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Eight B-17 "Flying Fortress" bombers were supposed to bomb the Japanese airfield on Bougainville Island, because the route happened to pass over the battlefield sea.

The battleship "Washington" was in critical condition, and according to the temporary dispatch, all the 16-ton bombs carried by these big guys fell from the sky and were thrown over the head of the "Izumi."

Although the surface area of this Japanese battleship was very large, it was very difficult to hit the bombing from an altitude of 5,000 meters, especially if the target was still maneuvering at high speed to evade.

Lowering the altitude would have improved accuracy, but the threat posed by the anti-aircraft fire on the Izumi to the B-17 would have increased dramatically.

Eight twin 105-mm 45SKC/33 anti-aircraft guns were a threat to the "big birds" between the clouds, forcing them to bomb the infrastructure as they were bombed.

"Boom ......"

The sea near the "Izumi" was exposed one after another, and the battleship seemed to be moving at high speed almost grazing the barrage of the other side.

Most of the ammunition dropped by the B-17 was thrown into the sea, but three bombs still hit the aft turrets C and D.

Half of the battleship's main gun fire was immediately paralyzed, and the billowing smoke from the damaged part was also photographed by the US air force as proof of the results.

Such a vigorous carpet bombing also has to pay a certain price, especially when the opponent has large-caliber anti-aircraft guns.

Although the maximum speed of this big guy can reach 462 km / h, in the face of anti-aircraft fire, it is still a group of "stupid birds" flying slowly.

From appearing near the target to flying out of the radius covered by the opponent's fire, this group of "stupid birds" had to be baptized by at least fifty waves of shells.

This is all large-caliber shells, and if you add forty-mm "Bofors" shells, then it will go to the sea.

Fortunately, the "Bofors" were concentrating on packing up the dive bombers and torpedo planes, and they did not have time to pay attention to them for the time being.

A B-105, which was hit in the abdomen by a 17-mm shell, broke in two on the spot, and the crew was swept away by the turbulence before they even had time to parachute.

Not far from it, there was also a hapless "Flying Fortress" that was shot in the right wing and, having lost its balance, dragged the flue and fell to the sea.

After paying the price of the two bombers being shot down, the B-17 group that had finished dropping the bombs slowly departed.

The airspace of the battlefield was left to the friends covering the battleship "Washington", who were fighting bravely with the only target on the sea.

The nearby U.S. military sent out all the flying machines that could go to the sky and wrapped them around the "Izumi," like a swarm of hornets besieging the bears.

The attack fleet consisted of sixty-six F-4F Wildcat fighters, thirty-two TBF Avenger torpedo attack aircraft, and thirty-seven SbD Dreadnought dive bombers.

The anti-aircraft gun crews on the battleship were all in full force, firing frantically, and the shells that were all shot out formed a hill next to the gun emplacement.

A barrage of hundreds of fiery snakes bloomed in the air with gray-black flowers of death, and the slightest mistake in the US fighter plane would be hit and burst into flames.

Despite all the dangers, the brave and resilient air cowboys did not hesitate to attack the Japanese battleships.

They did not believe that not a single battleship, having been hit three times, would survive.

Even if the ship in front of you is so lucky, the fleet will resolutely and thoroughly send it to the bottom of the sea.

The SbD Dreadnought dive bomber, which flew above the target at an altitude of 3,000 meters, howled and rushed at its prey at a near-vertical angle.

Obviously, this kind of near-combat attack will put both friend and foe to death.

But if it doesn't, the Dreadnought will also be like an "flying fortress", throwing most of the bombs into the sea.

There is no doubt that thousands of kilometers before the SbD bomb is dropped will be fiercely blocked by anti-aircraft fire.

In the face of the furious fire from the barrage-like "Bofors" anti-aircraft guns, not all US pilots were accompanied by good luck.

Even though there are many veterans in the participating troops, many of them still can't escape the fate of being shot down.

Constantly "dreadnought" types were hit during the dive phase, and then burst into flames and turned into a cloud of fireworks.

The situation of the "Boom ......" and "Izumi" was not much better, and within a minute, two 1,000-pound bombs fell on the ship one after another.

However, two light cruisers and four destroyers sent by the Mikawa Army had already arrived at the scene of the incident, which to a certain extent relieved the air defense pressure of their own battleships.

In the end, thirty-seven SbD "Dreadnought" dive bombers, and as they dived and climbed, eighteen were shot down by the raging artillery fire.

