The southern waters of the Great Australian Bight.
Two "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft, loaded with six 100-kilogram depth bombs in the special magazine, moved one behind the other at a low speed of 300 kilometers per hour, along the 100 kilometers north of the route from Amsterdam Island to New Zealand.
Sea area, flying towards the east.
"Captain Zhang, do you think we will encounter Japan's surprise attack fleet?"
On the reconnaissance plane numbered 6087, Sergeant Suo Hua, the observer and bombardier sitting in the back seat, rubbed his sore eyes and spoke loudly to the pilot in front, Second Lieutenant Zhang Dongyang.
"Maybe...little Japan wants to destroy our transportation routes all the time, and dispatching fleet surprise attacks is only one of the attack methods. What is more hidden and dangerous is the Japanese Navy's submarine! Fortunately, the Japanese submarine must come up to recharge every once in a while.
, if we are lucky, we say we may not catch a big fish.”
After a three-and-a-half-hour flight, Second Lieutenant Zhang Dongyang felt extremely exhausted. Although his partner's question was boring, he still couldn't help but tilt his head and answer.
With the replacement of a 2,450-horsepower turbocharged air-cooled engine, the performance of the "Waishen" III model has been greatly improved compared to the previous two models. The speed has increased to 659 kilometers/hour. After the fuel tank capacity has been expanded, the range has increased to
3,800 kilometers, the bomb capacity in the magazine has been increased to 1,200 tons, and coupled with the three 20mm aerial cannons, it can be used as a reconnaissance aircraft, fighter jet and bomber at the same time.
In order to prevent a sudden attack by the Japanese army, the Anjiajun Navy deployed three air blockade nets around the escort fleet. The first and second lines were composed of the "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft with ultra-long range and multiple uses.
to perform reconnaissance and anti-submarine missions, and the third channel is handled by armed helicopters carried by cruisers. Between each fire network, a small destroyer fleet is assigned to attack Japanese ships on the sea and underwater.
"ah!?"
Sergeant Suo Hua, who had just been assigned to the ship from the Navy's land-based bomber unit, was surprised and happy. He did not expect that he was so lucky that he would be able to participate in sea combat. And the target was a "cunning" Japanese submarine. He quickly asked
Said: "If the little Japanese submarine comes up, can we sink it?"
After Sergeant Suohua finished speaking, he turned his head and carefully observed the sea below, for fear of missing those dark and sleek Japanese submarines.
"It's hard to say, it all depends on the timing! If the bombs are dropped accurately, the six depth bombs we carry are enough to wipe out the Japanese submarine. But if they are missed, we can only wait for the brother fighters and our destroyers to come to help.
Yes! In short, it’s a one-shot deal!”
Having said this, Zhang Dongyang turned his head and looked at the sea to the south, where there were two "Yongdinghe" class destroyers moving at full speed, heading east through the waves.
The "Yongdinghe" class destroyer has a full load displacement of 2,800 tons, a speed of 36 knots, and a crew of 345. The main gun is three twin 127mm high-level and flat dual-purpose guns, equipped with two five-unit 533mm torpedo launchers.
It is to be served by two quadruple 40mm Bofors cannons, two twin 40mm Bofors cannons and eleven single-barreled 20mm Oerlikon cannons. The anti-submarine weapons include two depth bomb delivery chutes.
Four projectile launchers.
For the "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft performing missions, this kind of destroyer is the best air defense and anti-submarine helper. As long as a situation is discovered, the destroyer patrolling nearby can be called for help at any time.
"It's almost time!"
After flying for about half an hour, the range has reached 1,200 kilometers. Zhang Dongyang looked at the time on the bridge and said to Sergeant Suo Hua: "Don't slack off, continue to observe...Fly for another ten minutes and we will return!"
After Lieutenant Zhang Dongyang finished speaking, he suddenly discovered something unusual on the water surface in front of him on the left. Countless bubbles suddenly appeared on the sea surface there. The water splashed upwards from the bottom of the water. A long and thin pipe first stretched out of the sea, followed by a pipe with iron on it.
The flat barrel-shaped object on the railing, and then a long object covered in black floated up from the water.
