Iron Cross

"Excuse me... The main fleet of the Japanese navy broke into the Indian Ocean without anyone noticing. Our fleet suffered a disastrous defeat! The leading landing force lost contact!"

"Excuse me... Admiral Horikichi, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy, solemnly declares: From now on, the North Indian Ocean will be blocked, and no sails will be allowed in or out! British and American allied ships will be destroyed when discovered!"

Looking at the dazzling black headlines on the newspaper, President Roosevelt had a strong urge to tear it to pieces and stomp it on the ground to vent his anger. However, he was a conscientious politician after all. He resisted this impulse and only said coldly. Instruct the secretary to hand the newspaper to the people in the conference room.

Everyone’s brows were furrowed. Although the developed American media industry often exaggerated newspaper headlines to attract attention, this time it was obviously not the case. In the face of the combined fleet’s performance and threats, all excuses seemed pale and feeble— —These contents and statements are like a slap on the face of the American military and political leaders, and it hurts!

"This is what was published in the newspaper this morning. What do you think?" Roosevelt suppressed his anger and asked in a low tone.

Vice President Henry Agard Wallace said displeased: "Why didn't anyone block the media? The spread of this kind of news will only cause unnecessary chaos in society."

"Blockade? How to block it?" Secretary of State Cordell Hull looked depressed. "The Japanese fleet sent a message using clear telegrams. Our major newspapers in Africa, the Middle East, and India received the news, and it was spread within three hours. All over the US media, the blockade is just a cover-up. Are we waiting for those reporters to secretly expose it and then let the people take to the streets of Washington to protest our incompetence and shamelessness?”

It is very difficult for a democratic country to block public opinion, especially heavyweight news related to the war (in history, even the Third Reich did not dare to conceal the failure of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad). Now American public opinion is paying close attention to Egypt. The war situation in the Middle East and the war in the Middle East make them extremely sensitive to every slightest disturbance. If anyone dares to conceal and lie to the people, his future political future will be very bad. And with the sending of clear telegrams, the news has become transparent. Rather than letting false rumors fly all over the sky, it is better to break them out.

There is a fire burning in everyone's heart: Where is the promised British and American sea power? Where is the promised blockade axis? Now all the naval forces of the axis are concentrated in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Not only are they beating the navies of allied countries one after another, but they are also making such noises. It is really intolerable!

Roosevelt had a solemn look on his face. He received the complete battle report much later than Churchill. It was not until it was determined that the fleet was destroyed and the landing force was lost that London passed this terrible news to Washington. It was already late at night when it reached Roosevelt. He was so angry that he didn't sleep well all night, and called a meeting of his team early in the morning to discuss countermeasures.

"Now, these yellow-skinned monkeys sneaking into the Indian Ocean are finally not afraid of exposing their targets." Admiral Jin said in a slightly mocking tone, "Judging from this statement, the Japanese fleet's campaign goal has been changed from main force engagement to sea area The control of the fleet is obviously cooperating with the German offensive in Egypt. I wonder if the British can still maintain their territory in the Middle East. This old bastard, Churchill, has tricked us time and time again. This time the navy lost one ship in one fell swoop. Aircraft carrier, 1 battleship, 6 cruisers and a bunch of transport ships and destroyers - I will have to settle the accounts with him one day."

"It's much more than that." George Marshall said coldly, "The Army also lost a Second Armored Division. Although they seemed to have succeeded in seizing the beach in the end, the losses must have been huge, and there is no news about it until now."

Everyone expressed strong dissatisfaction with the British. How did such a powerful and large combined fleet sneak in without anyone noticing? The words of Admiral King and Marshall suddenly opened up the conversation. Everyone criticized the various incompetences of the British Empire: including the destruction of super secrets, forcing the launch of the Torch Project and redirecting reinforcements to Egypt, and withholding aid supplies to the Soviet Union. In the end, they became the enemy's trophies, the 300,000-strong Eighth Army was wiped out, and the Mediterranean Fleet and Fast Column became victims of the Axis Powers... All these things were added up, and Secretary of War Smith Tingson concluded without hesitation: "The British are us. The Italians here are just here to hold us back. Their level is not as good as that of the Chinese. At least they have recaptured more than a dozen counties recently. "

Roosevelt usually did not criticize allies either publicly or privately. Today he couldn't bear it anymore and said: "The British not only sidelined us, but also suffered such huge losses. They are really a bunch of losers. Of course, this is not The point, the point is that the Allied fleet in the Indian Ocean is finished. Now there is no force in the entire Indian Ocean that can match the combined fleet. Not to mention the canal and the Red Sea, even the Persian Gulf can be blocked by the Japanese. The sea route between India and Africa is obvious. It will be cut off, what should I do next?”

Admiral Nimitz frowned and said: "This incident finally explains why the Japanese are still struggling to support themselves with aircraft and ground forces despite heavy pressure from our military on the Southeast Asian islands, yet they have spent nearly half of their original fiscal revenue. The established combined fleet—all these lunatics went to the Indian Ocean to run wild!”

