On the afternoon of January 30, the joint fleet of the island nation's navy began to change its course. They turned to sail southwest, preparing to enter the western part of the Philippine Sea. Only the Philippines is here, and the United States has sea and air bases in the Philippines, which can provide them with intelligence support. If a German plane or ship is found, they can be notified in advance to avoid it.
On the afternoon of the 31st, the navy of the island country entered the waters of the central Philippines. It is only a few hundred kilometers away from the Mariana Islands occupied by Germany. At the same time, they received information that the German Navy's Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet were still in the Bismarck Sea in the south.
For the sake of safety, the German Navy's Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet plan to rendezvous before heading north. In this case, their strength is even stronger. If the two fleets go north alone, once they encounter the joint fleet of the island nation's navy, they will probably have no chance of winning. Although the German navy is powerful, the only ones that can be used to deal with the navies of island countries are the Pacific Fleet and the Indian Ocean Fleet. Therefore, their strength is also very precious, and it is undoubtedly the best if they can not be lost.
It is precisely because of the conservative tactics of the German navy that the navy of the island country was given the opportunity to attack the Mariana Islands.
Of course, this is also because the German navy never expected that the island country would be so shameless and bold, and once again used the tactics of undeclared war to launch a sneak attack on Germany. The German Navy paid a heavy price in the early days of the war.
At two o'clock in the afternoon on the 31st, General Yamamoto Fifty-Six issued an order to attack.
"Masters, lead your fleet to set off! Launch an attack at 5:30 tomorrow morning. Destroy the German airport in one fell swoop and completely eliminate them!" General Yamamoto Fifty-Six ordered.
"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander!" The commanders of the United Fleet replied one after another.
Subsequently, each team broke away from the main force of the fleet and headed towards their respective intended targets.
The eight aircraft carriers of the two aircraft carrier teams can launch attacks from a long distance. They don't need to get too close to the target, they just need to take off the carrier-based aircraft in advance.
Although the carrier-based aircraft of the navy of the island country cannot launch an attack at night. But, after years of fumbling, they can also take off at night. However, the risk factor is relatively higher. If you are not careful, the plane may be destroyed.
However, for the fanatical island navy carrier-based pilots, this danger is nothing at all. As long as they can win and let them sacrifice their lives, it is estimated that no one will refuse. Under the poison of Bushido spirit, the carrier-based aircraft pilots of these island navies have become the most fearless people.
Of course, this also has a lot to do with the selection of pilots in island countries. In island countries, both land-based aviation and naval aviation are selected from the elite. They receive the most rigorous training, but also enjoy the best treatment. Even when the island nation's economic situation was tense, the treatment they enjoyed was very good. This makes them willing to work hard for the country and regard it as their own glory. Even if they died on the battlefield because of this, they would not care.
The four battleship battleships of the island navy all set off. The 12 powerful battleships and four battlecruisers represent the most powerful capital ships of the Japanese navy. These battleships will be the most powerful capital ships in the world, at least until the more powerful 'Yamato-class' battleships enter service. At present, only the US and German navies are equipped with equally powerful battleships.
The battleship 'Ki' was originally the flagship of the United Fleet. But now the 1st Battleship Squadron is going to attack Guam, so the flagship of the Combined Fleet is temporarily switched to the aircraft carrier 'Ibuki'.
"From now on, the fleet will keep the radio silent, and the Germans will not be able to find us! In addition, the seaplanes will be dispatched. Once the German Navy ships are found, they will immediately evade them!" Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo ordered.
There are still a few hours before it gets dark, and this period of time is undoubtedly more dangerous. Once discovered by the German Navy, the German Navy will prepare in advance. Even if the German Navy's fleet is still relatively far away from the theater, at least those planes on the Mariana Islands can be evacuated early. In this case, even if the island navy destroys those airports, the damage to the German navy will not be too great. It just takes a while to fix those airports. After all, airplanes and pilots are the most precious.
I have to admit that the luck of the island navy is relatively good. When several capital ship teams were in action, they were not exposed. It wasn't until night fell that the island nation's navy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Command the fleet to maintain the current speed!" Vice Admiral Yoshida Zengo ordered.
With the current speed of 20 knots, they can arrive in Guam around 5 o'clock in the morning, and after a little preparation, they can launch an attack. Calculating the time, it was almost just right.
The other capital ship squadrons were also able to reach the intended target at about the same time, and then launched an attack.
In fact, for the navy of the island country, as long as it is not exposed before dark on the 31st, the possibility of their plan succeeding is much greater. Even if the German Navy discovers something, it will be difficult to respond.
At 3:00 a.m. on February 1, in the central part of the Philippine Sea.
On the sea, the fleet of the navy of the island country is brightly lit. The flight decks of the eight aircraft carriers of the two aircraft carrier teams are all under the illumination of searchlights, which are extremely bright.
One by one, with the help of the ground crew, the fuel was filled, the ammunition was added, and they were ready to take off.
The pilots are listening to the combat briefing.
At 3:30 in the morning, the first Type Zero carrier-based fighter took off from the aircraft carrier 'Ibuki'.
Subsequently, other carrier-based aircraft also took off.
Because the flight deck has only one straight deck and no angled deck. Therefore, the take-off efficiency of carrier-based aircraft is limited, so that the aircraft carriers of the navies of these island countries can only take off half of the carrier-based aircraft at a time. After these carrier-based aircraft take off, those carrier-based aircraft parked in the hangar can be lifted to the deck by elevators and then take off.
But even if it is divided into two waves, the upper management of the combined fleet of the island nation's navy is still very confident in this. They believed that in the event of a surprise attack, the German Navy could not be prepared. This time, they will definitely win.
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