Chapter 8, Conversation

The pilots' cafeteria is the place where pilots often spend their time, especially when there are no combat missions. Although it is not mealtime yet, the cafeteria is quite crowded, with many pilots either enjoying a cup of coffee or playing poker. When Ron and his companions entered, everyone's attention was focused on Ron. Moreover, Ron could faintly hear some discussions.

I have seen it, General. I have seen the movie

Continue speaking, Ron! Hurry up and say it!

Upon hearing this, Ron couldn't help but reveal a slight smile at the corners of his mouth. He knew that the U.S. Navy and Army often engaged in subtle rivalry, and it was common for Navy pilots to harbor suspicions about the Army. However, it had not escalated to the level of animosity seen between the Japanese Army and Navy.

Is this the ace of the army? It certainly doesn't look like it, considering how young he is.

"Ron, your idea is good, but currently the navy only has radar on cruisers, and not every ship is equipped with it. Sending them out would result in significant losses to air defense firepower, and their numbers are limited, making it difficult to cover too many directions. However, we can order and retrofit a batch of such destroyers in the future," General Fletcher nodded and said.

... ...

Many of my peers here have encountered the Zero fighter in combat. The Zero is indeed an excellent aircraft, known for its high speed, particularly its rapid acceleration, and its terrifying climb rate, as well as its outstanding maneuverability. It holds advantages over our P-40 in both horizontal and vertical planes, and I suspect the Navy's experience may be similar to mine. The first time I encountered a Zero, I was almost stunned. I remember following a Zero as it began to climb, and I followed suit. As I climbed, my speed decreased, bringing me closer to stalling. At that moment, the Zero suddenly performed a backflip, positioning itself behind me, and a torrential barrage of bullets began to rain down on my aircraft. Ron glanced around and saw many people nodding silently, indicating that this situation had been experienced by many.

"Ron, how old are you this year?" General Fletcher asked, leaning on the railing and gazing out at the distant sea.

Oh, just like it is said in "Gone with the Wind," that world of ladies and knights has already... What does it say up there?

"It's nothing, anyway, everything I was familiar with seems to have been blown away by a gust of wind. Look at this battle, how many mistakes I made. If it were still a decisive battle in a line of battleships... it seems I really am getting old, actually enjoying discussing this with the young ones." The general chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Alright, no more talk. This is no longer the era of the old gunners. Ron, this era belongs to you sky knights."

"Ron, I have to wonder if you are the illegitimate child of God, as your unconscious actions during your temporary unconsciousness turned out to be correct," said Major John Satchi, standing up and reaching across the table to pat Ron on the shoulder. "Keynes had a similar escape last time, but he didn't derive anything of value from it. When he got off the plane, his face was as pale as a woman's..." It was evident that understanding how to escape from the Zero fighter made him so happy that he forgot to consider the Navy's reputation in front of the Army.

After Lam returned to the flight squadron, he discussed with his comrades some analyses he and Ron had made regarding Japanese aircraft and their tactics, and conducted tactical drills on diagrams. Some of these tactics, especially the double aircraft scissors maneuver, were praised as a genius creation. Additionally, news from the Army confirmed his status as an ace pilot. Consequently, the commander of the air squadron, Navy Major Oscar Peterson, approached General Fletcher, suggesting that Ron come and speak with everyone. In his words, it was to "extract his experience while he is still on the Navy's ship".

Having finished speaking, General Fletcher slowly turned around and walked towards the bridge. Upon reaching the door, a sailor helped him open it. He turned back with a smile and said to Ron: "If you wish, I can arrange for you to join the Navy. In the Pacific, there are greater opportunities... Don't rush to answer; you can take your time to think it over"

Ron's lecture earned him considerable respect among the naval aviators, and by the next day, when the pilots gathered for tactical exercises, this respect further escalated, nearly transforming into reverence

"Very well, General." Ron looked at General Fletcher, and from his eyes, he seemed to see a glimmer of appreciation, so he decided to continue speaking

Yes, Commander. This is exactly what I was thinking. I believe that the diameter of the Zero's nose is not large, and it should not have a very powerful engine, yet it possesses excellent climb and acceleration. This may be due to its very light weight. This assumption also explains why the Zero has such outstanding turning performance and why it can fly such long distances. I do not know how the Japanese managed to make the Zero so light, but I think a plane this light must have made sacrifices in other areas. This assumption also explains why the Zero has such outstanding turning performance and why it can fly such long distances. I do not know how the Japanese managed to make the Zero so light, but I think a plane this light must have made sacrifices in other areas. Thus, I have some speculations.

