Chapter 632: 20,000-Kilometer Expedition (Part 2)

"Falkland?" Some army generals were still wondering which remote corner this was. General Jin had already stood up and yelled: "Asshole! Asshole!" Because of his excitement, the 65-year-old staggered. If Turner's quick eyesight and hands hadn't helped him, the navy leader almost fell to the ground.

When the staff unfolded the map on the wall, everyone gasped after looking at it carefully. They finally understood why Admiral Jin was so rude: There are three shipping lanes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the most convenient one is through the Panama Canal. Now The canal was destroyed and this road was blocked; the second was the traditional shipping route, which went around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America to the Pacific Ocean. Once the Falkland Islands were occupied, this route would be under full German deterrence. Beasores The deterrent to the Atlantic Ocean is still greater; the third route is probably the route from northern Canada through the Arctic Ocean, but the naval admiral explained that the polar routes usually have ice floes and are basically a dead end.

"So, if the Germans occupy the Falkland Islands, our supply routes to the Pacific will be cut off?"

"It is impossible to completely cut off the supply. We can transport materials to the West Coast through the trans-oceanic railway, and then dispatch and transport them. After the Panama Canal was damaged, we have adopted the above approach to speed up transportation. ", the transportation volume of the Liangyang Railway last month increased three times compared with the same period last year, and it is still growing, but other aspects have been greatly affected..." Li Hai explained, "Warships and ships cannot pass, including the Liberty Ship. The West Coast still has production capacity for general transport ships and escort aircraft carriers, but warships, especially large warships, can currently only be provided by the East Coast.”

Everyone nodded involuntarily. The generals in the army system obviously hadn't realized anything yet. In their minds, the next mission was to fight the Azores, and they didn't have time to transport warships to the Pacific. The Falkland Islands matter You can let it go for a while, and some people may even chuckle - at least this situation shows that Germany and Italy are not prepared to fight South Africa or India. Only the admirals looked very unhappy.

When Li Hai explained the situation and the situation of the Battle of Tarawa, the venue finally exploded, and the army generals were even more excited than General Kim. They had already been holding back their anger towards the Pacific Fleet because of the Australian and New Zealand harassment, and now Nimitz is fighting a lose-lose battle at such a juncture. This is Li Hai's evaluation and conclusion, which means that the Pacific Fleet has no follow-up operations. ability. Just now we were discussing the shift of strategic focus in the future, and when such bad news came in the blink of an eye, how could we not be angry?

Although others were more restrained in their words and did not rise to the level of personal attacks, their words were very intense and they criticized Nimitz and the Pacific Fleet for their "irrational" behavior without naming names. Since Admiral King did not say anything that he had tried to dissuade Nimitz, and even supported Nimitz when asked, everyone mistakenly believed that this battle was his order, and even complained to Admiral King. The Navy Most of the generals knew Admiral Jin's thoughts and true opinions. At the same time, they did not feel that Nimitz had done anything wrong, and they also retorted unceremoniously.

Seeing that the navy and army were so noisy that the Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting turned into a bustling city, Roosevelt finally got angry, slapped the table and shouted: "What's the point of making noise? Can the victory of the United States be won by quarreling?"

Everyone was speechless.

"Tell me what should be done next?" Roosevelt turned his attention to Admiral King. "The information reported by the British is unclear. It is assumed that Germany has occupied the island and has the main force of the Axis Fleet."

"There is no other choice but to postpone Plan C and launch a campaign to retake the Falkland Islands instead." During the quarrel just now, Admiral Kim didn't say much. It wasn't that he was aggrieved or felt he had nothing to say, but that he was serious. Think about what to do next.

He spoke in a coherent manner: "First of all, the location of the Falkland Islands is very important. It is related to the communication between the navies of the two oceans. Even if it does not affect the dispatch of materials for the time being, in the long run it is a key strategic node and cannot be fought without fighting; secondly, from the perspective of the enemy's situation , the German army has just occupied the Falkland Islands, and cannot build it into a strong fortress in the short term. If it launches a counterattack now, it can be easily recaptured - the German fleet can escape, but the Falkland Islands cannot escape; again , We have prepared enough troops for Plan C, which can be used in the Falkland direction. Compared with the Azores, we have a better chance of winning the Falkland Islands. "

"What about the situation in Britain? Will the Azores not care?"

Admiral Jin shook his head: "From a military point of view, it is impossible to balance it all. From the army gathering to the official attack on the Falkland Islands, it took less than a month and a half to even think about it. I am thankful that I can complete the Falkland Islands strategy before Christmas. I will wait for the fleet to return home." It will be almost the end of January, which is the coldest season in the North Atlantic. It is not suitable to attack the Azores at all. I hope to attack the Falklands first and then attack the Azores next spring.”

