John didn't know what Roosevelt and Kimmel had talked about that afternoon. But apparently, Stark's strategy of bringing Roosevelt out to suppress Kimmel did not work, but instead caused a violent backlash from the admiral.

In the days that followed, a series of fierce clashes erupted within the Navy's top brass that almost affected the upcoming Atlantic Conference

For Kimmel as a person, John's senses are somewhat complicated. I remember that the history of his previous life said about him: an excellent naval officer with a great knowledge of naval history, tactics and strategy. But he lacks a spark of creative intelligence, is rigid and lacks humor, is accustomed to spending a lot of time on details, and pays too much attention to the appearance of affairs. Those who knew him well said that he was a man worthy of praise and respect, but not worthy of love and not easy to get along with.

It is said that Kimmel is known for being rigorous, self-disciplined, hardworking, and strict with his subordinates. His 28-square-meter office is incredibly neat and empty, with very little furnishings and furnishings. There is a rumor in the Pacific Fleet that you can reach into Kimmel's office in the dark of night and find a book or a pencil in the exact place.

In peacetime, this style of officer is well recognized at the top. Knox once publicly praised Kimmel in this way: "There is hardly a more conscious, hard-working, patriotic and sincere man in the uniform of the Navy, and he is worthy of the loyalty of his officers." ”

And this is also the reason why Kimmel was able to beat 31 other competitors of the same class or higher in one fell swoop and successfully entered the Pacific Fleet. However, Knox and other naval bigwigs have forgotten that the so-called rigor, seriousness, diligence, and meticulousness are precisely the qualities that only a chief of staff or staff officer should have. During the war years, as the commander of a large fleet, the lack of flexibility and creative thinking was fatal.

What's worse is that a person with a character like Kimmel can't stop anyone once he recognizes death. Roosevelt couldn't, let alone Stark.

For two days in a row, Kimmel bombarded Stark at an internal meeting of the Navy. He even threatened to report to Congress the dereliction of duty that Stark ignored the great threat of the Japanese Combined Fleet, wantonly transferred the Pacific Fleet, and seriously undermined the stability of the fleet.

It's no wonder Kimmel gets angry. This year alone, Stark transferred 1 aircraft carrier, 3 battleships, 4 cruisers, and 17 destroyers (about a quarter of the total combat strength of the Pacific Fleet) from the Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic Fleet.

Combined with the personnel who were deployed to support the Asian Fleet and participate in sea trials of new ships, the Pacific Fleet has almost "lost" about 78% of its mature officers and sailors. At present, 25 percent of the officers and men of the fleet have served less than one year, and some ships have more than 50 percent such personnel.

Moreover, Kimmel is not without allies within the Navy, such as Admiral Ernest King, commander of the Atlantic Fleet. Although Admiral King's Atlantic Fleet was the beneficiary of Stark's series of "Europe before Asia" initiatives, King himself hated the British fiercely, in contrast to the pro-British Stark.

Historically, Admiral King, who succeeded Stark from his dismissed post as Chief of Naval Operations after Pearl Harbor, was uncomfortable looking at the British, and sometimes even worse than the Japanese. In the course of the subsequent war, he stumbled the British and grabbed a lot of resources for the allies in the Pacific, and even China indirectly benefited from it.

Originally, Stark's policy of "Europe first, then Asia" was not very popular within the navy. As everyone knows, the maritime threat in the Atlantic came mainly from German submarines, where the US Navy could only be reduced to the "bodyguard" of merchant ships. At best, it is a role of "accompanying the prince to study". And the Pacific Ocean is where the U.S. Navy shines. Only by competing with the surface ships of the Japanese Navy can the value of the Navy be highlighted.

Now, the commanders of the two fleets took the lead in making such a fuss, and Stark's life immediately became sad. For a time, there was a lot of criticism within the navy that he was subservient to the top political circles and capitalists and sacrificed the interests of the navy.

Although some words cannot be put on the table, there is still a market within the Navy. In just a few days, Admiral Stark, the first person in the navy, the chief of operations (equivalent to the chief of staff of the army), was scolded as a "naval traitor" who ate inside and out, and his prestige in the army plummeted.

These days, the busiest person in the White House is probably Colonel Beardel. Because, both Stark and Kimmel were the core of Roosevelt's team in the US Navy. Among them, Kimmel was Roosevelt's adjutant when he was assistant secretary of the Navy, and Stark was single-handedly discovered and trained by Roosevelt from the submarine force and promoted to the throne of chief of operations. From Roosevelt's point of view, the two men turned on each other, and whoever came out on top would be a loss.

Therefore, in order to cool down this turmoil as soon as possible and avoid affecting the upcoming Atlantic Conference, Beard was ordered by Roosevelt to meet with the Navy Secretary Knox frequently to meet with the senior Navy officials and elders, and his worried hair turned a lot gray.

This dispute between several giants of the navy made the army watch a lively scene. It turns out that the navy, which has always prided itself on its aristocratic demeanor, is not much more civilized than our army. Don't think that only the Japanese army and navy will tear each other apart, there are also many dirty things between the US army and navy. How many years have passed, and it is rare to see the navy openly tearing their faces, and most army officers are not to mention how happy they are. Especially when Stimson cleanly suppressed Short, the army moved small benches and happily watched a good show.

John didn't see that the funeral was not afraid of the funeral. This farce of the Navy made him see a lot of information that he hadn't noticed in his previous life. For example, the image of Admiral Ernest King in his mind was completely turned upside down.

In his previous life, in various historical records, Admiral Jin was portrayed as a fierce and unruly general. More than one book mentions Ernest King with the comment that "Admiral King is the one who shaves his beard with a flamethrower".

But after this dispute, John discovered that Admiral King was the most treacherous of the naval giants. Kimmel is now making such a fuss, not only losing points with Roosevelt, but also shaking Stark's foundation in the Navy. John even speculated that this old guy might be behind Kimmel's sudden outburst. Because counting the numbers, he is the only one who actually benefits from this turmoil.

Regardless of whether Pearl Harbor will happen in a few months, as long as the war on this side of the Pacific is unfavorable, Kimmel will certainly not be able to blame, and Stark, the main culprit in weakening the Pacific Navy, will not be able to escape. At that time, Roosevelt may only have the choice of tearing up the horse and praising Ernest King.