Canteen System Assistance Notes

"Your telegram, General."

The office doorbell rang, and the communications officer walked in. "This is from the commander-in-chief. Only you can see it." "Okay, I understand."

After taking the envelope from the officer and checking the seal, Fletcher nodded in thanks.

He took out his letter opener and opened the letter. After a quick glance, he confirmed that it was indeed from the Taijian Commander and signed for it. After the officer left, Fletcher sat down in his chair and examined the telegram, which was classified as secret and had a high priority.

However, after Fletcher read it once, his eyes widened immediately. He leaned back a little, his eyes widened, then sat up straight and read it again carefully.

Fletcher stood up from his comfortable wicker chair, pressed his hand against the desk, and pressed his forehead with the other. He glanced at the naval aircraft model on the desk, then carefully examined the map on the wall, and then paced around the room, left and right, back and forth several times, and finally he kept shaking his head.

Finally, Fletcher returned to his desk, stood up, picked up the telegram again, and confirmed it word by word.

“Hereby Orders

"Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, commanding the USS Saratoga, will maneuver to 20 degrees west and north of Port Vila, 400 nautical miles, by April 28, 1942, to rendezvous with the USS Yorktown and form Task Force 17." Task Force 17 will be commanded by Rear Admiral Fletcher, and in subsequent campaign operations, will destroy the Japanese Navy's outlying bases in this area, provide air cover, and at the same time, cover the smooth implementation of Operation God Bless.

“The relevant intelligence will be sent in the form of a briefing later.

"Commander-in-Chief, Chester William Nimitz" Oh no, Fletcher thought.

Destroy the Japanese outer bases, provide air cover, and, although not explicitly stated in the order but definitely required, "guard the Japanese fleet in the direction of Rabaul" - this is Mission One.

The main goal of Operation God Bless was to transport ground troops to Buna, Gona, Milne Bay and other places on New Guinea Island for defense through a combination of air and sea transport. Fletcher's second task was to cover the smooth progress of this operation.

Simply put, it means "both."

If the mission requirements were fully followed, "Grand Admiral" Fletcher would not only need to lead aircraft carriers and destroyers to scout and sweep the Japanese outer bases in the Solomon Sea, fight for air supremacy, and guard against Japanese air raids and interceptions, but also allocate troops to guard against possible Japanese surface ships to prevent the vulnerable transport fleet and transport aircraft formation from being surrounded and killed.

But Fletcher only had two aircraft carriers, the Saratoga and the Yorktown.

According to intelligence analysis, there are a total of four Japanese aircraft carriers operating in the South Pacific. Two of them are the larger fleet aircraft carriers "Shokaku" and "Zuikaku"; the other two are smaller light aircraft carriers, "Shoho" and "F Zuiho" - Recently, ON just updated a version of the Japanese Navy's battleship technical manual, adjusting the Shokaku and Zuikaku to the same level of aircraft carriers, and deleting the "Takasago" that has never appeared, and believes that she cannot be active in the South Pacific region.

Although this is a good thing, it means that we can face one less aircraft carrier, but the tonnage of the Shokaku class has also been updated from 15000 tons to about 32000 tons.

ONI estimates that the two aircraft carriers can each carry more than 72 aircraft.

To deliver a large attack wave of nearly 100 aircraft in a single wave - this does not include the launch capacity of the two light aircraft carriers. If these four aircraft carriers act together...

One Saratoga and one Yorktown would probably not be able to secure their advantage.

As a naval commander with excellent technical and tactical skills, Fletcher knew how to measure combat power reasonably, and to attack when appropriate and avoid fighting when appropriate - now, he believed that the navy should not act so rashly.

If this operation could be delayed for a while, the navy's capital ship dilemma could be greatly improved: the USS Lexington, which was replacing its main guns at Pearl Harbor, could quickly complete the modification and be added to the combat fleet; the USS Enterprise and USS Hornet of the 16th Task Force, which were operating near the Marshall Islands, could also participate in the operation: in this way, the US Navy would assemble 5 fleet aircraft carriers, enough to suppress the opponent's 2+2" lineup.

So, why choose now?

Why now?

Was it to get ahead of the Japanese and prevent them from building land-based airfields in these areas?

Indeed, if the Japanese army could seize and successfully operate these airfields and station land-based aircraft, it could indeed change the balance of power. However, in this case, he should obviously take his aircraft carriers and adopt a "roving" posture. After completing the bombing of the outer bases, he would lead the fleet south and return home, out of the detection range of the Japanese land-based seaplanes. In this way, he could mobilize the Japanese aircraft carriers and seize the initiative in the battle.

