Cash-Loaded Fleet

Chapter 27 - Onslaught, 2nd Air Fleet

'Too few...'

From the shape of the fighters that had come to intercept them, those were probably the F4F Wildcats. About ten of them stood in front of them. The Sōryū, Unryū, and Hakuryū fighter squadrons swiftly annihilated them with overwhelming numbers.

'Or perhaps the Americans are underestimating fighter planes.'

The attack group commander and Hiryū carrier air group leader, Lieutenant Commander Kusumi, had doubts about the extremely small number of intercepting planes.

In fact, the standard composition for an American aircraft carrier included four squadrons: fighter, bomber, scout, and torpedo squadrons, each with eighteen aircraft. By adding a few reserve planes, the total number of aircraft carried by each ship was slightly less than 80. Admiral Halsey, who commanded the US carrier force, had dispatched all bombers, scouts, and torpedo squadrons, except for the Enterprise scout squadron sent for scouting, to attack the Japanese fleet. He had also assigned half of the fighter squadrons to provide escort, so each carrier had only about ten fighter planes for direct air cover. The shortage of intercepting fighter planes was the reason for this. Needless to say, for Kusumi, the scarcity of intercepting fighter planes was a blessing.

The sight of the American fleet reflected in Kusumi's eyes. It formed a neat circular formation, a formation highly skilled in anti-air warfare. Three cruisers and six destroyers surrounded the aircraft carriers at the center.

'Nine escorts just for one carrier. Truly, the cash-loaded United States. We have only two cruisers and eight destroyers for our five aircraft carriers.'

While feeling a mixture of jealousy and envy, Kusumi compared and weighed the strength of both sides and made a decision.

"Bomber units from Unryū, Hakuryū, and Sekiryū to target the cruisers. Hiryū and Sōryū bomber units, target the destroyers in sections. Torpedo units will charge after the bomber units' attack. For the ones targeting aircraft carriers, the Sōryū torpedo unit will charge from the starboard side and the Unryū torpedo unit from the port side. Hakuryū and Sekiryū torpedo units, focus on the cruisers. Hiryū torpedo unit, stay out of enemy anti-air range until further notice."

Following Kusumi's orders, the 90 Type 0 attackers of the 10 squadrons dispersed toward their respective targets.

The first to launch their attack were the Unryū, Hakuryū, and Sekiryū bomber units, descending toward the three American cruisers, grouped as squadrons. The American cruisers below were quite large. They were either heavy cruisers or one of the Brooklyn-class light cruisers.

The targeted American cruisers raised their anti-aircraft weapons to retaliate. However, being positioned on the outer rim of the circular formation, it was less likely to receive support from other ships. Despite the excellent anti-air capabilities of the American cruiser, it had its limits when fighting alone. Before the bombs were dropped, they managed to shoot down two aircraft at most, while some ships couldn't down a single one.

On the other hand, the surviving Type 0s continued their shallow descent, each dropping four 250-kilogram bombs. As a result, each of the three American cruisers was showered with approximately 30 bombs. Only about 10-20% of them found their mark. Compared to dive bombing, the hit rate was quite low. Nevertheless, the impact was enormous. There were no Treaty cruisers with horizontal armor capable of repelling 250-kilogram bombs, which weighed twice as much as the main gun shells of heavy cruisers. If a bomb hit, it would surely penetrate the armor and enter the ship's interior. Even a single bomb reaching the engine room would severely impede the ship's mobility. Hoping that all bombs would avoid critical areas was unrealistic, and in reality, no ship was lucky enough to escape unscathed.

The situation for the six destroyers targeted by the Hiryū and Sōryū bomber units was similar. Of these, only half could shoot down the Type 0s before the bomb runs. The destroyers received anywhere from 8 to 12 of the 250-kilogram bombs, with only one of them narrowly avoiding direct hits. However, even this ship had suffered significant damage from the near-miss explosions underwater.

Observing the breakdown of the circular formation, the Sōryū, Unryū, Hakuryū, and Sekiryū torpedo units began their descents toward their respective targets.

The American aircraft carrier, left defenseless after all its escort vessels were destroyed, faced a calamity that went beyond this vulnerability. The escort ships that were supposed to protect it had now turned into obstacles, as their loss of mobility made it impossible for the aircraft carrier to perform evasive maneuvers.

The Sōryū and Unryū torpedo units were not naïve enough to overlook the opponent's predicament. The eighteen Type 0 attackers of these units, despite losing two on the way, successfully executed a pincer attack on the aircraft carrier. Water columns rose on both sides of the American aircraft carrier, known for its small bridge and large smokestacks. Two columns on the port side and four on the starboard side.

By this time, the attacks by the Hakuryū and Sekiryū torpedo units had also concluded. Having been showered with 250-kilogram bombs, the slowed American cruisers were each pierced by three torpedoes from both the Hakuryū and Sekiryū torpedo units.

'Receiving six torpedoes in such a short time, even a Lexington-class carrier won't escape sinking. The cruisers targeted by the Hakuryū and Sekiryū torpedo units, having already endured numerous bomb hits, won't stand a chance after taking three torpedoes.'

Lieutenant Commander Kusumi, recognizing this, issued orders to the Hiryū torpedo unit he commanded.

"Hiryū torpedo unit, target the cruisers behind the primary targets. All planes, charge!"

The Hiryū torpedo unit, began their assault on the last major target. The American cruiser's movements were sluggish, likely due to suffering significant damage to its engines.

'It's certain to sink.'

Kusumi, who belonged to one of the most skilled carrier air groups in the Imperial Japanese Navy, had no doubt that they would succeed. And he was absolutely correct.