The offensive battle on Tsushima entered the final stage of preparation.

In fact, this preparatory phase should be said to have passed, and it was only because of my arrival and the proposal of a plan for an "asymmetric war" that Brigadier General Clapp felt feasible that the war was postponed for two days.

"You know what?" While Brigadier General Clapp and I were standing on the deck with binoculars and watching the air fleet training, Clapp said to me, "The war on Tsushima was supposed to start today, but it was postponed for two days because of your construction!" ”

"Is it because of inadequate preparation?" I asked casually.

Actually, I didn't have much interest in this issue, and I was concentrating on the coordinated training of fighters and warships in the air!

However, as the saying goes, "insiders watch the doorway, and laymen watch the excitement", because I don't know much about the navy and air force, so I just watch these warships and fighters fly around and fight around.

However, I was not worried about not being able to read it, because I only had to look back at the reports related to the exercises and training results.

The British army was more regular in this regard...... As far as our military is concerned, the report is often exaggerated, and it can even be said that the military reference value is not very large. But the British's report is a one-size-fits-all report, and there is even an assessment after each training session...... That is, similar to our experience.

So it's convenient for me, a layman, and if there's anything I don't understand, I just need to recall the scene of the exercise against those reports.

What strikes me as a little novel is that the training of the Britant fighters is still carried out with flares.

That is, a flare is fired in the direction of relatively safe airspace, and the fighter jets launch missiles at this flare...... The missiles are chasing the heat source. And flares are an obvious source of heat.

This method is not very intuitive, though. That is, it is difficult for us to accurately determine whether the missile hit the target or not. You can't see the explosion of a missile after hitting the target, but the advantage is that it is convenient and saves money.

You must know that this kind of training usually requires the use of a target machine, and a target machine can usually only complete one training session...... After the target plane is hit, it will be crushed, so naturally it will not be able to conduct a second training.

That is, the cost of such training is considerable, and the cost of training with flares is obviously much less at this point.

"Yes!" Brigadier General Clapp replied: "Originally, we were indeed preparing for a regular battle with the Argentines, so although there was some training during the arrival of the fleet...... However, it is only a simple coordinated training and a fight of all weapons to ensure that they are usable, but there is no specific training for this war. You know, we don't have a lot of time to plan. I don't even know how to prepare! ”

I agree with this, you must know that this task force set off on the third day after the Argentine army occupied the Falklands, not to mention the various logistics organizations, and the maintenance of these embroidered warships alone gave them a headache for a while, including the failure of an aircraft carrier.

Shortly after the departure of the task force, there was a problem with the power of the Competitor. As mentioned before, the British army must have two aircraft carriers to be able to fight, otherwise this task force will only be beaten when it sails to Argentina.

This forced the British army to use helicopter airlift parts for its repairs at sea.

Of course, the British fleet would not leak this matter, otherwise it would reduce the support of the domestic people on the other hand, and on the other hand, it would raise the morale of Argentina.

It is precisely because of this that this task force trained all the way and then rested for two days on Ascension Island in the middle of the way before finally reaching the waters of the Falklands.

Other words. This fleet looks majestic on the outside, but in reality it is not. It is not an exaggeration to say that this fleet represents the fall of the empire on which the sun never sets.

"But since you know what you said about asymmetric warfare, it's completely different!" Clapp lowered his glasses, turned to me and said, "I knew the point of this war at that moment. In fact...... It also strengthened my confidence in victory! ”

"Huh?" Hearing this, I couldn't help but be stunned: "Isn't the general still sure if he can win Argentina?" ”

I didn't know that, and then I quickly realized that I seemed to have made that mistake again...... I am a modern person, and I know the history of the British army very well that the British army can eventually defeat Argentina, but the British army at this time is not like this.

So if you stand on the side of the British army, who can guarantee that you will be able to defeat your opponent? What's more, the warships and training of the British army were so unsatisfactory at this time.

Clapp didn't answer, but the look on his face gave me the answer.

There was silence for a while before Brigadier General Clapp replied, "I want to say...... Yesterday you were right in your guess, that is, the reason why we delayed the attack on the Falklands was not only because of the threat of Argentine submarines, but your conclusions were wrong. The reason is not that we are afraid of the Super Banner! ”

"That's ......"

