Chapter 434: Enrage It, Defeat It

When Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto hurried back to Japan, Admiral Husband Kimmel, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, had just finished his visit to India and arrived directly in Washington, the capital of the United States, after a long flight.

"Husband, how did those unfortunate British describe their failure?"

On the way from the Navy Club where they were staying to the White House, his boss, Admiral Stark, the Chief of Naval Operations, sat in a large car with him. Stark smiled and asked about the inspection - Admiral Kimmel was sent to India to investigate the Mediterranean Campaign, which has not yet been settled.

How did the British Royal Navy lose the war? Was it because of poor weapons or poor brains? We must find out, because it will not be long before the US Navy is likely to fight with the German and Japanese navies.

"They mentioned the German Ju88, Fokker Zero and the Italian three-engine hunchback aircraft."

Admiral Kimmel is a handsome man who speaks very seriously and seems to have no sense of humor at all.

He pointed out in a low voice: "The Ju88 is a twin-engine dive bomber that can drop two 500 kg bombs at a 60-degree angle. The aircraft called "Damn Hunchback" by the British is the Italian S.M.79 medium bomber, which can carry an aerial torpedo, has a combat radius of up to 1,000 kilometers, and is very fast, but at the same time can fly steadily at low altitudes. As for the Fokker Zero, its medium and low altitude performance is very good, better than our P-39, and it flies very far. These three aircraft are the cause of Britain's disastrous defeat in the Mediterranean battlefield, and I think our Pacific Fleet will soon encounter them... If our Secretary of State Hull does not allow Japan to expand in any direction!" "The US government will not allow Japan to continue its expansion policy!" Admiral Stark told Kimmel very confidently. "So your Pacific Fleet has to prepare for war from now on."

"But didn't we hope that Japan would expand on the East Asian continent before?"

"That was before the Mediterranean Campaign," Stark shook his head and said, "We can't do that now. Because to defeat Germany now, we must unite with the Soviet Union. And we can't unite with the Soviet Union to attack Germany while supporting Japan to attack the Soviet Union's close comrades in the East."

"Can't we?" Kimmel still didn't quite understand.

"Of course not!" Stark said with a wry smile, "Now the initiative is in Stalin's hands. We have to try our best to please this GCist fatherly leader and must pretend to like the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union's close comrades. We can't do anything that may make Stalin feel that the United States is unreliable, even if Stalin doesn't really care."

Since Germany has not shown any obvious signs of attacking the Soviet Union, and the two countries still maintain a socialist comradeship and brotherhood on the surface, the initiative in dealing with Britain and the United States is completely in Stalin's hands. The United States must carefully please the Soviet Union and make the Soviet Union feel that it can share the world with the United States.

Therefore, the strategy of "diverting trouble to the west" adopted by Britain and the United States before the Mediterranean Campaign is now completely unworkable, because Japan's westward advance with the support of Britain and the United States may make Stalin think that Britain and the United States still hate GCism - even if Stalin would not think so, President Roosevelt would not dare to take this risk.

Moreover, after the Mediterranean Campaign, Britain's naval power had suffered a heavy blow. For Japan, it is very easy to seize Britain's colonies in Southeast Asia. And the Dutch East Indies may also be obtained through transactions with Germany.

In this case, even if the United States continues to feed Japan with steel and oil, Japan may not necessarily leave Southeast Asia, which is easy to seize, and go west to fight the Soviet Union's close comrades.

Admiral Kimmel asked: "Is the president worried that the oil and steel we are selling to Japan now will eventually become weapons to attack us?"

"No," Stark shook his head, "In fact, the president is worried that Japan will ignore our military presence in the Pacific and directly attack British colonies and the Dutch East Indies. If that happens, what should we do? Will Congress agree that the United States declare war on Japan for the interests of the British in Southeast Asia?"

"Mr. Secretary, are you saying that the president deliberately wants to provoke Japan?" Admiral Kimmel suddenly realized.

The U.S. Congress is now the biggest obstacle for the United States to participate in the world war. The best way to bypass this obstacle is to let others take action first. And if Japan chooses to bypass the Philippines and go south, can the U.S. Congress approve the declaration of war on Japan?

"But Japan may still bypass the Philippines." Admiral Kimmel shook his head.

"Then find a way to make the Japanese think that there is no way to bypass the Philippines." Admiral Stark said. "Husband, do you have any ideas?"

"Of course there are ways." Kimmel thought for a moment and said, "Submarines and bombers can be deployed in the Philippines. It would be great if there were sharp shore-based anti-ship aircraft like Ju88 and S.M.79."

