The rapid footsteps reached the spacious and luxurious commander's conference room inside the battleship Iowa. Halsey, who was watching the latest battle report (the battle report on the Pacific Fleet Command) sent by the Pacific Fleet Command in the conference room, raised his head and saw that Chief of Staff Major General Browning had already walked in.

"Commander, notification from the Caribbean War Command," said Major General Browning anxiously and quickly. "The Army Air Force in the Caribbean War Zone encountered German new fighter jets over Guyana and suffered heavy losses. Ten B-17 bombers were shot down within minutes!"

"Oh." Halsey was not surprised, but said, "The escort fighter is too negligent, right?"

From Trinidad and Tobago to Baramalipo, the capital of the Republic of Guyana, only a few hundred kilometers. Any model of p51 and p47 can escort the entire B-17. Moreover, the bomber group usually adopts the tactic of high-altitude raids (in fact, Guyana has no valuable targets, and the American bombing is just for the bystanders of the South American greats). The Germans' F-190 in Guyana is insufficient in number and has no advantage over p51 and p47, so the interception effect is not ideal.

Major General Browning shook his head and said, "It cannot be blamed for the escort aircraft, but the Germans used a new high-speed high-altitude fighter without propellers! It can fly to 700 kilometers above 11,000 meters... or 800 kilometers per hour!"

"What? No propeller? Can you fly to 700-800 kilometers above 11,000 meters?" Halsey was also a little scared now. "What kind of jet aircraft should be? The Germans already have jet fighters that can be used for actual combat!"

This is not a joke!

The Germans had a high-altitude bomber Ju288 that could carry remote-controlled gliding bombs, which poses a great threat to US surface ships. It was not until F4U started to board the ship that this situation was completely improved.

The high-altitude performance of f4u is good. Although it is not as good as the f-190t, it has very powerful firepower. It has 4 20mm cannons (the f4u in this time and space is customized for ju288 to some extent, so most models have 4 20mm cannons). Once you catch ju288, you can easily shoot it down!

But if the Germans had jet fighters that could fly to 700-800 kilometers at an altitude of 11,000 meters, then fighters equipped with turbocharged engines such as the F4U or even the P47 would not be able to deal with them.

In this way, ju288 can happily use remote gliding bombs again!

"There are a little panic in the Caribbean war zone now!" said Browning. "Admiral Eisenhower believes that the emergence of this new aircraft and the arrival of Marshal Kesseling will most likely mean that the Germans will launch a large-scale attack on the Caribbean Sea."

This seems to be possible! The ju288 can not only seize sea control but also suppress U.S. military airports in Trinidad and Tobago.

Once Trinidad and Tobago fall, there will be a huge crisis in the Caribbean War Zone!

"Admiral Eisenhower wants us to stay in the Caribbean?" Halsey asked with a frown.

"Yes, he wants us to stay for a while," said Browning. "He sent a telegram to ask for our advice."

"There's nothing to say," Halsey slapped the table. "If the Germans really want to launch an offensive in the Caribbean, our 3rd Fleet must stay here! The Caribbean is much more important than the Pacific... Venezuela alone has tens of millions of tons of oil, and it cannot fall into the hands of the Germans no matter what!"

"Then I'll send your suggestions to the Navy Operations Department?"

"Okay." Halsey saw Major General Browning turning and leaving, and hurriedly called him, "In the telegram, we can standby in the waters near Panama. If the Germans have no intention of invading the Caribbean, we can immediately enter the Pacific through the Panama Canal."

"I understand, Mr. General."

...

"Mr. President, the Naval Operations Department believes that the 3rd Fleet can be kept in the Caribbean for the time being."

The suggestion made by Halsey and Eisenhower was soon adopted by the U.S. Navy Department. Admiral Ernest King was also a little scared. He also knew a lot about jet aircraft and knew that the Germans were using a brand new aircraft in Guyana.

So on March 10, at an emergency meeting held at the White House, he proposed to Roosevelt to use the powerful 3rd Fleet on the Caribbean battlefield.

"How many aircraft do we have on the Caribbean battlefield?" Roosevelt did not make a decision immediately, but asked about the configuration of the troops.

"There are more than 3,000 aircraft," said Admiral Arnold. "If we count the Southeast Pacific War Zone and the 3rd Fleet, the total number is more than 4,000!"

