"Disband, disband!" The waters of Wake Island are filled with the shouts of Major General Fitch. Almost as soon as the battleship Yamato was recognized, all the battleships of the Seventh Task Force began to turn, like a nest of exploding hornets, scattering and breaking through.

It's not that my Uncle Sam is afraid of death, it's that he really can't beat it!

At the beginning of the construction of the Yamato, the world speculated that its main gun would not exceed Nagato, because the caliber of the main gun announced by the Shandong class was 380 mm. Coupled with Japan's extremely strict secrecy measures, when launching into the water, the nearby town was evacuated for 10 kilometers, and if you look at the sea, you will be imprisoned! Therefore, not to mention the United States, even those in Japan who know their true caliber can be counted in one slap. In fact, there are many examples of this caliber fraud, the most typical is the British George V class battleship, at the beginning of the construction of the British Navy decided to install eight 406 mm guns, but the United States claimed that the North Carolina class would be equipped with 356 mm guns, plus the German Bismarck also secretly said that it would be equipped with 350 mm, so Britain temporarily changed to 356 mm, it is said that it does not want to stimulate the Atlantic arms race. As the world's naval boss, Britain is full of joy and all countries are very face-saving, but by the time North Carolina is equipped with 406 mm and Bismarck is equipped with 380 mm, George V has already built most of them. Whitehall found out that it was too late to be tricked, because there was simply no money to develop a new main gun.

So it wasn't until the Yamato was commissioned that the Chinese Naval Intelligence was convinced that it was 460 mm, and then, according to the principle of alliance intelligence sharing, lazily notified Britain and the United States three days before the naval battle of Wake Island. Based on Japan's experience with Nagato-class battleships, both Kimmel and Halsey believed that the Japanese Navy would never dispatch the Yamato, and that it would be two Nagato-class ships at the top. Even without aircraft carriers, Maryland and six 356-mm big guys could easily suppress the Japanese battleship group.

But now? The Yamato actually came, and it didn't even have attack aircraft of its own.

It's going to be fatal!

70,000 tons of displacement! The two Marylands are not as heavy as anyone! Not to mention that the main gun is nine terrible 460 mm, the weight alone means tens of thousands of tons of extra armor! If you cut a knife, you will die first! Of course, there is a secret that is difficult to tell. Because it makes sense. 406 mm and 460 mm can also fight, but the main gun of the Maryland can not actually use the latest American 16-inch 1200 kg heavy ammunition, only 970 kg light ammunition.

What's more, the Japanese aircraft carrier has not yet appeared. If it is said that the formation navigation can exert anti-aircraft firepower, then it would be really stupid to add the interception of a battleship that cannot be defeated at all, and then to maintain a dense formation!

So, now there's only one way to run for Task Force 7! Don't hesitate to spread out, spread your feet!

If you can go back, one is one!

Dozens of remnants of the battleship, after receiving the order, exploded like a pot. Five battleships were the first to turn. Accelerating in different directions, the captains urged at full speed. The fast heavy cruisers were even more unlucky, and only the light cruisers and destroyers (including large torpedo boats) were the most unlucky, because according to the principle of retreat, they had to be protected by the battleship. You know, a battleship without the protection of destroyers is very dangerous to wander alone in the warring waters at night.

"Yaga! Coward, it should be a dignified decisive battle! In the face of the scattered and fleeing American fleet, the captain of the Yamato, Fukuru Shigeru, clenched his saber tightly, and he couldn't wait to fly over and slaughter them one by one. The Japanese officer next to him was even more gloating. One or two cursed Yankees did not plant. It is no wonder that they are unhappy, in order to call the Yamato, which is known as the "weapon of the town", the navy does not know how much risk and responsibility it has taken this time, and how many predecessors are worried and afraid at home. Seeing that it is all dominant now. It's a good opportunity to show off your might, but, but! Don't run!

"Furu-kun, a good captain, will not be impulsive because of the enemy."

"Hey! Please punish the general. ”

Nagumo's voice. Let Furufan calm down: "Pursue the Maryland!" "If you want to fight, of course, you are looking for the biggest threat. However, he didn't want to fight just one, so he asked Yokokawa Ichihei to surround one of them. Then let the heavy patrol monitor the Pennsylvania, which can no longer run, and wait for himself to sink Maryland and deal with them one by one.

