The Tianji squadron went to Kaohsiung Port to rest, and the deck of the injured Tianji also began to be repaired. However, after the Ming army suffered this heavy setback, it did not stop eating due to choking. On April 12, it still dispatched two other aircraft carriers-Tianquan.
The Tianshu sailed from Zhanjiang Port to the Western Pacific.
Two days later, on April 13, a huge fleet set sail from Zhanjiang Port, including the battleships Changping, Yanping, Tokunaga, and Yongle, as well as 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 16 destroyers.
.This fleet met up with another fleet sent from the Palembang base in the South China Sea. The fleet sent from Palembang included 3 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, and 16 destroyers. In this way, the final large fleet was formed.
, including a total of 46 warships of various types, which is unprecedented.
In addition to battleships and heavy cruisers, a large number of cruisers and destroyers were also brought this time. Needless to say, they were mainly for escort.
The flagship of this large fleet is the battleship Changping. The Changping squadron still followed the same path as the Tianji squadron last time, and still entered the Western Pacific from the south of Taiwan. After the northern and southern fleets reunited, the fleet
On the sea surface, a few more tubes mysteriously appeared, emitting light blue smoke, but they were moving very fast, trailing small white traces, reaching a length of 16-17 knots.
At the same time, the fleet also maintained a cruising speed of 16-17 knots and headed towards the southern Taiwan Strait.
From the perspective of the Japanese Navy, this massive gathering of the Ming fleet made it clear that a decisive battle was coming. The Japanese Navy was also nervous and excited. The "Decisive Battle at Sea" that had been brewing for many years was finally about to take place.
.The Ming army finally took out their main force and put it on the sea for a showdown.
In the past few decades, Japan has relied on its complete victory in two decisive naval battles - the Battle of Dadonggou between Japan and Qing Dynasty and the Battle of Tsushima between Japan and Russia, which established its status as a world power and made the Japanese navy one of the top three in the world.
Column. Now, the whole country of Japan is looking forward to another victory. The Japanese Navy can once again defeat the Ming Empire Navy just like it defeated the Qing Empire Navy and the Tsarist Empire Navy twice before. In this way, Japan will not only be able to come back to life from the blockade of the Ming Army,
It can also become the most powerful country in Asia and dominate East Asia.
…
On the morning of the 13th, the Tianquan aircraft carrier squadron first passed through the southern Taiwan Strait and entered the Western Pacific. This time the Ming aircraft carrier was much more cautious and sent out a large number of aircraft for reconnaissance at dawn. Not only did they send out fighter jets, they also sent out dive bombers.
, fill it with fuel and not load bombs, in order to fly as far as possible.
The Japanese army also knew that such a sneak attack could never be repeated. Especially when the Ming army had just suffered a heavy loss, they were very vigilant. It would be even more difficult to do such a thing again. At the same time, such a
The concentrated appearance of a large number of battleships and heavy cruisers obviously had an irresistible attraction to the Japanese Navy Command. Senior officials of the Navy Command and Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Yoshida Zengo, rejected Yamamoto Isoroku's plan to "take the Ming aircraft carrier formation"
"as the primary target" proposal, mobilized forces, and targeted the Ming army's battle fleet. Yamamoto's First Air Fleet was also ordered to participate in the battle, and its task was to serve as reconnaissance and warning on the periphery. The main attack force was still left to the battleships.
Team.
The opportunity of the "Battleship Battle" that has been anticipated for many years has finally arrived. The smoke and smoke of the Battle of Jutland more than 20 years ago seems to have not dissipated, and the blood is still boiling in the bodies of these Japanese naval generals. What about the Japanese Navy's "Artillery Club"
I will miss this opportunity and make it a textbook classic "battleship versus battleship battle".
After the Ming Army's Tianji aircraft carrier squadron entered the Western Pacific about 200 nautical miles away, it no longer sailed eastward. Instead, it searched and cruised in situ, constantly sending out aircraft to reconnoiter the ocean. At the same time, Taiwan's Pingtung Airport also continued to send out land-based bases.
