Historically, the U.S. Navy counterattacked the Japanese mainland and took the South Pacific route of Hawaii, Midway, Saipan, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima.

However, in this plane, because Hawaii was taken by the Japanese early, and the process of counterattacking the Aleutian Islands was surprisingly smooth, the counterattack route formulated by the US Navy was inclined to take the North Pacific route along the Aleutian Islands.

The reasons for abandoning the South Pacific route were: First, the main forces of the Japanese navy were concentrated in Hawaii, and the losses from a forced attack were too great. The second is the complex strategic environment: it is too close to the British sphere of influence. In the Pacific War, both the British and the Germans played an unspeakably "dishonorable" role, and the US Navy even believed that the British must have participated in plotting against the US Navy in the Battle of Guam, but they could not find any definite evidence.

In such a situation, it is only natural to choose the remote North Pacific route.

Having easily captured the Aleutian Islands, the Americans successfully completed their first strategic step, advancing the front thousands of kilometers. But the biggest headache is that the long sea supply routes from the mainland to the westernmost tip of the Aleutian Islands are the U.S. Navy's greatest weakness – and of course, if you take the South Pacific route, this problem is also a problem.

However, compared with the South Pacific, the island chains in the North Pacific are densely populated and have short interstitial distances. From a defensive point of view, it is much safer than the relatively sparse island groups in the South Pacific -- and in this plane, the islands of the South Pacific are close to the British-controlled zone, and the Americans do not want to choose the battlefield here no matter how arrogant they are.

If they did not know that the "gods" existed, the Americans might have sent a large army to attack Hawaii and launch a recapture operation. But the appearance of the ship spirit changed the form of war. The existence of the "divine messenger" has given the US Navy a "solemn" mission: to slaughter the gods.

The Americans had the courage to challenge a Japanese "god" to "slaughter (evil) gods and preach the Tao" and prove themselves to be the "whip of God," but they did not have the courage to go to war with two "gods" at the same time.

In the face of the Japanese Navy, which has a ship spirit, in order to ensure the absolute safety of this supply line of more than 8,000 kilometers. The U.S. Navy's approach was to build a large number of land-based airfields on the newly occupied islands in the Aleutian Islands, and then send a large number of B17 four-round reconstructed long-range reconnaissance types to station.

In the face of the terrible night fighting capabilities of the Japanese "gods", the U.S. Navy's response was very simple. In order to prevent the supply fleet from being attacked by ships, the supply fleet from the mainland, escorted by a large number of escort ships and destroyers, sailed as close to the coastline and islands as possible so that it could be supported by shore-based aviation at any time.

At the same time, where the supply fleet went, near shore-based airfields. A large number of B17 long-range reconnaissance types with four heavy bombardments were taken off to conduct intensive dragnet searches in the 1,000-kilometer radius of the sea area, ensuring that no Japanese warships would be given a chance to sneak attack at night.

The maximum speed of a high-speed warship in World War II was about 30 to 32 knots, which is almost equivalent to 60 kilometers. However, this is only the maximum speed that can be achieved in a short period of time, and it is impossible for the boiler to run continuously at full load for a long time. Usually the average maximum speed is between 24~25 knots, which is 42 km/h.

24 hours a day. As far as the US Navy is concerned, as long as it guarantees that there is no Japanese surface fleet within a 1,000-kilometer range, it does not need to worry about being attacked at night. The premise is only that enough airfields need to be built and enough long-range reconnaissance aircraft need to be taken off.

It's a stupid approach, but it's very effective. Until July 1944, under the threat of a large number of B17 long-range reconnaissance types, the Japanese Navy tried several times to get close to the route of the U.S. supply fleet and wanted to sneak attack. All of them were discovered in advance by the B17 reconnaissance type, and the suddenness of the sneak attack was lost. After receiving the warning, the escort fleet immediately changed course, and US planes from shore-based airfields in various places swarmed up to attack the Japanese fleet, which was vainly trying to approach a sneak attack.

The Japanese Combined Fleet led by Li Huamei tried to get close twice, but both were under pressure from US shore-based aircraft. Forced to give up early.

Because of the "Yamato Nadeshiko" early warning and the fact that the Japanese side was also very cautious, every time the US planes sorted, the Japanese surprise attack fleet, which had detected in advance that its whereabouts had been exposed, changed course and abandoned its mission before a large number of US planes rushed to the skies, but they did not suffer further losses. However, the US military's overwhelming combat method still made the Japanese side feel tremendous pressure.

