"Currently, we have a total of two supply fleets at sea that can provide us with supplies within a week. The first is the nv15 high-speed supply fleet located 500 nautical miles southwest of Cape Verde. This fleet consists of a total of three oil tankers.

It can bring about 8,000 tons of marine fuel to the fleet. However, because it is converted from a civilian ship, it is difficult to replenish ammunition and aviation gasoline. The other one is more

To the south is the nv17 high-speed supply fleet located 300 nautical miles northwest of Ascension Island. The two ships in this fleet are professional navy supply ships. They can complete the supply of oil and ammunition quickly. Take a look,

Which fleet should we go to?" As the main official of the U.S. Navy stationed in the fleet, Fletcher knows the situation of the supply ships best, and his opinions will naturally be taken seriously by everyone.

"I think we should choose the nv17 supply fleet near Ascension. Ascension Island is an autonomous territory of the British Empire. We can get additional help. If the supplies are not enough, it is also possible to collect all supplies from the island. Between us

New passwords are used for all communications, so confidentiality is no problem." Cunningham expressed his point of view.

"How long did it take for these two fleets to arrive at the supply position?" Su Mo, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked.

"It's been 3 to 4 days. Because last time we missed the replenishment time with the nv11 and nv12 supply fleets, so this time they arrived at the supply area early and then cruised in the nearby waters." Fletcher replied.

"It's been three days?! You mean they've been swimming in an area of ​​less than 300 square kilometers for three days?!" Su Mo's words revealed deep worry and dissatisfaction.

"It's only been three days. Even if Portugal has turned to the Allies, the Allies have no time to deploy ocean-going reconnaissance aircraft in Cape Verde. There are so many such civilian ships in the Atlantic that the Germans can't keep an eye on them." Fletcher felt that Sumer

It was a bit fussy, so he explained with a smile.

"No, no, no. You don't understand. You are not from aviation. Some things are not as simple as you think. Do you remember that guy who followed us like a ghost some time ago? The Germans' investigation methods are far beyond your imagination!

"Su Mo said.

"Are you talking about the big ghost or the little ghost? Do you understand their principles?" Sumer mentioned this matter again, which made Fletcher feel a little uneasy, recalling what happened some time ago, those who were on the radar

The fleet's erratic existence really made the fleet sweat. This was the first time a ghost was discovered.

Ten days ago, a half-sized photoelectric appeared on the radar display screen. The other party was only 200 kilometers away from me. As the distance between the two sides got closer, the fleet electronic warfare team received the other party's radar signal. From this, it was judged that the other party might be

A long-range reconnaissance aircraft equipped with sea search radar.

Sumer then arranged for about six Spitfire fighter jets to carry auxiliary fuel tanks to search for the target, but what was unexpected was that shortly after his fleet was dispatched, the target suddenly disappeared from the radar display screen, causing this situation

There are only two possibilities. One is that the opponent is very fast and has escaped the detection range of the radar, and the other possibility is that the opponent has lowered its altitude. A fighter jet that has lost radar guidance cannot find a single target hundreds of kilometers away.

, was forced to give up the hunt, but what was unexpected was that not long after, the ghost appeared on the radar screen again. The prepared hunting team went out again, and cooperated with the radar that changed the search frequency band. The other party seemed

The hunting team was discovered very late. But what is unexpected is that this hunting failed again! 10 Seagull aircraft carrying auxiliary fuel tanks from high altitude to low altitude failed to find the target. Such a strange situation made the fleet very nervous.

nervous.

If this situation did not challenge the bottom line of the fleet commander, then what happened next made Fletcher and others almost crazy! Because this situation became more and more frequent! And the distance from the fleet was getting closer and closer.

It is getting closer. You must know that the entire fleet is sailing deep in the Atlantic Ocean at this time. It is very far away from all the Allied sea bases. It is difficult for Fletcher and others to imagine that any aircraft can have a long range and can sustain the entire fleet.

constantly

Tracking! Cunningham even made a calculation for these aircraft. Unless the aircraft has a range of 10,000 kilometers and can be refueled in the air, it will be impossible to complete the tracking, and what’s more terrible, when

When my own fighter jets went out to look for targets, how did these ghosts escape the fighter jets? It was as if they did not exist. Neither the radar nor the pilot's vision could find these targets. This made the entire fleet panic.