"We have B-17, B-24, B-25, as well as BD-1 and BD-2." Admiral Stark said, "These aircraft have sufficient bomb load and range. Although they cannot perform dive bombing, horizontal bombing plus torpedo attacks can still pose a great threat to the Japanese."

Kimmel added: "Admiral Cunningham also told me that 50 British submarines and 10 camouflaged raiders will soon arrive in Southeast Asia. If Singapore is attacked, he hopes that these submarines and camouflaged raiders can use our bases in the Philippines."

The Philippines is stuck between Japan and French Indochina, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. If the Philippines becomes a base for British submarines and camouflaged raiders, it will be difficult for Japan to deal with them. And in the process of Japan chasing these submarines and raiders, it will be easy to infringe on the sovereignty of the Philippines under the protection of the United States. At that time, the US troops stationed in the Philippines will be able to fight back openly.

"In addition," Admiral Stark asked as the car was about to stop at the door of the White House, "Do you know what happened in Scapa Flow and Toulon? Our fleet in Pearl Harbor will not suffer the same blow, right?"

"That's impossible. We have deployed more than 300 aircraft in Hawaii, and by the end of the year there will be more than 400, and radar will be deployed soon." Admiral Kimmel said confidently, "If the Japanese fleet really dares to touch Pearl Harbor, then they will all be sunk!"

Admiral Stark laughed: "Good! This is the best result. We will first irritate Japan, then defeat it, and then we can deal with the Germans with confidence."

...

"You are sanctioned and embargoed? The Dutch East Indies authorities are unwilling to sell oil and rubber to you?"

Hersman, who had just returned to Rome with his wife Chloe, met Oshima Hiroshi and Kuroshima Kameto at the Medici Villa. They told Hersman that Yamamoto Isoroku had returned to Japan because Japan was sanctioned and embargoed.

What surprised the Japanese was that the Netherlands, which had always been very pro-German, actually stood on the side of Britain and the United States in this action to sanction Japan - this was certainly not the unauthorized action of the Dutch East Indies authorities, but should have been instructed by the Dutch government.

The reason why the Dutch government did this was obviously related to Japan's coveting of the Dutch East Indies. After Japan invaded French Indochina, the Dutch government was very worried that the Dutch East Indies would become Japan's next target of aggression, and therefore asked Germany to provide guarantees for the Dutch East Indies. In order to maintain relations with Japan, the German government rejected the Dutch request, which made the Dutch more convinced that Japan would invade the Dutch East Indies.

"Then can you guarantee that you will not invade the Dutch East Indies?" Hessman asked the two visiting Japanese.

"Your Excellency Marshal, liberating the people of the Dutch East Indies is the obligation of the Japanese Empire to the yellow race in Southeast Asia!" Lieutenant General Hiroshi Oshima said very seriously.

Hessman shrugged, "In that case, it's normal for the Dutch not to sell oil and rubber to you... As far as I know, your oil reserves can still support 24 months, right?"

Oshima Hiroshi's brows have been frowned. He certainly knows how close the relationship between Germany and the Netherlands is.

"But the Dutch East Indies does not belong to the Netherlands, and we can't give it up!" Oshima Hiroshi said.

"General Oshima, you don't have to worry," Hessman waved his hand, "We have a way to solve this problem... The Dutch East Indies is not Dutch territory, but a property of the Dutch government. You can't take it away for nothing, but you can exchange it with something of equal value."

The German High Command has already studied the issue of the Dutch East Indies. It must be handed over to Japan, otherwise Japan will not have the energy to follow Germany. But the Dutch also have to give an explanation, who let the old Emperor William and Queen Wilhelmina be true friends in times of trouble?

"Something of equivalent value?" Oshima Hiroshi and Kuroshima Kameto looked at each other, and Oshima asked, "What is it?"

"South Africa!" Hessman said, "After you capture Singapore, you must send a fleet to cooperate with us to capture Ceylon, Madagascar and South Africa. Then we will hand over South Africa to the Netherlands, and you can get the Dutch East Indies."

The Dutch were of course happy to exchange South Africa for the Dutch East Indies. In fact, the oil and rubber in the Dutch East Indies can't be sold for much money, far from being comparable to South Africa.

"We can agree," Oshima Hiroshi said, "Tokyo will definitely agree... So can the Dutch East Indies authorities sell oil to us now?"

Hessman shook his head, "This is not possible, because the British have at least 4 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, which is a force that the Dutch East Indies authorities cannot resist." He looked at Oshima, "Unless you declare war on Britain immediately, the Dutch East Indies authorities can only temporarily succumb to the will of Britain, otherwise the British can completely blow up the oil fields there."