On the western Pacific sea covered by night, the formation of the 58th American fleet was advancing northeastward at a high speed of 25 knots. Major General Mark Mitchell is now targeting the North Pacific Ocean. Before dusk on October 9 (Tokyo time), he inferred through the direction of the retreat of the Japanese First Mobile Fleet that the general position of the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet was east of the Mariana Islands and southwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Therefore, on that night, the 58th American fleet turned to the northeast and headed towards the North Pacific Ocean.

The 58th Fleet retreat from the North Pacific is also part of the "hunter" combat plan. Because the autumnal equinox has passed, the day is short and the night is long in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, and the phenomenon of short and long in the days is even more obvious in the North Atlantic region close to the Arctic Circle, which is not conducive to aviation activities. Therefore, going to the North Pacific is more beneficial to the 58th Fleet that lost a large aircraft carrier.

Moreover, the earth is a sphere, so the diameter of the earth in high latitudes is largely larger than near the equator. Therefore, the retreat in the North Pacific region at higher latitudes is also conducive to the incoming and exiting fleets starting from the United States.

However, the "Hunter" plan to arrange the 58th Fleet to retreat to the North Pacific Ocean, which has another purpose.

"His Marshal, the submarshal, I-166 discovered that at least 50 American ships had left the Juan Defoca Strait."

In Tokyo, in the Navy Provincial Building, Marshal Isojiro Yamamoto, who looked a little gloomy and a little scary, was once again frightened by bad news.

The US Pacific Fleet here is probably still pursuing Jisaburo Ozawa's first mobile fleet, and another large American fleet has left the Port of Seattle in the northwest of the United States. The current US Pacific Fleet has three major bases, the Fleet Command Terminal and the 5th Fleet Terminal San Diego, the Southwest Pacific Command Terminal and the 9th Fleet Terminal Panama, and the Northwest Pacific Command Terminal and the 7th Fleet Terminal Seattle.

The Juan Tefca Strait is between Vancouver Island in Canada and Clarum County in northwest Washington State in the United States. It is the main throat route in and out of Seattle Port. Therefore, Japanese submarines are always waiting nearby. In the past few days, the Haida 5 submarine I-166 is cruising in the Juan Tefca Strait.

"At least 50 ships..." Tadichi Nagamoto, who was on duty in the combat room with Yamamoto Iroku tonight, received a telegram from the staff officer, looked carefully, and whispered: "The one who dispatched should be the 7th Fleet of the United States, and the purpose should be to meet the US fleet in the Western Pacific. I think the US fleet has given up its operations after losing an aircraft carrier and is preparing to return to its homeland. The pursuit of the First Mobile Fleet during the day is just a feint attack."

According to the intelligence provided by the German intelligence department, the main force of the US Pacific Fleet is the 5th Fleet. The 7th Fleet stationed in Seattle is not the main force and is not equipped with large fleet aircraft carriers and battleships. The main ships it owns are heavy cruisers and light fleet aircraft carriers, and there are also many escort aircraft carriers, light cruisers and destroyers.

According to the speculation of Japan and Germany, the main task of this fleet is to escort the US fleet to enter and exit the North Pacific and threaten Japan's base in the Aleutian Islands. The purpose of this large-scale dispatch should be to meet the fleet of Jiaotong University fleets that were frustrated in the Western Pacific.

"Great General, now the 7th Fleet of the United States is dispatched!" Someone immediately raised objections, "According to information, the 7th Fleet of the United States has at least 3 class light fleet aircraft carriers and 7 escort aircraft carriers. Such huge strength is enough to go to war with the current main force of the joint fleet. Is it just a response mission?"

The person who spoke was Colonel Gendashi, the first lesson of the Navy Command. As soon as he said that, there was a soft sigh in the Navy Provincial War Room. Because he pointed out a reality that no one wanted to admit - after continuously losing elite pilots, although the Joint Fleet still had many aircraft carriers, its combat effectiveness had dropped significantly!

According to the latest loss report, in the fight against the US fleet on the morning of October 9, the First Maneuver Fleet lost another 128 elite captains. In addition to the previous losses in the Christmas Island War, the losses during the night transition after the Christmas Island War (after a sea and air war lasting for several hours, the night transition flight was a great test for the pilot's physical strength and the quality of the aircraft. As a result, 35 aircraft disappeared or had serious accidents during the transition), as well as the losses caused by the combat between the air fleet stationed in the Pacific islands and the US fleet. Japan has lost nearly 800 excellent pilots (captains) in this battle of consumption, most of them are elites of the naval aviation!

Although this number accounts for only 8.9% of the total number of Japanese Army and Navy pilots (captains), it accounts for at least 50% of the total number of pilots (captains) who can fly carrier-based aircraft.

