"No, we can't destroy the Panama Canal."
Hersman immediately vetoed Raeder's proposal.
Now the Germans, of course, are capable of destroying the Panama Canal, destroying it with 264 long-range bombers and atomic bombs The Germans built a large, concealed airfield near Georgetown in Guyana, covered with green camouflage nets, which could take off and land 264 heavy bombers.
Within the combat radius of the E264.
Although there were no fighter planes that could escort the 264 raiding the Panama Canal, there was at least a considerable probability that the 264 could safely arrive and drop the atomic bomb by using night cover and high-altitude bombing.
"Marshal of the Reich, the risk of doing so is not very great, as long as the number of 264 sorties is sufficient, the risk of the atomic bomb carrier aircraft being shot down" "No, I'm not worried about that."
Hirschman interrupted Raeder with a wave of his hand, "I think the Americans must have a navigable Panama Canal, and only then can the Americans have hope of victory."
This is very beneficial for us. ” Raeder was stunned.
Hersman smiled and said: "Only by giving the Americans hope of winning will they let their precious fleet leave the protection of shore-based aviation and enter the ocean to fight a decisive battle with us." ” Now the Americans in Newfoundland, Bermuda, the East Coast of the United States, the Florida Peninsula, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles by Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and other four large island-level Cayman Islands and many small islands, the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands Windward, the Leeward Islands are located between the Greater Andrés Islands and the South American mainland, like a chain locking the entrance to the Caribbean Sea and Trinidad Island is tightly armed.
According to intelligence, on the islands of the Caribbean Sea, the Americans have built thousands of military bases, large and small, with more than 10,000 shore-based aircraft and seaplanes deployed, and more than 1 million ground troops placed there, not counting the US troops in Venezuela, northern Brazil, and Panama And under the protection of a million troops and 10,000 combat aircraft, the Americans' large fleet is very difficult to destroy.
Without destroying the Grand Fleet of the Americans, it would be very difficult to attack the Caribbean.
Even if the European coalition forces can rely on air superiority to suppress US shore-based aircraft on Trinidad and the Windward Islands, the landing formation is still very dangerous in the landing operation on Trinidad, and even a decisive assault by a US battleship may destroy the entire formation and turn the landing operation into a disaster.
"Our odds are in the air, under water, in the combat effectiveness of the ground forces."
"And the Americans' odds are the number of surface ships, the number of planes, and the Panama Canal," Hersman said.
If we blow up the canal with an atomic bomb now, the Americans will inevitably not be able to retreat, which is very bad for us.
Even if we could destroy the canal before the four Iowa-class battleships entered the Caribbean, the four Soviet-class ships that had been left in the Atlantic theater and the two Iowa-class ships that were about to be completed would still cause great difficulties for our landing operations.
Moreover, if the Americans were to put only the bulk of their fleet in the Pacific Ocean, Chile would surely fall very quickly, and then Peron's regime would be shaken, and if something went wrong with Argentina, we would lose the logistical support for the march to the Caribbean. ” On the question of whether or not to blow up the Panama Canal, the Operations Bureau of the General Staff conducted repeated war games, and finally came to the conclusion that it would not be destroyed on the basis of the reasons that Hersman now stated.
And the most crucial factor is, of course, the power of Juan Peron.
His roots in Argentina and the new Federation of Asbania are not deep, and if Chile is lost and Buenos Aires is relentlessly bombed, he is likely to be overthrown by the disappointed Argentine.
And in the event of chaos in Argentina, Germany would have to send troops to occupy the country.
Given the distance between Argentina and Europe, and the vastness of Argentina, the occupation would be very troublesome "But then the numerical superiority of the Americans would be too great," Raeder shook his head, reiterating his point again, "and we will have to leave the 10th, 11th, and 12th Task Fleets in the Atlantic." ” "You can't leave these three task forces in the Atlantic," Hersman thought about it, and vetoed Raeder's suggestion.
"First of all we, no, it should be Perón who must retake the Gulf of Valparaíso, both for military and political purposes, is a must.
And to recapture Valparaiso Bay, it was necessary to drive out the Grand Fleet of the Americans, and at the same time take control of Puerto Montt.
In order to accomplish this task, it is necessary to send 6 Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers. ” The recapture of Valparaiso Bay is a matter of attitude, and now the whole of South America is watching, and if the Germans do not save Chile, then the prestige of Germany and the European Community in South America will plummet, and the pro-American forces in South America will be arrogant.
And if Peron's new Asbanian coalition forces drove out the American invaders, then his prestige at home would be high and his power would be consolidated.
The dispatch of 6 Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers is necessary to ensure that the air war can be won, and the 10th, 11th, and 12th task forces each have 2 Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers, so they have a total of 6 Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers, instead of the 910 large fleet aircraft carriers as the Americans believe.
In addition, the so-called "Zeppelin"-class aircraft carriers are actually two-stage aircraft carriers.
Among them, the design of the "Count Zeppelin" and the "Peter Strasser" is basically the same, both have a standard displacement of 30,000 tons and a full load displacement of 3.65 million tons, and the size is about the same as the Essex class in the United States.
Without the deck-tethered carrier aircraft method, it can carry up to 84 carrier-based aircraft, of which 12 are reserve aircraft.