The idea was good and it sounded practical, but in fact he overestimated the maximum speed of 26 knots that the Yamato boasted of. In fact, even though a lot of fuel is now consumed, the reduced weight of the Yamato main engine can only run 25 knots. At this time, the distance between him and the Maryland was 34 kilometers, and the speed of the latter was 21 knots, which meant that it would take at least an hour to get closer to the optimal range.

Yokokawa Ichihei, who received the order, wanted to make meritorious help, but the Kirishima had already been injured, and in order to protect the ship, it had withdrawn from the battle, and the remaining three thin-skinned and big-stuffed King Kongo-class ships casually surrounded the heavy armor-style American battleship, and they were not sure of victory. Of course, Japan also has a killer weapon, and that is to carry out torpedo assaults. But now it is daytime, and in the face of dozens of secondary guns at every turn, the lightning strike tactics will cause great casualties. With the victory in hand, they already don't want to pay the price.

Nanyun is also very clear, so look at the sky, very angry! What about Tsukahara's carrier-based aircraft?

Tsukahara was very angry, and dozens of reconnaissance planes searched for more than an hour, but there was no trace of the enterprise. Fortunately, he also knew that he couldn't wait, because he couldn't attack again after sunset, so he ordered 36 Zero and 56 attack planes to attack after a long time. Why so little? In addition to the fact that he also lost 57 aircraft before, it was mainly the "shadow of the Enterprise", which made him have to leave most of the attack aircraft behind just in case.

The battle has been fought so far, in fact, it has nothing to do with victory or defeat, it is completely a psychological struggle. The bravery of the 11 SBDs and the accident of the Zuizuru have always been like a needle piercing Tsukahara's heart. What's more, when the fleet has already won a big victory, as a gambler, you will also have the idea of keeping your chips. What's more, Japan has to face a stronger Chinese navy.

Poor intelligence, the psychology of the victory, the mentality of defending the ship, and the huge threat from China made Tsukahara 243 miss the last chance to completely annihilate the US Task Force 7.

"Enemy planes!"

"Gentlemen, for the sake of the United States, fight bravely!" When Tsukahara's attack aircraft group finally appeared in the sky, in order to protect the fleet's retreat, 37 "Wildcats" chose to meet them, just like Captain Pres, who attacked the Zuizuru.

Some people say that American GIs are greedy for life and afraid of death, but in fact, Americans just love life, so they like to use the simplest and most crude methods. Crush your opponent to death with massive amounts of steel. But when the nation needs to be sacrificed, they can also stand up. In particular, over the past 20 years, the US Navy has been training with the British and Japanese flanking attacks and the Sino-British flanking attacks as imaginary enemies, and its combat readiness level is very high.

One warhawk after another, rushing past Zero, repeatedly attacked the attack group in the face of the dense bullet rain of Japanese pilots. After the disbandment, the fleet was also scattered on the vast sea, which made it more difficult for the Japanese attack aircraft group, and they often pursued it on the side. I also have to deal with the F4F "Wildcat" that has gone crazy behind me.

At 4:40 a.m., the battleship Tennessee got its first bomb. 800 kg armor-piercing shells hit turret No. 2, and the entire turret was lifted and tilted to the side. Then the battleships Oklahoma and the Chester Heavy Cruisers also got bombs, followed by the USS Arizona, the USS New Orleans, and the USS Brooklyn. Rear Admiral Fitch's timely order to disband the formation and the cost of the total annihilation of all 37 "Wildcats" became the final turning point of this naval battle, and all the ships that were hit did not encounter continuous attacks, so they were able to continue to break through.

Of course, the biggest threat is still around, and someone has to step up.

"Captain. It's staring at us! ”

"32,000 yards, still closer! Can't shake it off! ”

"The Dale rushes up!"

Seeing that the Maryland, which had a maximum speed of only 21 knots, could not get rid of the Yamato, the destroyer Dell, which was closely protected, took the initiative to turn, and the captain, Major Brisson Alder, stepped forward. It was hoped that the torpedo could be used to slow down the pursuit. But his 5 127-mm naval guns were not even qualified to tickle, and before they could reach torpedo range, they were overwhelmed by 10 twin 127-mm rapid-fire guns on the starboard side of the Yamato.

