The Rise of the Empire

"Yes, our president seems to have misunderstood some military terms. We have achieved a strategic advantage, but we are still far from victory, and I can't imagine how we will do it once the Germans really go against us. Hit." Little Fletcher also complained from the side.

"Okay everyone, the relationship between the Middle East and the United States and Germany is Washington's business, and as soldiers, all we have to do is how to win under the current circumstances. Prepare for war, not complain about Washington," Sims said.

"Let me say the first question on behalf of the army. At present, the army has basically controlled the Bismarck Islands. It is only one step away from New Guinea and Lae, our first preset support point on the island. Japan is in Lae. The nearby defense system is not strong. Considering that the Japanese navy is still repairing in the Philippines, I hope the navy can provide some help, seize the window period when the Japanese navy cannot attack, directly control Lae City, and build it into our first forward base," Marshall said.

"To be honest, our capital ships have lost more, and although the new South Dakota-class battleships have been completed, they have not yet reached the standard for service, and the Germans still have not let go of the capital ships sold to us, so there may be some problems with the capital ships. Difficult. If your army just needs some pre-dreadnought, old-fashioned cruisers, it can be provided." Sims said.

"That's enough. There are hardly any big fish on the seas of New Guinea. The aviation power we deployed in the Bismarck Islands is enough to control the sky on the battlefield. As long as your Excellency hand over the fleet to us, the navy will not have to worry about the rest." Marshall Said.

"We seem to have reached an agreement on this question, so the next question." Sims sent a document to Marshall and said: "Do you know? Mr. Major General, when I saw the transport ship and escort destroyer that your army needs I once thought that my eyes misread a decimal point. Are you trying to build Lae into an iron city? And the transport of troops and equipment is too much, right? This amount far exceeds the needs of previous campaigns, and I think many It's all unnecessary."

"First of all, I need to explain that in the battle of the Bismarck Islands, the army's front-line combat troops were always around 100,000 people, while in New Guinea, we needed to face at least 400,000 troops in an area of ​​more than 700,000 square kilometers. The Japanese army, therefore, the first batch of troops we need to invest is conservatively estimated to reach 250,000, and there will be many heavily armed troops among them. Although according to the previous plan, we only need to occupy one point along the coast, but you should know , In fact, we must occupy a considerable part of the area to ensure the safety of Lae. Large-scale ground battles will be inevitable. Therefore, it is normal for the demand for the transport fleet to rise in a straight line."

"Secondly, the construction of the base this time will be of a high standard. We have moved the naval and army advance bases originally located in the Truk area directly to Lae. We need to build a large number of military depots, airports and material warehouses. The navy prepares a high specification port and certain repair facilities. Lae is a backward place, so everything we need,

Including the cement used for paving the road, it needs to be transported from the mainland. This is infrastructure equipment and even more than combat supplies. So, this is a must. said Marshall.

"Can't it be less?" Magiffin asked.

"Sorry, this is already a condensed list. Washington has indicated that it can provide transport ships according to this requirement, but the navy is directly responsible for the escort," Marshall said.

"If the so-called escort is only to deal with destroyers or submarines, then this difficulty is not too great. It is just a matter of about 150 flat-panel destroyers and escort destroyers. This is acceptable. But if you encounter a big guy, I am afraid it will be a little difficult. It is," Sims said.

"Big guy? You mean the pre-dreadnought ship? It shouldn't be too difficult, right? Didn't the Japanese do it before? Didn't we handle it well?" Marshall said.

"We're worried about the bigger guys. Like the Fuso-class battleships and the Japanese aircraft carriers," Sims said. The possibility of a direct confrontation with the Japanese is decreasing, and they may shift their targets to our sea transportation lines.

"Then what are our countermeasures?" Marshall felt a little shivering when he heard Sims' words. After experiencing the massacre of the American transport fleet by the Japanese Navy, he really didn't want to face the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet again. up.

"There is no way, we can see the problem, but it is difficult to come up with a solution to the problem, and the most important thing is that very good campaign commanders are required to plan and dispatch on the spot, and this is our weakness. This is also my One of the reasons for opposing Washington’s break with the Germans at this time. Taking this battle as an example, General Raeder’s campaign planning and on-the-spot performance are important factors for us to return to Pearl Harbor. We may not need the Germans in the future Battleships, but we need German brains," Sims said.

"Should we try it? Although the German fleet was ordered to return home, some of them were recruited as mercenaries through civilian channels. If we give generous treatment and some security guarantees, they should agree to stay and continue to serve We serve," said Fletcher Sr.

"Maybe, but the core and most important high-level people will go back," Sims said. "By the way, speaking of it, we will hold a farewell party tonight. No matter how the political relationship between the two countries will develop in the future, for us and them, we were partners who fought together before, even now The military alliance is gone, but we are still friends, so I hope we can have a good evening before the German navy leaves. In the meantime, we can talk about some things. We may have something extra. "

"I think it's okay. After all, the formulation of many plans will be a very long process. Now, we can first listen to other people's opinions in a relatively stable environment. I think this is very meaningful." Marshall said. So, under Sims's proposal, the core personnel of the future German and American navies spent their last friendly banquet at night. This banquet left a deep memory for too many people, even after 20 years. Later, when the two sides met each other on the ocean, they would still occasionally recall this past event!

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