The Rise of the Empire

"No more. In fact, the seaplane carrier is more of an emergency product. This time our aircraft carrier has enough aircraft, so there is no need for the seaplane carrier. Even if we need seaplanes occasionally, our There are also many seaplanes on the battleships that can be used. Of course, the most important thing is that our fleet does not have a seaplane carrier suitable for high-speed navigation." Betty thought for a while and said.

"Okay, you have the final say." Shimamura Hayao stopped arguing with Betty.

"In addition, General Betty, are we planning too many submarines this time? There are a total of 42 submarines of various types participating in the battle. What is even more surprising is that more than half of these submarines are not performing attack missions, but Responsible for intelligence collection?"

"The number of submarines this time is indeed larger. From the perspective of breaking diplomatic relations, the efficiency of submarine operations is already relatively low. The Americans have strengthened their anti-submarine capabilities, and our previously experienced submarine force commanders have also suffered huge losses. The combat effectiveness of the submarine force is at a low level, but if we use this submarine force only for reconnaissance, it is still sufficient. We must pay attention to the role of the submarine cordon in naval warfare. This weapon, which is naturally excellent at concealment, is useful in reconnaissance. Sometimes it is better than combat. Remember how the Americans repeatedly locked our position in the Sulawesi Sea War? The Americans can do it, why can't we?" Betty said.

"We need to consider this. You know, generally speaking, the number of submarines that can attack is only about one-third of the total, and we have less than 100 active submarines in total, which means that under normal circumstances we can only Guarantee that about 30 submarines are patrolling the sea. Your request is a bit high." Shimamura Hayao quickly calculated his family fortune in his mind and said.

Therefore, after coordination between the two parties, Shimamura Hayao discovered that after Betty's troubles, the elite of the Japanese Navy had once again been mobilized. There are only a few old, weak, sick and disabled battleships left among the battleships, there are still a few kittens on the destroyers, and the light cruisers? Well, this organization no longer existed after the Battle of the Sulawesi Sea! All this made Shimamura Hayao once again lament Japan's weak national power. Look at Japan, and then look at the United States. If it weren't for the support of the United Kingdom and other countries, and the Germans would turn a blind eye to this issue. The current Japanese Navy has long since collapsed, and to put it bluntly, the Japanese Navy collapsed due to continuous tactical victories...

If Betty's demands for battleships were acceptable, then in terms of logistical supplies, Hayao Shimamura was really shocked! In this document, Betty asked the Japanese fleet to prepare supply ships with a total tonnage of more than 100,000 tons, and at least 200,000 tons of heavy oil and coal for this operation!

"If I remember correctly, even if all the warships are loaded with as much fuel as possible in heavy load mode, we can't use 90,000 tons, right? If we also consider the fuel carried by the supply ship, we can add up to 50,000 tons. That’s it.” Hayao Shimamura said.

"It's definitely not enough. Ocean warfare puts a huge pressure on logistics. Take General Thomas who rushed from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean to besiege the Su Xiong fleet as an example.

The fuel carried by the entire fleet is about 1.5 times that of the battleship's full load. But this time, we have to fight a more powerful enemy in the wider Pacific. High-speed evasion and attack are inevitable. Considering the possible unexpected loss of our fuel, I think we can carry more than 2 times the fleet fuel. is appropriate. Of course, if you think it is too much, we can reduce the fuel used by the warships to 180,000 tons. This is the bottom line and cannot be any less. "

"We need at least 4 dedicated fast fuel supply ships, 2 mixed supply ships and 1 ration supply ship, and this is just to accompany the supply force, we also need additional fixed-point supply ships, for example, before the fleet enters the theater, Supplies somewhere,” Betty said.

"To be honest, the supplies you requested are more difficult to arrange than the fleet. You know, 2 months ago, one of our most important oil producing areas was destroyed by the Americans. The fuel allocated by the Navy has also been greatly reduced, and the Navy's current oil depots have been It’s negative growth, and your deployment this time has almost drained all the naval oil depots in the southern Philippines.” Hayao Shimamura sighed and said, in this kind of large-scale ocean warfare, the Japanese really have no say, after all, Japan People have so little experience that it can even be said that only Americans and British people in the world have done detailed research in this area, and not even the Germans! Because the German Navy has not conducted large-scale ocean operations that lasted for several months.

"Well, friends, we are now discussing a very important issue, that is, if we meet your needs for military power and supplies this time, then what is your purpose for conducting this campaign? Our goal Is it an American base on the island, a transport ship? Or a fleet?" Shimamura Hayao put down the document in his hand and said with a complicated expression.

"You know, this battle is different from the previous ones. In New Ireland, we fought the enemy on the front line where the enemy and ourselves intersected. In the Battle of Sulawesi Sea, we fought completely on the inside. But this time, we have to go deep. In the local control area, the opponent has a huge home field advantage. They can obtain more warships and more intelligence, and may even have support from the land-based air force. A slight mistake may cause the Japanese combined fleet to fall into A situation of no return.”

"After reading your plan, I regret it a little. This is a big gamble. If we lose, we will lose everything. And even if we win, it is hard to predict how much impact it will have on the war situation, because the American industry is too powerful. Maybe it will take less than two months for the Americans to resupply the transport ship we destroyed. If so, what is the significance of our campaign?" Shimamura Hayao said in confusion. At this time, he was like a Like a lost boy, he needs someone to show him the way!

"If you look at it only from the perspective of military strength, you were already doomed to fail before this war broke out. The fundamental reason why the Americans can endure until now to take revenge on you is not because of the power of Japan, but because of the strength of the Allied Powers system. Exist. Therefore, General, you should understand that the final outcome of this war is indeed related to the situation on the battlefield, but more importantly, it is the attitude of the big powers! Of course, this is not something we can discuss, we simply Let’s explain this from a campaign level,” Betty said.

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