Second Lieutenant Zhang Dongyang's nerves suddenly became tense. While he turned on the radio and adjusted the communication frequency, he loudly said to Sergeant Suo Hua behind him: "Attention. Japanese submarines have appeared and are preparing to drop bombs!"
"Yes!" Suo Hua replied loudly and nervously.
"This is the DD-171 Tanghe. Did you find anything?" A clear voice came from the earphones.
"I am reconnaissance aircraft No. 6087. I have discovered a Japanese submarine in front of me to my right. I will now use a signal flare to indicate the direction and request support!" Second Lieutenant Zhang Dongyang reported into the earphone.
"Understood, please confirm the direction!"
Zhang Dongyang adjusted the fuselage and pressed the button. A string of red flares suddenly shot out from the 20mm barrel of the forward aircraft gun and rushed straight towards the Japanese submarine. As the shells flew, they exploded like fireworks.
There was a red light, and there was a violent explosion in the air.
The nearby reconnaissance planes and destroyers quickly locked their position and rushed over as quickly as possible.
Bombardier Suo Hua, whose palms were sweating, his heart beating faster, said excitedly: "The bombs are ready!"
"Okay! Pay attention, we are approaching the target!"
During the conversation, Zhang Dongyang flew the "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft over the Japanese submarine, turned quickly, and pounced on the Japanese submarine again.
Suo Hua, who signed up to join the army directly after graduating from high school the year before last, received a year of bomb-dropping training at the aviation school and was assigned to the bomber squadron of the Navy's 1st Land-based Aviation Group stationed in Nanhua Bay as a bombardier. Although he went through bomb-dropping training many times,
He also participated in exercises held in Nanhua Bay and the South China Sea, but had no chance of actual combat.
Now, Suo Hua tried hard to abandon all distracting thoughts, tightly grasped the bomb release lever, quickly calculated the distance in his mind, and set the advance amount of bomb release.
Just as the plane flew over the head of the Japanese submarine, the fuselage of reconnaissance plane No. 6087 suddenly lightened up. As the magazine opened, six black depth bombs fell.
The Japanese submarine had already realized that something was wrong. When the aircraft overhead dived, it suddenly accelerated and swung its tail with a beautiful lion, avoiding the densely falling depth bombs in time. The depth bombs fell behind the submarine's butt and plunged into the sea water.
, and after more than ten seconds, eight tall water columns were blasted.
At this time, the Japanese submarine that had rushed out for a certain distance was bumping up and down like a small boat. After a while, it calmed down with the sea surface.
Sergeant Suo Hua turned pale with anger and clapped his hands on the cockpit. He shouted in a crying voice: "Why are you so unlucky to be avoided by the little devil... This is not how training is usually done..."
Zhang Dongyang turned his head and glanced, secretly crying that it was a pity, but he said comfortingly: "It's nothing, the target is too small, it is normal to miss. Don't be depressed, now let me teach the Japanese a lesson!"
During the conversation, reconnaissance aircraft No. 6087, which had thrown away its burdens and became extremely flexible, flew back again. Several Japanese sailors below nervously ran onto the bridge, operating the cannon and machine guns behind the bridge, preparing to shoot in the air.
"Boom boom——"
As dense machine gun shells were fired, the shells with tracer shadows splashed three rows of high water columns on the sea, extending all the way to the upper deck of the Japanese submarine. While sparks flew, the Japanese sailors screamed and covered their heads.
He fell down on his chest, and the shells with huge penetrating power made a "bang bang" sound on the surface of the submarine, but they were unable to penetrate the thick outer armor of the submarine.
At this moment, another "Water God" III reconnaissance plane roared over, and the two pilots on it smiled and waved to Zhang Dongyang and the others.
Half a minute later, six more 100-kilogram depth bombs fell. The small Japanese submarine turned around sharply to let go of the attack from the air. As the bombs exploded and splashed high after falling into the water, the Japanese submarine was not injured at all.
This made the pilot on another "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft stomp his feet.
In this way, the Japanese submarine sailed forward slowly, and two "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly from low altitude in the sky, firing strings of shells at the submarine.
The Japanese army also operated cannons and machine guns from inside the submarine to organize anti-air fire. Intensive rain of bullets continued to rise from the submarine. Both sides were trying hard to attack each other. But neither achieved any results.
