Enter the campaign implementation phase. Both sides are facing serious real-world problems. “

For the US military, there are three main problems.

First, there is a very unfavorable strategic situation.

As early as the day of the moon, the strategic bombers of the Celestial Army of the Republic carried out the first strategic bombing of Brisbane. Although affected by the capacity of the airport in New Lloredonia, that is, the bombers bombing Brisbane took off from Okinawa and returned to Okinawa after completing the bombing mission, the total distance of nearly 20,000 kilometers was mainly to avoid the air defense positions of the US military in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and it was necessary to pass through the Mariana Islands. It then flew thousands of kilometers around the Coral Sea from eastern Micronesia to the Coral Sea west of Novalidonia via Vanuatu and flew thousands of kilometers away, resulting in a greatly reduced efficiency of bomber attendance, and it took an average of two days to carry out a bombing mission. But the bombing operation on the day of the Knife became the opening ceremony of the strategic bombing of Australia by the Republican Celestial Army. More importantly, with the gradual completion of the air base and integrated camp in New Caledonia and the smooth commissioning of the fifth-generation sea base dedicated to the space army, the strategic bombing against Australia will be in full swing by the end of March or early April. When the time comes. Not once every two days, not just 100 bombers at a time, but several times a day. Hundreds, if not thousands, of bombers are used to drop thousands of missiles and bombs at a time!

Arguably, the most noteworthy is the fifth-generation sea base.

If the fourth-generation sea base is a "sea giant", then the fifth-generation sea base is a real "artificial floating island" when it is 100% assembled. In addition to the difference in magnitude. The biggest difference between the fifth-generation sea base and the previous generations of sea bases is the basic design concept, that is, the basic purpose. As everyone knows. The main purpose of the third-generation sea bases is to support aviation operations and, in the form of aviation support, to serve the Marine Corps in landing combat operations. Compared to the third-generation sea base, the design concept of the fourth-generation sea base has not changed much. The main thing is to increase the scale of the specific use of the capability, especially the independent combat capability. In other words, the most fundamental purpose of these two types of sea bases, which played a major role in the early stages of the war and proved to be effective combat platforms, was to provide support points for the Marine Corps. Compare it to. The fifth-generation sea base retains the support capability to assist the Marine Corps in operations, and expands the scope of support, that is, it can support the operations of the Space Army.

There is no doubt that this is a very high tactical demand.

Although, theoretically, it will not be much more difficult to support the operations of the Space Forces than it is to support the operations of naval aviation. For example, the strategic bombers of the Space Army have limited vertical landing capabilities, and they are empty-loaded, even if they need to taxi and take off, and the runway is enough to persuade them to be meters long. However, the progress of military technology is very fast, especially during the Great War, new equipment emerges one after another, and the bombers of the Space Army are no exception. In order to support the new bomber, so to speak. Especially for aerospace bombers, the Navy had to redesign and build sea bases. Influenced by this, the Celestial Forces also participated in the design and operation of the fifth-generation sea base.

At that time, according to the tactical performance indicators of the air-space bombers being operated by the Space Force, the new-generation sea base had to have more complete maritime support capabilities and logistical support, in addition to increasing the length of the runway to the point of the mouth and the width to the force meter. To put it bluntly, it is necessary to have all the support and support capabilities for the aerospace bomber to carry out combat missions, such as a dust-free workshop that needs to meet the standards of the space army, a stationary platform using magnetic levitation technology, a fully automatic spraying system, and so on. Not to mention these facilities and equipment dedicated to serving aerospace bombers, just the size and carrying capacity of the elevator can eliminate all the previous sea bases.

Thanks to the highly modular design technology, the fifth-generation offshore base has entered the detailed design stage from the beginning of the project to the beginning of the year, and the assembly at the end of the year, which took only four years. If all goes well, the first fifth-generation sea base will be commissioned by the end of the first quarter of the field year.

In terms of architecture, compared with the previous sea-based ones, the biggest feature of the fifth-generation sea base is that it adopts an open architecture, that is, the scale of the sea base can be expanded and reduced at any time according to the need, so as to control the combat capability and combat efficiency of the sea base.

Of course. As with other sea bases. The fifth-generation sea base also has core components.

