Chapter 2516 Lost Opportunity 2
But this is not the case when a large-scale night battle breaks out. For example, based on the size of the Japanese fleet, if 12 fast battleships come out in full force and bring dozens of various auxiliary battleships to fight over, the size of such a large fleet will It's not easy to hide. Maybe the British can do it, but the Japanese without special training will definitely not be able to do it! Moreover, the German fleet can completely use long-range seaplanes to keep an eye on the Japanese fleet before nightfall. As long as the Japanese fleet does not move before nightfall, then based on the speed calculation, the possibility of the Japanese fleet trying to stop the German fleet is not very great. . Everything is risky. When the situation of the battle must be changed, it is rash to be 60% sure. Where can you find the so-called perfect solution?
As for the question of how to recycle long-range seaplanes? This is easy to solve. Let the seaplane fly overnight, or land in a certain sea area, and then fly back after the destroyer replenishes fuel. Even if it is lost, it is still necessary for the war... Very cold-blooded, but also very realistic!
"I think there is no need for us to take such action at the moment. The navy's main goal is to ensure the fire support and safety of the landing site, and we have just established a foothold on the beach and established a solid and powerful artillery position in the army. Before, we should not carry out missions with greater risks prematurely. As you know, today, our dreadnought fleet also participated in fire support, which is a drain on our naval combat capabilities, and you and your fleet It is an important pillar to ensure the maritime superiority of this battle. In this case, it is inappropriate to take risks for the sake of a small victory. After all, even if there are 500 aircraft, not a single Bavaria-class battleship is valuable." Benson hesitated again and again. , still rejected Su Xiong's plan in a tactful tone.
It’s not that Benson doesn’t know that if the delay continues, the balance of maritime power between the United States and Japan will develop in a direction that is not conducive to the U.S. military. However, Benson has his own ideas. If the U.S. Army can gain a foothold in New Ireland and establish a strong enough If artillery positions are used to suppress the long-range artillery of the Japanese army, and then airfields are established in some areas, the U.S. Navy can be separated from the heavy ground support tasks, and at the same time, it can rely on land-based aircraft to make up for the lack of sea power. In this way First, even though the overall status of the fleet has declined, because it has fewer tasks, it has more power to deal with the Japanese fleet.
Therefore, Benson's approach can be described as smooth and stable. First, focus on ensuring that the Army can gain a firm foothold, and then consider other things. You cannot say that his approach is wrong, because it is in line with the principle that there can only be one strategic goal at the same time. The most critical aspect of this issue is whether the Army can gain a firm foothold in a short period of time? Regarding this issue, Su Xiong didn't know, because he was not in the road bureau, and Major General Karls couldn't say. After all, they knew too little about the Japanese army, so this issue entered an endless loop!
"Your Excellency, General, I want to remind you that if the Japanese send armored cruisers to perform the task of breaking diplomatic relations, your country's maritime transportation lines may be very difficult, and my fleet may be needed to handle it. In addition, The Japanese fleet may launch an attack in the dark, and our battlefield is very large. It is not good if we just defend passively. We need to make the Japanese army feel the same pressure, so that they dare not act rashly.
"Su Xiong decided to persuade him one last time.
"Japanese armored cruisers? If I remember correctly, there are only 2 of the 4 armored cruisers left, and even if they are sent out, our new armored cruisers are enough to deal with it. You don't need to worry about this. .
"As for the second point? I think even if the Japanese army has the advantage of the overall fleet speed, they would not dare to engage in a decisive battle with the United States fleet, whether during the day or at night. If it is a small fleet, I think your fleet is enough Got it. I can understand your talent and talent in offense, but I want to say that our combat environment is not the kind of casual engagement you had in the Indian Ocean without considering other situations. Our core is to ensure the safety of the army. ." Admiral Benson said.
"Huh." Su Xiong let out a long breath. "Okay, let's talk about this later." In fact, just now Su Xiong was going to talk about the several Rurik-class battleships captured by the Japanese in the Russian Far East, but this statement has no basis and can only be a guess, so he said it rashly , the Americans would not believe it, and if it was just harassment from armored cruisers, the Americans would indeed be able to deal with it. As for the conservative policy or the proactive offensive policy, who is more right? Whether the Army can gain a firm foothold is more of a matter of judgment and speculation.
Many decisions in the military are based on incomplete intelligence. Sometimes some decisions do not make enough sense and are really emotional to a certain extent. Therefore, although what Su Xiong said made sense, it was expected that Benson would not be convinced in the end due to the lack of evidence.
"When the war was in a stalemate, we were all looking for levers that could change the situation on the battlefield. What I found was to take the initiative and attack Japanese airports at first, and then gradually expanded to ports. Even if we couldn't really hit the Japanese army hard, we could Delay the Japanese offensive plan and consume the opponent. Thus changing the situation that is unfavorable to the German-American coalition in this war of attrition at sea."
"However, the Americans' idea is to stabilize first, and then use the army's consolidated positions to counter the navy. After all, if the army can have a consolidated airport, then the restrictions that limit the U.S. Navy's lack of aviation combat effectiveness will be gone. You can't say it is Wrong, because I have no evidence. But from my personal perspective, I don’t like to place my hopes on other arms, especially when this hope is still a bit far away.”
"I am more than 70% sure that my fleet can escape unscathed. Even if it fails, Admiral Benson can still implement his previous plan. But in the end, Admiral Benson decided to give up and focus on stability. This kind of In my opinion, this move is tantamount to handing over the final initiative to others. The battle cannot be said to be a failure, but it is obvious that the huge cost may make this war lead to a Pinocchio-style victory, and the result of the battle may shake the United States. People's determination to fight." In his memoirs, General Su Xiong described the situation at that time.
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