The reinforcement of Guam and the Philippines with the main forces of the Pacific Fleet was not a whim of Roosevelt, but a plan proposed by the US Naval Operations Department itself. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Because in the vision of the US Naval Operations Department, there is no such thing as a "sneak attack on Pearl Harbor". Pearl Harbor was six or seven thousand kilometers away from the Japanese mainland, and the Japanese fleet had to sail continuously at sea for half a month to reach it. The possibility of a huge fleet going six or seven thousand kilometers in half a month without being detected seemed to Admiral Stark almost none.

So Admiral Stark and the rest of the top brass of the U.S. Navy didn't think the Japanese would go crazy and attack Pearl Harbor. In their view, the Japanese would attack Guam and the Philippines and cut off Pearl Harbor from British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. Then they seized Malaya, took over the Dutch East Indies, and then went west to the Indian Ocean to join forces with Germany and Italy.

The main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet, on the other hand, would set up a battlefield in the Pacific Ocean between the Japanese mainland and the Philippines, waiting for the Pacific Fleet to travel thousands of kilometers to engage in battle -- this was the tactic adopted by the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War.

Therefore, in the plan drawn up by the US Naval Operations Department, the US Pacific Fleet must fight a difficult decisive battle with the Japanese Combined Fleet near Guam and the Philippines and win a decisive victory, after which the US Navy can concentrate its efforts on dealing with Germany.

"That's what I'm here for, President." Admiral Stark pulled a document out of his briefcase and placed it in front of Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt did not look closely, but asked directly: "What is this?" ”

Stark replied, "It's an outline of an operational plan, and a plan to mobilize some of the Atlantic Fleet's forces to strengthen the Pacific Fleet." ”

"How are you going to defeat the Japanese?" Roosevelt asked.

Roosevelt, of course, was prepared to defeat Japan, not for the Japanese to blow up the Pacific Fleet. There is no doubt about that! Bitter meat or something, I won't play with the Pacific Fleet.

"Shore-based aviation with aircraft carriers." Admiral Stark said.

The U.S. Navy is certainly not blind and deaf, and they all know all about the air raids on Scapa Bay, the naval battles in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the naval battles at Shetland. If aircraft carriers and planes are not paid attention to now, then the generals of the US Navy should take a good look at their brains to see if there is any water!

"This is a good idea!" Roosevelt nodded. The cooperation between aircraft carriers and shore-based warfare represents the trend of advanced naval warfare in the world! In Churchill's letters to Roosevelt, there was more than one mention of the story of the Germans using this advanced tactic to beat the British Royal Navy.

"But do we have planes like the JU88 and S.M.79?" Roosevelt asked again.

"We don't have twin-engine dive bombers like the JU88," Admiral Stark said, "but we have aircraft that are as capable as the S.M.79, and the B-25, B-26 and A-20 can be modified to carry torpedoes for attack."

In addition, we are the SBD Dreadnought dive bomber very good, the latest modified model already has a maximum range of 2200 km and can act as a shore-based dive bomber. ”

"What about the fighters?"

Army Chief of Staff Marshall took the question at this time and replied: "You can use the P-40 and P-51 together, because Japan does not have high-altitude fighters like the BF-109 and FW-190, so there is no need for 'Spitfire' aircraft." In addition, we can deploy radars in the Philippines and Guam. ”

Air combat is P-40 plus P-51, anti-ship has B-25, B-26, A-20 and SBD, then plus aircraft carrier support. This is the method planned by the US Naval Operations Department to achieve a quick victory over Japan.

"In addition, we plan to move the aircraft carriers Yorktown, Hornet, and Raider to the Pacific?"

Admiral Stark went on to talk about the plans of the Naval Operations Department. The Navy's plan was made with full reference to the situation of naval battles in the European theater. Specifically, it is to concentrate five aircraft carriers, including the "Lexington", "Saratoga", "Enterprise", "Yorktown", and "Bumblebee", as the core to form a task force to attack the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet heading south!

"When will our aircraft carriers depart from Pearl Harbor?" Roosevelt thought for a moment and then asked.

Admiral Stark replied: "They should leave Pearl Harbor when the main forces of the Japanese Combined Fleet are gone." ”

Of course, the United States also has its own intelligence network in Japan, and now the United States and the Soviet Union have also strengthened intelligence cooperation, focusing on monitoring the Kure military port and the Sasebo military port. Although no important information was detected, it was still possible to know that the Japanese Combined Fleet was not at home.

According to the thinking of the US Naval Operations Department, if the Japanese Combined Fleet is to come out, it goes without saying that it will definitely go to the Philippines and Guam. The Combined Fleet is a big fuel guzzler, and now that Japan is under an embargo, it lives on the consumption of oil reserves, and if it were not for war, it would never let the Combined Fleet go out of the nest.

