"But Admiral, we are too far away from Japan's main sea lines of communication, 4,000-5,000 nautical miles in a straight line, and the endurance of the Independence and Cleveland classes is only about 10,000 nautical miles, and they simply cannot operate in the western Pacific for a long time. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo”

Colonel Mitchell didn't know that the Independence-class aircraft carriers were built to break diplomatic relations - Roosevelt's petty goals were a secret to anyone of his level.

"There are already arrangements." Nimitz said, "There will be ships flying the red flag of the Bolsheviks to supply you." ”

"Flying the Bolshevik Red Flag? They were Soviet ships? Colonel Mitchell asked.

"It's our ships," Nimitz smirked sarcastically, "but nominally belonging to the Soviet Union, and they were responsible for transporting Lend-Lease supplies to the Soviet Union so that the Red Army could use them to defeat Germany." ”

"The Japanese haven't blocked the North Pacific shipping lanes yet?" Colonel Mitchell was somewhat surprised, he had heard earlier that there was such a North Pacific route, but at that time the Soviet-German war had not yet begun. "What are these Japanese thinking? Do they think they can hold out after the defeat of Germany? ”

"Maybe," Nimitz snorted, "the Japanese have a very strange way of thinking, and we can't understand it. But that doesn't stop us from killing them all! Colonel, your mission now is to kill as many Japanese as possible. ”

"Where are we going to break through?" Colonel Mitchell asked again.

"From the North Pacific, as close to the Arctic Circle as possible." "Because a German fleet might have gone to the East, the American freighters with the red flag were nervous and formed a flotilla, escorted by ships from the Soviet Pacific Fleet, and took a very northerly route," Nimitz said. Colonel, your formation will go and follow a 'Soviet fleet' and also raise the red flag. Separated from the 'Soviet fleet' near the Kamchatka Peninsula and then moved to the seas south of the Japanese mainland. Remember, don't get too close to mainland Japan...... It's not too close to Saipan and Guam. ”

"Well, I see......" Colonel Mitchell's brow furrowed, "Commander, can I say it's a suicide mission?" ”

"No, it's not a suicide mission." Nimitz shook his head, "Because the Independence and Cleveland are fast ships, and by the standards of the German Navy, these are typical shipbreakers. Enemy ships that can fight them can't catch up with them, and enemy ships that catch up with them can't beat them. Moreover, the Independence is also an aircraft carrier with a very large combat radius. So it's a very successful combination with the Cleveland Treaty, and they're going to turn Japan's shipping lines upside down! ”

As a matter of fact, this aircraft carrier operation also had the intention of mobilizing the main force of the Japanese fleet in Rabaul to go north. Nimitz sent 3 aircraft carriers to break the formation! Except for the aircraft carriers of the Japanese Combined Fleet, they simply have no opponents in the Western Pacific!

……

Just when the three U.S. fleets, each including one light aircraft carrier, were disguised as Soviet freighters under the red flag of GC doctrine and quietly approached the Japanese mainland. The commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Isoroku Yamamoto, got the news that the huge fs06 flotilla had left San Francisco!

"According to the reconnaissance of the 'deep mountain' long-range reconnaissance aircraft deployed in the Gilbert Islands, at least 100 large transport ships formed a transport ship group, including 5-6 cruise ships of tens of thousands of tons......"

Yamamoto Fifty-six listened to Kuroshima, the staff officer of the immortals, read the telegram forwarded from the Ravata base, and there was no expression on his face.

The Fs06 flotilla escorted by the Halsey fleet was spotted as a "deep mountain" long-range reconnaissance aircraft that had taken off from the Lavata Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. This aircraft was originally developed as a bomber, called the "13 Test Bomber", and the Japanese Navy originally hoped to use this bomber to bomb the Soviet Pacific Fleet in the port of Vladivostok. However, by the time this aircraft was developed, the object of its bombing had become San Diego, a military port on the west coast of the United States. But San Diego was too far away from Hawaii for the mountain heavy bombers to reach it.

Therefore, this four-engine heavy bomber was equipped with an airborne radar provided by Germany, and became a reconnaissance aircraft with an ultra-long range. It was also deployed to Rawatta Atoll, more than 2,000 kilometers south of Hawaii, which the Japanese captured shortly after the Battle of Hawaii and turned it into a Japanese outpost in the area south of Hawaii. By June '42, the island's airfield was expanded to accommodate long-range reconnaissance aircraft deep in the mountains. After the deep-mountain bomber was converted into a reconnaissance plane, the range was increased to 6,000 kilometers because of the increase in fuel tanks and the reduction of weapons and equipment, which was enough to patrol the waters 2,500 kilometers away.

