The Rise of the Empire

Chapter 2763: Interlude two



After any battle that seems to be mutually victorious, whether it is the warring parties or the crowd eating melons next to them, they will actually consider who won and who lost the battle. From the perspective of the Americans, the purpose of the Sims Fleet's operation has actually been achieved. The US fleet has completely destroyed the oil fields and refinery facilities on Taragen Island. This is the most critical and essential goal!

The price paid is indeed huge. The four aircraft carriers have been sunk, and the carrier-based aircraft on them have almost been lost. However, the structure of aircraft carriers in this era is relatively simple and the requirements are not high. To say that the supplementary cycle is better than that of battleships and later generations. Aircraft carriers are much shorter, which is one of the reasons why aircraft carriers are sometimes called second-class capital ships. Therefore, the sinking of the 4 aircraft carriers is not unacceptable to the US Navy. Of course, the face is not pretty...

Betty is right. If this battle is over now, then the Americans will still make a lot of money. The oil and refining facilities of Tarragona Island can provide Japan with more than 9 million pounds of output every year! This money alone is enough to buy 3 Fury-class battleships, and the reaction caused by the destruction of this important oil and petrochemical base is even more chain-like. In a short period of time, it is difficult to see how much the Japanese will pay, but There is no doubt that this is a huge blow to Japan's war potential.

As a country whose national strength is far inferior to the United States, at this time, it was stabbed severely by the other party. If the Japanese really dare not let go, then Betty can only say that Japan wants a comparison in the future. Decent results are impossible!

So, what is there to hesitate on this kind of strategic issue? Naturally just copy the guys and do it! In the analysis of the current situation and the decisive action, the Japanese are far inferior to the British. At the end of the war, when the empire was about to fall, the Great Fleet, as the last reliable force in the hands of the British, went into Norway without hesitation. In the sea decisive battle, in fact, before the start of the battle, from Jericho to Steddy, they all believed that the chance of victory was very slim, but they also went to fight for that ray of life. And now, when Betty thinks that the Japanese combined fleet is still the advantage, you dare not go up and down?

"We have to sink at least four American battleships in this naval battle to ensure the stability of the situation. Therefore, don't hesitate. When the Americans retreat, we must bravely meet! The future of the Japanese Empire may be It was decided in a few hours of fighting." Betty said at last.

"It's really impossible to wait for the other two aircraft carriers, and we can't let go of the American fleet. In that case, we can only rely on the battleship in our hands." Shigeru Taro Yoshimatsu set the tone of the battle. Well, the question now becomes how to fight....

"The U.S. battleship squadron should have 11 battleships, 2 new armored cruisers, and 2 old armored cruisers, a total of 15 capital ships, and we are 13 capital ships. Our Nagato-class and Fuso-class battleships are relative to the Americans. Standard battleships have a huge advantage, but the remaining 5 battleships are not enough. I even doubt whether the two dreadnoughts have an advantage when facing 4 large armored cruisers.” Shimura said.

"Isn't it? The two dreadnoughts also have 10 12-inch guns." Suzuki Kantaro said.

"It's not the same, let’s not talk about the amount of projection. The 10 12-inch guns are definitely not as good as the 16 10-inch guns. The 12-inch guns we are using are still old-fashioned shells. The previously unreliable fuze, the shells exploded too early, and the armor penetration ability was not high. If the new American cruiser had a vertical armor belt of 9 inches or more, then our 12-inch artillery could not penetrate at all." Hayao Shimamura, the chief of staff, is very clear about the Japanese navy's wealth.

The development of the Japanese Navy is still very fast. Dreadnoughts equipped with 12-inch guns are just a simple transition. Soon, the Japanese Navy began to build the Kurama-class battleships and Kongo-class battlecruisers. During the war, it had 12 ships. Ten of the battleships of the Japanese navy were super fearless. Two dreadnoughts were quickly marginalized. Some transformation work was carried out, but the artillery shells have not been replaced. After all, if there is a real war, the Japanese do not expect it. How useful is the 12-inch cannon? After all, the two early dreadnoughts lacked not only firepower, but also not up to speed.

"So there are 5 weak ships in our fleet. Is it possible that there will be problems? And we can't throw away these two warships? This is really annoying thing." Shigeru Taro Yoshimatsu said.

"Yes, we can't abandon these two warships, otherwise we will have 11 warships fighting against each other's 15 ships, and those armored cruisers are definitely not easy to deal with. They will cause us a lot of trouble with high explosive bombs~www. novelhall.com~ And to be honest, I think the King Kong-class side-string armor may not be so safe against 10-inch guns." Shimura Hayao said. After all, where can only 8-inch vertical armor be strong? The American 10-inch artillery has a length-to-diameter ratio of 50 times and is equipped with a new type of armor-piercing projectile. Fortunately, the Japanese still have dome armor.

"In that case, let's put them at the end of the queue. When necessary, we can also maneuver with 11 fast battleships." Shigeru Taro Yoshimatsu said.

"The key to combat is reconnaissance. We must intercept the U.S. fleet as soon as possible. Otherwise, even with the U.S. fleet's speed of about 18 knots per hour, they can go up and down 35 kilometers in an hour. If they go too far, our bombers will The troops may also be too weak." Shimura Yasuo reminded.

This is true. After all, the U.S. fleet can safely cross the Talaw Islands one night. According to the results of the Fleet General Staff’s deduction, during the day, the U.S. fleet will be at the edge of the combat radius of the Talaw Islands bomber group, and if Japan If the fleet cannot intercept the first time, then once the Americans run away, the Japanese Navy’s bomber group in the Talaw Islands may not have much effect, and you must consider that the bomber group should take off at dawn and catch up. It also takes time to get to the battlefield.

"We have arranged for reconnaissance. Submarines and seaplanes will provide night reconnaissance. Although the effect is not obvious, in addition, for the land-based aviation team, if we are willing to perform a one-way attack, then the US fleet will definitely run It's not out of the range of our bomb attack," said Yasuo Shimura.

"This method can be implemented as a last resort," said Shigeru Taro Yoshimatsu.

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