"Nickname Wai ...... The main fleet of the Japanese Navy broke through into the Indian Ocean without knowing it, and our fleet was defeated! The vanguard landing force lost contact! ”

"Nickname Wai ...... The commander of the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet, Admiral Horikichi Tsukichi, solemnly declares: From now on, the waters of the North Indian Ocean will be blocked, and no sails will be allowed to enter or leave! The British and American Allied ships were destroyed as soon as they were discovered! ”

Looking at the glaring black headline on the newspaper, President Roosevelt was very angry that he wanted to tear it up and stomp on the ground to vent his anger, but after all, he was a politician with self-discipline, resisted this impulse, and only coldly ordered the secretary to hand the newspaper to the people in the conference room.

Everyone's brows were tightly locked, and although the developed US media industry often exaggerated newspaper headlines in order to attract attention, this time it was obviously not, and all justifications pale in the face of the combined fleet's achievements and threats -- these contents and statements were like a slap in the face of the US military and political dignitaries, and they hurt fiercely!

"This is the newspaper that ran this morning, what do you think?" Roosevelt suppressed his anger and asked in a low tone.

Vice President Henry Agad Wallace said displeasedly: "Why is no one blocking the media? The spread of this kind of news will only cause unnecessary confusion in society. ”

"Blockade? How to block? Secretary of State Cordell Hull looked depressed, "The Japanese fleet has sent articles in clear code, and our major newspapers in Africa, the Middle East, and India have received the news, and within three hours it has spread to the media throughout the United States, and the blockade is just to cover up." Is it waiting for those reporters to sneak out? And then let the populace take to the streets of Washington to protest that we are incompetent and shameless? ”

It is difficult for democracies to block public opinion, especially in the heavyweight news related to the war (historically even the Third Reich did not dare to hide the defeat of the Sixth Army at Stalingrad), and now American public opinion is highly concerned about the war situation in Egypt and the Middle East. The slightest hint of wind and grass makes them extremely sensitive, and if anyone dares to hide and lie to the people, his future political future will be very bad. And with the sending of the clear code telegram, the news has become transparent, and it is better to shake it out than to let the gossip spread all over the sky.

There is a fire burning in everyone's hearts: what about the Anglo-American sea power that was promised? What about the blockade axis that was said to be good? Now that the Axis naval forces are concentrated in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, they have not only beaten the navies of the Allied countries one after another, but also made such clamours. It's really unbearable!

Roosevelt looked solemn, and he received the full battle report much later than Churchill, until it was determined that the fleet was destroyed and the landing force was lost. It was late at night when London delivered this terrible news to Washington, and it was already late at night when it reached Roosevelt, so angry that he did not sleep well all night, and called a meeting of the team early in the morning to discuss countermeasures.

"Now. These yellow-skinned monkeys who sneak into the Indian Ocean are finally not afraid to expose their targets. Admiral Kim said in a slightly mocking tone. Judging from this statement, the campaign objective of the Japanese fleet has been revised from the main battle to the control of the sea area and the destruction of the fleet, and it is obvious that it is cooperating with the German offensive in Egypt, and it is not known whether the British can still hold their territory in the Middle East. Churchill, the old bastard, has cheated us again and again, and this time the Navy has lost 1 aircraft carrier, 1 battleship, 6 cruisers, and a bunch of transports and destroyers in one fell swoop - I will have to settle accounts with him one day. ”

"It's much more than that." George Marshall said coldly, "The Army also lost a Second Panzer Division, although they seemed to have succeeded in the end. But the loss must have been great, and there has been no news of it so far. ”

All expressed strong dissatisfaction with the British. How did such a powerful and huge combined fleet get into it without knowing it? The words of Admiral King and Marshall suddenly opened up the conversation, and everyone attacked the British Empire for all kinds of incompetence, including the destruction of super-secrets, the forced demand for the activation of the Torch Plan and the redirection to Egypt for reinforcements, the interception of supplies for the Soviet Union and finally became the enemy's trophies, the elimination of 300,000 Eighth Army, and the Mediterranean Fleet and the Fast Column became the victims of the Axis powers...... Adding it up, War Secretary Stimson did not hesitate to conclude: "The British are the Italians on our side, specially used to drag them back." This level is not as good as the Chinese, at least recently they have recovered more than a dozen county seats. ”

Roosevelt, who usually does not criticize his allies much in public or in private, couldn't help it today, and said: "The British not only put us together, but also suffered such huge losses, what an out-and-out rice bucket." Of course, this is not the point, the point is that the Allied fleet in the Indian Ocean is finished, and now there is no force in the entire Indian Ocean that can match the combined fleet, not to mention the canal and the Red Sea, even the Persian Gulf can be blocked by the Japanese, and the shipping route between India and Africa will obviously be cut off, what to do next? ”

Admiral Nimitz frowned and said: "This incident finally explains why the Japanese are facing heavy pressure from our army on the islands of the South Seas, and they still only rely on aircraft and land forces to support them, and they do not see that they have spent nearly half of the original financial revenue to build up the combined fleet - these madmen have all gone to the Indian Ocean to spread wild!" ”

