December 21, 1933, 8:55 a.m.

In the North Pacific Ocean, about 200 nautical miles north of Oahu, the aircraft carrier of the Soryu fleet.

Standing in the fleet command center on the second floor of the shipyard, after seeing a seaplane that had come back from reconnaissance landing smoothly on the sea, Yamamoto 56 retracted his gaze and turned his head to Chief of Staff Onishi: "Haven't you found a US aircraft carrier yet?" ”

"Nope." Onishi Takijiro shook his head: "The seaplanes sent by the light cruiser have searched a large area of sea to the north and have not found the shadow of the American aircraft carrier, will it be ......?"

"Nope! I'm sure they're right there! ”

"Their F9C Sparrowhawks have already appeared near us twice, and the range of such an aircraft is definitely not more than 500 kilometers, and we are already 200 nautical miles from Oahu here, if they didn't take off from an aircraft carrier, where did they take off from?" ”

"That's right, our I-18 also quietly followed those small planes and flew nearly 200 kilometers north, although they didn't find their aircraft carriers, but it was already certain that these planes didn't fly from Pearl Harbor, because the F9C Sparrowhawk couldn't fly that far at all....... but if the American aircraft carriers were near us and found us, then why didn't they attack? Is it a deliberate attempt to lure us north? ”

"Using an aircraft carrier as bait?!" Yamamoto was stunned for a moment, walked to the chart table, looked at it for a while, and asked, "Is there any news about the submarine deployed south of Oahu?" Where did the American battleship that left Pearl Harbor go? ”

"I don't know, the submarine didn't keep up. It is only known that they sail westward. ”

"To the west? Is it trying to stop us? Has Nagumo's battle arrived? ”

"Comrade Commander, report of the 2nd Sentai ...... They were subjected to air strikes by more than 200 American aircraft! Aircraft carrier USS Fire Dragon...... Yan zhòng was damaged, and Commander Nagumo had already ordered the ship to be abandoned! ”

"What?! How Nagumo abandoned aircraft carriers. He must be crazy! Hearing that the aircraft carrier was abandoned, the muscles on Yamamoto's face suddenly twitched, and he subconsciously wanted to curse, but before he could speak, Takijiro Onishi and Kuroshima Kameto on the side jumped up at the same time. Onishi even snatched the telegram from the hands of the communications staff officer, and after looking at it twice, his face was gloomy and almost dripping.

"Onishi-kun, what the hell is going on?" Yamamoto asked in a deep voice.

Onishi Takijiro said with a dead face: "Your Excellency, Commander." The USS Fire Dragon was crashed by a B10 bomber! I didn't expect that the United States also has such a peerless brave! ”

"I see!" Yamamoto Fifty-six has regained his calm. "Except for the Fire Dragon, are the other five aircraft carriers of the Second Squadron still intact? Also, what happened to the air raid on Pearl Harbor? ”

"Report." The communications staff officer brought another telegram that had just been translated and shouted: "The battle report of the second brigade! ”

Everyone's ears are pricked up, they have already lost an aircraft carrier, and if the Americans play the trick of hitting aircraft carriers one after another, this time they will really lose a lot of money!

"The air raid on Pearl Harbor was a great success!" The words that the communications staff officer then said made Yamamoto and the others breathe a sigh of relief. "The air raid forces inflicted heavy damage on 8 American battleships, sank 3 light cruisers, and sank 2 destroyers. Honolulu and Pearl City airports were also bombed. Shot down and destroyed more than 200 enemy planes, and in addition blew up a very large oil depot in Pearl Harbor, igniting at least millions of tons of fuel oil, and now the entire US military base at Pearl Harbor has become a sea of fire! We lost 45 IL-18 fighters, 59 IL-1 dive/torpedo bombers, and 4 IL-18 and 7 IL-1 were damaged during landing. ”

"Onboard! On-board ...... A big victory, 105 planes paralyzed the US Pacific Fleet......"

"What a miracle, there is no more maritime power in the Pacific that can confront Japan!"

