"When will the Chinese attack Australia?" President Roosevelt asked. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Your Excellency, according to the information we have so far, it is expected that the Chinese will launch an attack from the beginning to the middle of next month. They are expected to attack first in northern Australia and then southeast along the coast. Maj. Gen. Marshall said.

"In that case, let's get our troops and fleet ready as soon as possible. Before the Chinese defeated General MacArthur, send reinforcements to Australia. Tell General MacArthur that we have done our best to send reinforcements to Australia and hope that he will hold out in Australia for a longer time. I hope he will be able to hold out there for more than two years. President Roosevelt said.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Major General Marshall nodded.

"Lord Swanson, Admiral Stark, the rebuilding of the Pacific Fleet, and the dispatch of operations to the South Pacific, are left to you. Our naval strength is inferior to that of the Chinese, so the navy only needs to deal with the Chinese navy, and if necessary, it can rely on the protection of shore-based aircraft. As long as we hold on, hold back the Chinese Navy, and allow us to hold out for a longer period of time, it will be a great victory. President Roosevelt said. He is well aware that the US Navy will not have the strength to challenge the Chinese Navy until the US Navy's 12 'Essex-class' aircraft carriers are commissioned. Until then, the most they could do was to endure it.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Admiral Claude A. Swanson and Admiral Harold Stark both nodded. They know very well that this is undoubtedly a huge test for the US Navy.

After leaving the White House and returning to the Admiralty, Admiral Claude A. Swanson and Harold Stark had Admiral Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, called. Originally, Admiral Nimitz was in San Diego to oversee the rebuilding of the naval base. After hearing that the USS Wasp and USS Hornet were about to be commissioned, they rushed to the Admiralty in the hope that the two aircraft carriers could be assigned to the Pacific Fleet, so that the Pacific Fleet could regain its strength as soon as possible.

"Your Excellency the Secretary of the Navy, Your Excellency the Chief of Operations, hello." Admiral Nimitz, who is now the commander of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet, is undoubtedly appointed in a critical situation.

"General, congratulations, now you have finally got your wish." Minister Claude A. Swanson said with a smile.

"Your Excellency, do you mean that you agree to assign the USS Wasp and USS Hornet to the Pacific Fleet?" Admiral Nimitz said excitedly? In order to rebuild the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy, he has recently pleaded with these two Navy bosses.

"It's more than that. Both the USS Wasp and USS Hornet aircraft carriers were given to the Pacific Fleet. Realize that the five 'Montana-class' battleships that are about to be commissioned, as well as the three 'Iowa-class' battleships of the Atlantic Fleet, will be assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Admiral Harold Stark also laughed.

Admiral Nimitz was stunned for a moment, he had a feeling that happiness had come too suddenly. Originally, he just wanted two aircraft carriers, but now he has not only got two aircraft carriers, but also eight first-class battleships, which makes the strength of the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy more than forty percent compared with its heyday!

However, after the ecstasy, he realized that something was wrong. The Admiralty and the Department of Naval Operations, how could they be so good to the Pacific Fleet all at once? There seems to be some conspiracy in this!

"Your Excellency, can you tell me what happened?" Admiral Nimitz asked.

"General Nimitz, tell you the truth. His Excellency the President demanded that the Pacific Fleet be rebuilt and that all the best warships be assigned to the Pacific Fleet. The bad news, though, is that you probably won't have much time left to train your troops. At the beginning of next month, the Army will transport ten divisions to Australia. The Pacific Fleet was to escort them. Moreover, after that, he stayed in the South Pacific to fight with the Chinese, most likely dragging the Chinese, and finding a way to hold out longer. Admiral Harold Stark said.

"Oh God! This is to send us to death! Admiral Nimitz suddenly shouted.

"General Nimitz, there's no way around it. The US Navy is in the Pacific Fleet, and there is no longer a military force. This will allow the Chinese to quickly conquer Australia and the islands in the Pacific. Once the Chinese complete their battle plan, we will lose the entire Pacific Ocean. Twelve of our 'Essex-class' battleships are under construction. However, the most optimistic estimates are that it will not be able to enter service until the beginning of the following year. We need to buy more time for the construction of these aircraft carriers. Minister Claude A. Swanson said.

