Nanyang Storm 1864

Americans are paying a heavy price for their ignorance and arrogance. General Hughes was the first to realize this, but most people in the upper echelons of American politics, economics, and the military still hold stubborn arrogance and prejudice.

This was evident in every aspect of the war preparations. When the New York Times reported in October that the State of Chu was actively preparing for war, the federal government and various states remained slow to react.

The first phase of the military expansion, originally planned to be completed in March, was less than half completed before the outbreak of war, due to financial difficulties and a shortage of funds everywhere.

Of the fewer than 300,000 troops initially mobilized, almost 70% were deployed to the southern border of California, forming a densely fortified area.

never thought

The invading Chu army, passing through Mexican territory, delivered a brilliant right hook, completely dismantling the defenses of the American land fortress area.

According to the arrogant tone of the U.S. Army, the southern fortified area was enough to hold off the Chu army for at least five months. With enough reinforcements, the U.S. military was capable of firmly sealing off the invading Chu army here.

They boasted about it, but in less than ten days, the entire fortified area on the southern border fell. It was a real slap in the face!
About three weeks after the outbreak of war, the United States has mobilized more than 130 million militiamen through large-scale war mobilization. They are undergoing emergency military training in military camps across the country and being transported to the Midwest and West by rail and road.

It turns out
The United States is not without the capacity to mobilize for war, and it can provide sufficient resources to cope with crises. The key issue is the arrogance and sluggishness of its leaders, which has led to missed opportunities and put the United States in an extremely passive position.

Through face-to-face confrontation, Admiral Hughes finally realized the strength and power of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, but unfortunately, this realization came too late.

Now, the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, with its heavy cruiser squadron and two main battleship squadrons closing in, is like three vicious wolves, their eyes gleaming with green light, pouncing fiercely, ready to tear the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet to shreds.

The thought of this possibility
General Hughes felt a chill run through his body, completely enveloped by this inexplicable fear, and his entire body stiffened.

In his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, he sent five urgent telegrams to the U.S. Army General Staff requesting assistance.
The order requires that no fewer than 200 army bombers be dispatched to the battlefield airspace before 3:30 PM, along with a sufficient number of fighter jets as reinforcements, to engage in a decisive battle with the aggressively advancing Chu Royal Navy.

At this moment, Wilmington base was in complete chaos.

A landing biplane bomber lost control and crashed into an area where bombs were being loaded and refueled, causing a series of explosions that engulfed fuel tankers and bombs waiting to be loaded into a cascading inferno.

More than thirty bombers were destroyed in the explosion, resulting in the loss of hundreds of pilots and ground crew. The scene was a mess, with corpses lying everywhere and the wreckage of the planes burning fiercely.

This unexpected disaster further exacerbated the chaos at Wilmington base.

Wilmington Air Force Base, which was originally just an army aviation base housing a hundred or so fighter jets, has suddenly expanded several times over, and is now handling high-intensity, continuous operations with more than 700 fighter jets (note: as of 3 p.m.), which has already become unbearable.

There was a severe shortage of fuel, ammunition, specialized fuel delivery vehicles, and personnel. Stockpiles were almost depleted, forcing an emergency transfer from Richmond, 300 kilometers away.

This sudden disaster destroyed six tanker trucks at Wellington base, caused numerous casualties among logistics personnel, and completely severed this taut thread.

The entire Wellington base has only 11 tanker trucks, two of which are out of service due to breakdowns, leaving only 9 tanker trucks available.

Nine tanker trucks were used to ensure that hundreds of fighter jets took off in each batch, working almost non-stop without taking a breath.

Now that six oil tankers have been suddenly destroyed, the remaining three oil tankers cannot be guaranteed no matter what.

Around 10 a.m., the convoy of oil tankers transporting fuel and the convoy of ammunition, which departed from Richmond, would not arrive for at least an hour and a half.