There was a cheer. Yamamoto Fifty-six had a relaxed look on his face, and his contemplative expression changed. He whispered to himself: "It's a pity that it's just a heavy damage to the battleship, and it can be repaired in 6 or 7 months at most...... But we lost one mothership, and we lost 115 fighters, and the pilots on it were elite! It's really ....... and the aircraft carriers of the Americans are still there! ”

Kuroshima Kameto was closest to Yamamoto, and he listened to his words word for word, and a confident smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Commander...... The Hawaii operation is not over yet, and we will soon be able to spot the American aircraft carriers! ”

Yamamoto was stunned, and Kuroshima then began to analyze: "The eight battleships of the Americans have now left Pearl Harbor, and if the observation of the submarines is not bad, they should be sailing westward, and the purpose must be to block our way back." However, the Yankees will not let their 8 battleships go out without air cover, otherwise not only will they not be able to stop us, but they will lose the battleships, so there will definitely be American aircraft carriers to accompany them, maybe one, most likely two. ”

"Two? The north side ......"

"It's the third one! It may be the USS Ranger, which was originally attached to the Atlantic Fleet, or it may be an aircraft carrier temporarily converted from merchant ships, and the purpose of the Americans placing this aircraft carrier in the Pacific waters north of the Hawaiian Islands is to lure us into dividing our forces and creating a good opportunity for their aircraft carriers and battleships to destroy the enemy! ”

The head of the analysis of the black island turtle man is Tao, and Yamamoto also listened carefully, his face was cloudy, but his eyes were shining, as if he saw some opportunity, but he felt that the risk was too big and he was not sure.

“…… Commander, we might as well come up with a plan, the first team will search for American aircraft carriers in the north, the second team will continue to launch a second wave of attacks, luring American aircraft carriers and battleships closer, and when the second wave of attacks is over, the second team will immediately go north, and the first team will go south at the same time, and the combined forces of the two sides will be enough to fight against 3 American aircraft carriers and 8 American battleships! ”

"Good!" Yamamoto Fifty-six nodded heavily, "Let's fight again!" Send a telegram to Nagumo and ask him to give up the second wave of the offensive and go north to join the first team! We...... Let's go chase the American aircraft carriers to the north! ”

Kuroshima was stunned for a moment, and just wanted to open his mouth to disagree. Yamamoto waved his hand and said, "Kuroshima-kun doesn't have to worry that the U.S. Pacific Fleet will avoid war, what they are showing now is no less brave than Japan's best samurai, and such an enemy will not run away with his tail between his legs." And the oil depot at Pearl Harbor has been destroyed. If they escape, they will be able to sit on the East Coast of the United States for the next few months and watch us dominate the Pacific! ”

"Sue the Second Fleet and the Third Fleet, and start the second phase of Plan Z!"

……

Interim Command of the US Pacific Fleet.

"According to what we have so far, the Japanese fleet attacking Pearl Harbor had dozens of ships, including 10 large aircraft carriers, and no battleships or battle cruisers. There were 4 heavy cruisers, 10 light cruisers and at least 20 destroyers, transports and tankers together no more than 6. According to Lieutenant General Short. A B10 bomber of the Army Air Corps crashed and destroyed a Soryu-class aircraft carrier, and four other Japanese aircraft carriers were damaged at different stages, a heavy cruiser was heavily damaged, and a destroyer was sunk. Including losses on Oahu. In total, we lost more than 300 aircraft. Shot down about 120 enemy aircraft ......"

"300 planes and 8 capital ships were heavily damaged, and 4 million tons of fuel oil and half of Pearl Harbor were exchanged for 1 aircraft carrier, 1 heavy cruiser, 1 destroyer and 120 enemy aircraft...... What a loss! ”

When Yanel heard the report of Major General Short, the commander-in-chief of the Hawaiian Army, he couldn't help but gasp, and his head began to ache again.

