Chapter 63 peripheral attack

After the return of the two aircraft carrier brigades that had gone north, the 58th Task Force already had a complete lineup. With such good conditions, they could only watch the fighter planes slipping out of the net pocket, which really made the soldiers of the 58th Task Force a bit Can't figure it out.Mitchell was limited by his status and couldn't tell what was in his heart, but the aircraft carrier pilots blurted out: "This is the result of non-pilots commanding pilots." However, Mitchell and others did not know the formation method of Ozawa's troops.In this formation, all heavy aircraft carriers are located behind the main force, and the vanguard consisting of three light aircraft carriers and all heavy ships is in front, separated by 100 nautical miles.To attack the Japanese aircraft carrier, the U.S. aircraft had to pass through the dense anti-aircraft artillery fire on the periphery. In this way, it could only touch the light aircraft carrier first, and then flew 100 nautical miles before encountering the heavy aircraft carrier.

On the other hand, the main aircraft carrier of Ozawa's army is also equipped with radar at this time. If the visitor is a large aviation force, the radar can capture the target roughly 50 nautical miles away. can be found. If Mitchell really wants to launch an attack rashly, the losses suffered will make the US military regret it.Of course, Spruance didn't know that deeply. His judgment was based on other reasons and his intuition of danger. To put it bluntly, it was luck. In the arena of war, individual power often appears so small and insignificant, and people can only be dragged around on an unimaginable but pre-designed fate track, just like this weather, at night, Then it began to rain again, completely out of anyone's control.

In the gloomy and deep rainy night, the Ozawa Force and the 58th Task Force moved forward according to their respective courses and speeds, and both sides spent every minute and every second in a tense atmosphere. Compared with the battle of Midway Island, the troops invested by the United States and Japan this time have just dropped by one piece: large and small aircraft carriers, Ozawa's force has 9 ships, the 58th task force has 15 ships, plus the escort aircraft carrier, the entire Fifth Fleet There are as many as 29 aircraft carriers; the Ozawa Force claims to have 430 carrier-based aircraft, but there are actually only 380, while the 58th Task Force has 1,496.In addition, the US military also has a clear advantage in terms of the quality of sailors and pilots.

It is difficult for a man with money to be a man without money. From the comparison of this data, it is hard to see how much possibility Ozawa has to win, but his appetite is not small. He plans to eat the US heavy aircraft carrier in the naval battle the next day. Lose half, the premise is that the Japanese aircraft carrier does not lose a single bit. The property of the poor, the heart of the rich, why? It has to be admitted that Ozawa is a cautious and courageous naval general, and some of his characters are quite similar to his opponent Spruance, that is, he can plan his advances and retreats clearly and seamlessly.Since the decision to attack the next day, a complete operational plan has gradually formed in Ozawa's mind, which is the "peripheral annihilation" tactic.

The carrier-based aircraft newly equipped by Ozawa's troops, from the "Zero" Type 52 fighter jets to the "Comet" and "Tianshan" types, do not use self-sealing fuel tanks and armor to protect the pilots, which expands their combat radius to 400 meters. Nautical miles, the U.S. carrier-based aircraft only has 200 nautical miles, and its endurance is 200 nautical miles less than that of Japanese aircraft.This means that as long as the distance is 200 nautical miles, "I can hit you, but you can't reach me" can be achieved. Since the 58th Task Force was within the combat radius of the Japanese shore-based aircraft, Ozawa hoped that Tsunoda's troops would start from Guam Airport first and bomb the 58th Task Force before the naval battle began.In this way, at least one-third of the carrier-based aircraft of the 58th Task Force can be wiped out first, and then his carrier-based aircraft will launch a "peripheral attack" and use Guam Airport to carry out "shuttle" bombing, that is, refueling and refueling at Guam Airport. After resupplying ammunition, they repeatedly attacked the US aircraft carrier. In this way, it is fully expected to destroy the 58th Task Force in one fell swoop.

That night, Ozawa contacted Kakuda, and Kakuda called back from the base on Tinian Island, saying that Guam is well-defended and the supply of aircraft is not a problem. In short, let's see tomorrow. The night finally passed. On June 19, one hour before sunrise, Ozawa sent 43 reconnaissance planes to conduct a staggered fan search on the sea.During this period, he was also looking forward to the good news from the land-based aircraft at Guam Airport. But at a critical moment, the Guam base became dumb, and Ozawa's troops lost contact with it. Ozawa didn't know that Kakuda had told him a big lie.

Mitchell, Obayashi, and Kakuda all experienced the Santa Cruz naval battle. In terms of performance at the time, Kakuda was the most dazzling. He also became famous in this naval battle and was recognized as a rare naval warrior.However, it is really a wrong place to let this fierce general command the air battle of the base. The air battle of the base cannot be completed overnight. Its commander must have more tenacity and calmness than the naval battle, and this is what Kakuda lacks. After Kakuda's new official took office, regardless of Fuchida's dissuasion to preserve his strength as much as possible, he implemented "fight against the enemy" for all US planes that came to air strikes.How sharp the U.S. Air Force is, such a reckless "seeing the enemy must fight" is equivalent to moths flying into the flames. Not only is it difficult to obtain results, but it also consumes the strength of Kakuda troops prematurely, so that there is no sign of the big battle, 1644 Only one-fifth of the planes were able to take off and go to war.

When the U.S. troops actually approached the Marianas, the remnants of Kakuda's troops were wiped out again. In fact, Kakuda had only a handful of air forces that could cooperate with the navy. I drank too hard yesterday, and today I can't find any alcohol if I want to drink.But Kakuda is a very face-saving master, so he is not willing to admit that he has become a real polished commander.As soon as Ozawa got in touch, he promised with all his mouth, clapping his chest and talking big, as if his troops could hold up half the sky in a naval battle. According to the plan, just after dawn, Kakuta planned to send a plane from Guam to carry out an active attack on the 58th Task Force.The U.S. military observation post saw from a distance that there was a ray of cloud before the tropical storm in the sky on the Guam side. After careful identification, they found that it was several Japanese planes.

The "Hellcat" fighter jets rushed forward immediately, biting the Japanese planes that took off first.Soon, Mitchell received a report from the pilot: "Two 'Comets' were bitten and one was shot down." Knowing that more Japanese planes were preparing to take off from Guam Airport, Mitchell ordered 33 "Hellcats" to intercept them.In the air raid on Guam Airport, 30 Japanese fighter jets and 5 bombers were shot down or destroyed on the spot. After completing this task, the "Hellcats" turned south and attacked the 19 Japanese planes sent by Kakuda from Truk for reinforcement.After a small air battle, Kakuda's forces were no longer able to intervene in the Mariana naval battle (or Philippine Sea naval battle).

At this time, the "Hellcats" received a return signal from the US aircraft carrier: "Hey, hillbillies!" "Redneck" is an ancient circus term used by TF 58 as a call for help.As soon as the pilots heard it, they knew that the aircraft carrier fleet was in trouble and they needed to rush back for support as soon as possible.