Canteen System Assistance Notes

"Destroy! Destroy! Sink! !!!" But...

Why didn't that group of American animals' fleet turn around? Didn't they know that the Type 93 torpedoes in front of them were from the Sanshui Battle?

The next second, a flash of fire appeared on the New Mexico and Mississippi in Ugaki's eyes: the enemy ships fired another salvo.

However, the familiar sound of artillery shells breaking through the air did not sound. Instead, a column of water like a dense forest rose up around the 7th Squadron, which was making a full-speed detour! "Oh no! Kumano!"

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Chapter 729 "The war is not over yet, for the Empire and the Navy..."

The New Mexico-class's 14-inch guns had proven difficult to penetrate the Yamato's substantial defenses. So far, they had scored six hits on the ship. However, aside from the fourth shell, which successfully destroyed one of the Yamato's secondary battery turrets, and the fifth, which luckily struck a weak spot with its underwater trajectory, the remaining four hits were all blocked by the Yamato's armor, causing virtually no significant damage.

Therefore, instead of wasting shells on the Yamato, which was an impenetrable tortoise shell, and being gradually forced into the interior of the Marshall Islands and caught in the Japanese army's trap, the American commander General Walden L. Ainsworth made a difficult but correct decision.

Choose the lesser of two evils!

Abandon the mission, turn south, and break out at full speed!

Facing that 18-horse monster was a dead end, and turning west into the heart of the Japanese army was also a sure death. So there was only one thing left to do - push the engine clock to "T" on the Bendix to the south, then pedal through the sea of ​​Japanese torpedoes and escape!

"Target switch, Skunk Charlie, Dog! (Target C/D)"

Following the command, the New Mexico and Mississippi no longer aimed at the Yamato, but instead pointed their gun barrels at the two Japanese heavy cruisers!

The unfortunate Kumano was instantly overwhelmed by the hail of 14-inch shells. Having lost her soy sauce tank, she dodged left and right in the continuous concentrated fire, but finally could not escape the punishment of probability - soon, after another salvo, the Kumano's No. 3 turret was hit. The 14-inch shells that had been defeated by the Yamato immediately found their way to the unfortunate heavy cruiser, and the Kumano's 203 turret was hit in an instant. Fortunately, the angle of the shell was not too large this time, and the thin and fragile armor did not trigger the detonation of the 14-inch shells.

The letter did not produce serious consequences, but the powerful kinetic energy of the shell still tore the structure of the twin 203 guns from the hull, turning it into

-A ball of scrap metal flew into the sea!

At the same time, the radio from the Wasp was connected to the fleeing battleship formation.

"The first attack formation will arrive in 15 minutes!"

The storm had long since dissipated and the drizzle had gradually subsided, but the bad weather of the previous few days still affected the "Wasp" task force responsible for the support. She had to withdraw all the aircraft to the hangar to avoid the wind and waves. So, when the battleship task force shouted "We are being bombarded by the 18:00 artillery", the Wasp could only bring the aircraft onto the deck one by one and then launch them.

Fortunately, after this hellish hour, the first wave of attacks finally turned its back to the rising sun and flew towards the fierce battlefield.

Because of the hasty takeoff, these "attack waves" were far smaller than the scale of the Wasp's full-deck attack. In addition, the Wasp itself was not large in size, so in a hurry it could only "launch as many as possible after preparation" - the first batch of aircraft that arrived were only a few "SBD" aircraft at most, and there were no "TBF" aircraft carrying torpedoes.

But they also formed a considerable restraint on the Japanese army.

The Yamato, which had been able to evade the bombardment and pursue the fleeing enemy at full speed, was forced to switch its steering mode and engage in air combat. The destroyers in the second water battle also stopped reloading torpedoes and began to close in to support the Yamato, leaving behind a group to rescue the crew of the Jintsu.

Soon, a small anti-aircraft formation took shape on the sea. "Air attack, fire!"

