Chapter 798 Ozawa Jisaburo
Oahu, Pearl Harbor.
On the morning of March 3, 1943, Japan's Combined Fleet Commander Koga Mineichi was reading a development report on the "Sakura" human-guided missile in the Commander's Office of the Yamato Hotel when he heard rapid footsteps outside the door.
"Your Majesty, General, there is an urgent military intelligence report!" The voice of Fleet Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Ugaki Matoi, came from outside the door.
"Come in."
The door was opened, and Fleet Chief of Staff Matoi Ugaki and Chief Staff Officer Genda Minoru quickly walked into the commander's office one after the other.
"Your Majesty General, according to German intelligence, their reconnaissance submarine discovered that a large U.S. naval fleet left the Norfolk naval port and then moved south along the east coast of the United States."
After listening to Genda Minoru's report, Kogamine raised his eyebrows and put down the "Sakura" missile information sent by Onishi Takijiro, the general affairs director of the Naval Aviation Headquarters.
"Are they going to the Panama Canal?" Koga asked.
"It's impossible to say for sure at the moment," Genda Minoru said. "However, according to reports from Germany, the U.S. fleet leaving the Norfolk base this time is indeed very large, including at least 10 large ships of more than 10,000 tons."
Koga Mine thought for a while and then issued the order: "Let Lieutenant General Ozawa board the Yamato!"
Vice Admiral Ozawa is Jisaburo Ozawa, who is now the commander of the First Mobile Fleet under the Combined Fleet. The First Mobile Fleet replaced the original First Air Fleet, brought together most of the aircraft carriers and some fast battleships of the Combined Fleet, and became the main strike force of the Combined Fleet.
The First Air Fleet was reorganized into the First Air Fleet after Admiral Nagumo Chuichi was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of the Yokosuka Fort (Nagumo took this position not to sit on the bench, but to prepare for taking over as the Commander of the Combined Fleet). , deployed on the South Pacific front, and the commander was Lieutenant General Kakuharu Tsunoda.
Ozawa Jisaburo quickly rushed to the commander's office on the Yamato and paid a military salute to General Koga Mine. Ozawa and Koga sat down face to face. On the conference table between them, a chart of the waters west of the Panama Canal was laid out.
Ozawa looked at the chart and asked: "Are we going to attack the Panama Canal?"
"Yes." Koga Mineichi replied, "The main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet is probably heading to the Panama Canal. It seems that our sailboat bomb attack has worked."
"Are you sure they are going to the Panama Canal?" Ozawa seemed worried and asked again.
"Not sure," Koga said, "but the First Mobile Fleet is still going to attack!"
"Hai!" Ozawa Jisaburo nodded.
Koga paused and then said: "The reason why the First Mobile Fleet is sent to attack is because there is an opportunity for an ambush. For us, no opportunity can be missed."
"Hai!" Ozawa Jisaburo nodded again.
He understood that the "ambush opportunity" Koga meant was a sudden strike when the U.S. fleet was passing, partially passing, or just passing through the Panama Canal.
To achieve this goal, the First Mobile Fleet must attack in advance instead of attacking when it learns that the enemy fleet is passing through the Panama Canal.
"After the First Mobile Fleet attacks, I will send several eastbound fleets to release sailboat bombs." Koga Mineichi said, "Thousands of bombs and incendiary bombs will fall on American soil. , should be able to attract some US military aircraft to go north. In addition, the German side will also take action.”
After saying this, Koga looked at Ozawa and said, "Ozawa-kun, do you have any questions to ask?"
"Is the primary target the Panama Canal or the U.S. Fleet?" Ozawa immediately asked the question.
"Of course the American fleet!"
Ozawa thought for a moment and then asked: "If the First Mobile Fleet is discovered by the enemy, should we suspend the operation?"
"No need!" Koga Mineichi said, "Currently, the First Mobile Fleet has 8 aircraft carriers including Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Zuikaku, Shokaku, Shoho, and Zuiho, and 470 commonly used aircraft. It should be possible to defeat The determination of all powerful enemies!"
The eight aircraft carriers now belonging to the First Mobile Fleet are definitely the most elite force of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Six of them are large fleet aircraft carriers that were in service before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Although the other two (Xianfeng and Zuifeng) were modified from seaplane carriers, they were designed with modifications in mind, so they also have very high performance. Superior light fleet carrier.
"But I still want another aircraft carrier." Ozawa Jisaburo said.
"Want another one?" Koga frowned, "Which one do you want?"
"German aircraft carrier Seydlitz." Ozawa Jisaburo answered. "The aircraft carrier carries 36 Fw-190T fighters, which have excellent high-altitude performance and can make up for the shortcomings of the Zero fighter jets."
