Chapter 927: Still Defeat 19 (Second Update)

On the surface of the western Pacific Ocean covered by night, the formation of the 58th US commerce-breaking fleet was advancing northeastward at a high speed of 25 knots. Major General Mark Mitchell's current target is the North Pacific Ocean. Before dusk on October 9 (Tokyo time), he inferred from the direction of the retreat of the First Mobile Fleet of Japan that the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet was roughly located in the waters east of the Mariana Islands and southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Therefore, that night, the 58th commerce-breaking fleet turned northeast and headed for the North Pacific.

The retreat of the 58th commerce-breaking fleet from the North Pacific Ocean is also part of the "Hunter" combat plan. Because it has passed the autumnal equinox, the high latitudes in the northern hemisphere have short days and long nights, and the phenomenon of short days and long nights in the North Atlantic Ocean near the Arctic Circle is more obvious, which is not conducive to air force activities. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the 58th commerce-breaking fleet, which has lost a large aircraft carrier, to go through the North Pacific Ocean.

Moreover, the earth is a sphere, so the diameter of the earth in high latitudes is much smaller than that near the equator. Therefore, retreating from the high-latitude North Pacific Ocean is also conducive to the fleet from the US mainland to enter and respond.

However, the "Hunter" plan arranged for the 58th commerce-breaking fleet to retreat through the North Pacific for another purpose.

"Marshal, the I-166 submarine discovered that at least 50 American ships had left the Juan de Fuca Strait."

In the Navy Ministry building in Tokyo, Marshal Isoroku Yamamoto, who looked gloomy and somewhat scary, once again received bad news that frightened him.

The American commerce-breaking fleet here is probably still chasing Ozawa Jisaburo's First Mobile Fleet, and there is another American large fleet leaving the Seattle Port in the northwest of the United States - the current US Pacific Fleet has three major bases, the fleet headquarters and the 5th Fleet in San Diego, the Southwest Pacific Command and the 9th Fleet in Panama, and the Northwest Pacific Command and the 7th Fleet in Seattle.

The Juan de Fuca Strait is between Vancouver Island in Canada and Clallam County in the northwest of Washington State, and is the throat of the Seattle Port. Therefore, Japanese submarines are always waiting nearby. The submarine I-166 of the Haida Type 5 is cruising in the Strait of Juan de Fuca these days.

"At least 50..." Tonight, Chuichi Nagumo, who was on duty in the operations room with Isoroku Yamamoto, took the telegram copy from the staff, read it carefully, and whispered: "It should be the US 7th Fleet that was dispatched, and the purpose should be to meet the US commerce-breaking fleet in the Western Pacific. I think the US commerce-breaking fleet has given up the action after losing an aircraft carrier and is ready to return to the mainland. The pursuit of the First Mobile Fleet during the day today is just a feint."

According to the intelligence provided by the German intelligence department, the main force of the US Pacific Fleet is now the 5th Fleet. The 7th Fleet stationed in Seattle is not the main force, and it is not equipped with large fleet aircraft carriers and battleships. The main ships it has are heavy cruisers and light fleet aircraft carriers, and there are also many escort aircraft carriers, light cruisers and destroyers.

The main task of this fleet, according to the speculation of Japan and Germany, is to escort and support the US commerce-breaking fleet in and out of the North Pacific and threaten Japan's base in the Aleutian Islands. The purpose of this large-scale deployment should be to support the large commerce-breaking fleet that was frustrated in the Western Pacific.

"General, the US 7th Fleet is now out in full force!" Someone immediately raised an objection, "According to intelligence, the US 7th Fleet has at least 3 Independence-class light fleet aircraft carriers and 7 escort aircraft carriers. Such a huge strength is enough to fight the current main force of the Combined Fleet. Is it just a support mission?"

The person who spoke was Colonel Minoru Genda, the head of the First Section of the Navy General Staff. As soon as he spoke, there was a sigh in the Navy Ministry Operations Room. Because he pointed out a reality that no one was willing to admit-after the continuous loss of elite pilots, although the Combined Fleet still had many aircraft carriers, its combat effectiveness had dropped significantly!

According to the latest loss report, in the battle of the air strike on the US commerce-breaking fleet on the morning of October 9, the First Mobile Fleet lost another 128 elite captains. In addition to the losses in the previous Christmas Island Battle, the losses during the night transfer after the Christmas Island Battle (after several hours of sea and air battles, the night transfer flight of more than 2,000 kilometers was a great test of the pilots' physical strength and the quality of the aircraft. As a result, 35 aircraft were missing or had serious accidents during the transfer process) and the losses caused by the battles between the air forces stationed in the Pacific Islands and the US commerce-breaking fleet, Japan has lost nearly 800 excellent pilots (captains) in this war of attrition, most of whom are elites of the naval aviation!