"Where are the Germans?" Roosevelt asked again.

"There are estimated to be 800 aircraft," said Admiral Lacey, the President's Chief of Staff. "In addition, the European Combined Fleet has at least eight large aircraft carriers that can carry more than 500 carrier-based aircraft."

"We have a three-fold advantage?" Roosevelt felt a little relieved.

"But the enemy has jet fighters!" General Arnold, commander of the Army Air Force, said inconveniently. "We have almost no fighter to fight, so we have to have a few times the numerical advantage."

Roosevelt interjected: "Our jet project must also be accelerated, and we strive to produce aircraft that can fight against German jets in 1943!"

This task is not easy to complete because the United States lags too much in the development of jet aircraft, and the engine level is only equivalent to that of Britain and Germany in the 1930s. Parts often drop when running at high speed.

Moreover, the British did not move their jet aircraft research and development projects to Canada because the factories and laboratories of British aviation equipment manufacturers such as Gloucester, Hardwelling, Rolls-Royce, Westland, etc., which are involved in the development of the "Meteor" fighter in the UK, are all in the UK, and there is no condition for research and development in Canada.

If the "Meteor" project wants to leave the UK, it will have to go to the United States. However, the British government is unwilling to hand over such a precious project until the last moment, and the "Meteor" project has almost completely fallen into the hands of the Germans. The only thing Americans can get is a bunch of drawings and samples that have been transferred to Canada in advance. It is a dream to rely on these things to develop a jet aircraft comparable to the me262 within 43 years, and the me262 itself still has a lot of room for improvement.

In contrast, it is more reliable to improve the high-altitude performance of p47, p51, p38 and f4u steadily. After all, the engine and aerodynamic shape of these aircraft still have great potential to explore.

Just as General Arnold was about to make some reliable suggestions, Colonel Katun, the adjutant of the US president, hurried into the Oval Office and brought another bad news that made his heart tremble.

The main force of the European Union Fleet was dispatched collectively and left the Port of Gibraltar!

"All left?" President Roosevelt asked.

"Yes, Mr. President," Colonel Katton replied, "the agents of the Strategic Intelligence Agency were made up of sailors on Brazilian merchant ships and found that there were almost no ships in the harbor when they passed through the Strait of Gibraltar."

The Strait of Gibraltar is too narrow and it is also a shipping throat, so it is impossible to prevent the passage of neutral ships, so it is not a suitable home port for a fleet. It is just that before the British submission, France's military port near the Atlantic Ocean was not very safe, so the home port of the European Combined Fleet was placed in Gibraltar.

After the British surrender, Brest from France and Portsmouth from Britain became the first and second home ports of the European Union Fleet. Now the main force of the European Union Fleet left Gibraltar and moved. However, in order to confuse the Americans, he chose this sensitive time point in time.

"It seems that the Germans' goal is likely to be the Caribbean!" said General Lech, the President's Chief of Staff. "We cannot take it lightly... In the Caribbean, we cannot afford to lose!"

Roosevelt looked at Admiral Ernest King, "Ernest, do we have a way to reinforce the Caribbean?"

The US military's strength in the Caribbean is now "very insufficient"! There are only the 3rd Fleet, the 9th Fleet, more than 4,000 aircraft, ground troops with less than 500,000 people and more than 3,000 tanks/tank destroyers, which are not safe at all!

"The main force of the Pacific Fleet can be mobilized to move south to reinforce," said Ernest King. "It only takes 3,000 nautical miles from San Diego to the Panama Canal, and it can be reached in seven days with a speed of 18 knots."

"How many troops can the Pacific Fleet mobilize now?" Roosevelt asked again.

"There is one battleship, two large aircraft carriers, one independent class aircraft carrier, at least 4 heavy cruisers and more than 10 light cruisers."

"Okay!" Roosevelt thoughtfully. Halsey's 3rd Fleet had 3 large aircraft carriers and 2 light aircraft carriers; Gormley's 9th Fleet had weak forces, with only 3 Borg-class escort aircraft carriers; in addition, the 2nd Fleet of the Atlantic Fleet is now stationed at the Mayport Naval Base in Florida, which also has 2 independent-class aircraft carriers and 3 Borg-class aircraft carriers. If the Pacific Fleet sent an aircraft carrier from San Diego, the number of US aircraft carriers near the Caribbean Sea would reach 16.
Chapter completed!