The Chinese's large-scale offensive in Asia and the powerful landing on the Malay Peninsula made the British feel that the end was coming. Obviously, no matter how hard the army tried, it seemed that it would be difficult to stop the Chinese attack. Now the only hope was to give up
On top of their Royal Navy Z Fleet.
This is a life-saving straw. If the Royal Navy can continue to maintain the myth of being undefeated, then there may be hope of maintaining the situation in Asia.
Everything is put on this fleet:
z fleet!
The British put all their hopes on this fleet, and the Chinese also set their sights on this fleet.
"Drive all British power out of Asia!"
When President Wang Hengyue issued this declaration, the entire Chinese National Defense Force took action. "All the forces of the British..." certainly included Fleet Z!
When China and Britain started to become hostile, the British were keenly aware that the Chinese would soon take action in the Far East, and they were not wrong about this.
Britain decided to send a formidable, fast, advanced battleship and aircraft carrier task force to Singapore to prevent any Chinese moves in the Far East. Subsequently, Churchill dispatched the aircraft carrier "Invincible" and the battleship "Prince of Wales"
, the "Repulse" battlecruiser and escorts rushed to the Far East. This fleet is mainly responsible for strategic deterrence missions, warning China not to act rashly in the South Pacific. The fleet commander is Lieutenant General Phillips.
After the Chinese New Year Team made a large-scale landing on the Malay Peninsula, Lieutenant General Phillips received the order to take the initiative.
Lieutenant General Phillips had a strong belief that "bombers are no match for battleships," but Fleet Z could not wait for enemy air attacks in the port. He briefly outlined his battle plan: set sail at dusk to destroy Songkhla's invasion beachhead!
The Zhangyi Naval Base finally calmed down after a busy day. At 15:30, the "Prince of Wales" slowly put away its anchor chain, and together with the "Invincible" aircraft carrier and the "Repulse", it was at the "Ilekotra"
The ship sailed quietly out of the Strait of Johor under the escort of four destroyers: HMS, HMS Rapid, HMS Tenedos and HMS Vampire.
For the first time on the bridge, Vice Admiral Phillips showed a hint of uneasiness about the upcoming mission, because he was not sure about where Fleet Z would go. But this uneasiness did not spread to the sailors.
When Captain Tennant of the "Repulse" loudly announced, "We are going out to look for trouble...", the sailors cheered loudly.
Indeed, trouble is approaching the British...
When the news of the Z fleet's expedition reached the Chinese Navy headquarters, a burst of cheers broke out in the headquarters!
Let’s go to war, let’s go to war! Let’s go to war with the British fleet, a real veteran maritime power! If the two naval battles with the Japanese Navy have established China’s status as a maritime power in the Far East, then the current battle with the British Navy will test whether the Chinese Navy has the ability to dominate the world.
Qualifications to compete for maritime supremacy!
The best opportunity and biggest challenge lie in front of the Chinese Navy
The Chinese, who had already controlled Songkhla and other places, had airports for takeoff. A large number of reconnaissance planes took off from the airports in Songkhla and other places and began to capture the Z fleet.
The Z fleet is also looking for Chinese naval ships...
The British naval officers and soldiers in Fleet Z all have a firm belief in victory. They firmly believe that no matter how invincible the Squadron is on land, they will never be an opponent of the Royal Navy on the blue sea!
Optimism has always filled the hearts of the officers and soldiers of Fleet Z...
Chinese reconnaissance planes took off again and again, looking for the Z fleet. At 8 a.m. on October 16, a reconnaissance plane discovered the Z fleet.
Then, the Chinese submarine also locked the Z ship.
Now, you can start!
At 8:30 am on October 16, 83 "Thunder" bombers and 37 "Saker" attack aircraft took off!
Target——Z Fleet!
The good days of the Z fleet are over, and so are the good days of the British Royal Navy!
At 10:45, a Chinese aircraft locked the position of Fleet Z, and a stranglehold between air power and sea power began on the vast sea.
A large number of aircraft appeared in the sky above Fleet Z, and the first one to be attacked was the "Prince of Wales"!
The "Prince of Wales" desperately used anti-aircraft fire to block the entry of Chinese fighters, but the Chinese war eagles still dived down without fear, and then dropped bombs one after another from high altitude.
A huge wave of water arose around the "Prince of Wales".
