The Rise of the Third Reich

"What? What? Two aircraft carriers with a displacement of more than 60,000 tons? The Germans actually have such powerful aircraft carriers!"

When Secretary of War Wallace, who was sitting in the Pentagon, learned that the seven aircraft carriers of the European Combined Fleet had left the port of Brest, his first reaction was that he was shocked by the two 60,000-ton aircraft carriers.

Although the United States also has similar aircraft carriers under construction, it is quite embarrassing for the Germans to take the lead in the construction of giant aircraft carriers. Moreover, Germany can build a 60,000-ton aircraft carrier before the United States, which probably shows that Europe's current shipbuilding capabilities are no less than those of the United States.

This is not good news for the United States, which is engaged in an ocean war!

"Mr. Secretary," Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King, who reported to Wallace, seemed even more worried because he read even more worrying content from this piece of information. "The two new aircraft carriers of the Germans may carry French Br.810 bombers."

Due to deliberate leaks by the German intelligence agency, Americans now know that the twin-engine bomber that attacked Bermuda last time was the Br.810 produced in France. They also know that this aircraft has a considerable range and bomb load, and is also very fast. , the self-defense firepower is not weak, and it is a very ideal carrier-based ground attack aircraft!

"A German aircraft carrier carries French aircraft?" Wallace was stunned. "Don't the Germans have good aircraft?"

"It's not that there are no good aircraft," Admiral Jin shook his head, "but the Br.810 is very suitable for carrying out ground attack missions! And its range is very long, allowing the aircraft carrier formation to be at the forefront of the Me264 bombers taking off from the Azores Islands. under protection.”

It is impossible for the United States to protect aircraft carrier formations with shore-based four-engine bombers, but for Germany, which can kill several Iowa-class battleships with missiles, it is a matter of course.

Therefore, the combat radius of the Me264 bomber taking off from the Azores is the restricted area of ​​the US surface fleet - the US aircraft carrier force that still maintains a certain combat effectiveness will not go there to die under any circumstances.

Therefore, the German fleet departing from the port of Brest only needs to stay within the 2,300 kilometers around the Azores Islands. Basically, there is no need to worry about being attacked by US aircraft carrier-based aircraft. The distance between the Azores and Bermuda is approximately 3300-3400 kilometers. When the German aircraft carriers are 2,300 kilometers away from the Azores, they are only a little over 1,000 kilometers away from Bermuda.

This distance is completely within the combat radius of Br.810!

"Since the German fleet is carrying a large number of Br.810," Admiral Jin's long face frowned, "then their target is probably the Bermuda Islands!"

The Americans themselves are also developing twin-engine carrier-based aircraft, namely the F7F, so they know that twin-engine carrier-based aircraft take up more space. When the same aircraft carrier is equipped with a twin-engine aircraft, the number of carrier-based aircraft will definitely be higher than when it is equipped with a single-engine aircraft. Want less.

According to the US Navy's own estimates, a 30,000-ton Essex class can carry approximately 40-45 F7Fs for actual combat. Based on this calculation, a 20,000-ton Xiafei-class can carry about 30 Br.810s, and a 60,000-ton German super aircraft carrier can carry about 80-90 Br.810s.

There are currently 5 aircraft carriers carrying Br.810 leaving Brest, of which 2 are 60,000-ton super aircraft carriers and 3 are 20,000-ton Jiafei-class aircraft carriers. They should be able to carry up to 240 Br.810s.

The other two Zeppelin-class ships can carry about 160-180 Fokker 636s. According to the intelligence obtained by the US Navy, the combat radius of the Fokker 636 also exceeds 1,000 kilometers (this distance cannot be used to hang bombs), which means that 2 A Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier can dispatch at least 80 Fokker 636s to escort 240 Br.810s.

For Bermuda, which cannot deploy many aircraft, the attack fleet of 320 aircraft is still very worrying.

"Bermuda?" A hint of anger flashed across Wallace's face that looked too righteous. "Are the Germans trying to kill the unarmed American people with missiles again?"

His judgment was based on the experience of the last time New York was hit by a missile. That time, the Germans first used Br.810 to blow up the Bermuda airport, and then the "missile fleet" broke through the blockade between Bermuda and the Nova Scotia Peninsula.

"There should be a large-scale missile attack!" Admiral Jin said, "But the Germans' purpose this time may not be so simple."

"Not so innocent?" Wallace asked. "What do they want to do?"

"Maybe they want to attract our attention to cooperate with the general attack in other directions!"

