Episode 25 Liaohai Horror

At 18:40, the second batch of 40 Kingfisher fighters received by the Ming army arrived at the battlefield.

These 40 planes were well fueled, and the pilots were also full of energy, and after joining the battle group, the number of fighters in the Ming army reached 130. At this time, there were less than 100 Qing fighters left, and the new Haidongqing accounted for only a quarter. The Ming army suddenly regained its dual absolute superiority in quantity and quality.

At this moment, the battlefield has shifted from land to sea, almost above the head of the Hongwu fleet.

32 Kingfishers escorted 15 Junkers, increased the throttle and continued to the east, while the remaining 98 Kingfishers stopped more than 20 Haidongqing and more than 70 Jebel, and began to scuffle without scruples.

This maritime battlefield was also hoped for by the Ming army, because once it reached the sea, everything below was in the hands of the Ming army. The Hongwu fleet scattered 12 destroyers and 20 minesweepers in all directions, searched for and rescued the parachuted pilots at the first time, and captured the Qing pilots by the way.

With such a balance of forces, it was obviously difficult for the Qing army to resist. Hai Dongqing was better, but the Jebel fighters were like dumplings, dragging long smoke down one after another. In addition to the fact that the biplane was inferior to the monoplane in speed and agility, it was also significantly inferior in firepower. Monoplane fighters usually have two on the wing, in addition to two machine guns in the nose. And the wing of the biplane is not easy to install machine guns, there are only two in the nose, and the firepower is only half that of the monoplane.

Under the blood-colored sun, the blue sea and the sky seemed to be repeatedly smeared by a paintbrush, and long smoke of various shapes and trajectories dragged between the sea and the sky, dragging out hundreds of meters and thousands of meters long, and did not dissipate for a long time. Some of these long smokes are white, some are black, some are gray, and some are dark red...... At first glance, it looks like a modernist painter's graffiti, which is very beautiful.

The sailors on the ships below were all holding on to the railings and tilting their heads, enjoying the magnificent scenery they had never seen before, and they were all so enthusiastic that they were almost stunned.

The sky is getting darker, the visibility is getting worse, it is becoming more and more difficult to see each other in the sky, and the firing efficiency is suddenly decreasing. Just ten minutes ago, several planes were knocked out in one minute, but now, it has been several minutes since there were no planes planted. Everyone just circled in the sky, and they didn't fire much. Occasionally, I could see a string of tracer bullets floating in the distance, which was very bright and dazzling.

……

The night landing in this era is a great challenge for both sides. It takes a lot of skill and a lot of training from the pilots to ensure safety. And this is exactly what the pilots of the Qing army lacked in the rear.

Although it is more difficult to land on an aircraft carrier at night than on an airfield, the opposite is true for pilots on both sides now. It was easier for the Ming pilots to land on the aircraft carrier at night than for the Qing pilots to land at the airport at night.

In addition, the "airport" of the Ming army is below, and if you want to land, you can get it in minutes, and if the Qing army plane wants to land, it has to fly back more than 100 kilometers, so now the Ming army fighter is fighting calmly, and whoever does not have enough fuel will fall down to refuel, and after flying up and continue to fight.

Seeing this situation, the pilots of the Qing army were stuck here by the superior group of other people's planes, and their 15 transport planes had already disappeared to the west under the escort of 32 fighters. If you don't return now, it will be dark halfway back, and it will be a problem to turn back and land.

Several brigades of the Qing army's aircraft group have now also received orders to return home. The Qing Air Force Command was also worried about the massive loss of planes after dark due to landing problems.

As soon as the order to return home was given over the radio, the remnants of Hai Dongqing and Jebe turned around and ran away.

The Ming fleet also breathed a sigh of relief at this time, and immediately ordered the aircraft group to land quickly while it was not dark. At the same time, the 32 Kingfishers that escorted the Junkers to the east were also called back and landed.

At 19:30, it was completely dark. But at this time, there were still more than thirty kingfishers circling in the sky, waiting for the deck of the aircraft carrier to be emptied. Everyone on both aircraft carriers was in the most tense state, and the elevators kept going up and down, and the planes landing on the deck were put into the hangar as fast as they could. At the same time, navigation lights were turned on the deck runway.

Among the more than 100 planes, those pilots who have fewer flight hours and are not very skilled have been arranged to fall first. What remains in the sky today are a handful of skilled old birds that are sure to land at night. But despite this, since seven o'clock when it gets dark, one or two out of every ten planes that fall off the runway. Either hit the barricade net, or rush straight into the sea.

