The Rise of the Third Reich

Oahu, Pearl Harbor.

On the morning of March 3, 1943, when the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Koga Mineichi, was reading a report on the development of the "Sakura" manned missile in the commander's office of the Yamato Hotel, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door.

"Your Excellency, there is an urgent military report!" The voice of Vice Admiral Ugaki Matoi, the chief of staff of the fleet, came from outside the door.

"Come in."

The door was opened, and the chief of staff of the fleet, Ugaki Matoi, and the chief staff, Genda Minoru, walked into the commander's office one after another.

"Your Excellency, the German intelligence, their reconnaissance submarines found that a large US Navy fleet left the Norfolk naval port and then went south along the east coast of the United States."

After listening to Genda Minoru's report, Koga Mineichi 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 is not certain at the moment." Genda Minoru said. "However, according to the German report, the US fleet that left the Norfolk base this time is indeed very large, including at least 10 large ships of more than 10,000 tons."

Koga Mineichi thought for a while and gave an order: "Let Vice Admiral Ozawa board the Yamato!"

Vice Admiral Ozawa is Ozawa Jisaburo, who is now the commander of the First Mobile Fleet under the Combined Fleet. The First Mobile Fleet replaced the original First Air Fleet, bringing together most of the aircraft carriers and some fast battleships of the Combined Fleet, and became the main strike force of the Combined Fleet.

After Admiral Chuichi Nagumo was transferred to the commander of the Yokosuka Naval Base (Nanyun did not take this position to sit on the bench, but to prepare for taking over as the commander of the Combined Fleet), the First Air Fleet was reorganized into the First Air Force and deployed on the South Pacific front. The commander was Vice Admiral Kakuji Kakuta.

Ozawa Jisaburo quickly rushed to the commander's office on the Yamato and saluted Admiral Mineichi Koga. Ozawa sat down face to face with Koga, and the nautical chart of the waters west of the Panama Canal had been laid out on the conference table between the two.

Ozawa looked at the sea chart and asked, "Are we going to attack the Panama Canal?"

"Yes." Koga Mineichi replied, "The main force of the US Atlantic Fleet is likely heading for the Panama Canal. It seems that our sailboat bomb attack has worked."

"Are you sure they are heading for the Panama Canal?" Ozawa seemed worried and asked again.

"Not sure," Koga said, "but the First Mobile Fleet still has to attack!"

"Yes!" Ozawa Jisaburo nodded.

Koga paused and said, "The reason why the First Mobile Fleet is attacking is because there is an opportunity for an ambush. For us, no opportunity can be missed."

"Yes!" Ozawa Jisaburo nodded again.

He understood that the "ambush opportunity" Koga mentioned refers to a sudden attack when the US fleet is passing through, partially passing through, or just passing through the Panama Canal.

To achieve this goal, the First Mobile Fleet must attack in advance, rather than attacking when it is learned that the enemy fleet is passing through the Panama Canal.

"After the First Mobile Fleet attacks, I will send several eastward fleets to release the sailboat bombs." Koga Mineichi said, "There will be thousands of bombs and incendiary bombs falling on American soil, which should attract some US fighters to the north. In addition, Germany will also take action." After saying this, Koga looked at Ozawa, "Ozawa-kun, do you have any questions?" "The primary target is the Panama Canal or the US fleet?" Ozawa immediately asked the question. "Of course the US fleet!" Ozawa thought for a while and asked again: "If the First Mobile Fleet is discovered by the enemy, should the action be suspended?" "No need!" Koga Mineichi said, "Currently, the First Mobile Fleet has 8 aircraft carriers, including Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Zuikaku, Shokaku, Shokaku, and Zuiho, and 470 aircraft in regular use. It should have the determination to defeat all powerful enemies!" The 8 aircraft carriers now belonging to the First Mobile Fleet are definitely the most elite forces of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Six of them were large fleet carriers that had been in service before the outbreak of the Pacific War. The other two (Shoho and Zuiho) were converted from seaplane carriers, but because they were designed with modification in mind, they were also light fleet carriers with very superior performance.

