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On the morning of 3 March 1943, Mine Koga, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, was reading a report on the development of the "Sakura" man-operated missile in the commander's hall of the Yamato Hotel when the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

"Your Excellency, there is an urgent military intelligence report!" The voice of Vice Admiral Ugaki, the chief of staff of the fleet, came from outside the door.

"Come in."

The door was opened, and the Chief of Staff of the Fleet, Ugaki, and Chief Staff Minoru Genda walked briskly into the Commander's Hall.

"Your Excellency, the intelligence of the German side, their reconnaissance submarine has discovered that a large U.S. Navy fleet has left Norfolk Military Port and is heading south along the east coast of the United States."

After listening to Minoru Genda's report, Koga raised his eyebrows and put down the "Sakura" missile information sent by Onishi Takijiro, director of the General Affairs Bureau of the Naval Aviation Headquarters.

"They're going to the Panama Canal?" Koga asked.

"It can't be determined at this time." Minoru Genda said. "However, according to the German side, the US fleet that left the Norfolk base this time is indeed very large, including at least 10 large ships of more than 10,000 tons."

Koga Feng thought for a while, and then gave an order: "Let Lieutenant General Ozawa go to the Yamato!" ”

Vice Admiral Ozawa is Jizaburo Ozawa, who is now the commander of the First Mobile Fleet under the Combined Fleet. The First Mobile Fleet replaced the original First Air Fleet, bringing together most of the aircraft carriers and some fast battleships of the Combined Fleet, and became the main striking force of the Combined Fleet.

The First Air Fleet was reorganized into the First Air Force and deployed on the South Pacific front under the command of Vice Admiral Kakuro Kakuharu after Admiral Nagumo was transferred to the post of commander of Yokosuka Town (Nagumo did not sit on the cold bench in this position, but in preparation for taking over as commander of the Combined Fleet).

Jizaburo Ozawa quickly rushed to the Commander's Hall on the Yamato, and after giving a military salute to Admiral Kogamineichi. Ozawa and Koga sat down face to face, and on the conference table between the two of them, a nautical chart of the sea west of the Panama Canal had been laid out.

Ozawa looked at the chart and asked, "Are you going to attack the Panama Canal?" ”

"Yes." Koga replied, "It is likely that the main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet is heading to the Panama Canal, and it seems that our windboat bomb attack has played a role." ”

"Can you be sure they're heading to the Panama Canal?" Ozawa didn't seem at ease and asked again.

"I can't be sure," Koga said, "but the First Mobile Fleet still has to attack!" ”

"Hay!" Jizaburo Ozawa nodded.

Koga paused, and then said, "The reason why the First Mobile Fleet was allowed to attack was because there was an opportunity for an ambush. For us, no opportunity should be missed. ”

"Hay!" Jizaburo Ozawa nodded again.

He understood that Koga's "ambush opportunity" meant a sudden strike while the U.S. fleet was passing, partially passing, or just passing through the Panama Canal.

To achieve this, the First Mobile Fleet had to strike in advance, not when it learned that the enemy fleet was passing through the Panama Canal.

"After the 1st Mobile Fleet attacks, this officer will send several eastward fleets to release the windboat bombs." Koga said, "There will be thousands of bombs and incendiary bombs falling on American soil, which should attract some US fighters to the north." In addition, the German side will also take action. ”

After saying this, Koga looked at Ozawa, "Ozawa-kun, do you have any questions?" ”

"The primary target is the Panama Canal or the American fleet?" Ozawa immediately asked the question.

"The American fleet, of course!"

Ozawa thought for a moment and asked again, "If the First Mobile Fleet is discovered by the enemy, do you want to suspend the operation?" ”

"Not necessarily!" Koga said, "At present, the First Mobile Fleet has eight aircraft carriers, including Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Zuizuru, Xianghe, Xiangfeng, and Zuiho, and 470 commonly used aircraft. We should have the determination to defeat all strong enemies! ”

These eight aircraft carriers, which now belong to the First Mobile Fleet, are definitely the most elite strength of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Six of them were large fleet aircraft carriers that were in service before the outbreak of the Pacific War, and the other two (Xiangfeng and Ruifeng) were converted from seaplane carriers, but because they were designed with modification in mind, they are also light fleet aircraft carriers with very superior performance.

"But Xiaguan still wants another aircraft carrier." Jizaburo Ozawa said.

"Another one?" Koga frowned, "Which one do you want?" ”

"German aircraft carrier Seydlitz." Jizaburo Ozawa replied. "The aircraft carrier carries 36 FW-190T fighters, which have excellent high-altitude performance and can make up for the shortcomings of the Zero fighter."

The 1st Mobile Fleet is the main force of the main forces, and the aircraft equipped are of course the best. In addition to the Type Zero Type 52 carrier-based fighter, which was highly anticipated by the Japanese Navy, there are also Meteor carrier-based dive bombers and Tien Shan carrier-based attack aircraft that have introduced German engine technology.

