At 5:30 pm on December 2, the mobile fleet force on the move received a coded telegram from Combined Fleet Commander Yamamoto Isoroku, the content of which was only niutakayamanbore——1208.
Literal translation means: Climb a new mountain 1208.
In fact, its real strategic significance is to require the fleet to "launch an attack as planned on December 8."
After receiving all the instructions to act according to the original plan, Nagumo Chuichi's fleet continued to move forward on the Pacific Ocean through the waves. The sky was getting dusk, and the vast fleet's message was silent. Only the naval flags on the sterns of the ships were displayed. Facing the biting cold wind on the North Pacific Ocean, hunting and fluttering.
In the darkness, Mizuo Fuchida stood on the flight deck below the bridge of the aircraft carrier Akagi, facing the sea breeze. His calm appearance concealed an excited and anxious heart. He was the leader of all carrier-based aircraft this time. The captain, shouldering the heavy responsibility of whether to severely damage Pearl Harbor in the United States, as time ticked forward and Pearl Harbor was getting closer and closer, the anxiety and excitement in his heart increased with time, and he was almost breathless.
At this time, he would stand on the deck facing the biting cold wind, recalling the rugged mountains of the Thousand Islands of his motherland. It was like a landscape that made him nostalgic. Every time he thought of this place, it would bring him great joy. Courage, he felt that as an imperial warrior, he was extremely lucky to be able to take on such an important responsibility!
"Turn all the pressure into motivation, come on, Fuchida-kun!"
Mizuo Fuchida silently encouraged himself, but unknowingly, the fingernails of his clenched fists pierced the palms of his hands.
Mitsuo Fuchida was under great pressure, and Chuichi Nagumo, as the frontline commander of this operation, was under even greater pressure.
When Mitsuo Fuchida was almost out of breath under pressure, he could still stand alone on the deck and face the cold wind, but Chuichi Nagumo could not. At this time, his every move would have a great impact on morale. Impact.
Nagumo Chuichi could only endure it.
Fortunately, his long military career has given him a zombie face, which can keep his appearance calm under any circumstances, making it impossible to tell his inner world from his facial expressions.
No matter what the situation, Nagumo Chuichi gives people the impression of being unfathomable and having a military will as calm as steel.
Whenever he stood in the flagship command room, Nagumo Tadashi endured endless suffering with an expressionless face. He was a conservative and timid general. He himself did not know why Yamamoto, the fifth general, asked him to Become the fleet commander.
The four words "success, glory, failure" are like the incarnations of devils and angels, and they cannot be driven away from Nanyun's heart.
In fact, Nagumo Chuichi was able to serve as the commander of the First Air Force, and then as the commander-in-chief of the task force that attacked Pearl Harbor, not because of his outstanding talents.
Although Nagumo is an excellent commander, he is not the best candidate for this important task. This is largely due to the seniority convention within the Japanese army.
The First Air Fleet, which was responsible for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, was an important and terrifying tool of the Japanese Empire's maritime force. Before Nagumo Chuichi became the commander, many people thought that Yamamoto Isoroku would appoint an aviation general, or at least an aviation general. A general who understands naval aviation serves as the commander of this fleet. No one thought that this heavy responsibility would fall on a vice admiral.
Nagumo was proficient in torpedo warfare, but knew little about the air force, so this was not enough for him to assume this important position.
In fact, Chuichi Nagumo and Mizuo Fuchida are not the only ones who are anxious at this moment. Most of the Japanese officers and soldiers are also worried about the outcome of this war. How many people will be buried under the sea in this life and death battle? Everything is unpredictable, and for this reason, they will inevitably feel excited and have trouble sleeping and eating.
But in this environment, in this atmosphere of loyalty to the emperor and unprecedented passion, everyone knows that everything has been decided. They can neither go left nor right, they can only move forward and face Pearl Harbor!
While Nagumo Chuichi, Fuchida Mitsuo and others were suffering during the march, Zhou Zhihan, who was far away in Pearl Harbor, was in a very happy mood.
Because in a few days, the death knell of the Japanese will sound.
From the time the Japanese dropped the first bomb at Pearl Harbor, they took the first step toward defeat, although at the time, in the eyes of the Japanese, they took a more solid step toward victory.
After Zhou Zhihan's careful training during this period, the two fighter squadrons have greatly improved their skills and tactics. They practice various offensive and defensive tactics every day, always putting team operations first.
During this period, Zhou Zhihan often invited bombers to fly into the sky to interact with his fighter force.
Both sides carried no ammunition and launched a simulated air battle, mainly focusing on fighter jets looking for the best offensive position.
Pilots who have never experienced actual combat can never find a good attack position and the best opportunity to fire when faced with a simulated attack from a bomber's rear gunner.
Just when these American pilots were at their wits' end when faced with the Dauntless bombers, Zhou Zhihan flew a fighter jet to answer their questions on the spot, demonstrating over and over again how to use rolling maneuvers to quickly occupy a position beyond the reach of the bomber shooters' firepower.
Zhou Zhihan knew that in order to successfully contain the Japanese attack on the large ships at Pearl Harbor, every pilot in the two squadrons must have the ability to quickly shoot down Japanese bombers.
Therefore, Zhou Zhihan spent the most time on attacking the bombers. He would have 24 pilots attack one after another to simulate attacking the Dreadnought bombers. He would fly the plane and give personal guidance, almost giving hand-by-hand instructions to ensure that the pilots They can all skillfully occupy positions.
Several Dauntless bomber pilots who were sent by McCluskey as guest "target drones" complained endlessly every day at first. They acted as mice and were besieged by a group of cats. It was not a pleasant experience.
Of course, Zhou Zhihan is not a stingy person. Everyone often goes out to drink at night. After a few days, the pilots of the Dreadnought bomber fell in love with this good job, because going out to train with the USS Enterprise is the most boring thing. Every time I go out, I can only come back on Saturday, and sometimes I can only come back once every two weeks. But if I stay at the base, I can go out to drink and have fun at least two or three times a week.
In order to stay at the base and not go out with the aircraft carrier, these bomber pilots followed Zhou Zhihan's request and tried their best to make things difficult for the 24 pilots of the Flying Tigers...
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The top U.S. officials, who have lost confidence in the U.S.-Japanese peace talks, are still unaware of the pace of war, which is approaching the United States step by step. They frequently deploy troops and generals in Southeast Asia, and are unreasonably worried that the Japanese will launch a new war in Indochina. round of attack.
Moreover, the White House at this time still has many opportunities to discover the Japanese conspiracy. However, the progress of history is destined that many people will be deeply paralyzed by the wheel of history at many times.
