Chapter 92 Chapter 91

What Admiral Kincaid doesn't know, Pug.What Henry could hardly have imagined was the fierce fighting outside Samar at that time.If a great book were ever to be written about the three battles of October 25th, it would be the one the historian would love to write about, because even today, when swords have long since become as useless as plowshares, the The theme of the story will still be exciting: a battle of sheer valor and outnumbered enemies. Sprague's squad consisted of six small aircraft carriers with the short-wave radio name "Taffy Three."Eighty nautical miles north of the entrance to Leyte Gulf, the Taffy III was engaged in the hard work of amphibious operations; including small-scale air raids on enemy positions and combat air patrols over beachheads when the encounter occurred. , engaged in anti-submarine searches, bombing truck convoys, airdropping supplies to Army units, etc.

These mass-produced dwarf aircraft carriers were not built for combat.The three destroyers and four smaller escort destroyers serving as screens are only used for anti-submarines, and they are not expected to fight. Most of the officers and soldiers on the "Taffy III" are in the reserve service.Many of them were just enlisted in the army.Halsey led the elite going north, including those fleet aircraft carriers and fast battleships, all equipped with professional naval officers and soldiers, but "Taffy III" was different.However, when Kurita approached Wright Gulf, it was not Halsey he encountered, but Taffy Three, and Taffey Three had to fight him.

Another two small aircraft carrier squads. Taffy II and Taffy I were on patrol farther south at the time.The distance between the teams is thirty to fifty nautical miles.For Kurita, this is a good opportunity to defeat the enemy!As long as he kept sweeping south, he could take aim and sink most of the slow thin-deck ships and their small screen frigates.None of the aircraft carriers escaped his attack, for his powerful gunboats were much faster than them, and had a range of fifteen miles or more; On the way to this main mission, sink the entire fleet of aircraft carriers. However, Kurita did not pre-plan to surprise these teams of Taffy.Like them, he was surprised by the encounter.Finding that the strait was undefended, such good luck made him feel happy. However, the escape by swimming on the 23rd, the multiple air raids on the 24th, and the loss of the mighty "Musashi" were one after another. Three nights of sleepless nights, and a final night of intense tension through the minefields: after all this, Kurita could no longer pursue the aircraft carriers with gusto.He froze at first sight of the low, flat things that appeared on the horizon in the morning light.What fleet are they?Where did they come from?Wasn't Halsey waiting at the mouth of the channel, but here in ambush?Could it be that the main fleet is going to be unlucky and encounter another air attack that cannot be parried?

It was an unfortunate coincidence that Kurita found the ghost.His ships were in disarray, in a haphazard circle around him, because he had ordered them to be in anti-aircraft formation when sailing by day.It would take some time to get his fleet back into battle formation.However, once the air defense "circle" is deployed, it is not convenient to chase enemy ships.Kurita was staring at the small gray shadows in the south, thinking about what to do, when urgent reports were sent from the "Taihe" and other warships: "Fleet aircraft carrier appears ahead! Cruiser! Battleship! Small aircraft carrier! Tanker! Destroyer!"—the excited voices became chaotic.Eager to obtain information, Kurita dispatched two reconnaissance planes from the Yamato.After the plane left, it never flew back to report.He had to decide before he knew for sure where the enemy ship was coming from, and he had to guess at the worst: it was Halsey.

Besides, Sprague knew exactly what enemy ship he was encountering.This large group suddenly appeared on the horizon was the Japanese Central Fleet.You can clearly hear foreigners chattering on the intercom.Like the others, Sprague thought that Halsey's battle fleet was defending the Channel and that the Central Fleet could be his concern.But now it was up to him to deal with it.Most of his planes have been dispatched, some are engaged in civil aviation patrols over the beachhead, some are searching for submarines, and some are circling over his own fleet.At that time the sailors of his few weak ships did not even assemble, they immediately left their breakfast and took their combat positions, but this did not increase the defensive strength of the battleship.There was one five-inch gun in each boat--and only one gun.

