One Thousand Two Hundred and Eleven Sea Battles in the Plan
In the British naval base in Canada, there is a huge map of the Atlantic Ocean, which shows the approximate location of each British warship and the scope of the entire anti-submarine network. These things are very confidential information, but for those who can enter and exit here, it is not something worth keeping secret.
"The battleship Evil is on standby in the waters west of Iceland. In order to prevent the German battleship Admiral Raeder from approaching Iceland again, the fleet composed of it and the battleship Nelson cannot move." A naval staff officer stood at the head of the navy. Commander Admiral Dudley Pound pointed to a squadron on the map and said.
At any time, being rich and powerful is a kind of capital. At least after 100 years of painstaking efforts by the British Navy, the wealth accumulated is not comparable to that of the upstart German Navy.
Although the Royal Navy's battleship force suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the English Channel, the British government immediately mobilized reinforcements from all over the world to re-form a large battleship main fleet.
Including HMS Nelson and HMS Villain, the British Navy still has more than 4 battleships in the Atlantic Ocean, while the German Navy, which won the Battle of the English Channel, still has only three battleships so far—— Admiral Raeder Admiral, Ukraine and Belarus.
Although there is already a big gap between the two sides in terms of absolute strength: at least the German Navy has an absolute advantage in the number of aircraft carriers. However, in terms of the tonnage and number of naval ships, Britain is still the powerful maritime overlord of the past, with unquestionable strength.
"A refitted Essex-class aircraft carrier from the United States is rushing over. With our Ark Royal aircraft carrier, there shouldn't be too many problems with the fleet's air defense." The staff officer pointed with a long pointer. Referring to the waters west of Iceland on the huge map, he stated to his superior: "Combined with the cover of land-based aircraft deployed in Greenland, if the fleet is in danger, it can immediately go north and leave..."
"This is simply nonsense!" General Dudley Pound put his hands behind his back, dismissing the action plan given by the Americans. He worked hard to maintain the status of the former overlord of the British Royal Navy, just to keep the last hope of reversing the original for the United Kingdom. Now the Americans are actually encouraging him to mobilize his navy. Isn't this a joke with him?
The calm old admiral of the Royal Navy stared at the huge sea chart, thinking about how to avoid the risk of encountering the German navy to the greatest extent: "Let my fleet conduct large-scale escort at this time, the Americans Is this going to take the last sliver of the British Royal Navy and give it to the Germans as a gift for peace?"
"Your Excellency, General! Things may not be as bad as you imagined..." The staff officer glanced at the document of the U.S. Navy's coordinated operations in his hand, and said: "The main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet will also join the escort fleet However, even if the Germans dare to come, they can't take advantage of it.
"
"The High Seas Fleet of the German Navy disappeared two days ago!" Dudley Pound looked at his subordinates, and said with some hatred: "If they didn't come for our operation, why did they dispatch it? Such a huge fleet? 7 aircraft carriers! A total of 7 ships! Not even one of them can be found!"
Hearing this, the British staff officer showed a disapproving expression. The German fleet often disappears for no reason, and then either appears in Gibraltar, or tentatively enters the mid-Atlantic region for a test... In short, the specific movements of the German navy cannot be confirmed. After all, after the German ships have sufficient fuel, He has never stopped going to sea for training.
A few days ago, the Germans just took advantage of the lax security forces on the east coast of the United Kingdom and the United States, and launched a fleet to attack the transportation routes on the east coast of the United States. Now is the time when the Germans are least likely to be active. So when they got the news that the German navy was dispatched again, more people felt that the German army was confusing the Allied forces, or it was another East Coast sneak attack that was labor-intensive.
"Your Excellency, General! But His Majesty the King has already agreed to the Americans. If we don't deploy the fleet, it may affect the alliance between the two countries..." The staff officer finally took out the tried and tested trump card. After all, when he mentioned this, That would make Dudley Pound succumb.
Sure enough, the steady old general sighed, and walked towards the gate of the headquarters with his hands behind his back: "I want to personally command this naval battle on board the Royal Ark! Since His Majesty the King has appointed me as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, I will It is the duty of every ship to be used in the right place!"
