.Amid the cool breeze on the summer night, American Robert Kontz looked at the dark Port of Panama with a complex mood.

The night air strike that was worried was not coming, but he did not doubt the ability of the German Air Force to bomb at night, so the quiet night gave him an extremely strange feeling, as if a huge pocket was waiting for him and his fleet in the Atlantic Ocean.

In the darkness, warships with majestic postures are ready to go.

"The first team successfully entered the third lock area!"

The adjutant's voice was obviously filled with an uncontrollable excitement. The Panama Canal is 81.3 kilometers long, with a water depth of 13 meters to 15 meters, and a river width of 150 meters to 304 meters. It can be used for a maximum of 76,000-class ships. The water level of the canal is 26 meters higher than two oceans and has 6 locks. It usually takes 9 hours for ships to pass through the canal. Considering that the ships cannot make evasive actions in the canal, Robert Koontz put his too

The Pacific Fleet was divided into three teams and entered the canal area one by one. He planned to wait until the first team sailed through the canal area before letting the second team enter. Although this speed was slow, even if the canal was suddenly bombed and blocked by the German Air Force, his Pacific Fleet would not be trapped in the canal. However, if a team was really forced to stay in the canal area and could not move, the consequences would be unacceptable.

Because of this, General Robert Kontz was both anxious and nervous.

In order to deal with possible air strikes by the Germans, the U.S. Army and Navy troops guarding the canal area prepared all the weapons they could use for air defense, including more than 300 anti-aircraft guns and more than 500 machine guns and machine guns that were consistently held their heads to the air. The garrison troops of each fortress even prepared emergency excavation tools and explosives.

Since its trial sail in 1904 and its official navigation to the outside world in 1920, the Panama Canal not only shortened the time of exchange between the two oceans, but also brought huge income to the US government. Nearly 10,000 ships passing through this canal every year, that is, more than 200 ships per day, while the US government charges hundreds of thousands of dollars to the navigation fee from these ships every day. In order to consolidate its control of this treasure land, the United States first instigated Panama to be independent of Colombia, and then signed a series of treaties with Panama, turning the Panama Canal area into a "country of the country". After that, the United States successively built up as many as 14 military bases and fortresses on both sides of the canal area, and stationed heavily here for many years.

Since the completion of the Panama Defense System, the US government has not only invested a lot of money to maintain and expand it every year, but has also used the Atlantic Fleet, Pacific Fleet and Army forces to simulate the Panama Canal Defense System several times. After ending these exercises satisfactorily, the US Navy proudly concluded that even the most powerful fleet in the world can never conquer the Panama Canal Defense Zone!

Despite the navy's confidence, the US government tried every means to exclude Panama from the war zone at the beginning of the war. Unfortunately, their poor performance did not achieve any effect. The Germans quickly declared Panama as a war zone between the two sides and required all neutral ships to stay away from this sea area. At the same time, they sent more than 30 mine-branched submarines to deploy mines near the two entrances and exits of the north and south. In mid-July, the Panama Canal was completely blocked. At that time, the US garrison in the canal area could only purchase food and supplies from the Panama government, and the oil of the warning fleet could only rely on those stored before the war.

By the end of July, the situation finally improved. The US minesweeper troops stationed in the Panama Canal area barely swept a safe passage for large ships at the southern exit of the canal. A fleet carrying 7,000 army soldiers and military supplies ventured from San Francisco, bringing the US regular troops stationed in the canal area to 33,000, and assisting in the defense was also a mercenary recruited from the locals. Before the arrival of the US Pacific Fleet, the warships stationed in the canal area included 2 cruisers, 5 destroyers, and 16 minesweeper boats.

Including the bombings that the Pacific Fleet arrived at the Port of Panama. Since August, the Panama Canal area has been bombed by a group of 9 long-range bombers of the Luftwaffe. There were more than 2,900 fortress garrison soldiers, naval officers and Panamanian civilians died in the bombing, and about 4,000 tons of military supplies were destroyed. The Luftwaffe also paid the price of 5 Donier 101 medium bombers and 3 Black Hawk DD long-range fighters.

