"This... wouldn't this be too risky?" Yamamoto Hidesuke wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and shook his head, "Even if we can attack before the Chinese and British fleets merge and win, it will not be harmless, right? In this way, we are likely to lose to another enemy fleet that rushed to the battlefield later..."

When things were about to come, I couldn't make up his mind! Yamamoto Izuru's heart sank suddenly. He knew that now was a critical moment for life and death, and he still had a 50% chance of winning. If he retreated at the last minute, the situation would be really hopeless. Next, we will wait to be surrounded by the navies of China and Britain! Even if Trotsky liberated the Middle East and India, it might not be able to save Japan's bad luck. "Commander!" Just as Yamamoto Izuru was thinking about how to persuade Yamamoto Hidesuke, the aviation staff officer of the joint fleet standing behind him suddenly shouted: "Your concern is completely unnecessary, because we will not engage in fleet artillery battles with the fleet attacked by I-21. This time we should use air strikes to solve our opponents!"

"Air raid?" Yamamoto Hidesuke shook his head slightly, "But our plane is not a match between China and Britain..."

"No, Commander. Our carrier-based aircraft cannot defeat the carrier-based aircraft of China's main fleet. This is not only because the Chinese have more advanced aircraft performance, but also because they have a large number. The three heavy aircraft carriers of the Chinese are estimated to be able to carry 3 carrier-based aircraft. However, the British brave-class aircraft carriers can only carry about 4 carrier-based aircraft, and there are no more than 15 fighters. We can send more than 2 carrier-based aircraft at one time. How can we resist it with just 15 fighters?

As for the threat of Chinese carrier-based aircraft, there is no need to worry too much, because our specific location has not been detected by the Chinese. If they want to attack with carrier-based aircraft, they must dispatch seaplanes to seek enemies after dawn tomorrow, and wait until they appear. Maybe our air strike on the British fleet has ended. At that time, we can retreat northward and enter the protection circle of Okinawa shore-based aircraft. There is a P7 fighter deployed there, and the six I-15 changes on four aircraft carriers is enough to protect the main force of the joint fleet."

Yamamoto Hidesuke frowned and shook his head slightly: "Oshiki, you must have been attacked by I-21 by the British Far East Fleet?"

Oshima smiled deeply and said, "I am not sure, but... if the attack is the Chinese main fleet, then we should not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Therefore, I suggest that the entire fleet move closer to the direction reported by I-21. After dawn tomorrow morning, carrier-based aircraft will be sent. At the same time, the fleet should continue to pursue westward. If the carrier-based aircraft fails to attack, we will decisively invest in the main fleet to fight the enemy of the Chinese main fleet! The six Chinese "Guangdong" class are not the opponents of our three ships "Akagi", "Kaga", and "Tosa" at all!"

"What about the British Far East Fleet?" Yamamoto Hidesuke asked back.

"If the attack was the Chinese, then there was no need to worry about the British Far East Fleet!" Yamamoto Iroji smiled and took over the question. "Because Britain has not declared war on Japan yet... and I believe that with the reaction of the British Empire, the old empire, even if they declare war, they will definitely not have time to announce it tomorrow morning!"

"Well said!" Yamamoto Hidesuke had already made up his mind. A cold light flashed in his eyes: "This is 80% chance of winning! Order the fleet to change its course, and move forward in the direction of north latitude xx, east longitude xx, and move forward all!

After dawn, flags were hung: The rise and fall of the country, and in this battle, all the soldiers will work hard!"

...

July 3, 1932 at 3:3 am.

The Western Pacific Ocean is about 23 nautical miles south of Okinawa. The heavy aircraft carrier Zhongshan.

It was dawn, and the sky was covered with thick rain clouds. There was a faint sound of dull rolling thunder in the southeast direction in the distance. It seemed that this was not a weather that was more favorable to carrier-based aircraft operations.