The consequences of these unidentified aircraft carrying radars were very serious. The entire fleet was forced to flee the area at extremely high speeds in the dark. The entire fleet ran at a high speed of 28 knots for nearly 10 hours, and finally got rid of this ghost for the time being.

, and unfortunately, because

The plan has been changed many times, resulting in fuel and time deviations from the plan, and the nv11 and nv12 transport fleets that were preparing to provide supplies to the fleet were missed. As a result, the fleet must now limit its speed. Even so, the remaining fuel of the battleship is not abundant.

.

This time Fletcher and Cunningham meant to meet up with a supply fleet to obtain supplies no matter what. But after Sumer suddenly raised the ghost, they once again aroused their worries. The unknown has always been the most important thing.

It was scary, but now Su Mo seemed to have understood the reason for the ghost's existence.

"These ghosts should be the opponent's seaplanes. Although under normal circumstances, seaplanes do not have such a long range, they can replenish fuel in relatively stable sea conditions. In other words, the Germans have specially designed a seaplane carrier.

When the seaplane's fuel is exhausted, it can be replenished on the ship. I

After looking through some records, it was mentioned that fighter jets had discovered an unidentified ship in the waters near the target. If the seaplane was not very big, they could just put a layer of canvas on it and put up a few shelves to hide the plane. We

If you investigate from the air, it will be difficult to find the fishiness," Sumer explained.

"But how do they know that we have sent a plane? The Germans are equipped with both air search radar and sea search radar on the seaplanes? But even if they are equipped, the distance they can detect is still a bit far! The Germans should not have this technical strength

Right?" Cunningham said uneasily.

"This is even simpler. The opponent's seaplane carrier can install radar. If our fighter jets have radio positioning and detection devices, they will naturally not be able to intercept relevant information. Is it difficult for ship-based radar to detect a fleet of aircraft 80 kilometers away?

?If the opponent's seaplanes are relatively small, even a seaplane carrier converted from a civilian ship can carry 3 to 4 of them. These are some of the so-called little ghosts." Sumer explained.

"But fortunately we are now behind our opponents, right? We can finally replenish fuel." Sumer's explanation was convincing, but Fletcher still believed that what Sumer said was related to the choice of supply fleet this time.

Supplies don't matter much.

"It's related. I suspect that the German reconnaissance forces have focused on these supply fleets. Their fleets are probably nearby waiting for us to fall into our trap," Sumer said.

"It's impossible. If the other side wants to defeat us, it will need at least 3 aircraft carriers. The Germans can't find 6 usable aircraft carriers in the entire Atlantic and Mediterranean, even if they know that we will join a supply fleet. They also

There is only half a chance that the bet can be correct. What’s more, they don’t know the location and timing of our transport ship,” Fletcher said.

"It's entirely possible. Think about it, since we broke away from the ghosts in the sky, the Germans have still arranged for forces to maintain a distant contact with us. We will still be illuminated by some radar waves from time to time. And this kind of radio waves

They usually appear at night, and we can't lock the target at all. Have you ever thought about the reason?" Su Mo asked.

"You don't mean that the Germans installed radar on submarines, do you?" Cunningham asked. Surface ships can install radars, and submarines can also install them. Historically, Americans have installed radars on submarines. Although because of the antenna

The altitude problem causes the detection range to decrease, but the concealment of the submarine itself makes it difficult for the opponent to detect it. Even if it is discovered, the dive is over. Unless the opponent's anti-submarine system is perfect and the anti-submarine force is sufficient, there is no way.

"This is impossible. Submarines cannot keep up with the fleet. Even if we are slower, the average speed is more than 15 knots. Unless the opponent's submarine has been sailing on the sea and must go in a straight line, it will not be able to keep up with us!" Frye

Che insisted.

