Chapter 13 Japanese planes crazily bombed the Far East Fleet

On December 10, 1941, at dawn, the Japanese Navy's 22nd Air Squadron was ordered to set off from the air base in Saigon, Vietnam, and search for the "Z" fleet along the sea. The search was not smooth, and it was busy until 10:30 in the morning, and even the shadow of the "Z" fleet was not seen.The pilots were very depressed and had to return, when the plane's fuel had been consumed by more than half. On the way back, a reconnaissance plane discovered the "Z" fleet still stranded in Kuantan.The scene the pilot saw was very spectacular: the huge "Prince of Wales" was in the front, and the "Counterattack" was behind. The four destroyers were in a triangular shape, surrounded by stars like the moon.

Afterwards, the word "God Bless" was circulated in the Japanese army.Maybe it is really God's blessing, the luck of the Japanese is really good.During that time, the area off the coast of Malaysia was covered with white mist, but the area where the "Z" fleet was sailing was clear and foggy, so it was immediately caught by the Japanese reconnaissance plane. Upon hearing the call from the reconnaissance plane, a large number of returning Japanese planes immediately changed course and swarmed over. The "Prince of Wales" and the "Counterattack" were so famous that when a Japanese pilot who participated in the battle saw these two large ships, he was so nervous that he trembled all over his body, feeling as if an extremely exciting competitive competition was about to begin.

After discovering that the Japanese plane was attacking, everyone from Philip to the general officers and soldiers did not act too flustered at first.The British Navy was once bombed by the Luftwaffe at high altitude in the Mediterranean Sea. Such bombings had large errors, so there is nothing to be afraid of. Soon, everyone will not think so.These Japanese aviation soldiers are all elites trained by Yamamoto, and they are different from Western pilots.Yamamoto's training standards are completely based on actual combat, very strict and demanding, it is a real devil-style training, many people died because of it, many aviation soldiers were terrified when they participated in the training: "Isn't this a risk of death?"

Whoever died in training, Yamamoto wrote down his name and hung it in his office.When new airmen come to report, they must first salute to the death list, and then learn from these dead people and continue to die. The excellent Japanese air force who had undergone devil-style training greatly exceeded the imagination of the British army in terms of bombing accuracy.To use an analogy, it’s like a calligrapher writing Chinese characters to the point of being superb and doing whatever he wants. Philip has been waiting in the British Admiralty for a long time, lacking recent ocean voyage and actual combat experience, and his outdated tactical thinking made his fleet quickly fall into trouble. The "Counterattack" was first hit on the waist deck. At a critical juncture, the captain, Rear Admiral Tennant, had to send an emergency telegram to the Singapore base, asking for fighter jets to escort.However, the British fighter jets would have to wait an hour at the fastest to arrive at the combat area, and they could not quench their thirst far away.

Tennant's sailing and combat experience is very rich, he personally steered the ship, avoiding a torpedo.However, in the end, I am afraid that even God can't help it-15 torpedo bombers attacked from 15 different directions, and they couldn't see the track of the torpedo at all, let alone turn the rudder to snaky to avoid it. 14 of the 15 torpedoes hit the target. The continuous explosions caused ruptures everywhere in the cabin, and a large amount of seawater poured into the cabin. The warship quickly lost its buoyancy. With the warship tilted at an angle of 40 degrees, Captain Tennant grabbed the railing with one hand, raised the microphone to his mouth with the other, and said in a trembling voice: "Crew, you have performed very well, and I sincerely thank you. Thank you. Now please each of you look after yourselves, and may God bless you."

Tennant ordered the ship to be abandoned, and Repulse sank.A military reporter described the sinking process: the bow of the ship was raised high, like a stalagmite, and only a second or two later, with a huge vortex rolled up, this huge hill-like ship disappeared in an instant. Among the huge waves. At the same time, the "Prince of Wales" where Philip was also under siege.Philip ordered all the more than a hundred artillery pieces on the ship to fire, and fired all their strength into the air. The air was filled with smoke of yellow gunpowder for a while, and the shells that fell on the sea caused waves to splash, as if sand and stones were falling everywhere .

Even the Japanese planes that were not hit by the shells seemed to be stuck in the dense barrage and could not get out.But the Japanese aviation soldiers did not retreat, they still rushed down desperately, and some of them didn't even remember how they flew, how to aim, and how to release the torpedo afterwards, they only knew how to repeatedly impact with inertia . Seeing that the "Prince of Wales" was doomed, the staff advised Philip to leave the ship, but he only said: "No, thank you!" Red flames continued to burn on the deck, and after making earth-shattering noises, the "Prince of Wales" plunged into the sea. The commander of the "Z" fleet also died on the bottom of the sea along with his fleet along the sloping side.

A few minutes later, five "Buffalo" fighter jets arrived, but it was of no avail. The pilots could only mournfully witness that the "Prince of Wales" was completely swallowed by the sea. In the Malaysian naval battle, including Admiral Philip, the number of British soldiers killed reached 840, but the Japanese combined fleet lost only 4 aircraft. The United Kingdom was once known as the world's number one maritime power. Most of its image as an empire on which the sun never sets was established by warships. Therefore, warships are regarded as a symbol of Britain's national prestige.Today, even the "Prince of Wales", known as the most elite warship in the world, has sunk.People seem to see that the British national prestige is also falling from mid-air.

Never since the beginning of the war had news shocked Churchill more than that of the Malaysian naval battle.Until late at night, the Prime Minister tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, his mind was full of this terrible news. Now, the US Pacific Fleet and the British Far East Fleet are all over.Whether in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, there are no traces of British and American battleships.Churchill lamented sadly: "In this vast and vast ocean, Japan is supreme, and no matter where we are, we are either very weak or blank." Compared with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Malaysian naval battle made Yamamoto feel more proud and happy.As a Japanese samurai, he has the morality of a samurai, and he doesn't think it is so glorious to win by sneak attack.This is the same as cheating at the gambling table. Although the other party can't find out, you can't show off your cheating skills with a lot of money.

Yamamoto himself said in a letter to the villagers: "The attack on Pearl Harbor was an undeclared war. This kind of practice of taking advantage of the enemy's sleeping state to cut off a person's head is not advisable, and the spirit of the Japanese samurai cannot tolerate it." .” The stolen gongs and drums can't be beat, but the Malaysian naval battle is different.It was a face-to-face duel on the high seas after the two sides declared war. It was a regular naval battle that left the opponent speechless. Let those sarcastic remarks go away, whoever said that planes can't sink battleships, Yamamoto used planes to sink all the most elite battleships in the world.From then on, the era when large battleships dominated the oceans will never return. No matter how big or powerful a ship is, it will not dare to go out without the company of fighter jets on the aircraft carrier!

This time it's time to celebrate.While Yamamoto was happy, the adjutant said, "Sir, bring ten cases of beer!" "Of course, don't say ten boxes, even fifty boxes are fine." "Sir, it's time for the emperor to promote you." "I'm not interested in those things. In terms of rewards, I might as well go to Singapore to buy a piece of land and open a big casino." Amid the excitement, Yamamoto revealed his gambler nature again. He jokingly said: "If I were allowed to open such a big casino, all the gold and silver treasures in the world would quietly gather in Japan." To say that during those days, there was something that made Yamamoto unhappy, and that was Wake Island, which seemed to cost him two destroyers without much effort. Secret love is a bad debt that cannot be recovered. Many days have passed, and Yamamoto still misses this "unsinkable" island, especially after defeating the "Z" fleet, he will try to make up for it. .