Long before the outbreak of the South American War, the German Navy Staff organized some forces to study the defense system of the US military in the Panama Canal area. The final conclusion was that it was extremely difficult for the navy to capture the canal area alone. Even if it was a joint attack by sea, land and air, it would take a lot of troops and time to capture those strong fortresses, and the cost was also high. Compared with capturing this canal area, it would be much easier to completely block it. Long-range bombers from Mexico could carry blockbusters to carry intensive bombs on the Panama Canal, or airdrop a large number of mines, or concentrate a large number of submarines to lurk at the exit of the canal.

In the end, the German Supreme Command made a puzzled decision: to let the US Pacific Fleet pass through the Panama Canal!

When the German main aircraft carriers Kemal, Ernst, Georg, Zeppelin, Tirpitz, Alexander, Lewald, Joachim, and Sekendolph carried more than 20,000 naval officers and soldiers and 645 carrier-based aircraft quickly crossed the Caribbean Sea to Panama under the cover of night, people began to experience the good intentions of the German Supreme Command.

As the deputy commander of the German Atlantic Fleet and commander of the aircraft carrier formation, Prince Heinrich of Prussia was still sticking to his flagship Ernst. The battle in this direction was destined to be fierce and cruel, but the German prince was not afraid at all. In his handwritten letter to his son, Emperor William III, he said that he would rather die like Nelson of England when victory was about to come, rather than to stay in failure.

Heinrich, a fleet that brings together the essence of German naval aircraft carriers, is not alone. Four heavy cruisers, nine light cruisers and 31 destroyers are traveling with them. The strength and will of these warships and the German officers and soldiers above cannot be underestimated.

More than 20 nautical miles from the north entrance and exit of the Panama Canal, 36 German submarines will also fight side by side with the German prince.

At the same time, Reinhartscher and his battleships Graf, Albresit, Gerz, August, Albert, Bavaria, Baden, Futenburg, Saxony, King, Prince William, Caesar, Fitrey the Great, King, King of the Frontier, King Albert, and battlecruisers Markens, Earl Spee, Prince Fitrey, Deflinger, Lüzo, and Hindenburg were also prepared to face the enemy in the waters north of Cuba. More than 800 nautical miles ahead of them, the American Atlantic fleet, which had been suffocating for a long time in the Norfolk military port, were moving south quickly with anger.

Early in the morning of August 29, the first unit of the US Pacific Fleet sailed out of the Panama Canal area safely. A few minutes later, Robert Kontz ordered his second unit to enter the canal area.

Shortly after the sun rose, German fighter jets and dive bombers flew from southeastern Mexico landed at three temporary military airports near Guantanamo, Cuba. With the addition of this new force, the number of German land-based aircraft stationed in eastern Cuba has increased to four, divided into three fighter squadrons, four dive bomber squadrons and two torpedo bomber squadrons. Together with the carrier-based aircraft of the escort aircraft carriers "Knobsdorf", "Ludwig" and "Brenks", the German army can dispatch more than 300 aircraft in this direction, far more than the carrier-based aircraft on the US Atlantic Fleet wrinkled aircraft carriers.

In the evening, the Heinrich fleet sailed 500 nautical miles from the north entrance and exit of the Panama Canal. At the same time, the 2nd team of the US Pacific Fleet sailed out of the canal area, and Robert Kontz and his 3rd team then entered the canal area. According to the report of the German submarine u-911, the US Atlantic Fleet had reached more than 700 nautical miles from Cuba, which means that the distance between the US Pacific Fleet and Cuba was very close to the distance between the US Atlantic Fleet and Cuba. Just from their own deployment, the Americans calculated very accurately, but unfortunately they did not expect that Heinrich's nine main aircraft carriers would voluntarily leave the Cuban waters and move south quickly.

Night fell quietly, and the fleets on both sides also quietly made their own deployments under the cover of night. At 4 o'clock the next day, Robert Kontz's 3rd team finally left the canal area safely and soundly.