Planes are conducting searches in this sea area.
Under heavy air cover, at noon on the 14th, the Changping battleship squadron entered the Western Pacific.
The fleet that the Japanese army attacked was even more daunting. The flagship was the battleship Mutsu, and there were also the battleships Ise, Hyuga, Yamashiro, Kongo, Haruna, Kirishima, and the heavy cruisers Mogami, Mikuma,
Myoko, Haguro, Ashigara, Atago, Maya, light cruiser Tama, Kiso, Isuzu, Natori, Yura, Kinu, Avukuma, Kawauchi, and Kamatsu. In addition to these main ships
In addition, there are 36 destroyers.
The "Decisive Battle Fleet" dispatched by the Japanese army included 7 battleships, 7 heavy cruisers, 9 light cruisers, and 36 destroyers, a total of 59 ships. Both the number of ships and the total tonnage were far higher than the Ming fleet.
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On the afternoon of the 14th, the first battle began. This battle was a sea and air battle. The Ming army's Tianquan aircraft carrier fleet faced the Japanese army's Akagi aircraft carrier fleet. Both sides had two ships, because the Japanese army's newly commissioned Soryu was still in Seto.
Inland sea training failed to catch up with this decisive battle at sea. The two sides first encountered the reconnaissance bombers by chance. After a few rounds of machine gun fire, both sides withdrew and called for reinforcements. Soon, half an hour later
Finally, a large group of fighter jets from both sides encountered each other.
This kind of sea and air battle between aircraft carriers is more like a gamble. It is not face-to-face like a battleship against a battleship. It is clear how much strength both sides have. In an aircraft carrier decisive battle, the carriers of both sides are very far apart, often separated by
Several hundred kilometers, and then each sends a fleet of aircraft to bomb the opponent's mothership. How many aircraft are sent out in the first wave is often like a bet. Too few, and the opponent will not be able to defeat the opponent in air combat, and there will be huge losses. Too many,
Although the first round of air combat is advantageous, fuel is also consumed very quickly. At this time, it will be even more dangerous for the opponent to send more fresh troops to join the battle group, or to attack the mothership directly.
In the first round of air combat, the Ming army sent two squadrons of 32 fighter jets, and the Japanese army sent three squadrons of 48 fighter jets. After a melee between the two sides, the battle was basically even. The Ming army relied on the performance of the aircraft and pilot skills to fight with fewer enemies and more enemies.
Twenty minutes later, reinforcements from the Ming Army arrived, and another squadron of 16 fighter jets arrived. The Japanese army was obviously outmatched, and they also called for reinforcements. Soon, another squadron of fighter jets came from the Japanese army, and a total of 64 fighter jets were dispatched.
fighter.
The captain of the Ming Army's fighter group continued to report the changes in the situation to the mothership. The staff of the flagship Tianquan analyzed nervously and made an estimate: If the carrier-based aircraft brought by the Japanese aircraft carrier this time are still 1:1, then now the Japanese Akagi
The squadron itself has few fighter planes, at most one squadron, and most of the remaining ones are bombers. And the Ming Army aircraft carrier currently has two fighter squadrons that have not been dispatched.
As estimated by the General Staff of the PLA Navy, once the aircraft carriers of the two armies enter a head-to-head duel, the Ming Army will definitely have the upper hand. Although the number of aircraft carriers on both sides is equal and the number of aircraft is roughly the same, due to the superior performance of the Ming Army's Sea Kingfisher, the Ming Army will definitely have the upper hand.
With many years of actual combat experience of the Ming Army's naval aviation pilots, they can always defeat the Japanese army with less. What's more, there are not many now.
While the fighter jets of the two armies were engaged in a melee, both sides continued to send bombers with longer ranges, trying their best to search for the location of the other side's mothership. At this time, the motherships on both sides were in a relatively empty state, which was a good opportunity to launch a bombing. It depends on who
We found the other side first. The Japanese army was in a more dangerous situation - the number of fighter jets left to guard the homes was only half that of the Ming army.