If the goal was to transport the Marines and Army ashore, then they shouldn't expect a task force of only two aircraft carriers to wipe out the Japanese land bases in the surrounding islands. Instead, they had to advance in a fleet-based decisive battle, identify any Japanese surface vessels and destroy them. After all, if they lost the decisive battle on the surface, what good would those two-legged beasts do landing? Wouldn't they still be bombed by planes and bombed by naval guns?

On April 10th, intelligence reports indicated that the Japanese had captured Tulagi and were constructing a seaplane base. The Japanese were clearly proceeding methodically, their primary objective likely to be to seize and build airfields on the numerous islands surrounding the Solomon Islands, deploying ground-based aircraft for reconnaissance and surveillance of the entire maritime area. Later, with the arrival of attack aircraft, this air superiority would be smoothly transformed into the ability to strike targets at sea.

But obviously, this kind of thing cannot be accomplished in a few days.

Fletcher gestured at the map, pondering for a moment, then sat down and stood up again, closing and opening the curtains. He looked out the window. The damage from Pearl Harbor hadn't been completely repaired. In the distance, there were still some rubble from the bombing, and workers were circling around the damaged warships, intent on repairing and repairing them.

Perhaps this decision wasn't made for purely tactical reasons: for example, it involved issues with the Army's command in the South Pacific, or it was driven by political propaganda and the need to boost morale. For example, Fort Corregidor, a fortress said to hold out for three years, was now shamelessly sending radio calls for help. It was only a matter of time before it was captured by the Japanese.

If this gets to the media...

Fletcher's mind seemed to flash, and he finally sat down. He rang the bell and summoned his secretary. "General." The secretary walked in quickly.

"Please arrange a call with General Nimitz for me."

However, the conversation with General Nimitz was destined to disappoint Frank Jack Fletcher. Admiral Chester William Nimitz was sitting silently in his office, reading the briefing in one hand and holding the microphone in the other.

"Yes, that's right, you're right.

Yes, you mean, we don't need to take such a risk, right? "After listening to Fletcher's statement, Nimitz pondered for a few seconds and finally spoke, "Yes, that's right, but if General King heard your complaints, he would only give you more stringent orders, so..."

There was silence on the line, but Nimitz broke the awkward situation: "No, Frank, it's not your fault."

He answered in a low, emotionless voice, "I understand the President and the Navy's purpose, and even agree that it's necessary... This operational plan is undoubtedly risky, impulsive, and politically motivated. However, I cannot refuse it—either because of my identity or my emotions."

"Negotiations with the Army are basically complete. We will be responsible for eliminating the Japanese outlying bases and covering the Army's landings. After that, battlefield command can be transferred, and the Navy can establish its own South Pacific Command. Meanwhile, Mr. President, and indeed, America, needs this victory."

Nimitz said calmly. His voice was calm and gentle, but it contained an attitude that could not be disputed.

"Frank, you must complete it, and you must complete it victoriously. Lead our great boys, beat up the powerful Japanese, and bring victory to America. America needs you now, and we have no choice.

The Army Air Force's bombers and reconnaissance aircraft in Luganville will assist you, and the Tai Fleet will always coordinate everything for you, don't worry. He paused, then spoke finally. "We are counting on you, Frank. The Navy, America, and all the Allies are counting on you—we need this victory. May God bring us her!"

Chapter 639: The Battle of Rennell Island (I) The Fog of War

Frank: Jack Fletcher, a historically unlucky American naval commander. He had a solid foundation and excellent command skills, but his steadiness led to his unique character, and not many people left a historical evaluation of his personality. At the same time, the luck of this unfortunate "Grand Admiral" was really a bit bad.

But despite this, Mr. Fletcher is still very serious about the mission - even though he really doesn't like this battle for politics and public opinion.

And the naval battles that "the navy wants to regain its ground", but he is still in command

I was very alert.

Many real-time strategy games have a "fog of war" setting.

During a match, players cannot see many details of unexplored terrain, and the entire environment may even be obscured by black. For explored terrain but without friendly units stationed there, it will be shrouded in a gray fog of war. Players can only see the terrain and discovered buildings, but cannot spot enemy units.

The same was true for Fletcher aboard the Yorktown.

This large warship, equipped with new radar and communication equipment, is rich in equipment and has ample space, which allows it to better coordinate and command the actions of the entire fleet, and to better detect the enemy's traces in the fog of war. In naval battles, especially naval battles with aviation as the main force, discovering the enemy first means attacking the enemy first, and attacking the enemy first often means victory in the battle.