Kurita finally ordered an "all-out attack."With one order, all the ships of the Central Fleet swarmed forward, separately aiming and chasing their targets.They were chasing chaotically and shooting randomly. Some ships formed a column, some fought alone, and they all approached the US fleet at full speed. Sprague fought like a student at a military academy solving a combat problem.He headed at full speed against the wind, laying down a smoke screen to obscure his aircraft carrier.He ordered the escort ships to cast smoke screens.He let all the planes on his ship take off.He notified Kincaid of his critical situation and asked to send battleships to support him.He issued an emergency battle call to all aircraft within flight range.After all this was done, he let the fleet sail against the wind towards a sea of ​​torrential rain, and the ships in formation gradually disappeared under the rain curtain a quarter of an hour after they spotted the Japanese fleet.They were shaken by the near-miss shells, but undamaged.All around him, the cannon threw jets of red, purple, green, and yellow water across the sea, and it looked like his fleet would be wiped out at any moment: if he had solved combat problems like this in a military academy, he would have earned high marks.

Of course, it is by no means safe in a rainstorm.Like a fugitive, Sprague hid behind a moving police car in order to avoid the police.Storms don't fall forever.He couldn't support it all the time.The enemy ship continued to approach his fleet, and its position could already be shown by radar.She made her way through the dense rain, heading south with the wind in order to maintain a wide sea for maneuvering, while hoping to get close to other ships that would come to rescue.Sprague's tactic was to buy time, keep his aircraft carrier intact, avoid being sunk, and eventually get relief from one of the following: Halsey, Kincaid, other Taffies, the Army Air Corps, or a Merciful God.

Through the wind-blown rain and smoke he could see the battleships growing larger behind him and the cruisers approaching his stern.He ordered his three destroyers to launch torpedoes at the powerful enemy ship.This was a desperate move by him to delay time.Three narrow gray ships emerged from the pouring rain, through the cannon fire, and headed straight for the battleships and cruisers.The two sides sailed head-on, and the main fleet and the three small warships quickly approached.Shell after shell hit the destroyers, but they fired torpedoes and staggered away under the bombardment.The two destroyers were finally sunk.They only hit one cruiser with one torpedo.

Nevertheless, to avoid the torpedoes, the following warships had to pause their pursuit, and this gave Sprague a quick escape.For Kurita, things went badly after that.He had just ordered the heavy "Yamato" to turn to the north for shelter, but at this time the battle shifted to the south.The super battleship sailed seven nautical miles north before turning around again, as the destroyers did not attack at the same time, and some continued to fire torpedoes.Kurita has lost touch with the fight.Since then, his ships have become leaderless, just executing the battle plan sporadically.

Just then the planes arrived: Sprague's plane, the plane from Wright, the planes from Taffy One and Taffy Two.However, the Japanese ships in pursuit fought hard and shot down more than 100 aircraft. At the same time, they fired artillery for two hours and gradually caught up with Sprague's fleet.Sprague had no other choice, so he ordered his four escort destroyers, which were equipped with torpedoes but lacked training in launching them, to conduct another delaying attack.So these small warships also rushed towards the fierce artillery fire.Before they could hit the enemy ships, they had already been severely damaged, and one was sunk.So they bought Sprague a little more time.