Compared with carrier-based fighters, Japanese carrier-based bombers and attack aircraft are relatively easy to introduce heavy and large German engines (the strength of German aircraft engines is heat dissipation, and the heat dissipation design will cause the engine to be relatively large and heavy), because their requirements for combat weight and aerodynamic shape are not very harsh, so the Meteor Ship Bomber and Tianshan Lightning Strike Aircraft are copycats of the BMW801 series of engines with relatively simple structures, so they have a more reliable power system.

In addition, the arresting nets and booster rockets copied from the German aircraft carrier Seydeliz (the FW-190T needs booster rockets to help take off when it is full of bombs and auxiliary fuel tanks) has also greatly improved the take-off and landing performance of these two carrier-based aircraft.

However, Japan's carrier-based aircraft still have a very headache shortcoming - poor high-altitude performance!

Even the Zero Type 52 carrier-based fighter, which has enhanced its high-altitude performance, can only perform at its best below 7,000 meters. It can be okay with American carrier-based fighters, but if it encounters American land-based fighters, such as the P38, P47 and P51, it will be troublesome. Even if the opponent loses in the fight, he can climb more than 7,000 meters in one go.

Moreover, the American P47 and P51 have taken the path of multi-purpose and can carry bombs. If a **47 hangs a 500-pound armor-piercing bomb and penetrates from a height of 8,000 meters, then Ozawa Jizaburo's First Mobile Fleet will be in big trouble.

Fortunately, the German aircraft carrier Seydlitz is now anchored at Pearl Harbor – the aircraft carrier was on its way to Pearl Harbor for repairs, and it had encountered an American Independence-class aircraft carrier in the North Pacific more than a month earlier, only to lose both sides, with both decks blown through by bombs. So the Seydlitz could only go to Pearl Harbor to overhaul it, and now it has just been repaired and has not yet left, and it happened to be pulled by Jizaburo Ozawa.

……

"Sir, I've received some more radio signals, which should be from enemy radar."

The shouts of Rear Admiral Browning, chief of staff of the US Navy's 3rd Fleet, rang in the ears of Admiral Halsey, who was at this time admiring several F6Fs in the air for a simulated dogfight.

After last year's defeat in the Coral Sea, Halsey was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to organize and train a new carrier force. However, he did not sit on the cold bench for long, and after the fall of the British mainland, President Roosevelt decided to implement the strategy of "Pacific first", so he remembered Halsey, the commander of the aircraft carrier force who had been dealing with the Japanese in the Pacific for more than a year.

So at the end of February, Halsey was promoted to admiral and served as the commander of the newly formed 3rd Fleet, responsible for commanding this powerful fleet of 3 Essex-class aircraft carriers, 2 Independence-class aircraft carriers, 2 Iowa-class battleships, and 7 heavy cruisers (including 1 powerful Baltimore-class heavy cruiser) to reinforce the Pacific theater.

However, as soon as Halsey's fleet left the Norfolk naval base, it was targeted by German submarines and reconnaissance aircraft. Radar receivers installed on the battleship Iowa, the flagship of the Third Fleet, constantly received radar signals of unknown origin.

"Do you know if the radar signal is coming from a submarine or an airplane?" Halsey asked.

"Sir, searching." The radar officer aboard the Iowa replied, and after a few more minutes, the man said, "It's an airplane!" We found it, about 60 miles from us and 1500 meters at an altitude! ”

"Sir, do you want to send F6F to shoot it down?" Browning, chief of staff of the fleet, asked.

Before Halsey could reply, the radar officer reported, "Sir, the radar has lost its target. I think the enemy aircraft also received our radar signal, so they lowered the altitude. ”

"Damn British!" Admiral Halsey cursed in a low voice, not for the Germans, but for the British.

Before the surrender of the British mainland, ships operating near the American coastline were rarely detected by the Germans with radar.

Because at that time the detection range of German airborne radars was not far enough, and it was too dangerous to get close to the American fleet to reconnoiter near the American coastline. Unless the high-altitude and high-speed JU288 is used, the range of the JU288 is not enough to support reconnaissance on the east coast of the United States.

But soon after the surrender of the British mainland, the Germans had the ability to detect surface ships from a distance - it was clear that the British had already supplied the Germans with their best airborne radar systems!

Due to the fact that the detection range became relatively long, the German seaplanes had time to detach after completing the detection mission by reducing the altitude (to avoid detection by the radar of surface ships).

"Send 4 F6Fs to find out." Although he knew that it would be difficult to find (there was no radar on the F6F now, and the Bv138C's livery was the same color as the seawater, making it difficult to spot with the naked eye when flying at ultra-low altitudes), Halsey sent 4 planes to try his luck. (To be continued.) )