The core components of the fifth-generation offshore base are three types of modular vessels, among which Kankan is a fast transport ship with a standard displacement of up to 10,000 tons and a long meter, wide and small meters, which is used to build a flight runway. The otter is equipped with a power control module equipped with a main power system and a central control system with a length of 3 four meters, a width of 5 meters, and a standard displacement of 10,000 tons, and a five-way multi-functional connection module with a length of 4 meters, a width of meters, and a standard displacement of 10,000 tons.

The key lies in moving the five-way multi-function connection module. To put it bluntly, this is a modular ship that is used to connect with other platforms, in addition to being able to connect with other module ships at a certain side of the power control module or platform module in three directions of the horizontal plane, it can also dock with submarines at a dedicated berth under the center of the platform, and provide take-off and landing platforms with vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft on the open platform. What's more. The shuttle module ship has a complete transportation and transportation system, which can send materials or equipment from other platforms to the platform module or power control module with the highest efficiency. To put it simply, the feeder module ship is actually a universal joint used for extended use in offshore bases. What's more, theoretically, each fifth-generation offshore base can support up to six feeder module vessels, and the feeder module ships can also dock with each other, which can increase the size of the offshore base several times. According to the theoretical calculations made by the Navy of the Republic, without affecting the efficiency of combat use. At most, a module ship can be composed of a behemoth with a displacement of 10,000 tons!

There is no doubt that such a sea base is certainly a strategic, and not a tactical one.

It is precisely because of this, in addition to strong adaptability, other tactical indicators of the fifth-generation sea base, such as the degree of sailability, are much worse than the previous sea base. In the case of 100% assembly, that is, assembled by the power of modular ships, the maximum voyage of the fifth-generation sea Mudi is only Spotted, and its car is much slower than many of the humble courts.

It is clear that no naval commander would want to carry such a striking "battleship" on a tactical mission.

This just illustrates the main purpose of the fifth-generation sea base, that is, to act as a strategic base for the republican ** team in the sea area where there is a lack of well-equipped strategic bases.

Imagine that if the Navy of the Republic placed such a sea base in the southwest Pacific, which lacked large strategic bases, it did not need to enter the Coral Sea, but only needed to be deployed in New Lloredonia or Vanuatu, which are densely populated with islands and reefs, and set up a tight anti-submarine network near its navigation area, not to mention that the Republican Celestial Army would be able to use the military base in New Caledonia, and even if France did not lend New Lloredonia to the Republic, the Celestial Army would be able to bomb Australia back to the primitive era.

In fact, the U.S. Navy in the Southwest Pacific needs to consider more tactical threats than strategic ones. Anyway, wait until the Republic of the Republic runs out of long-range cruise missiles in the ammunition depot. No, if bombers are not allowed to carry long-range missiles and bombs with a range of only a few hundred kilometers, they will have to pay a heavy price for bombing, and this level of bombing can only be used against non-military personnel

Sign.

Before the strategic bombing of the Celestial Forces of the Republic. The naval aviation of the Republic conducted operations in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

By the last day of the month, fighter jets deployed in New Caledonia and several sea bases had made more than 20,000 sorties, and in addition to fighting with the US military for air supremacy, they also attacked US ships operating in the Tasman Sea and even bombed the US military base on Lord Howe Island.

Although the tactical bombing campaign of the Republic's naval air force against Lord Howe Island did not achieve any results, not only were the missiles and bombs dropped by the fighters shot down by the island's defense system, but also dozens of fighters were lost in the air battle, but these tactical bombing operations were enough to thrill the US Navy. To put it more bluntly, the Republic Navy can send a small number of fighter jets to bomb Lord Howe Island, and it can send hundreds, if not thousands, of fighter jets to attack the nearby US fleet, and even support the Marine Corps in attacking Lord Howe Island if necessary.

The problem is that it is not only the fighters of the naval aviation of the Republic that pose a threat to Lord Howe Island.

The day before the Republic Navy fleet entered the Tasman Sea, that is, on the first day of the month, the United States intelligence service warned the United States Navy to closely monitor the activities of the Republic Navy in Nuevoledonia, and to strike at important areas, including Noumea, after the current abnormal situation. U.S. intelligence issued a warning at this time, and suggested that the U.S. Navy attack Noumea was related to an intelligence.

It is well known that the striking power of the Navy of the Republic has never been limited to one or the other.