At this point, the Yamato hadn't yet undergone its first phase of renovations, and its dual-purpose and anti-aircraft guns were significantly fewer than those of 44. The Japanese destroyers also lacked an efficient fire control system, and their anti-aircraft firepower was relatively weak. However, the American fighters were approaching in emergency takeoff mode, and their numbers were small. Furthermore, the Yamato's experienced helmsman, a Japanese "master of ship handling," swiftly maneuvered to evade the American bombers' bombs.

Although the Yamato, weighing more than 70,000 tons, was a little "weighed" at this time and its anti-aircraft firepower did not shoot down many planes, it relied on its excellent ship-handling technology and outstanding fluid shape design to avoid most of the attacks by twisting and turning like a nimble fat man.

However, during this period, the Yamato, which could run at a maximum speed of about 27 knots, was unable to further close the distance with the American ships. Several rounds of artillery fire only hit the No. 4 turret of the New Mexico, and other than paralyzing it, there was no other results. The two ships, Suzuya and Kumano, which were hit by 14-inch shells, did not dare to pursue further. The destroyers that dared to advance were also unable to continue their advance due to the dense 127mm secondary guns and destroyer fire of the American ships. They could only fire torpedoes at a distance and release smoke screens to interfere with the enemy's aiming. As a result, due to the distance, this round of torpedoes basically missed, and only the Mississippi, which was damaged and turned a beat slower, was hit by a torpedo.

However, the tough, sturdy "Standard Battleship" used its torpedo-resistant bulkheads to block the direct hit, and the Mississippi only suffered a small amount of water inflow and a reduction in speed, but was not seriously injured. "Damn it! Despicable airmen! Why are you interfering with our duel!"

Ugaki Matome nearly crushed the telescope. By now, the Yamato's damage had been largely repaired, and its speed had returned to normal. Even if the enemy ships overloaded their engines, the Yamato still had a speed advantage of 3-4 knots... If it weren't for these annoying planes, if they continued the pursuit, the Yamato might have easily destroyed two more ships!

"Where's the Taiyo's battleship? Why hasn't it been dispatched yet?!" he roared. "What's the crime of delaying the fighter?" "Five minutes ago, the Taiyo reported that the battleship is being dispatched. I believe it will arrive soon!"

"Damn it! Make them hurry up!"

Ugaki cursed. Although he admitted, "I don't know a thing about airplanes," he knew that as a merchant ship converted into an aircraft carrier, the Taiyo's aviation capabilities were quite limited. At most, it could deploy nine Zero fighters for cover, and that wasn't very efficient. He quickly walked over to Captain Takayanagi and said, "Captain! This American bastard only knows how to play tricks. Once the battleship arrives, we will immediately resume pursuit..."

"Ugaki! This is unacceptable. An Imperial soldier should have proper demeanor and the spirit to remain calm even when faced with a mountain collapsing before him."

Suddenly, a short general with a resolute figure and a steady voice appeared. He held a command sword, his legs apart, as if descending from the background music, emerging from a shimmering aura. He exuded the aura of a "commander-in-chief." "In battleship operations, individual ship operations must be decided solely by the captain. Fleet command must not interfere."

Seeing this person, Ugaki Matoi and Takayanagi Giya immediately bowed slightly.

"Hey! Commander!"

General Isoroku Yamamoto finally came out of his armored command room.

Compared to Ugaki Matoi who was so excited that he pulled up the flag, and Takayanagi Giya who was excited but still able to control his emotions, Yamamoto Isoroku's emotions in the past few days can be said to be "up and down".

Before spotting the US fleet, he was comfortably enjoying himself aboard the Yamato, boasting and preparing to earn a medal of honor during the Nauru landing operation. But who could have known that, with so much on their plate, their own submarines and surveillance forces would actually spot the US forces? Those Americans were even more idiotic. Not only did they charge directly towards Kwajalein, they brazenly broadcast radio signals and failed to properly conduct anti-submarine operations, as if they were dying to be spotted by our forces. What's wrong with their brains? Don't they have the sense to advance covertly?