On the afternoon of August 14th, in the anchorage of the British Royal Navy in Canada, warships set sail one after another. The aircraft carrier Ark Royal, accompanied by the battleship Ramirez, set sail again. Following the two battleships was the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, which had driven back from the South Atlantic.
On August 15, the USS Essex-class aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin, which had been refitted in the Atlantic Ocean, joined the fleet, accompanied by a modified escort aircraft carrier that had just been transferred to the Atlantic Ocean, and several escort destroyers.
On the bridge of the HMS Ark Royal, looking at the brand-new American Essex-class aircraft carrier, Dudley Pound showed a bitter smile on his face. He knew that whether or not the Royal Navy won the war in the end, the ocean no longer belonged to Britain. Strong productivity and technology that has narrowed the gap make it difficult for the Royal Navy to maintain its dominance. Whether it is the German Navy with newer technology or the US Navy with stronger production, it is no longer the UK that can calmly face Enemy right.
"Signal to the Franklin aircraft carrier! Let them adjust the radio frequency! Keep the communication open!" After a wry smile, Dudley Pound will continue to fulfill his duties as the commander-in-chief of the Allied Atlantic Theater Navy. He quickly issued various orders, and quickly integrated the American warships, adjusting his fleet to the best condition.
"General!" The staff officer stood behind Dudley Pound, stood at attention and saluted, and reported: "The transport fleet will arrive at the designated position in 40 minutes, 2000 tons of aviation bombs, 5000 tons of aviation fuel, plus 200 spare engines , more than 1,700 ground crews, 40 senior engineers and 700 Air Force spare pilots and commanders are all on board the transport ships we protect."
"Very good! Keep the destroyers on the periphery of the fleet on alert! Try to drive out the German submarines in the nearby waters! We don't want to expose our position prematurely!" Dudley Pound waved his hand and ordered to his subordinates. The sky over the ocean in front of him was rare and clear, and the Atlantic sea was rare without too many waves. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly, to the point where Dudley Pound felt uneasy.
The United Kingdom has no way to reject the United States' joint action plan. After all, this plan was deliberated to the end. It was Roosevelt's plan to strengthen the determination of the United States to fight, and it was a combat operation regardless of the cost. Compared with the United States, the United Kingdom, which has already lost everything, is more afraid of the United States' withdrawal from the war. Therefore, in order to stabilize the United States' main combat faction, His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom agreed to this "decisive battle" by the Royal Navy without thinking about it.
In order to ensure the success of this operation, the two aircraft carriers of the Ark Royal and the Franklin, and even the escort aircraft carrier, are equipped with the latest naval P-40 Rolls-Royce engine-improved fighter jets. These planes are much more advanced than those of the British, at least they will not be slaughtered mindlessly by German carrier-based fighter jets.
On the bridge of the Franklin aircraft carrier of the US Navy, a US Navy officer looked at the sea outside the glass window with a serious expression. As a senior American military officer who volunteered to participate in this operation, he knew the true meaning of this operation.
"When the war is mixed with political goals, it becomes less pure." The captain stared at the rough sea and murmured, "This is a battle that is beneficial to the United States no matter whether it wins or loses... ...But for the United Kingdom, an ally of the United States, it may not be so. General Dudley Pound, it depends on whether you can win this battle and lead the outcome in a direction that is beneficial to the United Kingdom."
For the United States, even if it cannot win this war, it is very important to weaken the strength of Canada and the United Kingdom. If there is really nothing to be done on the European battlefield, at least it will be easier for Canada, which is entrenched above the United States, to be manipulated, which will be more beneficial to the United States. So no matter whether this naval battle will break out or not, and what the outcome will be, the Americans are already invincible.
...
Just 70 kilometers away from the north of the British Isles, the British mainland, a huge fleet was sailing silently. One after another, warships split the waves and rushed towards them with a killing momentum. Target.
The flagship Reich, Zeppelin followed by Bismarck, then Tirpitz and Dragon, Gross Deutschland, Prussia... plus three battleships scattered on both wings of the fleet, the German High Seas Fleet has more than 80 ships. A huge formation composed of two warships, under the cover of land-based fighter jets, is marching towards the sea west of Iceland.
Lütjens put down the binoculars in his hand, looked at Marshal Raeder standing beside him, and said nothing—they were engaged in a decisive battle to determine the ownership of this ocean, and everyone was nervous about what was coming. with.