The Rise of the Third Reich

Ito's judgment is accurate. The main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet has now formed the unprecedentedly large 58th Task Force and is sailing slowly on its way to Christmas Island.

The commander commanding this fleet is not Halsey, but Admiral Raymond Arms Spruance, Ito's old friend when he was a military attache in the United States.

At this time and space, the situation in the Atlantic was much more severe, so Halsey was left in the Atlantic Fleet and commanded the main force of the Atlantic Fleet in the name of commander of the 3rd Fleet to circle the seas with the Europeans.

The burden of leading the charge in the Pacific fell on Spruance's shoulders. This march to Christmas Island was planned by him and Pacific Fleet Commander Nimitz.

In order to ensure victory, the 58th Task Force not only assembled most of the combat ships originally belonging to the Pacific Fleet, but also transferred 4 Essex-class aircraft carriers, 2 Iowa-class battleships and 7 battleships from the Atlantic Fleet. Old battleships and hundreds of other ships of various types. It can be said to have concentrated most of the essence of the US Navy!

The most powerful strike force among them is the Chaoyang Navy, which consists of 4 Essex-class aircraft carriers, 2 Yorktown-class aircraft carriers, 5 Independence-class aircraft carriers, 17 Borg-class aircraft carriers, and 13 Casablanca-class aircraft carriers. Imagine a powerful aircraft carrier battle group!

A total of 41 aircraft carriers! It has as many as 1,364 standing carrier-based aircraft!

In order to protect these 41 aircraft carriers, Admiral Spruance also has 10 battleships, 37 cruisers, and 165 destroyers.

All these warships, including aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and destroyers, have been modified with enhanced air defense and installed countless 127mm anti-aircraft guns (which can fire radio proximity fuzes), 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun.

In addition to the front-line combat ships used in naval battles, Spruance's Task Force 58 also has an astonishing number of transport ships, tankers, landing ships, hospital ships, laying ships (laying mines), minesweepers, and various other ships. Fire support ships (modified from landing ships) and seaplane carriers, a total of 151 ships!

If these ships are included, the fleet commanded by Spruance has a total of 404 ships of various types, covering almost the entire ocean.

If you had to use one word to describe this kind of fleet, it would undoubtedly be "tycoon". If you had to use two words to describe it, it would be "local tycoon".

Standing on the bridge of the battleship USS Iowa, the flagship of the 58th Task Force, Spruance looked at the scene on the sea with a very solemn expression. Although all he could see were ships of all sizes, and he couldn't even see the side, he still felt that the power in his hands was a little weak!

There are less than 50 aircraft carriers, only 10 battleships, not even 1,500 carrier-based aircraft (aircraft carriers), and the total number of ships is less than 500. If such a small force encounters the main force of the powerful Japanese combined fleet, I am afraid it will be a tough battle. …

"Woooooooo..."

The blaring air raid siren suddenly sounded, interrupting Admiral Spruance's thoughts.

"Sir, the 'Oakland''s radar has detected an enemy aircraft, bearing 270, number 1, altitude 3000, distance 100." Fleet Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Miles Browning reported loudly, "It should be flying from the direction of the Hawaiian Islands. Japanese reconnaissance aircraft."

"Shoot it down!" Spruance ordered loudly, "Don't let it peek into our lineup!"

"The direct-covering F4Us have been dispatched," Major General Browning replied.

"Okay." Spruance nodded and walked quickly to the chart table. He asked, "Where are we?"

"Here," Rear Admiral Browning put a check mark on the chart table with a red and blue pencil, "it is about 1,000 nautical miles from the Big Island of Hawaii."

Spruance shook his head, "The Japanese must have discovered us! Their reconnaissance aircraft are equipped with German radars and can search for us."

"Sir," Major General Browning looked at Spruance, who looked worried, "do we need to change course?"

"No need!" Admiral Spruance shook his head. "This mission is inherently very dangerous, but we must still do our best to complete it. The fleet will still move forward according to the original route, and the speed will remain at 12 knots."

"Understood, sir."

Rear Admiral Browning nodded, and a fleet staff officer loudly reported: "Sir, the Essex's air force reported that it shot down a Japanese four-engine large seaplane."

"Did we lose anything?" Spruance asked.

"No loss."

Spruance breathed out: "I hope it doesn't discover our size, otherwise the main force of the Japanese combined fleet will come out to deal with us."

…

"Commander, one of our Type 97 large boats seems to have been shot down by an American carrier-based aircraft. The American fleet is likely to be close to the Hawaiian Islands."

Admiral Takasu Shiro, commander of Japan's Central Pacific Fleet, learned on the afternoon of September 22, 1943 (local time in Hawaii) that the U.S. fleet might be approaching the Hawaiian Islands.