It should be mentioned here that in the history of the Yamato-class battleships, a triple 155-mm secondary gun was installed that was eliminated by the most advanced class. But now that the Japanese Navy withdrew from the naval treaty early, the top level was built according to the heavy patrol standard from the beginning, so it used a combination of 20 twin 127-mm secondary guns and 8 triple-mounted 25-mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns.

Two Chaochao-class destroyers quickly pounced to block the Dale, which was covered in flames. Protect the Yamato and continue the pursuit. Inside the bridge, Nagumo stared at the Dell, which was on fire, and seemed surprised by the desperate spirit of the U.S. Navy, and only woke him up when he knew that a column of water was rising from a distance.

The Maryland fired first!

"No hits! Second round of reloading. Captain Hearst grimaced, unable to escape. Of the five American battleships, the fastest of which was only 21 knots, not to mention that many of them were bombed, and it is remarkable that they have been able to hold out until now. And he also understands why the carrier-based aircraft has not been attacking him, because the Maryland has become the prey of the Yamato.

In this case, he had only one solution, to fire first, forcing the Yamato to slow down and fire.

But he still underestimated the Yamato. As a stable shelling platform in human history, second only to the Shandong-class battleships so far, the Yamato, which fired at full speed, could still maintain a speed of 25 knots with a total recoil of up to 8,000 tons of nine main guns. "The left rudder is 50 degrees, keeping the bow parallel. Fight back! Send them to hell! As soon as the Maryland opened fire, Furushi immediately adjusted his sailing attitude. Having remained parallel to the Maryland, nine 1470-kilogram Type 91 armor-piercing shells passed through the winch and were quickly raised to the turret. After the soft actuator filled the shell into the gun, four more packs of large propellants were pushed.

"Boom, boom!"

There was no time to appreciate the excitement of the main gun fire, and the recoil of 8,000 tons pushed the 70,000-ton hull more than ten meters horizontally! Looking from the bridge, pointing to the six main gun muzzles on the starboard side, the spilled fireball was more than forty meters in diameter, which could wrap the entire turret inside! Thirteen tons of shells flew away at a speed of 780 meters per second, and every Japanese sailor who saw it was dazzled.

This is the pride of the Empire!

But the sigh did not fall, and everyone was dumbfounded. As the observation tower reported, the nearest shell landed two kilometers from the Maryland. "Yaga!" Furufan couldn't hold back his face, you must know that in order to make the Yamato quickly form combat effectiveness, the sailors and officers were carefully selected by him from the two Nagato-class, and a lot of training was also carried out during the half year of sea trials. With such a big deviation, what is the face of the Imperial Navy, which has always been known for its accuracy?

"Turn right 11 degrees, second round ready!"

While Frieufan angrily adjusted her stance to prepare for the second round of shelling, the Maryland had already fired a fourth salvo like crazy. For Japan, every shell of the main gun is expensive, so it needs to be aimed and then fired, but the US Navy does not have this concept, so all the officers and men of the Hearst and Maryland thought at this time. It's to fire, fire, fire! Even if you lose, you have to shoot more shells before you get hit. Under this mentality, the Mariland's attack was extremely fast, and shortly after the fourth round was fired, the fifth round of shells was stuffed into the chamber.

The efforts of the sailors were not in vain, and in the fourth round of shells, one finally hit the 410-mm main armor belt on the side of the Yamato. But the main armor belt, which was arranged at an angle, was designed completely in accordance with the defense of its own 460-mm guns, so the 970-kilogram armor-piercing projectile hit only one crack, and the warhead got stuck in the crack and exploded. The armor-piercing projectile had a very small charge, and the surface explosion was in addition to adding a black spot to the Yamato. It didn't play any role, but it made Furufan and Nagumo thunder.

"Fire!"

The sound of landslide-like shelling came from the Yamato again, and at the same time as the hull shook violently, almost all the officers and men rushed to the starboard side. Many people still have fragments in their mouths, hoping to hit the target. This time, the gunners did not disappoint Nagumo again, and the nine shells formed a perfect straddle, the nearest landing point less than 800 meters from the port side of the Maryland.

