Cheng Yaoheng stayed on the bridge after dinner. After nightfall, the sea surface was covered with a thin layer of fog. The task force began to maintain radio silence after dark, heading about 180 meters southwest of Kyushu Island, Japan.
The preset attack point in the sea was advanced in the wind and waves.
After the task force set sail, it issued an order to attack the Sasebo Naval Port to the pilots. At this time, in the combat rooms of each aircraft ship, some pilots were still discussing the attack route around the sand table model of the Sasebo Port.
The main attack targets of the task force were Sasebo Naval Base, Mitsubishi Shipyard in Nagasaki Port and Yawata Iron Works in Kitakyushu.
Sasebo Port is located on the northwest coast of Kyushu Island, Japan, and belongs to Nagasaki Prefecture. It is surrounded by mountains and has the Goto Islands as a barrier to the west of the entrance channel. It is a natural port. Usebo Naval Base is not only one of Japan's traditional shipbuilding bases, but also
It was once one of the military ports of the old Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was born here in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. This is because the base is located on the east side of the southern end of the Korean Strait (Tsushima Strait), and its geographical location is very important. At that time, Japan
Therefore, in order to achieve a brilliant victory in the battle of Tsushima Strait, the good geographical conditions and the resulting role of the Sasebo base are a decisive factor that cannot be ignored. The base has a water area of more than 40 million square meters and can accommodate 90 ships.
Multiple ships. The Sasebo Naval Shipyard has four large shipyards that can repair and build large ships.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., located in Nagasaki City, was founded by Yataro Iwasaki in 1884. It is Japan's largest private shipbuilding, heavy machinery and aircraft manufacturer. It has built the Kirishima, Hyuga battleships and Furutaka, Aoba and other heavy cruisers.
, Japan's latest super battleship Musashi has also begun construction in the docks of Mitsubishi Shipyard. As the main manufacturer of Japanese military aircraft, Mitsubishi has been included in the attack target.
The other is the Yawata Steel Works located in Kitakyushu. As the main steel plant in Japan, the steel output of Yawata Steel in 1937 was 1.68 million tons. 80% of Japan's steel was produced by this steel plant. It destroyed this steel plant.
Each factory is equivalent to cutting off nearly half of Japan's supply of industrial raw materials.
According to the proposed combat plan, the two air wings aboard the Jiangsu and Shandong will bomb the Yawata Iron Works, the fighter planes taking off from the Zhejiang and Guangdong will launch an attack on the Sasebo Naval Base, and the Fujian aircraft carrier will attack the Sasebo Naval Base.
Three airfields located in Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Shimonoseki were attacked, and the task of bombing the Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard was completed by the aircraft carrier Guangxi.
The location selected by the General Staff to launch the attack is about 300 nautical miles away from the naval aviation airports in Shanghai and Qidong. The latest NC-107 Falcon fighter equipped by the Republic of China has a range of 1,300 kilometers. The fighter jets taking off from these two airports can approximately power the fleet.
About half an hour of air support. According to the plan, at 5 o'clock in the morning, the task force will begin to attack Japan.
As the world's most powerful first-class heavy aviation warship, the standard configuration of the air wing on the 32,000-ton Jiangsu is 2 Falcon fighter squadrons (36 aircraft) and 2 Flying Leopard attack aircraft squadrons (36 aircraft)
, 1 Harrier dive bomber squadron (18 aircraft) and 1 Sailfish torpedo aircraft squadron (18 aircraft). In addition, there are 8 spare aircraft in the hangar, with a total of 106 various fighters, which is more than an Army Aviation Regiment.
The scale is slightly smaller.
The two light aircraft carriers Guangdong and Guangxi are generally equipped with three aviation squadrons and a total of 54 combat aircraft.
At 4:10 in the morning, a waning moon hung in the sky, and a light wind blew on the sea. After the entire fleet made its last anti-submarine maneuver, each aircraft ship began to prepare for takeoff.
The 33-meter-wide flight deck of the Jiangsu was lined up behind the takeoff line in the order of fighters, then bombers, and finally torpedo planes. The pilots wearing leather thermal clothing gathered early.
In the takeoff waiting room, waiting for the order to launch the attack.
"Commander, it's time for the broadcast!" Fleet Chief of Staff Gao Zaitian walked into the war room and said to Cheng Yaoheng who was looking at the chart.
"Oh, okay!" Cheng Yaoheng raised his head, adjusted the military cap on his head, and then followed the communications staff to the broadcast room.
The broadcast script to the naval officers and soldiers had already been printed and would be read by the captains of each ship to the officers and soldiers of each ship participating in the battle at this time. However, Cheng Yaoheng chose to personally read the pre-war mobilization speech to the officers and soldiers of the Jiangsu.
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Dear naval officers and pilots of the Navy:
At this time, everyone already knows clearly what your mission is, yes, it is to bomb Japan!
Today is July 25th. Forty-four years ago today, the Japanese Navy launched an attack on the Beiyang Navy in the Yellow Sea. We were defeated in the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1895. This was a humiliating day for the Chinese people and a humiliating day for the Navy.
A shameful day.
Today, warriors of the Navy, on this special day, you are going to go out and drop bombs on the heads of the Japanese!
Here, I wish you all a successful completion of your mission and use the blood of the enemy to wash away the humiliation suffered by the naval martyrs!
To avenge the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War, China will surely win!
After reading a brief speech, Cheng Yaoheng came to the waiting room on the deck and personally saw off the pilots who were going on the expedition.
"Stand at attention!" As soon as they entered the waiting room, Shen Chonghai, commander of the 12th Naval Aviation Wing on the Jiangsu, shouted the command and led all the pilots to stand up and salute the fleet commander.
"I wish you all a safe journey!" Cheng Yaoheng knew in his heart the danger of the missions performed by these pilots. Many of them may not come back alive, but the only thing he can do is to bow deeply to these pilots, "The honor of the navy
That’s all up to you!”
"Promise to complete the mission!" Shen Chonghai shouted.
"Okay... everyone sets out according to the original order!"
"Salute!" The pilots left the waiting room and rushed to their own planes. The flight deck was busy with the cool sea breeze. There was a faint light in the sky, and a white assembly line could be seen on the sea in the distance.
“Immediate success!”
“Smooth sailing!”
"Avenge the Sino-Japanese War!"
The aircrew on the deck said blessings or words of encouragement to the pilots who were boarding the plane.
The signal light on the "Jiangsu" came on, and the entire fleet began to turn into the wind, and the speed began to increase to more than thirty knots.
After the engine test, all the aircraft on the brightly lit flight deck turned on their navigation lights. Under the vibration of the aircraft propellers, the red lights of the navigation lights on the wings flashed.
"take off!"
After the flight control post issued the takeoff instructions, the ground crew on the deck kept holding blue signal lights and making circles.
At 4:50 in the morning, with the huge roar of the engine, the first fighter jet in the front took off.
One after another, the planes quickly slid across the runway and began to take off one after another.
About 20 minutes later, the fighters, bombers and torpedo planes of each ship had all taken off and completed the formation. The first attack wave of the task force consisted of 256 aircraft divided into four formations. Under the leadership of the commanders of each formation, they headed northeast