ET, April 26, 1945, 2:40 pm.

The USS Essex aircraft carrier 90 nautical miles off Long Island, New York, on the east coast of the United States.

Major General Arley Burke, chief of staff of the 56th US Special Mixed Fleet, was standing on a platform outside the island, holding a telescope and looking southeastward. Suddenly, a four-engine water cargo airship (a seaplane) that was flying at a height of sea sweeping appeared in his telescope. The flight speed of this watercraft did not look slow, at least 300 kilometers per hour, and soon approached the "Essex" class. And it also became very huge in Arley Burke's telescope, occupying almost the entire eyepiece.

"Go and tell the Admiral Pruins' 1 is here!" Arley Burke said loudly to a staff officer behind him.

The watercraft that came is the largest aircraft owned by the US Navy, and may also be the largest in the world! Its codename is JRM "Mars" type, with a maximum take-off weight of 74.8 tons. It can carry 180 fully armed soldiers or more than 20 tons of cargo, and can also be used as a long-range maritime patrol bomber.

However, today the JRM "Mars" watercraft that flew to the 56th TF fleet flagship did not have many personnel or cargo. There was only one important person and several of his staff. The reason for using this giant airship was only because it was the fastest-flying water transport aircraft owned by the US Navy, and there was a just anchored on the Potomac River near Washington (this watercraft was used for US President Truman to escape), so it was used to transport the US Navy's joint commander of the Pacific-Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Spruins.

Arley Burke and his boss, Admiral Mitchell, commander of the 56th US Fleet, learned that Spruins would arrive on the Essex in person. This was an unexpected but expected thing.

Now the "Essex" is rushing to the battlefield near Newfoundland with a huge ship of dozens of square nautical miles. Before this huge fleet sailed to Newfoundland, it was hovering in the waters west of the Bermuda Islands, waiting to fight the invading European navy!

However, the plan could not keep up with the changes. German paratroopers made a major attack on Newfoundland's large-scale airborne and aircraft landing. In addition, the F-13 reconnaissance aircraft also discovered a large fleet on the Atlantic Ocean about 300 nautical miles southwest of Newfoundland.

The decisive deployment of the US Navy's Pacific-Atlantic Fleet Joint Command was completely disrupted. Spruins had no choice but to issue an order to "go north along the United States East Coast and approach Newfoundland Island" to the 56th TD Fleet before heading to Washington for an emergency military meeting.

This was just a temporary, and unclear command, which was equivalent to handing over everything to Admiral Mitchell, the commander of the 56th Special Mixed Fleet. This was not the cautious and strict style of Admiral Spruins.

So after attending the White House meeting and understanding the latest intentions of President Truman and the Pentagon, Spruins personally flew to the USS Essex to discuss the combat plan in person with Admiral Mitchell, which is understandable.

The huge watercraft finally stopped steadily on the sea near the Essex. A motorboat with the ship "Essex" was operated by the US Navy soldiers wearing white sailor suits and leaned straight towards the giant airship.

The door on the side of the watercraft opened and the gangway was lowered. Half of a major in a dark blue uniform popped out of the airplane's cabin door. His eyes swept over the motorboat and saw Admiral Mitchell and Admiral Arley Burke coming out of the cabin.

"Two generals, Admiral Spruins, are in the cabin, and he asks you to get on the plane and talk."

"Okay, OK."

Mitchell agreed repeatedly, then waved to Arley Burke, and the two of them boarded the watercraft one after another.

After entering the airship, the two found that the inside was quite spacious and luxuriously decorated. It didn't look like a military aircraft, but rather like the interior of a luxury passenger aircraft.

When the two walked into the cabin, Admiral Spruins was already standing on the soft red carpet inside the cabin. When they saw Mitchell, they stepped forward and shook hands and hugged affectionately.

"Mark, I've seen you." Then Spruins waved at Arley Burke again, "Ali, it's not bad, he's already a major general."

Mitchell looked at the furnishings inside the cabin and asked Spruins with a smile: "Raymond, whose plane is this? It's so beautiful."

"President!" Spruins said, "When the German bomber broke through the East Coast air defense network, the president would immediately leave the White House and take the plane to Chicago on the Potomac River... Of course, this is the highest secret!"