Now, the entire fleet is moving slowly along the northern edge of the Coral Sea. The destroyers form small teams and spread out far around the fleet, acting as a warning curtain for the fleet; while the core composed of light and heavy cruisers is tightly protecting the "Yorktown" and "Saratoga" in the center of the formation.

Fletcher looked at the marine clock beside him - it was now 6:30 a.m., May 1, 1942.

The relationship between the U.S. Navy and Army is not very good. They often quarrel over issues such as war zone command and division, and they also compete with each other for military funds. However, when a real war breaks out, the two major services can still distinguish priorities and put aside their interests to cooperate.

Under Nimitz's coordination, the Army took off the Hudson patrol aircraft from the airport in Townsville and flew reconnaissance in a full-fuel and empty-load mode. In this mode, the patrol aircraft had an extremely long range of 300 kilometers, which could cover the northern waters of the Coral Sea.

The night before, the Army informed the Navy of their findings: large Japanese warships were active in the waters southwest of Rendova Island.

Among them, there is a high probability that the Japanese aircraft carrier exists. However, due to weather conditions, the aircraft

The crew said that they were unable to distinguish the type and number of ships at a safe distance, nor could they conduct effective ranging, and further confirmation was needed.

This information had been updated on the chart, becoming a vague area of ​​the sea. But by now, it was clearly no longer fresh: overnight, the possible "large ship" had disappeared into obscurity. The staff, after running simulations based on different hypothetical carrier speeds, discovered that the "suspicious circle" had become so extensive that it was practically worthless.

Sure enough, I have to do the investigation work myself.

At daybreak, Saratoga and Yorktown began launching reconnaissance aircraft. Each of the two carriers released six pairs of SBD bombers, forming 12 reconnaissance formations, which flew in a fan-shaped formation toward the Solomon Islands.

Even this process wasn't entirely smooth. Maintenance personnel on the Yorktown reported excessive rubber particles in the fuel tank lines of four SBDs, causing engine start failures and necessitating a temporary replacement. Ultimately, however, after much effort, today's reconnaissance video was finally released.

"General, the reconnaissance formation has been launched. They will focus on the area reported by the Army Aviation."

"I see." Fletcher looked at the chart and nodded in response.

The reconnaissance plane drifted away, its back to the rising sun. Fletcher's eyes soon transformed it into chess pieces on the war room's nautical chart. Currently, the pieces representing Yorktown and Saratoga were slowly sailing northwest, gradually approaching their assigned sea area.

In order to balance the intention of "attacking the outer bases and removing the Japanese fleet to cover the landing troops", Fletcher chose a route quite close to the Solomon Islands and near Rennell Island: it was closer to the Japanese confirmed seaplane base "Tulagi", and the attack aircraft going to the bomber base could return faster; and if it was necessary to deal with Japanese surface ships, he could also recover the aircraft as quickly as possible and organize an attack wave.

However, before Fletcher received the report from the reconnaissance unit, news came from the radio room.

"General, information from the Army Aviation Department."

The young man at the radio booth handed a piece of paper to the officer, who read it several times before walking over to Fletcher and reporting the situation. It turned out that an Army Air Force Hudson 200 reconnaissance plane had also taken off that morning for reconnaissance and had been pursued by three Zero fighters about 20', 110 nautical miles, northwest of Guadalcanal. The vulnerable patrol plane had immediately turned and fled after sending its message, but contact was lost shortly thereafter, presumably shot down by the Japanese.

This meant that there were indeed Japanese aircraft carriers there! And they were most likely fleet carriers! Fletcher looked at the telegram that had been passed around several times before it reached him. The Army Air Force patrol planes had only seen the Japanese ships from a distance before they were intercepted by Zero fighters. They didn't even have time to identify the type of ships or the size of the fleet - this clearly meant that the enemy's direct defense circle was very tight and extended greatly: ordinary small aircraft carriers could not achieve this!

But what are the Japanese aircraft carriers doing here?

He looked at the nautical chart. This location was right at the mouth of the "big pocket" of the Solomon Sea. If an aircraft carrier was deployed here, although it would affect the range of the aircraft carrier formation's maneuvering, it would be able to monitor the entrance to the entire sea area, thus protecting the remaining fleets. And the fleet operating in this sea area, and requiring aircraft carrier protection, was obviously most likely the Japanese landing fleet.

The Japanese army is planning to land in New Guinea! Where are they going? Buna? Milne? Or perhaps they are planning to land in Port Moresby?

The fog of war was shredded by a small patrol plane, at the cost of its own life. And in this fleeting window, a fleet of Japanese "large aircraft carriers" appeared on the vast ocean. Watching his staff placing a red chess piece in the corresponding sea area based on the Army Aviation intelligence, Fletcher hesitated. Should he react to such vague, yet incredibly valuable, intelligence?

