Target - Singapore! Target - Z Fleet!

The large-scale offensive of the Chinese in Asia, the strong landing on the Malay Peninsula, made the British feel that the end was coming. It was clear that the Army, no matter how hard it tried, would find it difficult to stop the Chinese attack, and now their only hope was on their Royal Navy Z Fleet.

It was a lifesaver. If the myth of the Royal Navy's invincibility can be maintained, then there may be hope that the situation in Asia can be maintained.

Everything is put on this fleet:

Z Fleet!

The British put all their hopes on this fleet, and the eyes of the Chinese were also aimed at this fleet.

"Drive the whole power of the British out of Asia!

When President Wang Hengyue issued this declaration, the entire Chinese defense force took action. Among the "full power of the British", of course, the Z fleet is also included!

After China and Britain began to fight each other, the British were already keenly aware that the Chinese were soon going to make a move in the Far East, and they were not wrong about this.

Britain decided to send a formidable, fast, high-class task force of battleships and aircraft carriers to Singapore to prevent any move by the Chinese in the Far East. Subsequently, Churchill sent the aircraft carrier "Invincible", the battleship "Prince of Wales", the battlecruiser "Counterattack" and escort ships to the Far East. The main purpose of this fleet is to undertake the task of strategic deterrence, warning China not to act rashly in the South Pacific. The commander of the fleet was Vice Admiral Phillips.

After the squadron landed heavily in the Malay Peninsula, Lieutenant General Phillips received an order to take the initiative.

Vice Admiral Phillips had a strong belief that "bombers were no match for battleships," but the Z fleet could not wait in port for enemy air strikes. He outlined his battle plan: set sail at dusk and destroy the invading beachhead of Songkhla!

After a day of work, the Zhangyi Naval Base finally calmed down. At 15:30, the "Prince of Wales" slowly retracted its anchor chain and quietly sailed out of the Straits of Johor together with the aircraft carrier "Invincible" and "Counterattack" under the escort of four destroyers, "Elicotra", "Fast", "Tenedos" and "Vampire".

For the first time, Vice Admiral Phillips on the bridge expressed a hint of uneasiness about the mission to be carried out, as he was not sure where Z Fleet was going. But this uneasiness did not reach the sailors. When Captain Tennant of the "Counterattack" loudly announced, "We're going out and asking for trouble," the sailors cheered loudly.

It is true that trouble has approached the British one.

When the news of the departure of the Z fleet reached the command of the Chinese Navy, a burst of cheers broke out in the command!

Go to war, go to war! Go to war with the British fleet, a real old maritime power! If the two naval battles with the Japanese Navy established China's status as a maritime power in the Far East, then the current engagement with the British Navy will test whether the Chinese Navy is qualified to compete for maritime supremacy in the world!

The best opportunity and the biggest challenge are placed in front of the Chinese Navy. One

The Chinese, who had already taken control of Songkhla and other places, had airfields for takeoff.

A large number of reconnaissance planes took off from airfields in Songkhla and other places and began to capture the figure of the Z fleet.

And the Z fleet is also looking for ships of the Chinese Navy.

The British naval officers and men in the Z fleet have a firm belief in victory, and they firmly believe that no matter how invincible the squadron is on land, they will never be the opponent of the Royal Navy on the blue sea!

Optimism has always been in the hearts of the officers and men of the Z Fleet.

Chinese reconnaissance planes took off again and again, looking for the figure of the Z fleet, and at 8 a.m. on October 16, a reconnaissance plane spotted the Z fleet...,

Then, the Chinese submarine also locked on the Z fleet. One

Now, it's time to get started!

At 16:30 a.m. on October 8, 83 Thunder bombers and 37 Saker attack aircraft took off!

Target - Z Fleet!

The good days of the Z fleet are over, and so are the good days of the British Royal Navy!

At 10:45 a Chinese plane locked the position of the Z fleet, and a strangulation of air power against sea surface power began on the vast sea.

A large number of aircraft appeared in the skies over the Z fleet, and the first to be attacked was the "Prince of Wales"!

The "Prince of Wales" desperately used anti-aircraft fire to block the entry of Chinese fighters, but the Chinese warhawks still swooped down without fear, and then dropped bombs from high altitude.

The "Prince of Wales" stirred up a huge column of water around the ship.

