Halifax Fleet Battle (2)
On June 3, at sea 700 km north of Bermuda.
Task Force Z’s flagship ‘Repulse’.
After two days of running, the fleet finally found the enemy carrier task force, overcoming interference from some submarines and reconnaissance fleets.
“Many enemy planes! Continuously approaching with this ship! Defense 010! 60 miles away!”
… The problem is that it was discovered first.
“Prepare for anti-air combat!”
An interceptor flies high in the sky.
The footsteps of anti-aircraft gunners echo all the way to the bridge, and reports rush in from the communication room.
“Rapidly charged from reconnaissance aircraft number 6! An enemy flotilla was found at a bearing of 070 based on this ship and a distance of 100 miles! Course 110! Number, 2 cruisers, 3 destroyers! 25 knots!”
“Ignore it. It’s a reconnaissance fleet.”
“No contact with reconnaissance aircraft #3.”
“Are you in touch with the rest?”
The communications chief approached Jeon Seong-gwan for a while. Eventually, he raises his head with a shady face.
“doesn’t exist.”
“Okay.”
It’s unfortunate.
But it’s just the first sacrifice. There is a lot of blood to be seen in the future. I can’t break my heart here.
“Raid launch! Go straight to the location of the last enemy task force!”
“Admiral, are you preparing for the second raid?”
“No, turn everything else into CAP.”
“Then we cannot capture the enemy aircraft carrier.”
“By deploying the air defense network, it kills time. We just need to hold on to the enemy task force.”
The chief of staff looked anxious, but did not dare to throw up. Anyway, this is the limit with one aircraft carrier.
The battlecruiser is the existence that lays the board. The role of rampaging on the plate is not suitable. So there is no need to overdo it.
“Admiral, Task Force K is passing by.”
Because the main role is different.
I looked toward the rear of the Repulse, at the smoke that slowly drifted across the horizon.
A fleet of at least 4 large ships.
“I’m going to join the main unit.”
“It’s the power of three 16-inch guns. There are other battlefields that suit them.”
The current location and missions of our fleet are as follows.
Task Force H and Vanguard Task Force X near Newfoundland.
Uri and Task Force K in the northern tip of Bermuda.
Task Force H is a powerful main body consisting of a large number of battleships, three cruiser squadrons, and one carrier squadron. Task Force X is the vanguard task force consisting of the Queen Elizabeth-class and the Mackensen-class.
Task Force K, which consists of the Invincible class and a squadron of Japanese light carriers, is a counter to the enemy’s new battleships. And our new Z task force is to cover their rearguard and keep the enemy task force in check.
In terms of power, if the K task force can safely join the main force, half of this operation is a success.
To do that, our role is important.
Clenching my fists, I turned to the bridge and shouted.
“It’s not the main stage, but it’s an important mission that will decide the direction of the battle! Let’s all be determined!”
The call of reply resounded loudly throughout the fleet.
* * *
At the same time, at sea 200 nautical miles northwest.
The US Navy’s 17th Task Force’s flagship ‘Lexington’.
After the 1st raid, the deck is preparing for the 2nd raid.
Admiral Marshall, looking at the 30 or so raiding aircraft lined up on the wide deck, turned his head at the report he heard before long.
“Enemy fleet, still moving. Course, based on this ship, 050!”
“Is it a head-to-head match? Alright, here we go! Since you never know when raids will arrive, let’s adjust the CAP cycle as well.”
Busy steps.
However, the faces of the subordinates were full of shadows. Marshall silently shook his head.
If it were Ernest King of the Pacific, he would have corrected the discipline of the command in any situation with his unique great charisma.
But he had long since followed Admiral Frett and put down the baton with a glorious middle finger up towards MacArthur.
For this reason, Admiral Wallace M. Marshall, who was about to be discharged, went directly to the battlefield.
However, he thought it was rather fortunate that he was standing here as he was on the verge of death.
‘Everyone is too precious to die here.’
All the talent to rebuild the US Navy was left on the ground. Those who boarded the ship were only old soldiers who read that they were seasoned veterans and were about to retire.
Of course, Marshall intended to keep them alive as long as possible.
That’s the last hope the US Navy has in the face of collapse.
“Where is our main unit now?”
“Currently waiting near Boston. As soon as the enemy task force approaches, they say they will move towards us.”
The last report from North Atlantic submarines was that the British Grand Fleet had split in two.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com
Perhaps the Newfoundland task force is acting separately.
Indeed, according to aerial reconnaissance, the leading fleet was a relatively small fleet of six battleships.
“good. Any contact from the reconnaissance fleet?”
“Not yet. It seems that the other party is also having difficulty searching because it is a high-speed flyer.”
“It’s not like there’s a cruiser on this side.”
The admiral looked at the northern horizon and said.
Countless flotillas were still engaged in battles in the vast waters near Halifax.
A sporadic engagement between multiple reconnaissance fleets.
However, the capital ships of both sides did not show up on any battlefield and shrank in the vast sea curtain.
Marshall found it very funny. Things made to fight avoid fights.
However, he did not deny that he would make the same choice under the same circumstances.
“If you don’t have eyes, you have no choice but to be beaten. But maybe it would be better if we blinded each other.”
Then we might pass without bumping into each other.
But that’s not a military attitude.
Despite being self-aware, Admiral Noh couldn’t easily let go of his thoughts. Of course, that didn’t mean abandoning the mission.
“Let’s drag them into a trap.”
Marshall murmured, trying to turn his anxiety into fighting spirit.
* * *
1 hour later
Above Task Force Z.
Lawrence, the squadron commander of the 801st Air Squadron belonging to the Furious, shouted, squinting at the smell of gunpowder pulsating in front of the engine cowling.
The new ‘Hawker Nimrod’ shipboard fighter he boarded violently rang the all-metal fuselage and poured bullets into the enemy plane in front of his eyes.
“Walter! down!”
Yogi, who heard the flight leader’s words through the radio, immediately rolled and avoided the shot.
A tracer that cuts through the air. I gnashed my teeth as I grabbed the back of the bandit who had risen like a hummingbird from below. Enemies hiding in the clouds popped out from unexpected places.
“Damn it, there are so many of them!”
“Hold on! I’ll take care of it!”
Our aircraft, which was turning violently in front of our eyes, was set on fire by the enemy plane’s fire from above. Lawrence immediately pulled the trigger.
The tracer stems stretched out and flew. The enemy aircraft that was preying on the allies turns into cheese with holes in it.
The blue fuselage was quickly engulfed in flames.
“Squadron commander! They come from behind too!”
urgent voice.
Lawrence instantly rolled the aircraft. The sound of passing bullets rained down from within reach.
“Damn it, there are fewer places everywhere!”
When he turned his head and looked behind him, a bloody machine gun barrel flashed, dyeing his eyes.
After several violent maneuvers, he succeeded in escaping the crisis. Nimrod’s maneuverability was superior to both Flycatcher and Osprey.
However, at the same time as performing intense evasive maneuvers, there was no ability to prevent enemy raids from infiltrating. Lawrence clicked his tongue and shouted into the walkie-talkie.
“Enemy torpedo bombers! number 6! Rapidly approaching from 9 o’clock! Walter! Follow me!”
The fleet is in danger.
It was already too late to chase, but Lawrence decided to act even belatedly.
Two fighter jets ran out into the sky where anti-aircraft fire was flashing.
* * *
same time,
The flagship ‘Repulse’ bridge.
“Six enemy planes! Keep approaching with this ship!”
Repulse’s starboard side, I saw several torpedo bombers flying straight this way. However, everyone quickly looked away as if it didn’t matter.
“Anti-aircraft fire begins.”
The outskirts of the fleet, the main ship and the destroyer 2 km apart poured machine gun shells at once.
Caught in a net-like barrage, the squadron sparkles at once like a Christmas tree.
In less than five minutes, they had paid for their recklessness.
“Shoot down all enemy planes.”
“How much damage to allies?”
“To date, three friendly planes have been shot down.”
I suddenly looked up at the sky, and countless contrails disturbed my eyes.
It looks like I saw it in a documentary photo of the British mainland air war sometime ago. Although the fighters fighting here are not the famous Messerschmitt and Spitfire.
However, the bloody battle between Nimrod and F4B was impressive enough to remind us of rival aircraft from the original history.
“What time is left?”
“About 12. Eight planes have already been shot down.”
The exchange cost of both fighters, which can be seen roughly, is the Baekjungdae.
However, considering the blocking effect of enemy raids, this side has a bit more advantage.
The Hawker Nimrod is an all-metal biplane of the Hawker series that was popular in the interwar period.
A 640 mana water-cooled engine, two Vickers machine guns built into the cowling, and a streamlined fuselage tell us that this aircraft is a full-fledged fighter.
As if to prove that they were born for aerial combat, the Nimrod fighters did their duty.
And it will be so in the future.
“30 enemy planes on the horizon! Bearing 080, distance 30,000!”
Two carriers are rushing to devour us.
“Sort out a new interceptor and increase fleet speed to 30. Course, 080.”
“Course, 080!”
Shaking Repulse’s deck.
In the meantime, each of them continued to carry out their duties. Not only the performance of silky fighters, but also the proficiency of the fleet was greatly improved.
The surveillance network stretched out with ample numbers of destroyers sounds an alert for an enemy aircraft approaching, and the Furious, fully loaded with fighters, turns the CAP without any shortage. The anti-aircraft fire of Wonhyeongjin can intercept several biplanes without difficulty.
Thanks to this, Task Force Z continued its operations without major damage while dealing with two regular carriers.
“Rapidly charged from reconnaissance aircraft #2! Enemy task force continues to retreat!”
“Admiral, something is strange.”
The chief of staff tilted his head at the reconnaissance plane’s report.
I turned to him.
“Fleeing in a situation with a clear advantage… .”
“Communication Chief! Didn’t you hear that a battlecruiser would accompany you?”
The communication staff, who had been listening to Jeon Seong-gwan, shrugged his shoulders.
“The battleship is invisible. Did they form a separate squad?”
“I don’t know. It matters where it goes.”
If the carriers and battlecruisers acted independently, the two Constallation-class ships might be on their way to intercept Task Force K by now.
Of course, the Invincible class won’t lose, but there is a risk of getting caught if they wait for a long-distance engagement over there. If the location continues to be exposed, the attack of the submarine cannot be ignored.
“We need to make sure the battlecruisers are heading north.”
“Wouldn’t air cover not be enough for that?”
“That’s true, but you can take advantage of that instead.”
This is not the era of World War II in the original history. A well-armed battleship can defend itself from an air attack. If so, you can also consider the option of being a little overworked.
However, for us to accompany the K task force, the task of intercepting the enemy task force is too great. We cannot allow the two carriers to roam freely in the distant sea.
In the end, either way.
What should I do… .
It was then.
“Admiral, dispatch from reconnaissance aircraft #1.”
“What?”
“Based on this ship, a large ship’s wake was found at a bearing of 120 and a distance of 90 miles. It looks like an enemy battlecruiser.”
Surprisingly, the enemy was not far away.
But why are you hanging around there? It’s closer to the coast than Task Force K.
“… don’t go north turn to the spit.”
I didn’t know until I checked.
what lurks behind it.