Chapter 133: The Peacemaker (I)

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Washington was jubilant. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 From the Pentagon to the White House to Capitol Hill, everyone is talking about the glorious victory in the Battle of the Galapagos Islands, all smiling, frowning, and excited as if they had won the lottery jackpot.

――It's not easy! Since the outbreak of World War III, the US military on all fronts around the world can be described as one bad news after another, and they have lost count of how many times they have lost battles and how many times they have played "turning in front of the enemy"! But there has hardly been a single good news! Millions of front-line troops moved from Europe to North Africa, from North Africa to West Asia, and from West Asia to East Africa, and then in Africa, all of which could not stand their ground, and could only withdraw to the New World with their tails between their legs. Armies, territories, and allies are getting smaller and smaller, and morale is getting lower and lower...... In the midst of this atmosphere of thousands of horses, there is suddenly a glimmer of victory that can lift people's spirits, and how can people not feel ecstatic when it appears in the Galapagos Islands?

Especially since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese Yamato-class battleship, which has brought countless nightmares to the US Navy, but has not been able to sink it, has actually sunk three ships in one breath and severely damaged one in the Galapagos Islands this time, achieving a breakthrough of zero, which is really exciting!

But while toasting the glorious victory in the Battle of the Galapagos Islands, Truman also had to worry about the destruction of the Panama Canal, a key link between the two oceans, and its strategic importance to the United States was unquestionable. Especially when Argentina and Chile jumped back at the same time, and the Strait of Magellan and Drake Strait routes have been cut off, this canal is already the only channel for the United States to dispatch ships between the two oceans.

However, this only sea route has now been destroyed by the atomic bombs of the Soviets, and the U.S. Navy has since been separated by two oceans, and can no longer be flexibly dispatched. But if you want to repair the Panama Canal, it is desperately difficult.

-- Unlike the Suez Canal, which is a "classical" version of the Suez Canal, where ships can travel the entire distance on their own, the Panama Canal is a "stepped canal" that needs to be connected by locks, and it is not directly connected because of the difference in the height of the sea at each end of the river.

First, the water level on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal is about half a meter higher than on the Atlantic side. There are two main reasons for the formation of the water level difference: first, the effect of thermal expansion that changes the density of seawater, and the difference in salt concentration; The second is the disturbance of the water level by trade winds and ocean currents.

On the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, the humid atmosphere of the lower troposphere, known as the tropical amplitude zone, forms an east-west convergence zone. In this area, the rainfall is abundant. As a result, the salt concentration on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal is lower than on the Atlantic side, and the water level will increase as the density of the sea becomes smaller. Then, the tropical convergence zone extending to the Pacific side of the Panama Canal often blows southerly winds (trade winds), which also contribute to the water level rise. In order to balance the stress of the trade winds, there is a tilt in the water level on the ocean surface - if you blow the water in the cup in one direction with your mouth, will you be able to see that the water in the cup is no longer level? Right?

In this way, the sea level on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal is kept at a high water level. At the same time, on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, the Guyana Current flows along the waters north of Panama towards the Gulf of Mexico, that is, westward. The sloping of the water level associated with this current lowers the water level in the coastal waters on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal and raises the water level in the offshore waters farther offshore.

Secondly, in addition to the difference in the height of the ocean at both ends of the Panama Canal, in order to reduce the amount of work to be excavated, the water surface of most sections of the Panama Canal is not level with the sea like the Suez Canal, but is a full 26 meters higher than the sea surface. In order to fill the section of the river above sea level, a Gatun dam was built on the Chagres River, which formed Gatun Lake, which served as the main source of water for the Panama Canal.

But even then, the canals were only connected with water on the map, and the height difference between the sections of the river was not solved.

To adjust for the difference in water levels and allow ships to pass through the canal, construction crews built six locks on the Panama Canal. When importing from the Pacific side, the boat is raised 26 meters from sea level to Lake Gatun through the Miraflores Double Lock, through the Miraflores Lake and Pedro Miguel Single Lock Steps, and the other end is lowered to level with the Atlantic Ocean through the three-stage Gatun lock.

