Tokyo Bay, aboard the Yamato, the last flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet.

The deputy commander of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Nagumo Chu, sat in the command room of the Yamato with a worried look on his face.

In front of him was a chart of the Okinawa area, which showed the size of the enemy and our warships in the Battle of Kikusui.

Looking at the map, the gap between the Kikusui Task Force and the Allied fleet is really too big.

The strength of the two sides is not at the same level at all. This is an attack with no return.

On July 29, Nagumo Chuichi stayed on the Yamato, and his adjutant and staff kept reporting to him on the situation on the entire battlefield.

The 32nd Army made a desperate counterattack, beating the Americans to flight; the kamikaze team achieved great success, and the Allied fleet suffered unprecedented losses; the Musashi entered the Okinawa waters and has already exchanged fire with the enemy.

Military information came one after another, and Nagumo Chuichi always kept the same expression.

The Musashi will never return. In the future, the Combined Fleet and the entire Imperial Navy will rely on the only guardian ship, the Yamato.

But in such a situation, what role can the Yamato, which represents naval strength and national ambition, play?

"Your Excellency, Commander, the Kikusui Task Force is less than 35 kilometers away from the US ship!"

Nagumo Chuichi's adjutant said slightly excitedly, and at the same time, he narrowed the distance between the two sides on the chart.

Nagumo Chuichi, who was deep in thought and melancholy, raised his eyes and looked at the chart, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, as if he was worried about the Musashi and General Ito Seiichi.

"Are there any new instructions from the base camp?" Nagumo Chuichi asked:

"When will the second batch of kamikaze attack?"

The adjutant and several staff officers looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time.

Nagumo Chuichi's brows gradually widened. He looked at the situation between the enemy and ourselves displayed on the map and said:

"From now on, report to me the battle situation in the direction of Okinawa every five minutes!"

“Hiyi!!!”

The Yamato has been hiding in Tokyo Bay, but Nagumo Chuichi is certain that after the Musashi leaves, it will soon be the Yamato's turn.

He was also prepared to be buried with the Yamato!

…………

At 2:15 pm, the captain of the Musashi, Captain Yukisaku Ariga, was the first to receive the report.

The Chaoshuang, which was at the rear of the fleet, was attacked, and only half of its hull was left floating on the sea.

Colonel Ariga Kosaku took the lead in reporting this situation to Commander Kikusui Special Attack Fleet Commander Ito Seiichi.

Ito Zhengichi had the same view as the captain of the Asashiro, Kojima Nakasa. They both believed that the Asashiro was sunk by an enemy torpedo attack.

The situation on the battlefield is now too chaotic and complicated for Ito to see clearly the overall situation. He can only draw conclusions based on past combat experience.

Ito Zhengyi took his eyes back from the naval battle scene in front, raised his telescope and took a look behind him.

He saw the sinking Chaoshuang and a few flopping survivors.

He said without any hesitation:

"Ignore the Chaoshuang, the fleet continues to move forward, and try to shorten the distance between the enemy and ourselves to 25 kilometers!"

Although the enemy has sent numerous submarines and fighter planes, judging from the current situation, the Musashi can still hold on for at least another hour.

Neither the fighter planes overhead nor the submarines in the water could do anything to the Musashi, which could evade it with its high maneuverability.

At a distance of 20 to 30 kilometers, the 460 mm naval gun equipped by the Musashi can exert its maximum power.

It is impossible for any enemy warship, including super aircraft carriers, to retreat completely in front of a 460 mm naval gun.

The ideal distance is 25 kilometers, but as long as it reaches 30 kilometers, Ito Zhengyi can ask the fleet to put down the Zenyang special attack boats at any time to attack the Allied fleet, so that they will no longer be so arrogant.

The U.S. military's first wave of Helldiver dive bombers and Avenger torpedo attack aircraft did not cause fatal damage to the Musashi, but only scratched the skin.

The destroyer Suzuki was hit by a 450-kilogram semi-armor-piercing bomb dropped by a Helldiver dive bomber. The ship's hull was severely damaged, it lost its high maneuverability, and was blown to pieces by torpedoes fired from all directions.

The remaining battleships, cruisers and destroyers continued to move forward in a diamond-shaped attack formation, with the Musashi in the center, the light cruiser Yagi behind the side, and the other six destroyers guarding both sides.

U.S. dive bombers and torpedo attack aircraft were constantly taking off from the aircraft carriers USS Langley, USS Lexington and USS Raider.

The F86 Saber fighter jets on the Lincoln also took off with a roar.

It is impossible to fight against the giant ships and cannons. The Musashi must be dealt with using the strategic and tactical thinking of the modern navy.

General Spruance knew the power of the Musashi's main gun, and he worked hard to avoid the advantages of enemy warships and use the Allied air superiority to win victory.

