Chapter 973 Nimitz's Counterattack (6)

Before making the decision, Krank first sought Shaoken's opinion: "If the navies of both sides do not participate in this battle, and face an attack by the US military of about 120,000 people with at least 1,000 combat aircraft, what do you think the battle will be like? ?”

Shaoken gave an affirmative answer: "If the troops and materials just delivered have not arrived, I can't guarantee it, but now this cluster has more than 60,000 troops, and the Flying Fortress Armored Division is still the most cutting-edge 1944-type unit. The 7th Armored Division is also fully staffed and has been resting for a long time. The Air Force has two wings with a total of more than 430 aircraft and sufficient supplies in all aspects. Even if the US military has a double advantage, I think it is completely possible to fight, to say the least, hypothetically. The enemy has three times the advantage over us. Our army can at least defend the core areas of the American Republic and the two states. There are also two marine brigades in Argentina and Uruguay that can serve as reserves. The American Republic has recruited more than 5,000 German soldiers in the early stage. Volunteers can be expanded to 80,000 in an emergency.”

The supplies and troops reinforced by Krank and Hinz this time were definitely timely and greatly improved the Sauken cluster's follow-up combat capabilities. In addition, after the Montero coup, the defection of the Brazilian regime, and their march into Sao Paulo and Rio, they We also obtained nearly 100,000 tons of oil stored here (including more than 20,000 tons of very important U.S. aviation fuel)—both Brazilian military and civilian contributions, as well as contributions from the U.S. military. So he is very confident now.

"I'm relieved when you say that." Krank's plan is very simple. "If the Army thinks it can hold on, the Navy plans to ignore the US fleet and hide and seek for a while - I plan to use Nimitz's own tactics. to deal with him."

By interrogating captured American pilots, Krank not only knew that it was Spruance who had fought him last time in the Falklands and South African waters, but also that Nimitz had replaced Ingersoll as the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. .

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know about the Battle of Midway?"

When he mentioned this, Shao Ken thought about it seriously and then asked: "Are you going to leave first and then fight back?"

"No! I plan to leave, but not to counterattack, but to delay the enemy's time. I need to wait for a more favorable opportunity when to counterattack." Krank explained, "Nimitz is a very cautious person, and he is very cautious about his own situation. The tactics are more familiar. Once he cannot find our fleet, he will never risk being attacked by a surprise attack - this will save you from the danger of being attacked from both sides. "

Hinz asked curiously: "You're not going to fight back soon?"

"No, I'm not in a hurry. The enemy should be worried that they can't find us..."

Hintz initially opposed Krank's tactics, believing that the fleet could not retreat. Once it retreated, the ground forces would be in a lot of trouble. In addition, given the existing size and strength of the fleet (including 3 aircraft carriers, 2 escort carriers, 3 Battleship), it is considered a very powerful force. Retreating without a fight would be unreasonable for Berlin and would also greatly dampen the morale of the officers and soldiers, but Krank finally convinced him.

Krank explained his whole story: "In more than 40 days, Marshal Machar will lead the main fleet from the mainland to Brazil. When the two armies merge, our army will have an overwhelming advantage. Why should I rush to fight with him?" Nimitz wants to fight decisively at this time? He should be the one who is anxious to start the war, not me."

After repeated discussions, the land, sea and air forces reached a consensus on the conduct of the campaign.

Krank judged that Nimitz's campaign goal was to take advantage of the current situation of the two German naval fleets being separated in the South and North Atlantic to launch an attack first, eat the South Atlantic Squadron, and then turn around to deal with Machar's main fleet. In order to achieve For this purpose, he needed to increase the strength of the U.S. Army and ask it to launch a coordinated offensive, using the intensity of the land war to force the German Navy into the battle.

Shaoken judged that the U.S. military would have two tactics in the subsequent ground war: the first was to devote all its forces to a frontal attack, divide the troops into two groups, and attack from the coastal area, that is, along the Espiritu Santo State, Li The goal is to occupy the two major cities of Rio and Sao Paulo and eliminate Montero's pro-German Brazilian regime. The traffic conditions along this route are relatively good, and it is close to the coast and can receive naval support. It is expected to be the main force of the US military's offensive. ; The other route is from the depths of Minas Gerais to the states of Sao Paulo and Parana in a roundabout way. The traffic conditions on this route are poor, so it should be a partial division. There are almost 20,000 people, and no amount of US military logistics can support it.

The second tactic is very similar to the first. It is nothing more than changing the purpose of the troops in the first roundabout offensive. That is, using 100,000 troops to attack frontally on the coastal line, and at the same time using 20,000 troops to launch a landing on the side and rear of our own side, using the belly and back The pincer attack method could shake the morale of the German army, surround or force the Sauken cluster to retreat, and then capture Sao Paulo and Rio without a fight.

"The places where the US military will land are no more than the three key port cities of Rio, Santos, and Florianópolis." Shaoken frowned and said, "According to my original idea, as long as Florianopolis is controlled, Nopolis is enough. Whether the US military lands in the other two locations has nothing to do with it. But according to what you just conveyed, I can’t ignore the Dutra regime?”

