Empire Conquest

Chapter 561 - 557: Overnight Raid

A large-scale bombing only took place for one day. In the following days, when the Twelfth Special Mixed Fleet had withdrawn to resupply with ammunition, air strikes primarily for suppression against Jibu Fortress were carried out, preventing the damaged airports and ports from being put back into use.

In fact, it was mainly to prevent Bulan troops from deploying long-range combat aircraft to Jibu Fortress.

As for tactical fighters, they were not a major threat.

This suppressive nature of combat operation continued until October 12.

That day, the first field airport on Socotra Island was completed, and the accompanying pontoon-style docks were officially put into operation.

Importantly, the deep-water anchorage area outside the docks was also initially established.

Although transferring goods required the use of smaller landing ships like barges, it was much faster than transporting them to the beach via landing craft.

It was for this reason that the shore-based air force stationed on Socotra Island could be deployed on that day.

After the shore-based air force entered the combat, the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet was also able to disengage on the same day. They retreated about 400 kilometers overnight, meeting with the supply fleet behind them to carry out an early resupply of ammunition and fuel before heading north following the Twelfth Special Mixed Fleet.

This was also a point of dissatisfaction for staff members like Zhou Yongtao.

Since the attack on Socotra Island began, the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet had been trailing behind the Twelfth Special Mixed Fleet, acting as a little follower to the latter.

To put it nicely, it was coordinating combat with the Twelfth Special Mixed Fleet.

However, it was more like being a runner or errand boy.

In short, the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet had become a supporting role.

In the East Ocean, the Special Mixed Fleet commanded by Bai Zhizhan had always been the main character.

Even during the attack on Liuhuang Island, Bai Zhizhan, with just one carrier from the fleet, became the protagonist in annihilating the Saiyi Navy’s Permanent Fleet.

This feeling of being inferior, or rather, constantly restricted and having to conform to others’ combat styles, made the young staff members like Zhou Yongtao very uncomfortable.

To this, both Bai Zhizhan and Li Mingbo were indifferent.

Before the outbreak of the war, Bai Zhizhan had always been a supporting role, always following Liu Xiangzhen’s lead.

Of course, this combat operation could be considered a rare leisure moment.

In Bai Zhizhan’s words, with Liu Xiangzhen taking the lead in the operation while they picked up the pieces behind, they could save a lot of trouble.

Moreover, after the Southwest Fan Flame Ocean Battle, it had always been Liu Xiangzhen taking actions here.

Although Bai Zhizhan wrote the decisive victory, the actions of advancing to the Maldives and landing in Gwadar were all managed by Liu Xiangzhen.

It could be said that Liu Xiangzhen was more familiar with battlefield conditions.

Since the consumption of ammunition was not very high, mainly fuel was replenished, thus the resupply operation only took one day and was completed on the night of the 13th.

At that time, in the north of the Mua Sea, the battle to advance into Boss Bay had already begun.

That night, the raiding fleet led by four "Nanzhu Sea" class fast battleships sprinted 300 kilometers and stormed into the Hormuz Strait, shelling the coastal defense positions on several islands to the north of the strait, destroying the heavy artillery deployed by Boi Country in the area, and opening the gateway into Boss Bay.

The idea of letting the fast battleships charge through the Hormuz Strait was conceived by Liu Xiangzhen.

Indeed, this bold tactic proved to be feasible.

Previously, the raid on Socotra Island and the strong attack on Jibu Fortress were all carried out by the Special Mixed Fleet, with shipborne air force executing the strike missions.

As for the battleship, it always stayed out of the range of shore-based guns.

The key was that in the previous months, the Empire’s Navy had also primarily relied on the Special Mixed Fleet.

As a result, Boi Country and the stationed Bulan troops were continuously fortifying the turrets on the northern shore of the strait, particularly against bombings.

To cope with aerial strikes, not only were the shore gun turrets strengthened, but several high-altitude gun emplacements had also been installed, deploying more high-altitude guns. The Bulan Royal Navy even dismantled high-altitude guns from some damaged battleships and integrated the operators into the coastal defense forces.

The Special Mixed Fleet, mainly composed of shipborne air force, could only launch attacks during the day. Before destroying the coastal defense positions on the north side of the strait, the Special Mixed Fleet might not dare to venture into the strait.

Against the well-prepared Boi Country coastal defense troops, if they stuck to the old routine of primarily bombing, it would certainly take several days to achieve their goal.

Within these days, the enemy had enough time to block the Hormuz Strait with naval mines.

To be precise, it was mainly several key shipping lanes in the strait.

After the end of the Southwest Fan Flame Ocean Battle, the Bulan Royal Navy used minesweeping ships to lay naval mines on the southern side of the strait, blocking several routes near the Oman Peninsula. They reserved the deeper water routes on the north side primarily for transporting materials to Boss Bay and evacuating troops stationed there when necessary.

In fact, the most crucial task for the 11th Special Mixed Fleet previously active in the Mua Sea was to prevent the Bulan Royal Navy and Boi Navy from laying mines in the strait.

It was only under the suppression of the 11th Special Mixed Fleet that the Bulan Royal Navy could not operate during the day and thus could not complete mine-laying in time.

Unfortunately, the Special Mixed Fleet could not prevent the enemy’s minesweeping ships from operating at night.

Interestingly, because they could operate at night, in the months before, both the Bulan Royal Navy and the Boi Navy thought that after being attacked, they could still send out minesweeping ships at night to block the main channels with naval mines rather than blocking the entire strait in advance.

This was the opportunity Liu Xiangzhen saw.

The march into Boss Bay, especially in the initial phase, had to primarily involve a surprise attack to catch the enemy off guard.

For this, Liu Xiangzhen had been meticulously preparing for months.

Most representative of this was that in the months prior, Liu Xiangzhen had not sent fast battleships and heavy cruisers to shell the Boi Country’s coastal defense positions. Instead, he continually arranged for reconnaissance aircraft to go to the Hormuz Strait, posing as if they were going to eliminate threats through extensive bombing.

Moreover, the Sixth Bureau also made an effort, mainly engaging in false propaganda, leading the enemy to believe that the Empire’s Navy would not risk its main battle ships.

Combining these reasons, Liu Xiangzhen then suggested that the fast battleships raid the Hormuz Strait at night.

The key objective was not only to destroy the northern coastal defense guns but also to prevent the enemy minesweeping ships from entering the strait, ensuring that the main shipping lanes remained navigable.

If the enemy succeeded in laying mines in the strait, even sending minesweeping ships to clear the lanes would take a considerable amount of time.

Indeed, the bombardment lasted for less than three hours.

Being able to destroy the coastal defense turrets in such a short period was crucially dependent on the intelligence provided by the Sixth Bureau.

To be exact, the Sixth Bureau had actually turned a Boi Country Navy General, obtaining deployment information about the Hormuz Strait coastal defense troops.

The results of the battle proved that this turncoat Boi Navy Major General was quite reliable.

In those brief three hours, the raiding fleet not only destroyed 12 threatening coastal defense turrets but also wiped out the coastal defense troops’ ammunition depot.

The fire from the explosion could be seen from tens of kilometers away.

According to the data obtained after the battle, the ammunition depot stored about 100,000 tons of shells.

Among them, approximately 50,000 tons of large-caliber shells were provided by the Bulan Royal Navy, including as many as 15,000 armor-piercing bullets of 14 inches caliber and above.

Although these were old shells produced during the last major war, some of which could not be used normally and their power was insufficient against modern fast battleships, they were more than enough to deal with other ships.