In terms of firepower projection capability alone, the most powerful striking force is not capital ships or air forces. Rather, fireships. Built purely to project artillery fire, this ship has far more firepower than a capital ship, and a sustained combat capability that dwarfs any kind of warship. Although on the ocean battlefield, fireships never charge, and there is no capital to charge. But in the rear of the front. This powerful ship is the most reliable partner of the Marine Corps, and arguably the most important partner of the Marine Corps. In the Mariana Islands, fireteams played a crucial role, not only supporting the landing of the Marines on Saipan, but also playing the role of quasi-strategic weapons in the ensuing battles. That is, the shelling of Guam for several months before the New Year's Token. It was this battle. Let the Navy of the Republic now, if it can increase the combat range of fireships, it will be a very ideal strategic weapon.

Of course, the solution is very simple, that is, to provide firepower ships with firepower modules using large-caliber electromagnetic guns of the kilogram class.

It is not difficult to replace the fire module, since the fireship is built according to the standards of civilian ships, so it is not difficult to build several new ones. The problem is that the construction of the yo kilogram class electromagnetic cannon is very expensive, and it has to be given priority to the capital ship. Affected by this, it was not until the second half of this year that the Navy approved the construction of new firepower modules, and allowed several firepower ships with the largest displacement to return to the shipyard for new firepower modules.

You know, even if you use ordinary shells, that is, high-explosive shells of the kilogram level. The maximum range of the new blink cannon can also reach an astonishing number of kilometers. If the Railgun is improved, or if an extended range is used, the maximum range will be increased to Fierce. Kilometers are certainly not a problem. In fact, the maximum range of a kilometer is sufficient, because the distance from Noumea to Lord Howe Island is only a thousand kilometers, and the fireships moored in the harbor can bombard Lord Howe Island. The U.S. military can use interceptor systems against incoming missiles and bombs, but no defense system can intercept thousands of artillery shells. Moreover, cluster submunitions, which are essentially uninterceptable, can be used against fixed targets that are exposed to the ground, especially those that are more vulnerable.

From this, it follows that the Navy of the Republic is not without the ability to strike at Lord Howe Island, but is not carrying out operations.

Of course, the strength of the US Navy is more problematic than an unfavorable strategic situation.

Judging from the tonnage of warships alone, the total tonnage of warships placed by the US Navy in the southwest Pacific Ocean is no worse than that of the fleet sent by the Republic Navy, and even higher. The problem is that the US Navy has only 8 capital ships. What's more. The Tsuhong Fleet with these eight capital ships as the core is still in New Zealand. Didn't venture to Australia. That is to say, in a situation where the combat effectiveness is seriously inferior to that of the opponent, the US Navy still has the fatal problem of dispersion of forces.

In fact, before the Key Day, the Falling Fleet had enough time to rush to Australia.

In other words, the US Third Fleet is divided into two routes. Either tactical deployment or human error caused by internal disagreements.

Obviously, the latter is much more likely.

Judging by the circumstances at the time, there is reason to believe. Before the end of the month, to be precise, after the moon and the day, that is, after South Africa had allowed the Republic's fleet to enter Port Elizabeth, the U.S. Navy was divided on the question of whether to fight the Republican Navy in the southwest Pacific, and it was a very serious disagreement.

From a strategic point of view, although the republic has gained the upper hand in several battlefields, it is still ... Sincerity wins. But in some respect, the United States still has the advantage of Youliao in the southern hemisphere, and the United States is very obvious. More importantly, through Australia, South Africa, and South America, the United States still maintains a strategic encirclement posture against the republic. To put it more bluntly, before occupying Australia, or taking control of South Africa, or marching into South America. Everything the republic has done is to undo the extremely unfavorable situation before the outbreak of the coup d'état and the outbreak of the great war, and to eliminate the influence of the United States dominating the world for a hundred years.

In these strategic areas, South Africa is essentially the same as Australia.

In other words, if the Republic takes control of South Africa, in addition to gaining access to the South Atlantic and the basic conditions for activating the Argentine time bomb, the greatest impact will be to dismantle the strategic encirclement of the United States in the southern hemisphere. And the significance of the United States continuing to control Australia is even less important.

Not from the strategic point of view, from the point of view of tactics, the actions of the US military in Australia do not make much sense.

