Chapter 2734 Planning 1

Chapter 2734 Planning 1

"From last night to now, our destroyers have suffered a lot of losses. At least a dozen destroyers have been destroyed or need to be dealt with. However, our destroyers still have a great advantage. So far, our navy's personnel have died in battle. There were 1,500 people on and off, and more than 4,000 people were injured," Magiffin said at last.

And just when the Americans were frowning at their losses, this sea and air battle also caused heart-breaking pain to the Japanese! In this battle, the Japanese Air Force lost at least 170 or more aircraft of various types. In terms of number, it was slightly less than the Americans. But don’t forget that many of the aircraft lost by the Japanese Air Force were twin-engine aircraft. , the cost of a twin-engine aircraft is at least 1.8 times that of a single-engine aircraft! As for the loss of crew members, it is even higher than that of the Americans. After all, a bomber has at least three crew members... The price the Japanese paid for this victory was indeed huge, but they still made some money after all. After all, the Americans sank two aircraft carriers and severely damaged one. Two more battleships were damaged, which will have a great impact on the next battle!

"In this battle, we lost a large number of elite pilots who have been trained for more than a year. Such losses are so heavy that the sea attack capability of the land-based air force will inevitably drop by about 40%. We need at least half a year It will take time to replace the lost crew members, and the technical and tactical level of the newcomers will not be very high. The problems of the Japanese training system were fully exposed in this high-intensity war of attrition. The Japanese can only fight one wave, and the war The losses caused their replenishment speed to be far slower than their consumption speed. This system is not advisable. We must take this as a warning!"

"We still have a lot to gain from this battle. At least we have proved that aviation power will gain a dominant position in the future. A fleet without sufficient aviation power cover is fragile. The battleships that have dominated the oceans for hundreds of years will not be able to survive in the future. Eventually they will give way to aircraft carriers and land-based air forces. Bombers carrying 500KG bombs can cause fatal damage to all types of warships except capital ships, and torpedo planes are equally deadly to battleships. The reason why battleships are still used in naval battles now The fundamental reason why they can be used as the main force is that the development of aviation technology lags behind. If torpedo planes carrying torpedoes appear in the future, or bombers that can carry heavier bombs appear, then the battleships will inevitably be eclipsed by the heavy hammer blows from the air. " Lieutenant General Charles wrote this in a letter to Betty after the war.

The Japanese land-based aviation force has dealt a certain blow to the U.S. fleet, but so far, their role and influence have only ended here. Before the Japanese fleet organized a second round of attacks, the U.S. fleet had already withdrawn from the Japanese land-based aviation force. Within the attack range of the force, on the Sulawesi Sea, the battleship squadron commanded by Sims and the fleet commanded by Old Fletcher completed the rendezvous. After all the important commanders came to the USS Maryland for a meeting, the entire fleet began to sail westward at full speed. They must get out of the Japanese-controlled area as soon as possible.

At this time, in the officer conference room of the battleship Maryland, a new combat plan was being formulated in full swing. Everyone knew that the Japanese combined fleet would not let go of the U.S. fleet that was not in good condition, regardless of information perception. Or in terms of fleet mobility,

The U.S. fleet has no reason to avoid its opponent. This battle is bound to break out, and the U.S. fleet must go all out to win!

There were not many people attending the meeting, including Fleet Commander-in-Chief Sims, Chief of General Staff Ma Giffin, Aircraft Carrier Squadron Commander Senior Fletcher, and Armored Cruiser Squadron Captain Junior Fletcher. and Chief of Staff of the Aircraft Carrier Group Mitchell. Plus Redel and Zeppelin aircraft carrier Captain Logan as guest troops. The core members of this fleet are now here.

"Old General Fletcher, how many aircraft are there in the aircraft carrier squadron now? How is its combat effectiveness?" Sims asked first.

"There are still about 180 aircraft available, 150 of which are on the Zeppelin and Raider, and the other 30 aircraft are on the Constellation. The combat effectiveness of the Zeppelin and Raider remains intact. By allocating other warships, Fighters, the air fleets on these two aircraft carriers are also considered complete. Although the rear deck of the Constellation is seriously damaged and cannot recover the aircraft or release the attack aircraft, it is still possible to release a small number of fighter jets. After all, the taxiing distance of the fighter jets is relatively short. "

"The seaplane carrier can also provide about 20 aircraft, but these aircraft have to undertake part of the reconnaissance mission and provide aviation correction for the battleship. Air combat and interception cannot be counted on." Old Fletcher asked.

"So can our current aviation power block the Japanese aircraft carrier's attack? We are not required to control the air. We must at least ensure the safety of the fleet." Sims continued to ask.

"If the Japanese combined fleet can use more than three aircraft carriers, then we will definitely not be able to guarantee air superiority." Mitchell said.

"Are you sure you can't beat them? We have quite a few planes." Ma Jifen said.

"We definitely can't defeat it. Although in terms of quantity, we still have less than half of the aircraft left, but our number of fighters is very small. There are only about 50 aircraft in total. You know, in this interception operation, due to air combat or fuel We have lost too many fighter jets due to exhaustion and other reasons. Even if all 50 fighter jets take off, it is unrealistic to block more than 3 Japanese fleet attack fleets, and if Japanese aircraft carriers and battleship detachments attack at the same time, our surface warships But there’s no way to put on a dedicated air defense stance,” Mitchell said.

"We can make a rough deduction. If the Japanese have four aircraft carriers and about 300 carrier-based aircraft, and generally release more aircraft in one attack, then they can release 170 aircraft in the first wave. If there are 70 fighter jets, then there are 100 attack aircraft. Well, now the question is, how do we defend?" Mitchell continued.

(Some people may argue that in the historical Battle of Midway, the Japanese fleet's four aircraft carriers could only release more than 100 aircraft in a wave. Here, the author would like to explain that first, the carrier-based aircraft in this era are very small, so they can Put more. If deck tethering is allowed, historically an aircraft of around 15,000 tons, such as the Raider, could hold more than 80 aircraft. However, today's aircraft are smaller than when the Raider appeared in history. Chapter Second, historically, the Japanese fleet was not fully equipped with aircraft carriers in the Battle of Midway. The four Japanese aircraft carriers only had 242 aircraft, while the Americans had 230 aircraft on their three carriers. Well, you can figure out the rest.)

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