Before dawn, the battleships "South Dakota", "Indiana", "Montana", "Wyoming", "Arkansas", "New York", "Texas", "Pennsylvania", "Arizona", "New Mexico", "Mississippi", "Idaho", "Colorado", "Maryland", "West Virginia" and battle cruisers

The giant ship cannon formation composed of the "Lexington", "Constellation", "Saratoga" and "Rover" embarked on a journey with the Atlantic Fleet to attack the German fleet from north to south. The only aircraft carriers "Langley" and "Yorktown" were the few carrier-based aircraft carriers "Langley" and "Yorktown" as air cover for this Pacific Fleet. Even if land-based aircraft in the Panama Canal area were added, there were less than 120 American fighter jets in this direction.

At dawn, the distance between the nine main aircraft carriers of the Heinrich fleet was 350 nautical miles from the north entrance of the Panama Canal. In the morning light, 24 sky x-l combat reconnaissance aircraft took the lead and launched a huge fan cable formation to fly south. On the deck of the aircraft carrier, 175 Henkel DD fighters, 225 Junkers Ju-DD dive bombers and 210lks barracuda torpedo bombers were neatly arranged on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Round bombs and slender torpedoes were already hung on the abdomen and wings of these fighters.

On the sea 100 nautical miles north of Cuba, Scher's 16 battleships and 6 battlecruisers were completed in a single-line combat diagonal column. The doomsday battle in the era of large ships and giant artillery is about to begin. Behind these battleships and battle patrols, 90 carrier-based aircraft on the three escort carriers spread their wings and flying. In the eastern part of Cuba, the land-based fighter jets arranged on both sides of the runway are also making final preparations.

At 10 a.m. on August 30, the German naval carrier-based aircraft spread south to the south to find the US Pacific Fleet traveling north in three columns 15 nautical miles north of the Panama Canal. Nearly 30,000 US Navy officers and soldiers were confused and unaware of the coming crisis. It was not until the German reconnaissance planes appeared above the fleet that Robert Koonts ordered the entire fleet to prepare for air defense.

Five minutes later, the carrier-based aircraft of the Heinrich fleet began to take off, and within half an hour, a large number of fighter jets and dive bombers flew towards the US fleet.

At the same time, the German submarine U-929 found traces of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet more than 80 nautical miles north of the Florida Strait. This fleet commanded by General Edward and Eberly still has about 20 hours of voyage from the Schell fleet.

Suddenly, the air strike sirens of the US military fortress in the Panama Canal area were loud, and soon a large group of black dots appeared in the sky west of the canal. It was the direction of Mexico and Guatemala! In a hurry, 24 pwww.piaotian.com.com     In just a quarter of an hour, 11 of the 24 American fighters that took off to meet the enemy were shot down, and the rest fled back to military airports protected by ground air defense fire.

As the German aircraft group approached, fierce air artillery fire broke out in the northern section of the Panama Canal area, and the air defense firepower was huge. After a while, two German bombers flying at medium and low altitudes were shot down. However, this time, the Germans did not conduct high-altitude bombings to avoid artillery fire as usual, and their targets did not seem to be in the canal area and surrounding fortresses. A strange-style black bomb fell one after another one on the sea surface of the northern estuary of the canal, and the splashes were also aroused by the size and weight of the bombs. Seeing this scene, the US general responsible for the guard of the canal area secretly complained in his heart: the Germans dropped mines in the air!

In just half an hour, nine Donier 101 and one escorted Black Hawk DD were shot down by US artillery fire, which even exceeded the total number of aircraft lost by the Germans in the previous month of bombing. However, in return, the remaining Donier 101 medium bombers dropped more than 400 anchor and sunken thunders with 200 kilograms of strong explosives at the northern estuary of the Panama Canal. A large number of mines made it impossible for the entire Panama Canal to enter and exit the ship within a week. In other words, the US Pacific Fleet, which is about to be attacked by a large number of German naval carrier-based aircraft, has no way out.
Chapter completed!