Chapter 67 Japanese plane docks at U.S. aircraft carrier

The "Yorktown" aircraft carrier dispatched the second batch of torpedo planes.They gave "Xiangfeng" a fatal blow, and the hull was completely blown apart by the torpedo. After taking out the photo of the emperor, the captain ordered to abandon the ship, and everyone who could jump jumped into the sea. Four minutes later, a cloud of black smoke and a piece of oil spread across the Coral Sea, and "Xiangfeng" seemed to be stepped on the bottom of the sea by the soles of a giant.The transmitter only had time to issue "We were attacked by a US plane..." and then sank with the ship.

The flight commander radioed to Fletcher: "Knocked out an aircraft carrier!" This was the first time that the U.S. military sank a large Japanese carrier-class warship in World War II, and it was also the fastest sinking. The price they paid was only the loss of three reconnaissance planes.This news made the entire task force, from the bow to the stern, from the deck to the deck, there were endless cheers and applause. The sinking of "Xiangfeng" did not bring a smile to Nimitz's face.In his view, if the Takagi formation had not made a mistake and mistook the tanker for a "task fleet", Fletcher's attack would never have been so smooth.Nimitz reminded Fletcher that "Xiangfeng" is just a modified light aircraft carrier, but the Takagi formation has two large aircraft carriers "Shokaku" and "Zuihe". May cause losses to the US military.

His reminder is right, Takagi will never let it go. Takagi is suffering now. His experience is almost exactly the same as Fletcher's. It was only after the carrier-based aircraft was dispatched that he received the error correction report from the reconnaissance aircraft, saying that there was a mistake and that the real US task force was not there. Here, there! It's hard to get over the water. The position of the US oil tanker is far away from the task force, and the carrier-based aircraft can't keep up with it. Takagi can only make mistakes and let the carrier-based aircraft directly attack the tanker.

Although the air strike disabled the most advanced giant oil tanker in the United States such as the "Dame" and sank a destroyer, those are not aircraft carriers after all, and cannot be compared with "Xiangfeng". Takagi felt extremely annoyed, and really wanted to trample the task force into mud on the bottom of the sea.However, it was already late at this time, and there were only three hours left before sunset. If the carrier-based aircraft attacked again, it would be dark when they returned to the aircraft carrier, and the safety of the pilots would be a serious problem.

Takagi used a signal to ask Maj. Admiral Hara Chuichi on the "Zuihe" aircraft carrier: "Can you launch a night air strike?" Yuan Zhongyi replied: "No problem." Near dusk, Hara Chuichi carefully selected 27 pilots who had been trained in night combat, and they drove the plane to swoop towards the sea area where the task force was located. At dusk, dark clouds obscured the sun, and almost nothing could be seen on the sea, so it was very strenuous to search.The Japanese plane did not even find an aircraft carrier at the designated location, but encountered a US patrol aircraft on the "Lexington" aircraft carrier.

These patrol planes are all "Wildcat" fighter jets, while the Japanese planes are all bombers and torpedo planes, carrying bulky torpedoes and bombs on their fuselages. As soon as they fought, they immediately competed. Eight torpedo planes and one dive bomber of the Japanese army They were beaten into the air and exploded. Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining Japanese planes fled in a hurry. When night fell, most of the carrier-based aircraft on the "Lexington" had returned to the aircraft carrier.After dinner, the hum of aircraft engines suddenly came from above the flight deck, and many bombers were flying towards the aircraft carrier, and they had already flown to the height of the mast.

The strange thing is that "Lexington" did not receive any signal beforehand, and the carrier-based aircraft on the aircraft carrier only has one reconnaissance aircraft that has not yet returned. How could there be so many more at once? This is not hatching eggs, go out one, bring back a brood, so the crew on the deck feel surprised and suspicious. The bombers lined up, in the words of an eyewitness, "like a group of exhausted birds returning to their nests", they kept sending out identification signals, ready to land, and the lead plane had already turned on the navigation lights and flew over here.

The identification signal used for the flight is indeed somewhat similar to that of the American aircraft, but there is one detail that reveals its true identity: the lead aircraft turned on the beacon lights, which is not the landing principle of the American aircraft, and the beacon lights are also different. Everyone suddenly understood that it was the Japanese plane that escaped in the air battle at dusk. In a panic, they mistook the nest and mistook the US ship for the Japanese ship. Coincidentally, the reconnaissance plane that returned last on the aircraft carrier just returned. The pilot saw the unfamiliar beacon light and immediately opened fire. It would be one of the great wonders and anecdotes of naval warfare if he was captured on the deck of the "Busterton".

The escorting destroyer turned on its searchlights and fired antiaircraft guns at the Japanese aircraft.At this time, the Japanese lead plane had already lowered its landing hook. Unexpectedly, it was greeted by heavy artillery fire. It was hit in the middle and fell into the water.The Japanese planes flying in front fell into the sea one after another under the sudden blow. The rest of the Japanese planes saw the clues, turned off the navigation lights quickly, and escaped into the dark night sky. After the Japanese plane flew away, the crew members on the aircraft carrier chattered. Some people said that the sea must be full of aircraft carriers, and the Japanese aircraft carrier must not be far away from us, maybe it is nearby, otherwise the Japanese Opportunity will not be so rash.

The pilot who fired at the Japanese plane was very courageous. Taking advantage of the opponent's ammunition, he also followed the reconnaissance plane for a while, and then returned to "Lexington" through radio guidance. He reported that the enemy plane had landed on an aircraft carrier only 30 nautical miles from "Lexington."He also said that it was a large enemy fleet, full of warships, and he estimated at least two aircraft carriers, possibly more. The Takagi formation may be 30 nautical miles away. The radar surveillance personnel also made this judgment based on the location where the Japanese plane disappeared on the screen. Some people suggested that since the two sides are close at hand, it is better to directly launch a night torpedo attack on the Takagi formation.

Fletcher is not Halsey, and he is not so bold in using troops, and he also doubts whether the Takagi formation is really so close.He chose what seemed to him a relatively sound course and ordered the task force to head south.At the same time, the Takagi formation was retreating northward, and the distance between the two was getting wider and wider. Unknowingly, Fletcher also missed a great opportunity. Since May 5, Fletcher and Takagi have been looking for each other in the Coral Sea for three days. The distance between the two sides was close to 100 nautical miles on two occasions, but they still passed each other in the end. But fate will always meet, you know!