At this moment, two more "Water God" III reconnaissance planes arrived. The bomb of one landed very close to the submarine. The bomb of the other hit directly. When the bomb exploded, you could
Debris from the top of the submarine was clearly seen flying in all directions.
When the fire was blazing, the Japanese submarine submerged into the water before it could make any reaction. Soon a large amount of oil and wood appeared on the sea surface. It was obvious that the Japanese submarine had finally died.
Five minutes later, the destroyer "Tang He" finally appeared, but it could only sigh at the sea.
Second Lieutenant Zhang Dongyang briefly reported the situation to the ships below, and then returned with another "Water God" III reconnaissance plane. As for the two reconnaissance planes that finally arrived to make the final decision, they had to continue flying for half an hour, although they
The main means of attack has been lost, but at least it can play a reconnaissance role. Once a Japanese ship is found, it can promptly notify our own warships on the sea and fighter planes in the rear to take over.
On the way back, Sergeant Suo Hua kept saying that the Japanese submarine was so stupid that it stayed on the sea and shot at him. Zhang Dongyang also found it strange, and finally analyzed and determined that it might be the six bombs they dropped for the first time that caused the shock.
The bulkhead of the Japanese submarine was broken, preventing the Japanese submarine from diving normally, so it stayed on the water to fight with many aircraft.
Unfortunately, no one could prove their merits, and it was not them who hit the submarine. Seeing their achievements slip away before their eyes, both of them felt too regretful.
In this day alone, fifteen Japanese submarines were discovered in the waters of the Great Australia Bight. The aviation force of the Anjiajun Navy launched an attack on twelve of them, sinking six in one fell swoop, damaging five, and one submarine.
Escape. The destroyer force did not achieve any results except to capture the damaged Japanese submarine and rescue the prisoners.
In the evening, Lieutenant Colonel Hong Yang, the captain of the DD-171 "Tang He" destroyer, was looking at the chart. The ship's alarm suddenly sounded. The staff stood up and loudly reported: "Captain! The lookout reported that a red flare was found ahead.
!”
When Hong Yang heard this, he quickly raised his head and saw that through the white tempered glass in front of the command module, five nautical miles to the left of the destroyer "Tang He", a string of red flares were exploding, shining brightly in the dusk.
.
"Good guy, I thought we wouldn't be able to open any cards today, but it turned out that we wanted to close the gap! Order to move forward at full speed! We are all counting on the next deal if we win today!"
The red flare represented the discovery of the submarine. Although he didn't know if his efforts were in vain this time, Hong Yang still gave the order in high spirits.
"yes!"
...
The destroyer "Tang He" quickly accelerated to a top speed of 36 knots. The blocked waves were split high by the sharp bow, and the splashing water flew everywhere. The front deck seemed to be undergoing the baptism of a violent storm. However, Hong Yang still
Feeling that the speed was not enough, he came to the bridge anxiously. He picked up the telescope and looked ahead.
Since carrying out the escort mission, Hong Yang has become increasingly depressed.
Although his own ship encounters Japanese warships almost every day, the naval aviation brothers are really not happy. Every time, they kill the Japanese submarine or the lone warship before he arrives in embarrassment. He was originally full of confidence.
He was fully prepared to be the main attacker in the battle against Japanese ships, but now he has become a cleaner cleaning up the battlefield. It feels too cowardly.
Thanks to the efforts of the sailors, the destroyer "Tang He" rushed to the scene of the accident almost immediately. However, looking around, there was no trace of the Japanese submarine.
The sea was quiet, and no floating oil or plastic products were found. Only two "Water God" III reconnaissance aircraft roared and circled in the low sky.
The radio soon made contact with the air. It turned out that the Japanese submarine dived just after it emerged from the pipe. Although one of the two "Water God" III reconnaissance planes rushed up in time to drop depth bombs, it did not achieve any results.
Hong Yang was overjoyed when he heard this. He was surprised by the agility of the Japanese submarine. He estimated that the opponent saw the flare exploding in the air through the periscope during the ascent and evaded it in advance. At the same time, he lamented his good luck - the Japanese were clearly
I wanted to surface to recharge, but ended up diving back without recharging. I was destined not to last long underwater.