The reason, as mentioned earlier, is that there is a high probability that the Republic Navy will abandon Australia in favor of New Zealand. Because the United States does not have a decent large-scale strategic base in the South Pacific, except for New Zealand, or even a decent large-scale strategic naval base, the United States should completely take New Zealand as the core and strive to consume the combat power of the Republic's navy in the battle to defend New Zealand. Tactically, it's about abandoning Australia. Retreat to New Zealand and use New Zealand as a base to fight the Republic's navy nearby. In this way, the U.S. Navy should take the initiative to withdraw from Australia and assemble in the eastern waters of the Tasman Sea, instead of staying in the western waters with Lord Howe Island as the core and waiting for the Republic fleet to come to the door.

Obviously, for the United States, giving up Australia is definitely a very difficult and painful one

Feeling.

Emotionally speaking, from the president to the civilians, almost all Americans regard Australia as the 51st state of the United States, Canada has the same honor, New Zealand is too weak to be familiar to the American people, Mexico is disgusted by many Americans because of poverty and turmoil, and Britain is affected by history. It is also difficult for Americans to agree that abandoning Australia at a time when it is necessary to get through this difficult time is an act of perfidy that even God will not forgive.

The problem is that if Australia is not abandoned, the Third Fleet will have to be buried.

Regardless of whether the US authorities and the US Navy recognize it. With the battlefield situation at the beginning of the following year, even if the Third Fleet had its back to Australia and could get the support and command of four fighters, the Third Fleet would have almost zero chance of defeating the fleet group of the Republic Navy's Western Pacific Theater Theater if the Republic Navy was moving southward and had also invested in the fighter planes.

As a result of this, the US Navy has clearly disagreed on the question of how this naval battle should be fought.

The key lies in the actions of the Dibi fleet. That is, there is no need for the first fleet to go to Australia. Rendezvous with the additional Magnesium fleet and, with the support of 3 other fleets, a decisive battle with the Republic Navy.

If in the past, there would have been an argument about it. Adjustments will even be made to the battle plan.

With the help of advanced technology, especially computer simulation, the U.S. military quickly came to the conclusion that by sending the First Fleet to Australia, the probability of victory for the Third Fleet would not increase much. Instead, it would put the only main fleet of the U.S. Navy at a mortal threat. It was in this way that the Tyhiro fleet remained in New Zealand.

The problem is that this deployment has not brought much benefit to the US Navy.

This brings us to the third problem facing the US Navy, which is that there is no tactical initiative at all.

Although the US Navy has concentrated the deployment of one aircraft carrier in the Tasman Sea, seven of which belong to the Third Fleet. At least half of the cruisers, three multipurpose destroyers, anti-submarine destroyers, and attack submarines were sent by the Fifth Fleet, not small attack submarines designed to carry out the task of breaking diplomatic relations. It also invested in 4 large sea bases, 3 of which were giants composed of modular ships, and 4 combat aircraft equivalent to the total number of air forces possessed by the United States before the outbreak of the war, but compared to the surging Republic Navy. The superiority of the US military is not obvious, and there is not even an advantage to speak of.

Take the vital air supremacy as an example, in the sub-merit combat aircraft. The United States, which was able to fight against the blade, renamed the combat aircraft after the outbreak of the war. All the fighters that were in service during the war adopted the new nomenclature system, and the Republic Navy sent no less than the Strength Fighter Plane, and the Strength Frame was deployed on the aircraft carriers of the Third Fleet. At the end of four years, that is, when the Republic Navy was in service, the Republic Navy began to eliminate small forces, and some of them were transferred to the army aviation to carry out ground support tasks, and the other part was transferred to the allies, and some of them were handed over to the second-line troops, which was much worse than the blade. It's just compared to the fighters before the US Navy. At least they can fight in air combat, not even have the strength to parry.

It can be seen from this that the US Navy has an astonishing number of troops and weapons, but its actual combat effectiveness is not very good.

In modern warfare, it is not the strength of the army that determines the power of the concubine, but the combat effectiveness.

It can be seen from the combat operations of both sides that the US Navy not only does not have the ability to seize the initiative. There is not even the confidence to seize the initiative. If the U.S. Navy is confident of gaining the initiative, it should not wait until the day of the day to let the Navy of the Republic act first. Rather, it should strike back at the end of the month, when the Republic Navy was still busy mobilizing forces, and even if the Marines were unable to capture New Caledonia, they would be able to destroy the port of Noumea before the Republic Navy could attack. Delay the offensive operations of the Navy of the Republic.

