Iron Cross

On the night of August 25, the main force of the huge combined fleet slowly passed 200 nautical miles west of the Cook Islands and adjusted its course to the northwest, heading towards Tarawa.

"Sir, the guerrilla fleet has arrived in Rabaul and is expected to continue its journey after unloading tomorrow."

Hori Teikichi nodded and asked, "How are the other transport ships?"

"Basically, it went smoothly. Only two were sunk by the US military, but most of them were old German weapons, so the loss was not great. The Taiying aircraft carrier sank a US submarine, and the floating objects showed that it was the USS Sailfish; several other munitions ships were sent directly to Indochina by the Army for sale, and then prepared to meet the second batch of Indian expeditionary forces in the Philippines."

"Technical data, industrial equipment, and especially machine tools are the top priority, and they must not be lost." Hearing that the transportation line was basically safe, Hori Teikichi's brows relaxed, "When they return to the mainland, they will surely be able to play a multiple of their efficiency."

The mainland is also looking forward to this batch of supplies. Take the Zero War Kai as an example. After the German army completed the improvement, the Japanese side also got a set of drawings. It was easy to adjust the fuselage and strengthen the structure according to the German technical parameters, but the engine of the same level as Germany could not be made. Similar results also occurred in the Tianshan Kai and Comet Kai. In the end, there was no choice but to make a decision: on the one hand, domestic companies continued to improve the Yu series engine, and on the other hand, it was decided that all new aircraft would be imported from Germany.

The engine manufacturers have been reluctant to admit that they are not as good as others, dragging their feet and not reporting. When Yamamoto Isoroku, who discovered the problem, personally supervised and issued adjustment requirements, the Combined Fleet had left Europe. Fortunately, Hori Teikichi had the foresight to purchase hundreds of original goods for each model of engine.

The Combined Fleet also imported a batch of precision machine tools made in Germany and France at the same time, requiring at least part of the fuselage to be completed domestically in order to provide parts guarantee-this made Mitsubishi, Nakajima, Aichi and other aircraft manufacturers overjoyed, at least the fuselage they manufactured would not be wasted.

Finally, they changed their mindset and stopped trying to research the latest engines. Instead, they focused on imitating old German models, especially the Stuka and Fw-190, which were highly valued by the army. In addition to engines, the cargo warehouse of the transport fleet also contained a large amount of German special steel, many of which were components and materials urgently needed by the domestic shipbuilding industry, and were also heading to the mainland.

After major changes in the course of history, the situation in RB also changed:

After the Combined Fleet went to Europe to fight and adjusted the aircraft carrier construction plan, except for the Yamato, RB went all out to build new warships because it basically did not need to repair old ships. In addition, under the national unity system, the army and navy achieved a high degree of unity in many places, reducing internal friction. The withdrawal of troops from China alone saved a lot of money. In addition, the Combined Fleet won the South Pacific naval battle and avoided the meaningless Guadalcanal battle. The overall situation was much better than in history.

Thanks to the supply of materials from the South Seas, the workers of the naval shipyards were demobilized one after another, and the progress of unnecessary transformation was compressed, and the progress of shipbuilding was greatly improved. For example, the Taiho aircraft carrier, which the Navy Ministry had high hopes for, was cancelled. After the reconstruction of the Shinano aircraft carrier was cancelled, all materials and workers were concentrated on this warship. Not only did the project not simplify as in history, but the completion deadline was also advanced, and it was expected to be completed in December 1943.

In addition to Taiho, the Navy Ministry's Shipbuilding Headquarters started construction of 3 new Yunlong-class ships in 1943 on the basis of the 4 Yunlong-class ships that started construction in the second half of 1942, and ambitiously stated that it was preparing to start construction of 6 ships this year. Originally, the second Taiho-class ship was also planned to be started, but Yamamoto Isoroku kept delaying and refused to release it on the grounds that the construction period was long and the drawings of the modified Taiho were not perfect.

Due to the innovative use and decisive results of the Yamato class in naval battles, and the losses of Mutsu and Hiei in the Battle of Panama, Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi, the general backer of the fleet faction, seriously stimulated him. He proposed a new opinion: Under the premise that the construction speed of the third Shinano continues to advance, it is ready to start the construction of the modified Yamato class.

Yamamoto Isoroku of the aviation faction was unwilling to build the modified Taiho class, fearing that it would delay the formation of the Unryu class, and would not agree to build the modified Yamato class at all. The two sides argued and finally reached an agreement. Given that the completion date of the Shinano was still far away (June 44), whether to build the fourth ship of the Yamato class or modify the Yamato would be decided after the return of the Combined Fleet. This decision was echoed by the majority. The shrewd Yamamoto believed that Hori Teikichi would not agree, and Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi was very annoyed by this - he believed that Yamamoto and Hori Teikichi deliberately united to oppose the fleet faction.

Hori Teikichi, who was in charge of the Musashi, had no idea about this. He was still thinking about whether he could use Germany's transformation of large cruise ships as a model to transform RB's own auxiliary aircraft carriers. From a practical point of view, auxiliary aircraft carriers are very useful, but it is too wasteful to use fast warships such as Chitose and Chiyoda as them. He knew that the army still had several amphibious aircraft carriers and planned to convert them all into auxiliary aircraft carriers.