Subsequently, a large number of torpedoes of the "Thunder" type appeared.

The Chinese fighter fleet is not in a hurry to pounce, but always chooses the most difficult angle when it does. A torpedo plane dived straight towards the "Prince of Wales" at an altitude of no more than 200 yards above the water, and dropped a torpedo not far from the "Prince of Wales".

The "Prince of Wales" was hit, and all but the 14-inch main gun was spewing fire, the sound of the cannon was deafening, the smell of smokeless gunpowder was suffocating, the explosion of the bomb was almost tearing the eardrums, and the column of water stirred up on the sea was splashing on the people without a head and face.

The torpedo of the "Prince of Wales" violently shook and exploded, snapping a large shaft of the propeller, and the sea water rushed into the cabin. A few minutes later, more than a dozen Chinese torpedo planes approached the "Prince of Wales" from different directions, and the follow-up bomber convoy flew into the sky again with huge bombs, and with the bombs roaring down, the rear deck of the "Prince of Wales" again let out bursts of explosions, and the black smoke rushed terribly into the sea and air.

Vice Admiral Phillips and Captain Ridge, the "Prince of Wales", had been directing operations from the bridge. The vice admiral, who was convinced that "bombers were not opponents of battleships," still did not realize the seriousness of the problem.

"Signal to the Singapore base to send a tugboat to tow me away." After being hit by two more torpedoes, Vice Admiral Phillips finally came to his senses and gave his final order: "All crew blow on the life jackets." ”

However, it's too late. Chinese fighters flew into the sky one after another, and countless bombs and torpedoes rained down.

The end of the "Prince of Wales" has come to a.

After several earth-shattering loud noises in succession, the majestic "Prince of Wales" was swallowed up by the Malay waves headfirst and tail-down after not knowing how many torpedoes and several bombs had been hit.

The 336 soldiers aboard the Prince of Wales died at sea, including Vice Admiral Phillips and Captain Ritchie.

At the very beginning of the naval battle, the flagship of the Z Fleet, HMS Prince of Wales, and the commander of the fleet, Vice Admiral Phillips, were subjected to a devastating attack, which dealt an extremely serious blow to the confidence of the British naval officers and men.

But the nightmare isn't over yet...

The Chinese aircraft group, which sank the "Prince of Wales", quickly shifted the focus of the attack to the British aircraft carrier "Invincible".

While the Chinese fleet was besieging the "Prince of Wales", the "Invincible" had already been damaged by bombs. The Buffalo fighters were no match for the Saker, and one after another they were shot down and then sunk into the sea

However, the Chinese fighters were densely packed, flying one group after another over the warring waters, and it seemed that the Chinese had made up their minds that they would never accept it without completely annihilating the Z fleet

This is a day that the Z fleet will never forget, and it is a day that the aircraft carrier "Invincible" will never forget. …,

If Vice Admiral Phillips were still alive, he would have found out how ridiculous his assertion that "bombers are no match for battleships" . ̈

The "Invincible" was already in danger under the attack of wave after wave of attacks by the Chinese aircraft group. Its hull was damaged in several places, and after losing the protection of air power, it has completely become a living target!

"Invincible" did its best.

The officers and men on the ship showed no heroism, and each of them was doing their best to save the fate of the "Invincible", but in the face of the Chinese planes flying in layers, all their efforts were so powerless.

When the "Invincible" began to sink, the officers and men of the proud Royal Navy of the British Empire probably never imagined that they would have such a day.

The Invincible was not the first British ship to sink after the Prince of Wales, and the Counterattack had already sunk under the terrible bombardment in the air.

Then there were the "Elicotra", "Rapid", "Tenedos". One after another British warships sank, and only the "Vampire" barely escaped from this terrible sea area with a wound on her body.

Farewell, Z-Fleet!

When the Z fleet and their commander, Vice Admiral Phillips, set out with great confidence, they probably never imagined that they would fall to the point of almost total annihilation.

A fleet that lacks air cover can only end up with a tragic end in the face of endless bombardment from the air.

On top of this, the British made the same mistake as the original Japanese navy.

When the news of the destruction of the Z fleet reached the command of the Chinese Navy, there was no unexpected cheer, but a silence. It's not that the officers of the Chinese Navy are not excited, on the contrary, they suppress this excitement in their hearts.

Annihilated the Z Fleet, but it's just the beginning!