Admiral Nimitz nodded, he also knew that the most important thing for the US Navy right now was time. For this reason, the United States did not hesitate to exchange space for time, knowing that it could not resist the attack of the Chinese in Australia, but they still desperately sent troops to Australia. In order to use the sacrifices of these people to buy more time for the United States. Although, such an approach is inevitably a bit cruel to those ordinary soldiers. However, they had to do so for the sake of the national interest.

"General Nimitz, we all know very well that relying on the strength of the Pacific Fleet, it is unrealistic to defeat the Chinese. However, it is not impossible to deal with the Chinese in the South Pacific as much as possible. According to the information we have received, the Chinese have a total of 14 aircraft carriers. In attacking the Philippines, they dispatched two aircraft carriers. In the waters of Hawaii, they also deployed four aircraft carriers. This means that the Chinese still have eight aircraft carriers. Our intelligence officers got information that these eight aircraft carriers of the Chinese were being repaired and maintained at the shipyard. It is unlikely that they will all be sent to the South Pacific. Admiral Harold Stark said.

"But, General Stark, even if these eight aircraft carriers of the Chinese will not all be sent to the South Pacific. Even if they only send half of them to the South Pacific, we will not be able to deal with it. What's more, our aviation units are just a bunch of recruits, and they have no actual combat experience at all. Once on the battlefield, the consequences can be imagined. "Admiral Nimitz, of course, kept complaining.

"General Nimitz, now all the aviation of the US Navy, almost all of them are recruits. If you have to be a veteran, I can't provide you with it. Admiral Harold Stark said helplessly.

In the previous battles of Hawaii and San Diego, the boss of the U.S. Navy's air force was almost dead. Now these recruits are just recruits who have just learned to land on battleships and learn how to throw bombs. However, the general environment is like this, and there is no way for Admiral Harold Stark to change it.

"If necessary, the fleet can enter the protection of land-based aircraft. In addition, the South Pacific Ocean is vast, and the new capital ships of the Pacific Fleet are generally sailing at speeds of more than 28 knots. You can rely on the speed advantage to throw off the Chinese and go around in circles with the Chinese. As long as you can hold out for more than a year and a half, there will be follow-up fleets to reinforce you. I would like you to assure you that at least eight to ten of the twelve Essex-class aircraft carriers commissioned at the beginning of the following year will be assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Minister Claude A. Swanson said.

Admiral Nimitz nodded, he knew that the matter had come to this point, and it was impossible to refuse. What's more, as a soldier of the United States, he blindly evades, which is obviously not possible. Only in the face of difficulties can we usher in the future. Only then will it be possible to achieve victory.

"May God bless us!" Admiral Nimitz said. He also did not have much hope for this operation of the Pacific Fleet. Defeating the Chinese Navy in the South Pacific is tantamount to a dream. A year and a half is also very difficult. He really couldn't think of anything else he could do but pray to God.

"God will bless the American Republic." Minister Claude A. Swanson said firmly.

Admiral Nimitz, as commander of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet, was very happy about the recovery of the Pacific Fleet's strength. After all, the USS Wasp and USS Hornet may not be as good as the Chinese Navy, but they are not without the strength to fight a war. Among them, the USS Wasp aircraft carrier has a displacement of 20,000 tons, and because of the large number of carrier-based aircraft, it can carry up to 100 carrier-based aircraft. Of course, it is very difficult to take off at the same time. The USS Hornet aircraft carrier has a displacement of 25,000 tons and is capable of carrying 72 carrier-based aircraft. If the two aircraft carriers form a formation, they can release more than 100 carrier-based aircraft to launch an attack at one time. This is undoubtedly a lot of attacking force.

The battleship formation composed of five 'Montana-class' battleships and three 'Iowa-class' battleships is even more powerful. If this is still the era of cannon ships, these eight battleships alone will be enough to make the US Navy dominate the world. Even though it is now the era of aircraft carriers, these eight battleships, which are equipped with a large number of anti-aircraft weapons, can still exert very strong combat effectiveness in naval battles. If it is used well, it may not be able to play a great role.

On December 8, 4637, the rebuilt Pacific Fleet of the U.S. Navy secretly left the eastern coast of the United States and sailed into the Atlantic Ocean. They were accompanied by as many as two hundred transport ships and merchant ships. (To be continued.) )