"At the moment we have two supply fleets at sea that can supply us within a week, the first is the NV15 high-speed supply fleet located 500 nautical miles southwest of Cape Verde, this fleet consists of a total of three tankers, which can bring about 8,000 tons of marine fuel to the fleet. But because it was converted from civilian ships, it was difficult to replenish ammunition and aviation gasoline. The other, further south, is the NV17 high-speed supply fleet, located 300 nautical miles northwest of Ascension Island, and two ships in this fleet are specialized naval supply vessels. It can complete the replenishment of fuel and ammunition relatively quickly. Look, which fleet should we go to? "As the principal officer of the U.S. Navy stationed in the fleet. Fletcher knew the situation of the supply ships best, and his opinion was naturally taken seriously.

"I think we'd better go with the NV17 supply fleet near Ascension. Ascension Island is a Dominion of the British Empire, and we can get extra help, and if we don't have enough supplies, we can collect everything from the island. We use a new password to communicate with each other, and confidentiality is not an issue. Cunningham made his point.

"How long has it been since these two fleets arrived at the supply positions?" Su Mo, who had not spoken, suddenly asked.

"Three to four days. Because we missed the supply time with the NV11 and NV12 supply fleets last time, this time they arrived at the supply area early and then cruised in the nearby waters. Fletcher replied.

"It's been 3 days?! Are you saying they've been cruising in a sea area of less than 300 square kilometers for 3 days?! Su Mo's words revealed deep concern and dissatisfaction.

"It's only been three days, and even if Portugal has fallen to the Allies, the Allies will not have time to deploy ocean-going reconnaissance aircraft in Cape Verde. There were so many such civilian ships in the Atlantic that the Germans couldn't keep an eye on them. Fletche sensed that Sumer was making a fuss and explained with a smile.

"No, no, no, you don't understand, you're not from aviation, some things aren't as simple as you think, remember that guy who stalked us like a ghost some time ago? The Germans have more detective methods than you can imagine! Su Mo said.

"Are you talking about big ghosts or little ghosts? Do you understand how they work? Summer brought it up again, which made Fletcher feel a little uneasy, remembering what had happened some time ago. Those erratic presences on the radar really made the fleet sweat up and down. The first time the ghost was found was ten days ago, when a small photoelectric appeared on the radar display screen, and the distance of the other party was only 200 kilometers, accompanied by the proximity of the distance between the two sides. The fleet electronic warfare group received the radar signal of the opposing side. From this, it is judged that the other side may be a long-range reconnaissance plane equipped with a sea search radar.

Su Mo then arranged for about 6 Spitfires to carry auxiliary fuel tanks to search for targets, but unexpectedly, shortly after his own fleet was dispatched, the target suddenly disappeared from the radar display screen, and the result of this situation was nothing more than two possibilities. One is that the opponent is very fast and out of the radar's detection range, while the other possibility is that the opponent has depressed the altitude. The fighter that lost radar guidance could not find a single target hundreds of kilometers away at all, and was forced to give up this hunt, but what was unexpected was that it didn't take long for this ghost to appear on the radar screen again, and the already prepared hunting team attacked again, with the radar that changed the search band, and the other party seemed to find the hunting team very late. But what is unexpected is that this hunt failed again! The 10 Seagull planes carried the auxiliary fuel tanks from high altitude to low altitude and failed to find the target, such a strange situation made the fleet very nervous.

If after this happened, he was not able to challenge the bottom line of the fleet commander, then what happened next made Fletcher and the others almost crazy! Because then this is happening more and more! And it is getting closer and closer to the fleet, you know, at this time the whole fleet is sailing in the depths of the Atlantic, and it is very far away from all the Allied sea bases. It's hard for Fletcher and the others to imagine an aircraft that has a long range and can keep track of the entire fleet! Even Cunningham made a calculation for these planes, unless the plane had a range of 10,000 kilometers. And it can also be refueled in the air, otherwise it is impossible to complete the tracking, and even more fatally, when their fighters go out to find targets. How did these ghosts escape the hunt of fighter jets? They were as if they didn't exist, and neither radar nor the pilot's visual eye could find them. This caused great panic in the fleet.

