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

The battleship "Izumi" also did not retreat in its entirety, and was hit again with two torpedoes and three bombs.

Even if you eat turtles again and again, it is better than the battleships "Washington" and "South Dakota" that have sunk to the bottom.

So far, the 1 May battle was successfully concluded with the congratulations of nearly 100 US fighters.

Thanks to the efforts of the "Izumi," the US forces lost two battleships, one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and hundreds of warplanes, plus Henderson Airfield on Kuah Island.

The US pilots who returned to the East still have their minds on the unfinished "Operation Tuna......

When Major General Lee's 64th Task Force was in distress, Vice Admiral Halsey, who commanded the US aircraft carrier battle group, did not turn a deaf ear.

After weighing it up, the "sea bull" decided to send land-based planes to the rescue, as they were in even greater trouble.

That was the First Task Force under the command of Yamamoto Iroku, commander of the Combined Fleet, and the purpose of betting on the "new bargaining chips" in his hand was to inflict heavy damage on the US aircraft carrier task force on the opposite side.

In order to lure Halsey to the bait, the gambler's general deliberately placed two "baits" in the predetermined sea area.

The small one was naturally the battleship "Izumi", and the large one was the Seventh Fleet commanded by Nagumo Tadaichi.

This time, the "sinners of Midway" led the aircraft carrier "Zuifeng", four "Myoko"-class heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and 10 destroyers to explore the way first.

However, before the US aircraft carrier on the opposite side could be discovered, the Japanese Seventh Fleet was caught by US seaplanes.

Halsey, who had gained the enemy's situation, immediately seized the opportunity and commanded the three main aircraft carriers, the "Enterprise," the "Saratoga," and the "Essex," plus the Third Fleet, including the light aircraft carrier "Raider," and the fighters took to the air and attacked the Japanese aircraft carriers.

Nearly 200 fighters kept Nagumo Tadaichi's fleet busy, and although they tried their best to intercept frantically, they could not keep the only aircraft carrier in the formation, the "Zuiho".

Starting at 9:23 a.m., after only holding out for about an hour, the aircraft carrier, with a full load displacement of nearly 14,000 tons, began to emit black smoke that covered the sky and the sun, and then sank rapidly.

Although he was beaten by his old opponent again, Nagumo had no way to fight back, because the "Ruifeng" was carrying fighter jets and reconnaissance planes.

Their main task was to intercept enemy planes and follow the returning US aircraft group, and then discover and determine the exact location of the US aircraft carriers.

To put it bluntly, it was to light the first task force of Yamamoto Isoroku and illuminate the map covered with the fog of war.

In this way, the losses of the Seventh Fleet will be great, but it is much better than the two fleets combined and being exposed by the other side.

At 10:37 a.m., Japanese naval air force fighters flew over the US fleet, targeting four aircraft carriers.

Yes, the strategic intention of the gambler general is to hit it hard and even sink it, no matter how much it costs.

As long as these aircraft carriers are gone, the US offensive on Kuah Island will come to an abrupt end.

If you do so, Task Force 1 will also suffer heavy losses.

But with the help of the Divine Envoy, Yamamoto was able to make a comeback in less than a month.

The replenishment speed will greatly exceed that of the American army, and a second large-scale attack can also be launched immediately.

The last remaining veteran of the Japanese Navy lived up to expectations, and the "Raider" was completed at 11:20 a.m.

The fate of this light aircraft carrier is exactly the same as that of the "Ruifeng" of the same tonnage, and it has become the "blood" of the other party.

The "Enterprise", known as the "immortal bird", was hit by two torpedoes and two aerial bombs, but still survived at sea.

"Saratoga" was not so lucky, in addition to being hit by a bomb falling from the sky, it was also hit by five torpedoes from underwater.

Three of them came from Japanese submarines that took advantage of the fire, and the "Yorktown" was sunk as a result.

The massive flooding caused the hull to tilt, and by one o'clock in the afternoon, the "Saratoga" could no longer hold on, and the crew immediately abandoned the ship and escaped.

But the Japanese carrier-based aircraft forces also paid a huge price, losing almost one hundred and twenty fighters.

Moreover, in the face of the frantic counterattack of the US aircraft group, the First Task Force replaced the "Bofors" anti-aircraft guns, but it did not come down.

The "Akagi" and "Kaga" once again became sacrifices in this naval battle, and like the Battle of Midway, they became "aquariums" for the second time.

The "Soryu" suffered heavy damage, and after abandoning the ship, it was sunk by the Japanese destroyer itself, and the "Flying Dragon" became the only remaining mobile force.