"But I still want another aircraft carrier," said Ozawa Jisaburo.

"Another one?" Koga frowned, "Which one do you want?"

"The German aircraft carrier Seydlitz," Ozawa Jisaburo replied. "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."

The First Mobile Fleet is the main force among the main forces, and the aircraft equipped are of course the best. In addition to the Zero 52 carrier-based fighters that 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 fighters, it is easier for Japanese carrier-based bombers and attack aircraft to introduce heavy and large German engines (the strength of German aircraft engines lies in heat dissipation, and the heat dissipation design will make the engine larger and heavier), because they are not very demanding on combat weight and aerodynamic shape. Therefore, the Meteor carrier-based bomber and Tianshan torpedo aircraft both copied the simpler engines in the BMW 801 series, and thus have a more reliable power system.

In addition, the blocking net and booster rockets copied from the German aircraft carrier Seidlitz (the Fw-190T needs booster rockets to help take off when it is full of bombs and auxiliary fuel tanks) have also greatly improved these two carrier-based aircraft. take-off and landing performance.

However, Japan's carrier-based aircraft still have 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 cope with American carrier-based fighter jets, but if it encounters American land-based fighter jets, such as P38, P47 and P51, it will be troublesome. Even if the opponent is defeated in the fight, he can still climb to more than 7,000 meters in one breath.

Moreover, the American P47 and P51 have taken a multi-purpose approach and can be mounted with bombs. If a **47 is equipped with a 500-pound armor-piercing bomb to break through from an altitude of 8,000 meters, 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 went to Pearl Harbor for repairs. It encountered an American Independence-class aircraft carrier in the North Pacific more than a month ago, resulting in both losses. , the decks of both sides were penetrated by bombs. So the Seydlitz had no choice but to run to Pearl Harbor for overhaul. Now it has just been repaired and before it left, it happened to be pulled over by Jisaburo Ozawa.

…

"Sir, we have received some more radio signals, which should be from enemy radar."

The shouts of Rear Admiral Browning, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet, rang in Admiral Halsey's ears. The Vice Admiral was watching several F6Fs engage in simulated combat in the air.

After the defeat in the Coral Sea last year, Halsey was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to be responsible for organizing and training the new aircraft carrier force. 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 aircraft carrier that had been dealing with the Japanese in the Pacific for more than a year. Troop Commander.

So at the end of February, Halsey was promoted to admiral and served as commander of the newly formed 3rd Fleet, responsible for commanding this including 3 Essex-class aircraft carriers, 2 Independence-class aircraft carriers, A powerful fleet including 2 Iowa-class battleships and 7 heavy cruisers (including a powerful Baltimore-class heavy cruiser) went 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. A radar signal receiver installed on the battleship USS Iowa, the flagship of the Third Fleet, continued to receive radar signals from unknown sources.

"Any idea if the radar signal came from a submarine or an airplane?" Halsey asked.

"Sir, we are searching." the radar officer on the Iowa replied. After a few minutes, the man said again, "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?" Browning, the fleet chief of staff, asked.

Before Halsey could answer, the radar officer reported again: "Sir, the radar has lost its target. I think the enemy plane also received our radar signal, so it lowered its altitude."

"Damn British!" Admiral Halsey cursed in a low voice, not the Germans, but the British.

Before the surrender of the British mainland, ships operating near the American coastline were rarely detected by German radar.

Because the detection range of German airborne radar at that time was not far enough, and it was too dangerous to detect the American fleet near the American coastline. Unless the high-altitude and high-speed Ju288 is used, the range of the Ju288 is 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) became capable of detecting surface ships from long distances - obviously, the British had provided their best airborne radar system to Germany. !

Since the detection distance has become longer, the German seaplanes have time to lower their altitude (to avoid detection by surface ship radar) and leave after completing the detection mission.

"Send four F6Fs to look for it." Although he knew it would be difficult to find (there is no radar on the current F6F, and the Bv138C's painting 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 4 planes to try their luck.