yet? Yokokawa stomped his feet and kept asking when the plane would arrive while directing the acceleration of the evasion.

The smoke tactics worked wonders, and the cruisers deliberately lined up in a row, using the cover of the Earth's curve, and the Mariland gave Yokokawa Ichihei a dismount as soon as it came up! In just four minutes, five salvos were fired from eight 406-mm guns. Dragged at the end, the Kirishima was beaten brutally, and an armor-piercing bullet drilled directly into the bridge. The violent explosion enveloped the entire bridge, and smoke rose from the bottom, and in an instant, the pagoda-like bridge burst into flames, killing and wounding 29 officers, including the captain Kono Manjo Daisa.

Fortunately, the Kirishima did not stall, but these two serious injuries still ended its war career in the dockyard.

Forcing out the four King Kongs did not make Rear Admiral Fitch happy, on the contrary, the crisis was getting closer and closer. But he didn't dare to disband the formation, for fear of being broken by each of the four faster King Kongs. So I had to adjust the formation and ask all warships to be ready for air defense. But what surprised him was that until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 37 F4F "Wildcats" from Wake Island appeared overhead, and no Japanese attack planes appeared.

"What's going on?"

"Is the HNA clock broken?"

"But my watch is also four o'clock, are they flying in the wrong direction?"

"How is that possible? King Kong is right across from us. ”

The officers talked a lot, and no one knew what was going on, and the Japanese attack aircraft group that should have appeared was not even a shadow. "General! General Fitch! The plane reported that a never-before-seen Japanese battleship was approaching! 32,000 yards away! God should be the Yamato! Just when they were wondering, the belated news shook the entire fleet! No one expected that the Japanese Navy would actually send the battleship Yamato, which had just been put into service.

30 kilometers away, a huge mast, in the surprised and frightened eyes of the US military masttop lookout, like a deep-sea monster, enlarged little by little on the sea level!

"Disband the formations and break through separately!" …… (To be continued......)