The First Mobile Fleet is the main force among the main forces, and of course it is equipped with the best aircraft. In addition to the Zero-52 carrier-based fighter, which the Japanese Navy has high hopes for, there are also Meteor carrier-based dive bombers and Tianshan carrier-based attack aircraft that have introduced German engine technology.
Compared with carrier-based fighter jets, it is easier for Japanese carrier-based bombers and attack aircraft to introduce heavy and large German engines (the strength of German aircraft engines is heat dissipation, and the heat dissipation design will cause the engines to be larger and heavier), because they have a heavy impact on combat The requirements for the aerodynamic shape and aerodynamic shape are not very stringent, so the Meteor Warship Explosion and Tianshan Lightning Strike aircraft both copied the relatively simple engine in the BMW801 series, so they have a more reliable power system.
In addition, the arresting nets and booster rockets copied from the German aircraft carrier Seydelitz (the Fw-190T needs booster rockets to help it take off when it is fully loaded with bombs and auxiliary fuel tanks) have also greatly improved the take-off and landing performance of these two carrier-based aircraft.
However, Japan's carrier-based aircraft still has a very troublesome shortcoming - poor high-altitude performance!
Even the Zero-52 carrier-based fighter with enhanced high-altitude performance can only perform at its best below 7,000 meters. It can still cope with American carrier-based fighters, but if it encounters American land-based fighters, such as P38, P47 and P51, it will be troublesome. Even if the opponent loses in a fight, it can climb to more than 7,000 meters in one breath.
Moreover, the American P47 and P51 are both multi-purpose and can carry bombs. If a P47 with a 500-pound armor-piercing bomb breaks through from an altitude of 8,000 meters, then Ozawa Jisaburo's First Mobile Fleet will be in big trouble.
Fortunately, the German aircraft carrier Seydlitz is now anchored in Pearl Harbor. This aircraft carrier is being repaired in Pearl Harbor. It encountered an American Independence-class aircraft carrier in the North Pacific more than a month ago. As a result, both sides were injured and the decks of both sides were pierced by bombs. So the Seydlitz had to go to Pearl Harbor for overhaul. It has just been repaired and has not left yet. It was pulled by Ozawa Jisaburo.
…
"Sir, some radio signals have been received again. They should be sent by enemy radar."
The voice of Rear Admiral Browning, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Fleet of the US Navy, rang in the ears of Admiral Halsey. The lieutenant general was watching several F6Fs in the air for simulated combat.
After the defeat in the Coral Sea last year, Halsey was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to organize and train new aircraft carrier forces. However, he did not sit on the bench for too long. After the fall of the British mainland, President Roosevelt decided to implement the "Pacific First" strategy, so he remembered Halsey, the commander of the aircraft carrier force who had been dealing with the Japanese in the Pacific for more than a year.
So at the end of February, Halsey was promoted to admiral and served as the commander of the newly formed Third Fleet, responsible for commanding this powerful fleet including 3 Essex-class aircraft carriers, 2 Independence-class aircraft carriers, 2 Iowa-class battleships and 7 heavy cruisers (including a powerful Baltimore-class heavy cruiser) to reinforce the Pacific battlefield.
However, as soon as Halsey's fleet left the Norfolk Naval Base, it was targeted by German submarines and reconnaissance aircraft. The radar signal receiver installed on the Third Fleet flagship Iowa battleship kept receiving radar signals from unknown sources.
"Do you know whether the radar signal is from a submarine or an airplane?" Halsey asked.
"Sir, we are searching." The radar officer on the Iowa replied, and after a few minutes, the man said, "It's a plane! We found it, about 60 miles away from us, at an altitude of 1,500 meters!"
"Sir, do you want to send F6F to shoot it down?" Fleet Chief of Staff Browning asked.
Before Halsey answered, the radar officer reported again: "Sir, the radar has lost the target. I think the enemy plane also received our radar signal, so it lowered its altitude."
"Damn the British!" Admiral Halsey cursed in a low voice, not at the Germans, but at the British.
Before the surrender of the British mainland, ships operating near the US coastline were rarely detected by the Germans using radar.
Because the detection range of the German airborne radar was not far enough at that time, and it was too dangerous to conduct close reconnaissance of the US fleet near the US coastline. Unless the high-altitude and high-speed Ju288 was used, the range of the Ju288 was not enough to support reconnaissance on the east coast of the United States.
However, shortly after the surrender of the British mainland, the German "Flying Wooden Boots" (Bv138C) had the ability to detect surface ships at a long distance - it was obvious that the British had provided their best airborne radar system to Germany!
Because the detection distance became longer, the German seaplanes had time to lower their altitude (to avoid detection by surface ship radar) and disengage after completing the detection mission.
"Send four F6Fs to look for it." Although he knew it would be difficult to find (the current F6F has no radar, and the Bv138C's paint job is the same color as the sea water, making it difficult to be spotted by the naked eye when flying at ultra-low altitudes), Halsey still sent four planes to try his luck.