Special thanks to the "Ghoul" for the big red envelope! Thank you very much for the monthly pass and reward of "Biao Cavalry", the monthly pass of "Fuxian Zhenren", and the recommended votes of "Book Friend 161124224911622", "Broken Tears", "Youth 121", "Emperor of the Chinese Federation", "111222323213", "Red Copper 1982", "kkwt", "Xiao Zhengzhong", "38045569", "Li Sa", "Crazy Little Fish", and "Brilliant Sorrow and Thoughts". Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Biao Cavalry" will reward again, just give me QQ money directly, otherwise I can only get half of the reward!

This body of water is much wider than the Iron Bottom Strait, which is very suitable for naval warfare, especially now such battleship fire.

However, he was afraid of the opponent's ultra-long-range main gun, and Major General Li, who fought more and less, still did not dare to slack off in the slightest.

Now that the US military has an absolute numerical superiority, it has become cautious, because three cruisers have already been "named" by the other side.

Even so, Rear Admiral Lee still had two battleships, three cruisers, and eight destroyers in his hands, and he was still able to carry out Operation "Tuna".

If the pursuit was carried out in formation, then after about two and a half hours, the two battleships of their own side would be able to open fire.

But before that, the entire formation was under fire from the enemy's main guns.

The resulting losses have been unmistakably shown before.

Major General Li thought about it for a quarter of an hour, but he was still a little uncertain.

At this time, news came from the Marine Corps aviation that another bomb had been hit.

It is now almost certain that the battleship was indeed heavily damaged.

If Task Force 64 doesn't kill the killer again, then it is really possible to let it escape.

Considering that this area is not far from Henderson Airport, there is still hope that it will receive air support

"Gentlemen, the time has come to test our boldness!" Rear Admiral Lee decided to take the entire fleet up and fight to the death with the enemy's remaining battleship.

Although it was possible to lose a few more cruisers or destroyers, it would be worth it to sink this large battleship.

The gap between the industrial strength of the United States and Japan is huge, and the US military can afford to lose all the warships of the 64th Task Force, but the Japanese army may lose even one large battleship.

For a battleship of the tonnage of the "Yamato" class, even if the Japanese Navy sank one, the impact would be immeasurable.

At this moment, near the port side of the battleship "South Dakota," which was moving at full speed, five columns ............of water were exposed one after another.

Immediately after that, the sea below the waterline erupted with fireballs and a distorting sound of metal deformation.

The entire crew of the ship felt this continuous and strong shock, and it was obvious that it was the result of a torpedo blowing up the armor.

Immediately, the left compartments of the battleship "South Dakota" began to be flooded in large quantities, and the hull began to tilt to the side of the first one.

Since there were torpedoes, there would have been submarines, but the sonar equipment on the cruisers and destroyers escorting the convoy nearby did not react.

But there is something moving underwater, and it is two "Blackfish" with a volume of thousands of tons - German Type 21 submarines!

This kind of submarine with an underwater speed of 17 knots not only has extremely low noise, but also has a very good stealth effect, and is very difficult to be detected by anti-submarine forces.

The battleship "South Dakota" was attacked by the Japanese submarines "I"-2101 and "I"-2103.

Originally, four ships sailed this time, but the "Yi"-2102 and "Yi"-2104 returned halfway due to mechanical problems.

In view of the fact that this weapon has not yet been thoroughly mastered, as well as its own safety needs, the gambler general has clear regulations for the troops equipped with new submarines.

First, the current scope of operations is limited to the triangular sea area surrounded by the island of New Britain, Papua and Kuah.

Second, they can only move during the day, and must be submerged at night, and must not launch attacks, so as not to accidentally damage their own ships.

Third, it is necessary to travel in groups, with a minimum of two combat units, and no single boat must be used to avoid accidents.

"Onboard~!" After the success, there were low cheers from the submarines I-2101 and I-2103.

At a distance of about six hundred meters from the target, the two boats each fired a salvo of four T-3 torpedoes (280 kg warheads).

Five of these torpedoes hit the unsuspecting battleship "South Dakota".

For this large trophy of tens of thousands of tons, the submarine commander was naturally very satisfied.

After firing the torpedoes, the two boats immediately accelerated away from the scene of the incident.

By the time the U.S. military came to its senses and began to search for anti-submarine warfare, the culprit had already fled.

"Damn it!" Rear Admiral Li was very angry when he saw the large puff of black smoke coming out of the "South Dakota."

It's really unfortunate that this kind of thing happened at this juncture.

If the "South Dakota" had hit two on one side and three on the other, it would have been fine.

