Oahu, Pearl Harbor.

On the morning of March 3, 1943, when the commander of the Japanese Joint Fleet, Koga Fengichi, was flipping through a development report on the "Sakura" man's missile rushing in the commander's hall of the Yamato Hotel, there were rapid footsteps outside the door.

"Your Excellency General, there is an emergency military report!" The voice of Lieutenant General Ugaki Chan, the chief of staff of the fleet, came from outside the door.

"Come in."

The door was opened, and the fleet chief of staff, Naoka Ugaki and Chief Staff Shizuki, walked quickly into the commander's hall.

"His Excellency General, German intelligence, their reconnaissance submarines discovered that a huge U.S. Navy fleet left Norfolk military port and headed south along the U.S. east coast."

After listening to Shi Gendashi's report, Koga Feng raised his eyebrows and put down the "Sakura" missile information sent by the General Affairs Bureau of the Naval Aviation Headquarters.

"Did they go to the Panama Canal?" Koga asked.

"It is not certain at the moment," said Shi Genda. "However, according to German reports, the US fleet that left the Norfolk base this time is indeed very large, including at least 10 large ships with a total of more than 10,000 tons."

Koga Feng thought for a while and gave an order: "Lt. Ozawa is on the Yamato!"

Lieutenant General Ozawa is Jisaburo Ozawa, who is now the commander of the First Mobile Fleet under the Joint Fleet. The First Mobile Fleet replaced the original First Air Fleet, gathering most of the aircraft carriers and some fast battleships of the Joint Fleet, and becoming the main strike force of the Joint Fleet.

After General Tadonic of Nakamoto was transferred to the commander of Yokosuka's garrison office (Naomo did not take the bench for this position, but was preparing to take over as commander of the joint fleet), the First Air Fleet was adapted into the First Air Fleet and deployed on the South Pacific front line. The commander was Lieutenant General Kakuda Takiji.

Ozawa Jisaburo soon arrived at the commander's office on the Yamato and saluted a general Koga. Ozawa sat down face to face with Koga. At the conference table between the two, a chart of the waters west of the Panama Canal had been paved.

Ozawa looked at Haitu and asked, "Are you going to attack the Panama Canal?"

"Yes." Koga Fengichi replied, "The main force of the US Atlantic Fleet is likely to be heading to the Panama Canal. It seems that our sailboat bombing has played a role."

"Can you confirm they are heading to the Panama Canal?" Ozawa seemed worried and asked again.

"Not sure," said Koga, "but the First Mobile Fleet is still going to attack!"

"Hayi!" Ozawa Jisaburo nodded.

Koga paused and said, "The reason why the First Mobile Fleet was allowed to attack was because of the opportunity for ambush. For us, no opportunity should be missed."

"Hayi!" Ozawa Jisaburo nodded again.

He understood that Koga said the "ambush opportunity" refers to a sudden strike when the American fleet is passing, partially passing, or just passing through the Panama Canal.

To achieve this goal, the first mobile fleet must attack in advance, rather than attacking again when it is learned that the enemy fleet is passing through the Panama Canal.

"After the First Mobile Fleet attacks, I will send several fleets of eastbound to release sailboat bombs." Koga Feng said, "There will be thousands of bombs and incendiary bombs falling on American land, which should attract some US fighter jets to the north. In addition, Germany will also take action."

After saying this, Koga looked at Ozawa, "Ozawa, do you have any questions to ask?"

"The primary goal is the Panama Canal or the American Fleet?" Ozawa immediately asked the question.

"Of course it's the American fleet!"

Ozawa thought for a while and asked again: "If the First Mobile Fleet is discovered by the enemy, will it be necessary to suspend the operation?"

"No need!" Koga Fengichi said, "Currently the First Mobile Fleet has 8 aircraft carriers including Akagi, Kaga, Aolong, Feilong, Ruihe, Xianghe, Xiangfeng, and Ruifeng, and 470 commonly used aircraft. It should be determined to defeat all powerful enemies!"

The eight aircraft carriers that belong to the first mobile fleet are definitely the most elite force of the Japanese joint fleet. Among them, six are large fleet aircraft carriers that were put into service before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Although the other two (Xiangfeng and Ruifeng) were transformed from seaplane carriers, they were designed with modifications in mind, so they were also light fleet aircraft carriers with very superior performance.

"But the lord still wants another aircraft carrier," said Ozawa Jisaburo.

"I want another one?" Koga frowned, "Which one do you want?"

"German aircraft carrier Seedlitz." Ozawa Shisaburo replied. "The aircraft carrier is equipped with 36 f-190t fighters, with excellent high-altitude performance, which can make up for the shortcomings of the Zero fighter."

