Chapter 922: Still Defeat 14 (Wish All Book Friends a Happy New Year and May All Their Wishes Come True)
Admiral Spruance's judgment on the night of September 26 (Hawaii time) did not come true. On the Christmas Island battlefield, there was no fierce sea and air battle during the daytime of September 27 and September 28.
The Japanese fleet and aircraft seemed to disappear into the air, allowing 9 American battleships and cruisers to tilt tens of thousands of powerful high-explosive shells towards Christmas Island, destroying all targets on the island that could be observed by aircraft. In the evening of the 28th, the underground oil depot storing tens of thousands of tons of aviation gasoline was detonated, creating a mushroom cloud like an atomic bomb explosion. Even the people on the Essex aircraft carrier more than 100 nautical miles away could see the smoke column rising into the sky from afar.
"Haha, it's really pleasing to the eye. Hurry up and bring my camera. I want to take a picture of it!"
At this time, Spruance stood on the platform of the aircraft carrier bridge, holding a camera in his hand, and took a lot of photos of the mushroom-shaped smoke in the distance.
Major General Browning beside him also looked very happy, "Admiral, the oil depot on Christmas Island was blown up. Judging from the height of the smoke column, it should be a large oil depot of tens of thousands of tons... It is probably aviation gasoline. The Japanese devils will be distressed for several months."
Tens of thousands of tons of aviation gasoline are nothing to the United States. They have 260 million tons of oil to squander every year.
But for Japan, which only has more than 6 million tons of oil a year, tens of thousands of tons of aviation gasoline are definitely a huge fortune!
"They will never dare to stockpile so much oil on Christmas Island again." Spruance said, "It will even reduce the defense force on Christmas Island, which is very beneficial for our next occupation."
Japan stockpiled so much gasoline on Christmas Island to cope with fierce sea and air battles. Thousands of fighter planes of various models would burn at least 1,000 tons of oil each time they attacked. Tens of thousands of tons of stored oil can only cope with dozens of attacks.
In the eyes of the elite staff of the Japanese Navy, the Battle of Christmas Island will be the beginning of the decisive battle in Hawaii. It is entirely possible that the battle will last for a month or so. The aircraft deployed on Christmas Island can launch at least hundreds of attack waves.
But the current result is far beyond their expectations. More than 300 aircraft were lost in just 3 attack waves (excluding the losses from the First Mobile Fleet), and the death rate of pilots who attacked was as high as more than 50%! After only one day of fighting, the Japanese aircraft on Christmas Island had to move away in disgrace. The aviation gasoline that could not be taken away now exploded due to the bombardment of naval guns.
This time, they really lost both the aircraft and the oil!
"Sir, it seems that Japanese aircraft will not be dispatched again. They can't afford the loss." Admiral Miles Browning said, "Why not start the second phase of the battle tonight."
According to the original plan, the 58th Task Force will be divided at the latest on the 29th - if they have not been defeated by the Japanese.
"Okay," Spruance nodded, "Tonight... the main fleet will retreat towards Panama; the 58.0, 58.3 and 58.5 squadrons will form the 58th commerce-breaking fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Mitchell, commander of the 58.5 carrier squadron."
The 58.0 squadron is composed of three cutting-edge battleships, the Iowa, the New Jersey and the Washington; the 58.3 cruiser squadron is composed of two Baltimore-class heavy cruisers, six Cleveland-class light cruisers and two Oakland-class air defense cruisers; the 58.5 carrier squadron is composed of two large fleet aircraft carriers (Hornet and Yorktown).
Therefore, the entire commerce-breaking fleet consists of a total of 3 battleships, 2 aircraft carriers and 10 cruisers. The scale is not large, but the combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. If Japan leaves them alone, the traffic lines in the Western Pacific will not be destroyed but directly cut off, and even some islands without enough air force garrisons may be bombarded.
And if Japan wants to take down this commerce-breaking fleet... If it wants to use battleship bombardment, it will take three Yamato-class ships to do it. But the speed of the three American battleships is faster than that of the Yamato-class, and it is not easy to catch up.
The air forces of the Hornet (Essex class) and the Yorktown will also be put together (drawn from other aircraft carriers), with a total of 170 commonly used F4U and F6F, and 24 reserve aircraft. The 10 escorting cruisers are also "anti-aircraft ships". If you want to use air strikes to get it done, you have to take at least 500 elite pilots (captains), and they all have to fly carrier-based aircraft, because the commerce-breaking fleet will not approach islands where a large number of Japanese aircraft are stationed.
If the Japanese Navy loses another 500 elite pilots, their carrier-based aircraft units will be useless...
...
"Commander," Keizo Furumura trotted into Jisaburo Ozawa's cabin on the aircraft carrier Shokaku. "The reconnaissance plane discovered a huge mushroom-shaped smoke rising from Christmas Island, which was several thousand meters high!"
"Got it." Jisaburo Ozawa nodded slightly.
The destruction of the oil depot on Christmas Island was expected long ago. Although the oil depot was strong, it could definitely not withstand the bombardment of 406mm naval guns.
"Christmas Island should be in hell now, right?" Jisaburo Ozawa said to himself, "Then... tomorrow should be the day when the landing battle officially starts."
"Yes," Furumura nodded, "Commander Onishi and Major General Yoshitsugu Saito of the 43rd Division of the Army are ready to fight a battle of treason."
"Treasure of treason..." Jisaburo Ozawa sighed, "Onishi-kun is a rare aviation warfare expert."
Takijiro Onishi is a veteran of Japanese carrier-based aircraft pilots. He joined the Kasumigaura Air Force shortly after graduating from the 40th Marine Corps. He has been working hard in the Japanese Navy's aviation department since then and is a true aviation expert. In Ozawa's view, it is meaningless for such a talent to die on Christmas Island, because there is no aircraft on Christmas Island now, and there is no need for aviation warfare experts. To carry out island defense operations, Army Major General Saito is enough.
But Onishi is the commander of the area fleet. Leaving Christmas Island at this time is desertion. Even if there is an order from the military headquarters, he cannot leave for the dignity of a samurai.
"Where is the main force of the combined fleet?" Ozawa Jisaburo shifted the topic from the sad Christmas Island to the main force of the combined fleet that was rushing at full speed.
"It's still early. We have only walked more than a thousand nautical miles." Furumura said, "It seems that we have to wait a few more days before launching an assault."
In order to get to the battlefield of Christmas Island as soon as possible, Koga Mineichi also risked his life this time! With 9 battleships, 1 aircraft carrier, 10 heavy cruisers and dozens of other ships, they rushed to Christmas Island from the Japanese mainland at a speed of 20 knots. 20 knots is not an economic speed. The heavy fuel alone is so frightening, and they took the risk of taking a straight line instead of a zigzag anti-submarine route.
But even if they don't care about fuel consumption and submarines, it will take 8-9 days to complete the journey of more than 4,100 nautical miles (and they have to refuel once in the middle), and they can arrive on October 3rd-4th, and it's only the 28th now.
Ozawa Jisaburo nodded helplessly. When he was about to end the conversation with Gucun and go out for a walk, he suddenly heard a hurried footsteps, and then heard a report from a fleet staff.
"Come in." Ozawa said.
"Commander, Chief of Staff," the staff officer who came in with a happy face bowed to the two people in the cabin, "Good news, the US fleet has retreated from the vicinity of Christmas Island, and Christmas Island has been saved!"
"Ah?"
Ozawa and Furumura, who had just rushed to regret that Onishi Takijiro was about to die, were stunned.
"Retreat?" Furumura asked, "Are you sure? Why did the Americans retreat?"
"Absolutely correct," the staff officer handed over the telegram sent from Christmas Island with both hands, "It was the telegram from the 10th Fleet Command that said the US fleet stopped shelling an hour ago and then left. The seaplane that took off from Palmyra Atoll (under the command of the 10th Fleet) conducted reconnaissance and confirmed that the US fleet was moving away from Christmas Island."
What's going on? Did they really run away?
Ozawa and Furumura looked at each other, both feeling a little like falling into the fog.
"Commander," Furumura thought for a while and put forward a reason that sounded reliable. "Could it be that the main fleet's tracks were discovered by the US submarines?"
...
"It seems that the US fleet was really scared away by the main force of the Combined Fleet. In this operation, our Imperial Japanese Navy won a great victory..."
At 6 a.m. on September 30, Tokyo time (10 a.m. on September 29, Hawaii time), in the Operations Room of the Japanese Navy Ministry, Marshal Isoroku Yamamoto announced the victory of the Christmas Island operation... The Americans retreated, and they also lost so many aircraft carriers and ships. Of course, they were losers, but there was not much joy in the Operations Room.
"Retreating like this is extremely cowardly!"
"That's right, they are not worthy of being called soldiers at all!"
"The Americans can obviously fight again, why did they retreat? Is there any conspiracy?"
The staff in the Operations Room whispered, and Isoroku Yamamoto and Osami Nagano looked at each other. Now the two looked very tired. Since the US fleet approached the Hawaiian Islands, they have not had a good rest. They stayed in the Operations Room of the Navy Ministry all day to listen to news and discuss countermeasures. Originally, they both thought that there would be a decisive battle on Christmas Island, and they were extremely excited. Now, after hearing the news of the Americans' retreat, their tense nerves relaxed and they only felt fatigue.
"Gentlemen, although it is incredible, it was confirmed after repeated reconnaissance, so it should not be wrong." Nagano Osami said in a hoarse voice, "Perhaps the real purpose of the Americans is to consume our fuel and elite pilots..."
Before he finished speaking, a staff officer rushed in and handed a copy of the telegram to Ito Seiichi, whose eyes were bloodshot.
Ito looked at the telegram and became energetic as if he had taken a dose of stimulant. He said loudly: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, the Chief of Staff, the American fleet has not retreated yet..."