Without the initiative, we can only be beaten passively.

The problem is that the Navy of the republic, having seized the initiative, is not without annoyance.

Strictly speaking, the problems faced by the Navy of the Republic are no better than those of the United States, "the most prominent of which is the choice of offensive direction, although at the high-level meeting, Pei Chengyi basically vetoed Yuan Chenhao's proposal and did not plan to let the army occupy Australia, but on the question of whether to directly attack New Zealand, that is, whether to eliminate the threat from Australia first, Pei Chengyi did not make a clear statement. His order to the Navy was also to seize naval supremacy in the Southwest Pacific, not to prepare for an advance into New Zealand. And so it goes. On the question of how to fight this naval battle. There were also divisions within the Navy of the Republic.

As a military adviser to Pei Chengyi to command naval operations, Hua Jianfeng did not advocate a direct invasion of New Zealand, but insisted on first annihilating the Third Fleet entrenched in the Tasman Sea, destroying the military installations on Lord Howe Island, and then advancing into New Zealand after eliminating the flank threat. Hua Jianfeng's idea obviously took into account Pei's strategic deployment, that is, to try to create the best environment to enter New Zealand after the end of this naval battle, so that Pei Chengyi could make the decision to attack New Zealand, rather than letting hundreds of thousands of Marines continue to bask on the beaches of tropical islands. It can be seen from this that Hua Jianfeng also believes that the intensity of strategic offensive should be appropriately increased, rather than fighting entirely at sea. In any case, after seizing the supremacy of the sea, it is necessary to maintain the supremacy of the sea. You have to build a network of bases.

Unlike Hua Jianfeng, Zhang advocated focusing on the Debi fleet and, after the naval battle, marching into the Fiji Islands rather than New Zealand. This point of view of his is also well understood. As the front-line commander of the Republic Navy in the Battle of Yap, Zhang Xuefeng has deeply experienced the powerful combat capability of the capital ships, and he knows very well that before the annihilation of the No. 1 fleet, the Republic Navy has not really mastered the sea power, to put it bluntly, as long as there is an opportunity, the No. 1 Hong fleet can annihilate any fleet of the Republic Navy in the southwest Pacific. Such a huge threat, not to mention the battlefield commanders who are on the front line, even the staff officers of the headquarters who are far away in the rear will not ignore it. On the question of whether to attack New Zealand, Zhang Xuefeng is obviously more open-minded, in his opinion. If the Celestial Army's strategic bombers can bomb Australia back to the Stone Age, why can't New Zealand be turned into an uninhabited desert island? Since New Zealand could be deprived of its military value by strategic bombing, there was no need for the Republic Navy to attack an archipelago with an area of nearly 30,000 square kilometres and a population of more than 40,000 for the sake of a base, and it was entirely necessary to target an island smaller but large enough to accommodate several fleets, such as the Fiji Islands, or Samoa, which was further afield.

In terms of power, especially command, Hua Jianfeng will definitely have the advantage.

Fortunately, Hua Jianfeng is not the kind of leader who can't listen to opinions. After meeting with Zhang Xuefeng, Hua Jianfeng basically adopted the vice admiral's suggestion, and only put forward three. It is required that while the main purpose is to annihilate the First Fleet, it is still necessary to strike at the other combat fleets of the Third Fleet and attack Lord Howe Island as mission objectives, so as to ensure the absolute naval supremacy of the Navy in the southwest Pacific.

Of course. Zhang Xuefeng is not the kind of person who can't listen to persuasion.

Hua Jianfeng's emphasis on absolute sea supremacy can be said to be the most crucial part. At the meeting on the day of the moon, the Celestial Army raised a very acute question, that is, how to ensure that the pilots of strategic bombers can receive timely and effective rescue after parachuting out.

Although there are casualties in wars, by the time the war was fought, the total number of casualties among the officers and men of the Republic on various battlefields had exceeded 10,000, including nearly 10,000 pilots. On the battlefield, the republicans also showed enough, even the courage to see death. But in terms of military morale, if the pilots of the bombers were made aware that if they were shot down in the Southwest Pacific, the result would be either killed on the spot or feeding the sharks after a parachute jump. Or captured by the US military, then it will definitely have an impact on the psychology of the pilot, and therefore on combat operations. From the point of view of an army, a government. Those soldiers who fought for the country will not be saved. In other words, not being prepared for rescue is not only a dereliction of duty, but also a great shame.