The first maneuver fleet is the main force, and of course the aircraft equipped are the best. In addition to the Zero-52 carrier-based fighter jets that the Japanese Navy highly anticipated, there are also meteor carrier-based dive bombers and Tianshan carrier-based attack aircraft that have introduced German engine technology.

Compared with carrier-based fighters, Japanese carrier-based bombers and attack aircraft are more likely to introduce heavy and large German engines (the strength of German aircraft engines is heat dissipation, and the heat dissipation design will cause the engine to be larger and heavier). Because they do not have very strict requirements on combat weight and aerodynamic appearance, the Meteor Bomb and Tianshan Lightning Strike both copy the engines with relatively simple structure in the BMW801 series, so they have a relatively reliable power system.

In addition, the blocking net and boost rockets collected from the German aircraft carrier Seedlitz (the f-190t needs to use boost rockets to help take off when it is full of bombs and secondary fuel tanks) have also greatly improved the take-off and landing performance of these two carrier-based aircraft.

However, Japan's carrier-based aircraft still has a very headache-inducing shortcoming that is not good at high altitude performance!

Even the Zero-52 carrier-based fighter with enhanced high-altitude performance can only perform best below 7,000 meters. It can still be done with the US carrier-based fighter jets, but if it encounters US land-based fighter jets, such as p38, p47 and p51, it will be troublesome. Even if the opponent loses in the fight, he can climb more than 7,000 meters in one breath.

Moreover, the US p47 and p51 have taken a multi-purpose approach and can mount bombs. If a 47 is hung with a 500-pound armor-piercing bomb and penetrates from an altitude of 8,000 meters, then Ozawa Shisaburo's first mobile fleet will be in big trouble.

Fortunately, the German aircraft carrier Seedlez is now docked at Pearl Harbor. The aircraft carrier was repaired at Pearl Harbor. More than a month ago, it encountered an American independent aircraft carrier in the North Pacific. As a result, both sides suffered losses and the decks of both sides were penetrated by bombs. So Seedlez had to run to Pearl Harbor for overhaul. It has just been repaired and has not left yet, but was pulled by Shisaburo Ozawa.

...

"Sir, I have received some radio signals, which should have been sent by the enemy radar."

The shouts of Major General Browning, chief of staff of the US Navy's 3rd Fleet, sounded in General Halsey's ears. At this time, Lieutenant General was enjoying several F6Fs in the air for simulated fighting.

After the defeat in the Coral Sea last year, Halsey was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to organize and train new aircraft carrier forces. However, his bench did not sit for too long. After the fall of the British mainland, President Roosevelt decided to implement the "Pacific First" strategy, so he remembered Halsey, the commander of the aircraft carrier force who had been dealing with the Japanese in the Pacific for more than a year.

So at the end of February, Halsey was promoted to admiral and served as the commander of the newly formed 3rd Fleet, responsible for commanding this powerful fleet, including three Essex-class aircraft carriers, two independent aircraft carriers, two Iowa-class battleships and seven heavy cruisers (including one powerful Baltimore-class heavy cruiser) to reinforce the Pacific battlefield.

However, as soon as Halsey's fleet left the Norfolk Naval Base, it was targeted by German submarines and reconnaissance aircraft. The radar signal receiver installed on the battleship of the third fleet flagship, the USS Iowa, kept receiving radar signals of unknown origin.

"Do you know if the radar signal is sent from a submarine or an aircraft?" Halsey asked.

"Sir, searching." The radar officer on the Iowa replied, and after a few minutes, the man said again, "It's a plane! We found it, about 60 miles away from us, and an altitude of 1,500 meters!"

"Sir, do you want to send f6f to shoot it down?" asked Fleet Chief of Staff Browning.

Halsey had not answered yet, and the radar officer reported again: "Sir, the radar has lost its target. I think the enemy plane also received our radar signal, so it lowered its altitude."

"Damn British!" Admiral Halsey whispered, not to scold the Germans, but to scold the British.

Before the British surrender, ships operating near the U.S. coastline were rarely detected by Germans with radar.

Because the detection distance of German airborne radar was not far enough at that time, and it was too dangerous to reconnaise the US fleet near the US coastline. Unless the high-altitude high-speed ju288 is used, the range of ju288 is not enough to support reconnaissance on the east coast of the US.

But shortly after the British surrender, the Germans' "Flying Wooden Boots" (bv138c) had the ability to detect surface ships from a long distance. It was obvious that the British had already provided their best airborne radar system to Germany!

Because the detection distance becomes relatively long, German seaplanes have time to depart after completing the detection mission (avoiding detection of surface ship radars).
Chapter completed!