Another five planes were damaged and could not return to the sea, and they were forced to land in nearby waters, and the remaining 14 planes were safely evacuated from the battlefield.

The TBF "Avenger" torpedo attack aircraft group was not so lucky, and they were the target of the "Hequan" as a key defense.

For as long as God makes it visible to adults, it can be repaired immediately.

However, the hull under the water cannot be repaired in time in wartime.

Previously, the "Izumi" had been hit by two torpedoes, and now there is still a hole in the left and right sides that has not been filled.

Many of the 20-mm Flak-36 anti-aircraft guns, which did not have an outstanding shooting height, were turned into a flat-fire state and were used to block the attack of the "Avengers".

The range of American torpedoes is no more than six kilometers, while the range of the Flak-36 is close to five kilometers.

Because it was impossible for the "Avenger" to drop a torpedo at a marginal distance, it would be almost impossible to hit a Japanese battleship in a high-speed evasive state.

If they were to be tested at a distance of two kilometers, they would be killed by Flak-36 at least two kilometers from a penetrating distance.

Moreover, after the bomb is dropped, it turns and flies away, and the "Avenger" has to fly over the same escape distance, which is also extremely dangerous.

Even then, thirty-two TBF "Avenger" torpedo attack aircraft caused considerable trouble for the "Izumi".

This was due to the fact that the American forces changed their attack strategy, and all torpedo planes attacked from the starboard side of the battleship.

First, it is possible to concentrate superior forces and offset the blows of the enemy's shipborne anti-aircraft fire as much as possible.

Second, it was able to take advantage of the location of the "Izumi" to avoid the resistance of the Japanese support fleet coming from the north.

After losing fifteen fighters, the remaining "Avengers" broke through the anti-aircraft fire network and went into bomb throwing distance.

"A torpedo was found on the starboard side!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Thirteen of the seventeen Avengers successfully dropped Mark 13 aerial torpedoes, and four were destroyed by artillery fire during the launch.

The thirteen Mark 13 torpedoes in the full-speed sprint were like sharp harpoons, stabbing straight into the belly of the "tuna".

"Boom ............"

The "Izumi" had tried its best to evade it, but in the face of the fan salvo carried out by the "Avengers", it still avoided it and was suddenly shot.

The starboard side of the battleship was exposed to four columns of water in succession, which was the best result for both the attacker and the defender.

Removing the avoided torpedoes and duds, it was possible to achieve a hit rate of close to a third, and the "Avenger" pilots were already very satisfied.

"Rub~!" The young man who was shocked by the violent exposure and explosion in front of him suddenly had a big bag bulging in his head.

"Your Excellency, are you alright?" This frightened Masao Nishida

Ruoyue Xin rubbed her teeth and asked in pain, "...... What happened to the battleship? ”

Masao Nishida hurriedly replied: "Four torpedoes were hit on the starboard side, and I ordered to pour water into the port side to restore balance!" ”

The U.S. air strike was effective, with eight bombs and four torpedoes hitting the target and successfully slowing it down.

One of the torpedoes hit the power system of the "Izumi", and after the failure, now the propeller has stopped working.

According to the relevant statistics of the US military, the battleship has already hit nine torpedoes and thirteen bombs.

It should have been heavily damaged, and if nothing else, another air raid would surely sink it.

However, the wounded part above the waterline of the "Izumi" was once again repaired immediately by the divine envoy.

After the U.S. fleet left, the range of the battleship on the opposite side was sufficient, and Wakatsuki Nobu immediately went into the water to repair the part that entered the water.

In a quarter of an hour, the "Izumi" closed the loopholes in the waterline, began to quickly discharge the incoming water, and gradually restored its original combat effectiveness.

"Your Excellency, we ...... now" Nishida Masao was not sure if the other party would be able to continue fighting

"How's the crew doing?"

“…… More than 100 people were broken and more than 500 people were injured, but everyone's morale was very high! ”

"Hmmm......"

"Boom~~~"

Just as the young man of the second cargo was thinking, a loud noise came from afar.

Everyone in the command tower was stunned, and then picked up the binoculars and looked at the source of the sound.

More than twenty nautical miles away, Rear Admiral Lee's flagship battleship "Washington" was hit by two torpedoes.

After succeeding, the "Yi"-2101 and "Yi"-2103 submarines ran out of three nautical miles in one go, and found that the US destroyers had not pursued them.

