Chapter 105 Commander accompanying ship dies

The U.S. reconnaissance plane saw that the "Flying Dragon" was no longer in its original position, and it was heading in the direction of the task force, preparing to launch a third attack. Spruance let it go when he didn't make up his mind, and when he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate.He immediately ordered all the dive bombers in the task force to take off. McCluskey was injured and failed to participate in the battle. The task of commanding the mixed fleet was handed over to Gallagher, who was second only to him in terms of position and seniority. Beware of the attack of the "Flying Dragon", Spruance did not send fighter jets to escort it, and Gallagher led 24 "Dreadnoughts" to rush towards the "Flying Dragon" roaring.

Yamaguchi was proud of himself at home, the so-called chicken crowed when the other 3 aircraft carriers of the mobile unit were about to cry, but his "Hyryu" severely damaged the task force. Everyone thought that the Japanese planes attacked twice, and it was two different US aircraft carriers that sank. The crew on the "Flying Dragon" also became excited, and they shouted in unison: "'Feilong', we want revenge." When to take revenge, Yamaguchi reported to Nagumo that it was Dusk.There are very few remaining aircraft in the entire mobile force, and the pilots are also exhausted, and they can only complete the attack preparations at dusk.

There is only one US aircraft carrier left, and the key is to know where it is hidden. Yamaguchi decided to send a high-speed reconnaissance plane to investigate.At 5:3 in the afternoon, just as the reconnaissance plane was about to take off, the Gallagher fleet had already reached the top of the "Dragon". The mobile unit had obtained two sets of experimental radars before departure, but the battleships equipped with these two sets of radars were organized in the Takasu unit in the north.Without this crucial high-tech equipment, the limitations of visual observation alone are very large. When the lookout post found that the US aircraft fleet was approaching, it was already too late, and all 4 bombs hit the vicinity of the bridge, knocking the bridge down. The glass windows above were shattered.

Captain Calais took the helm himself, and in order to avoid being shot again, he had no choice but to advance at full speed. The "Flying Dragon" ran like a mad cow, but it was self-defeating, and the resulting wind only fueled the fire. Burning to the stern of the ship, the "Flying Dragon" was burned into a rotten sheep's head. The last aircraft carrier of the Mobile Force was also lost.There was no other choice but to abandon the ship, and Yamaguchi was desperate. He and Captain Calais chose to sink with the ship, and no one would listen to dissuasion.In his farewell speech, he said to the officers and soldiers who were about to leave the ship: "Although victory or defeat is inevitable, but for today's ending, I will never die."

Yes, it was only a little bit close. If he hadn't mistakenly believed that he had sunk two US aircraft carriers, if he hadn't continued to advance aggressively, if he hadn't delayed the attack until dusk, he might be sitting on the throne of the winner now. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Shankou poured a cup of fresh water from a bucket of clear water, using the water as wine, and drank farewell to his staff.He looked back at the moon: "The moonlight is so beautiful, let's chat while watching the moon, and spend this last night." After speaking, he walked to the bridge.Before leaving, Yamaguchi took off his general cap, threw it to the chief staff as a souvenir, and then ordered: "All leave the ship, this is my order!"

According to Yamaguchi's instructions before abandoning the ship, a destroyer was ordered to sink the "Flying Dragon".Watching Yamaguchi and the ship sink together, tears rolled down the staff. One of the staff later recalled: "For a long time, I have always admired him (Yamaguchi), and I still think that he is the one I have met in my life. most amazing man." The tradition of the Japanese navy is that the captain must live and die with the ship. Yamaguchi is not the captain, but the road he took is undoubtedly the ideal road for Japanese men. After his death, Yamaguchi has become a well-known legend in Japan. Dare to make irresponsible remarks to Yamaguchi, that is to be deceived by lard and blocked, which means that he doesn't like tea ceremony, cherry blossoms, and he doesn't even deserve to be a Japanese!

But in the eyes of the Americans, all of this is completely unreasonable: a group of staff and hundreds of crew members stood on the aircraft carrier that was filled with fireworks and had been seriously tilted for more than half an hour, just to accompany Yamaguchi. Touched, is this a war, or a fan club? In their view, Yamaguchi's suicide was also trivial.After the war, the U.S. military unceremoniously listed Yamaguchi's death as one of the major achievements of the U.S. side. With the sinking of the "Flying Dragon", Nanyun's four old aircraft carriers have all returned to zero, and the Japanese carrier-based aircraft ushered in a nightmare.The American pilots who were shot down earlier, when they were floating on the sea surface waiting for rescue, could clearly see that those Japanese counterparts first flew the plane in circles in mid-air, trying to find a place to land, but there was no branch at all. However, as time went on, the plane ran out of last drop of gasoline, and finally fell helplessly into the bottomless sea.

In the evening, Nimitz received a battle report from Spruance, which indicated that the main force of the once-prominent mobile force had been completely destroyed.For a general, victory is almost equivalent to a panacea for bringing the dead back to life, and Nimitz's tired face suddenly looked radiant and beaming.He knew that on this day, a major turning point had taken place in the Pacific War. That night, the Pacific Fleet Headquarters was brightly lit, and almost no one could fall asleep. On the one hand, they were too excited to close their eyes, and on the other hand, they had to pay close attention to the movement of the Japanese side, so as not to lose the fruits of victory in their hands.

Nimitz pondered and said: "I guess the Japanese still want to land on Midway Island." Layton agrees. Nimitz suddenly asked Layton: "They have already suffered a defeat, aren't they afraid of paying even greater losses?" Layton has already returned to his imaginary role. He tried his best to understand Yamamoto's feelings: "I don't think they will take care of it. This is a very tenacious army. As long as the order is given, it will do its best." But this time, Layton was only half right.