Chapter 80 lucky boy

The two commanders of Midway Island, Shannon commanded the Marine Corps, and Saimaid was in charge of the air force. However, with the continuous influx of personnel and materials, he also needed to be in charge of logistics and island facilities, so he was too busy to separate himself.The Pacific Fleet Command decided to send Lieutenant Colonel Ramsey to Midway Island to assist Saimad in commanding the air force. Ramsey is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, which had held an exercise years ago in the hypothetical setting of the Japanese attempt to take Midway.Ramsey has participated in this exercise, and he is quick to learn and can save a lot of time.

Ramsey has served as a pilot on several aircraft carriers in the Pacific Fleet. He is not only proficient in seaplanes, but also can fly landplanes. More importantly, he has also coordinated air patrols of landplanes and is familiar with the activities of the two services. , the latter, was exactly what the Midway Air Force needed. From May 30, 1942, Ramsay began an aerial search of Midway.During the search, the Midway Air Force and the Japanese had their first exchange of fire since the war began. That morning, two PBY (twin-engine amphibious) Catalinas encountered two Japanese land-based bombers off Wake Island. The "Catalina" was big and bulky, and it was one of the slowest planes during World War II.

At this time, B-17 "Flying Fortress" bombers had been deployed on Midway Island. Since "Katalina" was so invulnerable, "Flying Fortress" joined the patrol search team. The "Flying Fortress" consumes a lot of fuel, but the gasoline depot on the island happened to have an accident and an explosion occurred, causing half of the entire fuel depot's reserves to be burned. After hearing that Midway had an accident at this juncture, Nimitz was extremely worried. He said: "Time is getting tighter and Midway needs that oil." Because of the emergency, Nimitz temporarily rented a cargo ship to quickly transport the last batch of barreled aviation gasoline to Midway Island.

Unexpectedly, you are in a hurry.The people on the cargo ship were not very conscious. When the cargo ship arrived at Midway Island, which happened to be Sunday, the crew made a show of their attitude, saying that they would not unload the cargo on statutory holidays, and they would have to wait until Monday for unloading. Additional overtime wages must be paid. The Midway defenders had no right to decide whether to pay the crew more wages, and it was impossible to call or send a telegram to Nimitz for such a trivial matter. Don't you have shallow eyelids?Well, this will let you see the world.The garrison was quick-witted and threatened these crew members, saying that if you don’t unload it, the Japanese will come over immediately. There are so many gasoline piled up on the ship, which are all packs of explosives. It only takes a spark to fly over. Boom, the people on the boat will all be turned into burnt meatloaf, can you still see the Monday sun again?

As soon as these words were said, the crew members were so frightened that their faces paled. They immediately started to unload the cargo and gasoline, and then ran away in a hurry. .The reason why this "most tasteless model" cannot be discarded is that it has advantages, one of which is its super endurance and the ability to fly far enough and long enough. On June 3, 1942, another group of "Catalina" set off. Among them was a young man named Reed. After flying for 6 hours, he had reached the end of the patrol area and still did not see the shadow of the Japanese ship.

Reid was also afraid of encountering Japanese planes at first. The "Catalina" is at the level of kindergarten children in fighting. Anyone who encounters it will be bullied. Four "Catalinas" of the Midway Air Force have been seriously injured. , he doesn't want his landline to be the fifth one. But as it happened, the night before, several new "flying fortresses" arrived on Midway Island. The pilots showed off the power of their explosive bombs, and said with a pat on their chest that as long as they used one round, they would surely be able to immediately explode the Japanese aircraft.

Reed and the others were worried that they would not be able to hit the Japanese plane, so they heard that they were so good, so they immediately came over and obtained 6 explosive bombs by means of "exchange or borrow". With explosive bombs, people's minds are much more sensitive.Reed calculated that if he flew out for another 20 to 40 minutes, there would still be more than enough fuel, and he would not be afraid of encountering a Japanese aircraft by then, maybe he could actually find the Japanese fleet. Flying for 20 minutes, still nothing.Disappointed, Reed began to turn and prepare to enter the course back to Midway.

Just then, he noticed a few small dots on the horizon.At first he thought it was a stain on the windshield, but he ignored it. After a while, he suddenly came to his senses and shouted to the co-pilot: "Oh, God! Isn't that an enemy ship on the horizon? I think we are Good luck." A few minutes later, Reed urgently sent a two-word telegram: "The main force." After receiving the report, Ramsey hastily informed Saimad, and both of them were extremely excited.Before that, some pilots also discovered the enemy's situation, but Reid's report was the most valuable. The main Japanese fleet had to catch such a big fish.

Saimad needs to know the details of the big fish, he ordered Reid to continue to observe.Reid then reported that there were six large ships sailing in tandem. After Semad and Ramsay received the telegram, their noses were almost crooked, 6 ships, can you only count them?Report ship species! To recognize the type of ship, you have to lower the altitude.Reed guessed that the Japanese fleet must be escorted by fighter jets. There is no cloud protection in this area. If a "Zero" suddenly jumps out in front of it, no matter how many explosive bombs there are, the "Catalina" will only be given for nothing.

The lad was very clever, and he had an idea.