At 6 a.m. on June 4th, the second batch of assault aircraft from the Akagi aircraft carrier was immediately lifted one by one from the lower deck of each aircraft carrier to the upper flight deck by elevator. This batch of aircraft was mainly "97" carrier-based aircraft.

Torpedo attack aircraft. The pilots of torpedo aircraft are the elite of Japanese naval aviation. Although according to intelligence, there is no American aircraft carrier nearby; and according to Admiral Yamamoto’s estimation, the earliest American aircraft carrier will not be able to arrive until June 7th at the earliest.

to the waters around Midway Island. However, as a precaution, Vice Admiral Nagumo still kept his best pilots on the ship to deal with the attack of the American fleet.

The war room was busy now, with a large group of staff officers running around. Suddenly, an officer ran towards the fleet commander, General Nagumo. He came to Nagumo, stood at attention, and raised his hands in salute.

"Oh, what happened?" Nanyun asked while returning the courtesy.

"We just found a radio station transmitting a message near the fleet. We suspect it is an enemy reconnaissance aircraft or submarine."

"That's it..." Nagumo's eyebrows frowned. The position of the fleet seems to have been exposed. The enemy will definitely launch an attack on the fleet. The enemy's attack may come from Midway Airport or the aircraft carrier formation. The current problem

Yes, is the enemy fleet really not nearby? No matter what, it is right to be cautious. Obviously, the enemy fleet poses a greater threat to his fleet. That is his first goal. So he turned his head to his

Chief of Staff Caolu said:

"Kusalu-kun, our torpedo planes have all mounted torpedoes? Is there any news about our reconnaissance planes?"

"The torpedo planes are ready. As long as they find the enemy fleet, they can launch an attack. The reconnaissance planes haven't found anything yet, General. In addition, there is a problem with the Tone's projectile. Although it has been repaired, the reconnaissance planes have not found anything yet.

The reconnaissance plane was half an hour late."

"Then now we just have to wait."

Time passed by, and the sun was already very high. The golden sunshine dispelled the white fog on the sea, and coated the "97" type carrier-based torpedo attack aircraft neatly parked on the deck.

It was given a layer of golden light.

"General, Captain Tomonaga is calling."

"read."

"The bombing of Midway Island was completed. However, during the attack, all enemy aircraft had already escaped. Therefore, the attack failed to destroy the enemy aircraft on Midway Island, and the damage to the airport was relatively limited. It is estimated that the enemy airport can still take off and land aircraft. If you destroy the enemy

If the enemy's air power is used, the enemy's airfield must be struck again..."

"Kusalu-kun, do you think we will launch a second strike immediately?"

"General, we'd better wait for news from the reconnaissance plane. I estimate that in a few dozen minutes, there will be news from the reconnaissance plane."

"good."

Nagumo had always obeyed the advice of his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Kusuka, so much so that some people believed that Kusuka was the real commander of the fleet.

…

At 7:10, the destroyer Wufeng signaled: "Enemy plane found." The signal flag was raised on the mast of the Japanese ship, and the alarm sounded throughout the sea and sky.

Appearing on the starboard side of the Akagi were 6 "Avenger" torpedo attack aircraft and 4 B-26 bombers that took off from Midway. They did not have any fighter protection. The fighter jets were all engaged in interception operations.

The Zero Fighters responsible for guarding the aircraft carrier rushed towards these unprotected bombers. The anti-aircraft guns on the ship also opened fire continuously.

The people flying these planes are young rookies, and many of them have not completed all training courses. So they can only line up in single file under the leadership of the captain, and brave the gunfire without making any evasive movements.

Pounce on the Akagi, because once they dodge, they may not even be able to find an effective attack route for themselves.

Before they could even get close to the aircraft carrier, three torpedo planes were hit by the Zero Battle and fell into the sea. These planes hit the sea hard and were smashed to pieces. One plane leaned over and its wings first touched the sea.

The huge impact caused the wing to immediately break into two pieces, and then the plane hit the water heavily, causing huge waves.

The remaining seven aircraft continued to approach and dropped torpedoes one after another.

These torpedoes were flying forward with long white tracks, and countless eyes were staring at these torpedoes. However, the experienced seamen breathed a sigh of relief. They all could tell that none of these torpedoes could hit.

This is also the fact. All the torpedoes passed by the aircraft carrier and none of them hit. However, the torpedo planes that were pulled up after dropping the torpedoes were fired by anti-aircraft guns and attacked by zero battles, one after another.

was shot down.

There was a roar of cheers on the aircraft carrier Akagi, not only the Akagi but also the entire fleet.

Yamaguchi Takan was also watching the battle from the bridge of the Hiryu aircraft carrier at this time. The staff officers around him were also cheering when they saw American torpedo planes being shot down one after another.

Yamaguchi said to Yukio Kaku, the captain of the Hiryu who was standing next to him watching the battle: "Kaku-kun, what do you think of these American pilots?"

"General, their technical level is very low, and they obviously lack training. They are no match for the imperial pilots, but..." Kaku Shizuo hesitated for a moment, and Yamaguchi glanced at him lightly and said:

"But they're all brave, aren't they?"

"Yes, sir, they are all respectable warriors. I never imagined that Americans can be so brave. They are no less than the warriors of the empire."

Yamaguchi nodded and said with some worry: "Chief Yamamoto once mentioned a conversation he had with a guy from the Army - of course, guys from the Army are all brainless idiots... When Chief Yamamoto said that the U.S. industry is far away

When we passed our country, that guy said, "We have the spirit of Yamato!" Those fools should come here to see that they also have the spirit of America! Once this spirit is combined with huge material power, the prospect of war is really

…”

"General..." Kaku Masuo looked at Yamaguchi in surprise.

