很快,前方的索敌机发来了准确情报,发现敌航母!
9 W9 s5 F( H1 G此时南云舰队的上空也发现了美军的大艇和索敌机,这意味着,自己的航母也被敌人发现了
h% y/ E1 V* a: E帝国海鹫迅速从各自的母舰上起飞,舰载机各自组队隆隆向目标飞去
7 p. ~4 F7 f( B O. h: q5 o& v同时,直掩机开始在甲板上待命,部分战斗机已经升空巡逻,全力警戒% |! q( ?' Z( c2 S/ u" ~ V
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经过一个多小时的飞行,KB舰载机分两拨飞临目标上空,正是敌航母萨拉托加号!5 D+ m8 K. B$ s: ~8 Y5 D
99舰爆立即进入俯冲轰炸轨道,97舰攻下降高度进入鱼雷发射阵位,零战负责在上空护卫,激战之后,萨拉托加号先后被命中4枚炸弹,敌舰浓烟滚滚,丧失了飞机起降能力7 u8 H j2 D* O# U% F3 e
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Milne Bay at 100,136& x( ]+ {, `. P# c( ?0 y3 H
: g: h- U; F! C, e
Weather in hex: Overcast
: @* D( \* X; S
4 |* m8 @1 s! @" P2 V LRaid detected at 68 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.
+ Y3 R: C! h; d4 V) W. fEstimated time to target is 25 minutes
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Japanese aircraft8 p" A' C( p1 u* A+ }& z
A6M2 Zero x 20
0 w' Y4 ?( K4 R* q; h# |) T D3A1 Val x 5
" g( G# `, Q G2 |* a, @% M D3A2 Val x 27" k+ C0 E3 o- K+ c
2 V( z5 L4 N7 L4 P
Allied aircraft
9 e; E' B0 e; l3 L, E) P9 A P-39D Airacobra x 2
4 ?6 [- k2 M, O$ y6 J9 D5 ?) e F4F-4 Wildcat x 36( y$ v" r- l1 R6 \& k+ U
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Japanese aircraft losses4 T9 @9 Y4 y! m: ]8 E- h% J
A6M2 Zero: 8 destroyed
: T9 I( h+ @* X D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged! ?3 B1 W6 f: ~2 E; x) z
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
/ M- x* [3 l/ Y. l D3A2 Val: 7 destroyed, 11 damaged
- L; h0 S8 V& K2 p D3A2 Val: 2 destroyed by flak- @, T! r. ?( h2 p! @
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Allied aircraft losses& h# h7 c: q. K/ w
P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed |& a y( n3 U6 u- d! r% c
F4F-4 Wildcat: 1 destroyed( L& @6 h% N! l7 ?
$ @( V; H/ k) L- i0 i2 l- p5 ^Allied Ships
/ G' X ^9 e) L! W& C; ], x CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 3, on fire
& Z5 |9 s' z/ @. x+ Q P4 {" `5 k8 W DD McCall# o+ z6 ~$ r. y) }1 t8 H h8 t# d
DD Maury" \/ k0 W5 P" f
CLAA San Juan, Bomb hits 2, on fire! j6 z3 ]& E$ o- u
DD Cushing7 e" D8 r5 B: l- x# x+ [ t
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Morning Air attack on TF, near Milne Bay at 100,136) T0 y1 x: j' W0 F- j3 @
5 h3 j( w2 y- C, YWeather in hex: Overcast
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Raid detected at 75 NM, estimated altitude 11,000 feet.' K, T6 C) O x. v# J9 k- ^: o
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes
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Japanese aircraft* p* ?8 g& c3 X( S7 e' W
A6M2 Zero x 16
, M) W- B+ W" F) ?5 W+ D( i B5N1 Kate x 16
' O, L. m. o; A D3A2 Val x 23* q: u" h$ A5 K0 V: Q
2 ]' h. E( A: I# qAllied aircraft1 J/ \; @' @% M5 B% z2 \
P-39D Airacobra x 1
# ~1 z! i* ~8 J- R% e F4F-4 Wildcat x 221 y" r9 ]5 V; r! o* G
+ m( o* f+ ~) `# I8 BJapanese aircraft losses7 H) c4 V t# G* I/ E2 t
B5N1 Kate: 3 destroyed, 3 damaged
1 l9 b- G( ?0 p6 g& e B5N1 Kate: 1 destroyed by flak
6 E1 P/ R+ d7 c8 |4 N9 i# u D3A2 Val: 3 destroyed, 10 damaged
- m$ z6 _& b6 r- R8 r4 }0 ~ D3A2 Val: 1 destroyed by flak
2 {5 Y4 l& X& ~3 \9 W1 G# Z
) Z3 m. ?: W) C; i# nAllied aircraft losses
+ l2 W" Z2 K2 C2 } P-39D Airacobra: 1 destroyed" Q4 f6 {+ |$ A* {( A( Y4 Y
F4F-4 Wildcat: 3 destroyed8 F6 m3 [2 i2 _3 @% F2 a
, R& R, v9 e7 EAllied Ships' T. Z8 ~, `7 @) P. E- y
CV Saratoga, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
% v+ |" b7 Y9 b" Z9 E DD Cushing, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk3 f2 [) Z( Z, y! y: S" ~6 ]" {
CLAA San Juan, on fire- q1 l. J4 |" r* @
DD MacDonough
2 G/ a/ c5 G7 Y2 M9 o3 S DD Benham
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+ e/ \7 {5 H5 }4 nHeavy smoke from fires obscuring CV Saratoga |