Chapter 101 Breakthrough operations

Just as Yamashita stepped up his troop deployment to Wright Island, the United Fleet was also heading towards Wright Island. Compared with the army's cramming, the navy's preparations are much more elaborate and complicated.As early as the Battle of Saipan, due to the defeat of the naval battle, the staff of the United Fleet Command were forced to take the last resort when they were devastated and helpless. Bombard the U.S. landing forces, so as to achieve the purpose of cooperating with the island's garrison forces to carry out anti-landing operations. This is the beginning of the "intrusion warfare method" with the capital ship as the backbone. From the perspective of the tactics, it is to put the capital ship to death, and it is the naval version of the "Long Live Assault".After careful consideration, Toyota did not dare to adopt it.

By the end of the Battle of Saipan, Japan's national power was exhausted to the point of exhaustion, and aircraft carriers lacking aviation gasoline generally no longer carried aircraft. An aircraft carrier without aircraft is cumbersome. This is a fact that has been proven many times in naval battles.The pessimism about the future and fate hit the hearts of the officers and soldiers of the United Fleet from time to time. Their fighting spirit collapsed like a building on a sand dune. The people they brought bad luck: Spruance, Halsey, Mitchell, Kincaid... For Japanese naval officers and soldiers, these American names have become synonymous with hatred.

Seeing this, Toyota decided to pick up the "intrusion method".Just at this time, another good thing also fell on the United Fleet, that is, the navy was finally fully equipped with radar. Because the error of the radar alarm equipment that was initially produced was too large, it was almost a disservice, so the military command had to send a submarine to Germany to ask for help. The Germans sneered at them face to face: "Judging from Japan's request for radar from Germany, Japan's technology is also not good enough." What a big deal." In the end, it was a grasshopper on a rope, and it would not really be desperate. Germany still sent a radar to Japan.

After bringing this treasure back, the technicians did some research and finally found the trick to produce and reproduce it. However, due to the lack of manufacturing materials, the production line was difficult to start for a while. Can't even lick. In the end, the base camp intervened, not only setting up a "radar headquarters", but also implementing a special distribution system for technical materials, so that a real radar was successfully manufactured. Seeing the radar, the army also wanted it, but the navy of course refused to give in, and the two sides quarreled exuberantly.The number of radars produced by Japan in a short period of time is not very large. At critical moments, the base camp implements arbitration and stipulates that warships give priority to the use of radars.

Toyota selected the surface ships most suitable for naval warfare from Ozawa's forces to form the Kurita Fleet.After World War I, there was a saying of the so-called three major fleets in the world, calling the main fleet of the United Kingdom the "Grand Fleet", the main fleet of Germany the "High Seas Fleet", the main fleet of Japan the "Eighth Fleet", and both the United States and France. Can only be ranked fourth and fifth. The origin of the "88 Fleet" is because the Japanese government formulated a so-called "88 Plan", which declared that it would build 8 battleships and 8 heavy cruisers. Later, due to the pressure of the United States, it was forced to change from "88" It became "84".

The Kurita Fleet has 7 battleships and 11 heavy cruisers, which are actually the essence left over from the "August 4th Fleet", as well as 17 light cruisers and destroyers.Even with the harsh eyes of military critics, this can be regarded as a standard fleet with a balanced force, and the battleships "Yamato" and "Musashi" among them have not dared to be used lightly for many years. As the largest battleships in the world at that time, the "Yamato" and "Musashi" were equipped with the world's largest caliber 18-inch main guns, while the maximum caliber of the main guns of the British and American battleships did not exceed 16 inches, and the difference of 2 inches was enough to gain the upper hand.

When the Kurita fleet was sent to the south for intensive training at the oil-rich Linga anchorage, the main warships of the fleet, including cruisers, had already been equipped with the coveted radar.This revived the morale of the Japanese navy, which had been sluggish and low. The officers and soldiers wept with joy, and the voice of shouting "Long live" resounded through the military port. Some people couldn't help shouting: "This is all right! Come if you have the guts!" Linga training is the last large-scale training of the United Fleet, and it can also be said to be a flashback.Linga Bay is close to the equator, the sea here is scorched as if it is about to boil, and the surrounding beaches for several sea miles are all too hot to walk on, but the Kurita Fleet still schedules the training time to a full capacity, even at relatively cool nights. Let the officers and soldiers rest, during which they conducted night combat drills many times.

