Two formations of aircraft, ranging from 50 to 60 planes each, were approaching in two groups. Slightly behind them, two formations of the same size were also approaching. They were surging from southeast to northwest, approaching the First Fleet, the 1st Air Fleet, the 2nd Air Fleet, and the 3rd Air Fleet.
It's self-evident.
These were groups of carrier-based planes that took off from the American mobile fleet deployed to the southeast of Oahu.
In response, Ozawa ordered all Zero fighters from the 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets to intercept. At this time, each of the nine aircraft carriers in the 2nd Air Fleet and the 3rd Air Fleet had two squadrons, for a total of 162 Zero fighters prepared for fleet air defense. One squadron was on high-altitude patrol, while the other squadron was on standby on the flight deck.
First, the Zero fighters on high-altitude patrol increased their speed and pointed their noses southeast to detect the American formations as far away as possible. The greater the distance between the enemy formations and the friendly fleet, the more reaction time could be secured, and this would provide more opportunities for repeated attacks.
45 Zero fighters from the 2nd Air Fleet and 36 Zero fighters from the 3rd Air Fleet engaged the squadrons from the US Task Force 17, which consisted of aircraft from the aircraft carriers Yorktown and Ranger. Unlike Japanese carrier air groups, these squadrons were not highly skilled in coordinated formation flying at the fleet level. However, they had conducted training in formation flying based on the lessons learned from the Battle of the Marshall Islands, which had improved their level of skill to the extent that they could maintain formations at the carrier group level.
The squadrons from the Yorktown and the Ranger consisted of 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers and 18 F4F Wildcats to escort them. In addition to these, both the Yorktown and the Hornet of Task Force 18 had nine TBD Devastator torpedo bombers on board, but they did not participate in the attack, as their survival could not be expected amid the onslaught of Zero fighters.
F4Fs stood in the way of Zero fighters attacking the SBDs. Unlike the close air support teams that could fight in the immediate vicinity of the friendly fleet, the escort F4Fs, forced to battle high above the enemy fleet, had skilled veterans in all of their squadrons. However, even with these skilled pilots, they couldn't hold back all the Zero fighters. Their goal was to engage as many Zero fighters as possible.
The fragile dive bombers, even the latest models with excellent defensive armament and superior maneuverability, were vulnerable when separated from their escort fighters. The Yorktown bomber squadron, attacked by 27 Zero fighters from the 2nd Air Fleet, quickly lost a significant number of planes, and only a few aircraft survived, dropping their bombs and retreating.
The attack from eighteen Zero fighters of the 3rd Air Fleet was met with resistance by the Ranger bombing squadron, which attempted to overcome the double number of attackers. They desperately defended themselves, brandishing the nose-mounted 12,7 mm machine guns and the rear-mounted 7,7 mm swivel machine guns. However, the SBDs and Zero fighters had significant differences in speed and maneuverability, and even with the numerical advantage, the Ranger bombing squadron couldn't compensate for their disadvantage. Eventually, the Ranger bombing squadron, while showing more resilience compared to the Yorktown dive bombers, still met a similar fate.
Slightly later, the Hornet and Wasp bombing squadrons also faced a fierce welcome from the Zero fighters. These were intercepted by the Zero fighters from the standby group. Similar to the high-altitude patrol group, the 2nd Air Fleet had 45 Zero fighters, and the 3rd Air Fleet had 36 Zero fighters. The Zero fighters from the 2nd Air Fleet swiftly dispersed the Hornet bombing squadron. Meanwhile, the Zero fighters from the 3rd Air Fleet took a bit more time but successfully repelled the Wasp bombing squadron before the SBDs could reach the friendly fleet.
For the aerial assault from Oahu, the 1st Air Fleet's Zero fighters were tasked with responding. They deployed 144 Zero fighters for the aerial combat mission over the island, and there were still 72 Zero fighters in reserve for direct air cover. These aircraft engaged various attacking and bombing planes, including B-17s, A-20s, SB2Us, and SBDs that had taken off from Oahu. While the number of enemy planes was greater in the Oahu air unit, the difference wasn't that much. Furthermore, the Oahu air squadron was a mixture of Army, Navy, and Marine units, making it challenging to coordinate large-scale attacks. But most importantly, the 1st Air Fleet's Zero fighters were fortunate that there were no enemy escort fighters present. In reality, the base air squadrons of F4Fs and F2As, which were supposed to participate in the attack, were deployed for air defense over Oahu. As a result, the attack and bombing planes were forced to charge without escort fighters, allowing the Zero fighters to act freely.
In the end, the base air squadrons over Oahu couldn't achieve much in terms of attacking the ships, and they suffered heavy losses with many planes failing to return. Most of the surviving aircraft were B-17s because the Zero fighters were less aggressive towards them. Horizontal bombing by B-17s wasn't an effective tactic against ships moving at high speed through the sea. The Zero fighters were aware of this and prioritized attacking more threatening aircraft like A-20s, SB2Us, and SBDs.
"Did we manage to survive?"
Upon hearing the news that all American planes were withdrawing, Nagumo of the 1st Air Fleet, Ozawa of the 2nd Air Fleet, and Kusaka of the 3rd Air Fleet all muttered the same question.
The American planes that attacked the First Fleet, 1st Air Fleet, 2nd Air Fleet, and 3rd Air Fleet, along with the base air squadrons, should have totaled more than 300 planes. However, their side had not suffered significant damage, with only slight flooding on the Akagi and Kaga of the 1st Air Fleet.
Why didn't the interception fail when faced with over 300 enemy planes? Nagumo, Ozawa, and Kusaka all understood the reason. It was because they had assigned 234 Zero fighters for direct air cover during the Battle of the Marshall Islands.
During the Battle of the Marshall Islands, the 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets had a combined 117 Zero fighters assigned for direct air cover. However, their defense had been pushed to the brink. Despite facing only three enemy carriers, the situation was extremely precarious.
This time, they had prepared twice as many Zero fighters to be ready to face both the aircraft carriers and the aerial fortress of Oahu. This measure, while seeming excessive, turned out to be just barely enough. If the number of American attack squadrons had been slightly larger or if the Oahu base air squadrons had included fighters, numerous aircraft carriers might have been destroyed.
'The Americans, as formidable as ever.'
Nagumo, Ozawa, and Kusaka were all reminded of this fact once again. They had fifteen aircraft carriers and 900 carrier-based planes, yet they were still engaged in a close battle. Furthermore, luck played a significant role in the current situation. The three admirals felt an uneasy sensation, knowing this fact.
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
Cash-Loaded Fleet
Ficção Histórica「As long as you have money, you can strengthen the fleet as much as you want.」 Born with a natural inclination for gambling, or perhaps a true gambler at heart, Binta Satsutaba is drawn by his instincts to immerse himself in the tumultuous world of...