While he was thinking, Kusaka Renji reported: "The Marshall Islands sent a telegram. Two days ago, they sent aircraft to investigate and found that there were American troops stationed on Tarawa. The force seemed to be around 2,000. Except for the North Carolina stranded on the shoal, no enemy fleet was found yet."

"Are there any signs of our military activities?"

"The telegram didn't say it, so I guess there aren't any." Kusaka Renji advised, "Since it has been completely occupied by the enemy, will the fleet still go to fight?"

"How many enemy planes are there on Tarawa?"

"The situation is unclear, but it is estimated that there are at least 20-30."

"Then we can't let it stay." Horikichi smiled, "Send a telegram to Mikawa-kun and join us to attack Tarawa together. I will also send the marines to seize the island."

"why is that?"

"I want to lure the U.S. Pacific Fleet into a war."

"Will they come?" Caolu Renyi was deeply doubtful, "If they come, we will attack Australia and New Zealand."

"That's not necessarily the case." Horikichi smiled. "Originally, this battle can be fought or not, but our fleet is harassing Australia and New Zealand without seeing the enemy show up. It shows how difficult the opponent is. I'm a little uneasy, so I have to give it a good greeting. Otherwise, the combined fleet will be in big trouble if it sails westward again."

Both Kusaka Renichi and Kondo Nobutake were surprised that Horikichi was so persistent in attacking Tarawa and looking for a fight with the US military. However, the commander was right. The defenders of Tarawa and the dozens of aircraft could do nothing. The combined fleet or something, if it can really lure out the US fleet, this trip will not be in vain.

If Nimitz knew that Horikichi had this intention, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood.

Just when Horikichi made up his mind to counterattack Tarawa and lure the enemy out, General Machar was leading a huge German and Italian fleet from Madagascar, preparing to go to the Falklands to carry out the "Pearl of Peace" operation. In his view, it would be easy to seize the Falklands, where there were few British troops and little combat effectiveness, but subsequent British and American counterattacks required close attention.

He asked: "Has the situation changed? Are Britain and the United States still sending troops and resources to South Africa?"

"It's still ongoing, but the frequency and volume are significantly reduced."

Ozawa Jisaburo asked with concern, "Has the enemy completed their deployment or has they noticed our actions?"

The staff officer hesitated, then finally replied, "Probably both."

"After seizing the Falklands, are you sure you will get the support and help of the Argentines? This must not be a trap."

"No, if we had this doubt before, we no longer have it now." Mashal smiled and explained the whole story to him:

After the Argentine military coup, the United States was concerned about the situation in Argentina. On the one hand, it took further diplomatic measures such as observation and warning. On the other hand, it used the momentum of the Langley's preparations to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet to use its navy to carry out attacks on the Argentine authorities. armed intimidation. When the Langley formation arrived in Buenos Aires, all combat aircraft took off with bombs attached, and the infantrymen landed in full force. They looked eagerly. The U.S. ambassador called it a live-fire exercise and security precautions, and his intimidation gesture was palpable.

This is the traditional way the United States deals with South American countries: if the newly-installed military government surrenders on the spot, the United States will immediately extend its olive branch, and the treatment and benefits it deserves will not be less. The friends who launched the coup with Juan Peron also thought so. Dazzled by power, they tried to invoke the United States as aid and killed each other. Except for Peron, no one knew what to do next.

The smart Peron scorned the idea of ​​embracing the United States. Although he made great efforts on the day of the coup, he voluntarily gave up the opportunity to fight for the highest power and only took up the inconspicuous position of Minister of Labor and Social Security. Representatives of the working class pride themselves on expressing their disapproval of the American position. All the coup officers thought he was committing suicide. In fact, he was hiding his capabilities and biding his time, steadily consolidating his own power.

Although the Minister of Labor and Social Security is not a key position, he has access to all workers in Argentina. He gave up the opportunity to fight for power in Buenos Aires and used his excellent oratory skills to inspect the country. He claimed to be concerned about the development of the national economy, but actually promoted his ideas to the public in the name of "social justice." He never mentioned the name of National Socialism or what his future would be like, but he constantly promised to give the people the benefits and rights they deserve.

"...The ideal Argentine government and national policy in my mind should be like this: the undressed (generally referring to the ordinary Argentine people at that time) should get decent job opportunities and a salary increase, and those who are exploited by foreign governments, especially Jews, should The industries controlled by the consortium should be returned to the hands of the Argentine people through reasonable means, and the wealth they create should be shared by all Argentine people.

I insist that the Malvinas Islands are the sacred and indivisible territory of Argentina, and every Argentinian will fight for it throughout his life, even if he sacrifices his life..."

The diplomats of the Third Reich stationed in Argentina observed all this calmly, and the telegram to Berlin was very simple - "The Malvinas Islands are the Alsace and Lorraine of the Argentines, and Juan Peron imitates the Führer in everything. By following the path that the Führer once walked, I think he will succeed!”