On the Panama Canal, each set of locks is paired to allow ships to pass through in both directions. Each gate has two, twenty meters wide and two meters thick, fixed to hinges. The height of the door varies from 14~25 meters; The door leaf is driven by an electric motor mounted in the recess of the gate wall. The opening and closing of the door leaves is controlled by the control tower located on the wall of the pair locks, and the filling and discharging of the lock chamber is also controlled by the control tower. The length of the lock chamber itself is three hundred meters.

However, the locks have now been blown open by the blast wave of the nuclear explosion. The water from Lake Gatun, which has been built up by man-made dams, is flowing like a waterfall in both the Pacific and Atlantic directions, and it is expected that it will not be long before it will completely dry up and expose the bottom of the lake......

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So, ten days after the nuclear explosion in Panama, sitting in the oval office of the White House, looking at the photos of the disaster after the nuclear explosion of the Panama Canal locks taken by the reconnaissance plane, President Truman couldn't help but gasp, and then raised his head in a daze, and asked the specially invited engineering expert on the other side of the desk: "...... Are the results of the on-site assessment out? How long will it take us to fix the Panama Canal? ”

“…… Belch...... Unfortunately, Mr. President, after conducting a site survey and assessment, the panel agreed that even according to the most optimistic estimates, it would take about four years for the canal to become navigable......" replied the expert, wiping a cold sweat from his forehead.

“…… What the? Four years?! Hearing this number, President Truman instinctively frowned: "...... This is too long and will cause great trouble for the United States. Is there any way to restore navigation within a year? It doesn't matter if there are more casualties. ”

“…… This one...... Mr. President, you really can't do what you want! ”

The expert said with a bitter face, "...... First of all, the canal has just undergone a nuclear explosion, and the radiation level in the coastal areas is still very high, and it is simply impossible to organize personnel to enter the radiation area to carry out construction in a short period of time. Secondly, the Soviets blew all six locks open, and the pouring of water from Lake Gatun could not be stopped, and I am afraid that the lake would have dried up before we could start plugging it...... In the end, even though we repaired the dams and locks of the Panama Canal as quickly as possible, there was not enough water in the dry Gatun Lake, and the canal became a dry trench and still could not be navigated.

Even if other factors are not taken into account, just waiting for Lake Gatun to refill in natural conditions would normally take at least two years based on the average precipitation in the area around the Panama Canal, as well as the general flow of the Chagres River......"

“…… My God! Maybe we should find another place to dig a canal, like Nicaragua? Truman asked tentatively.

“…… Nicaragua's Grand Canal? Mr. President, this is even more utopian! According to the previous calculations, the amount of earthwork that needs to be excavated for this canal is several times that of the Panama Canal! Even if we work overtime to increase the number of people and carry out the construction at the fastest speed, it will not be possible without five or six years. ”

Regarding the idea of the Grand Canal in Nicaragua, the expert shook his head like a rattle: "...... Moreover, since the Soviets could drop atomic bombs on the Panama Canal last week, it is natural that they could nuke the Panama Canal a second or third time. As long as the threat posed by Soviet aircraft and atomic bombs to the Panama region is not completely ruled out, any attempt by our side to repair the Panama Canal will be futile. ”

“…… Well, in that case, the restoration of the Panama Canal will be put on hold for a while. President Truman sighed helplessly, "...... Let's study the situation in South America first! Chief of Staff, call General MacArthur to come over as soon as possible to prepare for an informal operational meeting. ”

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Then, before the personnel to participate in this combat conference arrived, new bad news came from the South American front -- after the pro-American government of the Republic of Ecuador was overthrown, Bolivia, which was under siege by Peru, Chile, and Paraguay, and by the way, was bombed by the Soviet aid air force, after receiving a promise from the Soviet side to guarantee the integrity of its territory, also stopped resisting, announced that it had changed its flag and withdrawn from the Allied camp.

At this point, the only allies of the United States in South America, apart from the Guiana colonies of Britain, France and the Netherlands, were Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. Moreover, both Brazil and Colombia are in a state of civil war, and it is only through the large-scale intervention of the US military that the original pro-American governments are maintained from being overthrown. Despite this, anti-American guerrillas of all stripes have surged up, making the US military feel like they are in the midst of an enemy country in Brazil and Colombia.

As for the ambitious President Perón of Argentina, he has suddenly become the leader of the anti-American alliance in the New World, just like Bolívar and San Martín more than a century ago, relying on the support and solidarity of the socialist camp, he has set off an anti-American frenzy throughout Latin America!

