Just when the TP35 transport fleet was attacked, Colonel Bronck's Juno was on the way to hunt the Penguin, and his own estimation seemed to be a little wrong, although the Penguin was damaged, but the speed was still not slow, when the water reconnaissance plane found the target, it was found that the opponent was escaping at a speed of 25 knots, so Colonel Bronk was in a dilemma, whether to continue the pursuit, or turn back? And when he received that the TP35 transport fleet was attacked by two German cruisers, he was stunned on the spot as if he had been struck by lightning, and he now didn't know whether he should be happy or regretful! When the fleet was attacked, his own warships did not cover the transport ships on the battlefield, resulting in the almost total annihilation of the entire fleet, which is not a light crime. BUT THINK ABOUT IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND, IN THE FACE OF AN AVIATION CRUISER AND A GENUINE HEAVY CRUISER, WHAT CAN YOU, A LIGHT CRUISER WITH ONLY 175MM MAIN GUNS, DO? The air cruiser can wound itself with one attack, and then the second attack can sink the Juno. Then he sank into the sea with a thousand officers and men on board. His own actions also saved at least one ship's people, and he himself delayed for a while, could the surrounding transport ships be able to run away? Even if you hold on for an hour, you won't run more than 10 nautical miles! The plane wants to catch you, so there's no pressure!

"Colonel, what do we do next?" The question of the deputy captain next to him interrupted the colonel's thinking, and the deputy was right, now is not the time to consider your own gains and losses, but the time to choose the next plan of action! I am afraid that it is not realistic to continue to pursue the Penguin, the last telegram of the merchant ship was sent through a clear code, and the Penguin will definitely receive the telegram, if the Penguin calls for help from these two heavy cruisers, I am afraid that before he can include the other party in the range of naval guns, the air umbrella of the German air cruiser will already cover the Penguin! What are you doing up there yourself? Do you want to give people heads?

You could call Colonel Blanc timid, but it can't be denied that it does make sense, and in fact when the Penguin received the warning telegram from TP35, it did contact Fleet B in the hope of obtaining the latter's protection. And Fleet B really needs the Penguin. After all, they had captured some merchant ships, and some of the supplies on them were very useful to support the operation to break the diplomatic relationship, and although the Penguin itself was injured, its combat effectiveness was greatly reduced. However, the speed is still high, and the space on board is also large, and after being filled with the supplies of these captured ships, it can be used as an ocean-going supply ship to cooperate in the operation. So the B fleet decided to accept the Penguin, and both sides began to cruise to the predetermined area. And after the confluence, prepare for the next stage of the battle. So, Colonel Bronck, who decided to retreat, once again escaped by mistake, and it has to be said that the German fleet at this time was indeed arrogant in the South Atlantic, just near the Allied transport lines, the Germans moved the fuel, food and other materials that were supposed to be transported to Europe to the German ship, and even took out a few land guns from the warehouse of a merchant ship and installed them on an American merchant ship with a high speed, and then the captured American merchant ship turned around and turned into a new German attack ship. It's a slap in the face!

Later generations have always had mixed reviews of Colonel Bronck when discussing the first large-scale breach of diplomatic relations between the surface warships of the German Navy in World War II. Detractors believe that Colonel Bronck's actions indirectly led to the destruction of the TP35 transport fleet, and that his direct order to the main force Juno, in disregard of his escort duties, to hunt down the Penguin attack ship not far away was an action that violated the principle of escort, and was inescapable of both the consequences and the guidelines of naval escort. Some people even radically think that this kind of person can be cheapened to shoot him for 1 minute, but the critics believe that Colonel Bronck's hunting of the Penguin is itself a show of due diligence, and he can't watch a large wounded raider slip away from him, right? Moreover, before departure, Colonel Bronk had no idea of the existence of large German warships nearby, and the escort was in principle capable of helping other ships in a short time when it was safe to do so. The actions of Colonel Bronk in themselves make it difficult to define whether there was a violation of the guidelines for escorting.