Therefore, as soon as the Combined Fleet was discovered, the U.S. task force would immediately depart from Pearl Harbor, regardless of whether Japan had declared war or not. There are thousands of kilometers to go, and I can't get to the place in half a month, so it's too late to leave early and wait until the official declaration of war is over.

"And what about the main forces of the Pacific Fleet?" Roosevelt finally asked, "When are they going to move?" ”

"It depends," Admiral Stark said, "and if the task force is victorious on the Guam-Philippine front, then the main fleet will go to Guam under the cover of the aircraft carrier USS Raider to join the task force." Then start the final decisive battle with the Japanese Combined Fleet! ”

……

"Senior General Terauchi and Lieutenant General Ozawa, I'm glad that you, Japan, have finally made the right decision!"

On August 15, 1941, just half a month before the "deadline" given by Hersmann, the Japanese Empire finally made up its mind to follow Germany down the road. At the same time, they sent a military delegation of no lower rank. The delegation was composed of senior officials from the Japanese Army and Navy. At the head of the navy was Vice Admiral Jizaburo Ozawa, president of the Naval University. The representative of the army side was General Toshiichi Terauchi, a military senator.

Terauchi Shouichi had served as deputy military attache in Vienna in Europe before World War I, and was fluent in German and a little "German fan", so he was one of the strong promoters of the Japanese-German alliance. In today's meeting, Terauchi Shouichi automatically acted as Jizaburo Ozawa's interpreter (in fact, both parties brought full-time interpreters).

Terauchi translated Hersman's words into Japanese and told Ozawa. Jizaburo Ozawa, who had a "grandma face", was obviously not as optimistic as Shouichi Terauchi, and he said to Hirschman: "Your Excellency Marshal, I always have some questions in my heart and want to ask for advice in person. ”

Hersman smiled and nodded. Jizaburo Ozawa went on to say: "Your Excellency the Marshal should know the industrial strength and war potential of the United States, and if you can keep the United States neutral, you Germany should be able to win with certainty." But why do you take the risk of pushing Japan to go to war against the United States instead of choosing a strategy that is sure to win? ”

"Because with Japan's cooperation, we will be able to achieve a decisive victory before the full industrial potential of the United States is realized!"

Hersman said lightly: "Although the United States has a strong industry, it will take a relatively long process to transform industrial strength into war potential. Although the United States had begun to work in this direction, it remained relatively fragile until 1943 or 1944. We can defeat the United States! And defeating the United States is the only way to truly win the world war! ”

Ozawa Jizaburo nodded and said with a solemn face: "Your Excellency, your views are similar to those of your subordinates and many colleagues in our Imperial Navy. Our Imperial Navy is sure to seize the initiative within a maximum of 12 months after entering the war, after which the initiative will fall into the hands of the United States...... However, it will not be easy to defeat the United States completely within 12 months. ”

"It's not a complete defeat, it's an irreversible advantage." Hersman corrected Ozawa's words, "It is very difficult to completely defeat the United States by landing on the east coast of the United States, and defeating the American ground forces, which may number as many as several million." And forcing the United States to lose hope of victory, accept unfavorable peace treaties, lose control of South America, and be forever blockaded in North America is the goal we are pursuing. To achieve that, we must deliver a lethal blow to the U.S. Navy by 1943. ”

"How?" Jizaburo Ozawa asked.

Hersman smiled, stretched out two fingers, and said, "There are two ways, one is that you occupy Hawaii and force the main force of the US Pacific Fleet to fight a decisive battle near Hawaii!"

Second, after opening the Strait of Malacca, you will send the two 'Yamato' to the Atlantic Ocean and the German, French, and Italian fleets to form a joint fleet, and then destroy the main force of the US Atlantic Fleet in the North Atlantic. ”

"It can't be!" After listening to Terauchi Shouichi's translation, Jizaburo Ozawa immediately shouted in English, "Your Excellency Marshal, it is impossible to make your suggestion!" ”

Hersman shrugged his shoulders and replied in English as well: "It's not a question of what is possible and impossible, it's a question of whether you have the resolve or not." Your Combined Fleet is a more powerful naval force than the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the Hawaiian Islands are the foundation of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Once you attack there, the U.S. Pacific Fleet will definitely go all out to the rescue, and this is your chance to deal a devastating blow to the Pacific Fleet. If you don't dare to do that, then send two Yamato-class battleships to the Atlantic theater, and we can use the polar night of 1942 to fight the US Atlantic Fleet near Iceland and Newfoundland! (To be continued.) )