This means that the main gun is already aimed at the opponent. It's a matter of luck.

Although the next two rounds still missed, Nagumo and Furushi were no longer in a hurry. As the distance got closer, it was only a matter of time before the Maryland was destroyed.

But for Hearst and the Maryland, the most painful moment finally came!

Five and three minutes. The Yamato's sixth salvo ended, and the Maryland, surrounded by a huge column of water and explosions, came to an end. The surviving mast lookout of the USS Maryland said: "The enemy's artillery fire was extremely accurate, and it continued to straddle our ship. I looked up at the shells, which looked like dark blue bottles. It's straight as if it's going to fly into your eyes. I always thought we were lucky, but that time we were hit! I saw with my own eyes, David, that they were consumed in flames. "The armor-piercing shell seen by the lookout hit the main armor belt of the amidship from 27,000 yards away. The 1470 kg bomb easily tore through the main armor. With a creepy sound of bells, the shells exploded in the electrical compartment through four layers of protection in a row. "Boom!" The hull of more than 30,000 tons shook violently, and all the officers, including Hearst and other officers in the command tower, were shaken.

The explosion spread outward from the electrical cabin, shrapnel shredding all steel plates and internal structures around it, and igniting the electrical cabin and the adjacent habitation module. Wherever the flames went, no one was spared, and seeing that it was out of control, Second Lieutenant Mason, whose legs had been blown off, crawled to the phone with his breath down, gave the order to cut off the circuit, and pulled down the manual sprinkler switch at the last moment of his life. A large jet of water rushed into the electrical chamber from all sides, and the flames began to decrease little by little.

But the valiant sailors were unable to recoup the huge technical gap, and just as the Maryland insisted on firing a tenth salvo and hit the Yamato's hard main armor belt again, the enemy's seventh round of shells hit them again. This time, two out of nine shells "scored". According to diving observations many years later, the second shell hit the port side aft ship island and the secondary gun junction. After penetrating the multi-level compartment, the shell constantly changed its trajectory and went all the way to the engine room. 70 soldiers in the engine room were killed in the first place, and the main engine on the left side was scrapped! A large amount of heavy oil leaked out of the hydraulic pipes, creating a flowing sea of fire inside the ship's hull. The flames were held in the "steel box" for about 30 seconds, and then an earth-shattering explosion occurred. The dense heavy oil fire points and explosion flashes flooded the entire rear bridge, all kinds of parts were blown into the air, and more than a dozen lifeboats flew up to a height of 100 meters and fell to the sea with their stomachs turned upside down.

The third armor-piercing projectile also hit the rear, hitting the front of the upper turret No. 3 head-on. Eighteen inches of beveled armor blocked the shell, but the force of the impact broke all the barrels, and the seven gunners in the turret were killed by bleeding from their mouths and noses. "Sir!" The officers looked at Hearst one after another: "We can't hold on, we must abandon the ship immediately!" ”

"The back, the back is finished!" Burnt and blackened, the captain of the tube, barely visible in his uniform, stumbled into the bridge, one of his eyes still bleeding. At this time, the Maryland was lifeless, and the entire deck from bow to stern was filled with smoke and flames, and the sailors who could not hold it jumped into the sea. "Leave! Get out of here! Pull the alarm and let everyone go! Scott, steady the rudder! Signal, goodbye Maryland! Captain Hearst gave the order to abandon the ship, and the mast lights repeatedly sent the signal "Goodbye Maryland." Farewell to the fleet. But the act of shooting at himself while sending a signal, in the eyes of Furushi and the Japanese Navy, is an out-and-out provocation!

"Fire! Sink them! "Furushi gave the order to continue firing. The deadliest shell came from the twelfth round, with 24,000 yards of shells coming through the bow turret No. 2, piercing the turret shaft, shrapnel destroying the ammunition hoist and the flames flowing into the depths. Although the sturdy and tightly sealed capsule protected the ammunition depot, the pressure after the explosion lifted hundreds of tons of turrets, and thick smoke and flames rushed hundreds of meters through the cracks! The explosion also tore the broadside bulkhead. A large amount of seawater began to pour into the hull, and in an instant it was poured into the interior along the turret shaft.