That Ugaki Matoi is also a bastard who rushes forward recklessly! Yamamoto thought at that time, how could he save face in front of so many reporters and army representatives? Afterwards, the Yamato began to move forward stealthily, rushing towards the battlefield.

During this process, Yamamoto no longer held his usual afternoon tea, but instead went to the chart room every day with his command knife to observe the battle situation. While pretending to ask for enemy and friendly intelligence, he prayed to Amaterasu, praying that if he had to go to the battlefield, this longest and most hidden route would prevent the US military from encountering him.

The Americans wouldn't be so bold, would they? Just a few heavy cruisers, if they were spotted by the large boats, they would definitely retreat, right?

So, when the Yamato, completely undetected, circumvented the American line and confirmed that three of the four heavy cruisers were battleships, Yamamoto Isoroku had no desire to engage the enemy, nor did he harbor any thought that the Yamato could crush the New Mexico-class. He immediately handed command to Ugaki Matome, then sat in the armored conning tower with his sword, ready to endure the battle until its end.

No way! You guys are really serious! Where are your submarines and boats? I'm so close, why don't you retreat?

During this period, he experienced contradictory mentalities such as "Baka! Why are the level of Hiraga's disciples so low? Why did the turret malfunction after being hit? If the firepower is reduced, won't this admiral be beaten by the American people?" and "WKUSO! Why are Hiraga's disciples so reliable? The turret was hit by a 14-inch gun, why didn't they malfunction and withdraw from the battle? Now Ugaki Matoi must continue the pursuit!." He stood up from his chair in shock after the Yamato was hit by an underwater shell, and did not sit down until the damage control department reported that "the water inlet has been blocked."

As for why he dared to walk out of the armored command tower now, it must have nothing to do with the fact that the firepower of the American ships was directed towards the Suzuya and Kumano ships.

However, just as Yamamoto Isoroku was listening in the navigation bridge to Ugaki Matome scolding the American naval fighters and swearing that as long as Taitaka's Zero fighters arrived, the Yamato would catch up with the American ships and sink them one by one, the situation in the air changed again.

The Yamato's steering and design were truly exceptional. Under attack from American aircraft, this 70,000-ton vessel managed to escape virtually no bomb or torpedo damage, even shooting down and damaging three American aircraft. As the American aircraft gradually exhausted their ammunition, their hold on the Yamato weakened, leading the Yamato to ignore the strafing aircraft and continue its pursuit of the fleeing American battleships.

At this moment, a smoking Wildcat staggered away from the SBD that had dropped all its ammunition.

This was a "Wildcat" that had taken off earlier than any other American aircraft present. Compared to its counterparts, which had taken off from the USS Wasp and were still carrying aerial bombs, this emergency takeoff had not only few rounds of ammunition but also insufficient fuel. In the previous battle, it first attempted to straf the Yamato's observation equipment with its machine guns, but was forced back by the flying shells. It then attempted to attack the circling destroyers, but achieved no conclusive results. And now, it had been hit by two 25mm anti-aircraft shells fired by Japanese ships. Not only was its fuel tank leaking, but the cockpit was gradually filled with the smell of rust and sticky blood.

Its pilot turned off the radio, ignored the roars of his teammates, and resolutely controlled the surging plane to aim at the huge bridge of the Yamato.

And then—BOOM!

In full view of the crowd, a smoking American fighter plane, braving anti-aircraft fire, crashed headfirst into the Yamato's towering bridge. It was clearly aiming for the Yamato's towering bridge, but as the anti-aircraft guns on one side concentrated their fire again, the Wildcat fighter could no longer hold on and crashed headfirst into the ship's secondary guns, exploding into a ball of smoke and flame.

all

Amidst the heavy clatter of metal rubbing against each other, the damage control team's reports echoed. "The first secondary gun is disabled, the turret can't turn, and the crew is injured!"