Subsequently, a large number of "Thunder"s carrying torpedoes appeared
The Chinese fighter jets were not in a hurry to attack, but they always chose the most difficult angle to deal with when they attacked. A torpedo plane dived directly towards the "Prince of Wales," flying at a height of no more than 200 yards from the water.
A torpedo was dropped not far from the "Prince of Wales"...
The "Prince of Wales" was hit. All the guns on the ship except the 14-inch main gun were spitting fire. The sound of the guns was deafening, the smell of smokeless gunpowder was suffocating, and the explosion of the bombs could tear the eardrums. On the sea
The aroused water jets splashed on people shamelessly.
The hull of the "Prince of Wales" shook violently, and the exploding torpedo broke a large propeller shaft, and seawater surged into the cabin. A few minutes later, more than a dozen Chinese torpedo planes approached the "Prince of Wales" from different directions.
"Prince", and the follow-up bomber fleet carrying huge bombs flew into the sky again. As the bombs roared down, there were bursts of explosions on the rear deck of the "Prince of Wales", and the dark smoke rushed horribly towards the HMS Prince of Wales.
sea and air.
Lieutenant General Phillips and Captain Rich, the captain of the Prince of Wales, have been directing operations on the bridge. The Lieutenant General who firmly believes that "bombers are no match for battleships..." still does not realize the seriousness of the problem.
"Send a signal to the Singapore base and ask for a tugboat to tow me away." After being hit by two more torpedoes, Lieutenant General Lips finally came to his senses and issued his final order: "All crewmen blow up the life jackets.
.”
But, it was too late... Chinese fighter planes flew into the sky one after another, and countless bombs and torpedoes rained down.
The end of the "Prince of Wales" has come...
After making several earth-shaking loud noises in succession, the majestic "Prince of Wales" was hit by an unknown number of torpedoes and several bombs, and was swallowed head-up and tail-down by the Malayan waves.
"336 soldiers on the Prince of Wales were killed at sea, including Vice Admiral Phillips and the ship Ritchie.
As soon as the naval battle began, the Z fleet's flagship "Prince of Wales" and the fleet's commander, Lieutenant General Phillips, suffered a devastating attack, which dealt an extremely serious blow to the confidence of the British naval officers and soldiers.
However, the nightmare is not over yet...
The Chinese aircraft fleet that sank the "Prince of Wales" quickly shifted the focus of its attack to the British aircraft carrier "Invincible"...
While the Chinese fleet was besieging the "Prince of Wales", the "Invincible" had been damaged by bombs. The "Buffalo" fighter jets were no match for the "Saker". They were shot down one after another and then sank.
sea...
However, the Chinese fighter planes were densely packed, flying into the skies above the battle waters one after another. It seemed that the Chinese had made up their minds and would never withdraw their sails without completely annihilating Fleet Z.
This is a day that the Z fleet will never forget, and it is also a day that the "Invincible" aircraft carrier will never forget.
If Lieutenant General Phillips were still alive, he would realize how ridiculous his conclusion that "bombers are no match for battleships..." is
The "Invincible" was in danger under the attacks of the Chinese aircraft fleet one after another. Its hull was damaged in many places, and after losing the protection of air power, it has completely become a living target!
"Invincible" tried its best...
The officers and soldiers on the ship performed very bravely. Each of them was doing their best to save the fate of the "Invincible". However, in the face of the Chinese aircraft groups flying in layer by layer, all their efforts were in vain.
So powerless.
When the "Invincible" began to sink, the proud officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy of the British Empire may never have thought that such a day would come to them.
The "Invincible" was not the first British ship to sink after the "Prince of Wales". Before that, the "Repulse" had also sunk under the terrifying bombardment from the air...
Then came the "Electra", the "Quick", the "Tenetosho"... The British warships sank one after another. Only the "Vampire" barely escaped with all the trauma.
This terrible sea area
Farewell, Fleet Z!
When Fleet Z and their commander, Lieutenant General Phillips, set out with full confidence, they may never have imagined that they would be almost completely destroyed.
A fleet lacking air cover can only end up with a tragic ending in the face of endless bombing from the air...
On this point, the British made the same mistake as the Japanese navy.
When the news of the destruction of Fleet Z reached the Chinese Navy headquarters, there was no cheering as expected, but instead there was silence. It was not that the officers of the Chinese Navy were not excited, on the contrary, they suppressed the excitement in their hearts.
Annihilating the Z fleet is just the beginning! (To be continued