The results of these unidentified aircraft carrying radars were so severe that the entire fleet was forced to flee the area at a very high speed at night, and the entire fleet ran at a high speed of 28 knots for almost 10 hours, finally getting rid of the ghost for the time being, and unfortunately. Due to the repeated changes in the plan, the fuel and time deviated from the plan, and the NV11 and NV12 transport fleets were missed when preparing to supply the fleet. So much so that the fleet now has to limit the speed, and even then the amount of fuel left for the battleship is not rich.

This time, Fletcher and Cunningham meant to merge up with a supply fleet to get supplies anyway. But after Su Mo suddenly brought up the ghost, it once again aroused the worry in their hearts, the unknown has always been the most terrifying, but now Su Mo seems to have understood the reason for the existence of the ghost.

"These ghosts should be the other party's seaplanes, although under normal circumstances, the seaplanes also do not have such a long range, but they can be refueled in relatively stable sea conditions, or the Germans specially designed a seaplane carrier, when the seaplane fuel is exhausted, it can be refueled on board, I have looked through some records, it is mentioned that the fighter jets have found unidentified ships in the waters near the target, if the seaplane is not very large, they just need to put on a layer of canvas, Hop on a few shelves to hide the plane. If we were to detect it from the air, it would be difficult to find the trick. Summer explained.

"But how did they know we sent a plane? The Germans equipped both air and sea search radars on seaplanes? But even if they were equipped, they would find it a bit far away! The Germans don't have this technical prowess, right? Cunningham said uneasily.

"This is even simpler, the other side's seaplane carrier can be equipped with radar, is there a radiolocation and detection device on our fighters, naturally it is impossible to intercept relevant information, is it difficult for the ship-based radar to detect a group of aircraft 80 kilometers away? If the other side's seaplane is relatively small, even a seaplane carrier converted from a civilian ship can be equipped with 3 or 4 units, which is called a part of the little ghosts. Summer explained.

"But it's good that we're away now, aren't we? We can finally refill the fuel once. Sumer's explanation was convincing, but Fletcher still didn't think what Sumer said had much to do with the choice of the supply fleet for resupply.

"There is a relationship. I suspect that the German reconnaissance forces have set their sights on these supply fleets, and that their fleets are most likely waiting for us to throw themselves into the net. Su Mo said.

"No way, if the other side wants to defeat us, at least 3 aircraft carriers are needed. The Germans couldn't muster six aircraft carriers across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and even if they knew we were going to join up with a supply fleet, they had only half the chance that they would be right. Not to mention the fact that they do not know the location and timing of our transport ships. Fletcher said.

"It's entirely possible. If you think about it, since we disengaged from the ghosts of the sky, the Germans have arranged for forces to maintain a kind of imminent contact with us. We still get some radar waves from time to time. And this kind of radio wave usually appears at night. We simply can't lock on to the target. Have you ever wondered why? Su Mo asked.

"You don't mean the Germans put radars on submarines, do you?" Cunningham asked. Surface ships can install radars, submarines can do the same, and historically the Americans have pressed radars on submarines. Although the detection range has decreased due to the height of the antenna, the concealment of the submarine itself makes it difficult for the other party to detect it. Even if it is discovered, the dive is over. Unless the opponent's anti-submarine system is perfect, and the anti-submarine forces are sufficient, there is no way at all.

"It's impossible, the submarine can't keep up with the fleet, and even if we are slow, the average speed is more than 15 knots. The opposing submarine will not be able to keep up with us at all unless it is constantly sailing on the surface of the sea and must walk in a straight line! Fletcher insisted.

