While Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was hurrying home, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Hasbender Ashbend. Admiral Kimmel has just finished his visit to India and has taken a long-distance flight directly to Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Hessbend, how do the hapless Brits describe their defeat?"

On the way from the Navy Club to the White House, his superior, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Stark, sat with him in a large car. Stark smiled and asked about the expedition - Admiral Kimmel had been sent to India, of course, to investigate the Mediterranean campaign, which had not yet been finalized.

How did the Royal Navy lose the war? Is it a weapon that doesn't work or a bad brain? It must be figured out, because it will not be long before the US Navy will be at war with the German and Japanese navies.

"They mentioned the German JU88, the Fokker Zero and the Italians' three-engine hunchback."

Admiral Kimmel was a good-looking man, and he spoke very seriously, as if he had no sense of humor.

In a deep tone, he noted: "The JU88 is a twin-engine dive bomber that can drop 2 bombs of 500 kg with a dive at an angle of 60 degrees. The aircraft that the British called the 'damned hunchback' was the Italian S.M.79 medium bomber, which could carry an aviation torpedo, had a combat radius of up to 1,000 kilometers, and was fast, but at the same time able to fly smoothly and horizontally at low altitudes. As for the Fokker Zero, it has good performance at low and medium altitudes, better than our P-39, and flies very far. These three types of aircraft were the cause of the British defeat in the Mediterranean, and I think our Pacific Fleet will soon encounter them...... If our Secretary of State Hull does not allow Japan to expand in any direction! ”

"The U.S. government will not allow Japan to continue its expansionist policy!" Admiral Stark told Kimmel with great certainty. "So your Pacific Fleet is going to be ready for war from now on."

"But didn't we still want Japan to expand on the East Asian continent?"

"That was before the Battle of the Mediterranean," Stark said, shaking his head, "and now we can't do that." Because now to defeat Germany, it is necessary to unite with the Soviet Union. And we cannot unite with the Soviet Union to attack Germany and at the same time support Japan to attack the close comrades of the Soviet Union in the East. ”

"Can't we?" Kimmel still doesn't quite understand.

"Of course not!" Stark smiled wryly and said, "Now that the initiative is in Stalin's hands, we have to desperately curry favor with this paternal leader of GCISM, and we must pretend to like the Soviet Union and its close comrades." We can't do anything that might make Stalin feel that the United States is unreliable, even if Stalin doesn't really care. ”

Since Germany had not yet shown any clear signs of attacking the Soviet Union, and since the two countries had ostensibly maintained a friendship of socialist comrades and brothers, the initiative in relations with Britain and the United States was entirely in Stalin's hands. The United States must be careful to curry favor with the Soviet Union so that the Soviet Union feels that it can share the world equally with the United States.

Therefore, the strategy adopted by Britain and the United States before the Battle of the Mediterranean is now completely unworkable, because Japan's westward advance with the support of Britain and the United States may make Stalin think that Britain and the United States are still hostile to GCISM - even if Stalin did not think so, President Roosevelt would not dare to take this risk.

And after the Battle of the Mediterranean, British sea power had already suffered heavy losses. It was very easy for Japan to seize the British colonies in Southeast Asia. It is also possible that the Dutch East Indies could be obtained through a trade with Germany.

Under such circumstances, even if the United States continues to feed Japan with steel and oil, Japan will not necessarily leave Southeast Asia, which is easy to seize, and go west to fight its close comrades in the Soviet Union.

Admiral Kimmel asked, "The president is worried that the oil and steel we are now selling to Japan will end up being turned into weapons and hit ourselves?" ”

"No," Stark shook his head, "the President's concern is that Japan ignores our military presence in the Pacific and goes straight to attack the British colonies and the Dutch East Indies. What do we do if that happens? Will Congress agree to the United States declaring war on Japan for the interests of the British in Southeast Asia? ”

"Mr. Minister, are you saying that the president deliberately wants to provoke Japan?" Admiral Kimmel suddenly realized.

The U.S. Congress is now the biggest obstacle to America's unbridled entry into the world war, and the best way to get around this obstacle is to let someone else do it first. And if Japan chooses to bypass the Philippines and go south, will the U.S. Congress approve a declaration of war on Japan?

"But Japan could still bypass the Philippines." Admiral Kimmel shook his head.

"Then find a way to make the Japanese think that there is no way to bypass the Philippines." Admiral Stark said. "Hessbend, do you have a solution?"