It is no secret that the US president will leave Washington when something is not good. Generals of Mitchell and Arleigh Burke know that they also know that if the president does not escape, Vice President Kennedy will come to power in Chicago, and there has been a fully equipped "reserve government" in Chicago that can take on the heavy responsibility of leading the United States at any time.

After some chatting, Spruins finally got to the point, telling Mitchell and Arley Burke: "The situation is very dangerous now, we will likely fail in Newfoundland, and once that happens, we will lose the war."

"I know," Mitchell nodded, and took out his pipe, which had been filled with tobacco. "Is it OK?"

"It's okay, I'll have one too." Spruins took out a cigar. An adjutant lit a cigarette for him, and then lit a fire on Mitchell's pipe.

Mitchell said: "Does the above feel that the decisive battle at sea are not sure?"

Spruens nodded: "In fact, I think so too." He paused and looked at Mitchell, who was expressionless, "Now we must definitely avoid another big defeat in the Bermuda Islands... So I plan to use a feint attack to divert the main force of the German fleet from near Newfoundland Island, so as to create favorable conditions for the anti-landing operation in the direction of Newfoundland Island."

"Anti-login operation?" Mitchell asked hurriedly, "Has the Germans started logging in?"

"Not yet." Spruins shook his head, "but it's too soon. A German water minesweeper plane was already moving in Concepshun Bay this morning."

A water minesweeping plane hangs a ring electromagnet under the wings of a seaplane (the aircraft is like stepping on a large iron ring), then sweeps the sea at a low altitude and uses the electromagnet on the plane to detonate the magnetic mines on the seabed. However, the minesweeping effect is not ideal and has no effect on traditional anchor lightnings.

"That's easy to sweep." Admiral Mitchell smoked and smiled sarcastically, "The Germans must not know how many mines we have laid in Concepshun Bay, right? And... we and the British have also deployed a large number of PT torpedo speedboats and U-class submarines in Concepshun Bay, which can carry out mine-burning missions at any time and can also raid the German landing fleet!"

The pt torpedo speedboat is wooden, so it is suitable for engaging in waters covered with magnetic mines, performing attacks and mine-burning missions.

The U-class submarine is not a German U-boat, but a first-class light submarine designed by the United Kingdom. Its displacement is generally between more than 500 tons and more than 700 tons (more than 500 tons on the water surface and about 700 tons under the water). It cannot run far-sea, but it can perform offshore defense tasks.

With the fall of the British mainland and North America facing the danger of invasion, PT torpedo speedboats and U-class submarines have become the focus of construction. Now more than 3,000 PT torpedo boats and 500 U-class submarines have been built, and there are also 1,600 PT and U-class submarines in service and more than 300.

Although Newfoundland is not the main attack direction of Germany as expected (the Americans imagined), the US Navy and the Royal Navy Canadian fleet still deployed dozens of U-class boats and hundreds of PT boats there, half of which were stationed in Consepsun Bay. It was not that they knew in advance that Germans would land here, but that Consepsun Bay was close to St. John, the headquarters of the Allied forces on Newfoundland Island, and put the main force of the torpedo boats and submarine forces here for convenience.

The PT boat that happened to be placed in Concepshun Bay started to drop mines into the water when German paratroopers landed on the west coast of Concepshun Bay. More than 100 PT boats can throw 4-6 at a time. One boat can throw at least 30 mines a day. More than 100 PT torpedo boats can throw more than 3,000 mines. How can it be swept clean?

"The Germans will also land if they can't sweep the mines clean," said Spruins. "At noon, they conducted an airdrop on the west coast of Concepshun Bay, dropping at least 5,000 paratroopers and throwing down a large number of weapons and equipment. Because the German planes suppressed the 240mm cannon on Bell Island, the Port of Grace was also captured this morning.

In addition, the old Pericen and Basque Island (a small island near the entrance to the west bank of Consepsun Bay) were also occupied by the Germans. Now the entire west bank of Consepsun Bay is almost controlled by the Germans. The troops that have been airborne are estimated to have more than 25,000 people, so the landing operation will inevitably be launched. The Germans cannot give up the west bank of Consepsun Bay and so many paratroopers."

Mitchell nodded, "Raymond, then how do we fight?"
Chapter completed!