In the western Pacific Ocean under the cover of night, the formation of the 58th U.S. Breaking Fleet was advancing east-northeast at a high speed of 25 knots. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info Mark. Rear Admiral Mitchell's current target was the waters of the North Pacific, and before dusk on October 9 (Tokyo time), he deduced from the direction of the retreat of the Japanese First Mobile Fleet that the approximate location of the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet was east of the Mariana Islands and southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. So in the evening of the same day, the 58th Fleet turned to the northeast and headed for the North Pacific.

And the retreat of the 58th Breaking Fleet from the North Pacific was also part of the "Hunter" battle plan. Because the autumn equinox has now passed, the days are short and the nights are longer in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, and the North Atlantic region near the Arctic Circle has more obvious days and long nights, which is not conducive to aviation activities. Therefore, taking the North Pacific is more advantageous for the 58th Broken Fleet, which has lost a large aircraft carrier.

Moreover, the Earth is a sphere, so the diameter of the Earth at high latitudes is much smaller than near the equator. Therefore, the retreat in the North Pacific at higher latitudes would also facilitate the entry and exit of fleets departing from the continental United States.

However, the "Hunter" plan arranged for the 58th Broken Fleet to retreat in the North Pacific, and there was another purpose.

"Your Excellency, the submarine I-166 has discovered that at least 50 American ships have left Juan. Strait of Defka. ”

In Tokyo, in the building of the Ministry of the Navy, Marshal Yamamoto Isoroku, who looked a little gloomy and terrible, received bad news that once again made his heart tremble.

The U.S. Fleet is probably still pursuing Jizaburo Ozawa's First Mobile Fleet, and another U.S. Grand Fleet has left the port of Seattle in the northwest of the United States -- the current U.S. Pacific Fleet has three major bases, the Fleet Command and the 5th Fleet in San Diego, the Southwest Pacific Command and the 9th Fleet in Panama, and the Northwest Pacific Command and the 7th Fleet in Seattle.

And Juan. The Strait of Defuka is located between Vancouver Island in Canada and Clallum County in northwestern Washington state, USA, and is the choke point in and out of the Port of Seattle. Therefore, there are Japanese submarines squatting near all year round, and these days in Juan. Cruising in the Defoka Strait is the Haida Type 5 submarine I-166.

"At least 50 ......" Nagumo Tadaichi, who was on duty in the war room with Yamamoto Isoroku this evening, took a copy of the telegram from his staff officer, read it carefully, and said in a low voice: "It should be the US Seventh Fleet that is dispatched, and the purpose should be to meet the US diplomatic fleet in the western Pacific." I think that the U.S. Fleet has abandoned its operations and is preparing to return to its homeland after losing an aircraft carrier, and the pursuit of the 1st Mobile Fleet during the day today is just a feint. ”

According to the information provided by German intelligence, now the main force of the US Pacific Fleet is the 5th Fleet. The 7th Fleet, stationed in Seattle, was not the main force, and was not equipped with large fleet aircraft carriers and battleships. The main ships are heavy cruisers and light fleet carriers, as well as a number of escort carriers, light cruisers and destroyers.

The main task of this fleet, according to the speculation of the Japanese and German sides, was mainly to escort and receive the United States to break diplomatic relations in and out of the North Pacific and to threaten Japanese bases in the Aleutian Islands. And the purpose of this large-scale dispatch should be to pick up the large formation of broken diplomatic relations that has suffered setbacks in the western Pacific.

"Your Excellency, the U.S. 7th Fleet is now dispatching!" Someone immediately raised an objection, "According to intelligence, the US 7th Fleet has at least 3 Independence-class light fleet aircraft carriers and 7 escort aircraft carriers, such a huge strength is enough to start a war with the current main force of the combined fleet, is it just to carry out a response mission?" ”

The person who spoke was Minoru Genda, the head of the first section of the Navy Military Command Department, and as soon as his words came out, there was a soft sigh in the war room of the Navy Ministry. Because he pointed out a reality that no one wants to admit -- after the continuous loss of elite pilots, although the United Fleet still has many aircraft carriers, its combat effectiveness has dropped significantly!

According to the latest loss report, the First Mobile Fleet lost another 128 elite captains in the air raid on the U.S. Fleet on the morning of 9 October. Add to this the previous losses in the Battle of Christmas Island, the losses in the night transfer after the Battle of Christmas Island (after a sea and air battle that lasted for several hours, a night transfer flight of more than 2,000 kilometers was a great test of the pilot's physical strength, and it was also a test of the quality of the aircraft, as a result, 35 aircraft were lost or had serious accidents during the transfer), as well as the losses caused by the battle between the air fleet stationed in the Pacific islands and the United States Broken Friendship Fleet, Japan has already lost almost 800 excellent pilots (captains) in this war of attrition, most of whom are the elite of naval aviation!