“…… My God! What the hell is this! Why are these allies of our in South America so lacking in fighting spirit and loyalty?!! ”

Seeing that the South American allies had changed their positions without much fighting, President Truman became more and more angry, "...... Why on earth is that?! When did they become so friendly with the Soviets and the Bolsheviks? In such a short period of time, they all rebelled in the past? ”

“…… Because the Soviet Union was far away on the other side of the world, it had no interest in the resources, minerals, land, or even reparations of the South American countries, nor did it ask for special tariff treatment or extraterritoriality in these countries, nor even demanded that the South American countries declare war on us, but simply demanded that the South American countries break away from our camp and no longer participate in this world war, and also acquiesced in the South American governments to take this opportunity to confiscate our assets in South America...... On the contrary, if they continue to stand on our side, they will have to endure our repeated conscriptions and all kinds of compulsory levies, for which the United States have not been paid, but have been forced to purchase more of our war bonds, and on the whole they have suffered a loss. ”

Secretary of State Hull explained with a bitter face his diplomatic failures in South America," ...... In the last year or two, in order to support the enormous attrition of the world war, the United States has demanded more and more of the South American allies, and it has become more and more demanding. The Soviets, on the other hand, simply demanded that they do nothing...... Given the two sides, it is conceivable what choice the South American countries will make - if they are still able to choose the fate of their own country......"

“…… In other words, it is difficult for us to continue to tie the South American allies to the chariot of the United States by means of profit bribery? ”

President Truman silently took off his glasses, bowed his head for a moment, and then asked Secretary of State Hull.

“…… Unfortunately, this is the case, Your Excellency. Unless our military intervenes directly, none of the South American allies will have much enthusiasm to continue the war. In their eyes, this is a war that does not belong to them at all, and they have been coaxed into getting on the thief ship by us......"

Secretary Hull spread his hands helplessly, "...... Moreover, in the current situation, it is difficult for us to provide much assistance to the countries of South America...... On the contrary, the Soviets were willing to offer them far more than we could give, and at no cost - the confiscation of the mines, plantations, and other assets of our major companies in their own countries alone was enough for the governments of South America to make a fortune in an instant......"

“…… Hum? Do they actually think so? At this time, I already regarded my country as a delicious piece of fat? Damn, then it would be necessary for the United States to immediately take the harshest means of revenge and make them understand what will happen to the traitors! ”

President Truman seemed to be furious for a moment, and his face was extremely hideous, and he slapped the table fiercely, causing the teacups and vases to clang, "...... As much as I am reluctant to resort to such drastic retaliation against my former allies, I will say it for now...... Now that the carrots don't work, let's take out the stick! It just so happens that the latest batch of sixty-four atomic bombs at the Oak Ridge plant has been assembled and commissioned, ready for battle - we need to make these stupid Latinos realize as soon as possible that the United States, while not providing them with assistance, can punish them! I'd rather leave a dead South America to God than an intact South America to the Bolsheviks! ”

These cruel words, like the Demon King of Hell, seemed to calm everyone gathered in the conference room. It took a long time for Secretary of State Hull to frown and speak first, "...... What do you mean, Mr. President...... Preparing for a nuclear strike on South America? However, if we were to send nuclear bombs to South America by sea in advance, we would be in danger of being intercepted halfway through. If you fly directly from the mainland, the range of the B-29 'Super Flying Fortress' may not be enough, right? Is it just Ecuador and Peru, which are planning to bomb to the north? IMHO, this doesn't seem to make much strategic sense......"

In response, President Truman simply turned his head to Admiral Arnold, who was in charge of the Strategic Air Force, and Admiral Arnold got up from the couch and said confidently, "...... Let me explain the situation, ladies and gentlemen. At the moment, we already have a much better strategic long-range bomber than the B-29! The first batch of twelve B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental strategic bombers, which have just been officially commissioned at the end of August, have a maximum combat radius of up to 6,000 kilometers. At present, these B-36 'Peacemakers' have been urgently transferred to a forward air base in Florida, where they can take off with atomic bombs at any time, strike Argentina and Chile, and then land and refuel at a front-line airfield in Brazil before returning to the country for ......" (To be continued. )