"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, this is a telegram from the South Pacific Theater Command. Pen & Fun & Cabinet www.biquge.info "A staff officer sent a telegram to the hands of Major General Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

After reading the telegram, Major General Marshall frowned. The content of the telegram was that the commander of the South Pacific Theater of Operations, Admiral MacArthur, asked for more troops to be sent to Australia. Among them, MacArthur claimed that the U.S. Army would need to send at least 20 infantry divisions to Australia if it wanted to hold Australia. It must include two or more armored divisions of four or more. The Panzer Division must also be equipped with a better tank than the junk tank of the M2 medium tank. In addition, the Army Air Corps needs to send more aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, to Australia to fight back against the Chinese Navy. It would be great if the U.S. Navy could send a fleet to the South Pacific. However, such a request is simply something that Major General Marshall can call the shots.

"MacArthur, that guy is a lion's mouth. However, it is indeed difficult to hold Australia without a strong military force. Maj. Gen. Marshall said.

"Call the White House, I have something important to see the president. In addition, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark would be encouraged to attend this meeting. Major General Marshall commanded.

"Yes, General." The adjutant said. Five minutes later, the adjutant reported that His Excellency the President would be available to see him in half an hour. The Naval Operations Department was also in contact with Admiral Harold Stark to go to the White House.

Subsequently, Major General Marshall went to the White House. By the time Rear Admiral Marshall arrived at President Roosevelt's office, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold Stark had already arrived. Also here are Secretary of War Harry H. Woodlin and Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson.

"General Marshall, please be seated." Roosevelt said with a smile. Although the current situation is still very unfavorable for the United States, it is not without some good news. With the advent of a wartime system, America's great industrial power was being transformed into war power. A large number of aircraft, tanks, artillery and warships are being mass-produced at the fastest speed, and a large number of young people are joining the army, making the military strength of the United States more and more terrifying. President Roosevelt believed that it would not be long before the United States would have enough strength to compete with the Chinese Empire, and even if it could not defeat the Chinese Empire, it would at least be able to protect the interests of the United States. In this case, he was in a much better mood.

"General Stark, where are we? Please go ahead. President Roosevelt said.

"Yes, Your Excellency. Because of the rush of the shipyards, it is expected that the construction progress of our warships will be accelerated a lot. It is expected that in another half a month, our 'Montana-class' battleships will be able to enter service. This class of battleships will be the most powerful battleships in the history of the US Navy and even the world's navies. The full load displacement reached 71,000 tons, the maximum speed was 28 knots, and the maximum range was 15,000 nautical miles. It was armed with four triple 406-mm guns, 20 127-mm high-level dual-purpose guns, 40 40-mm anti-aircraft guns and 56 20-mm anti-aircraft guns. 409 mm of armor on the side side, 38 mm for deck, 572 mm for turrets, 541 mm for the conning tower. Coupled with advanced fire control systems and radar systems, we believe that even in the face of the 'Yamato-class' battleships that the Chinese acquired from Japan, our 'Montana-class' battleships will be able to confront them and even defeat them. After all, the 'Yamato-class' battleships are already old ships more than a decade ago. Even if the Chinese modernized it, its performance was greatly limited. Admiral Harold Stark said confidently.

Although, the fleet of the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy suffered heavy losses. However, with the commissioning of five 'Montana-class' battleships, the strength of the US Navy has recovered quite a bit. If you count the three 'Iowa-class' battleships, the U.S. Navy still has eight of the world's top powerful battleships. Of course, battleships seem to be outdated, and now naval battles are already the world of aircraft carriers.

"Admiral Stark, although I am not from the Navy, I also know that the battleship does not seem to be an opponent of the aircraft carrier now." Maj. Gen. Marshall said. In his opinion, no matter how powerful the five 'Montana-class' battleships are, they will not be able to defeat the aircraft carriers of the Chinese Navy.

"Admiral Marshall, it is true that battleships are no match for aircraft carriers. However, under certain circumstances, battleships still have a lot of combat power. Especially when the battleship was equipped with a lot of anti-aircraft fire. This is also the reason why the Chinese Navy still retains a large number of battleships. In the case that the number of our aircraft carriers is too scarce, the service of the 'Montana-class' battleships can also ensure the safety of the United States at sea. Admiral Harold Stark said.