Although this figure represents only 8.9% of the total number of pilots (captains) of the Japanese army and navy, it accounts for at least 50% of the total number of pilots (captains) who can fly carrier-based aircraft.

By the way, not all Japanese pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft serve on aircraft carriers, and the Japanese Navy has a very bad practice of transferring pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft between aircraft carriers and shore-based air teams.

Doing so in peacetime can allow more pilots to have the ability to take off and land on aircraft carriers, but in wartime, the problem of using carrier-based pilots as shore-based pilots will arise.

The total number of elite Japanese pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft is not too large, and the number has always remained in the early 1,000s. Moreover, it is very difficult to replenish, ordinary fighter pilots can make do with dozens of hours of flight training, at least they can fly and fight, and it is a big deal to give the US imperialist pilots their head brush experience.

However, the pilots of aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft did not have ten times the flight training, and they could not even take off and land on the deck of the aircraft carrier, and they were all smashing the deck of the aircraft carrier, and the threat to the imperial army was greater than that of the US military!

In addition, it does not mean that the elites of the Air Force and Army Aviation can get on the aircraft carrier with a casual training. Taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier, or even making a blind landing (at night), and flying over the vast ocean (including night flight) are very difficult topics that cannot be mastered casually.

For example, Hirschmann's son, Rudolph, was a fighter pilot trained by the pre-war class, and if he wanted to go to an aircraft carrier, he had to train in a naval aviation school for several more months. And not everyone who participates in the training can go to the aircraft carrier, according to the statistics of the German Naval Aviation Carrier-based Aircraft Pilot School, out of 100 cadets, that is, 35-40 people can graduate and go to the aircraft carrier.

Therefore, although this round of continuous attrition did not cause the Combined Fleet to lose a single warship, it seriously damaged the combat capability of the Combined Fleet's aircraft carrier forces!

"Genda-kun, you go on." Yamamoto Fifty-six looked at Minoru Genda and said.

"Hai," Minoru Genda bowed slightly to Yamamoto, and continued, "The main purpose of the U.S. 7th Fleet's dispatch may be to attack our base in Holland Harbor......

"Genda-kun, now that the autumnal equinox has passed, the climate in the Aleutian Islands is not suitable for landing." Nagumo Tadaichi interrupted Minoru Genda. When he was the commander of the First Air and Sea Fleet, he commanded the fleet to attack the Aleutian Islands, and it was May when the weather was warmer, but there was still a large number of people suffering from frostbite, let alone now?

"Your Excellency the General is right, landing is indeed impossible." Minoru Genda said, "But the U.S. military can inflict heavy losses on our base in Holland Harbor through bombing and artillery bombardment, and may even lay mines around Holland Harbor to carry out blockade operations." ”

Because Holland Harbor was a forward base for attacking the North American continent and at the same time posed a serious threat to U.S. carriers entering the western Pacific through the North Pacific, it has always been an important Japanese stronghold in the North Pacific. Japan's 5th Fleet is stationed there – the 5th Fleet, like the 4th Fleet, is a garrison fleet that includes not only surface ships, but also shore-based aviation and marines.

In addition, the 23rd Army of the Japanese Army is stationed on the island of Amakenac, where Holland Harbor is located, and on the adjacent island of Unaraska, with two divisions and one flying division.

It's endless......

After listening to Minoru Genda's analysis, all the people in the war room were heartbroken. Because what Genda said was exactly what they were most afraid of - this was an endless war of attrition!

First Christmas Island, then the U.S. Broken Fleet broke into the western Pacific, and the Western Pacific side was not finished fighting, and the U.S. 7th Fleet poured out...... It is likely that the battle for the Aleutian Islands will be fought.

And the Aleutian Islands won and won, not to mention, the heavy pilots and the rapid depletion of the combined fleet's oil depots are certain!

And...... The Japanese now can't think of fighting the battle for the Aleutian Islands, because the tens of thousands of Japanese troops and three or four hundred planes stationed there have not even said that they will move in. Hundreds of ships would have to be mobilized to remove personnel and equipment, and the Japanese Navy's 5th Fleet simply did not have such capacity.

Besides, once the Aleutian Islands are abandoned, the United States will have to break the diplomatic relations between aircraft carriers and submarines from Holland Harbor, and the straight-line distance from there to Taiwan will be 3,500 nautical miles. At the speed of an Independence-class aircraft carrier and a Cleveland-class light cruiser, even if you take the anti-submarine route for 10-12 days, you will reach the Taiwan Strait!

If that's the case...... The Japanese Combined Fleet did not have to think about a decisive battle with the US Pacific Fleet, and had to do escort work 365 days a year.

The Pacific War is still a fart!

Therefore, the Aleutian Islands cannot be lost to Japan at present, but it seems that it will be difficult to fight the Aleutian Islands.

Just when Yamamoto was in a dilemma, even more terrible news came: a large number of American planes were approaching Holland Harbor from the east!

The battle for the Aleutian Islands has begun!