Chapter 57 Extreme joy begets sorrow

Kakuda's base is located on Tinian Island.Prior to this, Nimitz had not interrupted the air strikes in this area, but in the past, the air strikes by US planes were usually in the morning.Seeing that there was no movement that morning, the Japanese air forces at each base wanted to take the opportunity to rest, so they did not take precautions in advance. When the reconnaissance plane spotted the 58th Task Force on the nearby sea, the best time to counterattack had already been missed. In the "Operation Hundai" launched by the United Fleet, a large number of planes of the Kakuda Force were transferred to the south to reinforce Biak Island, and the remaining planes were pitifully small.These few aircraft have to be allocated to 12 bases, unlike the carrier-based aircraft of an aircraft carrier, which can be immediately concentrated for a counterattack with one order.

The U.S. carrier-based aircraft fleet seemed to be in an uninhabited territory. The only thing that hindered them was the anti-aircraft guns on the island, but the hit rate was very low, and the so-called interception was only a symbolic function.The aviation units of the two islands were devastated before they could take off. In Saipan alone, more than 100 Japanese planes were hit and caught fire, and the flames burned everywhere along the weeds on the hillside. That afternoon, the Combined Fleet also received reports of an air strike on the Marianas by Task Force 58.But it was difficult for them to judge for a while, whether this was the prelude to Nimitz's attack on Mariana, or a simple air strike like before.

From this day on, the direct phone call between the Military Command and the United Fleet Headquarters has not been interrupted. While the two sides are reporting the situation of the battle, they are also exchanging their opinions. The military command judged that this was just a simple air strike, but Nakajima, the intelligence staff officer of the United Fleet, determined based on various signs that there was a landing force behind the 58th Task Force, so it was definitely not a simple air strike. Nakajima's supporter was Fuchida, who had just been transferred from Kakuda Force to serve as the aviation staff officer of the Combined Fleet.Fuchita pointed out that if the decisive battle is not launched as soon as possible and Ozawa's troops are thrown into Mariana, Kakuda's troops and Ozawa's troops will be cut into two parts by the U.S. Army and defeated separately.

Fuchida has always had a tactical idea, that is, in the stage of defending the Mariana Islands, the center of aviation combat power has shifted from the aircraft carrier aviation force to the base aviation force, that is, the Kakuda force is more important than the Ozawa force.Although the level of Kakuda's troops is not high, Fuchita has high hopes.He advocated that Ozawa's troops go to war, but the purpose was to use Ozawa's troops as a bait to attract and hold back the 58th Task Force, so as to create the best combat conditions for Kakuda's troops. The one who disagreed with Fuchita was the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet Operations, Taizuo I.Nagai was transferred from Ozawa's army, so he naturally regarded Ozawa's army as the best.Restricted by oil, this "pillar" cannot be turned once it is dispatched. Before fully understanding the true intentions of the US military, Nagai opposed to act rashly.

In the end, Toyota and Kusaka adopted Nagai's opinion and decided to wait for the situation to change. Mariana's operations were first entrusted to the "brave and skilled" Kakuda troops. On June 12, the U.S. military continued to launch fierce air strikes on Saipan and Tinian Island. In addition to the air strikes, seven battleships commanded by Lieutenant General Willis Lee fired naval guns on the two islands.According to the previous experience of the U.S. military in amphibious landing warfare, the firing of naval guns after a large air strike is a signal of an imminent landing.

The U.S. military's combat intentions have gradually become clear. The military command and the combined fleet have come to the conclusion that the U.S. military will land on Saipan, but Toyota has not taken any further action except to strengthen reconnaissance. On June 13, the air strikes and shelling on Saipan continued, and the intention of the US military to land on Saipan was confirmed, and the purpose of the "Hundai Operation" was completely negated.Toyota suspended the implementation of the plan and turned to prepare for "Operation Adai". The "Hun-3" fleet was ordered to go to the western waters of Saipan to join forces with Ozawa's troops. and the return of Tinian.

When the order came to Ozawa, he was doing the second jump in the "triple jump" - to Guimaras in the central Philippine Islands. This is the result of repeated research by Ozawa and his staff.Ozawa's troops stayed on Tawi Tawi Island for nearly a month, and the planes were parked on the aircraft carrier without much movement. As a result, the level of the flight team dropped sharply.The aircraft carrier force is different from the general ship force. The combat effectiveness of the flight team directly determines the success of the entire aircraft carrier force in future battles.

Because of this incident, Ozawa was severely scolded by the United Fleet Command.He moved the fleet to Guimaras, just to use the nearby air base to resume flight training. Ozawa's troops have not conducted normal training for a long time.As soon as they arrived at sea, under the escort of anti-submarine warning aircraft, the nine aircraft carriers could not wait to set up their battles. Unexpectedly, extreme joy gave rise to sorrow, and the problem of insufficient training turned out to be fermented again: a plane failed to land on the ship and crashed into the "Taifeng" The aircraft that had landed on the deck of the aircraft carrier caught fire instantly, and the fire shot straight into the sky.

"Taifeng" is Ozawa's flagship and the leader of the Japanese aircraft carriers. An accident made the officers and soldiers very frustrated.In the midst of this hustle and bustle, Ozawa received an order from Toyota to prepare for the launch of "Operation Adai". The training in Guimaras was changed to refueling and then went north to Saipan.The crude oil produced in the Borneo Oilfield is pure in quality and can be used without processing when fuel is urgently needed. In the absence of fuel suitable for long-range operations, Ozawa used two oil tankers to load Borneo crude oil and sailed with the fleet.

During this period, Ozawa received news of the battle situation from the commander of Saipan, knowing that the US military's shelling of Saipan was still going on, and the local battle situation was very "difficult".