Feng Yundong turned his head and looked at the aircraft deck of the USS Zhongshan aircraft carrier. Although he had not received the order to attack, the deck was already busy. Several carrier-based aircraft with foldable wings were lifted onto the deck by the elevator. The ground officers and soldiers pushed them to the stern of the ship and lined up, and then loaded the 25 kilogram armor-piercing bombs loaded with a cart onto the bomb hook on the belly of the machine.

A "Seagull"-type seaplane was already installed on the seaplane catapult on the Guangdong battlecruiser not far away, and was about to shoot. After seeing the seaplane being ejected, Feng Yundong retracted his gaze: "How is the situation of the British Far East Fleet?"

"I was attacked by the Japanese submarines several times. The Iron Duke got a torpedo and broke a few meters of hole, but it was not a big problem now. The biggest problem is the Indian emperor. The power cabin was blown through a large hole by the Japanese torpedo. It was severely flooded. Now the flight has dropped to 5 knots, and the entire fleet has been dragged down by it."

Feng Yundong raised his eyebrows. He was a commander of the submarine force. Submarine combat is his old job. He also commanded the submarine to sink the Japanese battlecruiser. However, the King Kong in 1923 did not install lightning protection barriers. The British Iron Duke-class battleship not only installed a thick 5 lightning protection barrier in the modernization transformation three years ago, but also thickened the originally thin waterline armor. It was actually shot through the power compartment by a Japanese submarine! It was a bit incredible. If it weren't for the British cutting corners, it would have been developed by the Japanese torpedo. This should be paid attention to avoid close combat with Japanese light cruisers and destroyers.

Lieutenant General Jiang Mo, the chief of staff of the fleet who was studying the charts, was also shocked. If the British Far East Fleet could only move at 5 nautical miles, it would be like to be on the spot. And if there were Japanese submarines nearby surveillance, the Japanese might dispatch carrier-based aircraft to air strikes when the sky dawns. Now the British Far East Fleet looks good!

"Mo San, what do you think? Will the Japanese launch air strikes?" Feng Yundong suddenly asked. "It's a confusing account to be hit by a few torpedoes in the dark, but the air strikes on the plane... It seems that there has not been any news of a declaration of war."

"What else can I worry about when I have reached this point?" Jiang Mosan paused, thought for a while and said, "The British will not give up after suffering losses. They will definitely send reinforcements from the local area, so that Trotsky will have a chance. For this, the Japanese will do it to the end!"

"Will they really be cannon fodder for the Soviets?"

"It's not just being cannon fodder alone. It's a strategy!" Jiang Mosan said: "No matter how hard the South China Ocean and the Western Pacific, the South Pacific is fighting, it's not the main battlefield. The Soviet Union is the one that really plays a decisive role, and the battlefield that is truly decisive is still in Europe! As long as the Soviet Union can win in Europe, Japan will not be afraid of losing much in the East, even if the local area is occupied by us, it will be able to fight back in the end. In this sense, it's still right for the Prime Minister to put his main financial and material resources on the construction of the 6th Army and the air force. Only by defeating the Soviet Union can we win the war. And the Japanese leaders are also very clear about this principle."

"The Japanese are cannon fodder for the strategy of the world war, so why should we indulge this cannon fodder? Isn't the Prime Minister really worried that Trotsky's plan will succeed?"

Jiang Mosan shrugged and said with a wry smile: "The Prime Minister is far-sighted and can see what we can't see. Yizhi, I don't have to think about it anymore. Just follow the Pacific 1 plan." As he said that, he looked up at the dark clouds outside the window, and shook his head and said: "This time God may have to help the Japanese devils. Our shipboard can be dispatched at most, and it's time to run away next... Otherwise, meeting the main battleship of the Japanese Combined Fleet in a heavy rainy day is not a joke!"

...

"Sir, you should now decisively abandon the battleship of the Indian Emperor!"