At first, Li Huamei did not want to blindly fight hard with the US planes, and in the initial operation to break diplomatic relations, once she realized that the position of her fleet had been exposed, she immediately gave up the task and retreated, and then retreated the fleet to the edge of the combat radius of the US shore-based fighters, and deliberately chose to engage in air combat with US land-based planes at this extreme distance.

However, the US side was not fooled, and the purpose of their group was only to ensure the safety of the escort fleet, and at the same time, it was desperately trying to lure the Japanese fleet to the attack range from the shore-based airfield to launch a sneak attack.

Between April and May, the contest between the US and Japanese navies in the North Pacific turned into a constant test between shore-based air forces and aircraft carrier fleets. In the eyes of the Americans, the supply fleet moving at sea was a decoy to lure the capital ships of the Japanese Navy closer. And the U.S. Naval Operations Department ~~ Captain Nimitz told his pilots.

"In an air battle, it doesn't matter if we can't sink the Japanese warship because of the range. The United States of America can train dozens of times more pilots in a year than Japan. When you take to the skies and encounter Japanese planes, it will be considered a victory if you shoot them. ”

In Nimitz's view, if the escort aircraft carrier fleet is not only responsible for the supply task, but also the other biggest role is to undertake the decoy task of the Japanese fleet to introduce land-based air forces into the attack range.

Li Huamei herself is the number one ace pilot who knows the tactics of flying very well, and no one in the world can match her understanding of the tactical application of the air force. She is well aware that a head-on confrontation between the aircraft carrier and the shore-based airfield is a very disadvantaged thing, and she is also very aware of the gap between the United States and Japan, and she did not easily fall for Nimitz. When mobilizing the fleet, it has always taken advantage of the advantages of fuel and the characteristics of its own fleet as a "mobile airfield" at sea, and deliberately chose to move the fleet at the edge of the combat radius of the enemy's fighters. As soon as it discovered that the US attack plane group was approaching, it immediately mobilized its fleet and withdrew outside the combat radius of the US fighters at the first opportunity.

Air battles at sea, for aviation. The most difficult question was whether it would be possible to accurately find the enemy's swimming fleet in the open sea. Even if there was an early warning report of the direction of the reconnaissance plane beforehand, the time for the plane to take off and head for the target was only half an hour, or even two hours later, and this time was enough to move the fleet nearly 100 kilometers away.

Faced with a sea target moving at high speed at a speed of more than forty kilometers per hour. It is not uncommon for attack aircraft to strike in the air. In front of the ship's spirit, which had opened the map, the movements of the US attack aircraft group were even clearer, and Li Huamei was able to mobilize the fleet in time to change course and avoid the strongest attack front of the shore-based planes.

In the first naval and air battle at the end of April, the first wave of attack aircraft dispatched from shore-based airfields in the United States at that time included 30 dreadnought dive bombers, 20 B26 bombers from both sides, 12 B17 four-engine heavy bombers, and a full 60 land-based F4U3 Corsair fighters.

At that time, Li Huamei's subordinates led the main fleet with the four aircraft carriers of Akagi, Canglong, Feilong and the newly commissioned Dafeng as the core to confront the US aircraft.

After discovering that the large ~~ piece of US military aircraft group pressed over. The Combined Fleet at that time "exactly" swam within the radius of the attack limit of American attack aircraft.

Li Huamei immediately ordered the fleet to turn around and change course and retreat, after avoiding the edge, and successfully caused the American plane to miss the target, and after a few minutes of helpless searching, it was forced to abandon the mission and return home because the residual fuel reached the brink of danger.

At this time, the four Japanese aircraft carriers, the main carrier-based fighters have been replaced with more advanced purple electric reforms. Of the 80 Zidian planes that took off from the four aircraft carriers, 30 of them first followed Li Huamei's instructions. Launch a feint attack on the American aircraft group and lure the escorted F4U3 pirates into battle.

And then this batch of purple electric changes to lure the enemy. As soon as they came into contact, they immediately avoided the battle and did not entangle too much with the US planes -- because they had just taken off and had the advantage of fuel, they deliberately retreated after the slightest entanglement with the US fighters to lure them into pursuit.