As soon as Nimitz heard this, Marshall asked suspiciously: "Is the Japanese fleet planning to completely surrender to Germany and not return?" Otherwise, it is difficult to understand why they left their islands and territories alone, and Baba ran to sell his life to the Germans. ”

Admiral Kim shrugged: "Who knows? The world of madmen is incomprehensible to us. ”

"Perhaps Hitler gave the Japanese conditions that could hardly be refused, and after the opening of the German-Japanese Indian Ocean route, troubles would come one after another, and I have studied the public statements of Japan, Germany, and Italy about Arabia and India, and they should have formed a collusion on many issues." As a veteran politician, Secretary of State Hull has seen the subtleties and perceived the truth.

"I have to say that this time it hit us in the soft underbelly." Stimson was decidedly more pessimistic about the future of the war: "In Africa and the Indian Ocean we have no power to compete with the Axis -- the Combined Fleet is now the hegemon in terms of navy; In terms of the army, the Germans took Alexandria, Cairo fell only overnight, and the whereabouts of the 2nd Panzer Division are still unknown. ”

After a few minutes of discussion, everyone came to the conclusion that the problem lies with the navy after all! Without naval supremacy, there was no way to land and support, and the only way to watch as German ground forces swept through Egypt, East Africa, and the Middle East was the next step to threaten South Africa and India.

"What reinforcements can we put in?" Roosevelt asked Admiral King hopefully, "The strength of the slow column is indeed a bit insufficient." ”

"It's hard." Admiral King quickly took stock and reported, "Our forces are concentrated in the Pacific Fleet, and now the Atlantic Fleet has 1 Arkansas-class (Arkansas) and 2 New Mexico-class (Mississippi, Idaho) battleships at the disposal of the Atlantic Fleet. The USS Nevada (Nevada-class) and USS Tennessee (Tennessee-class) battleships are undergoing modernization and are expected to be operational in 6-12 months; The lead Iowa-class ship will not be completed for service until February at the earliest, and then it will take 2-3 months of sea trials. There is no aircraft carrier in the fleet for the time being, but at the end of this month and next month, there will be an Essex-class aircraft carrier and an Independence-class light aircraft carrier that will enter service after completion, but the two ships still need to go through the process of sea trials, embarkation, and running-in, and it will take at least five months to form combat effectiveness. ”

Roosevelt shook his head in disappointment: both the Arkansas-class and the New Mexico-class were old ships of the First World War, and they could not defeat the new battleships of Japan or Italy, and the Iowa-class battleships and Essex-class aircraft carriers would have to wait another 5-6 months. The Atlantic Fleet is really a little weak at the moment, and perhaps it is barely enough to escort the fleet, and it is impossible to use it for the main force of the fleet to engage in battle.

He turned his head and asked Nimitz: "Since the main force of the Japanese fleet is in the Indian Ocean, can the Pacific Fleet send 1-2 cutting-edge battleships to support the Atlantic side?" In the future, the Iowa lead ship could be deployed in the Pacific Ocean first. ”

"This ......," Nimitz looked embarrassed, "in the Pacific direction, we lost two Crodora-class ships (the Colorola and the Maryland were destroyed by Sakura), and now the only battleships that can be used are the Indiana, the Alabama (all South Dakota-class), the North Carolina (Carolina-class) and the New Mexico (New Mexico-class), if one or two more ships are transferred, there will be problems in the Far East theater." ”

Stingson asked curiously, "Aren't there still 4 George V-class?" ”

Admiral Kim answered the other party's question in a gloomy tone: "The old bastard Churchill sent us a telegram saying that because the Japanese fleet was so rampant in the Indian Ocean and Africa, he hoped that the main force of the Pacific Fleet would move to Ceylon to fight, block the way for the Japanese to retreat to Asia, and fight a decisive battle with them in the Indian Ocean. If not, can you return 4 George V and 3 armored aircraft carriers to them, and let them join the capital ships in the slow fleet to fight the Japanese. ”

"This can't be ......," Nimitz hurriedly said, "If it is only a decisive battle with the main force of the Combined Fleet, the Pacific Fleet may still be sure to win the battle with its existing strength, but after the Suez Canal falls into the hands of the Axis, the Italian and German fleets can also come out, and the confluence of the three countries has an advantage in terms of strength." More crucially, since the main force of the Japanese fleet is staying in the Indian Ocean, why don't we take advantage of the enemy's lack of forces to intensify our attacks, but instead go to the Indian Ocean to fight a decisive battle with them? ”

It doesn't work, it doesn't work; It's not good, it's not good...... Roosevelt only felt distraught, and couldn't help but bang on the table to start a fire: "Can we only watch the Germans sweep through the Middle East?" Can we only let the Japanese show off their might in the Indian Ocean? What if they attack India, what if they attack South Africa? Gentlemen, now is not the time to complain, but to come up with a solution. (To be continued.) )