Finally, at 19:50, all the planes landed.

The Hongwu fleet fired flares in all directions, illuminating the sea as if it were daylight. Destroyers, minesweepers, and lifeboats galloped across the sea, constantly scooping up the pilots who had fallen overboard.

The search and rescue continued until 21:30, and in this area, not a single pilot could be found, and the entire fleet turned around and headed east, heading towards the open waters of the Bohai Sea.

……

The Hongwu detachment sailed to a high speed of 27 knots. This is an offshore area, a dangerous area of water that is vulnerable to a sneak attack by torpedo boats. In addition, it is now the moon is dark and the wind is high, which is the time when the torpedo boats are active. The whole fleet was light-controlled and completely disappeared into the darkness of the night. Twelve destroyers raised their spirits and stood guard on both sides of the fleet.

At 22:20, the fleet sonar spotted several high-speed diesel engines approaching due north of the port side. The fleet immediately fired a series of flares to the north, and it was as bright as day within a radius of several nautical miles.

Under the light of the slowly descending snow-bright magnesium bombs, nine torpedo boats were spotted 5,000 meters away, dragging the white waves and quickly approaching. Immediately, the whole fleet fired in unison, the fire on the sea burst into flames, and countless fires jumped in succession and flew towards the nine torpedo boats.

The four destroyers also immediately drove at full speed to catch up with the hunt.

The three torpedo boat squadrons of the Qing army obviously did not have much strength in battle**, and seeing that the sneak attack failed, they fired torpedoes at a distance of more than 4,000 meters, and then turned around and ran. Two of the torpedo boats received several 40-mm shells and also dragged back with a raging fire.

In the vast darkness of the night, the destroyer did not dare to chase far away, and immediately collected its troops and returned to the fleet. The whole fleet turned due south at the same time, facing the torpedo with the narrower stern, minimizing its target area while driving at full speed.

A few minutes later, the last torpedo disappeared in sonar, and the entire fleet turned en masse again, turning back to its original course due east.

The narrow Bohai Bay was gradually left behind, and the fleet rushed into the vast Bohai Sea. Although the entire Bohai Sea was within the range of torpedo boats, the chances of being found were greatly reduced.

For the next three hours, the fleet was not disturbed by torpedo boats.

……

At 0:30 a.m. on May 9, the fleet was already in the very center of the Bohai Sea. 100 kilometers to the east is the Bohai Strait, and 120 kilometers to the west is the Dagu Mouth. To the north, you will enter the deep Liaodong Bay, and less than a hundred kilometers to the south will enter Laizhou Bay.

Now the fleet is at a crossroads.

At this time, the flagship Hongwu sent a signal and ordered all to stop and anchor, and the captains of two aircraft carriers and two cruisers came to the flagship for a meeting.

The signal lights went out, the fleet stopped, and the captains of the four warships boarded the battleship Hongwu in small boats.

In the large captain's cabin, the watertight covers of each round porthole were closed, and only the faint red light in the room illuminated the charts on the table.

The commander of the fleet held a pipe in his mouth and asked the captains for their opinions on whether to break out of the Bohai Strait overnight, or stay in the Bohai Sea until dawn, and then go out with a swagger as when they came in.

The five captains, including the Hongwu, agreed that it was better to stay in the Bohai Sea until dawn before going out. Because in the past day or so, the Qing army must have re-laid mines in the Bohai Strait, and it will definitely increase the density. It is difficult to clear the minesweeper in the vast dark night, and there will be many floating mines that cannot be seen. Moreover, the Qing army must have arranged a large number of torpedo boats on this route.

Minesweepers will definitely only be able to sweep out one corridor, the water area is narrow, and the fleet will find it difficult to maneuver and dodge in this narrow corridor, and it will be easy for torpedo boats to succeed. Whether it is a mine or a torpedo, as long as it is eaten, it will be a great loss, and it is very likely that the ship will be lost.

On the contrary, if you pass during the day, there is basically no danger. The batteries on both sides of the strait are not a threat anyway, and they are calm and mine-sweeping.

Of course, staying in the Bohai Sea until dawn also risks the whole night. The Bohai Sea is not an open ocean, and it is an acute triangle, with a distance of less than 50 nautical miles from any point to land. There were many small bases of torpedo boats along the coast of the Qing army, and it is conceivable that throughout the night, they would repeatedly attack and search for this Ming fleet.

But the opinion of the captains was that everything was relative, and that darkness was not conducive to our discovery of torpedo boats, and likewise not to our torpedo boats. As long as we hide well, it will be quite difficult for the enemy to find us on the pitch-black sea of several hundred square kilometers.

……

So, it was decided. The fleet commander made arrangements, and the four captains returned to their respective warships in small boats.

The fleet decided to play the base with a secret telegram, then turned to 030 and headed north-northeast, into the 200-kilometer-deep Liaodong Bay.

Liaodong Bay is the largest component of the Bohai Sea, 200 kilometers long and nearly 150 kilometers wide at its widest point. It is northeast-southwest trending, with the Liaodong Peninsula on the east coast and the Zhili-Liaoning mainland on the west coast. The waters here are wide and deep, and the coast is outside the Liaodong Pass, and the Qing army's torpedo boat bases along the coast are not as many as those in the Beijing-Tianjin, Shandong-Shandong, and southern, so it is a good place to hide-cat-cat.

At 1:40 a.m., the fleet sailed to the middle of Liaodong Bay. The commander of the fleet marked the estimated location of the fleet on the map. He was satisfied to see that there was no village in front of it and no shops in the back, and the two sides of the strait were very desolate.

On the Liaodong Peninsula on the east coast, Gaizhou is in the north, and Wafangdian is in the south; On the west coast of Liaodong Continent, Huludao County is in the north, and Suizhong County is in the south. Most of the place names on both sides of the fleet are ditches, mouths, two rivers, three rivers, and so on.

The Hongwu detachment stopped, anchored, turned off all the equipment that made sounds, and rested in this dark sea.

The destroyers also turned off their guns and lowered their anchors, forming a long circle around the fleet, using passive sonar to concentrate on detecting movements in the distance.

Hour by hour. It can be seen that the torpedo boats of the Qing army were also full of energy this night, searching for their lives in the Bohai Sea, and they had to give the Ming fleet one or two torpedoes.

"There will be brave men under the heavy reward," the destroyer's observer on duty joked on the bridge, "probably because the Qing Emperor opened the golden mouth and promised what officials and knights, which caused the captains of torpedo boats in the entire Bohai Sea to itch." ”

Darkness is an ally of the weak. The weak Manchu navy will definitely take advantage of the opportunity of the night to find a way to get the Ming fleet at once, at least not to let them go back completely. The Qing army knew that as soon as the day dawned, they would no longer be the opponent of this Ming fleet.

……

At 2:45, the sonar of the Hongwu detachment heard the sound of three high-speed diesel engines at azimuth 350, north-northwest, that is, in the direction of Huludao.

About five nautical miles north of the fleet, from west to east, moving far and slowly. Presumably on patrol search.

There was no movement for the next hour and a half.

At 4:15 a.m., the sonar heard the sound of a series of high-speed diesel engines at azimuth 180, that is, due south, in the direction of Fuzhou Bay, and the sound was getting stronger and stronger, as if it was coming in the direction of the fleet.

Soon it was heard more clearly, a total of nine high-speed diesel engines, about 30 knots, rapidly approaching.

The whole fleet sweated. Although they were not afraid of these nine torpedo boats, once the battle began, the fleet could not stay here, and immediately had to move its nest and find another place to hide. Moreover, once the Qing army knew that the Ming fleet was hiding in Liaodong Bay, it would soon gather a large number of torpedo boats to enter this sea area to search. That's when the trouble is.

Although it was night, the weather was still very sunny tonight, the sky was full of stars, and the sea was not so far out of sight.

The burly figures of heavy cruisers, especially battleships, can be seen in the night sky as long as they are within a few kilometers of a few kilometers.

…… 6 nm ...... 5 nautical miles...... 4 nm......

The commander of the fleet had already given an order that as soon as the enemy torpedo boats were heard to speed up or get within 5,000 meters, the whole fleet would immediately fire flares and open fire, and at the same time start to anchor and avoid possible torpedoes.

The guns of each warship quietly turned in the direction of the torpedo boats, and just waiting for the flagship's order, a series of flares were fired, and then ten thousand guns fired in unison, and the torpedo boats were bombarded to the slag.

…… 6000 m ...... 5500 m ...... The 5,000-meter red line is about to be breached.

……

Suddenly, as if the nine torpedo boats had been negotiated, they turned westward, and passed a distance of 5,000 meters. Under the "brilliant starlight", 5,000 meters away are the tall shadows of battleships and heavy cruisers, and the black chimneys, towers, and masts are not very obvious against the background of the night sky, but at least they can be seen with the heart.

On the destroyer on the perimeter guard, in the dim red light, the sonar soldier wore headphones, nervously adjusting the handle, and intently distinguishing the sound from the far side of the sea.

"The enemy turned to 265 directions...... Now it's 260...... Now it's 255 ......"

The sonar soldier muttered intently, and another sailor next to him quietly lay on the microphone and relay it word for word to the captain in the bridge command room above. The captain lay down in front of the chart table and gestured with a compass.

"The enemy is getting farther and farther away from us......" the sonar soldier said in deep thought as he listened to the voice in his headphones, "7000 meters...... 8000 m ...... 9000 m ...... 5 nautical miles...... Now the voice is weaker......"

Then he looked up and said:

"They're gone."

The sonar of each ship was heard. The entire fleet breathed a sigh of relief again.

It seems that there is hope that there is peace and hid until dawn.

An hour later, at 5:20, another set of high-speed diesel engines approached. But this time it's not so dangerous, the distance is relatively far, 5 nautical miles away from the fleet, from the northwest to the southeast at high speed, it seems to be heading in the direction of Fuzhou Bay.

Listening to the sound, there are still 9 ships, and it seems likely that the three squadrons of torpedo boats that passed past four o'clock have now returned to the base after turning around without gain.

……

At 5:40, the Hongwu detachment ushered in the dawn of dawn. Many sailors didn't sleep well this night, which was exciting enough for them. They simply got up early, stood by the railing, and waited to see the sunrise.

Now that the day is dawning, the sea has become the world of the Ming fleet again.

In order to boost morale and celebrate the successful completion of the mission, the fleet commander decided to raise the flag in the sea.

Six o'clock sharp.

Facing the magnificent glow of the east, the Ming flag was slowly raised on more than 30 ships of various types.

Facing the undulating sea of Liaodong with black waves, the sailors watched the national flag and the fiery morning sun rise at the same time, their hearts were surging, and they sang in unison:

“……

The mountains and rivers of the old country are all discolored,

The old palace turned into a mound.

Revenge Snow shame knows when the day,

Don't cut Loulan and swear endlessly

……”

Facing the Liaohai Sea in front of them, facing the land of Liaodong in the distance, singing tragic songs, most of the soldiers were already in tears.

……

At 6:20, the Hongwu detachment turned southwest and began to sail mightily towards the Bohai Strait. At the same time, two aircraft carriers began to fly the first reconnaissance aircraft.

At 8:30, the fleet again approached the Bohai Strait.

The Qing army guarding the strait suddenly felt like a great enemy, and the old Tieshan fort once again shot from a distance of 20,000 or 30,000 meters. But obviously, there is no result.

At 8:40, the fleet swaggered to the exit of the strait, and the minesweepers again began to minesweep.

Sure enough, the Qing army really laid mines again, blocking the safe corridor opened by the Ming army yesterday morning. However, it doesn't seem to have increased the density.

With the sound of explosions one after another, another safe corridor was opened up little by little.

The Ming fleet drove over again with a swagger.

The Qing fleet in Lushun was still very careful to shrink into the harbor, and did not dare to send out even a single torpedo boat.

At 9:30, the Hongwu detachment sailed out of the Bohai Sea and officially entered the Yellow Sea.

……

At this point, this large-scale "airdrop operation" has been officially completed.

Ming army losses:

Three Junkers 52 transport planes and 24 Kingfisher fighters, including five that were crashed during landing. 15 pilots killed or captured.

Ming Army Results:

Shot down 20 Haidongqing fighters, 41 Jebe fighters, 14 torpedo planes, and damaged two torpedo boats. 29 Qing pilots were captured.

As far as the exchange ratio of the two sides is concerned, this time it is obviously earned, and it is not light.

But judging from the purpose of this operation and the pay, it must be a big loss.

……

At ten o'clock in the morning, Fengtian Hall in the Forbidden City of Nanjing.

In these 24 hours, Bohai has become the focus of the world's attention. And now, a high-profile press conference is about to begin. In the main hall, nearly 100 Chinese and foreign reporters wanted to conduct interviews on the provocative actions of the Ming army on the initiative and on a large scale to find the provocation against the Northern Qing Dynasty three months after the war between the Ming and Qing dynasties subsided.

The main official dignitaries attending the news conference were: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of the Navy, Commander of Naval Aviation, Commander of Army Aviation, and Commander of the People's Guard...... The most eye-catching is the Princess Liaoyang of the Ming Dynasty.

…… It is the former Manchu Qing Dynasty's big spy leader, who was killed by Emperor Guangwu and his whole family, defected to Nanming to be a princess, and now bears the name of "Manchu traitor".

Of course, there is also the gossip that if Her Majesty is in a good mood, she may even come and show a small face.