Watching helplessly as the field airfield engulfed in flames from the explosion, Colonel Berliman, the commander of Wilmington Air Base, looked on with utter despair, clutching his head in anguish.

Then, in a dry voice, he ordered, "Immediately send an urgent telegram to the Army General Staff Headquarters, reporting the sudden accident at the base that caused significant losses to the bombers. The most critical issue is that we have lost most of our fuel tankers, reducing our refueling capacity by 70%. We can only refuel 30 aircraft per hour, which is insufficient to guarantee a sufficient number of aircraft to take off for combat."

"As you command, sir."

Colonel Berliman watched the messenger leave, then dragged his heavy steps into his office and casually closed the door behind him.

Less than two minutes later, a sharp gunshot rang out from the office.

The base officers who heard the gunshots looked surprised and rushed over to open the door. What they saw left them completely dumbfounded.

Colonel Berliman sat in a chair behind his desk, his head tilted to one side, a clear blood hole on his forehead from which red and white fluid gushed out, a truly gruesome scene.

The poor officer couldn't withstand the pressure and shot himself in the head.

Colonel Berliman was indeed relieved, but the U.S. Army General Staff was in deep trouble. The U.S. Atlantic Fleet, unaware of what had happened at the Army base, was still waiting for air reinforcements that were unlikely to come again.

Wellington Air Force Base is now packed with planes, and aircraft from all over the country are still landing continuously.

However, very few were able to take off again.

Even if the fighter jets were able to take off again, they would not be able to travel hundreds of miles to provide an air shield for the US Atlantic Fleet.

Because these pitiful thirty or forty fighter jets must guard the vital Wellington Air Force Base, this small field airfield is now filled with almost one-third of the U.S. Army's fighter jets, making it extremely crowded.

If enemy warplanes were to attack, things would get really messed up.

Not to mention the U.S. Army General Staff wouldn't dare take that risk, even if any U.S. general were to come, unless he were insane, he wouldn't dare send all of these limited fighter jets to support the Atlantic Fleet.

North Carolina Offshore
3:16 PM

The Fourth and Fifth Battle Fleets of the Great Chu Empire have arrived at the battlefield and are rapidly maneuvering in a figure-eight pattern from the south and north, with their target being the direction in which the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet is advancing.

It was obvious that the main force of the Chu Royal Navy's expeditionary fleet was using its average speed of up to 18 knots to seize the "T" formation and gain a favorable position.

With an average speed of only eleven knots, the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet could only watch helplessly as the enemy cut off their path.

Admiral Hughes was completely helpless because his fleet had a dozen or so dragging warships that he could not abandon, which were severely slowing down the entire fleet's speed.

These damaged warships were able to barely keep up with the fleet because their high-pressure steam pipes had been blown off, their chimneys had been damaged, or their boilers had been damaged.

Abandoning them is like throwing lambs to the wolves.

What worried General Hughes even more was the astonishing number of Chu fighter planes and torpedo bombers hovering in the sky, while the American flocks were nowhere to be seen.

What the hell is going on?
Before Admiral Hughes could even complain, the fighter jets in the sky had already swooped down and launched wave after wave of frenzied attacks.

Groups of fighter jets swept across the battle line formed by the US Atlantic Fleet, their heavy machine guns firing wildly from nose to nose, relentlessly bombarding the US ships from head to tail with a hail of bullets, the sound of the gunfire like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

These were all fighter jets that were about to return home. Now, squadron after squadron charged down, unleashing a torrent of machine gun fire on the warship, causing sparks to fly everywhere and resulting in numerous casualties among US Navy personnel.

Although these battleships and heavy cruisers of the Atlantic Fleet were heavily armored, their torpedo tubes, observation posts, anti-aircraft machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and secondary gun positions were poorly defended and suffered heavy losses from fighter attacks.

That wasn't all; torpedo bombers also swooped down from the sky, launching a deadly attack on the US Atlantic Fleet, which had formed a battle line.

