This time, the main force of the Combined Axis Fleet was dispatched, and except for the battleship Lion, which was still accompanying Hoffman's visit, the rest of the forces had overwhelmed the midfield of the Atlantic at full speed.

In order to take charge of this huge force, which included 5 fleet aircraft carriers, 8 battleships, 9 Rhine-class escort carriers, more than 40 cruisers, destroyers, more than 50 S-boats, more than 90 freighters, oil tankers, and supply ships, Machar divided the entire fleet into three parts: the artillery bombardment formation under the command of Vice Admiral Pei stood out in the front, the aircraft carrier formation jointly commanded by Ozawa and Cranke in the middle, and the transport force under the command of Hintz in the back.

The overall speed of the fleet is 15 knots, due to the basic loss of US bases in the Atlantic, although the spies deployed on the front line of Gibraltar have reported ships coming in and out, but because the German army is using the method of scattered assembly to achieve fleet formation, one-third of the ships from the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar, one-third of the ships from the coast of West and France, and one-third of the ships from the German mainland through the English Channel -- now the strait is completely open to the German army, and the German and British sides have cleared most of the mines. In addition, the smokescreen bomb that the German side agreed to start talks with Dulles exploded quite a lot, so the US side did not pay enough attention to it at first, believing that the German army was only a general material delivery, and it was not discovered by the US submarine force until it was still 1,500 kilometers away from Guyana, and then the next day it was judged to be the full scale of the B-29 long-range reconnaissance aircraft deployed in Trinidad and Tobago.

In fact, it was discovered early that the US military had no offensive means, and when the German formation crossed the waters of the Azores and the Canary Islands, it could be covered by the aviation of the two bases, and then it could be covered by the aviation cover of Cape Verde, and after entering Guyana for 800 kilometers, it could also be covered by the South American Air Force group deployed on the front line of Guyana, and the distance that was truly completely exposed was less than 1,000 kilometers, and the combat formation with 5 fleet aircraft carriers and 9 escort aircraft carriers was not vegetarian.

As a result, there was a fierce debate about whether and how to intercept the main German fleet:

"Judging from the current situation and trajectory of the German army, it is basically determined that its main tactical objectives in the area of Guyana are nothing more than two: first, to cooperate with the German army in South America to land and occupy Trinidad and Tobago; Second, a two-way flank attack to eat the main force of the Fifth Army in Recife. Spruance pointed to the map with his whip, "In my personal judgment, the first possibility is the majority, but the second possibility cannot be completely ruled out. ”

"How many troops are there on the island of Trinidad and Tobago?"

"The Air Force has nearly 200 combat aircraft, the Navy has a destroyer detachment and 6 submarines, and the Army has about 2 regiments and more than 7,000 people."

Dewey's face was ugly: "These forces are not enough to defend against the German army, right?" ”

"It's basically impossible, if the Germans land in a big way, they will last about 3-4 days at most."

"What if they attack Recife?"

"With strong fleet support, Recife can fight a defensive battle of parity." MacArthur explained, "Recife now has about 240,000 troops, more than 1,500 aircraft, and has a good defensive and command system, and considering that the enemy can only put in 30,000 to 40,000 troops at a time at a time, we have the confidence that if we can get strong cooperation from the navy, I can thwart the German attack in Recife!" ”

Dewey nodded: If the bridgehead of Recife is not lost, the United States will still be able to project influence and power to South America, and at the same time, it can also block the overall route of South America, Africa, and Europe, so that Germany can not do whatever it wants, but there is one thing he has made a difficulty: according to the logic agreed upon at the last joint staff meeting, once the German army launches a landing campaign, it will use the main force of the Atlantic Fleet to attack, and if the German army wants to attack Recife now, it must definitely be pressed, and should it be pressed when it attacks Trinidad and Tobago?

Or should we devote our strength to a battle that must be lost?

He was so confused that he couldn't help but look at Clark and Nimitz and ask them to talk about it.

Nimitz opened his mouth after pondering for a long time: "Purely in terms of strength, our Atlantic Fleet is inferior to the main force of the Axis Fleet, our army only has 4 battle columns/battle cruisers, which is only half of the Axis, and although the fleet aircraft carriers owned by our army are the same as those of the other side, considering that the opponent has 2 armored aircraft carriers and is more experienced in combat and has stronger carrier-based aircraft pilot capabilities, in fact, our army is at a disadvantage; The opponent also has 9 escort carriers, and although we can pull out at least 1 dozen Casablanca-class escort carriers, the pilots on them are a big problem......"