Everyone displayed a thoughtful expression, and it was Lieutenant Commander John Saki who first spoke: "Are you suggesting that the Zero fighter is an imbalanced aircraft that sacrifices certain performance aspects to enhance others?"

I believe there are certain issues with our operations this time. Some of our advantages have not been fully realized. After being called out by General Fletcher, Ron began to express his views as if he were rushing to mount a donkey—essentially, these were just some of the trivial comments he had seen in the forums of his successors

"I am sorry, General, I do not remember that line." After all, Ron does not come from a literary background, so how could he possibly remember? At most, he only remembers the beautiful and stubborn female protagonist

Indeed, even if one knows it is unarmored, if it cannot be hit, it is still in vain

My father is an aircraft engineer, so I have a certain understanding of aircraft design. I believe that if an aircraft is particularly light, it may encounter some issues. Firstly, the strength of its structural framework is likely to be quite limited, which means its dive speed cannot be very high. This also explains why, during my dive, the Zero fighter was unable to catch up with me. Furthermore, it would certainly struggle to overcome the torque of the propeller. In other words, its roll in the direction opposite to the propeller's torque, which is to the left, would be quite sluggish, and this sluggishness increases with speed. At the time I was unconscious, I was rolling to the left. Therefore, when I began to roll, it was unable to immediately catch up with me. By the time it completed its left roll and entered the dive, my dive speed had already far exceeded its capabilities, preventing it from continuing to pursue me—this is how I managed to escape with my life.

The general shook his head, smiled, and then said: "Do you know, when this war, the war I have waited for and prepared for decades, finally arrived, I felt not the slightest excitement. On the contrary..." The general paused, seemingly contemplating which words to use, "On the contrary... I felt at a loss. Yes, at a loss. For decades, I have been preparing for a decisive battle akin to Jutland—battleships in line, coordinated maneuvers, seizing the T, organizing artillery fire. On the contrary... I felt at a loss. Yes, at a loss. For decades, I have been preparing for a decisive battle akin to Jutland—battleships in line, coordinated maneuvers, seizing the T, organizing artillery fire. For decades, I have dreamed of the thunder of battleship cannons. Yet, when the war began, I realized that what I had prepared for and cherished for decades was like, well, have you read "Gone with the Wind"?

"Second Lieutenant Ron, may I accompany you for a walk on the deck?"

Ram mentioned that you have some knowledge about Japanese aircraft, particularly the Zero fighter... You know, this type of aircraft has caused us quite a bit of trouble. We believe that your experience might be of assistance to us. Therefore, we hope that you can engage in a discussion with us; I think this would not only benefit the Navy but also be helpful to the Army. " The speaker was Navy Major John Satch, who commanded the Wildcats.

We mistakenly took the initiative to attack an unimportant anchorage. Although we struck the Japanese, we also exposed the fleet's presence. This was our first mistake. Secondly, our pilots misjudged the Japanese naval vessels, mistaking a light aircraft carrier for a fleet carrier. This directly affected subsequent operations. Later, our pilots once again misjudged the enemy fleet carrier as heavily damaged, even sunk, which impacted operational arrangements. Of course, this was the first aircraft carrier battle, and the lack of experience made such oversights understandable. Although he was in the army and the navy was a different system, Ron did not intend to offend them for no reason.

In the first battle, I was injured; a bullet hit me. I lost consciousness for a while in the air, and when I came to, the plane was rolling to the left while diving crazily towards the sea. I exerted all my strength to level the aircraft, but fortunately, there were no enemy planes pursuing me. Later, I stayed in the hospital for a period of time, during which I almost had nightmares every day. As soon as I closed my eyes, I would see a Zero fighter suddenly flipping to my six o'clock position. Ron chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued to speak.

"General," Ron began, "I would like to know if the navy has destroyers equipped with radar. If so, we can advance such vessels a certain distance towards the potentially dangerous direction of enemy attacks, serving as the eyes of the fleet. Of course, doing so would put the forward vessels at greater risk, just like..." Ron paused, nearly mentioning the Falklands and the HMS Sheffield. "Of course, doing so would put the forward vessels at greater risk, just like..." Ron paused again, almost revealing the Falklands and the HMS Sheffield.

General, the radar is too large; the existing destroyers cannot accommodate them.

The aircraft carrier's deck was originally the busiest and most dangerous place in the world, but now, due to a bomb strike, aircraft takeoffs and landings have become nearly impossible. Thus, the deck is now eerily quiet, with only the sea breeze passing through, accompanied by the calls of seagulls. As far as the eye can see, there is an endless expanse of calm ocean, and it is now close to noon, with the tropical sun leaping among the waves.

