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Text 95. Coral Sea (1)

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    The fleet sailed from the gloomy Mediterranean Sea through the Red Sea into the sunny Gulf of Aden, as if changing into different seasons.  Sheikh Said Mountain stands among the desolate Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with rolling waves and groups of islands flying freely among the clear water, blue sky and white sand.

    A huge task force consisting of two "North Sea-class" aircraft ships of the 12th Air Fleet, six battleships of the Fifth Fleet, and four "Veneto-class" battleships of the Italian Navy sailed into the Arabian Sea.  The battleship "Tianshan" sailed in front of the fleet, followed closely by the "Himalaya". It had Vice Admiral Fang Minghao's flag hanging on its mast. "Please search Piao Tianwen, the novel is better and updated faster!"  The sea was calm, and all the battleships were trailing white tracks behind them. The scene looked very spectacular.

    Fang Minghao stood on the tall bridge of the "Himalaya", looking down at the sea. The warm sea breeze blew into his face with a salty and wet smell. This scene made him feel excited.  Since entering the Naval Academy, he has fantasized about such a scene countless times. It comes from the memories of his childhood and the documentaries he watched when he was a student at the Indianapolis Naval Academy. The fearless fleets arrayed in columns passed by on the sea, and the scene was magnificent.  It is spectacular and has overwhelming momentum.

    Although the battleship is no longer in glory today, its majestic appearance is still enviable, and commanding a battleship is still the dream of some naval officers.

    The Mediterranean Sea is completely in the hands of the Sino-Italian coalition forces. Since the Republican Army has blocked the Strait of Gibraltar and has recently launched a large-scale combat plan into the Atlantic Ocean, the battle fleet has become useful in the Mediterranean Sea.  So the Navy Headquarters decided to transfer the battle fleet to the South Pacific to strengthen the Nanyang Fleet.

    In order to show the power of the Romans, Mussolini ordered the Italian Navy to send its strongest battle fleet to join the Republican Army's maritime war against the United States and Australia in the South Pacific, with Admiral Aquino serving as the supreme commander of the Italian fleet.  Before the departure, the "leader" of the Italians personally rushed to the port of Taranto to see off the expeditionary Sino-Italian joint fleet. The powerful fleet composed of 10 battleships really made the inspecting Mussolini shine.

    Compared with aviation battleships, majestic battleships are more suitable for showing off force.

    Under the order of Fang Minghao's Chief of Operations Staff, a new flag was sent out on the "Himalaya", and the signal flag that had just been hoisted fluttered in the wind on the mast: the fleet entered the Tongguo Strait in double columns.

    The response flags were raised on each ship one after another, and the entire fleet smoothly changed gears and re-arranged.  Then sail through the Bab el Mandeb Strait.

    As a senior naval general.  Fang Minghao's naval career was not very satisfactory. In addition to serving as a destroyer captain for a while, he also had little experience in commanding larger ships, which was very detrimental to his promotion.  m¨¦iyou has experience in commanding a fleet.  He will definitely not be promoted to the rank of admiral.  And he.  Most of his naval career was spent in strategic research and in staff positions.  The Chief of Staff of the Fleet is essentially different from the Chief of Staff of the General Staff and even the Chief of Operations. All major combat orders of the Republican Army are issued by the Chief of Staff.  But in a fleet or theater, combat orders are issued by the commander, and the chief of staff can generally only provide some constructive opinions for decision-making.

    Now, such a huge fleet is under his command, but I wonder what it will be like when it comes to the Nanyang Fleet. Although he has experienced many naval battles as chief of staff, as a fleet commander, he needs to be at the critical moment.  Shihou must be decisive, and he also needs to show calmness and rationality in times of crisis. In this regard, the top brass of the Navy are not very confident about him.

    The fleet arrived at Socotra Island for supplies. This archipelago captured from the British has now become the largest naval base of the Republican Army in the Arabian Sea.  With the endurance of the battleships of the Republic Navy, the entire main fleet can sail from Malta to Guangzhou without any need for replenishment in the middle. However, the Italian battleships cannot do this. The "Veneto-class" battleships are inherently "short".  The weak point of "legs" is that its endurance is only more than 4,000 nautical miles, which is similar to the endurance of the Republican Navy's ocean-going destroyers and frigates.

    The warships entered the port of Anxi one after another to refuel. Although they were well-informed, the logistics officers and soldiers stationed in Socotra were still amazed when they saw the huge "Himalaya" and "Tianshan" with a displacement of more than 60,000 tons.  Fang Minghot allowed the garrison on Socotra Island to board the "Tianshan" for a visit. Ziji and Major General Tang Anguo, commander of the Socotra Island base, accompanied General Aquino for sightseeing on the island.  The flora and fauna on Socotra Island are very strange. The canopy-like dragon's blood tree, the strange-shaped desert rose, the precious myrrh and cinnamon trees are like a fantasyland.

    After three days of resupplying in Socotra, on October 12, 1942, the morning sun had just risen, and the entire task force was??Left Ansi Port again and continued sailing towards Malacca.  After the fleet entered the Indian Ocean, Fang Minghao ordered it to change into an anti-submarine formation. Although the entire Indian Ocean is currently under the control of the Republican Navy, American submarines still attack the transport fleet from time to time.

    The fleet sailed leisurely across the entire northern Indian Ocean and into the Strait of Malacca at a speed of 16 knots. There was no trouble along the way. Even if there were enemy submarines, they would not easily attack a fleet. First, it was difficult to get close.  Secondly, it is difficult to succeed when attacking weapons. On the contrary, it is most likely to be sunk.  As the fleet sailed through Ceylon, it kept raining in the sky, and it seemed to never stop.

    When it was about to arrive in Singapore, the fleet received an order from the country. The order from the Navy Ministry asked Fang Minghao to lead the fleet back to the country to rest and recuperate.

    This is the prelude to a major naval battle. After a warship has been on duty at sea for a long time, many marine organisms will adhere to the hull, which will affect the speed and combat capabilities of the warship. Before every large-scale naval battle, the main fleet  They will all return to the shipyard for a routine maintenance.

    The fleet stayed in Singapore for two days, while the Italian fleet stayed at the Naval Shipyard in Changi Base for maintenance, while Fang Minghao continued to lead the fleet back to China.

    The South China Sea gives people a kind of friendly atmosphere. After entering the South China Sea, the officers and soldiers on the ship seemed a little excited. After drifting on the sea for nearly two years, this was their first time returning to their hometown.

    Fang Minghao was sitting in the war room, facing the huge map of the Pacific Ocean on the table, guessing the next operational plan of the General Staff and the Naval Command.  Although many people in the Navy have a strong interest in attacking Pearl Harbor, the highest decision-making level, the President, has been denying offensive operations plans close to the United States in order to avoid provoking American hatred. In addition, the Aleuts  Archipelago and the Battle for Islands in the South Pacific.

    Fang Minghao judged that the navy was most likely to launch a major maritime campaign in the South Pacific. Ruguo could cut off Australia's maritime supplies, and the more than 2.3 million US, Australian and Japanese coalition forces in Australia would collapse without an attack.  Contestation was key to the entire South Pacific campaign.

    His judgment was correct. The battle plan formulated by the General Staff was indeed focused on the Southern Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.  (To be continued.)
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