The so-called Central Pacific Fleet is not a real surface fleet, but the name of a command organization on the same level as the Combined Fleet.

It governs the naval combat forces stationed in the Hawaiian Islands (including Midway Island) such as the naval shore-based aviation force, the Marine Corps, the naval shore artillery force, and the naval patrol area.

However, the Japanese Navy's First Mobile Fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor is not under the command of the Central Pacific Fleet.

In fact, in this aspect, the fleet is somewhat similar to the army's military region and theater. It and the Japanese Army's Hawaiian Islands Front Command are respectively responsible for commanding the navy and army stationed in the Hawaiian Islands (the Army's Hawaiian Front is also responsible for commanding the garrison on Christmas Island).

"Did this Type 97 large boat report the discovery of the American fleet before it was attacked?" Admiral Takasu Shiro walked to the chart table and asked his chief of staff, Kusaka Ryū, while watching the staff mark out the possible location of the American fleet. Major General Nosuke.

"No." Ryunosuke Kusaka shook his head, "The electronic detectors on this kind of aircraft are second-hand goods purchased from Germany at a low price, and their performance is very poor... But this aircraft sent a telegram before it was shot down, saying that it was Was attacked by at least 12 F4Us."

The cautious Spruance apparently overestimated the capabilities of Japanese seaplanes, which were indeed equipped with airborne radar imported from Germany. But they are not good things. They are all second-hand goods eliminated by the Germans. Due to the acquisition of the latest magnetrons and displays from the UK, the level of German radar has made rapid progress in 1943, so the eliminated equipment has piled up. The cheap Japanese bought many of them back and installed them on less important ships and aircraft. However, because these radar equipment are too old and do not include installation and debugging, their role in the Japanese Navy is limited, and in many cases they are not as useful as the Cat Eye Warrior.

"12 F4Us..." Takasu Shiro nodded, "That's right. How far is the distance?"

"It's 1,000 nautical miles away from the east coast of the Big Island of Hawaii." Ryunosuke Kusaka said, "We can achieve it with a land attack."

"It's useless if you can reach it." Takasu Shiro shook his head, "Without escort, you will die if you go there... Let's continue to send planes for surveillance. The planes sent this time must be useful for electronic reconnaissance, you know?"

"Hai." Ryunosuke Kusaka nodded, turned around and arranged for the reconnaissance plane to be dispatched.

It is already afternoon now, and it will definitely be night by the time the dispatched reconnaissance plane flies about 1,000 nautical miles away. Without a useful radar, where can we find the American fleet in vain?

Takasu Shiro had long known that the main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet was dispatched, and he also agreed with Ito Seiichi's judgment that the Americans' target was Christmas Island... Anyway, it couldn't be the impregnable Hawaiian Islands, so the war continued. Most likely nothing happened to him. Therefore, after assigning reconnaissance and surveillance tasks, he left the headquarters and went to enjoy life at the Naval Comfort Station located in Pearl Harbor.

But in the early morning of the next day, he was picked up from the comfort women's bed by his adjutant. It turned out that the plane sent out for reconnaissance discovered that the American fleet was approaching the Hawaiian Islands! The place where the Type 97 big boat was shot down this afternoon was about 1,000 nautical miles away from the Big Island of Hawaii. However, in the early morning of the 23rd, Hawaii time, a Type 2 big boat discovered the US fleet about 900 nautical miles away from the Big Island of Hawaii.

"The Americans are approaching the Hawaiian Islands?" Takasu, who returned to the headquarters, asked when he saw Ryunosuke Kusaka, the chief of staff who stayed up late on duty, "Isn't there a mistake?"

"Commander, you can't be wrong!" Ryunosuke Kusaka shook his head, "I have confirmed it repeatedly... Judging from the electronic reconnaissance, the size of this American fleet is very large, maybe 100 ships!"

"100 ships!?" Takasu took a breath, "Isn't it bigger than the First Mobile Fleet in Pearl Harbor?" He paused, "Then their goal is... to attack Hawaii?"

"It's unlikely." Ryunosuke Kusaka said, "The defenses of the Hawaiian Islands are impregnable, and there is also a mobile fleet... Ah, could the Americans' target be a mobile fleet?"

"They are going to... attack Pearl Harbor!?" Takasu Shiro was stunned again and again.

"It can't be a sneak attack," Kusaka Shinnosuke shook his head, "It should be an attempt to lure the mobile fleet into a confrontation."

"Could it be a false shot?" Takasu Shiro touched his chin, "The actual target is Christmas Island?"

"It's possible," Ryunosuke Kusaka said, "but we still can't take it lightly. The mobile fleet cannot stay in Pearl Harbor and must leave immediately."