In addition to the warships on the surface, the Kikusui Task Force also has 11 submarines underwater.

These eleven submarines separated from the main fleet after entering Okinawa waters.

These submarines carry a large number of Kaiten torpedoes, and their mission is to attack, not defend.

At 2:20 in the afternoon, before the second wave of air formations arrived over the Kikusui special attack fleet, eleven Japanese submarines had already begun a frantic attack.

At least 40 Kaitenyu broke away from the submarine carrier and sailed to the sea area where the Allied fleet was anchored under the control of the kamikaze team.

"boom!"

A Fletcher-class destroyer on guard duty was hit by a Kaiten torpedo, and the hull exploded violently. The rising smoke cast a haze on the minds of allied naval officers and soldiers.

Immediately afterwards, the sonar of each destroyer issued a torpedo warning.

The takeoff of f86 was forced to be suspended!

The Musashi can first be given over to dive bombers and torpedo attack aircraft, and the flight deck should be given up to anti-submarine aircraft. The Japanese monkey's Kaiten torpedoes are a great threat.

Of more than 40 kaiten torpedoes, less than 1/5 hit the target.

The Japanese ships were gradually exposed, and waiting for them were a large number of anti-submarine aircraft and destroyers.

But the little Japanese were no longer afraid, and they kept firing torpedoes at the Allied fleet.

The total number of ships of all types in this area exceeds 1,500. In addition to conventional warships, there are also some lifeboats and injured anchors.

Dozens more torpedoes broke through the waves and arrived!

The torpedo passed through the nimble destroyers and frigates, and what a coincidence, but unfortunately ran into other slow-moving ships.

The sounds of explosions came and went, and MacArthur felt like he had a severe headache.

The waters of Okinawa, which had just calmed down, were once again chaotic and boiling. General Spruance devoted himself wholeheartedly to the war against Japan. MacArthur and Nimitz, who acted as commander-in-chief, took control of the overall situation, so they saw more things that upset them.

scene.

Less than an hour had passed since the enemy's sea commando force was discovered. However, the Allied forces, which had absolute sea and air superiority, could not simply eliminate the sea commando force, and instead suffered heavy losses.

Under the organization of General Spruance, more and more Allied fleets joined the interception operation.

There are also more and more types of combat aircraft taking off, including fighter jets, dive bombers, torpedo attack aircraft, F86 Saber fighters, etc.

At 2:28 pm, the second wave of Allied attack formations arrived in the combat airspace.

45 Hellcat fighter jets, 40 Helldiver dive bombers, 30 Avenger torpedo attack aircraft, and 15 F86 Sabre fighter jets.

The fleet of aircraft is vast and majestic.

Each dive bomber carries two 450kg semi-armor-piercing bombs, and each torpedo attack aircraft carries one of the latest mk13 torpedoes!

After arriving in the combat airspace, the F86 and Hellcat fighter jets first conducted fire suppression, attracting all the anti-aircraft firepower from the Japanese fleet, and then dive bombers and torpedo bombers took advantage of the situation.

The biggest advantages of the F86 and Hellcat fighter jets are their fast speed and strong maneuverability. They used their performance advantages to quickly approach the Japanese warships, and then dive and shoot.

The air defense soldiers on the Yamato and other warships were beaten to pieces one after another, and some loopholes and gaps appeared in the air defense firepower network.

Dive bombers and torpedo attack aircraft took advantage of the situation and got out of the clouds.

On the battlefield, artillery roared, smoke obscured the eyes, and shrapnel flew across the battlefield.

Torpedoes and aerial bombs fell from the sky, and the helmsman of the warship was thrown into confusion.

The outer destroyers were injured one after another, and the position of the Musashi was exposed.

"Your Excellency Commander!"

The captain of the Musashi, Kosaku Ariga, can no longer remain calm!

Ito Zhengyi still maintained his general style.

He has put life and death aside and has nothing to fear now.

He glanced at the anxious Ariga Kosaku with his peripheral vision, then turned his attention to the sky again and asked casually:

"What is the current distance to the US fleet?"

Ariga Kosaku quickly obtained the information he wanted with the help of his staff and replied:

"With the Kaiten torpedo in check, the enemy cannot fully deal with us."

"During this period of time, the distance between the fleet and the Allies has become closer again. Your Excellency, Commander, it is already 26 kilometers away and the main gun can be used!"

The Americans racked their brains and tried their best to widen the distance between the two sides, but they still allowed themselves to advance so close, and the Yamato was about to begin its own steel roar.

Ito turned around quickly and ordered with a stern look:

"The main gun fires at the US fleet, put down all the Zhenyang special attack boats, attack! Attack!"
To be continued...