bookrandom Chapter 280: I've been on so many ships (girls)
Chapter 280: I've been on so many ships (girls)
On the sea near the port, the sea breeze swept across, stirring up waves, as if foreshadowing the coming storm.
All the anti-aircraft weapons on the Japanese warships participating in the evacuation operation code-named "Momotaro" were on high alert. The atmosphere was as tense as a taut string, and the battle could break out at any time.
The densely packed barrels and cannons of the 127mm Type 89 single-mounted anti-aircraft gun, the 76mm Type 3 single-mounted anti-aircraft gun, the 25mm Type 96 triple-mounted anti-aircraft machine gun, and the 13mm twin-mounted or single-mounted machine guns were all pointing murderously towards the still empty sky.
However, what about the fleet's "eyes" - the intermittently effective No. 21 air defense radar on top of the Abukuma bridge?
Sorry, it's broken again today.
The Japanese radar soldier stared at the screen, a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes. On the radar screen in front of him, there was only a chaotic signal like snowflakes, and no useful information.
Is it a device failure? Or something else?
The Japanese radar soldier himself was not clear about this. After all, the radar was still a very new and expensive equipment, and the superiors would never allow him to use simple maintenance methods such as "patting it", "smashing it", and "kicking it".
In short, at this moment, the signal from the radio detector has been completely distorted, as if it is a meteor that has completely lost its direction and is floating in the empty universe.
Instead, it was the Japanese radar soldier himself who was kicked hard several times by the angry superior in accordance with the practice of the Etajima Naval Academy, which instilled enough "Etajima spirit" into him.
When the news of the failure of the radar reached Colonel Hanada, he did not show the slightest surprise.
After all, this situation has almost become the norm.
He sneered and patted the railing with his white-gloved hand, saying calmly, "Electrodetective? That thing is just a decoration, isn't it?"
Fortunately, there were air and sea observers trained by Yueyue, Shuihuo, Mu, Jinjin on the Abukuma. These Japanese soldiers, who were trained with spirit infusion sticks and heavy cod liver oil consumption, all had good eyesight.
Colonel Hanada trusts these 'carbon-based visual search devices' more than radio detectors.
Colonel Hanada's mood did not seem to be affected by the radar problem. He turned and walked out of the restaurant and came to the bridge. The sunlight poured in through the ship's windows, reflecting on his white military uniform, making it look particularly dazzling.
He was in a good mood after having just finished breakfast, and asked his staff officer, "How is the loading operation going?"
Chute, who had just finished his meal in the junior officers' mess, curled his lips. "The high-ranking officers of the army and the most important gold have already boarded the Nara Maru during the night. The docks are now filled with ordinary expatriates and low-ranking army officers. We don't expect the loading to be completed before noon."
The Japanese soldiers who were resisting the attack of the Anmin Army on the periphery had obviously been completely abandoned, but Colonel Hanada was not prepared to wait until the remaining Japanese soldiers who had fled to the port had boarded the ship.
"Tell them that I will wait for no more than an hour before I have to set sail away from the coastline." Colonel Hanada raised his telescope and looked at the empty blue sky.
The batch of Zero fighters belonging to the Japanese naval aviation force that were originally scheduled to fly from Malaysia to cover the fleet had not arrived yet, and Colonel Hanada always felt empty in his heart.
Intelligence exchanged from the army showed that the Anmin Army was mainly composed of B-25 bombers that could only carry out horizontal bombing. Hanada Takuo knew very well that these aircraft did not pose much threat to the high-speed fleet moving on the sea.
As a series of battles between the Japanese and the White Eagle Fleet continued on the sea, at this point in June 1944, even the most stubborn fleet commanders in the Japanese Navy had to admit a fact -
Dive bombers that can dive and drop armor-piercing bombs and torpedo planes that can drop torpedoes are the real ship killers.
Takuo Hanada was well aware that he was facing armor-piercing bombs that could rely on the acceleration of gravity to directly penetrate the horizontal armor on the top of the warship and explode directly in the core compartment, as well as aerial torpedoes that could directly attack the weak parts of underwater ships.
His ship, the Abukuma, with a displacement of more than 5000 tons, was as delicate and weak as a naked Nanyang sister and could be easily pushed over.
Big ships are better...
With such emotion, Hanada Takuo patted his thigh and focused his attention on the present again.
(Trivia: It took a combined 24 armor-piercing bombs and 10 aerial torpedoes from the SB2C-Helldiver, F6F-Hellcat, and TBF-Avenger to sink the Yamato.)
Fortunately, according to the army's intelligence, the Anmin Army did not have many dive bombers (the P-47 mainly dropped bombs horizontally and dropped rockets, and the dive-bombing SB2C was only deployed in the Battle of Songshan).
However, when facing the few old destroyers or torpedo boats of the Anmin Army that might suddenly appear, Hanada Takuo, known as the "Torpedo Warfare Immortal", felt that he could handle it easily.
only...
"Send a message to Lion City immediately, asking when the direct-cover fleet will arrive?" Thinking of the dozens of tons of gold on the transport ship Nara Maru, Takuo Hanada decided to urge the late-arriving Zero fighters to be on the safe side.
To be on the safe side, the safety of the gold and the life and death of the fleet may depend on this last wave of air cover.
"Yes, Captain!" The staff officer responded and left in a hurry.
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At the same time, on the Abukuma, in the lower-level officers' mess, which is usually used for meals by lower-ranking officers such as lieutenants and petty officers, the ship was carrying out the meal.
"Oui, red bean paste, ouui..." Colonel Futagawa Yosuke from the 55th Division happily swallowed the last mouthful of white rice with curry sauce, raised his empty bowl and shouted, "Another bowl, please."
After wandering in the jungle for several months since the fall of Lashio and almost becoming a savage, Futagawa Yosuke experienced the feeling of being alive for the first time.
"The food in the navy is so good..." said another major from the 33rd Division at the same table happily while wolfing down dried fish.
"Yeah, yeah, we always call them idiots, but we never thought that the navy guys would treat us with such a sumptuous meal." A lieutenant colonel from the 2nd Division picked up a piece of wagashi (a kind of starchy pastry) and said with shame on his face.
These lieutenant colonels were actually poor fellows who had been fleeing for their lives in the rainforest and mountains after their troops were scattered by the fierce attacks of the Anshun Army. They had just escaped back to Yangon recently when they received the evacuation order, so as senior officers they boarded the Abukuma.
(Commander-in-Chief is also known as Colonel-in-Chief, and the naval commander is usually the captain)
In the junior officers' mess, the naval lieutenant in charge of food saw these army idiots who looked like they had never seen the world and were very grateful for the meals for the non-commissioned officers. He turned his back and curled his lips in ridicule.
Army idiots are Army idiots. I wanted to humiliate you with some low-quality food, but I didn't expect you to enjoy it so much...
Then he waved his hand, signaling the kitchen staff to continue feeding these starving soldiers.
"Look, a plane!" Futagawa Yosuke, who took the steaming curry rice, suddenly pointed at the sky outside the window and exclaimed.
The next second, the shrill air defense alarm rang out over the entire Yangon Port.