Ah, that is no longer a matter for us to worry about; it is for the shipyard to consider. We only need to put forward our requests.

However, wars cannot be won by merely fleeing. I would like to share some thoughts on how to engage the Zero fighter. I have already experimented with this in my previous unit, and the results were quite good. I believe that the Zero, being so lightweight, must have some issues with its protection. It may even lack self-sealing fuel tanks. It is just that we previously did not have the opportunity to shoot at it because we could not maneuver to its six o'clock position. It is too agile, and this agility serves as its protection.

Moreover, when we intercepted, we easily became entangled with the escorting Zero fighters, resulting in too many bombers getting through. At this time, the enemy was at an altitude of around 13,000 feet. If we could climb higher, to 16,000 feet, and then dive at high speed from that height towards the bombers, the Zero fighters could only engage us head-on once at most. As Ron mentioned yesterday, the ballistic trajectory of the Zero's cannons is curved, making their head-on fire much less effective than our four .50 caliber machine guns. Once we passed each other, their diving speed would not match ours; even if they appeared at our six o'clock position, they would be unable to pursue us. This way, we could more effectively deliver an unforgettable lesson to those bombers.

Is he feeling that I have gone too far? Does he think I am criticizing his command? Ron thought, perhaps it is better not to mention the spam content from the future website

Thus, Ron was taken aboard the USS Yorktown by a small boat

After speaking, the general gave him a sly wink and then walked inside

Hello, Commander! Ron hurriedly saluted them, noticing that among these individuals, except for Ram, all held the rank of Major.

First of all, the Japanese were not initially certain of our fleet's existence, which was a significant advantage. We could completely conceal ourselves while utilizing the long range of the land-based B-17s to assist in target reconnaissance. After waiting for the Japanese carrier-based aircraft to attack the port, we could exploit their window of opportunity when they were recovering their planes to launch our attack. Ron looked up and glanced at General Fletcher, the veteran in his fifties, who furrowed his brow. After waiting for the Japanese carrier-based aircraft to attack the port, we could exploit their window of opportunity when they were recovering their planes to launch our attack. Ron looked up and glanced at General Fletcher, the veteran in his fifties, who furrowed his brow.

"General, unless we can extend the warning time by more than 5 minutes, it will be difficult for the fighter units to reach such altitudes while expanding the interception range," replied Major John Satch.

But is there enough time to climb to 16,000 feet

The army is most fond of boasting, perhaps it is all just bluster

"Come on! We all saw how you looked back then." Someone continued to jeer.

Ron understood that the so-called "trouble" was not merely "trouble"; the reality was that in the early stages of the war, both the United States Navy's air forces and the Army Air Forces were essentially victims in the face of the Zero fighter. Historically, shortly after, during the Battle of Midway, although the U.S. Navy achieved a decisive victory, they only shot down 42 Japanese aircraft while losing over 140 of their own. Clearly, "trouble" was a euphemistic expression, especially in front of the Army. However, Ron understood this well; who doesn't have a bit of vanity? Considering that everyone was fighting against the Japanese, Ron decided to reveal a little about the Zero fighter's weaknesses to them. Of course, he would not say that this was common knowledge found everywhere online in later years, but rather present it as his own speculation.

Indeed, this way our artillery department need not worry about hitting our own people

Alright, stop the commotion and let Ron continue speaking! Major Peterson spoke up, and everyone fell silent once again

The meeting had concluded, and Ron, like everyone else, stood up to leave. At that moment, he heard someone calling his name

Training in this area must be further strengthened said Lieutenant Commander Maxwell Leslie

"That's a good idea." Noticing Ron's hesitation, the general spoke up, "Please continue. This battle marks the first confrontation between aircraft carriers in history; we have no prior experience, and there are bound to be many issues."

"General, during the last plane crash, my head bumped a bit, and as a result, I often feel a bit confused about past events"

I think that when I lost consciousness, my hand pressed forward and to the left on the control stick, causing the plane to perform a downward left roll. Perhaps it was this action that saved my life. Since then, I have been contemplating the Zero fighter. I have never believed, and I think you all might share the same sentiment. " Ron looked up at everyone, " I do not believe that Japanese aviation technology can be comprehensively superior to ours. Therefore, the advantages of the Zero must have been achieved through obsession! "

Oh, this is indeed a problem. The general pondered, "Does anyone else have any opinions?"

