Ito's judgment was accurate, the main force of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet now formed an unprecedentedly large Task Force 58, and was slowly sailing on the way to Christmas Island.
The commander of the fleet was not Halsey, but Admiral Raymond Arms Spruance, an old friend of Ito when he was a military attaché in the United States.
At this time and space, the situation in the Atlantic Ocean was much more severe, so Halsey was left in the Atlantic Fleet, commanding the main forces of the Atlantic Fleet in circles at sea and Europeans in the name of the commander of the 3rd Fleet.
The burden of leading the charge in the Pacific fell on Spruance's shoulders, and this time the march to Christmas Island was planned by him and Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific Fleet.
In order to ensure victory, Task Force 58 not only gathered most of the combat ships that originally belonged to the Pacific Fleet, but also transferred four Essex-class aircraft carriers, two Iowa-class battleships, seven old battleships, and hundreds of other ships of various types from the Atlantic Fleet.
It can be said that it concentrates most of the essence of the US Navy Among them, the most powerful strike force is an unimaginably powerful aircraft carrier battle group composed of 4 Essex-class aircraft carriers, 2 Yorktown-class aircraft carriers, 5 Independence-class aircraft carriers, 17 Borg-class aircraft carriers, and 13 Casablanca-class aircraft carriers A total of 41 aircraft carriers have a standing carrier-based aircraft of up to 1,364 aircraft To protect these 41 aircraft carriers, Admiral Spruance also had 10 battleships, 37 cruisers, and 165 destroyers under his command.
All of these warships, including aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, were converted to enhanced anti-aircraft defense, and were equipped with numerous 127 anti-aircraft guns capable of firing radio proximity fuses, 40 Bofors anti-aircraft guns, and 20 Erikon anti-aircraft guns.
In addition to the front-line combat ships used in naval warfare, Spruance's Task Force 58 also included a staggering number of transports, tankers, landing ships, hospital ships, laying ships, minesweepers, various fire support ships, landing ship modifications, and seaplane carriers, totaling 151 ships If you count these ships, the fleet commanded by Spruance has a total of 404 ships of various types, covering almost the entire ocean.
If you want to use one word to describe this kind of fleet, it is undoubtedly "Hao", and in two words, it is "local tyrant".
Standing on the bridge of the battleship "Iowa", the flagship of the 58th Task Force, Spruance looked at the scene on the sea, but his face was quite solemn.
Although there were large and small ships as far as the eye could see, and he couldn't see the edge at all, he still felt that the power in his hands was a little weak There are less than 50 aircraft carriers, only 10 battleships, carrier-based aircraft carriers are not even full of 1,500, and the total number of ships is less than 500 "Woo woo" The shrill air raid sirens suddenly sounded, interrupting Admiral Spruance's thoughts.
"Sir, the radar of the Oakland has detected enemy aircraft, azimuth 270, number 1, altitude 3000, distance 100."
The Chief of Staff of the Fleet, Rear Admiral Myers Browning, loudly reported that "it should be a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft flying from the direction of the Hawaiian Islands." ” "Shoot it down" Spruance ordered loudly, "can't let it get a glimpse of our lineup" "The F4U has been dispatched."
Major General Browning replied.
"Okay."
Spruance nodded as he walked briskly to the chart table, and asked, "Where have we been?"
"Here," Rear Admiral Browning ticked the chart table with a red and blue pencil, "about 1,000 nautical miles from the island of Hawaii." ” Spruance shook his head, "The Japanese must have discovered us, their reconnaissance planes are equipped with German radars, which can search for us." ” "Sir," Rear Admiral Browning looked at Spruance with a worried face, "do we need to change course?"
"No," Admiral Spruance shook his head, "this mission is already dangerous, but we still have to do our best.
The fleet continued to move along its original course, maintaining a speed of 12 knots. ” "Understood, sir."
Rear Admiral Browning nodded, and it was a fleet staff officer who reported loudly: "Sir, the air fleet of the Essex reports that a Japanese four-engine large seaplane was shot down. ” "Do we have any losses," Spruance asked.
"There are no losses."
Spruance sighed: "I hope it doesn't find out about our size, otherwise the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet will pour out against us." ” "Commander, it seems that one of our Type 97 boats was shot down by an American carrier-based aircraft, and it is very likely that the American fleet is already close to the Hawaiian Islands."
On the afternoon of September 22, 1943, Hawaii local time, Admiral Takasu Shiro, commander of Japan's Central Pacific Fleet, learned that the U.S. fleet might be approaching the Hawaiian Islands.