Ernest King's judgment was accurate. He did not believe that the Germans would occupy the Bermuda Islands - this was the illusion Hessman was trying to create - because the Bermuda Islands were too close to the mainland of the United States, only about 1,000 kilometers away.

It is possible for the Germans to use carrier-based aircraft to blow up the airport there, but it is not easy to land. There are as many as 20,000 to 30,000 American defenders on the islands. They have built a large number of fortifications and deployed many shore batteries. If the Germans wanted to capture it, they would have to spend at least several weeks or even longer on an amphibious landing. However, the shore-based aircraft of the U.S. Navy and Army Air Force are not vegetarians. How could they allow the Germans' huge landing fleet to stay in the waters near the Bermuda Islands, which is only 1,000 kilometers away from the east coast, for several weeks?

This was not a hit-and-run missile attack, but a landing battle that would last for several weeks around an archipelago!

"A general attack?" Wallace asked again. "Are Trinidad and Tobago going to be attacked? What is the situation there now?"

"It's very peaceful," Ernest King affirmed, "the calm before the war!"

There is more than one deception plan in the "Fort Gotchi Project"! The feigned attack on Bermuda was not the main deception plan, but a small scam within a larger scam. The real big scam was the feint attack on Trinidad and Tobago.

The German attack and blockade of these two islands, known as the gateway to the Caribbean, has been going on for a long time. But as D-Day approached, the intensity of the attacks gradually slowed down. Starting from April 1, all air strikes, air interceptions (that is, attacks on American transport aircraft) and aerial mine-laying operations were simply stopped.

In the eyes of the top US military officials who had long believed that the German army would attack Trinidad and Tobago, this sudden calm was the last calm before the war!

Just when Wallace wanted to further ask Ernest King why he made this judgment, the phone on his desk rang. Wallace picked up the phone receiver and heard the somewhat excited voice of Director of Strategic Intelligence Donovan.

"Mr. Minister, our bombing has finally worked. Anti-war and anti-dictatorship demonstrations took place in Buenos Aires. Now tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets...Argentina's democratic forces have finally begun to take action!"

Wallace was stunned, the bombing actually worked! When the U.S. Army and Navy aviation forces continuously organized thousands of aircraft bombings, the Argentines did not rise up. Instead, after the U.S. Army began to gradually withdraw aircraft from Chile and stopped daytime bombings, Argentina's democratic forces rose up and fought...

Although this "democratic movement" came out of nowhere, Wallace regarded it as another important turning point at the White House Cabinet Military Meeting held that night.

"President, the protests in Buenos Aires are very beneficial to us!" Wallace said, "This shows that Juan Peron's regime is in danger and the disintegration of the new Asbanian Federation is imminent... So we The withdrawal of troops and aircraft from Chile should be suspended and daytime air strikes resumed as soon as possible.”

"But the armies of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are deeply influenced by Germany." U.S. President Truman did not believe that the Argentine people could overthrow the German-backed dictators - the most they could do was cause some trouble and add more power to the United States at the negotiating table. Just some chips.

But now the German aircraft carriers have been dispatched in large numbers, which means that the moment of decisive battle is coming! Now even if something goes wrong in Argentina, it will not affect the German attack on Trinidad and Tobago.

"The key is still the war situation in the Caribbean." Wallace said, "As long as we can hold Trinidad and Tobago, there is a high possibility that Argentina will change. And once Argentina changes, Germany will lose The ability to fight a protracted war in South America.”

Truman did not understand the situation in South America, and he set his sights on Director of Strategic Intelligence Donovan.

"Mr. President, the war-weariness sentiment in Argentina is indeed somewhat high." Donovan said, "The people at the bottom who originally supported Peron suffered heavy losses in the bombing. Many people lost their homes and relatives, and they have not yet arranged to evacuate Buenos Aires. Aires. Most of the Argentinians who remain in Buenos Aires are rich and middle-class people who live in sparsely populated suburbs and can dig air-raid shelters in their homes. Most of them are dissatisfied with what Peron did. Very dissatisfied!”

Peron wants to equalize the rich and poor in Argentina. Of course the rich are dissatisfied! Moreover, Peron also planned to start from land to equalize the rich and the poor, that is, to seize the land of the rich in Argentina. This was a very drastic method. Even Hitler's Nazi Party did not do this in Germany.

Truman hesitated for a while, but still did not express his position. Instead, he turned the question back to the country: "Gentlemen, in fact, the trouble we are facing now is similar to that of Juan Peron... Another round of German missile attacks is obviously about to begin. , if the scale of the attack is large enough, if the Germans are able to load their missiles with atomic bombs, the American people's will to fight will also collapse!"