Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 47



Only Krnovel

#47. When you go to the sea.

October 24, 1944, 09:28.

Atago, the flagship of the Kurida Central Fleet.

“dismissal! We passed the San Bernandino Strait safely.”

“Whew! Right. “I guess I was oversensitive.”

Admiral Kurida was internally relieved when not only his 1st field unit but also the 2nd field unit led by Admiral Yoshio Suzuki safely passed through the San Bernandino Strait.

Now the goal is just around the corner.

But that was then.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

pop! pop! Pow!

Dozens of huge water columns rose up throughout the central fleet of Gurida, accompanied by a sound that split the air.

“oh! It’s a bombardment! “It’s the enemy!”

“What a chick show!”

Quaaaang!

Before anyone could finish screaming, a huge roar and a shock wave were sent out.

“I was hit for a day! Haruna gets hit!”

Haruna, the 4th Gonggo-class battlecruiser on the side, was hit by gunfire coming from somewhere, and the 36,000-ton ship was sinking with a single shot from the first wave of the first wave.

Perhaps one unlucky shot hit an ammunition dump or something.

“I can’t do that!”

“It’s 16 inches! 16-inch gunfire from a battleship!”

It was impossible to think of anything other than the super-heavy shells of over 1 ton from the enemy’s 16-inch naval guns that had the power to sink a 36,000-ton battleship with a single shot.

“Ha, Haruna is awesome! Haruna’s roar!”

“Where the hell are you! “Where are you shooting from?”

The enemy fleet wasn’t even visible yet.

If so, it means that we were hit by radar-linked artillery fire that the Yankees boast about, but it couldn’t have been this accurate.

“Keep an eye on me! “What are you doing?”

“Visiting…”

Puff! Pow! Pow!

While looking for a lookout, a second wave of artillery fire hit the Gurida fleet.

Quaaaang!

Again, a pillar of fire rose with a roar.

“Ugh! Chokai hit! Chokai hit!”

“Damn it!”

A 16,000-ton heavy cruiser could not withstand the super-heavy bombs of 16-inch naval guns that could sink a battleship in one hit.

The Takao-class heavy cruiser Chokai split in half and sank.

The misfortunes of the Gurida fleet were only just beginning.

Kwaaaaang!

“Woah, Musashi! Musashi hit!”

“…”

When Admiral Kurida hurriedly raised his binoculars and pointed them at Musashi, the second ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato-class battleship, he saw that the front of Musashi’s first main gun was completely gone and was spewing out flames.

Fortunately, we escaped an explosion, but we won’t be able to sail properly like that.

“oh my god···. “This kind of accuracy…”

“Nonsense···.”

Admiral Kurida and the fleet staff were speechless at this ridiculously accurate bombardment.

“full speed! Break through at full speed!”

“But Musashi…”

“Pagaya! At this rate, the entire fleet is in danger! Fleet full speed!”

“Full speed fleet!”

Quang!

“Nagato hit! Nagato’s stern was hit!”

Meanwhile, the stern of Nagato, the first Nagato-class battleship, was hit and began spewing out flames.

As expected, it didn’t sink, but since it hit the rear where the engine compartment was, it was no different from sinking.

“hurry! “Hurry up and get out of here at full speed!”

“Full speed fleet!”

As Admiral Kurida shouted as his blood boiled, the entire fleet began to speed up.

But it wouldn’t be hell if it stopped at this level.

Dozens of torpedoes poured in from the water on both sides of the Kurida fleet, which was rapidly increasing its speed.

Quang! Quang! bang!

“Oh, it’s a torpedo! “It’s a torpedo!”

“Nishiro hit! Suzu was hit!”

Several destroyers that were in defensive positions on the outskirts of the fleet were blown away, followed by one heavy cruiser and one light cruiser.

And the remaining torpedoes continued to rush toward the center of the fleet.

bang! bang!

“Yamato hit! Hit again!”

“Announced attack!”

Quaaaang!

After the huge battleships were hit by torpedoes one after another, a tremendous shock hit the flagship Atago.

“Ugh!”

“Aaaah!”

The staff, including Admiral Kurida, rolled around on the floor mercilessly.

“Ugh! Report!”

Admiral Gurida shouted as he covered his torn forehead.

“Torpedo hit forward on the port side of the main ship!”

“shit!”

A heavy cruiser of Atago’s size will not be sunk by a single torpedo, but slowing down is inevitable.

“Report the damage to the fleet!”

“Yamato, two shots on the starboard side, one shot on the port side! Two shots on the port side of Congo! One shot at Nishiro, sinking! Suzuya, two shots! Suzuya is trying to save Ham! And eight destroyers, including Shimakaze, were sunk!”

“ha···.”

“…”

Admiral Kurida took a deep sigh, and the staff also kept their mouths shut with sad expressions.

Incredibly accurate bombardment by US Navy battleships and torpedo attacks by submarines resulted in the loss of more than 40% of the entire fleet’s combat power.

Now a decision must be made.

In this situation, operations were no longer possible, and even the remaining forces had to be preserved and brought back.

“I’m going back. “We, Musashi, Suzuya, and five destroyers remain to stop them, and Yamato and Kongo return.”

Admiral Gurida decided to stay.

What he meant was that he would sacrifice himself as a decoy along with a battleship like Musashi that was unable to maneuver or slowed down so that the remaining power could return.

“Even the Commander would understand this…”

“What nonsense! Tell the remaining fleet to recover as much damage as possible while preparing for enemy attacks! “They will definitely come back, so we need to buy as much time as possible!”

“under!”

October 24th 09:53.

Expeditionary Force Headquarters Command and Control Room.