If they reacted and there were indeed Japanese aircraft carriers there, then Task Force 17 would be able to take the initiative and launch an effective strike on the unprepared Japanese fleet. If they failed to do so, then the fleet's presence might be exposed, and not only would they lose the advantage of a surprise attack, but they would also be more likely to invite a counterattack from the Japanese superior air force, bringing disaster upon themselves...

However, at this time, as a commander, you must not hesitate!

My own military strength is insufficient. If I don't even take this little risk, then there is absolutely no possibility of victory!

Fletcher didn't hesitate any longer. He looked at the map carefully and asked loudly: "Who can tell me which guy in our reconnaissance team is closest to this direction?" "It's Gallagher from VB3, General! From 'Saratoga'!"

"Great!" Fletcher nodded and gave the order solemnly, "Let them confirm the situation! Then, let the Yorktown and Saratoga immediately begin attack preparations - we will launch an attack in this direction!" "Okay! Okay! Sir!"

Saratoga and Yorktown began to turn around and increase their power to get enough deck wind for the carrier-based aircraft to take off. The two ships' huge hulls cut through the waves.

The ship's elevators began to send out "Wildcats", "Dauntlesses" and "Devastators" one after another.

In the war room, the radio was busy, with a large number of calls coming in and a large number of messages being sent out. Under the usual background interference in the South Pacific,

The radio operators had to send the same command in multiple messages, causing confusion.

Oh no! What a commotion! The staff officers began to lay out the chess pieces representing the two ships' attack formations on the map, instructing the soldiers in charge to move these oversized pieces at regular intervals. Finally, with the planes lifted and their bombs loaded, the two ships released a formation consisting of 12 fighters, 36 dive bombers, and 12 torpedo planes.

The three types of aircraft had different resistance and horsepower, and it was quite difficult to form a well-formed formation after taking off from the aircraft carrier. After a bumpy takeoff, countless shouting, swearing and coordination, these fighters with blue and white emblems finally formed a roaring cloud, rushing towards the target whose true or false was unknown over the equally howling South Pacific.

However, the ever-changing ocean did not give Fletcher's determination any lucky favor. VB3's Gallagher and his SBD team did not find the target.

They did not give up and spread out to search, risking running out of fuel for the return voyage. However, under the cotton-like low clouds in the South Pacific, they did not find any Japanese warships - the fog of war was still tough and dense, making it difficult to see through and understand.

This round of attack formation came up empty-handed.

Chapter 640: The Battle of Rennell Island (II) Restrictive Perspective

Looking back at the many magnificent battlefields in world history and the many famous generals who left their names in history, later researchers interested in history often have an illusion - in such a simple and clear battlefield environment, it seems that any qualified military academy graduate can make the right decision and achieve great achievements like the historical generals.

But in reality, this is not something that everyone can do.

When a latecomer to history reads the history of war, he often has an unequal position - he knows the movements of both sides on the battlefield, is clear about the battle objectives of both armies, and is even more aware of the contradictions, conflicts and strategic intentions between hostile countries. In an environment where there is no information gap, most people can make the best decision.

However, famous generals in history did not have this. They could only rely on limited information, fragmented intelligence, and inaccurate reports to make decisions. Therefore, in many cases, intuition, experience, and even luck would come in handy - and all of this ultimately made the "famous generals" achieve great feats.

Had Frank Jack Fletcher had a bit more luck, he would have surely been called a famous general. And his opponent, Inoue Shigeki, commander of the 4th Fleet of the Japanese Combined Fleet... well... he could probably also be called a "famous general," right?

But now, from the perspective of a "famous general", the situation at hand is not as ample as outsiders imagine.

Compared with the 2+2 assessment of the US Navy, the Japanese military's force for this MO operation was not actually as luxurious as "2 regular aircraft carriers + 2 light aircraft carriers", but only had two regular aircraft carriers, the Shokaku and the Zuikaku, one light aircraft carrier, the Shoho, and one special seaplane carrier, the Shokawa Maru.

Among them, the "Shokawa Maru" has no aircraft launch capability and can only carry seaplanes. It is currently stationed at the Tulagi water base, assisting in the operation of newly deployed large boats, water reconnaissance and water warfare.

The main force of LN's air fleet is not here: the most popular First Carrier Kaga accidentally ran aground while sailing to the Palau Sea (Palau), and the bottom of the ship was slightly damaged and forced to return to the country for repairs; and the Second Carrier Hiryu, which performed well in the Ceylon air raid and made great contributions in sinking the British ships "Hersene" and "Hamacho", but perhaps because of the joy, it was attacked by the torpedo planes of the "British Teacher" at dusk while recovering the carrier-based aircraft, and was hit by two torpedoes - fortunately, the damage control on the ship was effective, and the torpedo was located on the ship road, so the Hiryu was able to resume sailing on its own and return to the country for repairs.

