This is the U.S. Pacific Fleet that set out from the Panama Canal and traveled nearly 4,000 kilometers with the intention of attacking Pearl Harbor. After seven days of sailing, they have now approached the southern tip of the Hawaiian Islands and will drive north for more than an hour.
, Pearl Harbor entered the attack range of carrier-based aircraft, and it was also the time when the sky had just turned white.
The commander of this sneak attack fleet is Vice Admiral Mark Mitchell, the captain of the USS Hornet aircraft carrier of the US Navy Pacific Fleet. He is the same as the current commander of the US Navy Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester William Nimitz.
, all of which were ordered to take over the leadership of the Pacific Fleet when Pearl Harbor was attacked, a large number of main ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were destroyed, and a large number of senior generals were captured.
This sneak attack on Pearl Harbor was a retaliatory action against the federal navy in the South China Sea that he and Nimitz, the trusted commander of the Pacific Fleet, planned to rebuild the Pacific Fleet and boost the spirit of the American people. This action was approved by the U.S. Navy
support from senior management, and deliberately saved the pearls
The Hong Kong tragedy and the two Lexington-class aircraft carriers "Saratoga" and "Davenport" were assigned to the sneak attack fleet, led by Lieutenant General Mitchell, together with the Yorktown-class "Hornet" and another
A newly launched new-generation US Navy aircraft carrier, the USS Essex, came together to complete this sneak attack mission.
The "Hornet" aircraft carrier, like the "Yorktown" and "Enterprise" that were bombed and sunk at Pearl Harbor, are both Yorktown-class aircraft carriers, and this "Essex" aircraft carrier is a new design of the U.S. Navy
A new heavy aircraft carrier, it is basically an improved and enlarged version based on the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier.
It has a longer and larger flight deck and can carry an additional carrier-based aircraft squadron. It increases the design capacity of the oil depot so that it can carry 240,000 gallons of fuel, increasing the speed and range. It also strengthens the hull.
structure and armor, and is equipped with more anti-aircraft weapons. On the Essex, there are a total of 8 4-unit 40mm "Bofors" anti-aircraft guns and 46 single-barreled 20mm "Oerlikons".
Anti-aircraft guns.
The "Essex" heavy-duty aircraft carrier has a full load displacement of about 35,000 tons and a speed of 33 knots. It has a range of more than 14,000 nautical miles at cruising speed. It carries about 100 aircraft. Although there is a new aircraft carrier, the aircraft used by the U.S. Naval Aviation Force are still
turn out to be
The old three are: F4F Wildcat fighter, SBD Dauntless dive bomber and TBD Devastator torpedo attack aircraft. Although the United States already has newly developed replacement aircraft, those aircraft have just entered mass production and require several
It takes a month to equip the navy in large quantities.
In addition to these four aircraft carriers, two US Navy battleships have also been incorporated into this sneak attack fleet. They will provide necessary cover for the fleet and be used as flagships. At this time, Fleet Commander Lieutenant General Mitchell is standing among them.
In the bridge command room of the North Carolina-class battleship "Washington", I was holding a cup of hot coffee and watching quietly, listening to the staff officers and flight commanders nervously deploying the upcoming attack.
As the commander and commander of a fleet, Lieutenant General Mitchell does not have to personally direct specific combat deployments. Those things are completed by more professional and detailed division of labor. He only needs to make decisions on major issues for the entire
Just be responsible for the safety of the fleet.
Since the air attack on Pearl Harbor was about to be launched in the early morning, the Vice Admiral only slept for a few hours in the first half of the night before getting up and sitting on the bridge. As for the entire subject of large-scale air strikes on port targets using carrier-based aircraft, the U.S. Navy's
I am afraid that the level of execution only remains on paper and
In terms of training, since the U.S. Navy realized that it must have its own aircraft carrier, the United States has never had a serious naval battle with other countries. It has used carrier-based aircraft to carry out large-scale air attacks on ports, and even small-scale air battles can only
Do it with training.
Lieutenant General Mitchell was very confident in the sneak attack plan he designed, but he was not very confident in these young naval aviation pilots. Otherwise, he would not have been unable to sleep in the middle of the night and ran to the ship with coffee in hand.