The so-called Central Pacific Front Fleet is not a real surface fleet, but the name of a command organ on the same level as the Combined Fleet.
It is under the command of naval shore-based air forces, marine units, naval shore artillery units, naval patrol areas, and other naval combat forces stationed in the Hawaiian Islands, including Midway.
However, the Japanese Navy's 1st Mobile Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor was not under the command of the Central Pacific Fleet.
In fact, in this respect, the fleet is somewhat similar to the military districts, theaters of operations of the army.
It and the Japanese Army's Hawaiian Islands Front Command commands the Navy stationed in the Hawaiian Islands, and the Army's Hawaiian Front also commands the garrison on Christmas Island, respectively.
"Did you report the discovery of the U.S. fleet before this Type 97 was attacked?"
Admiral Takasu Shiro asked his chief of staff, Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, as he walked to the chart table and watched as the staff officer marked the possible location of the U.S. fleet.
"Nope."
Ryunosuke Kusaka shook his head, "The electronic reconnaissance on this plane is all second-hand goods from Germany at a low price, and the performance is very poor, but this plane sent a telegram before it was shot down, saying that it was besieged by at least 12 F4U. ” Spruance, who was cautious, apparently overestimated the capabilities of Japanese seaplanes, which were indeed equipped with airborne radars imported from Germany.
But it's not a good thing, it's all second-hand goods eliminated by the Germans, because of the latest magnetrons and monitors obtained from the British mainland, the level of German radar has improved by leaps and bounds in 43 years, so the obsolete equipment is piled up, so the Japanese who are greedy for cheap buy back a lot, all of which are installed on insignificant ships and planes.
However, because these radar equipment are too old and do not include installation and commissioning, they play a limited role on the side of the Japanese Navy, and many times they are not as good as the cat's eye soldiers. "12 F4U" Takasu Shiro nodded, "That's right, how far is the distance" "It's 1,000 nautical miles from the east coast of the island of Hawaiʻi."
Kusaka Ryunosuke said, "You can get it with a land attack." ” "It's useless to reach it."
Takasu Shiro shook his head, "There is no escort, if you go, you will be sent to death or continue to send planes to monitor, the planes sent this time must be easy to use for electronic reconnaissance, you know?"
"Hay."
Kusaka Ryunosuke nodded, turned around and went to arrange for the reconnaissance plane to be dispatched.
It was already afternoon, and by the time the reconnaissance plane sent out flew about 1,000 nautical miles away, it would definitely be night, and there was no good radar, so the black light was blind to where to find the US fleet Takasu Shiro had long known that the main force of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet was in full swing, and he also agreed with Ito's judgment that the Americans' goal was Christmas Island, which could not be the impregnable Hawaiian Islands anyway, so he probably had nothing to do with the next big war.
Therefore, after being assigned reconnaissance and surveillance tasks, he left the headquarters and went to enjoy life at the naval comfort station in Pearl Harbor.
However, in the early morning of the next day, he was picked up from the bed of the comfort women by the adjutant, and the plane that had been sent out to reconnoiter discovered that the US fleet was approaching the Hawaiian Islands, and the place where the Type 97 boat was shot down this afternoon was about 1,000 nautical miles away from the island of Hawaii, and in the early morning of the 23rd, Hawaii time, a Type 2 boat spotted the US fleet about 900 nautical miles from the island of Hawaii.
"The Americans are close to the Hawaiian Islands" Takasu, who returned to the headquarters, saw the chief of staff Ryunosuke Kusaka, who stayed up late on duty, and asked, "There can't be a mistake?"
"Commander, you can't be wrong" Kusaka Ryunosuke shook his head, "It has been repeatedly confirmed that from the point of view of the electric reconnaissance, the scale of this American fleet is very huge, there may be 100 ships" "100," Takasu took a breath, "Isn't it bigger than the First Mobile Fleet in Pearl Harbor" he paused, "then their goal is to attack Hawaii" "Unlikely."
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Ryunosuke Kusaka said, "The defense of the Hawaiian Islands is impregnable, and there is a mobile fleet, so will the Americans' target be the mobile fleet?"
"They're going to attack Pearl Harbor," Takasu Shiro was stunned and stunned.
"It can't be a sneak attack," Kusaka Rennosuke shook his head, "I think it's trying to lure the mobile fleet into a confrontation." ” "Could it be a false shot" Takasu Shiro touched his chin, "The actual target is still Christmas Island" "Possibly," said Ryunosuke Kusaka, "but we must not take it lightly, the Mobile Fleet cannot remain at Pearl Harbor, and must leave immediately." ” t1706231537: