Around the same time that Zero fighters were attacking Oahu, the Combined Fleet was also facing an air raid by the attack squadrons of the American carrier task force armed with bombs and torpedoes. From the five Essex-class carriers, there were 24 F6F Hellcat fighters, 36 SBD Dauntless dive bombers, and 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers. In addition, each of the seven Independence-class carriers launched 12 F6Fs and 9 TBFs, totaling 537 planes that were approaching the Combined Fleet in various task groups.
On the other hand, the Combined Fleet had 480 Zero fighters, divided into two squadrons per carrier, for air cover. One squadron was on high-altitude patrol, while the other was ready to take off from the flight deck at any moment.
"The two leading groups each had 200 planes, and the one trailing slightly behind had 150. Planes on airborne patrol, intercept the two groups in front immediately. 1st and 2nd Air Fleets, attack the eastern formation, while the 3rd and 4th Air Fleets to the western formation. The delayed third group would be handled by the quick response standby unit."
In the intermediate airspace between the Combined Fleet and Oahu, the Type 3 reconnaissance planes had set up a recon net. Following the command from the commanding officer on board, 240 Zero fighters in the air continued their vigilance, while the ready-to-launch Zero fighters on the flight deck began to take off one by one.
'Engaging 200 enemy aircraft with 120 fighters from the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets. A poorly executed battle might result in some slipping through.'
Lieutenant Sasai, leader of the Zuikaku fighter squadron and commanding officer of the first squadron, muttered about the danger of complacency while recalling the newly deployed weapon. Type I Mk. 1B rocket. This new weapon boasted a long range that could easily outrange the Browning machine guns, the pride of the US military. Despite being equipped with outdated Zeros, the morale of the crew members remained high thanks to this new weapon.
After transitioning the aircraft to the altitude indicated by the commanding officer and waiting for a moment, tiny particles began to seep out of the forward sky. Gradually, they transformed into the shapes of airplanes. About one-third of them protruded and headed toward them. Presumably, they were enemy escort fighters. To protect the dive bombers and torpedo bombers, they stood in the way of the Zeros.
"Fire!"
The moment Sasai judged that the enemy fighters had entered the range of the rockets, he pressed the launch button with a determined spirit. His seasoned subordinates followed suit, firing one rocket after another.
On the other hand, the F6F pilots, who were diligently trying to serve as a shield for the SBD and TBF, were decisively slow in reacting to the rockets. As a result, they found themselves directly diving into the spearhead of the attack. The F6F pilots desperately maneuvered their planes to evade these rockets. However, there were simply too many of them. Moreover, even if they narrowly dodged them, they couldn't escape the blast radius of the proximity fuses equipped on them. There was a total of 480 Type I Mk. 1B rockets. Among the F6Fs, only a few managed to escape unscathed through quick descents, avoiding the onslaught of the attack. And it was expected to take a considerable amount of time for those F6Fs to return to combat altitude.
The Zero fighters from the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets, having eliminated the interference, split into two groups. The Zero fighters from the 1st Air Fleet targeted the 72 SBDs, while those from the 2nd Air Fleet aimed at the 54 TBFs. Both the SBDs and TBFs were in a tough spot, being targeted by nearly 60 Zero fighters each. Like a practice session, the Zeros unleashed 20 mm bullets from behind or the side with a casual ease. Despite the well-defended reputation of the American aircraft, being relentlessly showered with 20 mm bullets was too much to endure. Pierced with large holes all over, the SBDs and TBFs plummeted into the waters off the coast of Oahu. Under the relentless assault of the Zero fighters, some surviving SBDs and TBFs managed to retreat by dropping bombs and torpedoes at an early stage.
By the time the Zero fighter squadrons from the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets dealt a heavy blow to Task Group 58.2's attackers and repelled them, the Zero fighter squadrons from the 3rd and 4th Air Fleets also succeeded in repelling Task Group 58.1's units. In this seemingly effortless and one-sided battle, Sasai recalled the words spoken by a certain Special Mission Commander who had been providing extraordinary economic support to the Imperial Navy for over ten years.
"The strength of a fighter is not determined solely by the aircraft's performance and the pilot's skill. More than anything, it depends on proper information support and the existence of a decisive weapon that can deliver a fatal blow before the opponent."
Indeed, as this person had said, they were able to engage the enemy formations at the right altitude thanks to information support from the leading command and control aircraft. No matter how excellent the Type I Mk. 1B rockets were as a weapon, they would be useless and turn into mere dead weight if engaged at the wrong altitude. Of course, the effective use of both the rockets and the 20 mm bullets depended on proper information support.
'Still, being able to outrange the enemy is more satisfying than I thought.'
Until now, Japanese fighters had always been at a disadvantage when facing American fighters. Equipped with the long-ranging Browning machine guns, American fighters usually had the upper hand in head-on engagements, resulting in Japanese fighters often losing. Therefore, the strategy had been to evade the frontal attacks of American fighters and then transition to dogfighting. However, the rockets could be fired before entering the effective range of Browning machine guns. In other words, as long as one was equipped with a rocket, it would be the American fighters who were forced to perform evasive maneuvers first. The position that had suffered bitter experiences due to the performance difference in machine guns had completely reversed. It would be strange not to feel good about it.
However, Sasai's appreciation for the advantages of the rockets and the gratitude for information support were only fleeting moments. He brought his consciousness back to reality. The leading enemy groups, each being engaged by the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets, as well as the 3rd and 4th Air Fleets, had been defeated by the combat air patrols. However, there was still a remaining group of about 150 planes.
Yet, the fate of the last remaining group was already sealed. There was no way the quick-response standby unit of 240 Zero fighters could fail to intercept them, and given the overwhelming numerical difference, total annihilation was a real possibility. Lieutenant Sasai's predictions were entirely accurate.
YOU ARE READING
Cash-Loaded Fleet
Historical Fiction「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...
