The Rise of the Third Reich

The US military's attack on Oahu on the night of March 3, Hawaii time, gave the Japanese army a great shock!

The first is the appearance of the "American Samurai" who launched a suicide attack!

The Americans, who were originally thought to be greedy for life and afraid of death, are now flying planes filled with bombs and incendiary bombs to hit Japanese airports... Since Americans can do such outrageous things, will they fly planes to hit the expensive Yamato? Battleship?

Secondly, the U.S. carrier-based night fighters allowed the Japanese to discover a major flaw in the Hawaiian Islands air defense system!

There are no truly high-performance night fighters in the Hawaiian Islands, or indeed in Japan as a whole. Night fighters need to be equipped with airborne radars, and Japan cannot produce the core components of high-performance airborne radars—in fact, even Germany cannot produce the best multi-cavity high-energy magnetrons currently used in German radars. Most of the multi-cavity high-power magnetrons are imported from the UK. The United Kingdom also asked Germany not to transfer related technologies and components to Japan... until the Anglo-Japanese peace treaty was reached.

This request is very reasonable from the European point of view, although Hirschmann gave Japan an opening and exported 84 Me264 bombers equipped with multi-cavity high-energy magnetrons produced by Germany using British patented technology. However, Japan is still unable to mass-produce multi-cavity high-energy magnetrons. In fact, Japanese scientists have long been able to produce high-energy magnetrons in the laboratory, but being able to produce them in the laboratory does not mean that they can be mass-produced.

Therefore, Japan not only does not have good airborne radar (Japan does have poor airborne radar), but it does not even have fire control radar that can be installed on troops.

Therefore, in the night air battle on March 3, the Japanese Navy's Moonlight fighter was beaten 8:0, losing to the point where they lost their temper.

In addition, the performance of the Japanese battery on Oahu on the night of March 3 was also disappointing. Since it is difficult to use seaplanes to drop flares, the large-caliber artillery on Oahu cannot hit the American destroyers at all. They can only be allowed to wander on the water 20 to 30 kilometers south of Pearl Harbor and Honolulu, covering the underwater destroyers. Submarine mines.

Therefore, General Yamashita Nobumi, who commanded the Japanese army forces in the Hawaiian Islands, came to the conclusion. It was believed that the Americans could use battleships and suicide planes to destroy the numerous Japanese airfields on Oahu at night.

Once the airport on Oahu is destroyed by the US military, the defense capabilities of the Hawaiian Islands will be greatly reduced - because 80% of the more than 2,000 shore-based aircraft deployed by Japan in the Hawaiian Islands are on Oahu. .

If these aircraft lost their airfields, U.S. naval aviation would only have to suppress hundreds of Japanese aircraft to seize air superiority over the Hawaiian Islands.

Without air superiority, the fall of the Hawaiian Islands was just a matter of time. The expected goal of inflicting millions of casualties on the US military will probably not be achieved.

Because the US military is not fighting for it island by island, but directly attacks Oahu after seizing Palmyra Atoll and Midway Island... If this attack is not a feint, then the Japanese army on Oahu only has 50,000 people. The ground troops, in any case, cannot cause 1 million casualties of the US military, and I am afraid that even one-tenth may not be killed!

"If we lose Oahu, will we be able to hold on to the other islands in the Hawaiian Islands?"

At a base camp meeting held on March 5, Tokyo time, Ishihara Kanji, the deputy director of the Japanese Army Staff Headquarters, asked loudly.

"It can be defended." Vice-Admiral Ito replied with a frown. "Currently, we have heavily stationed troops on the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands and Christmas Island, with a total force of more than 300,000 on land and sea. Moreover, each island has sufficient reserves and can be independent. Last for more than 12 months.”

"What happens in 12 months?" Ishihara smiled and asked, "If we don't get supplies, will everyone starve to death in 12 months?"

"That's not the case," Army Chief of Staff Gen. Sugiyama replied on Ito's behalf. "The Imperial Army has farms on the Hawaiian Islands and Christmas Island..."

"Oh, by the way, the Imperial Army is farming." Ishihara smiled bitterly and said, "If the Americans stop attacking other islands after taking Oahu, then more than 200,000 Imperial troops will be farming in Hawaii. Land? Does this matter to the battle situation?"

After hearing what Ishihara Wanji said, Yamamoto Isoroku and Ito felt that something was wrong.

It seems that the United States really does not need to capture all the islands in the Hawaiian Islands one by one. As long as we can capture Oahu and encircle the other islands with mines... If the Japanese want to develop pollution-free ecological agriculture on those islands, then let them go.

Relying on the hard work of more than 200,000 Japanese devils to cultivate the land is a way to survive the American imperialism!

