Chapter 204 Pirates! Robbery!
Time goes back 12 hours to the northwest of Pearl Harbor.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! It's an American bomber!!!" A lookout shouted loudly on the Kaga outside, and then shook the alarm with his hand.
The lookout, a 16th-century method of tracking enemies, was still used by the Japanese Navy in 1941. The reason was that the Navy Ministry officials believed that radar was a sideshow and that the role of humans should be maximized in war. .
So almost every large floating ship in Japan has a few unlucky guys who drink cod liver oil all day long and stand on the watchtower, holding binoculars and using their eyes to search for possible enemies in all directions.
After all, the Bushido spirit is not omnipotent. No matter how hard he dares to risk his life, he will not be able to improve his eyesight. In addition, the time is approaching dusk, which further affects the enemy-finding effect of the lookout hand.
Therefore, the timing when the US bomber attack squadron was discovered was much closer to the Japanese fleet than expected.
Of course, the Japanese Navy is still very professional. After the alarm sounded, the ships on the sea quickly began to maneuver and formed an air defense fire network.
In the direction of the raid by US fighter planes, the ships responsible for guarding were the battleship Kirishima and the light cruiser Nagara.
Bang bang bang! ! ! Bang bang bang bang! ! ! !
"Shoot it!! Shoot it!! Target, the US military aircraft in front, shoot it!!!"
The sound of the 25mm triple anti-aircraft gun resounded all around. This rapid-fire anti-aircraft gun is equipped with a simple shield. It is the main weapon against dive bombers.
However, compared with the US military's anti-aircraft guns, this weapon is designed in a very strange position, that is, there is an independent platform next to the shooter, with a dedicated low-level officer holding a command knife on it, constantly Waving to the sky and shouting commands for shooters to shoot into the sky.
The problem is that the shooter has his own eyes and does not need the people next to him to give him directions. From a third party's perspective, there is such a big person standing in such a big position who can only yell. , it is better to have an extra ammo hand.
According to the official statement of the Japanese army, this is called the gunnery sergeant position. It mainly ensures that the firepower of each gun is operated correctly, and conveys the order to shoot or adjust the target by waving the command knife.
But in fact, until the end of the war, American soldiers did not figure out what the function of this kind of thing was.
The fearless bombers roar in!
The pilot raised the aircraft to an altitude of about three thousand meters, and then began to dive. The brake plates on the upper and lower surfaces of the aircraft wings were opened, which reduced the downward speed of the aircraft and gave the pilot time to aim. .
The pilot controlled the plane against the rain of bullets, suddenly dropped the bomb at an altitude of 1,000 meters, and then pulled the plane up, drawing a beautiful "U"-shaped trajectory in the air.
Boom! ! boom! ! ! boom! ! ! !
Several water splashes rose around the Kirishima, and the Nagara next to it was hit by a 250 kilogram bomb on the bow, and the deck was instantly ablaze!
Boom! ! ! ! !
Dive-dropping bombs at reduced speed also brings huge risks to bombers.
A diving Dreadnought bomber was hit by anti-aircraft artillery and plunged into the sea, causing a huge splash, while the fighter jets behind it were still completing dives one after another.
Puff puff puff puff! ! ! ! !
The organic cannons came and shot down two Dauntless aircraft that had climbed halfway. A total of 20 Zeros took off from the Zuikaku and Shokaku and began to hunt down the US bombers in the air.
The Wildcat fighter jets escorted by the US military were alone and could not provide sufficient cover.
U.S. fighter planes that turned into fireballs kept falling from the sky, and it seemed that the original raid was about to turn into a one-sided massacre.
Thud, tug, tug! ! ! ! ! !
A bullet was shot out of the clouds, piercing the wing of a Zero aircraft, and a red figure flashed past in the sky.
"Red Wing!! It's Red Wing!!!" The Japanese radio station was filled with the shouts of pilots. At this time, the entire First Air Force knew that the US military had a red fighter jet driven by a super ace.
The Japanese lost less than 40 fighter planes in the entire Pearl Harbor attack, and the "Red Winged Dragon" accounted for one-third.
At this time, the red pirate fighter plane climbed to the high point of the battlefield, and in turn hunted the Zero that took off. "Asshole! Shoot him down!" Captain Tsusaku Osaka Okada of the Kirishima saw the battle in the sky. He angrily drew out his command knife and cursed, urging his subordinates to operate large-caliber quadruple anti-aircraft guns to attack high-altitude red fighter jets.
No effect at all!
Just when the Japanese gunners were helpless, the strange red aircraft actually lowered its altitude and rushed toward the center of the fleet with the densest firepower.
Not only the Japanese but also the remaining pilots of the US military were shocked.
No matter how superb your skills are, as long as you enter the dive bombing state, whether you will be shot down or not depends entirely on luck.
But just when everyone else thought that the "Red Wing" was going to risk its life, it flicked its nose and flew in a big circle in another direction.
? ? ? ? ?
Was he scared at the last moment? Did this highly skilled pilot turn out to be a coward in terms of courage?
Nanyun Chuichi, who had been watching the battle with a telescope, suddenly felt a huge danger
"Asshole! Send a signal quickly and protect Kumo Takamaru!! Hurry!!!"
Untakamaru, an oil tanker specially configured for the Japanese First Air Force, is used for ocean cruising. Due to rigid tactical thinking, this humble non-combat ship is not in the core air defense circle of the aircraft carrier. There are only Two destroyers, the Isokaze and the Akigumo.
It’s too late!
Pirates are robbers, and the red pirates' initial target was this oil tanker, which had almost no resistance.
The red fighter plane used its ultra-high speed to cut through the battlefield like a knife, and completed the dive towards Kumo Takamaru before other ships had time to adjust!
Boom! ! ! ! ! ! ! boom! ! ! ! ! ! !
A 450 kilogram bomb hit the main deck of Untakamaru, and another hit the stern waterline.
Fire and thick smoke soon surrounded the 2,000-ton ship. The hull leaked and began to tilt.
The red pirates were still unsatisfied and used their machine guns to repeatedly fire at the Japanese sailors who ran out to perform damage control.
Looking at the supply ship of his fleet sinking slowly, Nanyun Zhongyi could no longer maintain his original demeanor, and gritted his teeth and spit out the national quintessence of his country
“Baga! ”
Amid the Lieutenant General’s scolding, the remaining US bombers had already begun to launch the final wave of bomb drops.
On December 7, 1941, the U.S. Pacific Fleet launched an unexpected surprise attack against the First Air Force of the Japanese Combined Fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor.
Only 3 of the 21 aircraft sent by the US military in this battle returned safely, and all others were shot down.
But the Japanese First Air Force also suffered heavy losses. The light cruiser Nagara was sunk and the bridge of the battleship Kirishima was damaged. Because the supply ship Kumo Takamaru was sunk, the aircraft carrier formation lost fuel replenishment. Had to passively return home.
What worries the Japanese Navy Ministry even more is that in the last desperate bombing, the US military hit the Kaga aircraft carrier near the waterline at the cost of five bombers being shot down, and destroyed two Boiler,
The Kaga's top speed was reduced to 18 knots, and gradually fell to the last position of the First Air Force.
(End of this chapter)