Night battles were once the classic tactics that the United Fleet was proud of, but after the US ships fully used radar and lightning control shooting technology, the "black eyes" could no longer match the "blue eyes", and the Japanese navy lost its only advantage.Now it is different. As far as the Kurita fleet is concerned, they also have a lightning control shooting device, and the 18-inch battleship cannon can still automatically aim and shoot in the dark. Seeing that the Linga training seemed to have some effect, the confidence of the Combined Fleet Command quickly increased. Toyota made up its mind to focus on the Kurita Fleet and fight to the death with the US military.

According to the different anchorages, the units of the combined fleet at that time were called the Central Formation (Kurita Fleet), the Southern Formation (Shima Force) and the Northern Formation (Ozawa Force).Toyota's plan was to use Ozawa's troops to lure Halsey away. Once Halsey fell into the trap, the Kurita Fleet and Shima's troops would form a pair of "iron pincers" to attack the US transport ship that was unloading in Wright Gulf from both wings. What Toyota did not expect was that this decision caused great dissatisfaction within the Kurita fleet.The officers and soldiers believe that the training they have received over the years, whether it is quick contact with the enemy, long-distance artillery battle, torpedo attack, or the night battle that is the focus of training in Linga, no matter what kind of training, the imaginary enemy is the opponent's capital ship , rather than a transport ship moored in the port.

Searching and attacking enemy transport convoys is of course necessary, but isn't that what submarines and destroyers should do? A start, everyone scrambles to be the first, including some team commanders and staff members.Before the attack, Kurita and his chief of staff’s desks had piled up like hills, and some people even had a tit-for-tat quarrel with the chief of staff, calling Zhuang Tianqu: “We are not stingy with our lives, but we Cherish the reputation of the Imperial Navy, if the last battle of the Imperial Navy is to fight against the enemy's empty ships, then Marshal Togo and Gonbei Yamamoto will not rest in peace under Jiuquan!"

Gonbei Yamamoto is known as the father of the Japanese Navy, and it was he who decided to activate Togo.The intention of the officers and soldiers to bring out these two old bosses is obvious: to fight against the "empty ship" with a giant battleship, even if the "empty ship" is sunk, it will still be an eternal laughing stock in the history of naval warfare! Seeing that the situation was serious, Fleet Commander Lieutenant Admiral Kurita Takeo called the commanders and staff officers of each team to the flagship heavy cruiser "Atago" and held the last dinner before the attack.At the banquet, Kurita, uncharacteristically, reprimanded in a very stern tone with a straight face: "It seems that there are many objections, but the situation of the war is actually much more serious than everyone here imagined. If the country perishes but the fleet remains , that would be a great shame to us!" Kurita participated in the naval battle during the Battle of Guadalcanal, and regretted that the biggest disadvantage at that time was that he did not take advantage of the momentum to attack the US transport fleet parked in "Iron Bottom Bay". Otherwise, the outcome of the Battle of Guadalcanal might be completely different.In addition, there was a lack of radar during the Battle of Saipan. Even if the "invasion operation" was carried out, it was a "blind intrusion". You have to be more passive when fighting. Now that you have a "radar assault", you should feel lucky, right?When is it too big or too small, pick and choose! Kurita finally said: "Who dares to say that my fleet will not be able to save the defeat once it is launched? Everyone, the opportunity to annihilate the mobile units of the unequal enemies Halsey, Mitchell, and Kincaid has come. I hope you will work hard. !" People expressing their dissatisfaction is not only a habitual way of thinking, but also related to their mental state—it has been 100 days in Linga’s high temperature and loneliness, and they must find an outlet. Now that the captain of the fleet had spoken, and there were good wine and good food to entertain, everyone didn't dare to mess around anymore. At most, they would go crazy drinking while eating, and then went back to their cabins.