Now the Brazilian government is completely divided. The pro-German faction has joined the southern Brazilian government controlled by Montero (former Army Minister Dutra is president), and the pro-American faction has joined Osvaldo Alanya (former foreign minister, pro-American The government of northern Brazil controlled by the Brazilian faction (still with the imprisoned Vargas as president), the two sides are fighting in a brutal civil war. The pro-German faction controls more troops, but the pro-American faction controls a larger territory and is directly integrated with the US military.

Although both factions claim to represent Brazil's orthodox central government, they do not control much territory: the pro-German faction only controls the three states of Sao Paulo, Rio, and Espiritu Santo, and is currently trying to control the third state. 4 - Minas Gerais state; pro-American faction controls ten states in the northeast with the Recife region as the core. The vast interior of Brazil is at a loss as to who to obey.

Although the pro-German faction controls little territory, it has a large population. Sao Paulo and Rio are the two most populous areas in Brazil. Sao Paulo and Rio are not only the largest and second largest cities in Brazil, but the latter is also the capital of Brazil. Therefore, from a legal perspective, the pro-German faction occupies the mainstream. It seems a bit unreasonable to give up without saying a word.

Krank was also a little confused about this. After hesitating for a while, he said: "I don't think we should give up. This Brazilian regime has been supported with great difficulty. What's more, Sao Paulo and Rio are very important cities. Their gains and losses will determine the future of Brazil." The direction of the political situation - whether we can form post-war conditions that are favorable to us, I think depends on the above two points. "

Shaoken sighed: "If this is the case, the army deployment will have to be adjusted accordingly. I originally planned to fight and retreat, using Sao Paulo and Rio as bait, gradually lengthening the US supply line, reducing the enemy's troop density, and then in due course time to launch a counterattack..."

Hinz advised: "Can you formulate two sets of plans, one with the goal of preserving Sao Paulo, Rio and the Brazilian government, and the other based on the strategy you just explained, and send them to Berlin together. We will also Have some time."

In the early morning of July 17, a combat plan jointly signed by Krank, Shaoken, and Hintz was placed on Hoffman's desk. It was just that the plans were two completely different sets. Yoder completed them one by one on the map. Elaboration:

"Judging from the current enemy situation, the US military has 7 divisions in Brazil, about 140,000 army troops, 1,000-1,200 combat aircraft, and 40,000 pro-US Brazilian puppet troops to coordinate operations, and the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet is dispatched , with 3-4 fleet aircraft carriers, 3-4 cutting-edge battleships, 10-12 light or escort aircraft carriers, and a large number of transport ships and auxiliary warships. Our South Atlantic theater is based on the comparative strength of the enemy and ours and the strategic goals determined by the Supreme Command. , and formulated two combat plans:

Radical plan: Crank's South Atlantic Fleet guards the coastline of Santos and Rio, achieves flexible and maneuverable operations, and thwarts the enemy's landing attempt while avoiding a head-on confrontation with the main force of the enemy fleet. The Army deploys a Marine Corps brigade from Uruguay to defend Flo. In Rianopolis, the main force of the Saucon cluster was deployed along the northern border of Sao Paulo and Rio states. With the cooperation of Brazilian government troops (nearly 80,000), they used offensive defense and flexible assault to repel the US attack, waiting for the 'Watch' plan. unfold;

Conservative plan: Crank's South Atlantic Fleet defends Florianópolis, avoids the enemy's edge, and achieves large-scale flexible maneuver operations. The Army deploys a Marine Corps brigade from Uruguay to defend Florianópolis, and Shao The Kenyan cluster will use part of its forces (2-3 marine brigades) to carry out delayed operations on the northern borders of Sao Paulo and Rio states, and gradually retreat. If necessary, they can abandon Sao Paulo and Rio cities until the enemy's front line is extended and the occupation area is extended. After the expansion, the Flying Fortress Armored Division and the 7th Armored Division, which were ambushed in the early stage, were used as the main force to bypass the enemy's right flank, implement interspersed operations, wait for opportunities to annihilate 1-2 US divisions, and launch another counterattack in conjunction with the "Watch" plan. "

Hoffman asked: "Which option do the frontline commanders themselves gravitate toward?"

"Both are acceptable, but it seems that Crank prefers the former and Shaoken prefers the latter."

"What about you?"

Some people in the Supreme Command chose the former, and some chose the latter. Hoffman took a look and found that generally naval generals such as Machar and Dönitz chose the former, army generals such as Zeitzler and Rommel chose the latter, and air force generals had There are those who choose the former and those who choose the latter.

Only Keitel and Yoder did not express their opinions.

Hoffman asked the two men: "Do you have any better suggestions?"

"From a purely military perspective, we are willing to choose the latter, but from a political perspective, I think we should choose the former." Keitel said, "But in the end we have to win."

"I choose the former!" Hoffman explained his reasons, "Not only because political factors are crucial to the post-war layout here, but also because of another possibility - who stipulated that the Americans must win Sao Paulo and Rio again? To extend the front line by attacking the American Republic? If it is me, rest on the spot after the attack and wait for the next batch of reinforcements to arrive. "