"The Azores can be put aside for the time being. I don't think it will cause fatal consequences." Turner added, "At present, the British-Canada route is basically open. Except for German submarines and a small number of aircraft, it does not pose a threat to us. We have relatively sufficient aircraft." When the escort force is strong, the fleet transportation loss rate is about 20%. Assuming that it increases to 25% in the next stage, it is within the range that we can grit our teeth and insist on. At the worst, we can send more supplies. "

Everyone has experienced Turner's tycoon style. They were prepared to sacrifice so much when they fought against the Azores. No one thinks it's strange to say this now - for the United States, losing some supplies is nothing.

"How many troops are needed to fight the Falklands?" Smith-Tingson asked.

"Assuming Argentina remains neutral, I need the entire Atlantic Fleet, 15-20 escort carriers and 2-3 divisions."

"What if Argentina falls to the Germans?"

"This situation is complicated. It is not a simple issue of fighting in the Falkland Islands. It will have a chain reaction in South American countries. Chile and Argentina are both traditional powers in South America and are hostile to us. The Army must consider marching into South America and Forming an overwhelming advantage." General Jin said in a complicated tone, "I don't understand land warfare, but I think 10-15 divisions are needed, at least with an entire army aviation force and sufficient logistical support. "

Anyone who has seen a map understands the current importance of Chile and Argentina - both countries have territory at the southern tip of South America and can effectively block this vital route.

"Are there any problems between these two countries?" Roosevelt asked Donovan. The latter had rich experience in South American affairs and had helped local people launch "uprisings" for many years. In a sense, he even knew the local political ecology better than Secretary of State Hull.

"Chile should not have a big problem. Although it may not be inclined to us, it is still safe to remain neutral. But the situation in Argentina is complicated..." Donovan has been busy arranging the British special operations team recently, but in the early stage, he was ambushing The tentacles in South America are still reporting on the domestic political situation in Argentina. "A military coup has occurred in Argentina and there is a tendency to develop into extremism. At present, this group of officers has not yet formed a stable and clear core leadership force, which means that it is very likely that there will be a military coup in Argentina." There is the next round of turmoil, among which there is a figure that must be paid attention to-Juan Peron. He is more radical than all the current conservative military officers and holds strong opposition to the United States. The Argentine people have been claiming sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Keep it in mind, this is a very important influencing factor.”

Donovan succinctly explained Peron's ideas and recent activities, reminding everyone that they should not be ignored. Roosevelt obviously listened, but a large number of army and navy generals ignored it, thinking that Argentina was just a stronger ant. It’s just a grasshopper—no matter how strong it is, it’s just a grasshopper.

"The Navy has stated its point of view, what does the Army think?"

Marshall pointed to Eisenhower and motioned for the latter to speak. Despite the defeat in the African theater and criticism from the domestic public, Marshall's trust in Eisenhower was not shaken and he continued to entrust him with important responsibilities. Other senior officials also understood that the failure in Africa was not the responsibility of the commanding officer - MacArthur could be reactivated. Naturally, he would not embarrass Eisenhower, so the latter still maintained his status in the military. However, after this setback, Ike, who was originally somewhat taciturn, became more cautious in his words and actions.

"My suggestion is to continue advancing the Azores campaign and strive to complete it in early November, and then proceed with the Falkland Islands campaign after a moderate rest." He explained the reason for doing so:

First, from a climatic point of view, if the Azores ends in November, the Falkland Islands Campaign will be launched in early 1944 - at the end of spring and early summer in the southern hemisphere, and can be fought continuously;

Second, from a rhythm point of view, the interruption of the two-ocean route will affect the dispatch of warships. However, there are currently no warships on the east coast that can support the Pacific Fleet. The blockade is only psychological and perceptual, and will not have a substantial impact. By the second When a large number of new warships are put into service at the beginning of the year, it is completely too late to open up;

Third, from the perspective of allied relations, once the Soviet Union withdraws from the alliance, the United Kingdom will inevitably be affected. When the situation is so complicated, it is difficult to guarantee that the United Kingdom will not have other ideas. If it cancels the Azores campaign plan that has just been discussed, it will be equivalent to telling the British that the United States of America You can only be responsible for yourself;

Fourth, from the perspective of military operations, the main force of the German fleet is currently in the South Atlantic, which can effectively exclude its support to the Azores. This is a once-in-a-lifetime offensive opportunity. Can the Axis Fleet still be stationed in the Falklands?

Fifth, as for the situation in South America, the top priority is to stabilize the emotions of Chile and Argentina. You can extend an olive branch to Argentina. If you are willing to join the allied system and declare war on Germany, you can consider returning the Falkland Islands to Argentina after the war...

Eisenhower spoke eloquently and eloquently about eighty-nine points, all of which were reasonable. It undoubtedly made people's eyes brighter, and the meeting re-entered the debate time.