With nowhere to land, the carrier-based aircraft had no choice but to fly to Kuah Island, where there was an army reserve in the far west.

Bai Wuqing, the commander of the 17th Army, is leading more than 30,000 dogs, begging for a living there.

In the battle on May 1, Yamamoto and Halsey still lost to their opponents on the books after a half-day battle.

The Japanese sunk four aircraft carriers, three heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and six destroyers.

The U.S. forces lost two aircraft carriers, one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser, four destroyers, and about 130 fighters of various types.

The "Enterprise" was badly damaged, and for the time being, "unable to take care of itself", had to return to Pearl Harbor for overhaul, and could not participate in the war for three months.

However, the gamblers also have four "Zeppelin"-class aircraft carriers in Simpson's port in Rabaul as second-line reserves, which can be used immediately.

The "Dragon and Phoenix", which has a full load displacement of nearly 17,000 tons, as well as the "Flying Eagle" (27,500 tons), the Falcon Eagle (28,300 tons), the Yunying (20,000 tons), and the Chongying (20,000 tons) converted from cruise ships can all be used as cannon fodder on the spot.

The US military can get three "Essex"-class aircraft carriers -- the "Yorktown," the "Lexington," and the "Bunker Hill," plus a number of "Borg"-class escort aircraft carriers.

Both sides have the strength to make a comeback, and it depends on who reacts faster and takes advantage of the opponent's unstable foothold to strike first.

"Your Excellency, ahead is the enemy's convoy!" Nishida Masao pointed to a group of small black dots that appeared in the distance

After the battle on 1 May, the "Hequan" returned to the Rabaul base, replenished fresh water, unloaded the wounded, rested for the night, and then went out again.

The US aircraft carrier task force has been severely damaged, and it will never be able to find such a good opportunity again, and this is the last "good time" for the battleship.

The Eighth Fleet of Mikawa Junichi also accompanied the voyage, which could play the role of a personal bodyguard or a meat shield.

"Let them surrender! Drive the transport ship to Rabaul and you can get the treatment of a safe return for all the people! "The second-duty youth didn't want to sink these "stupid guys" full of supplies

The United States built more than 5,000 Liberty ships, each with countless dry goods in its belly, and there were eighteen transport ships in this fleet, and it would be a pity to feed the fish.

"Report, they refuse to surrender!"

There were also two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers and eight destroyers on the opposite side to escort the escort, and it would be a bit too cowardly to surrender directly.

Moreover, the supplies on the fleet are the things that the 50,000 officers and soldiers on the island continue to have, and even if they all sink to the bottom of the sea, they will not be given to the enemy in vain.

"Then give them a ride!"

The "Izumi" found its target in the waters between the islands of Kuah and San Cristobal, separated by just over 10 nautical miles.

So now both sides can bombard the opponent with their respective main guns, get closer, and greet them with torpedoes, which is what the US military also planned.

"Gentlemen, we will never let the Japs look down on us!" Norman? The Rear Admiral Scott cruiser detachment met a ruthless character this time

But he was also not good at stubble, winning the Battle of Cape Esparnes, shattering the myth of the Japanese Navy's invincibility in night battles.

When it comes to the distance of bayonets at sea, even if there are many giant ships of tens of thousands of tons in the opponent's formation, they will be afraid of group-fired torpedoes.

"Your Excellency, the destroyers of the US military are approaching our ship at high speed, and they want to launch torpedoes!"

As the captain of the ship, Masao Nishida did not want the battleship "Izumi" to be seriously injured by a group of American destroyers, and it would be too embarrassing.

"Let them all come over, and I'll teach them a lesson to remember!"

The MK11 torpedoes installed on US warships have a range of 5,400 meters, and the MK14 torpedoes have a range of 8,100 meters.

The German T-1 torpedo, on the other hand, can run 14 kilometers at a speed of 30 knots, but the disadvantage is that it will leave a string of bubble traces.

However, in naval warfare dominated by surface ships, it does not matter whether there are bubbles or not, depending on which side has a long range and shoots more ground.

"Stop firing the main gun and don't waste breech life on low-value targets!" The second cargo youth wanted to use the T-1 torpedo to solve the other party

Eight quadruple torpedo tubes were installed in the stern of the "Izumi", which could fire a salvo of thirty-two torpedoes at a time.

However, it is usually empty, so as not to be killed after being hit, so that even the main guns on the rear deck will have to be scrapped by their own torpedoes.