The Maryland, which had suddenly gained more than 1,000 tons, finally could not bear it, and the bow of the ship first sank in the explosion, then swelled, and then was crushed by the sea so that it only exposed the deck. From a distance, the Maryland looks like a hellish express that is spitting fire and spitting black smoke into the sea.

At 5:23, after the seventh shell hit the USS Maryland, the battleship with a displacement of 33000 tons. Finally I couldn't hold it anymore. With the deck completely submerged, there was a large explosion at turret No. 3. According to the lookout of the heavy cruiser Tone, the explosion occurred underwater, first as the nearby sea water rose and fell as if it were boiling. Then a white ball of water mixed with heavy oil and human body erupted from the No. 3 turret, eventually forming a huge column of water with a diameter of about three hundred meters, breaking the entire battleship in two. The second half disappears into the sea almost immediately, and the first half rises high. After revealing the facilities inside, at an angle of about 40 degrees, it re-plunged into the deep sea and never appeared again.

1310 officers and soldiers. Only 517 people were rescued, and Captain Hirst and others were sucked to the bottom of the sea by the waves in the final explosion.

A one-way slaughter showdown that was later seen as a humiliation by the U.S. Navy proclaimed how weak the BIG7s in the era of "Navy Holiday" were in front of the super battleships.

On the deck, Japanese sailors cheered and jumped to celebrate the great achievement of sinking the BIG7, and the officers on the bridge also high-fived each other. Only Nagumo's face was not good, because the Maryland successfully dragged him for half an hour, and the number of attack planes sent by Tsukahara was not enough, so the other American warships had already run 60 kilometers. At the speed of the Yamato, it would take at least three hours to catch up with one of them.

Originally, he wanted to chase, because after nightfall, he could still play his best lightning attack, but the telegram sent by Yokokawa Ichihei made him retreat. Because when the Haruna surrounded the Nevada with two sister ships, it was hit by the other side three shells in a row, not to mention, it was actually forced out of the encirclement.

After receiving the telegram, Nagumo was so frightened that he immediately stopped the attack, he was very afraid of losses.

At 7:30 p.m., the Yamato used four shells to sink the Pennsylvania, which was already less than 10 knots, ending one of its best performances.

At nine o'clock, four Japanese cruisers began shelling Wake Island, and 3,500 Japanese soldiers completed the landing without bloodshed. But the 1,500 U.S. troops on the island held out and organized several counterattacks, and four destroyers took part in the night battle. In the end, after two days and two nights of fighting, the Japanese finally planted the Rising Sun Flag on Wake Island after paying the price of sinking a destroyer, officially cutting off Sino-US ties and making it impossible for the United States to threaten Japan for at least half a year.

So far, since the outbreak of the war, the two sides have invested in a naval battle with the largest number of ships and total tonnage, with the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carrier Zuizuru, the sinking of two destroyers, the wounding of two Kongo-class battleships, the slight injury of seven battleships, and the loss of 87 fighters, a total of 15 US ** ships were sunk, and more than 200 fighters were shot down.

In the early morning of 22 February, the last aftermath of the naval battle was heard from the waters off Midway. The battleship Arizona, whose bow was hit by bombs, and two escort destroyers, were attacked by Japanese submarines only 370 nautical miles from Midway. The Arizona, which had been wounded and had been sharply reduced, was hit at close range by two ninety-three oxygen torpedoes, struggled for forty minutes and sank, and the destroyer Worden was sunk at the same time.

When the news came out, the whole country of Japan rejoiced, but the United States was silent!

"Mr. President, this is a loss report."

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Stark took a deep breath and handed over the damage report. After only two glances, Roosevelt's hands trembled, and his face turned pale.

USS Lexington, USS Saratoga, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Arizona, USS Salt Lake City, USS Pensack, USS Minneapolis, USS Phoenix, USS Honolulu, USS Helena, destroyers Elwin, Dale.

The USS Nevada was seriously damaged, the USS Oklahoma was slightly damaged, the USS Tennessee was slightly damaged, the USS Northampton was seriously damaged, the USS Chester was slightly damaged, the USS Louisville was seriously damaged, the USS New Orleans was seriously damaged, the USS Brooklyn was abandoned after returning to port, the USS Philadelphia was seriously damaged, the USS Richmond was slightly damaged, and the USS Detroit was irreparably abandoned.

