When everything was ready, Zhou Zhihan took off first and hovered over Hickam Airport, waiting for all the fighter planes participating in the attack to take off and assemble, flying together over the Tantras Mountains towards Chuichi Nagumo's task force.
Second Lieutenant Kenneth Taylor led 6 rough-skinned P40s flying at the front, flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters, followed 2 kilometers behind by 12 Dauntless aircraft led by Dick Best, flying at an altitude of 3,500 meters, followed 1 kilometer behind. There are 7 Flying Fortresses and 4 B25 bombers forming two formations, flying at an altitude of 4,000 meters.
Zhou Zhihan divided the 29 Wildcats into three squadrons. Kim Lindsay and McCluskey each led a squadron of 10 aircraft, covering both sides of the fleet. He led a squadron of 7 aircraft and flew at the end.
Before taking off, Kimmel told all the pilots to return safely and not to confront the Japanese head-on. This was a shock operation to let the Japanese task force know that the U.S. Pacific Fleet was not completely wiped out and still had combat effectiveness, so that they would not dare to attack the Pearl again. Hong Kong launched a third wave of attacks.
Kimmel's ability to become the commander of the Pacific Fleet relied on his own strength. At critical moments, he accurately judged that the only thing the Japanese could fear was land-based fighters.
He knew that if the Japanese launched a third wave of attacks, the Pacific Fleet would exist in name only.
The emergence of the Flying Fortress and the B25 will make the Japanese fleet commander believe that there is a US army airport not far from Pearl Harbor, which can pose a threat to the Japanese fleet.
Therefore, he urged all pilots to return home safely. With the presence of these dozens of fighter planes, the Japanese would never act rashly.
If these dozens of fighter planes continue to fight, the Japanese will really be unscrupulous.
Zhou Zhihan warned all team members that there was no surprise in this attack, because the powerful Japanese task force was in a state of war and could not be quietly approached by the American fleet.
Therefore, the mission of the fleet is to drop all the bombs from high altitudes at once, allowing the Japanese to taste the deterrent power of the flying fortress and B25 bombers.
Finally, Zhou Zhihan reminded all the pilots that the Japanese task force was well prepared, but we improvised and rushed into battle. All bombers dropped bombs at high altitude and returned immediately after dropping bombs. There were Wildcats behind to intercept the Zero.
Japan's Zero fighter jets are invincible at low altitudes, but they can't reach an altitude of meters...
…
As soon as Fuchida Mitsuo entered the conference room, he felt that the atmosphere was not right. Nagumo Chuichi was silent, and the smell of gunpowder between Yamaguchi Bunta and Kusaka Ryuunosuke seemed very strong.
Fuchida didn't care about the dispute between Yamaguchi and Kusuka, but directly asked Nagumo Chuichi: "Your Excellency, Commander, why did you send the flag to return?"
Nagumo Chuichi still didn't speak. Although his heart was swaying from side to side, his eyes were still sharp. He glanced at Fuchida, his expression calm and cold.
Seeing this, Cao Lu said what he said to Yamaguchi again: "..."
Fuchida said eloquently: "If we retreat now, the natural advantage our task force has will be wasted. Although many enemy ships have been sunk, Pearl Harbor is located in a shallow water port, and the warships in the water can easily be salvaged and repaired. .
Therefore, our military should continue to bomb the military factories, port facilities, submarine bases, and the most important oil storage facilities in Pearl Harbor, so that Pearl Harbor can be directly wiped out from Hawaii. "
In fact, when launching the first wave of attacks, the experienced Mizuo Fuchida had a sharp eye for judging the battlefield situation. He had already discovered that the old-school officers, especially Nagumo, only focused on attacking battleships and ignored the U.S. military. In his opinion, the bases, shipyards, and oil depots at Pearl Harbor were more valuable for attack than battleships.
Since the first and second waves of attack had been planned for a long time and were not suitable for a temporary break, Fuchida could only place the attack on port facilities, shipyards and oil depots in the third wave of attack.