His head was smashed by a falling electric fan when the Pacific Fleet Command was hit by a Japanese plane just now, and according to the military doctor, he may have suffered a concussion, and he was asked to rest for a few days...... But is this the time to recuperate? Eight battleships of the Pacific Fleet were blown to pieces, and an oil depot with 4 million tons of fuel oil exploded. Now half of the Pearl Harbor base is on fire! If you don't find a way to get the field back, you, the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, will be doomed. You can always recuperate at home in the future!

Compared with personal honor and disgrace, the United States has made him extremely anxious about the unfavorable start in this world war, and the strength of the forces participating in the war seems to be very clear. The strongest is definitely the USSR, almost single-handedly taking on the entire capitalist world! Although they suffered some losses in the war with Germany and China, it was when the Soviet forces were too scattered, and if China and Germany wanted to single out the Soviet Union, I am afraid that they would have been bulldozed now! China and Germany were the second most powerful militaries, with the former destroying hundreds of thousands of Red Army troops in the two battles of Central Asia and Xinjiang, and the latter also having a good record in Poland and the Balkans. Britain was a weaker militarily and was defeated by the Soviet Red Army in the Middle East and India, but it did not lose too badly in the Battle of Okinawa last July, and did not lose too badly in the face of a surprise attack by the Japanese Combined Fleet...... At least much better than the current US Pacific Fleet! And Japan was almost the weakest participant in the war, first defeated by the Chinese vassal North Korea, and then defeated by the Chinese and British navies in the naval battle of Okinawa, and the combined fleet hid in the nest for half a year and did not dare to come out to meet people!

But no one expected that these Japanese had just recovered from their injuries, and as soon as they came out, they would beat the US Navy, known as the world's number one maritime power, to the ground, and even Pearl Harbor, the old nest of the Pacific Fleet, was almost burned down! How can the United States of America have the face to mix in the world stage in the future?

"Admiral, we still have the strength to counterattack, Vice Admiral Bullock has just called, and the 1st Battleship Detachment and the 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron have already joined forces. Is it to order Lieutenant General Bullock to launch a counterattack? Kimmel next to him whispered. The number one unlucky guy in the Pearl Harbor attack in history is considered good luck in this time and space. Harold, the former chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet. Vice Admiral Stark was seriously injured in the plane crashing into the building and is still lying unconscious in the hospital. So he, the colonel chief of staff of the battleship unit, temporarily served as the chief of staff of his Pacific Fleet! If the table is better, he can remove the "temporary", and the rank will immediately become rear admiral, so he wants to fight this battle very much.

"What about the loss of Pearl Harbor?" Instead of responding positively to Kimmel, Yanel asked about Pearl Harbor.

"The fire has been basically contained, but the oil depot and oil terminal have been completely destroyed. 4 million tons of fuel could not be saved, and ammunition depots No. 1 and No. 2 were also destroyed, and they also affected the naval factory. However, several dry docks are intact. Major General Short, who commanded the shore-based aviation of the entire ground forces, reported with a sad face. Obviously, his career has ended here, and he will be forced to retire after being demoted, which is really unlucky!

"Admiral, Pearl Harbor will be abandoned for at least 10 months, and the home port of the Pacific Fleet may be moving back to San Diego." Kimmel reminded.

Yanel understood what Kimmel meant, and the oil depot at Pearl Harbor was destroyed. The fuel reserves were all lost, and for the time being, it could not serve as the home port of the Pacific Fleet. Once the fleet is in motion, it is an oil tiger, consuming tens of thousands of tons of fuel every day. There is no big oil depot full of millions of tons of fuel oil around. Who would dare to put the fleet home port at Pearl Harbor? In the event of a siege and blockade by myself, the entire fleet will soon become a lump of scrap iron.

"How long do we have enough fuel?" Yanel asked.

"It won't last long, and the fleet must be transferred after this battle, otherwise the fleet's fuel supply will be at risk of being interrupted. So ......"

Kimmel had only said a few words. Yanel stretched out his hand to stop him, and then showed a solemn expression. Under the determination of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, he will take advantage of the fact that he is still sitting in this position to fight another war for the United States!