"In fact!" Brigadier General Clapp replied: "Britain is still looking for an opportunity to settle the matter peacefully with Argentina!" ”

"Oh!" When I heard this, I understood.

The reason why the British side severed diplomatic relations on the first day after Argentina occupied the Falklands, declared war on the second day, and sent a task force on the third day...... In fact, the political significance of this is greater than the military significance.

Even the task force captured South Georgia and used it as a base to complete the air and sea blockade of Tsushima...... That is, to announce to the world that 200 nautical miles (about 370 kilometers) around the Falklands is a blockade zone, and any ship entering the blockade zone will be attacked, which is actually a kind of deterrent.

The purpose of the threat is obvious, that is, to hope that Argentina will bow its head and accept a peaceful solution to the problem.

To use an old Chinese saying, the best policy is to surrender without a fight, and this is what the British army actually did.

But the British were actually miscalculated at this point.

What Britain did not take into account was that the Argentine side had pointed the finger at the Falklands in order to divert domestic contradictions, and if it withdrew from the Falklands in such a reconciling manner, it would mean the fall of the Argentine regime.

Therefore, even if the British army showed their force and determination to war in front of Argentina to the fullest, and even if many people in Argentina were really frightened by this series of actions of the British army, the Argentine regime would still choose to fight to the death in the end.

Because for the Argentine regime, if you don't fight, you will definitely die, and if you fight, there may be a glimmer of hope.

Then I suddenly understood a mystery that had not been solved in modern times.

When I first heard the tour guide talk about the war, I was surprised by the ...... Since the Argentine side has seized the Falklands, and there are as many as three airports on the Falklands, these airports are not long enough to allow only transport planes to land and do not meet the requirements for jet take-off and landing.

At that time, I was thinking that if the Argentine side had been actively preparing for these airfields on the Falklands from the very beginning, so that jet fighters could take off and land directly on the Falklands, then the Falklands would have become the largest and unsinkable aircraft carrier! In this case, it is not certain who will ultimately belong to the air supremacy!

Argentina did not do so, and as a result, jet fighters flying from Argentine soil could only stay on the battlefield for three or four minutes...... If you don't fly back, you won't have enough fuel to reach the home airport.

One can imagine how much pressure this will put on the Argentine pilots, and it is also one of the reasons why the British "Harrier" can occupy an overwhelming advantage in air combat.

I wonder why the Argentines did not do this, they had enough time to complete the expansion of the airport on the Falklands, considering that it had been almost a month since the British sent the task force.

But now it is clear when Brigadier General Clapp says so...... It was because the British side had been looking for the possibility of a peaceful solution.

This directly made the Argentine side have no determination to fight, and some people even thought that this war could not be fought at all, thinking that the British were just putting on a show, and that they would eventually solve the problem in a peaceful way, so Argentina did not actively prepare for war at all.

Unlike Argentina's passive preparations...... On the one hand, the British army was seeking a peaceful solution, and on the other hand, it was actively preparing for war.

From this point of view, the British are worthy of being a country that has participated in two world wars, and they know that as long as there is the slightest possibility of war, the army should be 100% ready.

"After listening to your Jianyì!" Brigadier General Clapp continued: "I have summarized three key points, one is the coordination of anti-submarine forces and submarine forces, and the absolute victory in submarine warfare with technological and numerical superiority. Second, it is necessary to use the coordination of submarines and warships to achieve absolute superiority in naval warfare. Third, the coordination of fighter planes and warships ultimately won the victory in the air battle. What you see is the maneuvering and training of our troops against their respective imaginary enemies, does the Colonel feel that there is anything that needs to be improved? ”

"No, of course not!" I replied.

Of course, such coordinated exercises are necessary, and I believe that these units of the British army do not lack similar coordinated training in peacetime, after all, they used to be a powerful military empire, and they still have residual power.

That's why all of this collaborative training can be done in two days, otherwise even if they are given a few more months, they may not be able to complete the sharing of information and intelligence.

At this time, I realized that the battle of the Falklands had actually been decided before it officially began. What cannot be determined is really a question of how much both sides have lost. (To be continued......)