August 13th. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Panama, Joint Command of the US Pacific-Atlantic Fleet.

As more and more ships cross the Panama Canal into the Caribbean Sea, the intention of the United States to launch a counteroffensive in the Atlantic Ocean is gradually revealed. The atmosphere at the Joint Command of the Pacific-Atlantic Fleet, located in the Panama Canal Zone, is also becoming increasingly tense.

Because everyone knows that the large-scale movement of the US Navy through the Panama Canal cannot hide from the Great General Staff of the Wehrmacht!

Although the U.S. Navy's 9th Fleet, with Panama as its home port, increased its anti-submarine efforts under Nimitz's orders, the U.S. Army stationed in Panama also provided a martial law rating.

But the new submarine of the Germans was simply unguardable, not only difficult to detect, but also difficult to sink even if it was discovered. According to the reports of many destroyer captains, the new submarine of the Germans was very fast under water, perhaps exceeding 18 knots. This makes it difficult for destroyers to rely on active sonar guidance to pursue and attack - because the noise level of surface ships rises dramatically when the speed of a surface ship rises above 18 knots, making it difficult to effectively distinguish between underwater contacts (sonar contact). When the ship's speed exceeds 24 knots, the sonar shroud usually has to be retracted to prevent damage, and the detection of underwater targets is completely suspended (in fact, it cannot be detected). In other words, once the speed of the new German submarine under water exceeds or approaches 18 knots (the maximum design speed is 17.2 knots), the American destroyer will basically have nothing to do with the other side.

So the U.S. Navy, although well aware that there were many hateful German submarines under water near Panama, had hardly sunk a submarine with depth charges. As a last resort, the US Navy's Ninth Fleet had no choice but to lay a large number of mines and antisubmarine nets in Panama Bay to block the reconnaissance and sabotage of German submarines -- the Type 21 submarines in Panama Bay were mainly responsible for reconnaissance, so they rarely fired torpedo attacks, but they still laid mines on the waterways and sank two US destroyers and several oil tankers.

As for catching spies in Panama, it's even harder.

Because Panama is a Spanish-speaking country, historically a Spanish colony, and a devout Catholic country. And now Spain itself is a member of the European Community, and the Pope, who rules the Vatican, is a German. Germany's General Directorate of Central Security and Military Intelligence were perfectly capable of sending Spanish agents with Catholic priesthood.

Moreover, in October 1941, the United States instructed the police in Panama to stage a coup d'état (because Panama has no army, only police, so the military coup became a police coup), overthrowing the democratically elected President Arnulfo. Arias. Madrid (the founder of the National Revolutionary Party of Panama, with its populist and pro-Nazi tendencies) also forcibly leased 134 plots of land as military bases in the name of fighting the Nazis and fascists for a period of 999 years - is such a long lease period considering that the Third Reich could really exist for a thousand years?

Under these circumstances, the Panamanian population generally resented the United States and sympathized with the Axis powers. This opened the door for German intelligence agencies to recruit local agents in Panama, while US counterintelligence in Panama became very difficult. It is often necessary to arrest and kill respected local Panamanian politicians or Catholic priests. And each arrest and killing will only arouse the patriotic sentiment of Panamanians even more. So the more German agents in Panama (most of them Panamanians) caught more and more, and every day there were countless pairs of ill-intentioned Panamanians watching the Grand Canal.

So Nimitz knew very well that his intentions could not be concealed from those German superhuman military strategists who were very good at fighting. However, even if the "sea sports warfare" he is now adopting is detected by Hirschman and Raeder, they will face a dilemma.

"What's new?" As soon as he arrived at his headquarters that morning, Nimitz asked his chief of staff, Vice Admiral Horatio.

"A submarine operating at the mouth of the Tocantins River had spotted another German fleet leaving the port of Belém three hours earlier."

"Do you know the approximate composition?" Nimitz asked.

"It's an amphibious assault formation." Vice Admiral Horatio replied that "there may be 4-5 Baltic-class amphibious assault ships, plus 10-15 dock landing ships and more than 10 destroyers, as well as a number of transport ships." ”

Due to the presence of anti-Nazis in Rome, now the Americans have a better understanding of the types of ships of the EC Navy and therefore know the approximate situation of the Baltic-class amphibious assault ships.

"5 amphibious assault ships, 10-15 dock landing ships...... There should have been a German Marine Division, right? Nimitz pondered, "Where did they go?" ”

"To the south, after leaving the mouth of the Tocantins, we went south." Vice Admiral Horatio said, "In addition, the Naval Operations Department transmitted information that four Community-class tankers and four Westforest-class naval supply ships left the port of Buenos Aires last night under the protection of destroyers." ”

The "Community" class tanker in the mouth of Vice Admiral Horatio is a production version of the "fast tanker", similar to the T2 and T3 of the United States, with a deadweight ton of 16,000 tons and a speed of up to 21 knots (4 MAN 9-cylinder diesel engines, 24,000 horsepower).

