Returning to the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia and the Philippine Sea, the Irish Navy aircraft carrier "St. Patrick," which flew the US battle flag but did not erase its emblem and name, calmly turned its hull and sailed south with the huge US Task Force 1 Pacific Task Force after flying another batch of carrier-based aircraft. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

At the entrance of the bridge on the lower deck of this aircraft carrier, Julian Sana, who carries a single gold star on a red background on his shoulder, smokes a cigarette while looking out into the distance with his deep gaze. As the commander of the Irish "Operation Justice" task force, he not only shouldered the heavy responsibility of cooperating with the US fleet, but also took on the mission of protecting the safety of nine Irish ships and more than 6,400 Irish officers and men. Although the intact "St. Patrick" was already the luckiest aircraft carrier in the entire combat formation, and the rest of the Irish ships were at most slightly damaged, in this thrilling sea battle, they faced the Japanese Navy and Air Force, which had an extremely fierce fighting style, and they could not relax their spirits in the slightest until the moment the curtain fell.

At this time, the closest ship to the "St. Patrick" was the Irish Navy light cruiser "Manama", which is a second-generation standard light cruiser designed and built in Ireland, with ferocious sea and air firepower, equipped with advanced radar vigilance/fire control systems, coupled with relatively low cost and easy post-maintenance, it has been a highly sought-after commodity in the international arms market since its mass construction.

Accompanying the "Manama" to protect the "St. Patrick" at close range were four Centurion-class destroyers, although their international influence was not as good as that of the Agni-class at that time, the fact that they were selected as a new generation of anti-aircraft destroyers by the demanding German Navy is enough to prove the success of their design. In addition to complete radar facilities, first-class weapons and superior maneuverability, as a 2,000-ton light ship, the navigation conditions of the Centurion class are more comfortable than any previous class of destroyers, they not only have spacious cabins, but also have a special laundry room, equipped with a washing machine, air dryer, ironing board, drying rack and a series of equipment, each sailor can wash at least once a week, and the officer's clothes are washed separately. While most sailors still have to wash their uniforms by hand, the Centurion crew has been liberated from this monotonous and boring work, and neat clothing obviously plays an important role in maintaining the health of the crew, improving the sanitary environment on the ship, maintaining a good military appearance, and improving morale. In addition, the ship is equipped with all kinds of cooking equipment, such as electric ovens, steam cookers, barbecue grills, and deep fryers, and the cooking conditions are first-class, and when conditions permit, it can provide fresh fruits and vegetables and sumptuous dishes for all officers and men of the ship every day. Therefore, although the Irish officers and men were still full of spirit and vigorous fighting spirit in the sea area 10,000 miles away from their homeland, their performance in the battle was clearly superior to that of their American counterparts.

Before he knew it, Sana was smoking half a cigar in this position, until he came to his side, Captain Tino Wallerut, the captain of the "St. Patrick," who was dressed in full attire every day.

"General, you ...... Seems to be worried about something? ”

"Oh? Colonel Wallerut! Uh, I was just thinking about something. Sana replied with a disguised look.

The colonel held his head high, his chest puffed out, his eyes swept over the sea, and he said in a long tone: "In the first wave of attack, we had 7 pilots who could not come back, and these young men are the best carrier-based aircraft pilots in the Irish Navy. There will definitely be losses in the second wave of attacks, but this is war, casualties are inevitable, and since we are here, we are prepared for the worst! ”

Sana nodded, they were both Irish soldiers and international mercenaries at the moment. They participated in battles, accumulated military exploits, and at the same time received a high battlefield allowance provided by the U.S. government, which can be described as fame and fortune. Even if they are unfortunate, they will be disabled or even killed in battle, and they will receive double benefits from the Irish military and the United States.

After a moment of silence, Sana suddenly asked, "Mr. Captain, in your opinion, how should you understand 'acting when the opportunity arises'?" ”

"Do you want to do it?" Colonel Wallerut touched his bare chin, "If it's on the battlefield, acting at the right time should mean being flexible in dealing with different situations!" For example, if the enemy is very strong, then we will temporarily retreat, and when the enemy is exhausted, we will intensify the attack. ”

"With the current situation, should we step up our attack?" Sana asked again.

The colonel replied with certainty: "Attack with all your might!" ”

Sana tilted her head to look at the rolling waves of the ship's hull, and once again entered a state of thought.

Colonel Wallerut thought for a moment, and seemed to understand the meaning behind Major General Sana's question just now, and couldn't help but widen his eyes. He wanted to say something, but when he thought about it, he still chose to be silent.

After about half an hour, seeing that the first wave of attack planes had appeared in the distant sky, Sana's adjutant hurriedly descended from the upper bridge, glanced at Colonel Wallerut, and then whispered a few words to Rear Admiral Sana.

Sana's expression did not change, and there was a rare hesitation and hesitation in his eyes.

After reporting the situation, the adjutant did not leave immediately, and appeared to be waiting for Sana's instructions.