This opinion was acknowledged by Clark, but his opinion was clearly of a different focus: "I think it may seem a little impatient to engage the main naval fleet for the battle for Trinidad and Tobago, but it is indispensable for the Navy to send a strong combat force to assist the army in its defense, and at least light warships, torpedo boats, and submarines should destroy the German transport and logistics forces...... At the same time, the Air Force should find a way to sink 1-2 aircraft carriers and change the balance of forces between us and the enemy......"

Arnold disagreed: "Our army has only 200 combat aircraft on the island, and it is extremely difficult to deal with the German land-based aircraft in Guyana, and it is simply not capable of dealing with the menacing German main fleet - that means at least 600 aircraft!" My opinion is to retreat with the preservation of living forces! ”

Marshall agreed that the defenders of the island had only 3-4 days of resistance, and that before the main force of the Atlantic Fleet arrived, perhaps the Germans had taken Trinidad and Tobago, and then the fleet would encounter a double attack by the superior German forces and the German air force deployed on the island.

Some of the personnel, led by Admiral King and Turner, believed that a battle should be fought on Trinidad and Tobago to weaken the German army, but the main naval fleet would not be mobilized to continue to preserve its strength unless the situation developed to such a large German attack on Recife.

After a dizzying controversy, Dewey finally understood the fact that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had not reached a unified opinion on this operation, and now there are serious differences of opinion.

The radicals, represented by Spruance, including part of the Army, advocated a main attack by the fleet and a turnaround battle similar to Midway, striving for a 1:3 and 1:4 victory (both referring to fleet aircraft carriers);

The conservatives, represented by Arnold and Marshall, advocated a retreat, the relinquishment of the island, and the preservation of the living forces;

The Moderation faction was the majority, believing that it was not advisable to retreat without a fight, but it was inevitable that the main force of the Atlantic Fleet would be easily suppressed for the sake of Trinidad and Tobago, hoping that the German army could be weakened through resistance and waiting for the further recovery of naval strength.

Although Spruance and others spoke impassionedly, and Dewey listened enthusiastically, he was sober about one thing, and the advantage that his side had during the Battle of Midway is now the same:

The U.S. forces at Midway were the first to decipher the telegram, and this time they didn't know it was until the Germans came to the door;

The U.S. forces at Midway Island can be flanked by sea and land, and now the German troops are facing the U.S. forces across the sea from the Guiana line, and their strength is stronger than that of the U.S. forces, and it is a fluke not to be flanked;

Although there was a technical difference between Japanese and American pilots during the Battle of Midway, the gap was not particularly large, and the gap between American and German pilots is much larger now than it was at the beginning.

He was a little inclined to the opinion of the majority, that is, the middle-of-the-road, but Ingram, the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, who had not spoken much, suddenly interjected: "You are all talking about the German attack on Trinidad and Tobago or Recife, and I am more concerned about the intention of the German army after taking the island - is it to attack Venezuela to the west?" Or to the north to attack the Puerto Rican area? What if the opponent takes the island and continues to the north and west, but just does not attack Recife? ”

Everyone was stunned by what he said, and then their faces became solemn, and they found themselves in a misunderstanding: why did the Germans have to attack Recife? What could the United States do if the Axis put Recife in the Axis and went in other directions to conquer the city?

"If the Germans attack elsewhere, will the Recife cluster be able to attack south or west to contain the opponent?" Dewey asked another question hopefully, "Or, with the Atlantic Fleet in line with the Recife defenders, go south and land in Rio de Janeiro?" ”

In response to Dewey's inquiry, MacArthur and Clark slowly shook their heads, even the more radical Spruance did not think that there would be any good end to the south to attack Rich, the reason is clear, the German army on the southern front also has more than 100,000 troops, and the offensive may not be enough, but it is not difficult to defend against the attack of Ridgway's troops.

If the main German fleet turns in the direction and pounces on the American troops, will it be offensive or defensive at that time? Do you want Recife or not?

No one could give Dewey a positive and confident answer, leaving him with only a sigh of disappointment......

ps: Tomorrow recovery 3 more ......