The "Tang He" was circling in the nearby waters. The sky was getting darker and darker, and the visibility of the sea from the air was getting lower and lower. The two reconnaissance planes finally returned.
Time passed by minute by second, and Hong Yang had to admire Little Japan's endurance. It seemed that the arrogant movement of his warship frightened the Japanese, so that they could only stay quietly under the sea to consume the remaining air.
Hong Yang thought for a while, gritted his teeth and issued the order. Soon the destroyer "Tang He" slowed down, and finally stopped on the sea and drifted with the current.
"Everyone, watch the sea carefully! The ship's cannons and machine guns are ready to fire. Once a torpedo is found, it must be intercepted! The engines are also ready to start at any time!" Hong Yang knew the dangers of doing this very well, and he sweated like beads.
It oozes from the forehead.
The Anjiajun sailor stared at the sparkling black sea with wide eyes, fearing that a torpedo would suddenly appear from somewhere and kill everyone.
"Periscope found! Periscope appeared two hundred meters to the starboard side!" A sailor suddenly shouted, and everyone's hearts were in their throats. This distance was too close. If the opponent launched an attack, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Start the engine!" Hong Yang's heartbeat was also racing, but he quickly remembered that at this distance, there was no need to worry about the opponent's torpedo attack.
"Don't be afraid! The little Japanese torpedoes can't attack us at this distance! The main gun is ready to fire!"
The shells fired by the twin 127mm high-level and flat dual-purpose guns soon fell like raindrops near the periscope in the distance, and soon the Japanese submarine dived into the water again.
Hong Yang was upset after missing the opportunity. He found that he had made a mistake in his command and should have waited for the Japanese submarine to continue diving. Perhaps the attack effect would have been much better.
Hong Yang ordered with some helplessness: "Switch to cruising speed. Little Japan has discovered us. Waiting and waiting has no effect. We can only continue to waste time with them!"
The "Tang He" started circling in the nearby waters again, and soon after another sailor exclaimed: "Torpedo!"
The siren sounded across the sea, and the "Tang He" turned sideways beautifully, barely passing the torpedo. However, sweat almost soaked the backs of every officer and soldier.
Finally, the underwater Japanese submarine couldn't hold it any longer, and its pitch-black hull appeared in an awkward shape behind the "Tang He".
"The little devil's submarine has surfaced! It's 1,800 meters behind us!"
The lookout reported in time. The "Tanghe" immediately turned around and fired fiercely from the 40mm Bofors machine gun. However, the Japanese submarine had no intention of confronting it head-on and fled the battlefield at full speed.
After the "Tang He" turned around, it gave chase. Hong Yang, who was standing in the command cabin, could clearly see the Japanese submarine through the telescope. The Japanese sailors were running nervously, and the machine gun at the rear of the ship had been fired.
Lifted it up.
The "Tanghe" pursued it at full speed. Just one kilometer away, the Japanese submarine fired a torpedo from the stern of the boat again, causing all the Anjiajun sailors to panic again.
"Turn left!" Lieutenant Colonel Hong Yang gave the order calmly.
Tens of seconds later, the torpedo almost brushed the starboard side of the "Tang He" and flew past, and the officers and soldiers were relieved.
The "Tang He" gradually caught up with the Japanese submarine, and the shells fell closer and closer to the hull. Finally, there was a loud noise. The Japanese submarine was hit by a 127mm shell, directly tearing a large hole in the top.
.The submarine paused for a moment and stopped on the sea.
Huge smoke and fire continued to emerge from the holes, and the Japanese soldiers screamed and sent out submarines one after another, raising the white flags in their hands.
Hong Yang felt relieved and ordered the fleet to be on guard. Then he slowly moved closer and captured the powerless submarine and the Japanese sailors on it.
Along the long route of the Indian Ocean, similar battles occur every day.
Although this cat-and-mouse game mostly ended with the victory of the Anjia Navy, some Anjia Navy ships were hit and sunk by Japanese ambushes, and the losses of the aviation force were also numerous. However, compared with the results achieved, such efforts were hardly worth it.
Mention.
This troop projection across more than 7,000 nautical miles changed the situation in the Pacific Theater and even the entire world, and announced that the Japanese army was at the end of its rope.
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