"Fire on deck!"

This was not a serious loss that would affect the combat capability, but in the bridge where everyone was shocked, only Yamamoto Isoroku looked calm.

He stood with his legs apart, his hand on his saber, and with a voice full of vigor and authority,

Like a whistle with a hole in it, the command was loud and clear without any hesitation:

"Captain! Immediately terminate the current route and set a new, roundabout route! "Communications Officer! Locate the enemy aircraft carrier and guide the land attack to destroy it!"

He raised his sword and pointed at the battleship USS Idaho, paralyzed on the sea in the distance, emitting thick smoke. "Our ship! Target enemy battleship No. 1. Unleash your firepower and ensure you sink one of them!"

"General!" Amidst the seemingly smooth and perfectly accurate series of commands, only Ugaki Matome boldly attempted to interrupt. "Battleship No. 1 has been disabled. We should advance at full speed towards the fleeing enemy ship..."

"No! Stop talking!"

Yamamoto Isoroku waved his hand righteously.

“The war is not over yet!

"We cannot fall here! The invincible might of God Yamato, forged with the hard work of all the people, cannot be broken by the devils!

"For the Empire and the Navy, I cannot fall here!!"

Chapter 730 White Star and Black Sun

(Update)

The Yamato abandoned pursuit due to Yamamoto Isoroku's "Collected Quotes." After circling in place, it fired several rounds at the nearly stationary Idaho before ceasing fire to "conserve gun life." The Mississippi, whose speed had dropped slightly, seized the opportunity to join the New Mexico in a Bendix Overload, racing nearly a hundred nautical miles and escaping this troubled area.

The Japanese army took control of the naval battle.

The ceasefire Yamato fleet quickly reunited with the guerrilla fleets of Suzuya, Kumano, and Sanmizu. Several destroyers dispersed and, under the cover of the belatedly arriving Zero fighters, began salvaging the ship. The Jinpu, struck by two torpedoes, sank too quickly, leaving few survivors. Instead, the American battleships and destroyers suffered even more casualties.

Soon after retrieving all the American prisoners they could find, the destroyer Tianjin Kaze, which had been in the second battle, was selected and fired four Type 93 torpedoes at the Idaho, which had been attempting to tow it in vain, effectively ending its life. The Idaho, already engulfed in flames, quickly capsized due to flooding on one side and gradually sank into the sea.

The land attack and Type 97 ship-borne attack boats that arrived at the scene later attempted to launch additional attacks on the distant American ships. However, because the main force of the land attack was in the Solomon Sea at the time, and the Taiyo was relatively weak in its own attributes, the Type 97 ship-borne attack boats could only carry 25-series bombs (for anti-submarine use). Therefore, this round of attack did not achieve any substantial results except giving the US military a seawater bath and leaving a few more bullet craters on the New Mexico.

Thus, the "Battle of the Sunrise Islands," which began with an accident, was filled with many surprises, and ended due to unexpected reasons, finally came to an end.

在这场战役中，日军以神通号战沉、熊野号中破、大和号小破以及若干驱逐舰受损的代价，击沉美军轻型航空母舰1艘、战列舰1艘、重巡洋舰1艘、驱逐舰3艘，并击伤剩余的2艘战列舰及1艘轻巡洋舰,可谓是大胜利。

Not only did the American ships sink, but even battlefield rescue efforts were impossible, forcing them to return home in disgrace. Witnessing this scene, many captured American prisoners sighed and lamented—the Japanese atrocities in China had already been reported in the newspapers, and the Bataan Death March had left these American soldiers feeling hopeless about their future. From then on, their fate lay at the mercy of these demons in human form, and everyone began to worry about their own future.

However, not everyone in the Japanese Navy was jubilant, and not all ships were singing with joy.

Apart from the Avatar, which was targeted due to excessive "sarcasm" and eventually sank after being hit by three torpedoes, the most seriously injured and unlucky ship in this battle was the Kumano of the 3th Squadron.

During the battle, she was hit by a 152mm shell and then a 14-inch shell, destroying her soy sauce tank and the rear turret. This was originally considered a minor issue, and would not affect her power after the fire was extinguished and damage control was completed. However, on her way back to Truk after the battle, this unfortunate heavy cruiser was ambushed by a US "Pufferfish"-class submarine and hit by two torpedoes, which tore off a large section of the unprotected anchor area and caused heavy flooding.

The attacking submarine quickly escaped, and the accompanying destroyer gained nothing but the sinking of the submarine. The Kumano finally closed its watertight doors before the ship was almost submerged in water, and was towed into the Truk anchorage by its sister ship Suzuya while draining water.

Fortunately, the Akashi, Japan's most powerful repair ship, was stationed there. This versatile vessel quickly helped the Kumano resolve the flooding and assisted in draining the water. With the assistance of the Yukikaze, which was temporarily stationed at Truk and serving as a "floating generator," Japanese technicians and repairmen used local materials to make a temporary ship box for the Kumano using steel plates, rivets, and coconut trees(?).

This channel wasn't exactly solid, but it did allow the Kumano to sail back to Japan at 15 knots. However, just before the Kumano finally reached Yokosuka Harbor, she was targeted by the USS SS-164 "Perch," a US transport submarine smuggling supplies for the Eighth Route Army, and was hit by two torpedoes.

These two torpedoes caused the Kumano to take on water again and list severely to the right, almost sinking - this was because another MK-14 torpedo pierced the weak temporary ship's wax and did not explode, otherwise the already weathered Kumano would definitely not have made it back to the port - the experience of her previous colleagues was surprisingly consistent. After firing the torpedoes, the Bath took advantage of the time when the Japanese destroyers were busy rescuing the Kumano and quickly dived and ran away.

The Kumano, which had almost lost its ability to sail and was almost submerged in the water, successfully entered the channel for repairs in Yokosuka. Her miserable condition also earned her the nickname "Unfortunate Heavy Cruiser". At the same time, after the Yamato, which had won a great victory, returned to the mainland, a very fierce quarrel broke out in the Japanese Navy -

The "Teppoya," who had played a significant role in this battle, rallied a group of battleship enthusiasts, vigorously advocating for the Yamato-class ships, known as "invincible and powerful, like Amaterasu, possessing unparalleled dominance, capable of destroying all British, American, and Japanese warships with a single shot," to halt their conversion to aircraft carriers and continue battleship construction. However, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, who had also played a significant role in this battle, had to suppress this trend, overcoming numerous obstacles to advance his own ambitions of expanding his aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft forces...

Finally, the aftermath of the incident slowly died down amidst the NHK's pretentious "confidential" broadcast: "Our navy's invincible and heroic Mutsu fought independently, destroying one regular US aircraft carrier and two battleships... The US fleet was panicked and forced to retreat thousands of miles... Awaken, people. Be brave, people!"

But on the other side of the ocean, the impact of this battle was enormous.

During the Pearl Harbor attack, the US suffered heavy losses, which could be attributed to the Japanese army's lack of military ethics and surprise attack. During the Nanyang Campaign, the US suffered heavy losses, which could be attributed to the Japanese army's intentional attack and the advantage of superior numbers. However, this time, with three battleships against one, the US suffered heavy losses and did not even cause any confirmed critical damage to the enemy!

The main gun at 18 o'clock, the displacement of more than 7 tons, the strong protection, the speed of 27 knots, the flexible turning ability... Although the existence of wartime news censorship prevented the spread of this fiasco to the public, within the United States Navy, when the "Eastern Bird" in the Chinese intelligence appeared firmly on the surface of the sea and suddenly punched them, many people even felt a little fear.

At this moment, the Yamato was like a 7-ton dark cloud, weighing on the hearts of all American naval personnel: If the new battleships of the current navy encountered her, they would probably not get any good results, not to mention that this guy also had two sister ships!