But, after two hours, all of Sprague's tricks were nearly exhausted.Several heavy cruisers approached the starboard and starboard sides of his aircraft carrier, and shot shells on it.Two battleships are quickly catching up from behind the stern.There was nothing he could do but to zigzag and dodge swiftly in the beautiful but terrifying waves of shells.American planes were smoking and ablaze all over the ocean.Several of his aircraft carriers were damaged, and one of them was sinking.They feebly fired their only five-inch guns. At this moment, Kurita issued an order from the "Yamato" which was far away, ordering all his ship departments to stop shelling and regroup with him. The gunfire fell silent.The Japanese ship left their panting prey and headed north. The "Taffy No. 3" fled to the south. The officers and soldiers on board, from the commander to the young sailors, couldn't believe this miraculous escape. The battle of Samar Island was over.It was about a quarter past nine. Then, harassed by air raids from time to time, Takeo Kurita assembled his fleet and prepared to break into Leyte Gulf.He sailed slowly around the mouth of the bay for a week, reuniting the scattered ships.The work took three hours in all.Now the Wright Gulf was wide open in front of him. "Taffy No. 3" has escaped very far, and there is no longer any force that can hinder its progress.This time against an enemy ship with an absolute advantage, although there were mistakes, bad luck, underestimation, communication failure, and terrible blows, now the "No. 1" battle plan has finally succeeded!At this moment, Kincaid's old battleship tried to turn back quickly on the way to pursue Surigao Strait, but it was far away and short of ammunition.MacArthur's attacking force, whether it was an army or a transport ship, had to be left to the main fleet to destroy them. At 12:30 Admiral Kurita, once he had reorganized his fleet, took it upon himself to decide not to enter Leyte Gulf.Without consulting Tokyo or informing anyone, he turned north, crossed the San Bernardino Strait, and sailed back to his home country. At about a quarter past eleven, the mast of the "New Jersey" hoisted a signal flag to turn around. Turning 180 degrees to look at Pug's chart, the aircraft carriers that had lost their combat effectiveness were only forty-five nautical miles away, and they were dodging in all directions under the attack of the aircraft, and they were on fire.Wright Gulf, on the other hand, was three hundred nautical miles to the south.He had now pursued northward all night and half a day, and the ships he was about to destroy were less than an hour's voyage away, and Halsey was about to turn back. The captain of the USS Iowa broke into the flagship operations control room.Could the commander tell him what happened.At this moment, he was about to move forward all the way, chasing and fighting fiercely.Why did you turn around and walk away? "It seems that a more intense battle is brewing in Wright Gulf, Captain." "We won't get there until dawn, General. At the earliest." "I know," Pug said indifferently, breaking off the conversation, and the captain left. Pug feared that he would lose his word in front of the captain.He was as excited as a second lieutenant about to disobey orders.Could it be that Halsey would really delay the military opportunity in a major battle in history, humiliate the U.S. Navy, and cause harm to the Wright Island landing force.Foolishly losing wins that could have been won?Maybe it was because he himself had lost the greatest opportunity of his life, not being able to participate in a naval battle with a battle fleet, so now he was too emotional and his thoughts became unclear? However, he couldn't stop thinking about it.Even on the issue of changing course this time.He also thought Halsey had made a serious mistake.Why did he take six battleships with him?As far as possible, two battleships can be left to continue chasing the Northern Fleet; surface artillery should be used to sink those ships that have lost combat effectiveness.Besides, why did he transfer the destroyers of the brigade?These destroyers all need to be refueled first. Pug remembered that when Churchill took the "Prince of Wales" to meet Roosevelt at Akinsha, the battleship had galloped through the storm, leaving behind the destroyer screens that could not catch up with it.What a great man!Besides, now is the time to make amends, and it is the last chance to rush back and sink the Central Fleet.But Halsey hadn't rushed back as soon as he heard Kincaid's call for help. He had been delayed for six hours.So now there is only a risky approach.The Center Fleet must be exhausted by this time, the torpedo tubes may be empty, the fuel may be low, and even ammunition may be low.Now must be a great opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop; without the cover of the destroyer, without launching the torpedoes on