Chapter 713 Coral Sea-Flying the Red Flag to Break the Diplomatic Relations
"But Admiral, we are too far from the main sea routes of RB. It takes 4,000-5,000 nautical miles to go in a straight line, and the endurance of the Independence-class and Cleveland-class aircraft carriers is only about 10,000 nautical miles. They can't operate in the Western Pacific for a long time."
Colonel Mitchell didn't know that the Independence-class aircraft carrier was born to disrupt trade - Roosevelt's small goal was a secret that people at his level couldn't hear.
"There are arrangements." Nimitz said, "There will be ships flying the Bolshevik red flag to provide you with supplies."
"Flying the Bolshevik red flag? Are they Soviet ships?" Colonel Mitchell asked.
"They are our ships," Nimitz laughed sarcastically, "but they belong to the Soviet Union in name. They are responsible for transporting lend-lease materials to the Soviet Union so that the Red Army can use them to defeat Germany."
"The RB people haven't blocked the North Pacific route yet?" Colonel Mitchell was a little surprised. He had heard of such a North Pacific route earlier, but the Soviet Union and Germany had not yet started the war. "What are these Germans thinking? Do they think they can hold on after Germany's defeat?"
"Maybe," Nimitz snorted, "The Germans have a very strange way of thinking, which we cannot understand. But this does not prevent us from killing them all! Colonel, your current task is to kill as many Germans as possible."
"Where should we break through?" Colonel Mitchell asked again.
"From the North Pacific, as close to the Arctic Circle as possible." Nimitz said, "Because a German fleet may have reached the East, those American freighters flying red flags have become nervous and formed a fleet, and there are also ships of the Soviet Pacific Fleet escorting them, and the route they take is also very far to the north. Colonel, your formation will follow a "Soviet fleet" and also fly a red flag. Separate from the "Soviet fleet" near the Kamchatka Peninsula, and then go to the waters south of the German mainland. Remember, don't get too close to the German mainland... Don't get too close to Saipan and Guam."
"Okay, I know..." Colonel Mitchell frowned, "Commander, I can say Is this a suicide mission? "
"No, it is not a suicide mission." Nimitz shook his head, "Because the Independence and Cleveland are very fast ships. According to the standards of the German Navy, they are typical commerce raiders. Enemy ships that can fight them cannot catch up with them, and enemy ships that can catch up with them cannot beat them. Moreover, the Independence is an aircraft carrier with a very large combat radius. So it and Cleveland will be a very successful commerce raiding combination, and they will turn RB's shipping lines upside down!"
In fact, this aircraft carrier commerce raiding operation also has the intention of mobilizing the main force of the RB fleet in Rabaul to the north. Nimitz sent out three aircraft carrier commerce raiding formations! Except for the aircraft carriers of the RB Combined Fleet, they have no opponents in the Western Pacific!
...
Just when three American commerce raiding fleets, each including one light aircraft carrier, were flying the red flag of GCism, disguised as disguised Soviet freighters, and quietly approached the RB mainland. The commander of the RB Combined Fleet, Isoroku Yamamoto, received the news that the huge FS06 fleet had left San Francisco!
"According to the reconnaissance of the 'Deep Mountain' long-range reconnaissance aircraft deployed in the Gilbert Islands, at least hundreds of large transport ships formed a transport fleet, including 5-6 cruise ships of tens of thousands of tons..."
Yamamoto Isoroku listened to the immortal staff officer Kuroshima reading the telegram forwarded from the Lavata base, with no expression on his face.
The FS06 fleet escorted by the Halsey fleet was discovered to be the "Deep Mountain" long-range reconnaissance aircraft that took off from the Lavata Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. This aircraft was originally developed as a bomber and was called the "13 Test Bomber". The RB Navy originally hoped to use this bomber to bomb the Soviet Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok Port. However, when this aircraft was developed, the target it needed to bomb had become the military port of San Diego on the west coast of the United States. But San Diego is too far from Hawaii, and the range of the Deep Mountain heavy bomber is too short to reach there.
Therefore, this four-engine heavy bomber was equipped with an airborne radar provided by Germany, becoming a reconnaissance aircraft with an ultra-long range. It was also deployed to Lawata Atoll, more than 2,000 kilometers south of Hawaii. The RB occupied Lawata Atoll shortly after the Battle of Hawaii and turned it into a forward base for the RB in the area south of Hawaii. By June 1943, the airport on the island was expanded and could be used for takeoff and landing of deep mountain long-range reconnaissance aircraft. After the deep mountain bomber was converted into a reconnaissance aircraft, the range increased to 6,000 kilometers because of the increase in fuel tanks and the reduction in weapons and equipment, which was enough to patrol the waters 2,500 kilometers away.