If these monsters appeared in the South Pacific, or even near the Hawaiian Islands, what could our navy do?!

Regardless of whether it was reasonable or not, or how unlikely it was, when General King's roar reached General Nimitz and turned into a serious report and a statement with a worried tone, the US Navy and all its related institutions began to accelerate, accelerate, and accelerate again, like a horse that had been whipped!

It was too late to cancel the four newer "Iowa" class battleships, so the "Iowa" and "New Jersey" were given acceleration skills, and the "Missouri" and "Wisconsin" were slowed down. The "Essex" class, which occupied large slipways and transport equipment, also made certain adjustments. The construction plan of the CV-13, which was about to start, was postponed... After these adjustments, the US Navy saved a lot of man-hours and materials.

After discussion, they decided to invest all these resources into the current

The most powerful battleship plan - "Montana (MKA)" plan is coming!

This class of battleships will also have a displacement of 70,000 tons and be able to reach a speed of 28 knots. Its four twin 18-inch guns will be able to fire heavy shells weighing over 1.8 tons, and will be equipped with the most advanced radar and fire control systems available today. The US Navy believes that even the devil cannot withstand such shells!

The Naval Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives gave the green light to such a resource-intensive plan. They not only approved the budget for the "Montana" class modification plan and the adjustment of the ship type, but also quickly approved the supporting plan for the expansion of the Panama Canal locks. They even approved the budget for the development of new heavy ammunition for the current US military's 14-inch and 16-inch naval guns, and the budget for the construction of two R-strengthened "protected aircraft carriers" using the power system of the canceled Alaska-class ship.

If our battleships can't defeat those devils, then we'll drown them with planes!

Also, in 1943, we got to see the first two ships of the Montana class launched!

"Also, there is one more thing."

Roosevelt, who had just signed the Montana Mobilization Order, called out to his personal advisor, Harry Lloyd Hopkins, chairman of the Munitions Appropriations Board. "Please go ahead, Mr. President."

"If we want to deal with those demons and build their devilish kingdom, we can't just rely on our own strength." Roosevelt rubbed his forehead and briefly put forward some of his ideas.

"The reverse lease of aircraft carriers from the UK must be postponed until at least next year, when our new aircraft carriers are launched en masse. Churchill will undoubtedly make demands regarding the opening of new fronts after Operation Torch. We can negotiate accordingly." He thought for a moment and confirmed, "Europe remains our top priority."

“As for Asia…

"Harry, please help me draft a formal document in the name of the US government."

Chapter 731 Pacific Two Heroes Meeting (⑴) Due to the Current Situation

"...On behalf of the United States government, we sincerely invite important members of China's ruling coalition, representatives of the leadership of China's northern military forces, and leaders of important political groups in the National Political Consultative Conference of the Republic of China to visit the United States and attend a series of meetings..."

One day in September 1942, a telegram was sent through the Chinese Communist Party’s office in the United States to Fushe, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

The telegram was short, but it said something very big: This telegram sent from the White House very directly invited the Chinese Communist Party and

The Eighth Route Army sent representatives to visit the United States. Although this invitation still did not recognize the Eighth Route Army as

Although the visit is not by a "legitimate representative of China," the invitation is still formally given to the Chinese Communist Party to send representatives to the United States in the same manner as inviting leaders of parliamentary groups, one of China's ruling parties, and representatives of independent political and military entities.

To put it simply and bluntly, it means inviting the Eighth Route Army, "the actual controller of northern China and the commander of China's strongest anti-Japanese armed forces", to send people to the United States across the ocean to pay a visit, talk about friendship and discuss business.

This is a step closer and appears bolder than the "Statement on Mutual Cooperation between the Chinese and Soviet Peoples in the International Anti-Fascist War" signed by the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist Party, as well as a series of cooperation carried out at the bipartisan level.