Iron Cross

Fate played a cruel joke on Halsey. At 5 p.m., there were still about 100 minutes before dark. He thought that the Japanese would not send out another attack group before sunset and would focus on night attacks. However, the opposite was true. Hori Teikichi's attack group had taken off and swooped down on the TF50 fleet.

This attack wave was unexpectedly arranged. Hori Teikichi originally planned to attack after nightfall, which would be more certain. However, at 15:00, Kusaka Ryunosuke sent a telegram on behalf of Tsukahara about organizing the first attack wave to Hori Teikichi. The latter thought about it for 10 seconds and decided to attack!

He thought that Tsukahara's tactics were better than his. As a naval commander with an open mind, he would not refuse a better tactical arrangement.

On October 30, 1944, Tsukahara used a new tactic, the Cross of God, after using the "God's U-turn" tactic in the Caribbean Campaign!

Of course, the Cross of Gods was summarized by military enthusiasts in later generations. The name of Tsukahara's report was "Shuttle Attack". He and his staff discussed it for most of the afternoon and worked on the drawings repeatedly. The logic is not complicated, but it has high requirements for personnel and is more suitable for the current technical level and mental state of the Combined Fleet. The specific points include:

1. The first wave of attack groups took off at 4:30 pm and assembled and set off within 20 minutes. At this time, Hori Teikichi's attack group was about 780 kilometers away from Halsey, and actually needed to fly about 840 kilometers-because the US fleet could run out 60 kilometers during the nearly 2-hour flight;

2. At 6:30, Caiyun Kai provided the specific position, heading, and speed of the US fleet for the attack group to make the final heading correction. At this time, the attack group had not yet entered the US radar detection range, and the US military would not notice it;

3. At 18:45, prepare to attack after dark, first send fighters to explore the US air defense firepower and reaction situation. If the opponent reacts strongly and responds well, the attack aircraft will attack the periphery to preserve strength and deter the US military. If the US military is unable to respond, it can target the Essex class;

4. The last and most critical point is that after completing the attack mission, this group of attack aircraft will not return to the 2nd and 5th Air Forces, but will land at the Tsukahara Fleet, because at this time the second attack wave of Tsukahara has already attacked, and the deck is empty. What is more friendly is that Tsukahara ordered the three aircraft carriers Taiho, Shokaku, and Zuikaku to increase their speed to 32 knots after 6 o'clock. For the returning aircraft group, they only need to fly more than 600 kilometers to land. Although there are risks, even if the fuel is exhausted and forced to land, , and we can also count on the destroyers of the First Air Force to catch dragonflies...

Hori Teikichi believes that this plan has three highlights:

First, the cross-shuttle shortens the flight distance, greatly improving the safety of pilots;

Second, the first wavelength long-distance departure flight is carried out when the sunshine conditions are good, saving physical strength and energy. The attack is at the beginning of the night, and the pilots' eyes have gradually adapted during the flight, so it is relatively not a big challenge;

Third, because the last colorful cloud before sunset is changed to forced reconnaissance, it can be guaranteed that there will be no empty strikes, which improves combat efficiency.

Watching the attack group leave, Hori Teikichi sighed: "It was Tsukahara-kun after all. I heard that he released a group of American pilots and wounded soldiers when he attacked Christmas Island?"

"Yes! Commander Tsukahara made a detailed investigation, released the wounded and got some medicine. He also invited the American ambassador and military attaché to visit the Yamato in Lima..." Matsuda Chiaki added, "Many people didn't understand, but now it seems that he has it all planned out."

"Show strength with strength! This is a good move! It seems that I can retire early."

"Commander?" Everyone was stunned.

"Just a joke..." Hori Teikichi smiled self-deprecatingly, "They say you should retire after you've accomplished your mission, but I haven't accomplished my mission yet, so I can't retire..."

All the generals were very happy. If they fought like this, they could launch a continuous wave of attacks, and the U.S. military would have no room for resistance. The staff had calculated:

The first wave of the five-carrier battle at 7 o'clock;

The second wave of the one-carrier battle at 8:30;

The third wave of the two-carrier battle at 10 o'clock...

The essence of the entire tactic is to use elite carrier-based aircraft pilots to fight the U.S. military, which has no night combat capability! The Combined Fleet endured for a day and accompanied the Americans for a day, wasn't it just to pick this time to attack?

At this time, the extra pilots in the hands of the Japanese army showed their advantage - although there were still so many planes, the pilots could be rotated, ensuring that the next few rounds of attacks could be replaced without changing planes, achieving maximum success.

At 18:28, TF50 received the last round of Caiyungai sweeps, and retreated eastward at a speed of 18 knots. Now the entire fleet is only more than 1,500 kilometers away from the west coast. As long as it survives this dark night, TF50 can basically escape.