A total of 17 ships were sunk, 2 were seriously injured and abandoned, and 14 were injured to varying degrees. Of the total 284 fighters of all types, only 11 B-17s and 7 seaplanes escaped at the last moment, 13 of which returned to Midway, and 5 B-17s were pursued by Japanese planes and did not have enough fuel to return. Forced landing at the airport on the island of Mariana Pagan, controlled by China. 316 elite pilots and 513 crew members were killed or captured

Wake Island has become synonymous with the graveyard of the US Navy!

From the discovery to the explosion of the torpedo that finally hit the battleship Arizona, in just over forty hours, the US Pacific Fleet was almost completely annihilated. In the entire West Coast, except for the battleship USS West Virginia, there was not a single capital ship! The U.S. Navy, with a total tonnage of 1.27 million tons before the war, has plummeted to 1.01 million tons, and this is still counting the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which is under repair! The throne of the world's largest navy was also ceded to the Chinese Navy, which has a total of 1.23 million tons.

If we talk about the loss of warships and aircraft, it can be replenished in a year or two at most with the industrial capacity of the United States. Then the 11,895 outstanding naval officers and men who died at sea and 6,756 were captured (including the marines on the island) completely woke up the US government and the people, telling them what kind of arduous war was ahead!

"In the entire Pacific Ocean, there is now only one battleship USS West Virginia at its disposal. We have transferred the USS Wyoming and USS Arkansas to Pearl Harbor. Seeing Roosevelt's pale face, Marshall looked at Hopkins and decided to tell him the news. President of the Chinese Navy、Begin to assemble in Palau! ”

"I see." Roosevelt was silent for a moment, then waved his hand to disperse the crowd and closed the door himself. That same evening. He was taken to a Washington hospital for emergency treatment due to a brief shock.

The news of the Battle of Wake Island shocked the world! The Axis powers rejoiced, even Hitler, who had always looked down on Japan. It was agreed that the Japanese Navy had achieved a great turning victory, and that the opportunity for the Axis to win the war had arrived. And the whole United States is crying out in misery. It was only then that the U.S. government and the public realized that when they sat back and watched Europe and Asia strangle each other. While obtaining countless lucrative orders, the tactics of the US ** team and the army have quietly pulled a gap with the world's major military powers! In the Battle of Wake Island, both tactics and adaptability, quality and experience. The 7th Task Force was completely defeated. And the saddest of the people! It was undoubtedly Roosevelt, who was under tremendous pressure. Because he found that when he was not yet president, the policy of withdrawing from the Philippines and promoting "Sino-Japanese infighting" and preparing to return to the Philippines after the two families fought to the death and taking the entire Southwest Pacific into their arms had been completely undermined by the tremendous progress of China and Japan!

Five capital ships were sunk, three were seriously damaged, and even if two North Carolina-class and USS Vespa were to be put into service at once, the U.S. Pacific Fleet would not be able to operate for at least half a year. That is to say, Wake Island has actually been lost, because Yang Qiu is afraid that even North Korea will put aside first, and go all out to seize Wake Island and the Marshall Islands, seeking to close the second door of the United States to the Southwest Pacific.

He can even imagine now that Yang Qiu stood on the podium of the Congress, vowing to avenge the US allies and combat the arrogance of the Japanese fascists, but in fact, in his selfish intentions, he wanted to seize the island and block the door and seize the ugly face of the entire southwest Pacific.

He's got it!

Without Guam and Wake Island, the last gateway to the Southwest Pacific Ocean from Pearl Harbor is Coral Sea Rabaul, but that's a more dangerous place than the Ghost Gate!

Four days later, Roosevelt signed a presidential decree remoting Kimmel, commander of the Pacific Fleet, and Halsey, commander of the Seventh Task Force, from their posts and demanding that they be investigated. A week later, Admiralty Minister Steck was transferred to Europe. Two weeks later, Halsey was transferred to London, where Joseph King replaced Stark as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy, Nimitz as Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Spruance as Commander of Task Force 7, Fletcher as Commander of Task Force 5 (Atlantic), and Kincaid as Commander of Task Force 15 (Atlantic).

The bloody storm of 1941 has just begun...... (To be continued......)