Long-distance air combat at sea, lack of ground air traffic control guidance. The American pilot, who was young and vigorous in his own right, was quickly fooled. A large number of escorted F4U3 pirates broke away from the escort group and pursued the first batch of Zidian fighters to lure the enemy. The result gave the second wave of violet fighters hiding nearby a chance to raid.

In the first wave, the 30 SBD dreadnought bombers attacked by 50 Zidian fighters, almost all of them were wiped out, and more than 10 B26s were shot down and damaged. And after the end of the air battle. The returning F4U3 Corsair fighter was unable to fly back to the shore-based airfield because of the exhaustion of fuel, and more than 30 Corsair fighters plunged headlong into the sea on the way back, and the pilot was forced to parachute out at sea. Fortunately, the United States' maritime rescue capability is extremely strong, and most of these fighter pilots who abandoned their planes and parachuted survived.

This confrontation between the Japanese Navy and the land-based aircraft of the US Navy ended in a resounding victory for the Japanese side.

But afterwards, when Li Huamei and the fleet commander Xiao ~~ Sajizaburo reviewed the battle, Li Huamei shook her head in private and said:

"In the air battle, we did achieve a tactical victory, but in the naval battle, it was the Americans who won the victory, they drove us, kept the supply fleet, and achieved their strategic goals."

It was a large-scale air battle between the United States and Japan in the North Pacific on April 30. After the war, the Japanese pilots who participated in the war reported to Li Huamei that the performance of the opponent's F4U Corsair fighter was extremely good, and it was comparable to its own Zidian fighter. In other words, in terms of fighters, the Japanese side's superiority in performance has been completely leveled by its opponents.

In this battle, the American planes suffered heavy losses, while the Japanese side lost only four Zidian fighters, many were injured, and the lost pilots were all rescued after parachuting.

The fact that the ratio of losses exchanged in air combat between the two sides was so outrageous was not an advantage in the performance of Japanese aircraft, but a victory in the use of tactics.

In air combat, the pilots of the Zielectric fighters, once the air combat situation is unfavorable, they turn on the engine's water jet afterburner system and run desperately to compete with the pursuing US planes for the fuel stock in the fuel tank. This style of fighting, while scoundrel, is very effective. When the fighters of the two sides were entangled, almost all the US fighter pilots had to give up the air battle with great reluctance to give up the air battle within five minutes of the start of the air battle.

However, the opponents of the young American pilots are elite veterans who have flown more than 1,000 hours, and they are above them in terms of both flight skills and actual combat experience, and they have the spirit of the ship to provide them with "all kinds of hanging": they provide correct tactical advice, they have an excellent grasp of the timing of air combat, and they can mobilize nearby "friendly planes" at any time to provide support to "friendly planes" in an unfavorable state, so they have a big advantage in air combat.

In the following month, the combined fleet led by Li Huamei continued to roam the route of the Aleutian Islands, actively seeking fighters. However, the Americans, who had been alert and had learned the lessons of the past, learned the war in the course of the war, grew up very quickly, and after learning the lessons, they quickly made targeted improvements in the use of tactics.

In the following month, planes of both sides engaged in several small-scale air battles in fragments, but the US side, which had learned the lessons of the previous situation, was no longer easily fooled; although the Japanese planes relied on the guidance of ground air traffic control to take advantage of the air battle, they did not achieve such an excellent exchange ratio as in the first air battle.

Although the ratio of losses between Japan and the United States in the air battle was still as high as 1:4, Li Huamei had already smelled the dangerous smell. She knew that as time went by, the United States would deploy more and more planes in the Aleutian Islands, and the loss of pilots in previous air battles would not matter to the American beast at all, and she would have to reconsider the new attack tactics.

At this time, the Japanese attacking fleet, after a long period of continuous naval operations, must also return to the sea to receive maintenance and replenishment. So after June, the raiding fleet retreated back to Ben Trim.

Afterwards, the US side announced that it had won the Aleutian Islands in the battle to break diplomatic relations and fight against the Aleutian Islands, while the Japanese side boasted about the exchange ratio between the two sides in the air battle.

After the war, Li Huamei told Emperor Chonghito that the victor of this sortie should be the Americans, because they achieved the strategic goal they wanted, and the Combined Fleet did not fulfill the strategic intention of sinking a large number of American warships. (To be continued......)

PS: Ask for a thumbs up