And even if he stays, Colonel Bronke's battleship may not be able to play a role, the difference in strength between the two sides is too great, maybe a few more merchant ships can escape, but is it really worth exchanging the lives of more than a hundred sailors on several merchant ships with thousands of officers and men on the Juno? And subsequently. Colonel Bronk did his best to make up for his mistake, and after hearing the news of the annihilation of the TP35 fleet, the light cruiser Juno did not flee the battlefield, but waited for an opportunity to cruise in the nearby waters. They also conducted reconnaissance by water planes, trying to determine the location of enemy ships, and at the same time contacted the nearby U.S. Navy to encircle and kill the fleet.

"Sort out all the information on the main forces of our army that may be in this sea area! We met two big guys. Although Colonel Bronck had the impression that the U.S. Navy was mainly an escort fleet in the South Atlantic, he still hoped to find some capital warships from it.

"If you count warships of more than 10,000 tons, we have about three or four light cruisers in this area. Although the number prevails. But if we really fight, we will definitely lose, the opponent's aviation capabilities are too strong, and in the absence of aircraft carriers, aviation cruisers will have an advantage over warships of the same class. Fighting at sea, even if the opponent has one more kite, it is an advantage! The deputy said with some discouragement after handing over a document.

"Without sufficiently strong aviation, we cannot hunt down our opponents." It would be absolutely unfair to say that Colonel Blanc was a coward, and it was definitely a very dangerous thing to use the light cruiser's own seaplanes to track an aviation cruiser and a heavy cruiser, and the other side could determine Colonel Bronck's location through the course of the seaplane or radio communication, and then a wave of 12 to 15 planes would pass, and the Juno would have to shed its skin if it did not die. In the vast ocean, if you are injured and slow down, unless there are friendly forces around you or the weather is on your side, the opponent with the advantage of aviation can slowly pick himself up!

"Air power, where can I find air power?!" Colonel Bronck's anger flared up. "If you're just looking for a plane, you'll be there! You forget, we also have escort carriers in this sea, and one escort carrier has 20 to 30 aircraft, and their main task is to deal with submarines and camouflaged assault ships, but if used well, there is still a chance to take out that hateful aviation cruiser," said a staff officer.

Listening to the staff officer's words, Colonel Bronck's mind appeared in the long squares, with a few planes sparsely placed on the deck. The speed is slow, and the defense is comparable to that of a battleship with kraft paper. At the beginning of the reconstruction, these warships did not even think of confronting regular capital ships, so to speak, there were no advantages other than being able to fit a few planes and being cheap! Although the number of carrier-based aircraft on both sides is about the same. However, the quality gap is very large, and it is impossible for the Americans to equip a bargain for anti-submarine with more advanced fighters, and when the production capacity of the F6F has not yet met the needs of the main fleet and shore-based aviation, those Jeep aircraft carriers can only use the old F4F, although the engine has been changed. But he's still F4F! What's more, they lack the ability to maneuver on the battlefield, and at a speed of less than 20 knots, who do you want them to chase? Although the cruising speed of the battleship on the ocean will not exceed 20 knots in general, you must be able to go up at a critical moment!

"Let's talk about sending the information to the top, we are only responsible for surveillance, not for making plans." In the end, Colonel Bronk decided to honestly make a searchlight and shine out the other party's tracks! And the efficiency of the Americans was indeed very high, and the telegrams sent before the collapse of the TP35 fleet and the "relay" of the Juno were soon transmitted to the mainland of the United States through continuous relays, and on the afternoon of the second day of the destruction of the TP35 transport fleet, the news was finally delivered to Marshall, and after hearing that the main German warships appeared in the South Atlantic. And in the first war, the Entente 180,000 tons of merchant ships were done, and Marshall was completely shocked. "I should have known that the Germans would send capital ships south, and I should have known which robbers would use this method!" Marshall cursed inwardly as he motioned for the staff to quickly gather information and report back to the president. Marshall believes that this is just the beginning and that a real crisis is coming!

"When did the fleet of the Germans come out of the Mediterranean?" After Roosevelt glanced at the information, he took his eyes off and asked, his words were so flat that it was impossible to distinguish his attitude.

"In fact, our submarines cruising off the coast of Gibraltar did not find an opponent, we were too far from the Strait of Gibraltar. And the cordon is too sparse. If you calculate it according to the voyage, it will be about half a month. Marshall looked at Admiral Kim next to him, and the latter, as a naval boss, naturally wanted to stand up and explain.

