Chapter 887 Accident (16,3000 Votes Plus Additional Content)
In the early morning of April 27, two fleets advancing crazily on the North Atlantic made completely different choices: Nimitz released all fighter jets for air defense cover, while Ozawa released all reconnaissance aircraft for desperate search.
At 11 o'clock at noon, an Ar-352 passed over the TF46 fleet, making the hearts of the US military rise to their throats. They lived in fear all day long, deeply afraid that the huge German fleet would overwhelm them in the next minute, but they stayed up until The sun went down and the German attack group didn't come over.
Was it Ozawa who was merciful and let Nimitz go? Of course not, it's really because the distance between the two is too big to fight, and this gap is still widening.
The slowest in the Machar fleet is the Hyuga, which can only reach 26 knots; the slowest in the Nimitz fleet are the two Iowa-class ships, which can reach the fastest at 31 knots. There was a speed difference of 5 knots between the two fleets, which was nearly 60 nautical miles in one night. In addition, Ozawa was moving at an extremely slow speed at night in order to successfully receive the returning aircraft, so the gap between the two fleets had widened to 1,000 by the time the reconnaissance plane reported back. kilometers or more.
This distance is completely beyond the range of the attack aircraft, but it can be fought if it must be fought. After discussion, the two fierce men Koch and Seydlitz came up with an all-or-nothing strategy: the carrier-based aircraft will be dispatched to attack, without considering the return fuel - be prepared once When the fuel ran out, he made an emergency landing on the sea and waited for rescue by a destroyer. The logic is that as long as the opponent's aircraft carrier is killed, it doesn't matter even if our own aircraft carrier loses all its aircraft. Speaking purely about artillery battles, Lieutenant General Bay has four Veneto-class ships and Tirpitz in his hands, and he can easily defeat two Iowa-class ships.
This suggestion stunned Ito Zhengyi and everyone in the observation group. They never expected that the Germans would be in such a terrifying state after being beaten crazy. This situation has caught up with the United Fleet who shouted "Seven Lives to Serve the Country" every day. It is simply desperate - - It is actually very dangerous for a plane to make an emergency landing on the sea. It will be overturned and sunk if there are strong winds and waves. Let alone rescue, it will be difficult for the warship to find its bearings. If you really want to fight like this, the loss rate cannot be controlled at 20%-25%. You must be mentally prepared for at least 50% or more.
Ozawa rejected the suggestion after careful consideration, Machar also disagreed with it, and Koch and Seydlitz stopped insisting after talking about it several times. This scene gave Ito a deeper understanding of what Ozawa said two days ago: No soldier is willing to say that he is afraid of death, and no soldier is willing to admit that he is afraid of death in front of his superiors. But the commander must distinguish between necessity and slogan, and cannot let his subordinates die in vain. In the current situation, what if the American fleet escaped? Next time he dares to come out again, we will continue to beat him!
On the evening of the 27th, Machar ordered a U-turn and returned to port. In fact, if he did not give the order, he would have to turn around tomorrow morning. The fleet chasing at a higher speed consumed a lot of fuel, and several Veneto-class ships were even more fuel-hungry. I didn’t run much and used up half the fuel – I just filled it up the day before yesterday! The Mediterranean Short Legs certainly live up to their reputation.
On the way back home, Machar disclosed the telegram of the head of state's wishes and rewards for the officers and men of the fleet. Everyone cheered and shouted to go back and ask for a treat from the chief. They kept getting drunk.
Machar said to Ozawa embarrassedly: "This Marshal's Scepter is mainly due to General Ozawa. I actually..."
"Sir, I am deeply honored to be under your command." Ozawa said with a smile, "You are our commander and the representative of the German Navy. You have been on the battlefield for many years and have contributed so much to the navy. You also listen to all opinions with an open mind. You are fully worthy of this title and honor, and I hope to continue to serve under you in the future.”
Ito Zhengyi and others nodded. Ozawa Jisaburo seems to be much more mature politically, so these words are very appropriate.
Mashal smiled brightly: "I'll treat you all to a drink when I get back. Once you're drunk, you'll stop."
In the early morning of the 28th, the Nimitz fleet, which was running wildly, finally hid in the Newfoundland Army Air Defense Protection Circle. The frightened fleet officers and soldiers finally relaxed after seeing batches of B-17\29 passing overhead. Nimitz also ordered to slow down the pace and move forward slowly - many ships' fuel has reached the bottom. If they continue to rush at such a high speed, some warships will definitely run out of fuel and break down midway.
This was the most embarrassing battle Nimitz had ever fought, even when Horikichi destroyed the aircraft carrier at Tarawa, it was not so embarrassing. It can be said that he was defeated that time and left with his head held high. This time he was almost pushed to the ground and beaten. Not only was he unable to fight back, but he even managed to escape only because of Cunningham's desperate efforts to attract him. After learning from the pain, he believed that the biggest mistake was not anticipating the horror of the Azores base.
He originally thought that the Joint Chiefs and the President would not be able to spare him this time, and was even prepared to go to court-martial. However, the telegram from the Joint Chiefs only made an understatement and asked him to quickly take the fleet back to the Norfolk anchorage for rest. Don't overthink things and fight again next time. There is no victorious general in the world!
