Chapter 2761 The End

So, after more than half an hour of preparation, the USS Flying Eagle released the second wave of attacks from the Japanese Navy's aircraft carrier detachment. There were only a pitiful 20 carrier-based aircraft. After releasing these aircraft, the aircraft carrier also After clearing its own hangar, the first batch of aircraft released by the Flying Eagle cannot be recovered, and the fighter jets released in succession cannot be recovered. The same is true for the 20 carrier-based aircraft, plus those damaged due to malfunctions and battles. Planes and Japanese Navy aircraft carrier units are really empty!

At this time, the aircraft carriers Zeppelin and Raider, which were accelerating their withdrawal from the battlefield, were finally facing a wave of attacks from the Japanese aircraft fleet. The first ones to come to the door were the Japanese twin-engine bombers, which carried more than carrier-based aircraft. With so much fuel and ammunition coming at them, the aerial endurance of these twin-engine aircraft is terrifying, and the 600kg torpedoes and 500kg bombs hanging under the belly of their aircraft are also terrifying! To be honest, in terms of attack intensity and distance, the advantages of twin-engine aircraft are too obvious.

This time, the Japanese navy, which had been deceived once and bitten by virtue again, vowed to wash away its shame with the blood of its opponents. As many as 24 twin-engine aircraft roared towards the target. At this time, two ships The aircraft carrier has a total of 15 available fighter jets! Not only did they have to deal with this wave of attacks, but they also had to deal with the next Japanese attacks. When the Japanese discovered the US-German fleet, the latter also realized that they had been exposed, and the aircraft evacuation order issued previously to prevent exposure was obviously inappropriate, so the top management decided to convene a meeting

"Order, all fighter jets cover the USS Zeppelin." Old Fletcher issued an order that was almost unacceptable to other American officers. This approach is undoubtedly tantamount to abandoning the USS Raider aircraft carrier.

"General, this is the last surviving aircraft carrier of the United States of America participating in this naval battle," Mitchell said.

"We only have one squadron of fighters. If they are dispersed, both warships cannot be saved. If one of them can be kept, wouldn't it be a very right choice? The Zeppelin aircraft carrier will still fight alongside us. We will attack the island of Guinea together and then return to these waters, don’t you think? Mr. Rogan,” Old Fletcher said.

"Everything is for military purposes." Logan's answer was simple. Old Fletcher's order was naturally to preserve better warships as much as possible, and there were also some political purposes in it. After all, after the end of the war, the German Navy had no new battleship plans for nearly 2 years, with a total of 5 If one aircraft carrier is sunk now, it may be difficult to mobilize another aircraft carrier from the German High Seas Fleet later. As for old Fletcher, in the night battle on New Ireland Island, the German High Seas Fleet saved the lives of tens of thousands of American navy and army officers and soldiers. This favor should be repaid, right?

What the Americans didn't expect was that the Japanese land-based attack aircraft began to target the Zeppelin! Perhaps because the Zeppelin was bigger, the first batch of 12 attacking bombers roared down, and what they faced were 15 fighter jets waiting in full formation, and as many as 6 destroyers on the sea, and fighter jets and fighter jets in the sky. Under the attack of anti-aircraft artillery fire on the sea, the performance of this round of Japanese attack aircraft was very poor. Without escort, 8 aircraft were destroyed, 1 aircraft dropped its load in advance, and the remaining 3 aircraft attacked All lost.

"Wait a minute. The aircraft carrier detachment has eliminated the second wave of attack aircraft. We will operate with them. There is no fighter escort. The small group of aircraft will just go up and send them off." The Japanese commander in charge was also relatively smart. He did not hit the wall like a wild boar and never look back, but chose to wait. Half an hour later, 20 planes taking off from the USS Flying Eagle finally arrived.

So while being surprised at how little force the friendly aircraft carrier detachment sent, they launched an attack together with the carrier-based aircraft. But this time, the air defense net over the German and American fleets was finally torn apart, because just after the battle, 2 of the 15 fighter jets were shot down, 1 was damaged, and 3 had to make an emergency landing due to fuel consumption. At this time, including some of the previously recovered fighter jets, the 10 aircraft prepared on the deck had just been released and had not yet climbed to the predetermined altitude.

As a result, the USS Raider, which had almost no protection, suffered first! The first to break through the defense line was the Japanese twin-engine land-based aircraft. In this era, the speed of twin-engine aircraft was no slower than that of fighter jets. The fuel consumed by long flights caused the aircraft's load to plummet, so the speed was faster! Generally speaking, the Japanese twin-engine bomber fighters are still very reliable. A few days ago, off the coast of Taragan Island, the Japanese twin-engine bombers withstood the interception of fighter jets, and the battleship's anti-aircraft firepower killed two aircraft carriers. One ship was severely damaged, so now, attacking the Raider is a matter of course!

This time it was also an excessive attack! 12 twin-engine bombers dropped 8 bombs and 4 torpedoes, of which 4 500KG bombs hit. The violent explosion plunged the entire deck of the Raider into a sea of ​​fire, and then, the two torpedoes hit It directly destroyed half of the Raider's power system and brought more than 2,000 tons of water in!

At this time, the Raider was destined to sink, but a few minutes later, the Japanese carrier-based aircraft force fired two more torpedoes, one of which hit near the previous wound. So, after a series of explosions, The Raider sank to the bottom of the sea, and then the remaining dozen aircraft launched an attack on the Zeppelin!

In the final stage of the battle, the Zeppelin was not completely spared. It was hit by two 250KG bombs and one near-miss. However, practice proved that the Germans' defense was still in place. In addition to smashing two 250KG bombs on the deck, Apart from the large hole that caused 300 tons of water to enter due to the near-missile bomb, the Zeppelin did not have any major problems, but its aviation capabilities were still mostly ruined. Two bombs hit the front of the deck and destroyed the front elevator. , the forward hangar was also affected.

As a result, the Zeppelin's aviation capabilities were also cut in half. The only thing that was better than the Flying Eagle was that it could take off and land. Of course, this battle also emptied the Zeppelin's hangar. So far in the battle, the carrier-based aviation forces of both sides have withdrawn from the battlefield!

"Our fight is over," Mitchell said, looking at the damage control crews busy on the deck.

"Yes, our battle is over, but the battle of the fleet has just begun." Old Fletcher's eyes showed deep worry.

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