SFS Chapter 388 Landing (8)
Chapter 388 Landing (8)
The sun has risen and the rays are scorching the sea.
"In order to prevent the enemy ships in Lion City Harbor from posing a threat to our subsequent offensive, they must be completely annihilated on the first day of the battle!" This was Zhang Chi's firm order at the combat meeting.
Navy Commander Zhang Guangjun naturally understood that this was not just a military operation, but a major battle concerning the reputation of the HNA. For this decisive strike, he mobilized nearly all of his elite troops, a truly lavish investment.
The first wave of air raid planes broke through the clouds in the sunlight and roared towards the Japanese warships.
总计46架F4U“海盗”战斗机为这支空袭部队提供掩护，34架F6F“地狱猫”挂载着570毫米MK.13鱼雷，紧随其后的是22架SB2C-4“地狱俯冲者”俯冲轰炸机，每架腹内都装载着1600磅的AP穿甲炸弹。
In particular, the pilots of the 22 SB2C-4 dive bombers were all naval aviation elites who were able to accurately drop the bombs in the belly of the aircraft onto the moving target ships. It took countless efforts to train them.
At this time, Major General Susumu Kimura had already boarded the flagship light cruiser Yahagi. Holding a telescope in the bridge, he looked at the dense swarms of enemy planes in the sky and felt something was wrong.
At this time, only the destroyers Ushio and Akebono had entered the waterway and were heading towards the open sea, while the two large ships Yahagi and Kitakami had just left the narrow berths with the help of tugboats and their speed had not yet been fully increased.
"Quick, quick, quick! Leave the waterway, enter the open sea, and form a wheel-shaped air defense formation!"
The Yahagi had just been modified at the shipyard in Kure Port a few months ago, with the addition of two three-barrel Type 96 25mm anti-aircraft guns. However, even so, her air defense capability is not only better than nothing, but also almost at the level of the atmosphere group.
In the sky, Lieutenant He Qian, the leader of the Anmin Army's naval aviation team, spotted the largest torpedo cruiser, the Kitakami.
"The intelligence is correct. I've sighted two light cruisers. The fighters will remain at high altitude to provide cover. The torpedo planes will enter the attack route first. Once the enemy's attention is drawn, the dive bombers will immediately attack from both flanks. Remember, focus on the larger ones first!"
"Got it!" There was a response over the radio, the voice was full of excitement and murderous intent.
Immediately, the F4U "Corsair" fighter planes in the high sky were entangled with more than ten Zero fighter planes that the Japanese took off in a hurry.
The blue-gray F4U rolled and swept through the air with overwhelming performance advantage, and the 12.7mm tracer bullets drew a series of fire lines in the air.
The Japanese pilot Osamu Tsujitani watched those fat planes enter the attack route, but he was surrounded and attacked by the F4Us with a numerical advantage, and had no time to intercept them.
"This machine has been bitten at 6 o'clock. Repeat, I'm being bitten! The torpedo plane is approaching and cannot be intercepted. Requesting support--"
Before he could finish his words, a string of bullets pierced through the cockpit glass of Tsujitani Osamu, and the entire Zero shook violently and fell towards the sea.
At low altitude, the F6F "Hellcat" advanced in three directions, with 11 aircraft in each direction, flying low over the sea and approaching the Japanese warships.
The Japanese soldiers on the Yahagi roared and used all their anti-aircraft weapons to pour ammunition into the sky, but it was useless.
At 7:49, Major General Kimura Susumu in the bridge watched as the Anmin Army planes dropped torpedoes amidst the anti-aircraft fire. Countless white lines suddenly appeared on the sea surface, and his face turned ashen in an instant.
The captain, a major, didn't care if the ship would run aground in the narrow harbor channel and shouted, "Thunderbolt! Full left!"
The Agano-class light cruiser Yahagi, with a full load of 7700 tons, drew an exaggerated arc on the sea. The crew members could not even stand steadily, and many were thrown onto the deck.
All four torpedoes passed by, and the closest one even passed by the edge of the ship.
But before they could breathe a sigh of relief after escaping one round of attacks, several torpedoes approached at high speed from the starboard direction!
"Starboard! The starboard torpedo is approaching at high speed!" the lookout screamed, his tone almost desperate.
Yuan Yiyi's heart skipped a beat. He closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "At this distance... it's too late..."
At 7:53, the F6Fs scored their first hit. A torpedo hit the underwater right side of the middle of the Yahagi's hull. After the violent explosion, a huge hole immediately appeared in the hull. The Japanese sailors inside the hull heard the terrible sound of twisting steel.
A few seconds later, the stern of the Yahagi was "kissed" by two more torpedoes in succession. Water began to enter the stern of the hull, the propeller stopped rotating, and the rudder lost control.
A few months later, Colonel Hara, who came to the Nanhua Naval University in Myitkyina as a prisoner of war to teach, recalled that desperate morning.
"As captain of the Yahagi, Rear Admiral Susumu Kimura and I stood on her bridge, watching the sea close in on us. The three-pronged torpedo launch was a brilliant tactic, but poor Yahagi was first hit by three torpedoes, then two more, and then several bombs. Not only did she lose all power, but she also took on a massive amount of water and listed at least 30 degrees."
"What a wonderful and gorgeous finale! Just like the cherry blossoms, as far as I could see, there was not a single intact spot on the ship. Smoke and broken limbs were everywhere. The damage control team was still fighting, but I knew she couldn't hold on any longer."
"After taking one last look at the Kitakami, which was still fighting in the distance, I gave the order to abandon ship, took off my shoes, and jumped into the sea."
"As I dazedly and barely managed to stay afloat, I saw countless of your planes swarming around the Kitakami, launching torpedoes and dropping bombs. Then, in the distance, a violent explosion erupted mid-ship, sending a towering column of water surging across the sea! The ship broke in two right before my eyes. I immediately guessed that the acid torpedo in the torpedo tube must have exploded..."
At 7:59, the light cruiser Yahagi took on water and capsized, its bow lifted high before slowly sinking beneath the oil-stained, flame-covered water. A torpedo struck the torpedoed cruiser Kitakami midships, causing it to break in two and sink.
At 8:29, the first wave of air strike forces began to return, and the main force of the second torpedo squadron was completely destroyed. Among the three destroyers, only the Chao destroyer was still struggling on the sea, and the rest had sunk into the sea.
At 8:41, the second wave of 79 B-25 bombers arrived and began carpet bombing the naval port at the request of White Eagle, completely cutting off the possibility of the Lion City naval port docking for maintenance of the Combined Fleet's main battleships such as the Yamato and Haruna.