"Oahu is not that easy to fight," Ito said. "We have a large number of shore defense artillery on Oahu, including 18 twin-mounted 410mm armored turrets, which is enough to fight against the most powerful U.S. battleships. ! Moreover, the Army has deployed a tank brigade on Oahu, equipped with powerful Soviet-made T-34 tanks. "

"But without aviation cover, the Americans can still use dive bombers to destroy those 18 armored turrets. It will just lose some aircraft." Ishihara Wanji shook his head repeatedly, "If the United States destroys the airport on Oahu, the Jet One The battle has failed, so we cannot just watch this happen.”

This time Ito Zhengichi did not raise any objections, because after thinking about it, he also agreed with Ishihara's judgment - the airport on Oahu cannot be destroyed, otherwise how many US troops can you defeat with 50,000 defenders? ? 100,000? 200,000? 300000?

How many American dive bombers can 18 armored turrets on Oahu take out? 200? 300?

This won't work!

Even if we do not consider the shore-based aircraft deployed by the United States on Midway Island and Palmyra Atoll, just talking about carrier-based aircraft, there are now at least 3,000 US aircraft carriers near the Hawaiian Islands.

Without the shore-based aircraft on Oahu, the hundreds of aircraft on other islands in the Hawaiian Islands and the hundreds of carrier-based aircraft of the Combined Fleet are no match for them.

And if the air superiority is gone, what is the use of the four Yamato-class tubes? Can it withstand a bombing by 1,000 American planes?

After all, the Japanese Navy does not have the perverted air defense capabilities of the US Navy!

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, it seems that we can only prepare for the decisive battle in advance!" Yamamoto Isoroku also made a decision at this time. He said in a low tone to Tojo Hideki, who was presiding over the meeting: "I have to admit that the Americans have been prepared since the Panama Battle. They fought very smart, fully utilized their strengths, showed almost no flaws, and relied on their own strength to fight a tough battle with us. Although there is no truly outstanding command and strategy, it is very difficult to defeat such an enemy... The Hawaiian Islands. It’s going to be a tough fight!”

Yamamoto has now almost seen through the Americans. Their fighting methods are simple and crude. There is no such thing as luring the enemy, setting up ambushes, or surprise attacks. What they have is crushing them with strength. The fleet covering hundreds of square nautical miles pressed directly in front of Oahu. If it couldn't defeat the Japanese shore artillery during the day, it would attack at night. Airborne radars were installed everywhere like cabbage, turning carrier-based aircraft into night fighters. Magnetic mines were thrown into the sea for free, directly blocking Pearl Harbor. Not counting this, there are countless submarines running to the Western Pacific, the coast of Japan, and the Southeast Asian islands at the same time to drop water lasers and torpedoes. It is said that they are also deployed in Australia to be as powerful as the Me264 (actually, the B-29 is better than the Me-29). 264 powerful) long-range bombers are preparing to bomb the oil fields in Nanyang...

This series of combination punches forced Japan to change its original plan, abandon the "island consumption stage" and directly enter the "main island decisive battle stage".

…

"Sir, Task Force 51 reported that a large number of Japanese fighter planes were taking off on Oahu."

At 2 pm Hawaii time on March 4th, Admiral Halsey, who was eating ice cream in the command post on the hot Palmyra Atoll, received a report of the dispatch of Japanese fighter planes-it was discovered that the Japanese fighter plane dispatched was a ship on the Fletcher-class destroyer lingering near Oahu!

Because Pearl Harbor was sealed with mines the day before, the Japanese 8th Fleet was temporarily unable to come out, so that the American Fletcher-class destroyers could move freely in the waters near Oahu.

The radar on this class of destroyers happened to be used to shine over Oahu. As soon as the Japanese plane took off, Halsey got the report before the formation started.

In fact, there are not only Fletcher-class destroyers hanging around Oahu, but every island in the Hawaiian Islands that can build an airport, including Christmas Island, has American destroyers staring at it.

As soon as the Japanese plane took off, the Americans knew it immediately!

In addition, in order to ensure that the fleet of several hundred square nautical miles under his command would not be surprised by the Japanese, Halsey also mobilized hundreds of destroyers to set up a circular destroyer cordon outside the four task forces. In the waters west of Midway Island, Halsey also deployed a dispersed patrol group, which also formed a cordon.

At the same time, hundreds of Catalina seaplanes patrolled the skies around the U.S. fleet at all times to ensure that the fleet would not be attacked by the Japanese.

"Haha," Halsey smiled happily when he heard the report of Japanese fighter planes taking off, "The Japanese are finally coming to die!"

"Sir," Major General Callahan, chief of staff of the U.S. Central Pacific Command, seemed a little worried, "The Japanese suffered a lot in the Battle of Christmas Island. Maybe there will be some different tactics this time? And Japanese aircraft on the Hawaiian Islands The number is also much higher than that of Christmas Island.”

Halsey snorted softly: "It's nothing more than the loss of some ships. The key now is to exhaust Japan's aircraft and pilots in the Hawaiian Islands. As long as this goal is achieved, the loss of 100 ships does not matter.

And tonight, my fleet will go to Oahu again to destroy the airport. The Japanese aviation will not be arrogant for long! "