Empire Conquest
Chapter 360 - 356: Following Suit

Chapter 360: Chapter 356: Following Suit

So, where exactly was the 41st Special Mixed Fleet hiding?

At the time Hal sent the telegram, it was already 11:30 AM, and the Attack Aircraft Group from the 16th Special Mixed Fleet had completed their bombing mission and was flying east.

As expected, they were due to arrive over the 17th Special Mixed Fleet between 12:15 PM and 12:30 PM.

They had only twenty-some SBDs and twenty-some TBDs left, with the escorting F4F fighters still entangled with Xiaotian fighters, some of which had been dispatched on search missions.

After recovering these ship-borne aircraft, the 17th Special Mixed Fleet would still be able to mount two waves of attacks in the afternoon.

The key, though, was to find the 41st Special Mixed Fleet!

It was not until 11:45 AM that Major Dutte finally sent a message that two Long-range Cruisers had been sunk, and he was stealthily trailing two Xiaotian Navy fighters.

What did this mean?

They were following the Xiaotian fighters to the 41st Special Mixed Fleet!

Those two "Xiaotian" had previously fought above a Heavy Cruiser formation, likely depleted their ammunition, and after shaking off the escort fighters of the 16th Special Mixed Fleet, did not engage with the 17th Special Mixed Fleet’s Attack Aircraft Group and flew straight over it from above.

The key point was that both fighters were flying west!

Therefore, it was very possible that the 41st Special Mixed Fleet was located to the west.

In the report sent, Dutte also mentioned that he had made contact with Major Clark and would immediately inform Major Clark upon discovering the 41st Special Mixed Fleet.

Since they had taken off and flown directly west, Major Dutte’s Plane Group still had plenty of fuel.

Unfortunately, all the bombs and torpedoes had been used up.

It must be said that Newland Navy pilots still lacked experience, and the anti-air firepower of those two Long-range Cruisers was indeed freakishly strong.

As many as 32 High-altitude Guns of 130 millimeters were extremely lethal.

In theory, a Long-range Cruiser’s large-caliber High-altitude Guns could fire at eight targets simultaneously, but in reality, they could only deal with six targets from the same direction at the same time.

The so-called "targets" generally referred to Plane Groups on a squadron basis!

A Heavy Cruiser could only engage with up to two Plane Groups on the same side for long-distance interception.

In long-distance anti-air combat, the firepower intensity of a Long-range Cruiser actually reached three times that of a Heavy Cruiser!

In fact, even a Fast Battleship could only intercept three Plane Groups on the same side from a distance, and an additional anti-aircraft Commander was needed.

As a result, the Plane Group commanded by Major Dutte used all their bombs and torpedoes on these two Long-range Cruisers.

At that time, Dutte might have simply assumed that after they sank the two Long-range Cruisers, Major Clark’s Plane Group would come in to strike and attack the carriers hiding behind them. Since there was no way they would go after the carriers themselves, there was no need to conserve bombs and torpedoes.

This was related to the tactics organized by Tanimoto.

Before takeoff, Tanimoto had specifically instructed the two Commanders not to underestimate the Anti-Air Warships protecting the carriers in pursuit of a direct carrier strike.

By 11:55 AM, almost noon, some good news finally arrived.

The SBDs dispatched by Major Dutte, which were flying ahead, had located a Xiaotian Navy carrier, and the pilots visually identified it as an "Imperial Capital" class.

Yes, it was the 41st Special Mixed Fleet!

Further, Major Dutte had already called Major Clark and estimated that within 15 minutes, Major Clark would lead his Plane Group to launch an attack.

It wasn’t until this moment that Spur’s face showed a slight change.

Although only one carrier had been found, it had been confirmed to be "Imperial Capital" class, so it was definitely the 41st Special Mixed Fleet, and the other carrier would be nearby.

Now, Bai Zhizhan’s position was inescapable.

However, it was not yet time to completely rest easy.

The current issue was: Could a single Plane Group take down the 41st Special Mixed Fleet?