“Hoo? Are you going to stay and sacrifice yourself and save Yamato? That can’t happen! Tell Admiral Halsey to sortie the aircraft of TG 38.2 and TG 38.3! “Let’s kill the Kurida fleet!”

“Yes, President!”

When Kim Jong-woo gave the order triumphantly, the controllers immediately began giving instructions to Halsey’s 3rd Fleet.

And Lee Kang-cheol asked Kim Jong-woo.

“Are we going to end this with a ship-based aircraft now?”

“That’s right. “Not a single ship will survive.”

“Right. But why didn’t they attack us with ship-based aircraft first?”

“That’s natural, right? This is because if you attack with a ship-based aircraft while the Gurida fleet’s air defense network is alive, the loss of the aircraft will be large. “Am I not someone who values ​​human life?”

“…”

This was not something a human would say who wanted to annihilate the entire fleet.

“Hmm, so first, we harassed the 3rd Fleet’s battleships from a long distance with their guns, and then what did the submarines say?”

“It’s a wolf pack. This is the method the Germans used to attack convoys. Well, the method is not exactly the same, but the biting in groups is the same.”

“Okay, so the wolf pack mainly attacked destroyers and cruisers to weaken the fleet’s air defenses. Am I right?”

“you’re right. As a bonus, not only battleships but also heavy cruisers can be defeated with one or two torpedoes, but at least they can be slowed down. Air defenses have been removed and speed is slow? Now the Gurida fleet is over. Not a single ship will be able to return! Hahaha!”

“…”

“…”

Although I found Kim Jong-woo arrogantly throwing up a fuss again, I had to admit that his tactics were very effective.

At first, battleships with 16-inch guns, such as Iowa, New Jersey, Washington, Alabama, South Dakota, and Massachusetts, were lined up in a line at the front and fired long-range gunfire.

Naturally, the expeditionary force headquarters controlled artillery fire, so they devastated the Gurida fleet with an accuracy that was unheard of in this era.

Then, when they frantically increased their speed and tried to break through, they mobilized six submarines, including the USS Darter and USS Dace, which had previously been ambushed on both sides of the fleet, and eliminated the destroyers and cruisers that were escorting the sides of the fleet.

And now, they are trying to finish off those who are trying to escape by mobilizing aircraft.

It’s easy to say, but I couldn’t help but say that it was a very detailed and cruel plan.

October 24th 10:07.

It is when the Gurida fleet, with those who stay and those who leave, is slowly starting to separate.

Wooooow!

SB2C Helldiver dive bombers launched from three regular aircraft carriers, Intrepid, Essex, and Lexington, and three light aircraft carriers, Independence, Cabot, and Langley, of Task Group 38.2 (Task Group 2) and Task Group 38.3 (Task Group 3). , TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, and about 200 F6F Hellcat fighters attacked the Gurida fleet.

Da da da da da!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

All of the surviving ships of the Kurida fleet fired anti-aircraft guns into the sky, but because the opponents were so numerous and their skills were so good, there were not many cases where they were able to hit them properly.

When a fleet that was not covered by aircraft carriers encountered a large aircraft carrier fleet, its fate was already decided.

Swoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

“Aaaah!”

“Aaaah!”

Hehe! chuck!

Quack!

The SB2C Helldiver dive bombers rushed in like a pack of dogs, dropping 500-pound bombs and 1,000-pound armor-piercing bombs, and the TBF Avenger torpedo bombers flew at low altitudes as if grazing the surface of the water, spraying torpedoes and running away.

Quack! bang! Quang!

“Kaaaaaa! help me!”

“It’s sinking! “Hurry and jump!”

“Ugh! Ugh! Ouch! I’m getting sucked in! “Ahh!”

43km east of San Bernandino, hell was already unfolding with roaring noises and fire.

After the US Navy aircraft attacked for about 10 minutes.

In the Kurida fleet, the only ships that remained afloat were a few battleships such as Yamato and a few heavy cruisers.

Yamato was still floating even though it was tilted to one side after being hit by 16 torpedoes and 20 bombs, and Musashi was half-sunk.

And in the meantime, the flagship Atago was hit by several bombs, but was still able to stay afloat.

“Hehehe! dismissal! They will come again. “Hurry up and escape…”

“Hehehe! Where can I escape? Besides, if we lose and avoid the last bastions of the Imperial Navy, where will we go?”

“Huh!”

“Still, our navy is neat. “You don’t have to rip open your stomach like the army guys do.”

At that time, a singing voice was heard from somewhere.

It was sung by the surviving soldiers of Atago.

Umi Yukaba Mizuku Kabane

When you go to the sea, a body soaked in water

Yama Yukaba Kusamus Kabane

When you go to the mountains, there are corpses with grass growing on them.

Ookimino Henikoso Shiname

If I die next to the Emperor

Kaerimi and Seji

There will be no regrets

As the song continued, Admiral Gurida soon began to sing along.

“Umi Yukaba Mizuku Kabane…”

Wooooow!

While the song rang out, a second wave of about 200 U.S. Navy aircraft arrived and began air strikes.

Shoooooo! Quack!

“Umi Yuka… “Ahh!”

“Ahh!”

Quack! bang! bang!

The U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers easily attack the Gurida fleet, which is now unable to put up even a decent resistance.

The Japanese Navy crew members who fell into the sea disappeared into the sea one by one, their bodies wrapped in black bunker oil.

Quack! bang!

The battleship Musashi sank after being hit by about 10 torpedoes and 20 bombs.

bang! Coo thump! thud! Quang!

The battleship Yamato, which held out until the end, gradually disappeared into the sea as its ammunition depot exploded.

October 24, 1944, 10:48.

The Kurida fleet was destroyed.

Not a single ship left behind.