After thinking for a moment, Sana turned his head sideways: "Send out the remaining carrier-based aircraft and follow the US aircraft group to launch a third-echelon attack on the enemy fleet." ”

The orders of the Task Force Commander are combat orders, and unless there are exceptional circumstances, Colonel Wallerut and his men will do their best to carry them out.

Colonel Wallerut quickly weighed the pros and cons, and then spoke: "General...... Do you want to wait any longer? ”

"Wait?" Sana stared into the eyes of Mr. Captain for a few seconds, and their eyes met, and both sides saw contradiction and hesitation in each other's eyes.

Like nearly half of Ireland's active generals, Major General Sana is of both German and Irish descent – his great-grandfather and great-grandmother are both Irish-born and lived in Europe during the Irish ******, and his children grew up in Germany and intermarried with the locals, and by the time his father's generation was no different from ordinary Germans. In the early 20s of the 20th century, many Irish immigrants and their descendants returned to their homeland at the call of the motherland, and Julian, who had already served in the German Navy at that time, invoked the terms of voluntary transfer of military personnel signed between Ireland and Germany, transferred to serve in the Irish Navy, and got the opportunity to further his studies and promotion, at the age of 32, he was promoted to colonel, at the age of 39 he was awarded the rank of brigadier general, and at the age of 42 he was promoted to rear admiral. Now 45 years old, after this special combat mission, he is likely to be promoted to vice admiral, and since then he has entered the ranks of the upper echelons of the navy, and truly fulfilled his childhood dream......

"Do you like or sympathize with the Japanese?" Sana asked suddenly.

Captain Tino Wallerut, who served as the captain of the "St. Patrick", had a very different life experience from Sana, he was a pure Irishman, living on that rustic and barren island for generations, but when he happened to be an adult, the Irish were able to shake off the shackles of hundreds of years and bathe in the sun of freedom. Therefore, Wallerut was a pure patriot, a professional soldier with an orthodox military education, he had prejudices against the old England and the British royal family, and he did not like the English so far, nor was he very happy to accept the Welsh as a fellow countryman, and as for the aggressive and brutal Japan on the other side of the world, he did not have any affection, but he could not say that he hated it deeply, and the reason why he came here to fight the Japanese army was more to pursue honor and the realization of self-worth.

So, Mr. Captain replied categorically: "No! ”

"Do you hate or hate Americans?" Sana continued.

Looking back at the ****** of Ireland, many hungry Irish people went to the North American continent in search of a living, and although they were discriminated against, ostracized and even persecuted by the locals, most of the immigrants survived and eventually integrated into American society with their unique imprints, and they witnessed the development of the country, many of whom were wounded and shed their lives during the war. During the two waves of mass immigration in the early '20s and mid-to-late '30s, the U.S. government did not stop the return of a large number of Irish descendants who had not lived well in the United States or who were nostalgic for their homeland, so that in the eyes of most Irish people, the United States was like a damp and cold refuge for their ancestors to survive the darkest period.

So, Mr. Captain once again responded categorically: "No! ”

"So...... Let's get our carrier-based aircraft out at once! Major General Sana held his head high.

Almost without hesitation, Colonel Wallerut saluted the Major General with Sana's adjutant: "Yes! ”

Major General Sana nodded at them with relief: "Execute, gentlemen!" ”

After the sortie was given, all nine IR-39T carrier-based fighters waiting for the order on the flight deck were activated, and all of them had auxiliary fuel tanks hanging under their bellies to provide cover for their bombers for as long as possible. Immediately afterwards, 11 carrier-based bombers filled with fuel and loaded with aerial bombs and torpedoes were transported from the hangar to the flight deck by elevator, and the service personnel quickly moved them to the catapult shuttle position and buckled the tail of the carrier-based aircraft with a position holder. The carrier-based aircraft waiting for the ejection gradually increased its horsepower, and when the engine power and steam pressure reached a critical value, the shuttle took the carrier-based aircraft and accelerated to a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour at a distance of 50 meters.

Together with the 20 carrier-based planes sent by the Irish aircraft carriers, the third wave of US attack aircraft with a strong lineup of 141 fighters rushed towards the Japanese fleet hundreds of kilometers away, and in a few minutes, the second wave of attack planes that had set off in advance will arrive at the Japanese fleet to bomb it, not only those US pilots will go all out, but the Irish pilots who are engaged in the battle will also do their best to show their ability, especially the two IK-43Ts with "angel wings" attached, Their unique skills are likely to become the world wave that tears open the air defense circle of the Japanese fleet!

As the group moved away, the deafening roar faded away, leaving only the sound of the battleship's splashing waves. Sana smoked two-thirds of his cigar in one gulp, pulled the cigar wrender out of his pocket, and unhurriedly cut off the ash and put away the rest of it. The long-lost air defense sirens suddenly sounded, which meant that the second wave of attack aircraft of the Japanese fleet was coming, Sana took a deep breath and looked up at the distant sky, looking at the dense black dots, with no fear in his eyes.

(End of chapter)