Chapter 2730 Battle Damage 2

Chapter 2730 Battle Damage 2

While the Americans were busy dealing with the fires on the flight deck and hangar, the second and third bombs also fell. One was 250KG, the other was 100KG. The second bomb hit the middle of the deck. The operating middle elevator was blown to pieces, which also caused fires in the hangar and flight deck, but the damage and fire intensity were much smaller. The third 100KG bomb fell on the anti-aircraft gun deck on the side of the battleship. , several 28MM machine guns and the nearby artillery crew were eliminated together.

The fourth one that hit the Constellation was a torpedo plane. There were originally three aircraft in a formation, but one of them failed to attack, and the other one was destroyed before it could throw a torpedo. In the end, the torpedo plane hit In this battle, the Japanese naval land-based air force had its last effective hit! The torpedo left an obvious white mark on the sea and hit the left side of the Constellation 1 minute later!

The Constellation is worthy of being one of the most powerful aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy. This battleship has a 3.8-meter underwater protective layer and a defense system composed of more than 60 mm of highly elastic steel plates. It has proven to be reliable, and it can be shattered by fragments and shock waves. The first layer of heavy oil tank. Then a large amount of foam poured into the empty tanks on the second layer. These empty tanks accommodated high-temperature and high-pressure bubbles, and used high-elastic steel plates to absorb and reduce the remaining energy. Most of the fragments were unable to penetrate the third-layer tank, and individual kinetic energy was relatively high. The large fragments were eventually blocked by the last layer of lightning protection steel plates. So much so that Old Fletcher and Mitchell on the Constellation only felt the battleship shake slightly.

When the remaining Japanese bombers wanted to continue the attack, the fighter jets taking off from the Zeppelin and the Raider finally arrived. The fighter group in good condition easily drove away the Japanese bomber group and shot down several unlucky ones that were too late to escape. , No matter what, due to the timely support of the Second Aircraft Carrier Division, the Constellation reported down. Although its rear deck was blown to pieces, the aircraft carrier could still sail at a speed of more than 25 knots.

"The losses were heavy." Old Fletcher looked at his fleet. Two of the three aircraft carriers were sunk in the battle, and the Constellation almost lost its ability to land aircraft. Although the hull structure of the three battleships was not seriously damaged, the anti-aircraft firepower was severely damaged, and some fragile equipment, such as optical instruments, were also lost. In the next battle, I am afraid that the performance of these injured battleships will be very poor. At least five destroyers were sunk in the battle, and two more were seriously damaged.

"I don't know what's going on with the fleet escorting General Sims now. We need to send them a telegram asking them not to go back to the First Aircraft Carrier Group after completing their mission, and go directly to the Second Aircraft Carrier Group to land," Mitchell said. .

"Can the Zeppelin and Raider accommodate those carrier-based aircraft?" Old Fletcher asked.

"It should be able to accommodate most of them. After all, the losses of the carrier-based aircraft on these two aircraft carriers were quite large. Many aircraft made forced landings on the sea because they ran out of fuel. And the fighter jets we sent to General Sims were not without any loss, we still don’t know what their situation is.

"Mitchell said.

Okay, now the question is, just when Charles led the fleet to attack the first U.S. aircraft carrier squadron, what was the situation with Sims? In fact, the Sims fleet is also under tremendous pressure because they are closer to the Japanese airport, and the Japanese single-engine aircraft are capable of providing escort for the bomber group! And the American fighter jets sent out to escort were not facing bulky twin-engine fighter jets, but Japanese version of Dromedary fighter jets!

If the anti-aircraft firepower of the aircraft carriers and battleship detachments commanded by Old Fletcher previously put great pressure on the Japanese offensive forces, then the anti-aircraft firepower of the Sims fleet made it even more difficult for the Japanese to attack. After the Japanese bomber force arrived on the battlefield Before that, Sims had reorganized the fleet. The original single column of eight battleships was split into two detachments, and the same was true for the frigates.

"The American battleship air defense formation is like this. Their four battleships advance in a diamond formation. The battleships are always at a distance. They can use anti-aircraft guns to support each other, and they also leave enough room for maneuver. And On the periphery is a circular array composed of at least 12 or more destroyers. Between the two circular arrays are armored cruiser detachments and attached destroyers, maintaining the connection between the circular arrays. In the air, at least 70 or more fighter jets form the fleet An air defense net was opened. When we saw this posture, we knew that today's battle would not be easy." said a British officer who participated in the air attack on the Sims fleet.

"Our forces today are destined to only carry out limited attack missions, so we must attack the most valuable targets." Before launching the final offensive, the British officer Colonel Bellon, who was in charge of the command, arranged to attack the targets for the last time.

"This time there are two new battleships in the US fleet. Their appearance is very similar to the German Bavaria-class battleships, but they are a bit larger. They are equipped with 4 twin-mounted turrets. If you guessed correctly, then It should be the Colorado-class battleship newly commissioned by the U.S. Navy." said the staff officer next to him.

"Well, it should be like this. The German Bavaria is fast, flexible, and has experienced officers and soldiers who are difficult to catch. The American 14-inch battleship has limited combat effectiveness. Don't worry too much. Then let's start with the American new ship. Their 16-inch artillery is very powerful. It will pose a big threat to the battleships of the combined fleet in the next fleet battle." Veron thought for a while and said.

Today's air attack is just the beginning of the Japanese counterattack. The core tactical purpose is to weaken the strength of the American fleet. Charles has already attacked the American aircraft carrier squadron, and Veron's task is to weaken the strength of the American battleship squadron. But judging from the current situation It seemed very difficult to handle, so he could only target individual battleships. It is not an easy task to rely on less than 80 bombers to forcefully tear apart such a defense line and then severely damage the opponent's fleet.

"Let's start after the mission is arranged. Let the fighter units go up first, and then we will go up. The giants will stay until the end!" Veron said, looking at the 60 or so fighter jets in front of the bomber group. After all, time is still a bit tight. In less than two days of preparation time, it is considered the limit for the Japanese Navy and Army aviation forces to concentrate so much. However, there are two attack targets, ensuring the intensity of the attack on the US aircraft carrier, so it is very difficult. It is difficult to guarantee the strength of the attack on the battleship.

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