In fact, the Japanese army has already seen the action of the "Cactus" air force taking off for operation...... After all, it was dozens of fighters and bombers taking off from Kuah Island, and the Japanese troops were still condescendingly observing the area around the airport on Mount Austin a few kilometers away, and these Japanese troops were originally arranged by the Japanese side to be responsible for guiding the artillery fire of naval cruisers to bomb the airport.

Maruyama Masao didn't believe this information very much, and he even wondered if the observers were starving and dazed.

But he still reported the situation to Hyakutake Haruyoshi.

"What? These fighters took off from the island of Kuah? Hyakutake Haruyoshi was a little puzzled: "How is this possible?!" The Kuah airport has been under the bombing and surveillance of our army! ”

"This should be a false alarm from the Army!" The staff officer said.

"But...... They also said that they saw dozens of warplanes take off with their own eyes, and then went to bomb the shooting fleet on the opposite shore, and the shooting fleet on the other side was also wiped out! ”

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General!" The staff officer quickly explained: "This may be because the enemy's aircraft group flew at an ultra-low altitude in order not to be detected by the firing fleet on the other side, so those army forces mistakenly thought that it was taking off from the jungle on Kuah Island!" ”

Baiwu Qingji thought about it, then nodded and said, "Reasonable!" ”

In fact, the reason why Hyakutake Harukichi chose to believe the words of the staff officer and not go to reconnoitre, on the one hand, was that the staff officer's words were very convincing, and on the other hand, because he had always been responsible for the deployment of the bombing of the Kuah Island airport, and if the result of the reconnaissance was really that there was a mess here, Hyakutake would naturally be jointly and severally responsible, so he was unwilling to believe this information in his heart.

The only thing Hyakutake Haruyoshi did was to ask the intelligence department if there was a group of enemy planes flying over the vicinity of Kuah Island.

Of course, the news he got was positive, and the intelligence department even told Hyakutake Haruyoshi with great certainty: "It was a fighter plane that took off from an aircraft carrier of the US Navy." They were lured by my containment group, and they should not be able to find the main force of our aircraft carrier, so they aimed their guns at the cruiser in the waters off Kuah Island! ”

Hearing that the intelligence officer said this, Hyakutake Haruyoshi was completely relieved, so this information did not reach Yamamoto Fifty-six at all, but even if it did reach Yamamoto Fifty-six, I was afraid that he would make the same conclusion as the staff officer. Because at this time, he had completely focused his attention on the aircraft carriers of the US Navy...... After all, the bomber group is already on the way to the offensive!

16:25 a.m.

Nearly an hour and a half after departure, the Japanese aircraft group finally found the US aircraft carrier.

As the report revealed the sound of the US fighter coming to intercept it, the atmosphere in Yamamoto Isoroku's command headquarters suddenly became tense.

A few minutes later, the command lost control of the group...... This was due to the fact that as the battle unfolded, there were a large number of enemy and enemy planes, and the communication between aircraft carriers and planes and between planes was frequently blocked, and Yamamoto Isoroku could only hear a chaotic and intermittent shouting and gunfire sound, and no one could receive orders and inquiries from the command headquarters.

It is conceivable that the aircraft group is encountering the US planes and a fierce melee is ensuing.

This kind of communication blockage is also happening to the US military, and even the display screen of the latest SC type air search radar on the Enterprise is mixed with images, and it is impossible to distinguish between friend and foe.

Other words. At this time, the fighters of the United States and Japan were actually fighting on their own without command and guidance.

Because the US fleet had made sufficient preparations in advance, the warships had been lined up in an air defense ring, and all 53 fighters had taken to the air, and with the cooperation of the warships, a powerful air defense network had been formed around the aircraft carrier, and most of the planes sent by the Japanese army were bombers and torpedo planes that were not suitable for air combat, so on the whole the US military had the upper hand.

Ten minutes later, more than 10 bombers and torpedo planes successfully broke through the US air defense network and began to dive bomb the "Enterprise."

It should be said that these more than 10 bombers, together with torpedo planes, are fully capable of blowing up the "Enterprise". This was true even if the "Enterprise" from time to time made sharp turns at a large rudder angle to avoid attacks. However, due to the fact that the Japanese pilots lost too much in the Battle of Midway, a considerable number of pilots at this time were novices. In addition, the US artillery fire was fierce, and all the Japanese torpedo planes were shot down before they occupied the attack position, and only a few bombers broke through and dropped bombs.

The hit rate of the bombers that successfully dropped bombs was quite high, and the "Enterprise" was hit by three 250-kilogram bombs, and in an instant the "Enterprise" burst into flames and two elevators were blown up. The U.S. military was killed by 72 people, and the ship's side leaked so that the ship could not move forward.

Therefore, it can also be said that the Japanese Air Force missed a great opportunity...... At this time, the "Enterprise" had lost its ability to move, and such a large aircraft carrier was like a target in front of the Japanese bombers and torpedo planes, and as long as a few bombs or torpedoes were thrown at it, it was very likely to be blown up and sunk. But the Japanese pilots retreated in the face of the powerful artillery fire and the abundance of fighters of the American army.

Of course, they have a reason to retreat, because they can quite well report that they have already inflicted heavy damage on the American aircraft carrier.

This is another difference between good quality pilots and poor quality: good quality pilots, they will ensure that they complete the task, and even if it is not enough to complete the task, they will give full play to their subjective initiative and take the initiative to risk their lives to cause the greatest damage to the enemy as much as possible. But pilots with inferior quality feel that they can barely complete the task and can almost do it.

A similar situation arose on the Saratoga, where two bombs exploded on its deck, destroying two carrier-based aircraft that had just returned to the carrier due to lack of fuel, and a raging fire broke out on the deck.

The appearance of the two US aircraft carriers gave the Japanese army an illusion, or the Japanese pilots deliberately had the illusion that the two US aircraft carriers had been seriously damaged, so the Japanese pilots reported to Yamamoto Isoroku when they returned: "We have dealt a heavy blow to the target, and we have succeeded!" ”

Yamamoto Fifty-six's command soon erupted in cheers.

In fact, the U.S. aircraft carrier did not suffer much damage, and the Enterprise carried out emergency repairs, extinguishing the fire in only one hour, after which it regained its balance, reached a speed of 24 knots, and was able to accept the landing of aircraft.

"Saratoga" even had to push those two burning planes into the sea and it would be fine.

And just as Yamamoto 56 and the others were cheering, a lookout suddenly reported: "Enemy aircraft group has been discovered!" ”

"What?" Hearing this, Yamamoto fifty-six couldn't help but be stunned. (To be continued.) )