Starting from the No. 3 ship of the "Count Zeppelin" class, the "Admiral Raeder", the standard displacement of the aircraft carrier has been increased to 3.25 million tons, and the full load displacement has increased to 4.25 million tons.
The number of carrier-based aircraft, excluding deck mooring, increased to 92, of which 12 were also reserve.
This modified Zeppelin class is officially known within the European Community Navy as Zeppelin 2 or B41.
A total of 10 ships have been started, and 6 have been completed and put into service, named "Raeder", "Lütjens", "Mackensen", "Wadsey", "Moltke" and "Steinmetz".
The 10th, 11th and 12th task forces of the Combined European Fleet have 6 Zeppelin-class ships, all of which are actually powerful B41 types.
Although there were no "overloaded" aircraft by the deck mooring method, they each had 80 carrier-based fighter-fighter-bomber reconnaissance aircraft.
According to the latest way of organizing carrier-based aircraft, these 80 carrier-based aircraft are divided into five squadrons, four are fighter-bomber squadrons, and one is a reconnaissance bomber squadron, all of which are equipped with multi-purpose carrier-based aircraft.
Of the four fighter-bomber squadrons, two are equipped with Fokker Type 636 carrier-based fighter-bombers with excellent medium- and low-altitude performance, and two are equipped with F-type carrier-based fighter-bombers with excellent medium- and high-altitude performance.
One squadron of reconnaissance bombers is equipped with the same FE-based reconnaissance bomber, which is also capable of air combat.
Although there are only 480 carriers, but considering the performance of the Fokker 636 and the latest model of F-series fighters.
Task Forces 10, 11, and 12 are still strong.
If they remain in the Atlantic, the Americans will most likely resort to the tactics of shrinking, and the fleet will not leave the Caribbean Sea or near the American coastline.
"As long as Valparaiso Bay is bombed by a large number of Fokker 636s and F, the Americans will definitely make a move in the Atlantic."
Hersman analyzed, "This is our chance to crush the U.S.
Navy Erich Raeder, can the Navy do it?"
Hearing this question, Raeder frowned deeply, "If there are 6 less Zeppelin-class, then in the Atlantic Theater we only have 2 Zeppelin-class, 2 Seydeliz-class, 3 Prussian-class, 10 Kesselin-class, not including one Kesselin-class and 2 Xiafei-class of the New Asbanian Navy, and 10 escort carriers." ” According to the latest establishment, the number of commonly used carrier-based aircraft for the "Old Zeppelin" is 72, the number of commonly used carrier-based aircraft for the Seydlitz-class is 2,830, the number of commonly used carrier-based aircraft for the Prussian class is 60, the number of commonly used carrier-based aircraft for the Kesselring class is 40, and the number of commonly used carrier-based aircraft for the Xiafei class is 30, and the number of commonly used carrier-based aircraft for escort aircraft carriers is 24.
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So the 32 aircraft carriers mentioned by Raeder have a total of 1,120 commonly used carrier-based aircraft.
In addition, the European Joint Escort Command has 25 escort aircraft carriers and 600 commonly used carrier-based aircraft, and the European Community Joint Marine Corps has 10 amphibious attack aircraft converted from escort aircraft carriers and 150 commonly used carrier-based aircraft.
In other words, the EC Navy and Marine Corps currently have a total of 51 aircraft carriers, 10 amphibious assault ships and 2,350 carrier-based aircraft pilots on board.
However, the carrier-based aircraft pilots assigned to the escort command were slightly less skilled, and they flew Fokker Zero D-type carrier-based fighter-bombers that were relatively easy to control, so they were not regarded as the main force on the front line.
Therefore, the main force of the combined fleet aviation of the European Community Navy is 26 fleet aircraft carriers and about 1,360 carrier-based aircraft pilots and captains.
"Don't forget that we also have battleships, missile carriers, and Type 21 submarines," Hersman reminded Raeder, "and the 264, JU288, JU188 and DO217, which can carry remotely controlled missiles, can also form a powerful strike force."
Even with 6 less Zeppelins, we would be able to defeat the Americans in the Atlantic.
Now what I'm worried about is not the loss of the decisive battle at sea, but the fact that the Americans don't dare to take out their main forces" Hersman thought for a moment, "We still have to let the Americans be more sure, and send another rapid landing formation from the port of Belém to the Pacific coast of Chile." ” The so-called "rapid landing formations" do not fall under the jurisdiction of the EE Joint Fleet or the EE Joint Escort Command, but are under the name of the EE Joint Marine Corps Command.
The lead ships of this "rapid landing formation" are only the "Baltic"-class amphibious assault ships with a standard displacement of 1.25 million tons, and the Faroe-Islands-class dock landing ships with an empty displacement of 4,032 tons and a full load displacement of 7,930 tons.
A formation usually consists of 5 Baltic-class amphibious assault ships and 15 Faroese-class dock landing ships, plus about 10 fast transport ships, oil carriers and 1020 old destroyer destroyers seconded from the Navy.
It can transport 150,000 Marines and all equipment and a considerable amount of supplies at a time, plus 5,075 Fokker Zero D aircraft belong to the Marine Corps.
Definitely a fast landing strike force that should not be underestimated t1706231537: