Episode 112 Mutsu Launches

The left-wing group had now run out of bombs and torpedoes, and the leader of the left-wing knew through radio communications that the right-wing group was now engaged in a struggle with Japanese fighters at Yachiyo Airfield and had been "trapped."

At Yachiyo Airport, the air raid did not go as smoothly as at Atsugi Airport. Yachiyo Airport is a few tens of kilometers longer than Atsugi Airport, which is a few minutes away. And it was these extra minutes that almost most of the fighters at Yachiyo Airfield were lifted into the air. - It's not that the Japanese troops at Yachiyo Airfield reacted faster and trained better, they were on the same level as Atsugi Airfield. However, when the Ming army aircraft group flew to Atsugi Airport, many Japanese fighters at Atsugi Airport were already taxiing, and they were about to fly one step later. And the extra few minutes at Yachiyo Airport were enough for more fighters to fly up to meet them. And the fighters that had already flown forced the Ming fighters to fight with them, thus giving the Japanese fighters on the ground more opportunities to fly.

Now at Yachiyo airfield, air raids have become standard air combat. The Ming fighters were in a hurry and opened fire like crazy, bent on taking down all the Japanese planes flying as soon as possible. But the more this happens, the more it backfires. The Japanese fighters were not only fighting with the Ming fighters, but also attacking the Ming bombers. The Ming fighters also had to take on the task of protecting the bombers.

The bombers of the Ming army's right-flank group cannot be as "reserved" as they are with the left-flank group here, and all the "strafing first, saving bombs as much as possible" or anything must be left behind. Now for bombers, self-preservation is number one. Hiding from enemy planes with bombs is simply a quick death. Seeing that so many Japanese fighters were already flying up, the leader of the group on the right plane immediately made the wisest decision and immediately ordered the bombers to drop all the bombs on the airfield. - Of course, it would be best to throw it on a Japanese plane that had not yet taken off.

As a result, the bombs of the bombers of the right group were dropped on the airfield as soon as possible. This blew up all the dozen or so Japanese fighters that were still on the airfield. Along with the conning tower, hangar, etc., a lot of them also collapsed.

Although the Ming army had more fighters and more experienced pilots, in the face of more than 30 Japanese fighters and a group of bombers to protect, this battle would by no means end in three moments. The air battle over Yachiyo Airport was not over until the end of the battle on Yokosuka's side. After dropping bombs and torpedoes on Yokosuka, the left-hand group made a risky decision to let the bomber group return to the aircraft carrier on its own without escort, and the fighter group headed north to Yachiyo airfield to reinforce the right-hand group.

A few minutes later, a large number of fresh troops joined the warband. These 30 or so fighters were suddenly added, and the Ming army fleet was immediately in an absolute advantage. Japanese fighters fell down like dumplings. At the same time, the bombers of the group on the right were able to pull out and return to the south.

……

At 6:10 a.m., all Japanese planes at Yachiyo airfield were shot down. The Ming army itself lost 9 bombers, 11 fighters, a total of 20 aircraft. The result of the battle was the destruction of 56 Japanese fighters, two transport planes, one control tower, and two hangars.

At this time, the Ming army group finally got the opportunity to return, and at this time, they all drove the speed to the maximum allowed by the fuel, and returned in a flaming formation in a hurry. At this time, the Japanese planes at Niigatayama Airport and Nagoya Airport were probably not far away. The Ming army aircraft group should quickly fly back to the sea, and try to distance themselves before the two sides encounter, so that the follow-up Japanese reinforcements could not be found. It would be dangerous if the family followed all the way to the position of the aircraft carrier. That is equivalent to putting the old book on the table and letting the family fight.

At 7:00, the fighter group of the Ming army finally returned to the aircraft carrier. Prior to this, the formation of dive bombers and torpedo bombers had returned to the aircraft carrier. By the time the last fighter landed on the aircraft carrier, the entire aircraft carrier formation had already turned its rudder sharply and was speeding southward.

The elevators of the three aircraft carriers roared, rushing to lower the bombers, torpedo planes, and wounded fighters. At the same time, the ground crew dragged the oil pipes and the machine gun chains, refueling and replenishing the intact fighters on the deck, ready to take off again at any time. Two squadrons of vigilant fighters had returned to the deck by this time, while the other two squadrons had also risen into the air to reconnoiter near the aircraft carrier formation.

The tired fighter pilots did not bother to report the results of the battle, did not even take off their flight suits, and lay on the sofas in the standby room, eating their meals and resting quickly. There is no doubt that the Japanese army will be shocked and angry at this time, and will send a large number of planes to look for the Ming aircraft carrier. The Ming aircraft carrier formation is now about 200 nautical miles away from Tokyo Bay, and it will not be discovered for a while. If you're lucky, you can go all the way deep into the ocean without being detected. Then you can return home safely. Otherwise, there will be an air battle.

The aircraft carrier formation headed southeast at full speed, heading deep into the Pacific Ocean. The commander of the fleet knew that at this time he could not go all the way to the south, because more than 300 nautical miles due south was Iwo Jima. The Japanese army built an airfield on Iwo Jima. Although Iwo Jima is small and there are not many planes, it is easy to handle air battles, but now the worry is not whether it can be fought, but whether its whereabouts will be exposed. At present, there is the Japanese mainland in the north, the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa bases in the west, and Iwo Jima in the south. After a day or two of sailing like this, it was decided to open the distance, and then there was a big detour, from the east side of the Philippines to the south of Taiwan, and back to the sea area where the Ming army had air supremacy.

The surrounding reconnaissance fighters never encountered the Japanese planes. The aircraft carrier group is also getting farther and farther away from the shores of Japan. The four aircraft carriers and the surrounding circle of destroyers were all at full power, the bow of the ship set off surging white waves, the sea water kept rushing to the deck, and a large group of dolphins jumped on the sides of the warship. In this way, every ten minutes, it will pull farther away from the enemy reconnaissance aircraft.

It was not until two hours later that the officers and men of the fleet seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. If this continues, you probably won't encounter Japanese planes.

……

In Nanjing, the Supreme Command, Xiang Xiaoqiang, and the generals of the General Staff of the Navy were surrounding the charts and placing a new ship marker in a specific position. - According to the intelligence, it was the Mitsu detachment sent by the Japanese army.

According to intelligence, the flagship was the battleship Mutsu. There are also two aircraft carriers, the Akagi and the Kaga. Both are large aircraft carriers, each of which can carry about 80 aircraft, which is comparable to the Ming aircraft carrier. Of course, the biggest "highlight" is the battleship Mutsu.

The Mutsu is a sister ship of the Nagato, with a standard displacement of 39,130 tons, a length of 224.9 meters, a width of 32.49 meters, a draft of 9.4 meters, a main engine power of 80,000 horsepower, and a maximum speed of 25 knots per hour. It is equipped with 8 410 mm guns, 18 140 mm guns, 8 127 mm guns, and 98 25 mm guns. Like the Nagato, it was not only one of the strongest battleships of the Japanese Navy, but also one of the strongest battleships in the world at this time.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's "aircraft carrier demonstration operation" was very successful, and now every general of the General Staff of the Navy has been impressed with the aircraft carrier, and even the most veteran giant ship artilleryists are now greatly discounted in their superstition about battleships. Now it's not just Xiang Xiaoqiang, but even those old men don't care much about the Mutsu itself. After all, the record of easily sinking the Hiei is there. Moreover, there was a record of easily sinking two heavy cruisers before, which is enough to prove that this record is not a coincidence.

The problem is that this time there are two large aircraft carriers that came out with the Mutsu, and the aircraft carrier plus the column, which is more terrifying. The Ming Army's Tianshu sub-fleet had only three aircraft carriers, and its numerical superiority was limited, at least not absolutely. Coupled with this series of battles, there was a lot of damage. The numerical advantage is smaller. Moreover, the other side also has battleships, and at night, on days when the weather is bad, the Ming aircraft carrier formation can only avoid it in every possible way.

Xiang Xiaoqiang put a small model of a Ming aircraft carrier on the coast of northern Fujian, and hesitated:

"After a secret voyage last night and night, now the Tianquan has arrived here, approaching the northern tip of the island of Taiwan. We sent the Tianquan out to meet the return of the Tianshu fleet. So...... Should it be allowed to anchor in Keelung Harbor and wait for the Tianshu detachment, or should it also find an opportunity to break through the Ryukyu island chain and rendezvous with the Tianshu detachment? ”

Xiong Dingming pinched his chin and said in a deep voice:

"Obviously, the Japanese army sent the Mitsunoku detachment out to pursue and kill the Tianshu detachment. The Mutsu is one of the two old capitals of the Japanese Navy, second only to the Nagato. Now they sent the Mutsu, on the one hand, there are no other battleships in the country, and on the other hand, it is enough to show that the Japanese army is determined to win this time. So, how likely is it that they will accompany us in the vast western Pacific Ocean to play hide and seek? It shouldn't be big.

"If I were the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, I would put the Michinoku detachment on the Ryukyu island chain. This is the only way for our fleet to return home. The Japanese army suddenly increased the number of aircraft from two aircraft carriers, so it is difficult to say whether the air supremacy in the southern part of the Ryukyu island chain can still be in our hands. Therefore, I think it is best to put the Tianquan in Keelung Port first to increase the naval and air forces of our army in the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, additional land-based aircraft will be dispatched from China to bases in Taiwan. Make sure that once the Tianshu detachment is coming back, we can provide adequate air cover. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded slowly, feeling that Xiong Dingming's analysis was more reasonable. Then, suddenly, he said:

"If the Michinoku detachment is sent to the Ryukyu Island chain, where might it be placed?"

Xiong Dingming smiled:

"I'm afraid we have to anchor at the base in Okinawa. - But don't make up your mind this time. The Okinawa base has already been attacked by us once, but we can't do it again. Now the Japanese army has transferred a large number of planes from Japan, and the area around Okinawa is under tight guard. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang laughed:

"That's right."