Drastically Modified Combined Fleet

Chapter 59 - Material-Based Air Defense Combat

From the First Group of the Fifth Fleet, 36 F6F Hellcat fighters, 54 SBD Dauntless dive bombers, and 57 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers advanced. Additionally, the Second and Third Groups contributed 36 F6Fs, 27 SBDs, and 42 TBFs each.

The formidable attack force, consisting of a total of 357 aircraft from nine carriers, the largest in the history of the United States Navy, advanced against the Japanese fleet. Similar to the Japanese fleet, the carrier air groups were organized into formations based on the type of aircraft—fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. Initially, the U.S. Navy's carrier air groups lacked the proficiency to form large formations, unlike their Japanese counterparts. However, after defeats in the Battle of Wake Island and the First Battle of Midway, rigorous daily training had elevated their skills to the point where such formations were possible.

In terms of equipment, the dive bombers remained SBDs, but the torpedo bombers were upgraded from TBD Devastators to TBF Avengers. The F6F Hellcat, making its debut in this battle, represented the latest and most advanced fighter aircraft. As the newly improved carrier air groups approached, they were already under attack by numerous enemy fighters, even before the Japanese fleet came into view.

At this moment, each of the 18 carriers from the Japanese First to Fourth Fleets had two squadrons of escort fighters ready, except for the Third Fleet, which was positioned to confront the Midway base air group's attack. The 28 squadrons from the First, Second, and Fourth Fleets, totaling 336 Shiden fighters, engaged in intercepting the enemy attack. First, 168 Shiden, under the guidance of the air control commander, turned eastward for the pre-planned interception. Simultaneously, another 168 Shiden on standby roared into action, taking off from the flight deck.

The first to engage the American attack was the 96 Shiden from the Second and Fourth Fleets. In response, F6F Hellcats, assigned to protect SBDs and TBFs, confronted the new Japanese fighters sent by the enemy. Unlike the CAPs protecting the carriers, the F6F pilots tasked with escorting the attack force were skilled individuals capable of solo navigation. However, most of them, despite thorough training before the war, were veterans who had suffered losses in the Battles of Wake Island and the First Battle of Midway. Consequently, the average skill level did not match that of the experienced Japanese pilots, and their main focus was to distract the Shiden fighters from the Second and Fourth Fleets.

Meanwhile, the SBDs and TBFs continued their advance, ignoring the fierce dogfight between F6Fs and Shiden. The 72 Shiden from the First Fleet, which had entered the battlefield slightly later than those from the Second and Fourth Fleets, targeted the SBDs.

The 108 SBDs, launched from the four Essex-class carriers, closed ranks to mutually support each other and defended themselves with defensive machine guns. However, the speed and maneuverability gap between the Shiden and the SBD was insurmountable, especially considering the SBDs carried a 1.000-pound bomb underneath. Exploiting the sluggish movements of the SBDs, the Shiden fighters attacked from the rear and sides, firing 20 mm rounds one after another. These rounds, more powerful than the 7,7 mm and 12,7 mm rounds, had the capability to take down a single-seat carrier-based aircraft with a well-placed shot. For the SBDs, even if they managed to avoid fatal hits in the first attack, subsequent hits would be just as devastating. With nearly one-third of the SBDs destroyed after the initial attack, the situation became dire.

In a one-on-one engagement, the SBDs had no chance against the Shiden. The surviving SBDs, desperately hoping for a lucky punch, swerved their defensive machine guns, but the Shiden, unfamiliar new fighters, easily evaded them. Witnessing the loss of their comrades and facing the onslaught of the unknown fighters, some panicked SBD pilots jettisoned their bombs and attempted to escape. While many SBDs abandoned their attack and fled, some continued their advance despite the circumstances. The Shiden mercilessly shredded these aircraft with their 20 mm rounds.

By that time, the 168 Shiden fighters from the emergency launch had also rushed to the battlefield and attacked the 156 TBFs. With nearly a ton of torpedo weight causing a drastic decrease in maneuverability, and being targeted by a greater number of Shiden, the TBFs had no chance of survival. Witnessing the tragedy of the SBDs, TBF pilots quickly abandoned their torpedo attacks, dropped their torpedoes, and attempted to escape. However, the Shiden fighters ruthlessly pursued them, relentlessly eliminating them one after another.

Having easily slaughtered the SBDs and TBFs, the Shiden fighters now joined the fight against the F6Fs, supporting the fighters from the Second and Fourth Fleets who had been dominating the battle. They swarmed the diminished numbers of F6Fs. Five or six Shiden fighters surrounded and overwhelmed each F6F, reducing their numbers significantly. The 357-aircraft US attack force was repelled by the 336 Shiden fighters before they could spot the Japanese fleet. Only a fraction of the aircraft managed to survive, accounting for less than ten percent of the total.