"In addition, two aircraft carriers of the US Navy are also expected to be commissioned early next month." USS Wasp and USS Hornet. These are also the two aircraft carriers we built before the 'Essex-class' aircraft carriers went into mass production. If these two aircraft carriers enter service, the US Navy will be able to restore a certain strength. Admiral Harold Stark said.

With eight first-class battleships and two aircraft carriers, the strength of the US Navy is indeed not to be underestimated.

"Your Excellency, General MacArthur has sent back a telegram that he needs more reinforcements. The Chinese were constantly mobilizing troops around Australia, which put a lot of pressure on General MacArthur. Maj. Gen. Marshall said.

At the mention of this, President Roosevelt had a bit of a headache. In order to delay the Chinese offensive, they had to deploy more troops to Australia and other islands in the Pacific. However, no matter how many troops the United States deploys to these places, it is obvious that they are meat buns beating dogs, and there is no return. In the Pacific direction, the Chinese Navy has an absolute advantage. Coupled with the strong strength of the Chinese Army, the United States will not be able to launch a counterattack in the Pacific direction for a while.

"Well, how many reinforcements does General MacArthur need?" President Roosevelt asked.

"Your Excellency, General MacArthur wants us to deploy twenty more infantry divisions to Australia, of which four are armored divisions. It is also an armored division equipped with the latest M3 light tanks and M3LEE medium tanks. In addition, the Army Air Force will need to send more combat aircraft to Australia. If he could, he hoped that the navy would send a powerful fleet to the Pacific to deal with the Chinese navy. In this way, they will be less stressed. Maj. Gen. Marshall said.

"Oh God! General MacArthur: This is simply another lion's mouth. We have already lost ten infantry divisions in the Philippines. In Australia and New Zealand, twenty infantry divisions were also deployed. We also had to deploy more than fifty infantry divisions to the west coast. Where is there so much to send to Australia again? What's more, the M3 light tank and the M3LEE medium tank have just begun mass production, and the four armored divisions need more than 1,400 tanks, and we will not be able to produce so many tanks before February next year. Secretary of War Harry H. Woodlin complained.

Admiral Claude A. Swanson, Secretary of the Navy, and Admiral Harold Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, were also not very good-looking. MacArthur is still unashamed to ask the US Navy to send a fleet to the Pacific Ocean, isn't this for the US Navy to die? It was not easy for them to recover such a small amount of possessions, and if they were sent to the Pacific, wouldn't they be swallowed by the Chinese Navy and there would be no scum left?

President Roosevelt also had some hesitation, and Major General Marshall said: "Your Excellency, General MacArthur's resistance in Australia can buy us more time. The longer he holds out, the more time we have to build. ”

"How many more troops can we provide to Australia now?" President Roosevelt asked.

"Your Excellency, we will be able to send up to ten divisions of troops to Australia. Of these, give them up to two more armored divisions. Two armored divisions armed with M3 light tanks and M3LEE medium tanks. Maj. Gen. Marshall said.

President Roosevelt nodded: "Well, then, send these troops to Australia." We need General MacArthur to hold Australia, and if we can defeat the Chinese in Australia, it will be the best. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency. However, if so many troops and equipment are going to Australia, it is best if the navy can escort them. During this time, Chinese submarines and warships intensified their offensive on the American route to Australia, and our losses were significant. Maj. Gen. Marshall said.

"General Stark, is the Navy capable of entering the Pacific to fight now? General MacArthur was right that our Navy could not completely withdraw from the Pacific. Otherwise, it will allow the Chinese to easily control the Pacific. At that time, the Chinese will be able to launch an unscrupulous attack on the US mainland. We need to create enough time for the subsequent commissioning of the fleet. Although the Pacific Fleet has suffered heavy losses, it is also time to rebuild if there are conditions. President Roosevelt said.

"Your Excellency, if necessary, the Navy's five 'Montana-class' battleships, three 'Iowa-class' battleships, and two aircraft carriers can be incorporated into the Pacific Fleet. However, it is difficult to say whether these fleets can be relied on to maneuver with the Chinese. Admiral Harold Stark said. After all, in the Pacific Ocean, the superiority of the Chinese Navy is now too obvious. (To be continued.) )