Liangxia Navy’s new fighter planes were extremely formidable, and since the 41st Special Mixed Fleet was deep behind enemy lines, it was certain to carry more fighters.

The Saiyi Navy had already obtained intelligence.

The "Imperial Capital" class’s aircraft capacity was about the same as the "Longjiang" class, which could tether ship-borne aircraft on the flight deck. Under the premise of not affecting normal aviation operations, it could carry up to an additional half-squadron of ship-borne aircraft. The exact number depended on the type of aircraft.

The key point was in the previous battle, the 41st Special Mixed Fleet had not used many fighters.

The Plane Group attacking the 16th Special Mixed Fleet had at most two squadrons of fighters on escort duty.

In addition, a squadron was sent to cover the advancing Heavy Cruiser squadron.

Even with a normal number of aircraft aboard, there were at least three squadrons of fighters left on the two carriers!

Because the two Long-range Cruisers that had been dispatched were attacked, there was still some preparation time, so Bai Zhizhan would definitely send out all the remaining fighters!

Could Major Clark’s Plane Group break through the aerial defense line formed by 24 fighters?

Of course, Major Dutte’s group’s escort fighters had to be counted as well.

Even so, it was far from enough!

If one attack wasn’t enough, they’d have to organize a second attack immediately.

Thinking this, Tanimoto didn’t dare to delay and shared his thoughts with Spur.

After the 16th Special Mixed Fleet’s Plane Group arrived, they should immediately have the SBDs and TBDs land, then reload and refuel them.

As long as they weren’t damaged and were still capable of taking off, they would be sent up right after reloading and refueling.

What about escort fighters?

If there were none, they wouldn’t be arranged!

The 16th Special Mixed Fleet’s Plane Group would arrive at 12:15 PM, and if they hurried, they could re-launch by 1:00 PM.

Even if their arrival was delayed until 12:30 PM, they could still depart before 1:15 PM.

With that schedule, the Attack Aircraft Group made up of these ship-borne aircraft could reach the Liangxia Fleet by 2:30 PM.

Since there was enough time, the escort fighters, even if they took off half an hour later, could catch up to the previous groups with their speed.

The key was to launch a second attack immediately.

In doing so, the 17th Special Mixed Fleet could turn to head east after 1:00 PM, that is to say, leaving the battlefield, without worrying about encountering the Liangxia Fleet at night.

Don’t forget, Liangxia’s 43rd Special Mixed Fleet was in the northwest.

According to the reports from the 11th Special Mixed Fleet, several Main Battle Ships had been sunk, and they were no match for the Liangxia’s 43rd Special Mixed Fleet.

Even if they pressed on until the end, losing six Battleships, the 11th Special Mixed Fleet might not be able to achieve any results.

Compared with Liangxia Navy’s Fast Battleships, Newland Navy’s old Battleships, designed and built during the last major war, were no match at all!

Speaking of which, the generational difference impacted Battleships even more severely than carriers.

Even the worst carrier, as long as it had strong ship-borne aircraft, could still be very powerful. If a Battleship was a generation behind, it was almost an overwhelming difference.

Obviously, after dark, Liangxia’s 43rd Special Mixed Fleet would head south to pursue the 17th Special Mixed Fleet.

If the battle dragged on until evening, and the 17th Special Mixed Fleet was bombed, even if the carriers weren’t sunk but were severely damaged, they would be caught at night by the 43rd Special Mixed Fleet’s Fast Battleships, then be sunk by their massive guns. It would be impossible to wait until daylight tomorrow to launch an attack with the ship-borne aircraft.

In summary, there was definitely no mistake in launching an attack promptly.

In Tanimoto’s words, Bai Zhizhan certainly wouldn’t hesitate. As long as there was an opportunity, he would firmly seize it and deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

Tanimoto wasn’t wrong, Bai Zhizhan indeed wouldn’t miss any opportunity.

While Tanimoto was providing tactical analysis to Spur, suddenly, an alarm rang out—it was an air raid warning!