This was obviously Admiral Jin's tone, and he was deeply moved after reading it.
Admiral King also spoke well of Nimitz in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, mainly for four reasons: First, it was not Nimitz's original intention to rescue Iceland or even risk reconnaissance. He was going to the South Atlantic to encircle the German squadron. Now that there is a problem, Nimitz is certainly responsible, but it is by no means the main responsibility; second, no one has accurate intelligence about the situation in the Azores. If only 30-50 aircraft were dispatched, Nimitz's fleet could fully support it. This time the enemy dispatched at least 300 aircraft, which would have an absolute advantage; third, the performance of the carrier-based aircraft of both sides was too different, and the pilots' experience was not a match; fourth, although it cannot be put on the table, it can still be discussed within the Joint Chiefs of Staff - the United States only lost a few old cruisers, and there was actually no loss in other areas. The losses were all British.
This last reason moved everyone, and everyone thought that Nimitz had "escaped unscathed" and there was no need to blame him during the war.
Nimitz, unwilling to give up, locked himself in the room and wrote furiously, reviewing the inappropriateness of the battle command one by one, thinking hard about how to save the situation next time.
The tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop, and a new storm soon blew in Washington.
In the afternoon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff received a report from the Brazilian Army Aviation that a large fleet was found on the west coast of Africa, heading south in a mighty manner. Preliminary investigations found that there were 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships and auxiliary warships, in addition to more than 40 cargo ships. Everyone was shocked when they heard the news. Isn't this the missing German fleet? What are they doing in West Africa?
Truman, who had just taken over power, did not dare to neglect it and immediately convened an emergency meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss countermeasures.
Truman frowned and asked, "Can the Army Air Force stationed in Brazil carry out bombing missions?"
"In theory, yes, but in practice it is very difficult."
The Brazilian Army Air Force suffered heavy losses after the previous Crank incident, and the three bases in the eastern Recife region were the hardest hit. There are only more than 300 aircraft left, of which only a little over 100 B-17\29s can carry out long-range bombing. The U.S. military knows that the Moral State has carrier-based high-altitude interceptor fighters. If there are no escort fighters, these bombers are like delivering meat to the door. From the map, the distance is too far, far beyond the distance that the P-51 can escort.
The more troublesome problem is the tragic anti-ship effect of heavy bombers. The hit rate is really one or two out of a hundred. Even against slow freighters, the best is two or three out of a hundred, which is better than nothing.
After hearing Arnold's explanation, Truman did not continue to argue, but frowned more tightly: "Where do you think this fleet is going? The Falkland Islands?"
"I don't think so. It's either going to Uruguay or Argentina, preparing to fight Brazil, and there is a small possibility that it is to replenish the German troops in West Africa." Turner added, "Judging from the number of cargo ships, it is estimated that it can carry 30,000 to 40,000 people and a full set of equipment."
Hearing the number of 30,000 to 40,000 troops, Truman was slightly relieved. There are 60,000 US troops in Brazil, plus 200,000 Brazilian defense forces, and 30,000 to 40,000 German troops will not pose a fatal threat. But what surprised him was that the bigwigs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were frowning after hearing the number.
"What? You can't defeat 30,000-40,000 people?" Truman said angrily, "Don't you have 3 divisions and corresponding air forces deployed in Brazil? Don't you have 4 divisions in other parts of South America that can be deployed for reinforcement? Why are you so unconfident?"
"Sir, there are big problems with the deployment of troops in Brazil."
After Eisenhower's on-site guidance based on the sand table, Truman figured out that there was no way to get from Colombia or Venezuela to the hinterland of Brazil due to the Amazon rainforest. It was necessary to load the ship through the port and then disembark at other ports in Brazil to complete the dispatch. The American people have always had poor geographical knowledge, and Truman is no exception. If it weren't for Eisenhower's patient explanation, he would have thought that if he pushed on the map, the army would be able to get from Colombia to Brazil tomorrow.
"Then is it too late for me to send troops there now?"
"It's too late and there's no way to send them." Admiral King pointed to the situation of the six aircraft carriers on the sand table, "The Axis has an advantage at sea, and the troops can be sent to the southern Caribbean, but the risk of landing in eastern Brazil, especially on the southern coast, is very high."
However, Truman's courage obviously exceeded everyone's expectations. After thinking for 2 minutes, he said: "Since Brazil can't be sent there, then send another 100,000 to Venezuela, Colombia, and French Guiana, and send an army group there, with armored forces."
"This..." Marshall said embarrassedly, "I just explained that it is difficult to dispatch this way. Now there are nearly 100,000 troops here. If there are more, the supplies..."
"I know it can't be sent to Brazil. I'm doing this to keep the Caribbean Sea barrier north of Brazil." Truman paused and emphasized, "In case Brazil rebels or Germany controls Brazil, we must have enough troops on the front line in South America! Send 100,000 first, and then send 300,000 when the navy is strong enough! At least reach a scale of 500,000 and enough army aviation."