The bridge is in the way. But lack of confidence comes from lack of confidence, and it cannot be said that one cannot go to war without actual combat experience. As an old naval general who participated in World War I, Lieutenant General Mitchell still hopes that these young people can pass the first battle.
Grow up through battle.
Lieutenant General Mitchell is also an anomaly in the U.S. Navy. He did not rise all the way from captain to captain. As early as 1916, he became the 33rd official pilot of the U.S. Naval Aviation Corps and received the Flying Wing Medal.
In 1919, as a pilot across the Atlantic, he personally piloted a Curtiss NC seaplane to challenge the limits of aircraft at the time. Although he did not complete the entire voyage due to engine failure and made an emergency landing on the Azores Island, he still
Received the U.S. Navy Cross.
As a senior naval pilot, he participated in almost all flight tests of U.S. aircraft carriers, and became the deputy captain of the aircraft carrier USS Langley in 1929, took over as deputy commander of the USS Saratoga in 1934, and became the deputy commander of the USS Wright in 1937.
He was the captain of the USS seaplane carrier and was promoted to the rank of captain. In 1939, he was transferred to the Naval Aviation Administration as Assistant Administrator.
This time he served as the commander of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor. This was a temporary adjustment after the war in South America. The U.S. Navy urgently needed a general who was very familiar with aircraft carrier and aircraft combat modes to replace the captured captains and commanders in the Pacific Fleet. He had just
The incoming Pacific Fleet Commander Nimitz recommended Commodore Mitchell to the U.S. Navy, and he was subsequently promoted to lieutenant general, in line with his status of commanding a sneak attack fleet.
Since Lieutenant General Mitchell is a naval aviation pilot, he has a much clearer understanding of aircraft carriers and aircraft than other captains and commanders who have a background in warships. Moreover, he has a much better understanding of the South China Sea Federation aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft.
At this level, he is also among the top general officers in the U.S. Navy.
After the defeat of the United States in the Anglo-American South China Sea War, when he was still a lieutenant colonel and deputy captain, he made many suggestions to the U.S. Navy Department, calling on the U.S. Navy to pay attention to the development of aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft. However, at that time, he was a low-key official.
Those in charge of the navy did not heed his advice.
However, Mitchell was not discouraged. While collecting information on the South China Sea Federal Navy aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft through various channels, he continuously submitted various analyzes and reports to the U.S. Department of the Navy, and finally received the attention of the upper management.
He began to be assigned to work in more suitable positions, and the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet also increased from the original three main aircraft carriers to the pre-war number of six.
However, regarding the Federal Navy's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in the South China Sea, Lieutenant General Mitchell did not expect that the Federal Navy would adopt such a risky and very creative tactic. The fall of Pearl Harbor was like a warning.
It has already sounded in the Lieutenant General’s heart that he came from the South China Sea Federation this time
During the sneak attack, not only did we see that the Federal Navy has far surpassed the U.S. Navy in the tactics of using aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, but we also saw the gap between the U.S. Navy and the South China Sea Federal Navy in terms of tonnage, performance, and quantity of aircraft carriers. We also discovered that the U.S. Navy
The gap between carrier-based aircraft and federal carrier-based aircraft.
Regarding how to defend the west coast of the United States, Lieutenant General Mitchell and Commander Nimitz have the same opinion. That is, within 1 or 2 years, the U.S. Navy will not be able to confront the federal navy head-on. The current main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet
The number of ships, quality, and personnel quality and experience are still at a disadvantage. We can only delay time first, and then rely on the strong industrial, economic and demographic advantages of the United States to quickly make up for this gap. Then, through a series of small and medium-scale naval battles, the federal navy will gradually
Its strength in the Pacific is gone, and then it will be time for the U.S. Navy to counterattack.
However, the U.S. Department of the Navy and the U.S. government are not only under pressure from the military, but also from the people. If the West Coast is defended according to Mitchell and Nimitz's strategy of only being beaten without fighting back, then the entire West Coast will be destroyed.
It will become a ruin. No American wants to stay here anymore, and no American company or American factory can open on the West Coast. If the war really lasts for several years, will there still be cities on the West Coast? (