The chief of staff of the British Far East Fleet handed the latest weather forecast from the Chinese Navy Command that he had just received to Admiral Paques, and he glanced out involuntarily. The clouds in the sky were thick and dense, and the most common rainstorm on the sea in summer might be coming.

"That's a 30,000-ton battleship!" Baccus squinted at his chief of staff and said coldly: "And theoretically, the British Empire is still in peace now!"

"But... the 5th voyage is not enough to get rid of the submarines. The fleet is likely to be under the surveillance of Japanese submarines." The Chief of Staff paused and suggested: "It is better to let the Indian Emperor slowly sail towards China's Keelung Port, and the main force of the fleet quickly head south and leave this place of right and wrong."

"No, that's putting a precious battleship to death. If the war really breaks out, it won't reach Keelung at all!" Baccus pointed to the sky outside. "It will rain soon, and the Japanese carrier-based aircraft will not be able to find us. If we want to fight the fleet, we will be in a decisive battle! Humph. Hood, Nelson and Rodney are not vegetarians! And the six Chinese Guangdong-class ships are all coming, and we can sink all the Japanese main ships!"

It turns out that my immediate boss has plans for this...

"Air strike! Air strike! Direction at ten o'clock!"

This sound suddenly sounded inside the Hood's bridge, followed by a harsh alarm. The British Far East Fleet, which was sailing slowly, suddenly became in chaos and began to form an air defense formation on the sea. Fortunately, the Japanese fleet was discovered 2 kilometers away from the British fleet. Moreover, the flight was slow, so it gave the British fleet sufficient time to prepare. The fleet quickly completed the formation change, with destroyers and light cruisers, and in the middle were heavy cruisers, and on the innermost side were aircraft carriers, battleship battle cruisers, oil tankers and transport ships. All anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns raised their barrels and pointed to the huge fleet of aircraft that were approaching in the sky.

The 15 Sea Fighters carrier-based fighters on the USS Brave aircraft carrier also flew into the sky and rushed towards the fleet consisting of more than two Japanese fighters. Although the British aviation industry is far ahead of Japan, the British aircraft design concept, especially the carrier-based aircraft design concept, is very conservative and weird. All carrier-based aircraft have navigators. As a result, the superior performance of the motive is naturally offset by the excess weight of the two-seat aircraft. The performance of these Sea Fighters is almost comparable to that of Japan's I-15, and they are soon defeated in the face of the opponent's overwhelming numerical advantage.

...

"3 meters on the port side, two torpedoes!"

"Right full rudder!"

"Can't avoid it anymore, be prepared for the impact!"

"Boom boom!"

The Japanese aircraft fleet used all their strength as soon as it came up. More than 160 torpedo attack aircraft and light bombers almost flocked down. They ignored the dense air defense firepower of the British fleet, and rushed to the battleships and aircraft carriers that were firmly guarded by destroyers and light cruisers. The battleship Hood, the largest flagship in the entire British Far East Fleet, undoubtedly attracted the most Japanese fighter jets. After a long period of dodging left and right, two black Japanese airborne torpedoes, hit the burly body of the Hood from the blue waves, and huge waves rushed to the deck. The huge ship with a load of 48 tons trembled violently twice, as if it was hit by some undersea monster twice.

“Report the loss!”

As soon as he stood firm, General Barkers shouted loudly.

"The bow of the ship and each ship was hit by a torpedo. The No. 4 oil depot broke and a large amount of fuel leaked..."

"Water inlet in the engine compartment, boiler pipe ruptured, turbine No. 3 failed, and the power was severely damaged. The aviation was estimated to drop by more than 3%. It is estimated that it will take several hours to troubleshoot the fault..."

Fortunately, it's just a few minor injuries.