"About 25? Haha, this is the first time I've heard such an answer," General Fletcher turned his face, leaned his body against the railing, and said with a smile

If you are bitten and the altitude is insufficient with no adequate space to roll and dive, you can also utilize the issues related to the Zero fighter's roll to perform a barrel roll for defense. Of course, timing is crucial; if you act too late, the shells will hit you, and if you act too early, the enemy can simply climb on top and watch you waste your energy. Moreover, the Zero fighter is too light, which means that the same airflow causes greater interference. If there is truly no other option, escaping at high speed close to the sea is also a choice. The airflow near the sea surface is highly variable, which can cause the Zero fighter to shake violently, interfering with its shooting. Additionally, the Zero fighter's machine guns are weak, its cannon's firing rate is not high, and its trajectory is as erratic as a stream of urine (laughter all around). This significantly increases our chances of escape.

The general faced Ron, stood up straight, and extended his hand, giving a firm pat on his shoulder. "Young man, well done! You have skill, and more importantly, you have a mind! This is your era, seize it!"

General, I am approximately 25 years old this year. I have served in the military for 3 years

I believe that it is indeed very difficult to deal with the Zero fighter individually, so we can rely on teamwork and mutual protection. To this end, I have designed such a tactic ... Here, Ron shamelessly claims the future creations of others as his own again

"We possess radar, which gives us an advantage in intercepting enemy aircraft. However, this advantage has not been fully utilized; our interception points are set too close, to the extent that our intercepting aircraft may even come under fire from the fleet's air defense artillery," said Major John Satch. "I believe our interception points should be moved further ahead. If we advance to this position, it can definitely be achieved in terms of timing"

In the hospital, I was also pondering how I managed to escape. Why, during the time I lost consciousness while with the book, did the Japanese not shoot me down, and how did I manage to shake them off? Eventually, I finally understood how I evaded the Zero fighter.

At this point, Ron chuckled. "I must say, my luck is quite good"

So that's how it is, fortunately your head didn't get hurt. The general chuckled, "At least it's much better than when I was your age. I joined the navy when I was about your age too. Back then, my head was full of fantasies, always thinking that maybe a war would break out soon, and I would have the chance to become a hero. But what happened was that a great war came, and it had nothing to do with our navy. So I waited, year after year, until I was old and thought I would be leaving the navy, only to encounter a war. But do you know?" But do you know?

Ron turned around and saw that the speaker was General Fletcher. He nodded to the general, "At your command, General!"

"Sir, you cannot slander me!" someone in the crowd protested

The meeting concluded successfully after a vigorous discussion, with the attending officers and soldiers expressing that this was a unifying conference, a victorious conference, and a conference that transitions from victory to victory. After the meeting, the officers and soldiers stated their commitment to earnestly study and comprehend the spirit of the conference, enhance their learning, and continuously make progress

"Quick, tell us!" an interjecting pilot said

As soon as Ron stepped onto the deck, he saw several officers in flight jackets approaching him. Ron recognized one of them as Ram

Major Peterson sat down with everyone at the largest dining table. To his left was Major John Satch, the commander of VF-3 Wildcat Squadron, and to his right were Major Maxwell Leslie, the commander of VB-3 Avenger Dive Bomber Squadron, and Major Lance Massey, the commander of VT-3 Avenger Torpedo Bomber Squadron. Almost all the senior officers of the entire air group were present, except for Major Wallace Short, who commanded VS-3 and was unable to attend due to being on standby duty. The pilots in the dining room also gathered spontaneously.

It has been proven that whether it is a dive attack, a hit-and-run, or the mutual protection of the 6-point scissor cross, all have shown good results. Ron concluded his introduction of experiences with this statement. He looked around at the audience, noticing that they all seemed to be in deep thought. It appears that his transcendent experiences have indeed inspired them.

The tactical exercise on this day was actually a review of the recently concluded Battle of Coral Sea. Everyone used this opportunity to analyze the issues that emerged during the combat in order to improve the efficiency of future operations. This was extremely important for the air forces and critical for the entire fleet. Therefore, even Fleet Commander General Fletcher was present. Ron had originally planned to just listen, but unexpectedly, after a general review of the entire battle process, General Fletcher specifically called on him to share his views.

In fact, as long as we have enough radars, we can remove one of the rear main guns from the destroyer, which would essentially allow for the installation. This modification could even be carried out at Pearl Harbor," another officer added

"Hmm, not bad, young man, very spirited!" A tall officer nodded after returning the greeting and said, "Ram has mentioned some of your ideas to us, and we are quite interested... Given that the wind is too strong on the deck, let's go to the pilots' cafeteria to discuss it."