Empire Conquest
Chapter 351 - 347: Suicidal Attack

Chapter 351: Chapter 347: Suicidal Attack

The attack on the "Mo River" carrier began shortly after 9:30 AM.

At that time, Liu Xiangzhen had just received a report from the Attack Aircraft Group, indicating that they had only found one carrier, the "Sara" from the Sunset Ocean Fleet, in the northeast direction.

Moreover, Wei Chengwen determined that the "Sara" was carrying only F4F fighters, with no SBD or TBD aircraft spotted.

They used a voice radio, which, besides some electrical static, left no room for misunderstanding.

In fact, when Liu Xiangzhen discovered the second wave of enemy planes, consisting of as many as five squadrons, he already knew he had made a big mistake.

In the southeast direction, the 41.2 Subsquad’s seaplanes had discovered two carriers.

Previously, two seaplanes from the 42.2 Subsquad in the northeast direction had, on two separate occasions, actually spotted one Fleet carrier.

It wasn’t unusual for the Newland Navy to have the "Sara" operate alone.

After its completion, this carrier had revealed numerous issues, especially with the propulsion system, a problem that was persistently difficult to eradicate, making it hard for it to sail at high speed for extended periods.

For this reason, the "Sara" had always been deployed in the Sunset Ocean.

Had it not been for the outbreak of war between the Liangxia Empire and the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, and the fact that the Liangxia Navy had crippled the once formidable Saiyi Navy in just three days, turning the carrier into the absolute main force in naval battles, the Newland Navy would not have sent this sickly carrier to the East Ocean.

That was the crux of the matter.

Since it couldn’t sustain high-speed navigation, it was unsuitable for blitz tasks. If grouped with other carriers, it might have the opposite effect.

Never mind being helpful, if it became a hindrance and turned into a liability, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Operating independently eliminated this problem.

Moreover, the "Sara" was a genuinely large carrier, surpassing all other Fleet carriers in tonnage and possessing formidable aerial combat capabilities.

If it only carried fighters, the "Sara" was essentially a movable maritime airfield.

A carrier is in itself a maritime airfield.

Thus, having the "Sara" follow behind a convoy of transport ships while simultaneously providing air cover for the First Fleet was logical.

Unfortunately, no one considered this.

At 9:25 AM, Liu Xiangzhen ordered all remaining fighters to urgently take off, dispatching as many as possible.

At that moment, the "Lu River’s" radar had already detected two squadrons of SBDs and spotted TBDs flying at low altitude.

In addition, the "Wasp" aircraft on the deck were ordered to take off urgently.

Although not as capable as the fighters, the "Wasp" armed with two 13mm machine guns was somewhat useful against bombers.

As for the "Flying Fish," if they weren’t in the way, they wouldn’t matter, but if they were, they would be pushed directly into the sea.

These torpedo bombers were already obsolete and were planned to be replaced within the year, so even if they were lost now, it wouldn’t be regrettable.

It was during these few short minutes that four "Wasp" and four "Xiaotian" aircraft took off from the deck of the "Longjiang."

Unfortunately, these fighters did not arrive in time.

The "Mo River" managed to launch only six "Wasp" aircraft because there wasn’t enough time to clear the flight deck, preventing the "Xiaotian" parked behind from taking off.

Although the Imperial Navy’s carriers were equipped with catapults, all the fighters were capable of taking off by taxiing.

In fact, this is a basic requirement for the Imperial Navy’s ship-borne fighters: in emergency situations, to be able to take off from the carrier using their own power.

Moreover, all the "Wasp" aircraft that took off from the "Mo River" were flying at low altitude.

When eight SBDs swooped in, there wasn’t a single fighter aircraft above the "Mo River."

Although the "Yuejiang" had already moved to the front-right side of the "Mo River," which was the direction from which enemy planes were attacking, and the high-altitude guns were fiercely firing, they were insubstantial compared to the onslaught of eight dive bombers and another eight torpedo attack aircraft entering the fray nearly simultaneously from low altitude. The escort battleship’s cover was trivial, unable to guarantee that all enemy planes diving towards the carrier could be shot down, let alone prevent them from dropping their bombs.

Despite never having been in combat, the quality of the Newland Navy’s pilots was not lacking.

In the world of aviation, only the Newland Federation could rival the Liangxia Empire.

According to post-war statistics, at the outbreak, the Newland Federation had about 300,000 registered pilots, comparable to the Liangxia Empire.

In fact, some Newland pilots had already seen combat.

After the Bulan Kingdom declared war on the Tiaoman Empire, many pilots from the Newland Navy and Army, volunteering their services, traveled to the Bulan Kingdom. They donned uniforms from the Bulan Royal Air Force and flew Royal Air Force fighters to engage the Tiaoman Air Force over Bulan.

It was in Bulan’s skies that Newland’s first ace pilots were born.

Many of these pilots were from the East Ocean Fleet.

Some had returned to East Ocean before the war and many served in the 16th Special Mixed Fleet aboard the "York," the carrier aircraft unit.

The "Lek" had previously visited Ao Country in the southwest of East Ocean, so most returning pilots were assigned to the Shipborne Air Force Wing aboard the "York." They spent a considerable time at the naval air base on the Howay Islands undergoing adaptability training.

Indeed, they were all elites of the Newland Navy Air Force.

Amid fierce gunfire, five SBDs were shot down before they could drop their bombs, and only three managed to release their payloads.

Three 500-pound air bombs were dropped, one of which hit the "Mo River."

Even from tens of kilometers away, the rising smoke from the explosion was visible.

However, there was no time to worry about the "Mo River."

At 9:42, when the "Mo River" was hit, another squadron of SBDs was approaching the "Longjiang."

A few minutes later, a slight distance had opened between the "Lu River" and the "Longjiang."

This allowed the "Longjiang’s" high-altitude guns more freedom to operate.

Speaking of which, the "Longjiang’s" anti-aircraft firepower was no worse than the "Lu River’s." Especially with more 40mm high-altitude guns, its close-range defensive firepower was even fiercer.

For survival, being fierce was the only option!

Importantly, there were no torpedo bombers at low altitude.

Six SBDs were shot down by high-altitude guns while approaching, and only two managed to enter their dive, with one being shot down before it could release its bombs.

Only one managed to drop its bombs, and it was immediately hit by high-altitude gunfire.

Since it hadn’t fully entered into a dive, the bomb from the SBD posed little threat.

The real threat was that SBD!

After being hit by high-altitude guns, the SBD didn’t lose control but instead flew directly towards the "Longjiang," or more accurately, crashed into it.

It all happened too fast and was extremely sudden, without any prior indication.

Critically, nobody anticipated that an SBD, which had caught fire and was rapidly falling towards the sea, could pull up again.

As a result, there was no time to dodge; even the gunners of the high-altitude guns on this side did not react in time.

Before crashing into the "Longjiang," the SBD even lifted its nose, surely as the pilot pulled back on the control stick in the last moments.

Not out of fear.

The SBD crashed onto the rear of the "Longjiang" and rolled onto the flight deck, hurtling more than a hundred meters across it and splashing a large amount of fuel.

In an instant, the "Longjiang’s" flight deck was engulfed in flames.

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