The "Western Forest" class naval supply ship is a kind of integrated supply ship, which has a standard displacement of 20,850 tons, 3 twin 150mm turrets, 4 twin 40mm "Bofors" anti-aircraft guns, 4 single 20mm "Erlikong" anti-aircraft guns, and a maximum speed of 21 knots. Such a first-class naval supply ship with a certain level of self-defense capability was originally developed to cooperate with Germany's surface breaking ships, and a total of 20 ships were built before and after. Although it is no longer the main business of the German Navy (European Community Navy) to break the war, these 20 "Western Forest" class naval supply ships are still active in the Atlantic theater and are the "personal nannies" that the main fleet of the European Community Navy cannot obtain.

"The four Community-class and the four Westforest-class should have gone to join the German aircraft carriers that had departed from the port of Belém earlier." Nimitz immediately made a judgment.

"Have you found submarines operating in the port of Brest and on the outskirts of the Strait of Gibraltar?" Nimitz asked again.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Vice Admiral Horatio shook his head, "There are no signs of a dispatch from the 2nd and 3rd fleets of the EC Navy. ”

There are still nine sub-fleets under the combined EC fleet - all command fleets. However, the number of garrison fleets has been reduced from seven to six, and they are deployed in the Pacific Ocean (9th Fleet), the Indian Ocean (8th Fleet), the Mediterranean Sea (7th Fleet), the Baltic Sea and the North Sea (6th Fleet), the North Atlantic (5th Fleet), and the South Atlantic (4th Fleet).

The main battle fleet has increased to three, namely the 1st Fleet (home port of Belém), the 2nd Fleet (home port of Brest) and the 3rd Fleet (home port of Gibraltar).

The establishment of the three main battle fleets is also different, of which the 1st Fleet has an aircraft carrier group as the main strike force, and there is no battleship group. The 2nd and 3rd fleets were supplemented by battleships as the main aircraft carriers.

"According to intelligence, the Germans have already obtained 3 'Veneto' class battleships (and 1 remains in the Roman Navy), plus 3 French 'Richelieu' classes, Germany's own 2 'Bismarck' class and 2 'Hindenburg' classes, there are as many as 10 super battleships alone." Vice Admiral Horatio said: "In addition, the German Barbarossa class (O-class), the Scharnhorst-class and the two French Dunkirk-class and their P-class armored ships have all been overhauled in the shipyards on German soil, and have been in the shipyards for more than a year, and most of them will not be able to participate in the war." So in terms of the quantity and quality of cutting-edge battleships / battlecruisers, we currently have an advantage. ”

At present, the US Navy has 4 "Iowa" class, 1 "North Carolina" class, 4 "Soviet" class and 3 "Alaska" class, a total of 12 ships. And 9 of them all had terrible 406mm guns, which were stronger than most of the cutting-edge battleships of the German (EC) Navy.

There is also information that two of the EC's cutting-edge battleships and two P-class armored ships are undergoing major overhauls, and the United States is not suffering a loss in terms of the number of battleships. There is still a certainty of fighting a decisive battle in the fleet!

"Now the advantage of the battleship / battlecruiser is on our side;" Nimitz snapped his fingers and said, "In the northern Guyana battlefield, we also have an absolute advantage in the number of shore-based aircraft; If the German aircraft carriers from Belém all arrive in the Gulf of Valparaiso in Chile, we will also have an advantage in the aircraft carrier sector; As for cruisers and destroyers, we have always had the advantage.

And the enemy has the advantage in the quality of the aircraft; the quality and number of ground forces; remotely controlled guided weapons; Submarines these aspects. ”

"Sir, I think I can fight!" Vice Admiral Horatio said, "As long as we can be sure that the German aircraft carrier has reached the Gulf of Valparaiso in Chile, we will be sure that we will carry out the 'God of Liberty' and save British Guiana from German rule!" ”

Nimitz also nodded, sure that there was indeed one! 12 battleships/battlecruisers, plus dozens of aircraft carriers, plus countless cruisers, destroyers, and more than 3,000 shore-based aircraft deployed by the United States in Trinidad. With the right use, Georgetown (the capital of British Guiana), just over 500 kilometers from Trinidad, will undoubtedly fall into the hands of the United States!

Then the U.S. forces would be able to use Georgetown as a base of advance and advance further to Barramalipo in Dutch Guiana and Cayenne in French Guiana!