Chapter 1267: sneak attack
At this moment, the four "Amagi-class" battlecruisers led by Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro are sailing at high speed on the sea. A series of light cruisers and destroyers guarded the four \'Amagi-class\' battlecruisers in the center. As the latest battlecruiser built by the Japanese Navy, the "Amagi-class" battlecruiser is undoubtedly very powerful. It not only has five dual-mounted 45-caliber 410mm main guns, but also has a high speed of 31 knots. It is undoubtedly very good to be able to maintain such a high speed for a huge warship with a full load displacement of more than 48,000 tons.
In the battle plan drawn up by the joint fleet of the island nation\'s navy, the four "Amagi-class" battlecruisers of the 2nd battleship squadron did not participate in the duel with the main fleet of the German Navy. Because they have a more important goal, the German Navy\'s aircraft carrier fleet.
Admiral Yamamoto Fifty-Six and others are very clear that compared with the main fleet of the German Navy, the German Navy\'s aircraft carrier fleet is more powerful and poses a greater threat to them. Therefore, Admiral Yamamoto Fifty-Six hopes to sneak attack the German Navy\'s aircraft carrier fleet in one fell swoop in this naval battle, and make the German Navy pay a heavy price for it. In that case, they might be able to reverse the situation and win the naval battle.
On the battlecruiser \'Amagi\', Lieutenant Admiral Shiro Takasu didn\'t feel sleepy at all. Even though it was late at night, none of the officers and soldiers on the entire battleship had a rest. Everyone knows very well how important the battle tonight is to the combined fleet of the island nation\'s navy. If their plan can succeed, then they may be able to win the war, if they fail, the island country will be completely finished. Therefore, the burden on everyone\'s shoulders is very heavy, which makes them very nervous.
"I hope God Amaterasu can bless us and win this battle!" Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro prayed secretly. As the commander of the 2nd Battleship Squadron of the Combined Fleet and the person in charge of this operation, Lieutenant Admiral Shiro Takasu especially felt a lot of pressure.
"General, the decisive battle between the other three battleship teams and the German main fleet is very pessimistic! Many of our battleships have been sunk by the Germans." Rear Admiral Suzuki Yoshio, chief of staff of the second battleship team A look of worry.
Although for the sake of confidentiality, the entire 2nd Battleship Squadron is now in radio silence. However, they were still able to receive the telegram. They also received the telegram sent by Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo to the "Ibuki" aircraft carrier. It is precisely because of this that Lieutenant General Suzuki Yoshio\'s complexion is very ugly.
"How big is Yoshida-kun\'s loss?" Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro asked.
"General, four capital ships have been lost so far, three have been sunk and one has been severely damaged. The Germans have already taken an absolute advantage and are pursuing them. Moreover, the capital ships of the German Navy\'s Indian Ocean Fleet, I am afraid We are about to rush to the battlefield. At that time, the pressure on General Yoshida will be even greater!" Major General Suzuki Yoshio said.
Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro nodded: "This time we all underestimated the Germans! We thought that those old warships that had been in service for more than 20 years were vulnerable and could be easily sunk. But Now it seems that the fighting power of the German warships is also very terrifying! None of our cutting-edge battleships are their opponents. If we want to win this naval battle, it will be too difficult."
"Yes, General. Now, the pressure is on us. If our sneak attack is successful, we may be able to reverse the situation of the war. But if our sneak attack fails, the consequences will be really unimaginable." Major General Suzuki Yoshio said.
Everyone knows very well that once dawn, the German Navy will take off shore-based aircraft and carrier-based aircraft from Pohnpei Island and the aircraft carrier to launch an attack. In this regard, the island fleet is almost completely at a disadvantage. All of their eight aircraft carriers add up to more than 500 carrier-based aircraft. And in the previous battles, nearly a hundred were lost. The German Navy\'s shore-based aircraft and carrier-based aircraft all add up to more than 1,000 combat aircraft, which is more than twice that of the island navy. What\'s more, in terms of the performance of the aircraft, the navy of the island country does not take advantage of it. What the consequences of beating like that are, you can imagine with your toes.
"I hope we can succeed this time! Otherwise, this battle will be lost." Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro said.
Major Admiral Suzuki Yoshio nodded.
The second battleship of the Island Fleet is sailing in this sea area at a speed of 30 knots. The sea search radar has been searching the nearby sea surface. However, their sea-search radar has a detection range of only 25 kilometers. In order to ensure that there will be no omissions, the four "Amagi-class" battlecruisers are not together, but search eastward in horizontal formations with an interval of 20 kilometers.
With the main fleet of the German Navy already participating in the battle, they don\'t have to worry about being attacked at all. After all, at night, the carrier-based aircraft of the German Navy could not take off, and none of those warships was an opponent of their "Amagi-class" battlecruisers. As long as an aircraft carrier of the German Navy is spotted, an attack can be launched. Those powerful aircraft carriers will be vulnerable to the main guns of the \'Amagi-class\' battlecruisers. Only one shell is enough to severely damage an aircraft carrier. It is very easy to sink.
At two o\'clock in the morning, the battle between the main fleet of the German Navy and the main fleet of the island navy continued. It\'s just that the island nation\'s fleet wanted to flee wholeheartedly, and it was very difficult for the German fleet to sink all the capital ships of the island nation\'s fleet. After all, except for the three "Blücher-class" battlecruisers, the rest of the German capital ships have no advantage in speed.
However, being able to sink six capital ships of the island nation\'s fleet in this battle and severely damage one is already a very good victory. Almost half of the capital ships of the combined fleet of the island nation\'s navy have been wiped out, which will give the German navy a greater advantage in the next naval battle.