As a result, the two captains were emboldened again while rejoicing, and they also understood the real reason why the other side did not have anti-submarine -- the battleship "Izumi."

In this case, the two boats saw through their periscopes that the American fleet was retreating in a hurry, and they decided to turn back.

This time, the "I-2101" and "I"-2103, which were trying to get a big vote, fired a total of 12 torpedoes.

With four hits on the moribund "South Dakota", the 45,000-ton treaty-class battleship was sunk directly.

Although it has not completely disappeared from the sea, it is certain that it will become an "aquarium" from an oblique point of view.

If possible, you can continue to compete with the Hiei and Kirishima who have been waiting there for a long time.

The "Washington" dodged the six torpedoes that pounced on it, dodged it and was hit abruptly by the other two.

Fortunately, the American battleship had thick skin and extremely high defense, and two torpedoes could not help it.

"Damn bastard!" If it weren't for the fact that the destroyers were busy carrying the wounded and retreating, Rear Admiral Lee would have sent them to pull out the Japanese submarine under water and kill it.

"I didn't expect Lao Tzu to put so much effort into letting you eat ready-made ones in the end!" The young man of the second cargo has already guessed that this is a good thing done by the 21-class submarine

Even if other Japanese-made submarines had the courage to do so, they would not be able to easily approach the core area where the main warships of the US military were located.

Only Class 21 submarines can successfully penetrate the defense without realizing it, and then attack the opponent's capital ship in an instant.

"Mr. Captain, let's rush over and see if we can get some more!" Ruoyuexin was embarrassed to say that it was leftovers

As long as the "Izumi" can sink a US battleship, it will be worth the trip.

Just knocking out a few cruisers is a bit overkill for a warship of the H41 class.

"Okay! Your Excellency! Nishida Masao also heard the dissatisfaction in the adult's tone

If you were to change yourself, you will also be disgusted by other troops coming over so blatantly to grab food.

Theoretically, the main guns of the "Izumi" had a longer range than the opponent and could sling American battleships.

Moreover, after resuming the speed of twenty-eight knots, it is at least one knots faster than the other side, which can definitely reduce the distance between the two sides.

The maximum underwater speed of the 21-class submarine is only 17 knots, which is nearly 10 knots slower than the two types of treaty-type battleships equipped by the US military.

After the first blow was successful, they had no choice but to continue to attack the American battleships at close range.

If it is really countered by the US escort ships with depth charges, it will be more than worth the loss.

Nishida Masao calculated: "Your Excellency, the distance between us and the enemy is about twenty-nine nautical miles. If our ship can shorten the gap by one nautical mile per hour, then in five to six hours at the earliest, we can bombard the enemy ship! ”

It's not yet ten o'clock, and even after six hours, it's four o'clock in the afternoon, and it's early before it gets dark.

In night battles, American battleships have radar superiority, but they must be able to hold out until that time.

The young man thought about it for a while, and then ordered: "Send a message to Commander Yamamoto and Commander Imamura of the Eighteenth Front Army, and ask them to send some attack planes over." Even if you can't sink an enemy ship, you can force it to slow down. If the fighter plane is damaged and shot down, the pilot can just jump into the sea, and we and the nearby Eighth Fleet can salvage it on our behalf! ”

This is a tropical sea, and in addition to being wary of cruising sharks, there is no need to worry about freezing to death if you fall into the water.

You have planes to help you fight, and we have it too, so I don't believe that the Army and the Navy are not moved by such a large live target at sea.

In less than two hours, under the cover of the Do-335 "Anteater", hundreds of Japanese fighters flew over the head of the battleship "Washington".

In the group, there are Type 99 dive bombers, "Tianshan" attack planes, as well as oversized Type 1 land attack planes and Type 4 heavy bombers.

I don't know if it's a whim, or if it's to give God a face, and the things that can help and those who can't help all fly over.

But the result was good, the battleship "Washington" was hit with three aerial bombs and two torpedoes, slowing down to twenty-five knots.

"Your Excellency, if the enemy battleship slows down significantly, our ship will be able to engage them at noon."

"Hmm...... All the officers and men of the ship can have lunch in advance! ”

Rear Admiral Lee had exhausted all his might, but the end of the "Washington" still came at 12 o'clock at noon.

Mikawa Junichi's Eighth Fleet was all crispy goods, and could only follow the "Izumi" as a cheerleader.

Masao Nishida commanded his super-battleship and began shelling targets, intending to lose his blood.