the destroyer, just let the artillery go there and roar. However, he did not take advantage of this opportunity.In the hot and fumigated afternoon, the "part-time trip to aid" turned into an exasperatingly leisurely rafting at ten nautical miles per hour.The destroyers, one after another, hour after hour, approached the battleship sideways to refuel.The aircraft carrier headed in the other direction, pursuing the Northern Fleet at full speed.It was a sad sight to behold; and it is sad to join this mighty fleet of battle, which, in the midst of a great battle, should be so quiet, that it has not hitherto fired a single shot. What was even more distressing was the stench of that oil.Pug watched the ships refuel from the command bridge.It was a skilled job: every small boat sailed alongside the gigantic "Iowa," and the young captain adjusted his speed on the low bridge below Pug, keeping pace with each other. , At this time, the oil pipe was swinging on the blue waves rising between the two ships, while quickly pumping oil, the two ships sailed side by side, and the boat that refueled did not leave until the oil had been filled.Pug was used to seeing this scene, but he still liked to watch it sometimes, just like watching the planes on the aircraft carrier take off. But people today.He was too nervous, and the smell of black oil reminded him of the sinking of the Northampton that night.At the thought of this, he felt as if he was powerless now.As commander of a squadron of two battleships, he was due to Bill.Halsey made a mistake in his temper, so that he had no opportunity to avenge the loss of officers and men on the "Northampton". During these dreary hours, Pug.A depressing vision appeared before Henry's eyes.He suddenly thought: The whole war was caused by this damn sticky black liquid.Hitler's tanks and planes, the aircraft carrier used by the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor, and all the war machines that run rampant around the world are powered by this stinky oil.The Japanese started the war also to seize oil supplies.It's not been fifty years since the first Texas oil fields were developed, and yet this stuff has turned the world into a mess.At Oak Ridge, a substance more powerful than gasoline was being refined, and the clock was racing to separate it and use it for the slaughter. On the twenty-fifth of October, the ship sailed toward Leyte Gulf at a crawl speed of ten knots while refueling. During this long voyage that made your nerves tense, Pug felt that he was a kind of bad luck people.God has put modern man in the scales together with the three underground treasures of coal, oil and uranium, and he found that the weight of man is too light.Coal fueled Jutland and German trains in World War II, gasoline started air and tank warfare, and the Oak Ridge crew might end the whole horrible business.God once promised that there would never be another flood; as for prohibiting humans from setting fire to their planet and themselves, God did not mention it. Pug was in a state of despondency when Colonel Bradford ran out onto the flybridge. "Jolly Roger" told the commander of the battleship Seventh Squadron to listen to the inter-ship communication. "It's not the messenger, General," said Bradford with a touch of excitement. "It's Halsey." Pug's vision of the end of the world vanished.He hurried into the commander's combat control room and grabbed the receiver of the intercom. "Jolly Roger, this is Oak Seven, please reply after finishing the message." "Hello, Pug," came Halsey's genial voice, with the informal tone only a high-ranking general could use, sounding bright and easy, "we're almost done with refueling here, and it's taking time. We'll The squadron is ready for a long voyage at full speed. How about we keep heading south there and make sure we catch those monkeys? The rest of the ships follow. Borgen directs his aircraft carriers to support us." Pug was taken aback by the idea.At that speed, the "New Jersey" and "Iowa" could reach the San Bernardino Strait at about one o'clock at night, and Wright Gulf at three or four o'clock at night.If they did encounter an enemy ship, there would be a night battle.The Japanese were veterans of the game, but Battleship Seventh Squadron was inexperienced in night combat.Two battleships were going to engage at least four battleships, one of which had eighteen-inch guns. But, by God, the longing is finally here, and this is the line of battleships to meet the battle; despite the miscalculation, rash command, and slow action, it is a step well done!Halsey was right to take this step.To this crazy and warlike old guy, Pug couldn't help showing respect in his voice. "I am in favor of this approach." "I know you agree. Form Task Force 34.5. Pug. Send 'Biloxi', 'Vincens', 'Miami', and eight destroyers to form a security network. You are in tactical command .Let's hurry to Leyte Gulf." "Yes, Commander."