Chapter 1522 Modify the Route

The first step in wolf pack tactics is to use the various submarines distributed at sea to discover the enemy's transport fleet.

The vastness of the sea is unimaginable. For example, even in later generations, it is difficult to find the enemy's aircraft carrier formation. In this era, it is also difficult to find a transport fleet.

Therefore, we must engage in submarine sea tactics, and arrange for some submarines to patrol the channel that the other party may pass through. Once found, immediately notify other submarines, and everyone will go up and fight together!

At this time, under the telegram of the U-107 submarine, the five or six nearby submarines were rushing towards the direction it reported.

Bering Sea, near Attu Island.

"The Soviets were so smart that they emptied most of our submarines," said Günter Heisler, the captain of the U-107 submarine.

The Arctic route, which the Soviets are still using, is after all the most effective route to support them, and the only way to go is the Bering Strait.

The Soviets placed most of the limited anti-submarine ships near the Bering Strait, and some anti-submarine aircraft were also waiting nearby with anti-submarine depth bombs, and they could get the help of American anti-submarine aircraft at any time.

In this case, the danger of German submarines going to the Bering Strait to attack is greatly increased. Therefore, they can only settle for the next best thing and patrol the waters of the Bering Sea to find the traces of the fleet.

When they set off from the west coast of the United States, they needed to cross the Aleutian Islands. Generally speaking, it was the most economical route to cross from the easternmost Unimak Island, but the Soviets took a big circle and bypassed the most important part of the archipelago. West, go back around.

It is very important to go around like this. The main German submarines, that is, the submarines patrolling the eastern Bering Sea, have been bypassed.

The U-107 submarine was also cruising to the east of the Bering Sea, and only discovered this formation when it passed near Attu Island.

At this time, Heisler looked at the fleet in the periscope.

Many cargo ships are brand new. This is a freewheeler manufactured by the United States in accordance with industrial standards. It has a displacement of 7,000 tons and a speed of only a dozen knots. Its biggest feature is the assembly line production, which is quite fast.

Throughout World War II, the United States built nearly 3,000 Liberty ships in 18 docks, fully demonstrating the industrial heritage of the United States.

And now, the support for the Soviet Union is also sparing no effort. If there is no blood transfusion from the United States to the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union will definitely lose. Therefore, the number of free ships that the United States supports the Soviet Union is often dozens.

Now this fleet is composed of more than 30 freewheels, and it is mighty.

At the same time, in order to protect the fleet, the Soviet Union also used six warships to escort the entire formation.

Walking in the forefront is the Wrath-class destroyer Vigilance. This destroyer with a displacement of more than 2,000 tons is the home of the Soviet Far East Fleet. This warship is also the backbone of the Soviet Navy. Nearly 30 ships have been built before and after, equipped with Quantity is large.

Two 25,000-horsepower steam engines can make the entire warship rush to a high speed of 40 knots. Under normal circumstances, its cruising speed is about 15 knots. Now, it is sailing slowly at a speed of 10 knots, so that Able to keep up with the cargo ships.

On the bridge, the bearded captain Boris is carefully observing the sea with a telescope.

"Has there been any discovery in the sonar room?" Boris asked.

This Angry-class destroyer originally did not have submarine detection equipment, but now their main task is anti-submarine. Therefore, in the recent period, these warships have successively installed submarine detectors provided by the United States (ASDIC, this It is the British way of saying, and later it was called sonar, and now it is still called sonar.)

Although they took a detour to a new route, Boris was still quite careful. For him, getting the entire cargo ship safely to its destination was his most difficult task.

"No, everything is normal underwater." First mate Isakov on the side said: "Captain, you are too careful, there should be nothing in this sea area, our biggest threat is the Arctic route after crossing the Bering Strait. ."

From the first time they were attacked, almost every time they were attacked, they were on the Arctic route. Therefore, it is said that they do not need to detour at all now. Isakov is very puzzled.

"Yeah, but we won't go through the Bering Strait this time." Until now, Boris finally said the most confidential news: "We will no longer go on the Arctic route. For maximum safety, we will Continue to sail westward, unload at the Soviet port in the Far East, and transport our supplies there by rail."

The Arctic route is too dangerous. Although the Soviet crews are not afraid of sacrifice, they have to face the reality that the losses on the Arctic route are too great for them to bear, so they cannot take any more risks.

Transport materials directly to the Far East, and then transport them by rail!

railway? Hearing his words, Isakov immediately opened his mouth wide: "Is this all right? The Far Eastern Railway is already quite heavy, and there is no extra capacity to transport so many materials!"

Now, the Far East is the big rear of the Soviets. After several wars, the Western Front suffered heavy losses. The Soviet Union has been constantly mobilizing the troops on the Eastern Front.

This has already overwhelmed the railways in the Far East. So many materials can only be transported by sea and railway, which is simply impossible.

"We don't need to worry about it. In order to avoid being discovered, we need to keep it secret." Boris said: "After passing through the southern waters of the Kamchatka Peninsula, we go north into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and then pass through the Tatar Strait. Come to the port of the Soviets."

This route is still far away. It is the closest to go directly to the strait in the northern part of Hokkaido, but it may be discovered by the islanders. Therefore, in order to keep it secret, they decided to make trouble.

Their route has avoided most threats. The huge German submarines are all set up in the Bering Sea. They are destined to wait in vain. If it hadn't happened to U-107, they might have found nothing.

However, the Soviets were also more unfortunate. If they knew that the Germans had established submarine bases on the small islands in northern Hokkaido, I am afraid that the Soviets would not choose this Far East route anyway.

This is simply throwing into the net and asking for hardship.

In the middle of the formation, on a freewheel, a sailor was lying on the side of the ship, looking at the distant sea with a high-magnification maritime telescope.

They have been frightened by the German submarines. As long as they are idle and bored crew members, they will observe the sea as lookouts.