By the way, Japanese pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft may not necessarily serve on aircraft carriers. The Japanese Navy has a very bad practice, which will mobilize pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft between aircraft carriers and shore-based flight teams.

Doing this in peacetime can allow more pilots to take off and land on aircraft carriers, but in wartime, there will be a problem of using carrier-based pilots as shore-based pilots.

The total number of Japanese elite pilots who can fly carrier-based aircraft is not too large, and the number has always been maintained at over a thousand. It is very difficult to add up. Ordinary fighter pilots can make do with dozens of hours of flight training, at least they can fly and fight. At worst, they can give American pilots the experience of head brushing.

However, aircraft carrier-based pilots did not have ten times the flight training and could not even fly an aircraft on the aircraft carrier deck. They barely got on the aircraft carrier and were all cargoes that fell on the deck, which poses a greater threat to the Imperial Army than to the US military!

In addition, it is not to say that the elites of the Air Force and Army Aviation can get on an aircraft carrier by just training. Take off and land on an aircraft carrier or even blind landing (at night time), and fly over the vast ocean (including night flight) are very difficult issues, and they cannot be mastered casually.

For example, Hessman's son Rudolph was a fighter pilot trained by the pre-war period. If he wanted to go to an aircraft carrier, he had to train in the Naval Aviation School for a few more months. Moreover, not every person participating in the training could get on an aircraft carrier. According to statistics from the German Naval Aviation Carrier-based Aircraft Pilot School, 35-40 of the 100 students could graduate and get on an aircraft carrier.

Therefore, although this round of continuous attrition war did not cause the joint fleet to lose a warship, it seriously damaged the combat capabilities of the aircraft carrier forces of the joint fleet!

"Genda, keep talking." Yamamoto Iroru looked at Genda Shizuo and said.

"Hay," Minor Genda gave a slight look at Yamamoto, and then said, "The purpose of the main force of the US 7th Fleet may be to attack our base in the Netherlands Port..."

"Genda, now after the autumnal equinox, the climate of the Aleutian Islands is not suitable for landing." Natsuki Takashi Nagamo interrupted Gendashi. When he was the commander of the First Sea and Air Fleet, he commanded the fleet to attack the Aleutian Islands. It was May when the climate was warming up, but there were still a large number of people frostbite, let alone now?

"Your Excellency General said it's right, it's impossible to land." Genda Shi said, "But the US military can cause serious losses to our base in the Dutch Port through bombing and shelling, and may even lay mines around the Dutch Port to conduct blockade operations."

Because the Dutch Port is a frontier stronghold for attacking the North American continent and can also pose a serious threat to the US aircraft carriers entering the Western Pacific through the North Pacific, it has always been an important stronghold for Japan in the North Pacific. Japan's 5th Fleet is stationed there - the 5th Fleet, like the 4th Fleet, is a garrison fleet, not only including surface ships, but also has shore-based aviation and Marine Corps.

In addition, the 23rd Army of the Japanese Army is stationed on the Amaknak Island where the Dutch port is located and the adjacent Unaraska Island, with 2 divisions and 1 flight division.

It's really endless...

After listening to Genda Shi’s analysis, everyone in the war room felt a slump. Because what Genda said was exactly what they feared the most - this is an endless war of attrition!

First it was Christmas Island, then the US broke the fleet and broke into the Western Pacific. Before the Western Pacific was finished, the US 7th Fleet came out in full swing again... It is very likely that it will fight the Battle of the Aleutian Islands.

Not to mention the Aleutian Islands, the heavy pilots and the rapid consumption of the oil depots of the joint fleet are certain!

Moreover... the Japanese now don't want to fight the Battle of the Aleutian Islands, because the tens of thousands of Japanese troops and three or four hundred aircraft stationed there will be no need to transfer. Hundreds of ships must be used to remove the personnel and equipment, and the 5th Fleet of the Japanese Navy has no such capacity at all.

Besides, once the Aleutian Islands are abandoned, the United States will set off from the Dutch Port to destroy aircraft carriers and submarines in the future. The straight-line distance from there to Taiwan is 3,500 nautical miles. At the speed of a class aircraft carrier and a Cleveland-class light cruiser, even if it takes the anti-submarine route for 10-12 days, it will reach the Taiwan Strait!

If this is true... the Japanese Joint Fleet doesn't have to consider a decisive battle with the US Pacific Fleet, and it has to do escort work 365 days a year.

The Pacific War is even a big fuck!

Therefore, the Aleutian Islands cannot be lost for Japan at present, but it seems difficult to fight in the Aleutian Islands.

Just when Yamamoto Iroji was in a dilemma, even more terrifying news came: a large number of American planes were approaching the Dutch port from the east!
Chapter completed!