Chapter 406: Sea Battle

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As the commander-in-chief of the three forces, Wesley had arrived at the front line, on the flagship carrier of the 1st Special Forces. The carrier began with 7,701 in the waters of the Ryukyu Islands, and Wesley drank coffee and read the daily bombing report.

“General, are we just going to bomb them?” asked the commander of the Navy’s 1st Special Forces Fleet.

“That’s right. If they continue to bomb like this, they will either surrender or rush out to fight. It will depend on their own choice. So you have to order the submarine troops to pay attention to the movements of the fleet. Every day, the reconnaissance aircraft will also patrol the surroundings on a large scale. We must not let the enemy seize the initiative.”

“Yes, we understand.”

At this moment, a staff officer knocked on the door and entered. “Reporting, the submarine force has discovered the enemy fleet gathering in the Chinese sea.” Then, he handed over the telegram.

Wesley took the telegram and read it. The other party had gathered six aircraft carriers, a large number of battleships and cruisers, and so on. It was basically the entire main force of Japan gathered together. It was difficult to hide such a large fleet.

“Order the submarine troops to monitor the enemy fleet in sections and keep an eye on their movements. The entire Pacific Fleet is to gather here. Iwo Jima Base is to be prepared for defense. The fleet will not be able to return for a while. Tell them to be careful, especially at night, to speed up the construction of Suribachi Mountain.”

“Yes.” The staff officer went out to deliver the order.

The commander of the 1st Task Force suddenly said, “General, are you going to Guam to wait for news?”

“Why? Are you afraid that something will happen to me?” Wesley smiled at him.

“You are the commander-in-chief after all. If something goes wrong, it will be a big blow to us.”

“No need. Don’t worry. This time, let the world see the power of the American Air Force and Navy Air Force. Do you think I don’t know about the warships and aircraft I designed? Their performance surpasses the other side in all aspects. Now that we have discovered their movements, we won’t let them run away. The Pacific Ocean is full of our submarines and patrol aircraft. Where can they run to?”

Wesley was naturally not afraid. If necessary, he would even use Sir Black. Even if he was exposed, he would not hesitate to defeat the Japanese navy. He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

Later, the telegrams were sent over one by one. The submarine force carried out the tracking mission perfectly. Wesley personally designed the conventional submarine, and the enemy’s sonar could not be detected. The technical difference was too great.

Three days later, the enemy fleet had already approached the Ryukyu Islands. They planned to launch a sneak attack. Although there was no intelligence now, they were prepared to bomb the Ryukyu Air Force Airport and then fight the fleet here. In their opinion, the American fleet should be divided into at least two or even three parts. This way, they would have a chance to destroy them one by one.

Wesley looked at the other man and smiled. “Order the radar to be fully turned on. The fleet begins to form an air defense formation. Fighter aircraft are ready to take off. Land-based aviation forces are ready for air defense. All fighter aircraft at the airport are ready to take off. The bomber forces are then dispatched. The first attack is on the enemy carrier, and the second attack is on the enemy battleship.”

“Yes.” The ten aircraft carriers of the entire Pacific Fleet began to get busy. Hundreds of warships on the surface of the sea began to sail in formation, forming an air defense formation. The dense high-level two-guns aimed at their respective positions.

“General, our fighter jets are enough to intercept the enemy’s flying formation, why are we still preparing air defense?”

Wesley looked at him and then said, “You’re the commander. You can’t have this kind of thinking. Don’t underestimate your opponent at any time. Moreover, the other party has a submarine force. Don’t you understand this? I deliberately didn’t say anti-submarine warfare. You haven’t realized this until now, and you still want to give up air defense?”

“I’m sorry, General. I was negligent.” The commander of the 1st Special Cruiser Division immediately turned around and gave the order.

Destroyers and light cruisers began anti-submarine navigation. Even if the enemy’s submarines were not advanced and there were not many of them, they had to take precautions. Otherwise, a torpedo could kill an aircraft carrier.

The pre-war atmosphere made Wesley very nervous, but he himself was extremely relaxed. The commanders of the four Special Cruises were called to Flagship 701, and he gave everyone cigars.

“I don’t have many opportunities to command naval battles. You can learn as much as you can this time. In the future, the Navy will depend on you.”

“Yes.” The four commanders were very happy. This man is a god of war. Although he has only fought in the second half of World War I and is an army, they have no doubt that Wesley will fight at sea. Look at those warships. As early as World War I, the first batch of warships had been reserved for air defense. What kind of vision is this?

“Reporting, the enemy fleet’s aircraft has been released. The first wave of attack will arrive at our base in 20 minutes.”

“Okay, order the base fighter to take off and engage the enemy. Order the fleet aircraft to begin to release and directly attack the enemy fleet’s main force. Order the submarine force to concentrate in the surrounding sea area around the enemy and surround them from a distance. However, without my order, no attack is allowed.”

“Yes.”

Because Ryukyu is an archipelago, the area is not covered, and time is of the essence, so Wesley directly dispersed the airport and placed as many planes as possible. Moreover, this place is closer to the equator, and it is warm even in winter, so there is nothing to worry about.

The land-based plane directly took off with nearly 300 fighter jets to meet the enemy. The difference in strength was too great, and Japan Ben’s Type 0 fighter jet had not appeared yet. Now was the best time to defeat them.

Sulfur Capital’s base planes did not bomb today. Instead, they were all focused on preparing for any possible attack, but they were destined to lose their chance.

The two fighter jets met in the air, and the replica P-51 G-3 fighter jet directly began its massacre. The performance of the fighter jet that surpassed the other party by a level was fully displayed, and the flexible air maneuver ability left the enemy with no way to fight back, let alone the difference in numbers.

As for the naval aviation, they had already found the enemy’s fleet. The enemy did not form an air defense formation. This time, they came in a sneak attack and were not prepared to fight. Instead, they were prepared to escape at any time.

“Good opportunity, the formation is divided into groups, the first target is to attack the carrier, starting now.” The leader directly gave the order, then the first attack group of ten carriers and 500 fighter jets began to divide the enemy’s main force.

“Air raid…” With a mournful roar, the Japanese fleet was in chaos. They did not expect that the place would discover them so quickly, and the number of fighters was too terrifying.

At this moment, Wesley directly ordered the second wave of attack formations to set off. The distance between them was only twenty minutes. “Commander, in this case, we don’t have any fighter jets to defend.”

“That’s right, we don’t need to defend. Didn’t you say that? Besides, our air defense formation is not just for show. We must invest in it when it’s time to invest. This is the best opportunity to destroy the enemy. We can’t miss it. Otherwise, it will be a little troublesome later. Order eight heavy patrols, 16 light patrols, and 32 destroyers to form an attack formation and go directly to the enemy fleet. But you are not going to fight, but to cut off their retreat.”

“Yes.”

The scale of this naval battle was so large that the number of aircraft used was unprecedented. It was also the last large-scale naval battle.