Now all five torpedoes went into the port hull, causing a large amount of water to flood the side of the battleship.

Unless water is poured into the other side, it is impossible for even a warship with a displacement of 45,000 tons to continue to maintain balance.

It is no longer realistic to want the "South Dakota" to continue fighting, and it is God forbid that the ship can be successfully withdrawn from the battlefield.

There were also more than 2,300 officers and men on board, and if the situation was too bad, they had to be quickly evacuated.

After receiving the results of the damage assessment from the "South Dakota" and weighing the pros and cons, Major General Li decided to abandon the pursuit.

Because the battleship could temporarily rebalance even after being flooded, and return at a lower speed.

However, will the other party let you go back so swaggering back in broad daylight?

Rear Admiral Lee estimated that if two or three more torpedoes were fired at the port side of the "South Dakota," the battleship would capsize.

Therefore, before the 64th task force returned to the east, in addition to transferring the crew, it also had to make a heart-wrenching decision.

That is, to sink the battleship "South Dakota", and not to let this battleship become a trophy of the enemy!

"Yes, and a bonus!" The young man of the second cargo also saw the anecdote that happened on the other side

The captain of the ship, Masao Nishida, deduced: "Your Excellency, if there are no fighters of our army nearby, then it should be the work of the submarine!" ”

Before the time had come for the towing knife gauge used by the battleship "Izumi", the opponent was suddenly shot, which can only be explained as a masterpiece of the submarine.

Ruoyuexin thought about it quickly, and then made a decision: "Since this is the case, then we don't have to pretend to retreat anymore, turn around, and rush over to 'harvest the crops'!" ”

“………… Good, good! Nishida Masao hesitated, and because of the other party's special status, he had no choice but to meet this unreasonable request.

The young man of the second cargo relieved the captain: "Don't worry, our opponent only has one battleship, as for those cruisers and destroyers, if they dare to come, they are looking for death!" ”

In five minutes, the "Izumi" made a complete turn, drew a large C-shaped letter on the surface of the sea, and the bow of the ship was facing the incoming enemy, and began to gradually accelerate.

The two sides were 24 nautical miles apart, more than 44 kilometers, while the Mark-6 16-inch guns equipped with American battleships had a range of only 37 kilometers.

It is not uncommon for the H41's 420-mm SK C/40 guns to have a range of more than 40 kilometers, and the 280-mm guns of the Scharnhorst-class battleship cruisers have a range of nearly 41 kilometers.

"Anyway, the U.S. military has to leave both battleships behind!"

This is the bottom line of the second-class youth, otherwise they have been chasing themselves like mad dogs for so long, and they will leave as soon as they say, wouldn't it be too cheap for them?

"God justifies what Your Excellency says!" Masao Nishida also felt that it was the turn of the "Izumi" to show his skills

"Boom...... two 420-mm turrets in the bow of the ship began to fire at the battleship (USS Washington), which had not been shot

Ruoyuexin already had a basic understanding of the level of the artillery crew, so he gave them fifteen minutes.

If you exceed this time limit, the command tower you are in may also be "baptized" by the projectile hit by the other party.

"Let them speed up the transfer of the crew, and we will retreat immediately!" Major General Li knows very well that he can't fight to the death with the other side now

The battleship "South Dakota" is no longer able to go, and the other side will definitely take the "Washington" as the number one target.

If, at this time, Major General Li led the 64th Task Force to rush over, it would be okay.

However, it is very likely that the battleship "Washington" will be lost, and if it encounters a Japanese aircraft group on the way, it will be the end of the total annihilation.

Moreover, the elusive Japanese submarine is also a big threat, and it is not yet possible to determine whether the submarine that attacked the "South Dakota" has left this area.

If the 64th Task Force attacked this large battleship, it would be attacked by Japanese fighters and submarines.

Not to mention the completion of Operation "Tuna", it is no longer possible to even get out of the whole body.

The most realistic and feasible way is to temporarily forbear, retreat quickly, and wait for the opportunity to avenge in the future.

"Boom ......" However, the sky-high column of water splashed on the sea near the "Washington" indicated that the other side would not give Rear Admiral Li this opportunity.

It was clear that the battleship on the opposite side was coming for itself.

"Report to the Commander, we'll need about ten to fifteen minutes to transfer the crew!"

"Let all the destroyers go to the rescue and transfer as soon as possible! All warships release smoke grenades to obscure the battlefield! ”

After giving the order, Major General Li estimated in his heart that during this time period, the "Washington" would be at least about 20 batches of shells thrown by the other side.

