Fleet of Books

Chapter 60 - Kyōryū

The Type 1 attackers performed exceptionally well in the second wave by sinking all American aircraft carriers. However, during that battle, 6 planes were shot down and 34 were damaged, with 25 of them being judged as incapable of immediate reuse due to the extent of the damage. Furthermore, seven were unable to take off due to engine malfunctions and other issues. As a result, the Type 1s participating in the third wave had their numbers reduced to 178.

On the other hand, the Zero fighters, which numbered 912 at the beginning of the battle, had significantly reduced in number due to repeated fierce battles, with operational aircraft dwindling to 683. Additionally, 84 remained for direct fleet cover, while another 84 were dispatched for the attack on Midway Atoll, leaving only 515 heading towards the Pacific Fleet's attack.

Prior to takeoff, the crew of both the Type 1s and Zeros were instructed on their respective attack targets. The Type 1s of the First and Second Fleets targeted the enemy battleship B-1, while those of the Third and Fourth Fleets faced B-2. As for the Zero fighters, the First and Second Fleets targeted the remaining ships of the enemy mobile fleet, while the Third and Fourth Fleets targeted the cruisers and destroyers B-1 and B-2 respectively.

"We're reaching the target. Prepare for attack formation."

Following the second wave, Lieutenant Commander Tomonaga, who was now commanding the third wave, spotted the enemy surface strike force designated as B-1 and issued orders simultaneously. Regarding the attack on B-2, command had already been delegated to the most senior officer of the Third Fleet.

Shortly after Tomonaga's orders, Flight Chief Petty Officer Kanai's aircraft moved forward to take the lead in formation. Conversely, Tomonaga's plane moved to the second position. Additionally, the remaining 85 planes closed the gaps between them and transitioned into a tight formation.

Meanwhile, the Americans, noticing the unusually high accuracy of their bombings sinking almost all friendly aircraft carriers, seemed to have realized that some means were guiding the Type 1 attackers' bombings. In an attempt to thwart the bombings, they began firing intense anti-aircraft gunfire towards ten thousand meters high. However, there were scarcely any Type 1s caught within the blast radius of these anti-aircraft shells. Indeed, even with the advanced targeting systems of the US military, hitting targets at ten thousand meters altitude was challenging. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes; unlucky Type 1s were shot down by the shockwaves of anti-aircraft shells exploding. However, even after consuming a large number of shells, only three were able to be shot down before the bombs were dropped.

The remaining Type 1s reached their bombing points. Under Kanai's instructions, they simultaneously dropped the Akaryū-1 bombs. These bombs, while slowing down, fell toward the four American battleships at the center of the enemy surface strike force. Out of the 84 dropped Akaryū-1s, 14 malfunctioned due to guidance or control system failures and were sucked into the sea near the vicinity of Midway Atoll. Furthermore, three were caught and shot down by machine guns and cannon fire. However, the remaining 67 successfully evaded the intense anti-aircraft barrage of the American fleet.

52 bombs hit their targets, and 15 landed close to them. Out of the successfully hit Akaryū-1s, 34 rounds were concentrated on the Iowa and New Jersey of the Iowa-class battleships due to their massive heat emissions. With engines exceeding 200.000 horsepower, the Iowa-class battleships not only provided a speed performance of 33 knots but also served as ideal targets for the Akaryū-1s, offering its functionality.

The Iowa was showered with 19 bombs around her funnels, blowing off not only the funnels but also the bridge adjacent to the forward funnel. Even a well-protected ship like the Iowa couldn't withstand being hit by one-ton Akaryū-1 bombs concentrated in a short period in the ship's midsection. The ship's midsection turned into a hellish inferno, with explosions and flames erupting.

The situation for the New Jersey, struck by 15 bombs, was similar. While her bridge wasn't blown off, she still suffered a lethal blow. Moreover, both the Iowa and New Jersey were hit by multiple near misses, causing cracks and holes below the waterline that resulted in significant flooding.

The North Carolina and Washington of the North Carolina-class, with lower engine output compared to the Iowa class, managed to evade some exposure, but still, the North Carolina was hit by ten bombs, and the Washington by eight. Although not as resilient as the Iowa or South Dakota classes among the new battleships, the North Carolina-class battleships suffered fewer hits than the Iowa or New Jersey, but their situation was dire nonetheless. The explosive power of the Akaryū-1s hitting around the funnels caused a backflow into the boiler rooms, damaging the heart of the ship. Even with superior defenses, battleships couldn't withstand such assaults.

With four battleships losing combat capability, the B-1 formation's anti-aircraft firepower drastically decreased. Now, the 127 Zero fighters shifted to attack positions. Although not as prominent as the Type 1 attackers, the Zeros also dropped bombs from considerable altitude.

The Zeros dropped guided bombs, weighing around 500 kilograms. While the Akaryū-1s homed in on infrared signatures, the Kyōryū-2s captured the acoustics generated by enemy anti-aircraft gunfire shockwaves and adjusted their trajectory accordingly.

Due to flying at lower altitudes than the Type 1s, six Zeros were shot down before dropping their bombs. However, the remaining 121 successfully dropped the bombs and accelerated to retreat. Similar to the Akaryū-1s, the Kyōryū-2s couldn't escape initial malfunctions, with 24 malfunctioning due to microphone or attitude control issues and sinking into the sea. However, out of the remaining 97 bombs, 82 hit three cruisers and fourteen destroyers.

Prioritizing lightweight and compact design, the Kyōryū-2s had only 500 kilograms of explosives and lacked armor-penetrating capabilities. Nevertheless, while battleships with thick armor might survive, cruisers with thin armor or destroyers with no armor would suffer severe damage.

The cruisers hit by numerous Kyōryū-2s turned into flaming torches at sea, while the destroyers sank into the depths near Midway. Even for ships hit by one or two bombs, significant loss of maneuverability and combat capability was inevitable. The disaster extended beyond B-1. The South Dakota-class battleships of B-2, fiercely attacked by Type 1s from the Third and Fourth Fleets, became entirely combat ineffective, severely hindering their navigation. The 515 Zeros that attacked the 16 cruisers and 80 destroyers lost more than 20 of them, while managing to bomb 13 cruisers and 67 destroyers. Among them, twenty percent had already sunk or were rendered inoperable due to significant damage.

The Pacific Fleet resembled a scene of pandemonium, but the tragedy was not over yet, as Ozawa had urged the fleet to unleash its final strength.