It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 243 | Times have changed!
The burning swordfish plummeted downwards, trailing black smoke, and crashed onto the shore, creating a rising fireball.

The slow speed gives the Swordfish good low-speed maneuverability, but also significantly increases the time it spends in the face of anti-aircraft fire.

Since we are currently at war, the Atlantic Fleet remains vigilant. About ten minutes have passed since the start of the battle, and the warships of all sizes anchored at the anchorage and docks are already firing at full power.

The 1.1-inch (28 mm) 'Chicago Piano' currently in service with the American Navy is not a good thing. It vibrates too much when firing continuously and the shell fuse is too sensitive. However, it is a rapid-fire machine gun, and its effective firing height and destructive power are much stronger than those of a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun.

The four or five Swordfish that attacked the Northampton and Quincy are disengaging from the battle, and their retreat route happens to pass within the range of the Benson's flank air defense weapons.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the destroyer USS Benson went on a killing spree, shooting down four Swordfish in succession. Warrant Officer Evelyn Moore alone took down two of them.

Five minutes later, the second wave of surprise attack squadrons arrived precisely on time.

But at this moment, Norfolk Naval Base was in complete chaos, with more and more Buffalo fighter jets taking off one after another.

The second wave of attack could hardly be called a surprise attack. Chaos erupted below as soldiers rushed to their positions, and the anti-aircraft fire gradually became more organized.

Someone shouted on the radio, "It looks like this port wants to tear us apart and eat us alive!"

According to the plan, the priority target of the second wave of attacks was the aircraft carrier, but most of the Swordfish were severely hampered and unable to get into a suitable attack position, and most Royal Navy pilots were also unwilling to risk their lives.

Only a few Swordfish attempted to break through the defenses, but all of them were shot down. Only one torpedo hit the Lexington, and the white plume of water that rose was even higher than the smokestack!
Seeing that things were not going well, the second wave of formations knew they should not linger and began to turn around and retreat.

The American Army and Navy pilots were not willing to let these Britons get away, and they were determined to hunt them down to the ends of the earth.

The 'Buffalo' was an ugly and unskilled fighter that performed poorly in history, and was almost completely destroyed by the Japanese Zero fighters during the same period in its original dimension.

However, the US military is now holding its own against the peculiar Royal Navy two-seat fighter, the 'Punch-nosed Swallow,' with the two aircraft surprisingly evenly matched...

The battle was very short, lasting only about half an hour from start to finish, and the most crucial part was only the first few minutes.

Later that day, when it was already broad daylight, a Catalina seaplane spotted the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier fleet more than 300 kilometers northeast of Norfolk.

When the patrol aircraft sent back the warning message, many fires at the Norfolk Naval Base were still burning, with plumes of black smoke rising into the sky.

They launched a surprise attack in the early hours of the morning! Why are the British so evil!

On the vast blue sea, on the bridge of the HMS Hood, Andrew Cunningham stood calmly and motionless, but in reality, his heart was filled with unease and tension.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief when the telegram reporting the successful surprise attack was sent back, and his tense face visibly relaxed a bit.

A colonel said with particular regret, "We lost ten or more aircraft, but unfortunately the Americans reacted quickly, and the second wave of attacks was almost ineffective. Otherwise, we could have taken down the Lexington."

Cunningham, displaying the composure of a great general, calmly said, "That's enough. Such a victory is already satisfactory, and objective conditions do not allow for greater results."

Unfortunately, British armored aircraft carriers carried too few aircraft, only about thirty, and they didn't place much emphasis on aggressive tactics like 'all-deck attack' to achieve decisive results. With so few aircraft, it was naturally difficult to expand the scope of the battle.

"Beware of enemy air strikes and counterattacks. Scramble the remaining fighters for alert." "Understood!"

HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious changed course, air defense observation posts peered intently into the distance through binoculars, and the gun crews of the bang-bang guns stood ready.

After recovering the finless tuna and the few remaining swordfish, the carrier fleet quickly returned to port and escaped unscathed. By the time a large number of American Army Air Force bombers arrived, the carrier fleet had already disappeared.

The Royal Navy paid a price of no more or less—12 Swordfish attack aircraft, 4 Tube-nosed Swallow fighters, 11 pilots, 12 rear gunners, 29 torpedoes, and 32 aerial bombs.

The Royal Navy's results were controversial—the old battleships HMS Idaho and HMS Arkansas were sunk, as well as the heavy cruiser HMS Northampton, while the light cruiser HMS Cincinnati and the aircraft carrier HMS Lexington were lightly damaged.

The raid on Norfolk was undoubtedly a successful military adventure, demonstrating for the first time in actual combat the immense power of long-range carrier strikes.

Moreover, they were outdated biplanes, and there weren't many of them, which is enough to make people think deeply.

What if the aircraft were more capable? What if there were more aircraft involved in the battle?
From that day on, people realized something, something earth-shattering.

That means the situation in naval warfare will likely change drastically in the future.

Throughout history, the weapons used in naval warfare have been upgraded over the millennia, evolving from swords and bows to guns and cannons, but the overall situation has never fundamentally changed.

The invention of the torpedo almost shook everything, but it wasn't enough. More than a decade after the advent of airplanes and aircraft carriers, the格局 and situation finally collapsed.

Times have changed!

Soon after, the military of the Great Unified Federation, located on the other side of the world, learned of this situation.

Shocked, the military's first concern was how many warships the Atlantic Fleet had lost, and they demanded verification.

Because this involves the most direct question—will the strategic situation become unbalanced as a result?
Everyone was relieved after confirming that only two battleships and one heavy cruiser had been lost.

The sinking of the USS Idaho and USS Northampton is a pity. Fortunately, the USS Idaho is still worth salvaging and repairing, while the USS Northampton was completely lost due to the ammunition magazine explosion.

As for the USS Arkansas, it was irrelevant because she was too old, still using twin 305mm guns, and had a top speed of only 20 knots.

For such an old ship to follow the fleet into battle is suicide. Its only two uses are to become a training ship or to serve as a fire support ship for amphibious operations to boost morale.

Based on this analysis, after the Atlantic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet joined forces, they would be capable of fighting under the cover of shore-based air power.

The American Navy is roughly 40/60 stronger than the British Royal Navy, and with a little caution, it could still disrupt sea lanes.

The military is also focused on more specific tactics and weapons issues – the threat of aircraft was previously underestimated, and air defense weapons and fire control equipment should be strengthened without delay!

(End of this chapter)