Dozens of torpedoes soon fell into the sea, firing in volleys at the battle line of the US Atlantic Fleet.

"Evade, evade, hard to port to evade the torpedo!"

The observers on the American ship were shouting themselves hoarse, as the anti-aircraft firepower and secondary guns that could pose a deadly threat to torpedoes were almost completely lost in the enemy fighter air raids.

At this point, the main American battleships and heavy cruisers had no choice but to try to evade them. Amidst all this chaos, seven or eight minutes flew by.

The main battle fleet of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, which had slowed its speed to eight or nine knots and formed a neat battle line, aimed its broadsides at the USS Tennessee, the American battleship at the front of the line, and unleashed its first salvo of main guns.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

The first salvo consists of each turret firing only one shell, known as "calibration firing," where the firing azimuth is adjusted based on the point of impact. Only then does all the artillery fire in unison.

Even so, the first salvo fired 40 shells, one of which actually hit the stern gun turret of the battleship USS Tinsus.

Amidst the deafening roar of the shelling, the powerful 343mm high-explosive shell, like a giant hammer, completely destroyed the 130-ton stern gun turret of the USS Tennessee.

The immense explosive force caused the USS Tennessee, which was sailing forward, to lurch forward, dropping its speed by several knots, as if it had been pinned down.

At least seven or eight more shells were fired in straddle shots, which means that the aim was very accurate. Just make slight adjustments according to this shelling azimuth and go all out.

Hitting the target is just a matter of probability; aiming accuracy is more than sufficient.

This reflects the high level of training of the main battleships of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, achieving the outstanding effect of "first shot hit" at a distance of 16 kilometers, which is at the world's top level.

In addition to the high level of training, the Chu Royal Navy was the first to be equipped with gun aiming calibration radar, which greatly enhanced its striking power.

After slight adjustments

Just one and a half minutes later, the T-formation of the 4th Battle Squadron, consisting of six battleships, launched a second salvo, firing a total of 58 shells that created a dense rain of bullets that enveloped the USS Tennessee.

Four loud explosions were heard in succession. In this round of shelling, the battleship USS Tennessee was hit by four 343mm shells and burst into flames.

The massive fireball from the explosion engulfed the enormous ship. One shot hit the conning tower, destroying its thick armor and wiping out the ship's commanders. The entire conning tower was then engulfed by the massive fireball.

Two shells hit the bow, striking the USS Tennessee like two heavy punches, forcibly shoving the bow into the sea, followed by a sickeningly loud sound of steel tearing apart.

The last shell struck the stern, and the resulting fireball completely destroyed the propulsion system and the more than 300 engine room crew members inside. The high-pressure steam leaking everywhere, along with the huge fireball engulfing the stern, brought the entire USS Tennessee battleship to a complete standstill.

The massive battleship spun on the sea like a tattered rag doll, with thick smoke and flames accompanying American officers and soldiers jumping into the sea like raindrops, making it look particularly tragic.

The tragedy of the USS Tennessee was not over yet. Two loud explosions followed, as two more torpedoes hit the ship.

The main battle line of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet was thrown into chaos by the torpedo attack. The ship's main guns could not be fired due to the violent course evasion, and the originally orderly battle line was completely disrupted.

The sounds of explosions were deafening. No one knew which unlucky creature had run into a torpedo darting around on the seabed, but the entire fleet had taken at least a dozen torpedo hits, further exacerbating the damage.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Battle Fleet, which was preparing to concentrate its fire, discovered that the USS Tennessee had been completely destroyed.

The fleet commander urgently ordered a halt to the bombardment, readjusted the gun barrel coordinates, and aimed them at the second-ranked battleship, the USS Mississippi, before launching a third salvo.

At this moment, the American battleship USS Mississippi was still dodging torpedoes when it was hit by a torpedo on its port bow. The explosion tore a gash more than three meters long through the thick armor belt.

This was only a minor injury to the massive battleship USS Mississippi.