To this question, the Navy gave 3 answers. The first is to let submarines operating in the theater carry out rescue missions, second, to deploy long-range patrol planes to the front line to carry out maritime search and rescue missions, and third, to seize absolute sea supremacy on the battlefield as soon as possible after the start of strategic bombing. It can be said that as long as these three points are achieved, the safety of parachuting pilots is guaranteed. The key is whether or not we can seize absolute sea supremacy as soon as possible. You know, the Celestial Army carried out the first strategic bombing mission on the day of the moon, although there were no losses of bombers, and by the time of February, the day. There were no losses in several bombing operations, mainly because all bombers launched missiles over the sea area more than a kilometer away from Australia, and they did not enter the interception range of the US military and Royal Australian Air Force fighters at all, but with the expansion of the scale of bombing, especially after the long-range ammunition was exhausted, and short-range ammunition had to be used, the loss rate of the bombers would certainly not be low From the economic point of view, when the scale of the bombing reached a certain level, even if the loss rate of the bombers would increase a lot, It is also much more cost-effective than consuming large quantities of expensive long-range missiles, when the search and rescue of parachuted pilots becomes extremely important.

Of course, in Zhang Xuefeng's view, this is also very crucial. Plainly. If you want to avoid hitting New Zealand, you have to make sure that the strategic bombing takes effect quickly. It is also necessary to let the Celestial Army fight freely, instead of taking care of this and that, and it must meet the requirements of the Celestial Army and seize absolute supremacy of the sea before the large-scale bombing is launched.

Considering these factors, it is not difficult to understand that the Republic Navy is targeting New Zealand.

Of course, on a tactical level, this is also the best option.

The main force of the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet has been entrenched in the western waters of the Tasman Sea, centered on Lord Howe Island, and only the Debi Fleet remains in New Zealand. Even if the US military bases in Australia are not taken into account, especially the various types of combat aircraft deployed in Australia, there is no reason for the Republic Navy to go to the battlefield chosen by the US Navy for a decisive battle. You know, it is the Navy of the Republic, not the United States, that has the initiative. To put it simply, as long as the U.S. Navy does not go north to attack New Caledonia, no matter what it does in the Tasman Sea, the Republic Navy can ignore it.

And even if the Republic Navy does not attack New Zealand, for example, you have an amphibious fleet behind the main fleet, and the marines stay in the rear, as long as they enter the Tasman Confessional Heaven, they cannot wait to ignore it.

It must be admitted that in the maritime theater, the initiative is both a direct manifestation of strength and a source of victory.

It can be said that even if the inferior side can win a naval battle, such as the Battle of Midway more than four years ago, the U.S. Navy was able to defeat the Japanese Navy in terms of strength. The annihilation of the main forces of the Combined Fleet in one fell swoop, and the great victory that changed the situation on the battlefield, was achieved precisely because the US Navy adopted a very proactive tactic, and did not wait for death near Midway.

The problem is that the US Navy does not have an intelligence advantage at this time.

Although after the Republic Navy fleet left New Caledonia, the United States Navy received information that the Republic Navy fleet was killing New Zealand. But every move of the U.S. Navy's Third Fleet and the Dihong Fleet remaining in New Zealand was also under the control of the Republican Navy. In other words, the battlefield is basically two-way transparent, and no side has absolute information superiority.

In such a situation where the right to control information is equal. It is strength that determines the victory or defeat of the sea.

In a certain sense, in the two-way transparent situation on the battlefield, strength determines the situation, and the situation determines the purpose of the battle of the two belligerents. It is not that the US military has no hope of victory, but that the US military cannot set its goals too high, that is, the US military still has a chance of winning when the purpose is limited. In other words, if the U.S. military sets its goals too high. Over the maximum extent that strength can be achieved. There will be no chance of winning.

It can be said that this is also the most brutal part of naval warfare.

Is the U.S. military's goal too high?