Upon hearing Nimitz talk about this, Marshall asked doubtfully: "Is the Japanese fleet planning to completely surrender to Germany and never come back? Otherwise, it is difficult to understand why they left their own islands and territory alone, and Baba ran to Germany People work hard.”

Admiral Jin shrugged: "Who knows? The world of madmen is beyond our comprehension."

"Perhaps Hitler gave the Japanese an offer that was difficult to refuse. After the German-Japanese Indian Ocean route is opened, troubles will follow. I have studied the public statements of Japan, Germany and Italy on Arabia and India. They should be more careful on many issues. A collusion was formed." As expected of a veteran politician, Secretary Hull was aware of the subtleties and realized the truth.

"I have to say that this time we have hit our weak point." Smith Tingson was obviously more pessimistic about the future of the war. "In Africa and the Indian Ocean, we actually have no force that can compete with the Axis—— When it comes to the navy, the Combined Fleet is now the hegemon; when it comes to the army, the Germans captured Alexandria, Cairo fell within a matter of seconds, and the whereabouts of the 2nd Armored Division are still unknown.”

After a few minutes of discussion, everyone came to the conclusion that the problem ultimately lies with the Navy! Without sea control, it was impossible to send land troops to land and support. We could only watch German ground forces sweep across Egypt, East Africa, and the Middle East. The next step was to threaten South Africa and India.

"What other reinforcements can we put in?" Roosevelt asked General King hopefully. "The strength of the slow column is indeed not enough."

"It's difficult." Admiral Jin quickly took stock and reported, "Our strength is concentrated in the Pacific Fleet. Now the Atlantic Fleet can use one Arkansas-class battleship (Arkansas) and two New Mexico-class battleships (Mississippi, USS Idaho). The battleships USS Nevada (Nevada class) and USS Tennessee (Tennessee class) are undergoing modernization and are expected to be put into service in 6-12 months; the first ship of the Iowa class will not be completed and commissioned until February at the earliest. , and then it will take 2-3 months to conduct sea trials. There is currently no aircraft carrier in the fleet, but an Essex-class aircraft carrier and an Independence-class light aircraft carrier will be completed and commissioned at the end of this month and next month, but the two ships still need to be completed. After going through the process of sea trial, shipboarding, and running-in, it will take at least five months to achieve combat effectiveness.”

Roosevelt shook his head in disappointment: Both the Arkansas class and the New Mexico class were old ships from World War I. They could not defeat the cutting-edge battleships of Japan or Italy. The Iowa class battleships and Essex were very useful. -class aircraft carrier will have to wait another 5-6 months. The current strength of the Atlantic Fleet is indeed a bit weak, and it may be reluctant to escort the fleet. It is impossible to use it for the main battle of the fleet.

He turned around and asked Nimitz: "Since the main force of the Japanese fleet is in the Indian Ocean, can the Pacific Fleet deploy 1-2 new battleships to support the Atlantic? In the future, the first ship of Iowa can be deployed in the Pacific first."

"This..." Nimitz showed an embarrassed look, "We lost two Crodora-class ships in the Pacific direction (Colordora and Maryland were destroyed by Sakura), and the only battleship currently available is the Indiana USS Alabama (both South Dakota class), USS North Carolina (Carolina class) and USS New Mexico (New Mexico class), if 1-2 more ships are deployed, there will be problems in the Far East battlefield. "

Smith Tingson asked strangely: "Aren't there still 4 George V-class ships?"

Admiral Jin answered the other party's question in a gloomy tone: "Old bastard Churchill sent us a telegram, saying that because the Japanese fleet is so rampant in the Indian Ocean and Africa, he hopes that the main force of the Pacific Fleet will move to Ceylon to fight on the island of Ceylon to block the Japanese's return to Asia. road, and have a decisive battle with them in the Indian Ocean. If not, can we return 4 George V and 3 armored aircraft carriers to them, and let them add the capital ships in the slow fleet to fight the Japanese."

"This is impossible..." Nimitz said quickly, "If we only fight the main force of the Combined Fleet, the Pacific Fleet may still be able to win with its existing strength. But after the Suez Canal fell into the hands of the Axis, Italy and The German fleet can also come out, and the Three Kingdoms Convergence has an advantage in strength. More importantly, since the main force of the Japanese fleet is staying in the Indian Ocean, why don't we use the opportunity of the enemy's empty strength to increase our offensive intensity, but instead go to the Indian Ocean to find them. What about the decisive battle?"

This won't work, that won't work; this won't work, that won't work either... Roosevelt felt distraught and couldn't help but bang on the table and get angry: "Can we just watch the Germans sweep through the Middle East? Can we Can we just let the Japanese show off their power in the Indian Ocean? What if they attack India, what if they attack South Africa? Gentlemen, this is not the time to complain, we must come up with a solution."