In the flagship USS Franklin, Halsey had no time to check the anti-aircraft fighters that were landing one after another, and was deploying night orders: "After 7 o'clock, make sure that these damn Japanese reconnaissance planes are not there, the fleet will immediately change its formation, let the cruisers and destroyers pick up the escort carrier personnel to evacuate, and the four main battleships will first go east at full speed, and then separate after a while... avoid Japanese night reconnaissance planes, and try to use all fighter pilots who can fly at night." After explaining this, he instructed McCain: "Let the captains increase the distance between the Casablanca-class ships and disguise them as a large formation. Whether they can deceive the Japanese depends on this trick." After explaining this, he sat down with his head in his arms dejectedly, and complained to McCain: "I don't want to run away like this, but..."

McCain comforted him: "William, if you think about it, losing some escort carriers is not a big deal. You can harvest a dozen of them in a few months. If the Japanese want to blow them up, let them blow them up, but the personnel and four ships The capital ship is the most important thing - it is the capital of our comeback. Do you remember that after the first battle of Pearl Harbor, almost all of our battleships were sunk, and then they rose again? "

Halsey shook his head and smiled bitterly: The Battle of Midway killed four Japanese aircraft carriers. He almost thought he would win at the time, but he didn't expect that Horikichi suddenly appeared from the sky and brought the momentum back. There are such figures in Japan. Why doesn’t it exist in the United States? This is unscientific!

In the Washington headquarters, Turner, Spruance and Nimitz were pacing uneasily, anxiously waiting for news from the front. When Halsey reported that the Japanese army had just carried out their last reconnaissance, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief - —It’s better that I didn’t call before sunset. If it drags on for another hour, it will be time for the escort carrier group to use the golden cicada's escape method. All excess items on the cruisers and destroyers have been cleared, waiting to accommodate the officers and soldiers on the 12 escort aircraft carriers. It is very dangerous and not easy to transfer more than 9,000 people to cruisers and destroyers in the shortest possible time.

Spruance had already done it once in the Mid-Atlantic, using a destroyer to take away all the officers and soldiers on an aircraft carrier. This had become a nightmare that he could not shake off - it was more unforgettable than being seriously injured and dying off the coast of Australia. Sometimes he regretted why he didn't die at that time, at least it would be over once and for all, and he wouldn't have to worry about so many things. Watching the army keep losing battles but being unable to recover is the most painful thing for a senior general.

At 18:45, the first Japanese attack wave had arrived only 120 kilometers away from the fleet. The thought of driving the first nail into the coffin of the U.S. Pacific Fleet made Takashimage Eso, the God of Ship Explosion who led the team, feel... I couldn't contain my excitement: Who would dare to think of such a thing when the war started? After losing the battle at Midway, he felt that the whole world had collapsed. Japan could only survive one more day to decide its fate. But a leader like Optimus Prime came out of the blue and almost single-handedly changed the fate of the entire war. !

The officers and soldiers on the more than 100 planes behind him were also very excited. They not only looked forward to military exploits, but also looked forward to a better life after the war. The chief had informally announced that after the war, land would be distributed in India based on personal merit and military rank. The area, area, and The quality assurance satisfies everyone, and those who contribute the most deserve not only the land but also the servants!

Land! This is something that the Japanese farmers in the small country with barren land dare not even think about. The officers and soldiers of the United Fleet have generally been to India and know that the good land there can be harvested three times a year. It is simply a treasure trove. Look at what the British are doing there. What a waste! What a waste!

"Fighter squad, break in with me... let's go make fun of the Americans!"

At 18:49, the swollen meteors led eight fighter jets into the US military's outer air defense circle. The sky was gradually getting dark, and warships were visible one after another in the distance, but they all turned into blurry shapes.

"Sir, radar reports that 9 unidentified aircraft have intruded."

Halsey's brows suddenly furrowed: "How many night fighters are on patrol?"

"Six."

He shook his head helplessly: "They are probably annoying reconnaissance planes, drive them all away!"

"Sir, it seems that a US military plane is coming." Sugita Shoichi's voice suddenly sounded in Egusa Takano's earphones.

"Can you shoot them down?"

"I'll give it a try!"

"It's fine if you can't shoot them down and lure them away... I'm going to dive..." Jiang Cao Tongfu dived first, and then shot down a series of flares - today he only had one 400 kilogram bomb in the belly of the aircraft, and the rest were all arranged with flares , hoping to use his experience to indicate the target for the attack group. The dazzling light illuminated the place below like daylight, and the fierce anti-aircraft firepower of the US military raised a barrage in the air.

"Very good, such fierce firepower must be from South Dakota..." Jiangcao Takasushi actually didn't see clearly what warships were below. He guessed based entirely on the anti-aircraft firepower, and the result was not bad at all.

A minute later, he shot down another string of flares, and this time he finally saw it clearly - a large flat deck, and there seemed to be rows of aircraft parked behind it. "Hahaha, this must be the Essex class."

"The Essex class has been found, the whole army attacks!"

At 18:53, following Jiang Caolongfan's order, more than 100 attack groups circling outside swooped over, and the US military radar was densely packed with light spots...

ps: The game has started, please give me a monthly ticket...