Judging from the situation at that time, the biggest question was whether the U.S. Navy had the ability to crush the offensive force of the Republic Navy, that is, to make the Republic Navy pay a huge enough price in the battle for sea supremacy. According to the deployment of the US military, the answer is obviously yes, that is, the US Navy has the ability to inflict heavy losses on the Navy of the Republic, so that it cannot grasp the absolute sea power, and therefore cannot use the sea supremacy to bring victory. The question is, is the deployment of the US military a sharp situation? Obviously, the answer to this question is no, that is, the US military overestimates its own strength, that is, in the battle for sea supremacy. The U.S. Navy is not absolutely sure that the Navy of the Republic will pay a heavy price. Affected by this. It is impossible for all the operational plans drawn up by the US military for this decisive battle at sea to be implemented, or it is impossible to turn them into the fruits of victory.

Arguably, that's the key.

In the case that the direction is wrong, any efforts of the US military are of no practical significance, and it can even be said that all the efforts made by the US military towards the wrong purpose can only hasten the arrival of destruction.

On the evening of February, after it was determined that the Republican Navy fleet was going to New Zealand, the U.S. Third Fleet had no choice but to move eastward and approach New Zealand. As an emergency response. The Tyron fleet that remained in Wellington also left the harbor after dark, evading it to the south.

Although the Republic Navy fleet was still about 1,000 kilometers away from Wellington at this time, and due to the influence of the US fighter planes and air defense facilities deployed in New Zealand, the Republic Navy's carrier-based reconnaissance planes could not get close to Wellington, so they could not track and monitor the US Dibi Fleet. However, like a frightened bird, the Tyhiro fleet was not able to escape the surveillance of the Republic's navy, and since the invasion of New Zealand was a combat operation that had been decided a long time ago, there must have been many submarines of the Republic in the vicinity of New Zealand, and the Tsuhiro fleet that left Wellington naturally could not escape the surveillance range of the submarines.

There is no doubt that the Dibi fleet took the initiative to avoid the battle. Completely expected by the Navy of the Republic.

The problem is that the U.S. Navy has not been so lucky, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the U.S. Navy to determine the whereabouts of the Republican Navy fleet as it moves closer to New Zealand, that is, away from the densely populated waters of New Caledonia where American submarines are concentrated. Although it is still possible to track the Republican Navy's fleet through reconnaissance planes deployed in New Zealand and submarines that have been urgently dispatched to the Republic, it is difficult to accurately determine which two of the three fleets with independent combat capability are the main fleets, and it is therefore impossible to determine the specific deployment of the Republican Fleet. What's more, the Republic's fleet is very large, and there is a fast supply fleet behind it that is covered by escort warships. In other words, if the fleet of the Republic disperses its actions after leaving the key surveillance areas of the US submarines, the US military will not be able to accurately grasp the battlefield information. It can be said that this is a very important and very critical tactical factor.

On the night of February, the Republic Fleet, which arrived about a kilometer from Wellington, shelled the U.S. bases and air defense facilities in Wellington and on the North Island of New Zealand. Although the US military aviation was immediately dispatched. In addition to losing more than 100 fighters and several long-range maritime patrol planes, the greatest effect of the republic's fleet was to make the Republic fleet stop shelling and take the initiative to withdraw from the operational sea area before o'clock in the early morning of the 2nd.

Under normal circumstances, the 2 Sharp Fleets were sure to replenish their ammunition before dawn.

Because the Navy of the Republic had arranged for a quick supply fleet for the delivery of ammunition and had also provided the fleet with a number of old escort warships, there was ample reason to believe that the shelling of Wellington was part of the operational plan, and that the replenishment after the shelling was also part of the operational plan.

At this time, the commander of the US Third Fleet saw hope.

According to the tactical standards of the capital ships of the "Long Beach" class. It takes at least one hour to replenish all the ammunition, and even if the equipment of the main ship of the Republic Navy is more advanced, it will take 6 to 8 hours to complete the replenishment operation. Other words. It will not be until the morning of the 2nd at the earliest, when the two main fleets of the Navy of the Republic will be able to restore their combat capability. If we can seize this opportunity and start a decisive battle before the morning of the 2nd, we will be able to cancel out the superiority of the main ships of the Republic Navy, that is, the carrier-based aviation will decide the victory or defeat at sea, and the US Navy, which has an aircraft carrier, four sea bases, and shore-based aviation, has an absolute advantage in this regard!

It was at this time that the US military chose to bring about its own demise!