The smoke grenades could only be delayed for a while, after which they had to face the enemy's main artillery attack.

If you run fast, you may still have a chance to live.

The crew of the battleship "South Dakota" was divided equally among eight destroyers, each of which also carried nearly 300 people.

And it had to be transported immediately, which meant that none of the destroyers would take part in the next battle.

The heavy cruiser "Minneapolis" carried several hundred crew members on board its sister ship "New Orleans".

The situation was the same with the light cruiser "San Juan" and "Cleveland".

In this way, the only one who can go into battle lightly is Rear Admiral Lee's flagship, the battleship "Washington"!

Thinking of this, Rear Admiral Li made a final decision: "You immediately retreat to the east, and I will lead this ship to cover you!" ”

Of course, it is not to rush up without hesitation, but to run a little slower, so that the "little brothers" can take the first step.

There is no way to do this, the maximum speed of the "Washington" is only 27 knots, and the other ships are above 30 knots.

Besides, when they go up, they are all goods that have been exposed by a single shot, and they will only increase casualties, so it is better for the "Washington" to take charge alone.

After hearing the news, the Japanese Eighth Fleet on the north side of the battlefield also rushed over, and the Mikawa Army would not miss this good opportunity.

The flotilla included two battlecruisers of the "King Kong" class, all of which were operating at speeds of more than thirty knots.

Their entry into the battlefield as a living force will greatly enhance the possibility of victory for the Japanese side.

However, Major General Lee's fearless move was not tragic, and all the air forces on the nearby US-controlled islands were dispatched to cover the retreat with all their might.

As for whether the battleship "Washington" can escape smoothly, it depends on whether the "Izumi" agrees or not.

The young man of the second cargo of "......" held a telescope and saw that a small black dot in a cloud of white fog on the junction of sea and sky was still not on fire.

In fact, this small black dot is the "Washington", but it is more than 40 kilometers away.

The shells fired by the "Izumi" all fell into the waters near the target, which looked spectacular, but in fact it was useless.

Only if the straddle shot is achieved (falling to the left and right sides), the next thing will hit the target.

But when will this stage be reached, there is still a big question mark to draw.

The U.S. military, like Zhu Bajie, released a large amount of "exhaust gas" when it ran away.

This has created a great obstacle to the observation and shooting of the main gun of the "Izumi," and at least after the smoke has cleared, it will be possible to greatly improve the accuracy of shooting.

However, we can rest assured that the "Izumi" can now reach a maximum speed of 25 knots, and the fastest of the US treaty-type battleships is only 27 knots.

If the opponent sails at full speed, it can increase the distance by two nautical miles at most in one hour, which is equivalent to less than four kilometers.

Before that, the battleship had to be beaten, or it would have to put another "stuffy fart".

"It's over, isn't it?" Dense anti-aircraft artillery fire sounded on the ship again, which meant that the US fighters were coming again.

"Buzzing" in the morning, "Buzzing" in the morning, and "Buzzing" in the afternoon.

You can still "buzz" in the middle of the night, and the deity will obey you!

In order to rescue the 64th Task Force in distress, the American troops on the nearby island almost poured out.

The number of second-hand young people may reach nearly 100 just by visual inspection.

Although there were quite a few fighters in it, it was impossible to attack the battleship, but it was still able to cover the attack aircraft group.

"I'm rubbing! Is that a B-17??? "This is too much to look up to Lao Tzu

Using this kind of strategic bomber to carry out horizontal bombing of large surface ships at high altitudes will also be the dry land of the US military!

Fortunately, the "Izumi" was equipped with a 105-mm anti-aircraft gun with good performance, otherwise it would have been bullied by this goods.

It seems that the U.S. military has done this before, otherwise it would not have hastily pulled the B-17 out as well.

Unless there was an important person on the battleship opposite, such as Nimitz or MacArthur......

It's unlikely, Uncle Sam won't go crazy to this point and come all the way to hunt him down.

"The small-caliber anti-aircraft guns only hit the torpedo planes and dive bombers flying close to the sea, and the 105-mm anti-aircraft guns cleaned up the eight big guys, and the other US planes were left alone!"

The second-class young man can't let this group of idiots beat him blindly, otherwise this super battleship may really be played and sunk by a group of fools.

The Eighth Fleet, led by the Mikawa Gunichi, was rapidly approaching the "Izumi."

However, with their little anti-aircraft firepower, it is not so much to protect their own battleships as to come and pull hatred.

The Type 96 25mm machine gun is "so cute" when you think about it!