But then came a salvo from the main guns, 45 large-caliber shells raining down, creating a dense forest of water columns around the USS Mississippi.

Two of the large-caliber shells hit, and the resulting violent explosions turned the entire USS Mississippi sideways. The stern was then hit by a torpedo that was flying around wildly.

"Fire! Counterattack!" Amid the chaos, General Hughes still managed to issue the order to retaliate.

The remaining US Atlantic Fleet opened fire in return, but unfortunately the shells were off target, with the furthest shells hitting several kilometers away.

Why is this happening?

Because these US battleships and heavy cruisers were all in an emergency to evade torpedoes, their course was off, and the ships were listing during the violent evasion. In addition, the training level of these US officers and soldiers was not good to begin with.

In the chaos, all they care about is getting the shells out; accuracy is no object at all.

Even US military officers couldn't calculate the exact location, let alone others.

Under the combined attack of the Royal Navy and Air Force of the Great Chu Empire, the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet performed too amateurishly, revealing all its shortcomings.

In contrast, the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, like a ruthless war machine, deployed two "T"-shaped battle lines in front, launching wave after wave of precise and deadly artillery fire.

It's like two teams of armed executioners shooting one American after another who comes to their doorstep!
When the fourth battleship, the USS California, was also severely damaged, Admiral Hughes, commander of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, was completely devastated.

The American bomber squadrons he had been waiting for were nowhere to be seen, and even the American fighter squadrons that were originally escorting him in the air were gone; all that remained were the Royal Navy aircraft of the Great Chu Empire roaring back and forth.

After barely enduring thirty or forty minutes, a new wave of torpedo bombers arrived, this time numbering over a hundred Chu torpedo bombers. They were truly leaving no way out.

In desperation, Admiral Hughes ordered the formation to disband and break out individually. He then watched helplessly as a 343mm shell came hurtling towards him, striking his command tower and wiping out all the senior officers on the Atlantic Fleet flagship, turning them to ashes in the thick smoke and violent explosion.

The fierce but brief naval battle was decided at 4:15.

The disbanded US Navy ships scattered and fled in all directions, but by then it was too late.

Not to mention that almost all of the US's main battleships were wounded, three heavy cruisers were sunk and nine were severely damaged, leaving only four intact.

With hundreds of torpedo bombers attacking relentlessly, fighter jets constantly swooping down and strafing from the sky, and the main warships of the Great Chu Empire's Royal Navy relentlessly pursuing and intercepting them on the sea, how could they possibly escape?
This is not the fault of Admiral Hughes; he had always hoped that the U.S. Army Air Forces could arrive at the critical moment and save his Navy comrades.

Who would have thought that the U.S. Army Air Forces, on which so many hopes were pinned, would falter at such a crucial moment.

Otherwise, there would still be a fighting chance. At least the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet would not be subjected to a combined air and sea attack and could maintain an intact battle line, so they could put up a fight to some extent.

Due to the sudden malfunction of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the air force of the Chu Royal Navy had an exceptionally easy time in the subsequent attacks, suffering minimal losses.

Only one fighter jet and three torpedo bombers were destroyed, which can only be attributed to bad luck, as they were hit by the limited air-to-air firepower remaining from the United States.

This Atlantic naval battle ended in an absolute victory for the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire.

The main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet was completely destroyed, with 9 battleships and 16 heavy cruisers sunk, and more than 26820 naval officers and men lost at sea. Another 3121 were rescued.

This means that the main force of the US Navy was completely destroyed, along with more than a hundred light cruisers, destroyers and dozens of torpedo boats, all of which were sunk, repeating the tragedy of the Tsushima Strait decades ago.

This time, it wasn't the Russians who got hurt, but the Americans.

Although the reasons for their injuries differed, what they had in common was arrogance and underestimation of the enemy, serious neglect of training, and outdated tactical thinking.

Countless shortcomings combined resulted in a complete disaster. (End of Chapter)