Chapter 174 Plank Road-Panama (II)

This is not the first time Sims has expressed concerns about the Panama Canal before the president.

In October 1913, President Wilson personally activated the Gate of the Gatung Dam and announced the completion of the Panama Canal. This canal shortened the voyage between the east and west coasts by almost half, which also made it possible for the US Navy's main fleet to quickly enter Hawaii. You should know that if you detour Cape Horn from New York on the east coast to San Francisco on the west coast, the voyage would be more than 15,000 nautical miles. In contrast, the Russian Second Pacific Fleet, which was destroyed in the South China Sea in 1904, was scheduled to travel from the Gulf of Finland to Vladivostok, which was hit by the East Asian Combined Fleet and lost all within a day.

Judging from the situation after the war between China and the United States, if the canal is destroyed, the time of sailing between the east and west coasts of the United States will inevitably double, which will have an adverse impact on the defense of the West Coast and the future counterattack in the Pacific region.

Although the US Army and Navy began to build military bases in the canal area after the passage of the Treaty of High John Elda in 1903, the United States Army and Navy began to build military bases in the canal area, until the completion of the canal in 1914, the Army only built two army barracks near Cologne and Panama City, with less than one regiment stationed. The Navy only built a small number of naval facilities in Port Cologne and Port Panama with the assistance of civilian companies.

After the outbreak of the European War, military threats from China became increasingly prominent. As the main force of the naval fleet moved from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, as the most convenient and efficient reinforcement and supply channel for the fleet, the importance of the Panama Canal cannot be ignored, and the strengthening of the defense of the canal area has been put on the agenda.

The Navy's plan is to build a coastal defense fortress and naval base on the Pacific side of the canal, and deploy heavy artillery, torpedo boats, submarines and seaplanes. However, due to changes in the situation, the plan to prepare a coastal defense fortress fortress was cancelled. It was changed to build several temporary coastal defense fortresses. The modern naval base will take more than ten months to complete. The existing facilities in the Port of Panama will be replaced as much as possible.

The Army has formulated a comprehensive plan to control the entire territory of Panama when necessary and prevent enemy troops from landing in a surrounding area. It plans to enter Cologne and Panama City within a week after the outbreak of the war, and occupy all key points in Panama within a month.

On the eve of the Pearl Harbor incident, the Navy had started construction of five coastal defense turrets and two land defense turrets on the Pacific side of the Canal area, and planned to install one twin 14-inch naval gun, two twin and four single-mounted 12-inch naval guns. Five 10-inch fortress guns, eight 8-inch naval guns, seven 6-inch naval guns, and several 4-inch naval guns and 3-inch field guns. In fact, only 8-inch cannons and 6-inch cannons were placed. The Army increased the garrison in the Canal area to 3 regiments and strengthened 6 artillery companies and 3 cavalry companies. In contrast, the Panama "government" that was "protected" by the United States, all its armed forces were just a 600-man National Guard and hundreds of policemen.

After the fall of Hawaii, the army immediately "peacefully entered the entire territory of Panama, and within one month it increased its garrison to 7 infantry regiments, 16 artillery companies (including 4 heavy artillery companies) and 6 cavalry companies.

The Navy stepped up the construction of fortifications, and completed the installation of all 10-inch guns and single-mounted 12-inch guns within four weeks, and deployed a batch of air defense weapons originally prepared for Hawaii defense - including 24 3-inch high-fire guns, 12 1-pound high-fire machine guns and 32 sets of high-fire machine guns - near the ship locks and Gatong Dam.

In addition, the Army's 10th Air Force (34 land-based aircraft) commanded by former Army Aviation Director Colonel William Billy Mitchell and the 1st Hybrid Wing (25 seaplanes) commanded by Brigadier General William Bletcher also completed its deployment in Panama a few days ago.

Even so, Sims couldn't let it go.

There are three known ways to destroy the canal: landing, shelling, and air strikes.

Panama's terrain is mainly mountainous, with the highest peak of Chiriki volcano at an altitude of 3,475 meters and rainforests in the territory. The mountain pass is dangerous, with many cliffs and steep coastal banks. The US Army has gathered heavy troops to prevent it. It will be a huge price for the other party to forcibly land. Even if it is lucky enough to attack the canal area, it is likely that it will be a loss.

With the strength of the 3rd Fleet, it is obviously impossible to stop the enemy's main fleet from attacking Panama Bay, but even if the opponent uses the main gun of the 14-inch-class ground battleship, it is not easy to destroy the canal waterway in the rocky mountains. The weak link is on the two locks connecting Lake Gatong and the Pacific Ocean, which is 26 meters above sea level, but the locks are not built at the mouth of the sea. The closest secondary lock on the Pacific side goes deeper into the inland for more than ten kilometers and is blocked by mountains. Even if the battleship ventures to the shore and bombards, it may not be able to hit it accurately.

Air raids are the most worrying place. Once the Gatong Dam on the Atlantic side is destroyed, the water of the Gatong Lake will be empty, and the restoration of the dam will not be a matter of one day or a night. Fortunately, there are experts who argue that to destroy the Gravity Dam type Gatong Dam. More than one ton of TNT's explosives must be 5 to 10 meters below the waterline and explode, that is, giant torpedoes or bombs weighing 3 to 5 tons. According to the information obtained in the Hawaiian operation, the load capacity of the enemy ship-based attack aircraft is not more than 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). The seemingly weak lock gates are actually made of steel, each weighing 745 tons, which is more than one meter thick, and the strength is better than the hull of the battleship. The gate width is only 33:5 meters, and the attack difficulty is far greater than those 200 meters long battleships in Pearl Harbor.

There are difficulties, but God knows how many secrets the Chinese have hidden.

Before the Pearl Harbor incident, who could have expected that the arrogant battle fleet would be defeated by those inconspicuous little flies?

Sims would rather believe that the other party has the ability to overcome those difficulties. Since Hawaii fell, it has become Sims' habit to think about the worst in advance.

“What should we do if the canal is destroyed?”

Sims finally made up his mind to raise this question that had been wandering in his heart for a long time.

Stinson shrugged indifferently: "What does this matter? Did the war break out in 1913 and we were helpless? Didn't the navy always formulate a combat plan against China on the premise that there was no canal?"

"After Pearl Harbor, all plans have been scrapped." Sims sneered.

"Then re-establish a plan without a canal. Since the Navy withdraws from the Pacific Ocean, landing on the west coast or destroying Panama, it is all possible that we must endure." Stimson is obviously still resentful of the Navy's retreat.

Of course, the big men who were sitting in the White House quarrel could not see it. 200 nautical miles south of Panama City, a huge fleet that spans the Pacific Ocean was breaking through the waves, and the bow of the ship was neatly pointed to the American continent, targeting the canal.
Chapter completed!