The Rise of the Empire

"You're fat. Sims." McGiffin came to Sims' office and said after placing a document on the latter's desk.

"Yes, I have never experienced such a long period of rest since the war started. The combat life for more than a year before was too hard. We spent 9 months of the year at sea. However, now, I suddenly feel a little Confused, the Japanese fleet retreated in the southern Philippines. The army had captured Lae under the cover of naval support warships and gained a foothold on the island of New Guinea. So, what should we do next? Help the army capture the second port, and then gradually advance to the west of New Guinea, or take the initiative to find the main force of the Japanese fleet? Or should our fleet try to establish contact between the Philippines and the Japanese mainland?" Sims said.

"We also need to consider the escort and supply lines of the Japanese Army in New Guinea." Maggie thought for a while and said.

"The escort mission can be left to old warships and a large number of flatbed destroyers. The new warships in our hands cannot escort the fleet at a speed of 10 knots. As for cutting off Japan's supply lines? Well, now I have to complain about the White House again. , if the old Roosevelt had a firmer attitude and directly controlled the British colony located in the southeastern part of New Guinea, then the Japanese supply line would be completely cut off. However, the White House is unwilling to do this for some reasons, and as long as the British As long as people continue to be supportive, what we call lockdowns won’t have much effect,” Sims said.

"We can't control the affairs of the White House, but if I wait until Roosevelt steps down, I would like to go to his house and have a good chat with him. To be honest, he has brought us too much trouble," said McGiffin.

"If you want to go, don't forget to call me," Sims joked. To be honest, under the current circumstances, the strategic goals of the US Navy are indeed a bit confused, if the previous raid on Taragon Island was to destroy part of Japan's oil industry and avenge New Ireland Island. So what is the U.S. Navy going to do now? Continue deeper into the Japanese-controlled areas?

Please, the Japanese navy was unprepared last time. Wouldn't it be uncomfortable if Americans dared to go there again? With the main force of the Combined Fleet still existing and the U.S. fleet suffering huge losses, the Americans have neither the ability nor the idea to launch another long-distance offensive. In any case, quite a few U.S. Navy battleships disappeared from the list of U.S. Navy battleships during the Battle of the Sulawesi Sea. Many battleships, and several standard battleships have greatly reduced the number of capital ships that the U.S. Navy can use. The most heartbreaking thing is the loss of four fleet aircraft carriers and hundreds of aircrews on them. Even though there are new battleships to add, the West Meuse believes that the current naval strength situation is slightly better than before, and it is far from being able to completely suppress the Japanese fleet!

After the German fleet left, Sims was more conservative at the tactical level because he knew how much he weighed. If the two sides met on the high seas, the U.S. fleet would probably suffer some losses. This is not only a matter of the U.S. Navy's tactical literacy, but also the U.S. The large number of new ships and new personnel in the fleet also make the combat effectiveness not as strong as it appears on paper. So Sims's idea is to wait for a few more months and wait until the army has made great progress on the big island of New Guinea.

When the U.S. naval power reaches a new level, it will use the island of New Guinea as a base to launch a decisive battle against the Japanese navy. But now, Sims is still confused about the Navy's plans for the past few months. I want to be conservative and develop with peace of mind, but politics do not allow it. Because the top leaders of the United States hope that this war can be completely ended within one year.

"As usual, let's take stock of our belongings first." Ma Jifen handed over a document.

“In the past few months we have added three new battleships, including the Colorado-class battleship USS West Virginia, two new South Dakota-class fast battleships, and two Helgeland-class battleships purchased from the Germans. These two battleships were named North Carolina and Washington. In other words, we currently have 4 fast battleships and 4 battleships with 16-inch guns. This wave of our additions will not only bring the battle in the Sulawesi Sea to Our previous losses have been recouped and we are even stronger. Now, we finally have a reliable fleet of fast battleships."

"And if we can wait another month to 40 days, the third South Dakota-class battleship can also be put into service, but the subsequent three battleships may have to wait a long time for service." Magiffin said. The U.S. shipyards worked overtime to complete the construction of three South Dakota-class battleships, which was already at their limit. Many armors and weapon accessories were completed by directly misappropriating materials from other battleships, so they were able to shorten the construction period of the three fast battleships by about half a year, but The construction period of other battleships cannot be shortened, but will be delayed!

"Yes, the battle fleet is stronger than before. But our aircraft carrier squadron seems to be weaker than before?" Sims said, looking at the list of aircraft carrier squadrons. Before the Battle of the Sulawesi Sea, the U.S. Navy had 10 aircraft carriers of various types. (Including those that were completed but not in service) During the Sulawesi Sea War, the Americans sent 4 ships at once, and there were 6 more ships. And now, the U.S. Navy has only added 2 ships, and the first-line aircraft carrier fleet has reached 8 ships. There is also one used as an aircraft carrier training ship. The subsequent construction of aircraft carriers on the slipway cannot be expected in a short time.

"Yes, compared to the situation of battleships, the situation of our aircraft carriers is a bit bad, but this is definitely not a production capacity problem, but our production focus is different. You know, the project volume of the South Dakota class battleships is too huge, we Working overtime to complete these warships will naturally pay a price, and the price is the decrease in the aircraft carrier's replenishment speed."

"However, compared with the replenishment speed of aircraft carriers, our carrier-based aircraft pilots are the biggest problem. In fact, our carrier-based aircraft forces have been in a state of high consumption. During the months of fighting on New Ireland Island. 6 of them participated in the war at that time. The crews on each aircraft carrier were almost completely replaced. In the subsequent Sulawesi Sea battle, the crews on four of our aircraft carriers were completely lost. We have now lost more than four-digit aircraft carrier crews. In addition, Due to the current sporadic losses, our follow-up replenishment speed cannot keep up with the consumption, and many inexperienced pilots have been sent to combat units, so I am very worried about the current situation." Ma Jifen said.

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