Chapter 912: Still Defeat 4

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 attaché 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, commanding the main force of the Atlantic Fleet in the name of commander of the 3rd Fleet to circle around the sea 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 to enhance air defense and are equipped with countless 127mm anti-aircraft guns (which can launch radio proximity fuses), 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, it will probably be a tough battle. …

"Woooooooo..."

The blaring air raid sirens 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 aviation team 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 was not under the command of the Central Pacific Fleet.

In fact, this fleet was somewhat similar to the military district and theater of the army. It and the Hawaiian Islands Army Command of the Japanese Army were responsible for commanding the navy and army stationed in the Hawaiian Islands respectively (the Hawaiian Army of the Army was 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, Major General Kusaka Ryunosuke, while watching the staff mark the possible location of the American fleet.

"No." Kusaka Ryunosuke shook his head, "The electronic reconnaissance on this type of aircraft is second-hand goods bought from Germany at a low price, and the performance is very poor... But this aircraft sent a telegram before it was shot down, saying that it was besieged by at least 12 F4Us."

The cautious Spruance obviously overestimated the capabilities of Japanese seaplanes. They were indeed equipped with airborne radars imported from Germany. But they are not good stuff, they are all second-hand goods discarded by the Germans. Due to the acquisition of the latest magnetrons and displays from the UK, the level of German radar has made great progress in 1943, so the discarded equipment is piled up, so the Japanese who are greedy for bargains bought back a lot of them and installed them on unimportant ships and aircraft. However, because these radar equipment are too old and do not include installation and debugging, they play a limited role in the Japanese Navy, and are often not as good as cat-eye fighters.

"12 F4Us..." Takasu Shiro nodded, "That's right, how far is it?"

"1,000 nautical miles from the east coast of the Big Island of Hawaii." Kusaka Ryunosuke said, "The Type 1 land attack can reach it."

"It's useless even if you can reach it." Takasu Shiro shook his head, "Without escort, it's just suicide... Let's continue to send planes to monitor. The planes sent this time must be good for electronic reconnaissance, understand?"

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

It was already afternoon, and by the time the reconnaissance planes were about 1,000 nautical miles away, it would definitely be night. Without a good radar, how could they find the American fleet in the dark?

Takasu Shiro had long known that the main force of the US Pacific Fleet had been 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 he probably had nothing to do with the next war. Therefore, after arranging the reconnaissance and surveillance tasks, he left the headquarters and went to enjoy life in the naval comfort station in Pearl Harbor.

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

"Are the Americans approaching the Hawaiian Islands?" Takasu returned to the headquarters and asked the chief of staff Ryunosuke Kusaka who was on duty all night, "Are they sure?"

"Commander, it's not wrong!" Kusaka Ryunosuke shook his head, "It has been confirmed repeatedly... From the electronic reconnaissance, the scale of this American fleet is very large, there may be 100 ships!"

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

"Unlikely." Kusaka Ryunosuke said, "The defense of the Hawaiian Islands is impregnable, and there is also a mobile fleet... Ah, will the Americans' goal be the mobile fleet?"

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

"It can't be a sneak attack," Kusaka Rennosuke shook his head, "It should be to lure the mobile fleet to engage in a battle."

"Could it be a feint?" Takasu Shiro touched his chin, "Is the actual target still Christmas Island?"

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