The alarm sounded in the tail of the battleship "Buzz ......", this is a signal that the torpedo has been loaded, the depth is set to zero, and then a direct salvo will do.

As both fleets were hurrying toward each other, they were now less than eight nautical miles apart, and they would soon be close to each other.

According to the pre-battle deployment of the Divine Envoy, his battleships rushed to the front, so that Mikawa's fleet would not be torpedoed into the sky.

"Bang~!" Sixteen T-1 torpedoes were fired from each side of the "Izumi".

After a dozen seconds, the same amount was fired again, and the cycle continued for as long as eight minutes.

“…… OMG! Nishida Masao was dumbfounded, and the sea in front of him was almost full of white tracks left by torpedoes.

It's as spectacular as a school of fish, and it's no regret to see such a jaw-dropping scene in your lifetime.

"Destroy the enemy ship in the front with secondary artillery!" This is a dead end for a torpedo attack

The heavy cruisers "Northampton" and "Chester" were firing frantically with three 203-mm triplets.

Seeing that the other side's burly large battleship suddenly fell silent, the officers and men felt very lucky.

Even if you can't destroy the big ship with the main guns, when you get closer, you have to sink it with a torpedo.

This will surely become a classic of naval warfare, and they will create an incomparably glorious war history.

"Torpedo! Twenty! Fifty! A hundred torpedoes! The observers couldn't believe their eyes

If it weren't for the fact that the T-1 torpedo leaves a noticeable bubble signature when sailing, he would really think that it was a school of fish to join in the fun.

The Japanese torpedo launchers deliberately set multiple angles when firing, which could achieve 90-degree all-round coverage on the left and right sides.

Unless the U.S. warship can go backwards, let alone accelerate forward, even if it stops now, it will be hit by torpedoes.

After the "......bombardment" evaded five or six torpedoes one after another, the bow of the "Northampton" was the first to be exposed.

The two hundred and eighty kg warhead of the T-1 torpedo directly gnawed a large hole in the underwater part of the heavy cruiser.

Two torpedoes followed, hitting the ship's amidships, and the crew felt like the ship had been pushed some distance in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.

The 10,000-ton cruiser, which had been in high spirits a few dozen seconds ago, immediately quieted down and became a pile of scrap metal floating on the sea.

A 356-mm shell fired from the battleship cruiser "King Kong" fell on the forecastle, sounding the death knell of the "Northampton" completely.

The opponent struck first and preemptively played a swarm-fired torpedo attack, which caught the American battleship, which was about to use the same trick, off guard.

Soon, the heavy cruiser "Chester" was also unfortunately hit, being hit by a T-1 torpedo and three large-caliber shells, and was paralyzed on the spot.

"It's okay to hit the ground!" This time, Mikawa Junichi's subordinates were quite powerful, and they didn't treat themselves as if they were eating for nothing.

Within five minutes, two US heavy cruisers were sunk one after another, and three other light cruisers were also billowing smoke.

Eight destroyers fantasized about releasing torpedoes imminently, but they did not get this opportunity and were reimbursed by the torpedoes that came from the "Izumi" one after another.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, the US escort fleet was completely annihilated, and Mikawa's Eighth Fleet lost one destroyer.

The remaining eighteen transport ships still want to run, but that is impossible, the speed of the free ship is only eleven knots, how can it run?

Now there are still ten nautical miles from the destination of Kuah Island, and you can see the shore, but it is impossible to land as scheduled.

The young man of the second cargo looked at the group of "stupid" on the opposite side and said: "If a transport ship is loaded with 9,000 tons of war materials, then we have more than 160,000 tons of American goods in front of us!" ”

For the Japanese Navy, not to mention a transport fleet, even a shipload of US military supplies is a valuable asset.

"Report, the other party expressed its willingness to surrender!"

If you don't surrender now, you're really going to be fed fish.

American seafarers could use the ship's equipment and swim slowly to shore.

But do you think that the group of sea artillery on the opposite side will allow you to get off the ship smoothly and open fire again?

There were some self-defense weapons on the Liberty Ship, but facing the heavily armed Japanese warships was like scratching the itch in the boots.

"Let Mikawa send a warship to Kuah Island to unload, and then send all the crew members safely to the shore near the US military. Don't hurt them, let alone shoot them in the back, and those who violate the order will be punished as collaborators! ”

"Your Excellency, Prisoner ......"

"If you don't, who will surrender in the future? For the U.S. military, supplies are far less precious than the lives of the crew, and we must make good use of this! ”

“…… Yes, I see! ”