So, when he saw the fleet giving the retreat flag, he didn't even have time to swallow his food and ran over anxiously and angrily.
Chief of Staff Kusano knew that Fuchida had played a leading role in the air strike and was very polite to him: "Fuchida-kun, our task force has been able to achieve such great achievements in a long-distance attack, which is inseparable from the joint efforts of everyone.
But at the moment, the whereabouts of the 4th US aircraft carrier are unknown. Who knows where they will suddenly appear?
Moreover, we cannot determine the dynamics of the enemy's land-based aircraft. If we allow them to seize the opportunity to retaliate, our task force may be in great danger at any time.
So I believe that the attack should be as fast as lightning and the evacuation should be as fast as the wind and rain. "
What Ryunosuke Kusaka said was like a heavy hammer, hitting Nagumo's heart hard, making him shiver from the inside. The U.S. land-based fighter jets and the unknown aircraft carrier were always a lingering thought in his heart. The lingering shadow was now spoken out by his chief of staff. Immediately, the balance of retreat began to tilt in his heart again.
"Your Excellency Chief of Staff!"
Fuchida continued, "More than 400 U.S. military aircraft at Pearl Harbor were basically destroyed by our army. I hovered over Pearl Harbor for nearly three hours. Except for the squadron led by the Chinese who were shot down by us, there were not many aircraft from Pearl Harbor. The base takes off.
Your Excellency, I am sure that it is impossible for US military fighters to take off from the Pearl Harbor base. Even if there are US military land-based fighters flying from the direction of Hawaii, don't forget that we still have the invincible Zero fighter jets.
Therefore, I asked for permission to lead my fleet to launch a third wave of attacks on Pearl Harbor, blow up the docks and oil depots on the ground, and allow the Pacific Fleet to withdraw from this area. "
What Mitsuo Fuchida said makes sense.
As a result, Nagumo Chuichi, who was helpless due to the huge pressure, had another change in his heart.
Lieutenant Colonel Harada Minoru, who had been silent for a long time, stood on the side of his friend: "Can we change the assault time from the set one day to two days, so as to make the most of this hard-won golden opportunity and directly take out the pearl?" Hong Kong is destroyed.
Mr. Fuchida is right. The water in Pearl Harbor is shallow. If the dock facilities and shipyards of the US military are not destroyed, it will leave a breathing space for the US military. From this point of view, it goes against General Yamamoto's surprise strategy. "
Harada Minoru's words sounded very reasonable to Nagumo Chuichi. After all, Harada Minoru was the chief planner of this sneak attack, and his words had more weight than Fuchida.
As early as Tokyo, Minoru Harada's sneak attack plan included blowing up the oil depot at Pearl Harbor. However, Nagumo believed that if the oil depot was bombed first, the smoke would obscure the sky and the sun, which would affect the fleet's ability to bomb other targets. Therefore, Harada Minoru decided to bomb the oil depot. Put it last.
After pondering for a few seconds, Harada Minoru continued: "Pearl Harbor has all the facilities. The most important thing is the oil depot that stores 18 million liters of fuel. If we blow up the oil depot, we can turn the entire Pearl Harbor into ruins.
This oil depot is the foundation of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Even if we do not destroy eight battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and fighter planes, as long as we blow up this oil depot, it will be enough to prevent the intact Pacific Fleet from dispatching within six months.
Now, we have destroyed their warships and military aircraft. If we destroy oil depots, shipyards and other facilities, the US military will lose without a fight. "
At this moment, an intelligence officer quickly ran in: "Your Excellency, Commander, a US aircraft fleet of about 50 has been spotted 30 kilometers away."
It came so fast. Didn’t it mean that the US military in Pearl Harbor did not have the ability to fight back... Nayun glanced at Fuchida, his expression still calm: "The fleet sounded the air defense alarm and prepared to fight!"
"Woo..."
A few seconds later, an air raid siren sounded on the aircraft carrier [Akagi].