The US Navy was not stupid either, knowing that the most convenient route for the Germans to get in and out of the Atlantic was through the Strait of Gibraltar. So naturally, the Americans will arrange some submarines to keep an eye on this place during wartime. When necessary, they will make some gains, but the Americans know it, and the Germans know it, Spain on the north shore of Gibraltar, and Spanish Sahara on the south coast. In addition, the Azores, the Madley Islands, and the Canary Islands, the gateways outside Gibraltar, are all German territory, and the number of maritime patrol aircraft and anti-submarine ships dispatched from these places is too much! Coupled with the sound mine net that I don't know where to lay it, this is simply a nightmare for American submarines! At its peak, five American submarines were lost to the Germans and crashed into mines themselves. The saddest one was actually entangled in the abandoned lightning net of the propeller! In the eyes of the US Navy, this is simply the Bermuda of submarines!

"Well, how much of our fleet is in the southern Atlantic, can we take them out! The results of these two battleships have already exceeded their construction budget in one go! We lost almost 200,000 tons of transport ships and cargo on board in less than 3 hours, so tell me, if this continues, how many days will our transport fleet last? Roosevelt's words were filled with discontent and anger. You must know that in addition to German surface warships, there are also a large number of submarines in this sea area, and the latter is also constantly bleeding the Entente!

"We are working on a plan that we can bring some boats over from the mainland! It is impossible for them to cruise the sea all the time, and we are not yet sure how many attack ships the other side has at sea, the German has 5 aviation cruisers, and his allies have another 5, this force is very strong, we need a careful plan! The president's anger was a bit overwhelming for Admiral Kim. However, he really can't do it now! God knows how many cruisers the Germans deployed in the vast Atlantic. Aircraft carriers cannot be moved easily, and battleships make the other side jealous. But it's just a jealousy, and there is no way for people to leave you. There were some heavy cruisers and aviation cruisers. But these are also precious naval resources, so if the situation is not clear, they will be thrown into it directly, so in the end, Admiral Jin means that the navy will collect intelligence first, and then take a look!

"To put it bluntly, there is no plan!" After listening to this, Roosevelt quickly sifted through the lengthy words to extract the most crucial information, which further increased his already violent anger! "Do you have to mobilize General Nimitz, or General Halsey's task force to deal with these damn bugs? I don't want to hear any plans, I just want results. "As a politician, especially a politician who is angry, he naturally does not and does not know how to effectively use the fleet in his hands, he only needs results.

Admiral Kim directly chose to ignore Roosevelt's second half of the remarks, of course he could not mobilize the main aircraft carriers to dispatch now, not to mention how long it would take for the fleet aircraft carriers to find an opponent in the vast ocean, as long as the US fleet aircraft carriers were dispatched, then the naval strength of the Entente countries in the North Atlantic would inevitably weaken. If the Allied fleet suddenly kills out at this time, it will be in danger of collapse! Admiral Kim, who had participated in the 1st World War, naturally knew very well about the strong combat effectiveness of the German High Seas Fleet. Even very jealous. Especially when the Luftwaffe faintly suppressed the Allied Air Force, the shadow in the heart of the US Navy was even more aggravated! After all, isn't the current naval battle all about airplanes? Now the Allied Navy can still deter the opponent with its numerical superiority, but if it does not even have a numerical superiority, the US Navy will really have fifteen buckets in its heart! However, at this time, Admiral Kim first came to another solution, since the aircraft carriers of the main fleet cannot be dispatched, can sober aircraft carriers solve this problem? After all, light aviation ships are also aircraft carriers, and they are still much stronger than half-hung aviation cruisers.

Of course, Admiral Kim also knows that although the aviation cruiser is strong, the strong is also limited, basically the tiger and the polar bear PK, although the latter has a better chance of winning, but it may also stumble, although the loss of a light aircraft carrier will not affect the overall situation, but it will definitely make the US Navy a pain. So, eventually, the issue is back to beginning, and Admiral Kim needs to come up with a plan!

Thank you to the book friend zhouyu1976, the reward of the well keeper ~~~, and the book friend for my convincing and frame God to support the monthly pass ~~~. (To be continued.) )