"Hundreds of large transport ships, and 5-6 cruise ships of tens of thousands of tons?" The chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, Ugaki, was envious, "The Americans are really arrogant, if only we could have so many ships." ”

"There will be!" Yamamoto said, "As long as Australia is defeated, within 30 years, Japan's shipbuilding industry will definitely surpass that of the United States!" ”

"Yes, as long as you take Australia, you will have everything." Kuroshima nodded heavily, echoing Yamamoto, and then the raunchy admiral shook his head and said, "But this American transport fleet must be full of troops...... Those luxury cruise ships should be used to transport soldiers, probably carrying tens of thousands of people, right? ”

The troop carriers of Japanese imperialism were usually tattered cargo ships, and it was enough to stuff people into the hold like cattle. But the GIs of the U.S. imperialists went to the battlefield on luxury cruise ships, and the comfort along the way was similar to that of tourism (according to Japanese tourism standards, of course).

"That's the Army," Yamamoto Fifty-six smiled indifferently, "We're the Navy, and we just have to fight the American convoy...... How many aircraft carriers were found this time? ”

"There are 3-4 of them, but they are all small escort carriers." The Kuroshima Kameto replied with a frown, "In addition, there are twenty or thirty cruisers and destroyers, and no large American aircraft carriers have been found. ”

Escort aircraft carriers with a displacement of seven or eight thousand tons to more than 10,000 tons, a thin hull, a wooden deck, and diesel engines used by merchant ships are not worth much to the United States at all. And for Japan, they are not of much value, after all, escort aircraft carriers are limited by speed, protection and firepower, and play little role in the decisive battle of the fleet.

"What about their four large aircraft carriers? Still in San Diego? Yamamoto asked.

"It's gone."

There were German agents lurking in San Diego, and although they couldn't get any important information, they were able to find out if the American aircraft carrier was not at home.

"Will you go to the Atlantic?" Yamamoto thought about it and asked. "Did you find anything on the other side of the Panama Canal?"

"No," the Black Island Turtle Man shook his head. "Neither the Germans nor our Type 2 boats have found it."

The Panama Canal was very important, and of course it was under the watchful eye of German agents. In addition, the Japanese also sent two seaplane carriers (Akitsuzu and Chihaya) to the Pacific Ocean west of the Panama Canal with two Type II boats to search the Panama Canal. The USS Independence and the USS Cleveland were spotted by Type II large ships as they passed through the Panama Canal. However, it did not attract the attention of the Japanese Navy, and they thought that the Independence was a worthless escort carrier.

"Didn't find it either?" Yamamoto Fifty-six shook his head slightly.

The loss of four large American aircraft carriers does not bode well, but there is no special cause for concern. After all, the Japanese Combined Fleet has already concentrated 12 aircraft carriers in Rabaul, which is far more than the 4 large aircraft carriers of the Americans. As long as the Americans dare to come to the Coral Sea to fight, they will definitely lose.

……

Somewhere in the South Pacific, the USS Lexington, October 22.

Admiral Halsey looked up at the rain clouds in the sky and exhaled softly. With this rain cloud covering, he didn't have to worry for at least a few hours. Since leaving the operational radius of the P38 fighter jets deployed on the west coast of the United States, his fleet has been cautiously navigating the ocean about 150 nautical miles south of the FS06 fleet.

The FS06 flotilla effectively served as a shield for Task Force 1 under the command of Halsey. Because the FS06 fleet is very large, the transport ships plus the escort cruisers and destroyers have a total of 168 ships, pulling out a formation of dozens of nautical miles on the sea surface. And all cruisers and destroyers have anti-air search radars, and F4F fighters hover over the fleet at any time.

Therefore, the large reconnaissance planes of the Japanese can only be seen from a distance, and generally do not fly over them. Those large reconnaissance planes of the Japanese could not withstand the attack of F4F!

In addition, Halsey chose a route away from Japan's forward bases in the central Pacific, Hawaii and Rawata. This area is also not an active area for Japanese submarines -- the main role of Japanese submarines is not to break diplomatic relations, but to reconnoiter enemy surface ships on the other side, and rarely operate on the US-Australia route.

Therefore, Halsey believes that there is a high probability that his fleet can quietly follow the FS06 fleet to the Coral Sea. As long as the Japanese did not discover his 4 large aircraft carriers, it is likely that they would not send all the main aircraft carriers to intercept them. As long as the Japanese aircraft carriers at Rabaul did not pour out, Halsey's fleet would be able to cope with it.

Moreover, Nimitz also sent 3 aircraft carriers to sneak into the western Pacific to cause trouble for the Japanese. Perhaps the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet mistakenly thought that the transformation of four large American aircraft carriers was a broken ship...... In this way, the FS06 fleet will be able to reach Sydney peacefully. (To be continued.) )