"They don't have to keep up with us at all. Do you know how many submarines the Germans have? A conservative estimate is at least 200 or more! Excluding the sea areas that can be detected by the opponent's aircraft, warships and camouflaged reconnaissance aircraft. As well as the sea areas that we cannot reach, the remaining

Divide the sea area into different areas and arrange for submarines to stay there. It may not be possible to maintain continuous tracking. But I found that

We can still do it. The other part of the so-called little ghosts should be these submarines equipped with radar. As early as three years ago, the Chinese Navy installed radar and other electronic equipment on submarines as pickets. When a bunch of submarines are scattered together and

When in a small area, its warning effect is still good. I suspect that the other party is not far away from us at all!" Su Mo said.

"But if there is no fuel, we will be empty sooner or later. Our current fuel reserve is only half! If we give up this opportunity, I am afraid it will be difficult to hold on until the next wave of supply ships are in place. And although what you said is reasonable,

But after all, it's just a guess! We can't give up this vital supply because of speculation. General Cunningham, what do you think?" Fletcher finished speaking and looked at Cunningham.

"We should give it a try. As General Fletcher said, if we give up this supply, even if we get rid of the opponent, the meaning will be very limited. The fuel is already very tight. It will be difficult for us to continue to support it. Instead of doing this, we will

Instead of taking a chance, I suggest going to Ascension Island to join the nv17 supply fleet. We still have one

Using the backup radio, I can contact the British Royal Navy squadron on Ascension Island and ask them to help us. If the German fleet appears within a radius of 700km, we should still be able to detect them." This time, Cunningham

On the side of the Americans, two to one, Su Mo was powerless even if he objected.

"If you insist on giving it a try, I have a suggestion. If the other party finally launches an ambush, we still have a chance to retain part of the fleet." Su Mo said after a moment of silence...

While Sumer and others were arguing over the fleet's next move, their opponent, Count Luckner, was also thinking about what to do next through the fog of war. He received full support from the German navy and intelligence agencies.

After that, the Luckner fleet's perception of the battlefield skyrocketed. Relying on Germany's powerful intelligence network, Count Luckner even knew every 8,000-ton ship sailing from the east coast of the United States.

The timetable for ships with the above displacement to leave the port! Even if there are some omissions, they will definitely be known within 3 days of the fleet departure. And a large number of camouflaged reconnaissance ships and submarines, as well as various seaplanes and ocean patrols constitute a powerful reconnaissance

The network has been rolled out across the Atlantic Ocean. It is very close to what Sumer imagined. Although the Germans cannot keep track of the Iranian fleet, they can at least limit the target to a small range!

Relying on seaplanes and camouflaged reconnaissance ships, the German fleet successfully destroyed the opponent's supply plan, preventing the Iranian fleet from converging with the two supply fleets nv11 and nv12. The German Navy's submarines and reconnaissance forces simultaneously targeted seven suspected ships in the Mid-Atlantic.

Supply ships are tracked and monitored. Compared with high-speed warships, the speed of these so-called high-speed civilian ships is very slow. According to

According to the standards of various countries, a tanker or civilian ship with a speed of more than 15 knots can already be called high speed. But compared with a real warship, this speed is just the cruising speed of the latter. On the huge chart, Luckner

Count Er maintains contact with the picket ship through communication relay stations and long-wave radio stations. The dark area on the map represents the location of the Iranian fleet.

At this time, if Fletcher was present, he would have discovered that nv15 had been tracked, and the sea area where nv17 was located was also included in the monitoring scope. Although the German submarine was intimidated by the pressure of the British squadron on Ascension Island and could not go too far.

They are approaching, but they have already deployed a loose submarine cordon in the surrounding waters.

"General, in fact, we don't need to worry. As long as they miss the next supply, their fuel will only be able to go to the nearest country. No matter which country they go to, they will be disarmed. At least in this war they will

It won't work," one officer whispered.

"After all our efforts, can we just force the other side to withdraw from the battlefield? No, it must not be like this! The empire cannot accept such a result, nor can the navy, and even I cannot accept it! We have been busy for such a long time, and now we are seeing

The net is about to be closed, and we must catch them all!" Count Luckner's words revealed extremely firm belief!
Chapter completed!