While Akagi and Soryu were safe, due to the JN's organization, most carriers were operating in pairs, and they were also returning to Japan for repairs, preventing them from deploying to the South Pacific. Therefore, the Admiral was left with only 2+1+0.1" carriers available. This situation clearly affected Vice Admiral Inoue Shigemi's deployment.

Under his order, the solitary Shoho was mixed with four heavy cruisers and handed over to the command of Rear Admiral Goto Aritomo. They would serve as a cover detachment for Operation Mo, patrolling the east side of the Solomon Sea, taking on anti-submarine and surveillance tasks; while the "Shuanghe", the main force of the fleet, would bypass the waters north of Guadalcanal and approach the war zone in a roundabout way.

Inoue Narumi hoped that such an arrangement could avoid Allied reconnaissance planes. If the US military did not come, or the two sides did not meet, the fleet in the Solomon Sea would lead the South China Sea Fleet to land smoothly in Mo Port; if intercepted by the US military, the landing fleet could suspend the action and turn around to send the assault corps (17th Army) to land in Buna, Milne and other places, and build airports there.

This assumption was supported by the Chief of Staff of the 17th Army, Kuribayashi Tadamichi - perhaps because the Chief of Staff was quite pessimistic about the direct landing attack on Port Moresby. In short, the navy and the army reached a rare consensus on this matter.

However, May 1, 1942, was a somewhat embarrassing day for the IJN of the Outer South China Sea Fleet.

The sky gradually darkened. Aboard the Zuikaku, steaming southeast in the waters north of Guadalcanal, the staff officers, faced with a mountain of telegrams and intelligence documents piled high on their desks, felt a headache. Too much had happened today, leaving this massive ship, the flagship of the Fifth Carrier Fleet in this time and space, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

That morning, the Shoho, the escorting fleet, sent a message to Rabaul, stating that a Zero fighter on board had, while on patrol, stumbled upon a bomber circling westward. The Zero fighters on patrol quickly shot down the twin-engine bomber, but the Shoho's radio crew detected a radio signal from the aircraft before it died.

This probably means that Xiangfeng's position has been exposed.

Being exposed wasn't the problem; rather, it was the Allies' failure to deploy even a patrol aircraft in the area that was truly unusual. Commander Inoue at Rabaul telegraphed Shoho and his superior, Junior Admiral Goto Aritomo, to launch direct-fire aircraft and maintain vigilance. However, for the next few hours, Shoho, continuing his scheduled patrol southward, encountered nothing. The Pacific sky remained clear, blue and white, and all was well.

But then, the Tulagi boat base, which had nothing to do with Xiangfeng, suffered a disaster.

"Our unit was attacked by a large number of enemy planes and suffered heavy losses!"

A large number of carrier-based aircraft, arriving from nowhere, bombarded the Tulagi seaplane base. Observations indicated that the wave numbered nearly 50 aircraft, the vast majority of them carrier-based bombers. They attacked the base from the south, dropping a barrage of bombs that reduced the anchored Shokawa Maru, a specialized seaplane carrier, to a blaze. An oil tanker and a cargo ship in the bay were also hit multiple times by 5-pound bombs, completely destroying them. Even two service boats, weighing only a few dozen tons, were subjected to relentless machine gun fire, turning them into a hornet's nest.

Fortunately, the waters of Tulagi Bay were shallow, and aside from the nearly shattered service boat, all three vessels simply sank. After the US warship and carrier-based bomber formations withdrew, six belated US attack aircraft made another round. They targeted the Shokawa Maru with torpedoes and scored four hits, but thanks to the Emperor, none of the torpedoes exploded. The Shokawa Maru, having successfully sunk to the seabed, suffered no further damage, save for a cold sweat.

Now that the fact that "the US aircraft carrier is in the nearby waters" has been confirmed, the question is thrown back to the Fifth Air Force: Fight? Or not fight? If you want to fight, how should you fight?

—-―--———

"Just now, the communication interception team reported that they intercepted intensive radio communications at around 8:12 and 12:38 in the morning. After conducting direction finding,

Identify the source as here.”

The Zuikaku's chief, the elite and steady Chief Aviation Staff Officer, Major Mieno Takeshi, presented a report to the war room. "Based on the time of the attack on the Tulagi longboat anchorage and the route of the US warship's attack bombing, the US military's likely position at noon today was in this area."