"This ...... Of course there is a way. Kimmel thought for a moment and said, "Submarines and bombers can be deployed in the Philippines." It would be nice if there were such sharp shore-based anti-ship aircraft as the JU88 and S.M.79. ”

"We have B-17, B-24, B-25, and BD-1 and BD-2." Admiral Stark said, "These planes have sufficient bomb load and range, and although they cannot carry out dive bombing, horizontal bombing combined with torpedo attacks can still pose a great threat to the Japanese." ”

"Admiral Cunningham also told me that 50 British submarines and 10 camouflaged assault ships will soon arrive in Southeast Asia," Kimmel added. If Singapore is attacked, he hopes to allow these submarines and camouflaged assault ships to use our bases in the Philippines. ”

The Philippines is stuck between Japan and French Indochina, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. If the Philippines became a base for British submarines and camouflaged assault ships, it would be difficult for Japan to deal with them. And in the process of pursuing these submarines and attack ships, Japan could easily violate the sovereignty of the Philippines, which is under the protection of the United States. At that time, the US military stationed in the Philippines will be able to counterattack in a grand manner.

"Also," Admiral Stark asked at the end of his car as he was about to pull up in front of the White House, "do you know what happened in Scapa Bay and Toulon Harbor?" Our fleet at Pearl Harbor won't suffer the same blow, right? ”

"That's not possible, we have more than 300 aircraft deployed in Hawaii, and by the end of the year we will have more than 400, and we will soon have radars deployed." Admiral Kimmel confidently said, "If the Japanese fleet really dares to touch Pearl Harbor, then they will all be sunk!" ”

Admiral Stark laughed, "Good! This is the best result. We have to provoke Japan first, then defeat it, and then we can deal with the Germans with confidence. ”

……

"You guys are sanctioned and embargoed? The Dutch East India authorities also refused to sell oil and rubber to you? ”

Hersmann, who had just returned to Rome with his wife Chloe, met Hiroshi Oshima and Kuroshima Kameto at the Medici Villa, and they told him that Isoroku Yamamoto had returned to Japan because Japan was under sanctions and embargoes.

Moreover, to the great surprise of the Japanese, the Netherlands, which had always behaved very pro-German, actually sided with Britain and the United States in this action to sanction Japan -- this could not have been an unauthorized act of the Dutch East India authorities, but should have been instructed by the Dutch government.

The reason for the Dutch government's actions was obviously related to Japan's coveting of the Dutch East Indies. After the Japanese invasion of French Indochina, the Dutch government was very worried that the Dutch East Indies would become the next target of Japanese aggression, and therefore demanded that Germany provide guarantees for the Dutch East Indies. The German government's refusal of the Dutch request in order to maintain relations with Japan also strengthened the Dutch belief that Japan would invade the Dutch East Indies.

"Can you promise not to invade the Dutch East Indies, then?" Hersman asked the two visiting Japanese.

"Your Excellency, the liberation of the Dutch East Indies is the duty of the Japanese Empire to the yellow peoples of Southeast Asia!" Lieutenant General Hiroshi Oshima said very solemnly.

Hersman shrugged, "In that case, it's normal that the Dutch don't sell oil and rubber to you...... As far as I know, your oil reserves will last for 24 months, right? ”

Hiroshi Oshima's brow was already furrowed, he certainly knew how close the relationship between Germany and the Netherlands was.

"But the Dutch East Indies are not part of the Netherlands, and we can't give up there!" Hiroshi Oshima said.

"General Oshima, you don't have to worry," Hirschman waved his hand, "We have a way to solve this problem...... The Dutch East Indies were not Dutch territory, but only a property of the Dutch government. You can't take it away for nothing, but you can exchange it for something of equal value. ”

As for the question of the Dutch East Indies, the German High Command had long studied it. It must be handed over to Japan, otherwise Japan will not have the strength to follow Germany. But the Dutch also have to have an explanation, who let the old Emperor Wilhelm and Queen Wilhelmina see the truth in adversity?

"Something equivalent?" Hiroshi Oshima and Kameto Kuroshima glanced at each other, and Oshima asked, "What is it?" ”

"South Africa!" "After the capture of Singapore, you are to send a fleet to accompany us in the capture of Ceylon, Madagascar, and South Africa." Then we will give South Africa to the Netherlands, and you will have the Dutch East Indies. ”

The Dutch East Indies were of course happy to exchange South Africa for oil, and rubber from the Dutch East Indies could not be sold for a few bucks, far from being comparable to South Africa.

"We can agree," said Hiroshi Oshima, "and Tokyo will agree...... So now the Dutch East India authorities will be able to sell us oil? ”

Hersman shook his head, "This is not possible, because the British have at least 4 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, which is a force that the Dutch East India authorities cannot fight. He looked at Oshima, "Unless you declare war on Britain immediately, the Dutch East Indies authorities can only temporarily bend to the will of the British, or the British can blow up the oil fields there." (To be continued.) )