Volume 1: The Empire Awakens Chapter 35: Burying the Sea Giant (Part 2)
When Tan Renhao and his team returned to the "Bolanghe" cruiser, their feelings could only be described as shock.
Before this, probably no one had imagined that the bombs and torpedoes dropped by planes would have such tremendous destructive power.
That year, when the battleship "Dongting Lake" participated in the Battle of Bajiao Island and the Battle of Colombo, it was hit by several large-caliber armor-piercing shells. Especially in the Battle of Colombo, the ship was hit by eight twelve-inch caliber armor-piercing shells, lost three-quarters of its power, and took on 5,500 tons of water. In the end, it struggled back to Lion City without sinking!
Of course, there were some special features in this bombing, for example, some reusable equipment on the "Dongting Lake" was dismantled.
For example, all the turrets were removed.
If these turrets had still been there, the first 500 kg aerial bomb would not have been able to cause as much damage.
However, the final result is undeniable. It can be said that the three torpedoes were enough to destroy the "Dongting Lake", or at least cause it to suffer severe damage and lose its combat effectiveness.
The last twelve "Big Bumblebee" horizontal bombers that entered were almost redundant, as the previous two attacks were enough to destroy this super battleship with a displacement of more than 30,000 tons.
Colonel Ji Xiaobin watched the entire bombing process on the cruiser "Bolanghe".
Although it wouldn't feel that exciting from this angle, Ji Xiaobin was indeed shocked.
Before, he was still doubting whether there would be any problems with the bombing, but judging from the final results, except for the loss of a "Gannet" torpedo bomber, the whole result was almost perfect.
Both the power of the new ammunition and the hit rate of torpedoes and bombs were within the original expected range and even exceeded the preliminary estimates.
"Colonel, these are the data for the final horizontal bombing."
Tan Renhao wiped the sweat off his forehead. "The result is very surprising. I believe that no one will doubt the strike power of naval bombers in the future."
Ji Xiaobin also let out a long breath, then took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Yes, if anyone says that the Navy's bombers are mosquitoes, we will bite them until they bleed!"
Both of them laughed immediately. With this result, not only could they report to General Liao Hanxiang, but the future of the Fifth Fleet would also be brighter.
That afternoon, six officers of the Fifth Fleet and the two "unlucky" torpedo bomber pilots and navigator took a seaplane back to the fleet which was training in the waters near Snake Island.
General Liao Hanxiang had received the news in advance and arrived at the seaplane berth fifteen minutes early to personally welcome the return of the eight officers and soldiers.
"Send Sergeant Deng Zichao and Sergeant Liu Jinsong to the medical cabin first . We must give them the best care and not leave any injured!"
Liao Hanxiang seemed to be in a good mood and was very polite to the two pilots from the Fifth Wing.
Tan Renhao also met Sergeant Deng Zichao on the street, but the person who got along best with Deng Zichao was Second Lieutenant Hao Dongjue.
Deng Zichao joined the Fifth Wing a year ago. Due to his slightly poor eyesight, he lost the opportunity to become a fighter pilot and was assigned to the torpedo bomber squadron, becoming a torpedo bomber pilot.
Even though he was only 20 years old and had only one year of flying experience, he was already a top pilot in the 5th Wing's Torpedo Bomber Squadron.
Of course, the fact that he was chosen to participate in this bombing "experiment" is enough to demonstrate his ability.
"Xiao Ji, you guys did a great job. And you, Lieutenant Tan Renhao, I heard that you were in charge of recording the bombing results?"
Tan Renhao smiled and nodded.
"General, it's actually the colonel who leads us."
Liao Hanxiang nodded.
"Let's go to the command cabin. The bombing operation was very successful. Let's see what else Bei Yuming has to say this time!"
Tan Renhao was slightly stunned, but was immediately pulled by Ji Xiaobin, and he quickly caught up with the colonel.
"A few days ago, General Pei Yuming was still laughing at us and even made a bet with Commander Liao that we couldn't sink the Dongting Lake. Marshal Sagittin was also present at the time."
Ji Xiaobin gave Tan Renhao a brief explanation.
"General Pei Yuming and Marshal Sagittin came together with Naha?"
Ji Xiaobin nodded, then shut up and did not tell Tan Renhao what they were doing in Naha.
Soon the group arrived at the command cabin, which was also the small conference room.
More than a dozen important staff officers seemed very happy, but it was also obvious that none of them felt relaxed before receiving the results.
No one dares to guarantee anything before the results come out, because everyone is worried and has no idea whether they can achieve a complete success.
"Everyone, stop talking nonsense. This bombing has proved one thing, that is, the spring of our Fifth Fleet is coming!"
Liao Hanxiang took a bottle of champagne from Chief of Staff Wu Xianyu. "This day and this moment are worth remembering for every one of us. From today on, our Fifth Fleet will no longer be looked down upon, and we will never be inferior to others again. We must prove to everyone that the Fifth Fleet is the most powerful fleet in the empire!"
The conference room immediately became lively, and the anger that had been suppressed in the hearts of the Fifth Fleet staff officers for more than a year erupted.
At this historic moment, everyone felt not only joy, but also a huge sense of accomplishment that their results were recognized after more than a year of hard work and dedication.
After everyone had their glasses filled with champagne, Liao Hanxiang gave a long inspiring speech, and then two cooks from the battleship brought in a huge cake.
More than a dozen of the Fifth Fleet’s most core staff officers held a small celebration.
While others were still celebrating with each other, Wu Xianyu called Tan Renhao aside.
"Second Lieutenant, you have made a great contribution. The promotion list has been submitted. I believe that next month, the commander will give you the rank of lieutenant. However, while congratulating you, you must compile the statistics as soon as possible. Can you do it in the next two days?"
Tan Renhao was startled at first, then immediately nodded.
"I will give the report to Colonel Ji Xiaobin tomorrow."
"No, just give it to me."
Wu Xianyu corrected Tan Renhao's statement, "This is the commander's order. Of course, I will talk to Colonel Ji Xiaobin."
Tan Renhao felt a little embarrassed, but he still nodded.
Soon, the celebration reached its climax, and Tan Renhao became one of the focus figures among the crowd.
