Iron Cross

Although the Axis reconnaissance aircraft has detected the position of the US military, this does not have much practical significance, because the US military has already known the general position of the Axis fleet. This reconnaissance only determined the relative distance between the two sides - the two sides are more than 1,200 kilometers apart, which is far away. It is beyond the normal combat range of the carrier-based aircraft, and it is almost dark. After the two sides break away from contact and lose the target, there will be at least 10 hours until the next morning, enough for a fleet to run far away, and reconnaissance must be carried out again the next day. Yes, so this reconnaissance has a deterrent effect at best.

The only meaningful thing for Machar is to determine the location and distance of the US reconnaissance fleet, so that he can arrange the retreat calmly: "Order the Marines to speed up boarding and set off overnight; the main force of the fleet will first turn back and sail northeast, and then return after nightfall." Turn due north and break contact with the enemy."

Of course, the retreat of the German Marines could not be hidden from the concerned people of the Dutch Guiana authorities. However, they did not know at this time that the British and American fleets and a large number of reinforcements had arrived, and the Germans would not disclose this. They only thought that this was a normal military movement: French The northern coastal areas of Guyana and Dutch Guiana are accessible by road, but there are not such good road conditions to British Guiana and Venezuela. Many of them are primitive landforms or tropical rainforests. The straight-line distance on the map does not look far, but mechanization It is impossible for the troops to move there - the most feasible way is to load the ships and land in British Guiana.

In fact, although South American countries are distributed on the same continent, their land connections with each other are intermittent and completely fragmented. They neither have good transportation facilities and road conditions like Western Europe, nor do they have large plains like Eastern Europe and Ukraine. , not to mention large-scale mechanized operations, even ordinary infantry attack operations are very difficult. The only way to establish stable, efficient, and fast transportation links is sea transportation. Therefore, the people of Dutch Guiana declared to the German army that they would attack British Guiana by ship. Believe it or not.

Admiral Ingersoll spent the night on tenterhooks: Although only the outposts were exposed, he was afraid that the enemy would follow the clues and find him. Even though Turner reminded him that there were generally no carrier-based air strikes at night, Ingersoll I disagree in my heart - you all say that night air strikes are impossible, but why did Japan and Germany accurately attack New York or other bases at night? Only I know my own affairs. It is of course impossible to expect the rookie pilots of the Atlantic Fleet to conduct a night attack, but that does not mean that the experienced German and Japanese carrier-based aircraft pilots cannot do it either.

The force configuration of the Atlantic Fleet this time is very interesting. Since Britain and the United States no longer have any first-class battle cruisers, the reconnaissance fleet is mainly composed of 4 Cleveland-class light cruisers plus 8 destroyers. Following the reconnaissance fleet is 6 escort aircraft carriers and The first escort force consisting of light warships, which are too slow to keep up with the reconnaissance force; then the main formation including the battleship formation, then the transport force and the second escort force (20 escort carriers); and finally the veterans The aircraft carrier formation led by Cunningham with six fleet aircraft carriers as the core - this long dragon has a distance of more than 400 nautical miles. When the reconnaissance fleet contacted the Axis Fleet in the waters of Panama south of Haiti, Cunningham The main force of the aircraft carrier group under command is still in the direction of the Bahamas.

This strange formation was proposed by Turner. It is obviously based on the experience and lessons of the Pacific Fleet. Even if a part of the troops encounters the enemy, the entire army will not be destroyed. It is a pity that Machar is not Horikichi. He mistakenly believed that the main force of the US military was not far behind him, and was more worried that the Marines would suffer a heavy blow. He was determined to retreat first instead of eating this enemy force - the first very advantageous fighter plane slipped away from the Axis Fleet.

To be fair, this result is not too bad, because if it wants to attack the US military, the Axis Fleet must move forward. In the evening, the squadron has arrived only more than 600 kilometers away from Trinidad and Tobago. Fortunately, it did not Discovered by a U.S. military patrol plane - After the Combined Fleet made a big splash in the Caribbean, the U.S. Army Aviation has strengthened its front-line defense system in the Caribbean. The entire island chain around the sea is dotted with U.S. military bases, with various Army aviation and military bases on them. Although it is impossible for ground forces to eliminate Machar's fleet, it is possible to swarm up and surround the axis - with the US military approaching in large numbers, damage to the ship is almost equivalent to sinking.

Therefore, Machar needs to get out of this crisis-ridden wolf den and find another suitable opportunity to annihilate the enemy - he is inexperienced in head-to-head combat, but he is a first-rate expert in peek-a-boo tactics. I am afraid there is no better player in the world. The Germans were better at breaking diplomatic ties with other naval powers.

Early the next morning, the weather in the Caribbean suddenly turned bad, and no one could send a plane to conduct reconnaissance. Ingersoll hesitated again and again. In view of the importance of Venezuela and the news from Dutch Guiana that the German fleet had left to attack British Guiana, he adopted Turner's suggestion and continued to move southeast. He learned that the outpost fleet had encountered The aircraft carrier formation of the Axis Fleet News accelerated the pace of the march, shortening the distance to less than 200 nautical miles in one breath. The landing force marched towards Port-au-Prince in an orderly manner, and the entire long line became more compact.

At this moment, the Axis fleet was struggling in the storm. The capital ships were running smoothly, but the small ships encountered serious difficulties. The destroyers with the smallest size and tonnage appeared and disappeared, and the masts swayed back and forth rhythmically, as if A few puppies with their tails raised were wandering among the crests and troughs of the waves. The islands and offshore coastlines completely disappeared. The strong wind cut off the crests of the waves like a knife, and then rolled up a stream of white foam.

By the afternoon, after a day and night of sailing, the entire Axis Fleet had sailed about 1,000 kilometers east of Martinique, while their opponents were conducting the most traditional visual search like casting a net in all directions in the waters of northern Venezuela. The results Obviously - nothing.

"Keep driving on the current route and head northwest early tomorrow morning..."

Ozawa looked at the chart and asked doubtfully: "Are you planning to attack the American mainland?"

"I won't go, but I can pick a good place to fight." Mashal clicked on an inconspicuous location on the map.

"Bermuda Islands?" Krank was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "If we occupy this place, I wonder if Roosevelt can sleep at night..."