"People don't have to keep up with us at all, do you know how many submarines the Germans had? A conservative estimate is at least 200 or more! Excluding the sea areas that can be detected by the enemy's aircraft and warships and camouflaged reconnaissance aircraft, as well as the sea areas that we cannot reach, divide the remaining sea areas into different areas and arrange for submarines to squat and guard them. It may not be possible to keep track of it continuously, but it is still possible to find that we can. The so-called other part of the little ghosts should be these submarines equipped with radar. As early as three years ago, the Chinese Navy used to install radar and other electronic equipment on submarines as sentinel ships, and when a bunch of submarines are scattered in a small area, the warning effect is still okay. I suspect that the other party is not far from us at all! Su Mo said.

"But if we don't have fuel, sooner or later we're going to be empty. We now have half of our fuel reserves! If you give up this opportunity. I'm afraid it will be difficult to hold out until the next wave of supply ships arrives. And what you say, although it makes sense, is only a guess after all! We cannot afford to give up on this vital supply because of speculation. General Cunningham, what do you see? Fletcher finished and looked at Cunningham.

"We should try, as General Fletcher said. If we give up this supply, even if we get rid of our opponents, it will be very limited, and the fuel is already very tight. It's hard for us to support it any longer. Rather than that, we might as well fight, and I would suggest going to Ascension Island to join the NV17 supply fleet. We also have a backup radio station where I can contact the Royal Navy detachment on Ascension Island. Let them help us. If the German fleet had appeared within a radius of 700 km, we should still be able to spot them. This time, Cunningham sided with the Americans, two to one, and Summer was powerless even if he objected.

"If you have to try, I have a suggestion that if the other side eventually launches an ambush, we still have a chance to keep a part of the fleet." Su Mo was silent for a moment before saying.

While Su Mo and the others were arguing over the fleet's next move, their opponent, the Earl of Luckner, was also thinking about what to do next through the fog of war. With the full support of the German Navy and intelligence, the Luckner fleet's perception of the battlefield skyrocketed. Relying on Germany's powerful intelligence network, Count Luknall even knows the timetable for every ship with a displacement of more than 8,000 tons from the East Coast of the United States to leave the port! Even if there are some omissions, you will definitely know within 3 days of the departure of the fleet. A powerful reconnaissance network of camouflaged reconnaissance ships and submarines, as well as various seaplanes and ocean-going patrol agencies, has spread out over the Atlantic. Very close to what Summer had envisioned, the Germans could not keep track of the Iranian fleet, but at least they could limit their goals to a certain small range!

Relying on seaplanes and camouflaged reconnaissance vessels, the German fleet successfully sabotaged the enemy's supply plan, preventing the Iranian fleet from joining the two supply fleets, NV11 and NV12. The German Navy's submarines and reconnaissance forces tracked and monitored seven suspected supply ships in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean at the same time, and compared with high-speed warships, the speed of these so-called high-speed civilian ships was very slow, and according to the standards of various countries, refueling ships or civilian ships with a speed of more than 15 knots could already be called high-speed. But this speed is only the cruising speed of a real battleship. On the huge charts, Count Luknall maintained contact with the sentinel ships through a communication relay station and a longwave radio. The dark area on the map represents the location of the Iranian fleet.

At this time, if Fletcher was present, he could have found that NV15 had been tracked, and the area where NV17 was located had also been included in the monitoring range, although the German submarines could not get too close due to the pressure of the British squadron at Ascension Island, but they had set up a submarine cordon in the surrounding waters.

"Your Excellency, General, there is no need to worry about it, if they miss the next resupply, then their fuel will only be able to go to the nearest country, no matter which country they go to, they will be disarmed. At least in this war they will not be able to play a role. An officer whispered.

"We've gone so far, are we just forcing the other side out of the battlefield? No, it must not be! The Empire cannot accept such an outcome, neither can the Navy, and even I cannot accept it! We've been busy for so long, and we're about to close the net, so we're sure to catch them all! "The words of the Count of Lucknar reveal an incomparably firm conviction!

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~, as well as the book friend cave dry pants, day sleeping animals, knife cold, muhaiyu monthly pass support ~~~. (To be continued.) )