"On July 5, I will lead the First Battle Fleet to Qinhuangdao Port and immediately replenish the fleet with ammunition and supplies." After the Beiyang Fleet Commander Wang Chongwen returned to Qingdao from Beijing, he immediately called the Chief of Operations, Rear Admiral Safqiang.
's office.
"Is there any big move in Liaodong?" Safqiang asked.
"There is a big move, but it's not us. We are just performing diversionary tasks." Wang Chongwen looked out the window and said with some disappointment.
Looking at the harbor from the headquarters building, there are more than a dozen new warships moored there. With the Nanyang Campaign temporarily coming to an end, the strategic focus of the Republic Navy has turned to the north. The 2nd Battle Fleet, including the battleships Changbai Mountain and Xing'anling, is planning
Returning to the Beiyang Fleet made Admiral Wang really excited for a while.
Unfortunately, in the battle plan formulated by the General Staff Headquarters, the Beiyang Fleet only played a supporting role.
"How is the situation of the submarine force?" Wang Chongwen lit a cigarette and continued to ask. He was referring to the 1st Submarine Command affiliated to the Beiyang Fleet. Before he returned to Qingdao, the 1st Submarine Force had already
He was ordered to dispatch to the Sea of Japan and the Korean Strait to perform missions.
"The power system of submarine No. 226 failed after going to sea the day before yesterday and could only return to the base. There are four other submarines undergoing routine maintenance. The remaining 27 submarines have been dispatched in batches. Currently, the conditions of each submarine are normal and they are rushing to the base as planned.
Designated location." Safqiang said, "Cheng Keming is on the 313 boat and sent back a telegram two hours ago. The team under his personal command is expected to arrive in Tsushima waters around early tomorrow morning."
On July 24, 1938, a huge fleet appeared in the relatively calm waters of the East China Sea.
There were white clouds floating in the clear sky, and the large-scale Republican fleet stirred up white waves on the blue sea, sailing north on the channel about 25 nautical miles away from the coast of China. The fleet's
The core is six aviation battleships, four large supply ships and a hospital ship, four "Jiangsu-class" aviation battleships and two "Guangdong-class" aviation battleships arranged in column C. In front of the aviation fleet are three ships including
The heavy cruiser including the "Yue Fei" is followed by the two fast battleships "Taihangshan" and "Yanshan" at the rear, four "Taiyuan-class" air defense cruisers on both sides, and the outermost layer is composed of 10 destroyers and 6 "Taiyuan-class" anti-aircraft cruisers.
The anti-submarine protection circle composed of Jingjiang-class anti-submarine frigates has the "Zhenjiang" cruiser as the reconnaissance guide ship at the front, thus forming a ring and air defense formation.
What do the Chinese people want to do?
Located at the Hashishima Alliance Fleet Anchorage southeast of Iwakuni City in the Seto Inland Sea, in the headquarters of the renovated Japanese Combined Fleet flagship "Nagato", the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo, frowned and listened to his subordinates.
opinions.
The Japanese Navy does not have the spirit of committing seppuku after a defeat like the Army. After the failure of the Dongsha Naval Battle, although the military strictly blocked the news from the people, it is a fact that the Combined Fleet lost two main battleships and two heavy cruisers. Suetsugu Nobumasa was transferred
When he went to Maizuru to serve as the commander-in-chief of the garrison, Mitsumasa Yoneuchi, Tokujiro Sumiyama, Narumi Inoue and others took the opportunity to push him to the position of commander-in-chief of the combined fleet in order to weaken the power of Osamu Nagano and others.
"The Navy Ministry's judgment is that the enemy fleet has two purposes for dispatching this time. One is to cut off the connection between the Empire and the Kanto State, and the other is to cut off transportation between the Korean Straits." Combined Fleet Chief of Staff Mikawa Junichi
First, the content of the telegram sent by the Minister of Military Order Nagano Shushen was introduced.
"Is it possible to launch an attack on the mainland?" Yamaguchi Tawen, the chief of staff of the Second Fleet, said, "It is too risky to put the four Kongo-class ships of the fast battle fleet in Sasebo."
"The commander of the Aviation Command, Lieutenant General Yamamoto, has always had this view. He insisted that the Chinese would launch an attack on Sasebo or even Kure Naval Port. The opponent had six aircraft carriers and more than 500 combat aircraft, and was capable of launching an assault on the empire." Mikawa Junyi
Said, "But the Military Command believes that this possibility is very small. The combat radius of the Chinese aircraft is only three hundred miles, and under the protection of land-based fighters, they can only suffer heavy losses. Just like our fleet cannot get close to China
Just like the sea area 200 nautical miles from the coast, their fleet will not reach the area 200 nautical miles from the empire’s coast.”
"Should we move the fast battleship fleet back to Wu Hai?" Ozawa Jisaburo asked.
"This is impossible. The fast fleet needs to be reinforced quickly after being attacked in the Korean Strait. The Military Command will not agree to this." Second Fleet Commander Ugaki Matoi said, "If you are afraid of being attacked, everyone should hide first and stay in hiding from now on."
How can we still fight!"
"Okay, report the situation to the Fast Battle Fleet and the Sasebo garrison and ask them to step up their guard." Yoshida Zengo looked very tired. They are also island countries. The situation faced by Japan is the same as what the British faced during World War I.
The situation is absolutely different. As long as the British blockade the North Sea, they can completely trap the Germans in the port, while the Chinese have a long coastline, which is actually equivalent to the Germans annexing the entire Europe. As a resource-poor Japan,
It is simply incapable of long-term confrontation with such a mainland country. Even if the Chinese people do nothing but delay, they can overwhelm the Japanese media.
Since the beginning of the war, Japan's steel production has plummeted from 2.2 million tons to 1.58 million tons. This is because it can also purchase large quantities of scrap steel from the United States. As the activities of the China Navy submarine force have become more and more frequent, ships heading to Japan's seas
Transportation also appears more difficult.
The British and French navies were temporarily driven out of the Western Pacific. Now only the Japanese navy is left to resist alone. If it does not receive reinforcements, the empire's prospects will be very bad.
In Tokyo, Konoe Cabinet Foreign Minister Koki Hirota is actively seeking the British to send a fleet to support Japan. However, the British's strategic focus is on how to protect India and Australia, and they simply cannot send out warships to strengthen Japan's defense.
The very weak French navy has now lost most of its fleet, domestic anti-war voices are rising, and it is temporarily unable to send troops to the Far East.
Fortunately, the British can also send transport fleets and material support.
Without the supplies from the British, no one can imagine how Japan could survive.
It was almost dusk, and the red fire clouds in the sky dyed the sea surface into brilliant colors. The Republic task force commanded by Cheng Yaoheng began to turn on the East China Sea, aiming at the Japanese archipelago.
Cheng Yaoheng set his headquarters on the aircraft carrier "Jiangsu" instead of locating his headquarters on the battleship "Taihangshan", the flagship of the East China Sea Fleet, as usual.
Using aircraft carriers for offensive and offensive operations is a brand-new attempt. Will the result be a military revolution or a failure? Cheng Yaoheng stood on the fourth-floor bridge, looking at the unpredictable sea water in front of him. He was not sure in his heart.