Although this number only accounts for 8.9% of the total number of Japanese army and navy pilots (captains), it accounts for at least 50% of the total number of pilots (captains) who can fly carrier-based aircraft.

By the way, Japanese pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft do not necessarily serve on aircraft carriers. The Japanese Navy has a very bad practice of transferring pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft between aircraft carriers and shore-based flight teams.

Doing so in peacetime can allow more pilots to have the ability to take off and land on aircraft carriers, but in wartime there will be the problem of using carrier-based pilots as land-based pilots.

And the total number of elite Japanese pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft is not too large, and the number has always remained at just over a thousand. And it is very difficult to replenish them. Ordinary fighter pilots can make do with dozens of hours of flight training. At least they can fly and fight. At most, they can give heads to American pilots to gain experience.

However, without ten times the flight training, carrier-based aircraft pilots cannot even take off and land on the deck of an aircraft carrier. If they barely get on the aircraft carrier, they will fall off the deck. They are a greater threat to the Imperial Army than to the US Army!

In addition, it does not mean that the elites of the Air Force and Army Aviation Corps can get on an aircraft carrier after casual training. Taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier, even blind landing (at night), and flying in the vast ocean (including night flights) are very difficult subjects, and they cannot be mastered casually.

For example, Hersman's son Rudolf was a fighter pilot trained in a professional class before the war. If he wants to get on an aircraft carrier, he has to train for several months in the naval aviation school. Moreover, not every person who participates in the training can go on an aircraft carrier. According to statistics from the German Naval Aviation Carrier Aircraft Pilot School, only 35-40 out of 100 students can graduate and go on an aircraft carrier.

So although this round of continuous attrition warfare did not cause the Combined Fleet to lose a warship, it seriously damaged the combat capability of the Combined Fleet's aircraft carrier forces!

"Genda-kun, please continue." Yamamoto Isoroku looked at Genda Minoru and said.

"Hai," Genda Minoru bowed slightly to Yamamoto, and then said, "The purpose of the main force of the US 7th Fleet may be to attack our base in Dutch Harbor..."

"Genda-kun, now that the autumnal equinox has passed, the climate in the Aleutian Islands is not suitable for landing." Nanyun Chuichi interrupted Genda Minoru. When he was the commander of the First Naval and Air Fleet, he commanded the fleet to attack the Aleutian Islands. It was May when the climate was warming up, but a large number of people were frostbitten, let alone now?

"Your Excellency the General is right. Landing is indeed impossible." Genda Minoru said, "But the US military can use bombing and shelling to cause heavy losses to our base in Dutch Harbor, and may even lay mines around Dutch Harbor to conduct blockade operations."

Dutch Harbor is a frontier stronghold for attacking the North American continent, and it can also pose a serious threat to US commerce-breaking aircraft carriers entering the Western Pacific through the North Pacific, so it has always been an important stronghold for Japan in the North Pacific. Japan's 5th Fleet is stationed there-the 5th Fleet, like the 4th Fleet, is a garrison fleet, including not only surface ships, but also shore-based aviation and marines.

In addition, the 23rd Army of the Japanese Army is stationed on Amakenak Island where Dutch Harbor is located and the nearby Unalaska Island, with 2 divisions and 1 flight division.

It's really endless...

After listening to Genda Minoru's analysis, everyone in the operations room felt depressed. Because the situation Genda described was exactly what they feared the most-this was an endless war of attrition!

First, Christmas Island, then the US commerce-breaking fleet broke into the Western Pacific. Before the battle in the Western Pacific was over, the US 7th Fleet came out in full force again... It is very likely that the Battle of the Aleutian Islands will be fought.

And even if the battle in the Aleutian Islands is won, the pilots will suffer heavy losses and the oil depots of the Combined Fleet will be consumed rapidly!

Moreover... the Japanese cannot avoid the Battle of the Aleutian Islands now, because the tens of thousands of Japanese troops and three or four hundred aircraft stationed there cannot be transferred at will. Hundreds of ships must be used to evacuate the personnel and equipment, and the Japanese Navy's 5th Fleet does not have such transportation capacity.

Besides, once the Aleutian Islands are abandoned, the US commerce-breaking aircraft carriers and submarines will depart from Dutch Harbor in the future, and the straight-line distance from there to Taiwan is 3,500 nautical miles. With the speed of the Independence-class aircraft carrier and the Cleveland-class light cruiser, it will take 10-12 days to reach the Taiwan Strait even if they take the anti-submarine route!

If this were to happen... the Japanese Combined Fleet would not have to consider a decisive battle with the US Pacific Fleet, and would have to do escort work 365 days a year.

There would be no point in fighting a Pacific War!

So the Aleutian Islands cannot be lost for Japan at present, but it seems difficult to fight in the Aleutian Islands.

Just when Yamamoto Isoroku felt hesitant, more terrible news came: a large number of US planes were approaching Dutch Harbor from the east!

The Battle of the Aleutian Islands has begun!