"So this battle must be won, and it must be a great victory, a complete victory. Only in this way can the empire have a bright future. Maybe it's time for us to raise the Z-shaped flag again." Yamaguchi patted Kaku Shizuo

He raised his shoulder, smiled, and said, "Kaku-kun, we all have to work hard."

"Yes, General!"

At this time, on the Akagi aircraft carrier, Nagumo was discussing with his chief of staff, Kusuka.

"Kusagi-kun, these planes should be from Midway. The airport at Midway is really a huge threat."

"Yes, General. Tomonaga-kun also mentioned that the airport was not hit by a devastating blow. If it cannot be destroyed, such blows will follow. Although we were unscathed just now, we may suffer losses if we are slightly negligent."

Kusaka said thoughtfully, "General, I think we must completely destroy the air power at Midway now. I suggest that the aircraft already parked on the flight decks of the "Akagi" and "Kaga" aircraft carriers be re-used with elevators.

Transport it back to the lower deck so that the torpedoes hanging under the fuselage can be removed, and then bombs can be mounted on the aircraft. Then attack to destroy Midway Airport!"

After thinking for a while, Nanyun listened to Kusuka's suggestion again.

"Inform Akagi and Kaga to send the torpedo planes back to the lower deck, remove the torpedoes, and replace them with high-explosive bombs."

As the order was issued, through the window of the bridge, you could see that the deck was immediately busy. Planes were carefully moved to the elevator and then lowered to the lower deck. People wearing various colors around the aircraft

Maintenance personnel of vests were running around, and various flags and signal lights were dancing non-stop.

At 7:30, the aircraft had basically been withdrawn to the lower deck, and the torpedo to bomb replacement work was in full swing. At this time, a staff officer hurried to Nagumo and Kusanagi with a document.

"General, a reconnaissance plane has discovered the US fleet!"

"What!" Caolu turned his head in shock and snatched the document directly from the staff officer's hand.

This kind of gaffe is not due to lack of education, but the consequences are too terrible. If a US aircraft carrier formation appears, it means that the enemy's attack will fall on them immediately. The entire fleet will

in danger of destruction.

The report was very concise: "Ten US warships were discovered in the southeast direction."

"Can't that damn reconnaissance plane and that damn liaison officer explain it more clearly? Are there ten warships? Are there any aircraft carriers here?" Kusuka thought angrily.

"Quick, notify the drawing room immediately to calculate the distance! - General, this does not indicate the type of enemy ship. The key is that we don't know whether there is an aircraft carrier."

"Kusalu-kun, stay calm!" Nayun was a little dissatisfied with Kusuka's somewhat rude performance, "Let me see, ah, ten warships, with such a scale, shouldn't there be no aircraft carriers? - Send a message to the reconnaissance aircraft

Report, requesting confirmation of the enemy's ship type. Order the patrolling fighter units to strengthen vigilance."

The mapping office quickly reported the distance of the enemy fleet: 320 kilometers.

"General, maybe the situation is not that bad." Seeing this number that was within the strike range of the opponent's bombers, Caolu calmed down, "Our position has long been exposed. If the enemy has an aircraft carrier, then the enemy's carrier-based bombers will have already

It's time to attack us." This guess also made everyone on the bridge breathe a sigh of relief.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the reconnaissance plane still did not send back any information. An uneasy feeling gradually emerged in everyone's hearts: What happened to the reconnaissance plane? Was it shot down by an American carrier-based fighter?

"Order, lower deck, suspend bomb replacement." Nayun broke the uncomfortable silence and gave the order.

At this moment, the alarm sounded again. The fleet encountered another air attack.

The attack this time was 16 "Dreadnought" dive bombers without fighter escort. These aircraft were unable to break through the fighter defense circle and were dispersed by zero combat. They either dropped bombs in panic and escaped, or were attacked by fighter jets.

Ruthlessly shot down.

"Kusaga-kun, where do you think these planes come from?" Nagumo asked.

"General, it should still be Midway Island, otherwise it would be impossible not to have fighter escort."

As if to confirm this, another batch of 15 bombers appeared. This time it was the most typical road-based bomber, the B-17 Flying Fortress. This is a heavy bomber with four engines. They have strong self-defense firepower.

, has good high-altitude performance, good bomb load and range, and is a good strategic bomber. However, this bomber is not suitable for attacking moving targets on the sea. None of the bombs they dropped at an altitude of 6,000 meters

Hit. Then came 11 dive bombers. Of course, their fate was no different from the previous batch.

Although several attacks were unsuccessful, the threat posed by Midway Airport had been fully exposed.

"General, the reconnaissance plane calls back! The enemy does not have an aircraft carrier!"

"What do you look like in a panic? Bring it over and let me take a look."

Nagumo opened the document, and Kusuka also leaned over to read it together. The telegram clearly stated that "the 10 U.S. warships are 5 cruisers and 5 destroyers."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The fleet without aircraft carriers was almost without threat. A few cruisers and destroyers were nothing. Even if there were battleships, once Midway was cleared, bombers and torpedo planes were confident that they could take over with just one assault.

They were all sent to the bottom of the sea. Just like killing the two British battleships. So Nagumo ordered to continue preparing to attack the land targets on Midway Island. The deck once again fell into chaos: the planes continued to unload torpedoes and replaced them with ordinary bombs. Although

It was hectic, but compared to just now, everyone felt very relaxed. Now, the bombers had re-hanged their bombs and were sent to the flight deck again. The aircraft carrier began to turn into the headwind, and in a few minutes, the second wave of bombers would

Take off and bomb Midway again.
To be continued...