"Hundreds of large transport ships, and 5-6 cruise ships of tens of thousands of tons?" Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet Ugaki Matome looked envious, "Americans are really generous, it would be great if we could have so many ships."
"Yes!" Yamamoto Isoroku said, "As long as Australia is conquered, within 30 years, RB's shipbuilding industry will definitely surpass that of the United States!"
"Yes, as long as Australia is conquered, we will have everything." Kuroshima Kameto nodded heavily, echoing Yamamoto, and then the unkempt navy colonel shook his head and said, "But this American transport fleet must be full of troops... Those luxury cruise ships should be used to transport soldiers, probably carrying tens of thousands of people, right?"
RB Imperialist troop transports are usually dilapidated cargo ships that just cram people into the cabins like animals. But the American soldiers went to the battlefield on luxury cruise ships, and the journey was as comfortable as traveling (according to RB's travel standards, of course).
"That's a matter for the Army," Yamamoto Isoroku smiled nonchalantly, "We are the Navy, and we only deal with American convoys... How many aircraft carriers were discovered this time?"
"There are 3-4, but they are all small escort aircraft carriers." Kuroshima Turtle replied with a frown, "In addition, there are twenty or thirty cruisers and destroyers, but no large American aircraft carriers have been found."
Escort aircraft carriers with a displacement of seven to eight thousand tons to more than 10,000 tons, a thin hull, a wooden deck, and a diesel engine used by merchant ships are not worth much to the United States. For RB, their value is not great. After all, escort carriers are limited by speed, protection and firepower, and have little effect in fleet decisive battles.
"Where are their four large aircraft carriers? Are they still in San Diego?" Yamamoto asked.
"No more."
There are German spies lurking in San Diego. Although they can't get any important information, they can still find out whether the US aircraft carrier is at home.
"Will you go to the Atlantic Ocean?" Yamamoto thought for a while and asked. "Anything discovered over the Panama Canal?"
"No," Black Island Turtle Man still shook his head. "Neither the Germans nor our Type 2 large boats found it."
The Panama Canal was very important, and of course it was under the surveillance of German agents. In addition, the RB people also sent two seaplane carriers (Akitsusu and Chihaya) carrying two Type 2 large boats to wander in the Pacific waters west of the Panama Canal, and took turns using Type 2 large boats to search the Panama Canal. The USS Independence aircraft carrier and USS Cleveland light cruiser were discovered by Type II large boats when they passed through the Panama Canal. However, it did not attract the attention of the RB Navy. They thought that the Independence was a worthless escort carrier.
"You didn't find it either?" Yamamoto Isoroku shook his head slightly.
The loss of four large U.S. aircraft carriers is not a good sign, but there is no need to worry. After all, the RB Combined Fleet has gathered 12 aircraft carriers in Rabaul, which far exceeds the Americans' 4 large aircraft carriers. As long as the Americans dare to come to the Coral Sea to fight, they will definitely lose.
…
On October 22, somewhere in the South Pacific, the USS Lexington aircraft carrier.
Admiral Halsey looked up at the dense rain clouds in the sky and let out a breath. Under the cover of this rain cloud, he would not have to worry for a few hours at least. Since leaving the combat radius of the P38 fighter jets deployed on the west coast of the United States, his fleet has been sailing cautiously on the ocean about 150 nautical miles south of the FS06 fleet.
The FS06 fleet actually became the shield of Task Force 1 commanded by Halsey. Because the FS06 fleet is very large, there are 168 ships in total including transport ships and escorting cruisers and destroyers, forming a formation of dozens of nautical miles on the sea. Moreover, all cruisers and destroyers have air search radars, and there are F4F fighter jets circling and escorting the fleet at any time.
Therefore, the RB's large reconnaissance aircraft can only take a look at it from a distance, and generally will not fly over them. Those large reconnaissance planes of the RB people cannot withstand the F4F attack!
In addition, the route Halsey chose was far away from Hawaii and Lavata, RB's forward bases in the central Pacific. This area is not an active area for RB submarines - the main role of RB submarines is not to break diplomatic relations, but to detect and detect enemy surface ships, and they rarely operate on the US-Australia route.
Therefore, Halsey believes that there is a high probability that his fleet can quietly follow the FS06 fleet to the Coral Sea. As long as the RB people don't discover his four large aircraft carriers, they probably won't send all their main aircraft carriers to intercept them. As long as the RB's aircraft carriers at Rabaul are not overwhelmed, Halsey's fleet can handle it.
Moreover, Nimitz also sent three break-up aircraft carriers to slip into the Western Pacific to cause trouble for the RBs. Perhaps the commander of the RB Combined Fleet will mistakenly believe that the four large American aircraft carriers have transformed into destroyers... In this way, the FS06 fleet can arrive at XN peacefully.