Upon hearing the report of the first mate Hood, Admiral Barkers sighed softly. For the 48-ton warship, the damage was not fatal at all. However, when he looked out, his face suddenly turned pale. The attacks of Japanese fighter jets continued, either dropping bombs or torpedoes. The air defense firepower of surface ships was also exerting the greatest power, and planes dragging long smoke fell from the air from time to time. However, the situation of the British fleet on the water was not much better. Bombs fell from the sky, and torpedoes were shuttled through the tops of the waves, and huge fireballs and water columns rose from time to time. From a distance, each large ship seemed to be burning in smoke.

Although the bombs dropped by Japanese planes are limited in power, their airborne torpedoes are not as powerful as those fired by submarines. The large British warships that were smoking on the water showed no signs of sinking, but... they were all damaged to varying degrees!

"Admiral, the losses of each ship are counted." The Chief of Staff held the notebook and whispered in a frustration: "...The Iron Duke entered the port side and the bridge was shot damaged; the Indian Emperor turret was shot and could no longer be turned; the Nelson ship was thundered, and the rudder was stuck; a chimney of Rodney was blown through..."

Listening to the Chief of Staff’s report that seemed to be a death-making report, everyone felt that it seemed like a disaster was about to come!

"Admiral, the Chinese main fleet broke the radio and silent telegram just now. Their seaplanes appeared in the Japanese fleet. There were at least 1 battleship and 4 aircraft carriers, with coordinates of xx north latitude and xx Tokyo. It was less than 1 nautical mile away from us!"

The communications officer suddenly reported bad news that the sound of air pumping sounded inside the bridge of the Hood. For a high-speed fleet, a nautical mile was only more than three hours! Most ships were damaged to varying degrees, and the power systems of many warships, including the Hood, were damaged. With a sharp decline in flight, the British Far East Fleet had no hope of escaping the battlefield.

"General... hurry up and call the Chinese fleet to meet us!" The chief of staff made a suggestion with a bleak face. "We have six main battleships, which can be delayed for a while. As long as we survive the arrival of the six Chinese battlecruisers, the winner of this naval battle will be the British Empire!"

...

On the island platform of the USS Zhongshan aircraft carrier, Feng Yundong was wearing a raincoat and holding the railings surrounded by staff, looking at the flight deck below. His ears were filled with whistling, and the raindrops hit the thick steel plate, crackling, and the aircraft carrier with a load-load displacement of more than 30,000 tons kept shaking in the waves. The ground crew on the deck were busy sending attack 2b Thunder Eagle aircraft unloaded with bombs onto the elevator...

The storm finally came. Shortly after the seaplane emerged as the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet, just before more than two fighter jets and attack aircraft were ready to take off. In such storms, the carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier naturally could not take off. It seems that the luck of this naval battle is really on the side of the Japanese!

"Commander, I just received a telegram from the British that their Far East fleet was bombed by the Japanese, and the power systems of several main battleships were damaged to varying degrees... Admiral Paques wanted our six battlecruisers to join them!"

The Fleet Communications Consultant reported to Feng Yundong loudly with the telegram he had just received.

Feng Yundong turned around and looked at his chief of staff, Jiang Mosan. Jiang Mosan shook his head: "Luck is not on our side, I think we should retreat south... Anyway, the Pacific 1 plan does not require us to protect the British Far East Fleet."

"Luck?" Feng Yundong snorted coldly: "There is a saying in our hometown in Guangxi: If you fight, you will not lose. If you don't fight, you will know that your luck is high? Luck is achieved by fighting!" As he said that, he strode back to the edge of the chart table, slid his fingers on the chart, found the current position of the British Far East Fleet, and then found the position of the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet. The two are less than 1 nautical mile apart, and the distance from the Chinese main fleet is around 125 nautical miles. According to the maximum voyage of the "Guangdong" class battlecruiser of 33 kilometres, it takes 4 hours to arrive at the battlefield.

"Let Bo Fuping command the battle cruiser team to attack, the goal is... here!" Feng Yundong's finger poked heavily, pointing to the current location of the Japanese Combined Fleet. To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations, monthly votes, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please go to n
Chapter completed!