……

"Lieutenant General, the two Japanese aircraft carrier formations have turned around at about 180 nautical miles north of Oahu!"

Nimitz hurried into the bridge of the battleship Pennsylvania and handed the telegram he had just received to Vice Admiral Bullock, commander of the newly formed 1st Task Force. The Nimitz was the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II, and his official position now is the captain of the heavy cruiser USS Augusta. However, since Kimmmel, the chief of staff of the battleship force, remained in Pearl Harbor as acting chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet, he was called to the Pennsylvania to temporarily serve as Vice Admiral Bullock's chief of staff.

"A telegram was also received from the fleet command. Ordered us to go north in search of the main forces of the Japanese fleet for a decisive battle. Nimitz pulled out another telegram and handed it to Bullock.

"A decisive battle? Isn't that why we left Pearl Harbor? Bullock took the telegram and read it carefully, then turned back to Nimitz and asked, "Colonel." Do you have any plans? ”

Nimitz walked to the side of the chart table, picked up a baton and pointed at the location of the Japanese fleet: "Vice Admiral, if we have any advantage, it is to know the approximate location of the Japanese fleet...... In addition, they seemed to be confused by the two air carriers, thinking that the Sparrowhawk fighters harassing them were sent from the aircraft carriers, so they searched and advanced northward. This gave us an opportunity to make a sneak attack, and we built a formation with three aircraft carriers as the core to attack separately and strive to launch an air strike before dark. ”

Hearing Nimitz's plan, Brock was stunned for a moment, and immediately asked, "What about the 8 battleships?" Did you go out overnight to find the Japanese fleet for a decisive battle? ”

"The battleship retreated south and left the battlefield." Nimitz shook his head.

"Why?" Bullock's eyes widened.

"Because it's useless, Vice Admiral, I don't think we have a chance to attack Japanese aircraft carriers with battleships. The North Pacific Ocean was too vast, and the speed of the Japanese aircraft carriers was not slow, and one night was not enough time for the battleship forces to find each other. If we wait until dawn, our 8 battleships will be very dangerous. ”

"But will our Lexington, Saratoga, and the British's Brave be able to defeat at least nine of their aircraft carriers?"

Nimitz shook his head: "I'm afraid not, Lieutenant General, the two air battles this morning have already illustrated the problem, our F2A can't beat their Yi-18, especially their pilots are better than ours!" ”

"It was aided by the Russians, they are all veterans from the battlefields of the world war, and of course our people are not comparable!" Lieutenant General Bullock waved his hand, "I vetoed this plan, you won't have only one plan, right?" Captain. ”

"I have another option." Nimitz paused, looked at Brock with blazing eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Lieutenant General, this alternative is likely to bury your future......"

Brock glanced at Nimitz faintly. "Chester, do you think I joined the U.S. Navy to be an officer?"

"Of course not, Lieutenant General."

"Then tell me about your alternatives."

"Okay." Nimitz glanced at the chart, took a deep breath and said, "The alternative is to be beaten passively!" The 1st Task Force headed north, approaching the main force of the Japanese fleet from the south, but did not send carrier-based aircraft to attack. Rather, let the enemy's planes come and bomb ......"

"Chester, you mean ......"

"Exchange warships for planes!" Nimitz gritted his teeth and said: "Lieutenant General, I think that the combat effectiveness of the Japanese Navy is not based on their 9 to 10 aircraft carriers, nor on the Il-18 and Il-1 aircraft supplied by the Soviet Union, but on the basis of nearly 900 excellent Soviet pilots!" In this morning's operation, at least 100 Soviet pilots were killed or captured! If we can fight another 200 in this afternoon's and tomorrow's battle, even if we lose one or two battleships, it's totally worth it! ”

Vice Admiral Bullock was stunned when he heard this, looked at Nimitz fixedly, and said, "100 pilots for 1 battleship?" Do you think such a deal is not a loss? ”

"Don't lose money! Lieutenant General, because we have 30 battleships (more than in history), Japan does not have 3,000 good pilots! ”