Volume 2: War breaks out Chapter 15: Deduction on the Nautical Chart (Part 1)
After burying his head and looking carefully at the nautical chart for a while, Tan Renhao looked up at the three generals.
The three generals were also looking at him, wanting to know how Tan Renhao was going to convince them.
"Commander Liao, Chief of Staff, and Staff Officer Ji, I will do a simple war game. I believe this will allow you to better understand the plans and intentions of the Japanese Navy."
Tan Renhao turned the nautical chart of the Western Pacific region to the top.
"Now, Japan's four major fleets are concentrated in the waters . From the last intelligence we received, it's probably something like this?"
"Two days ago. To be exact, it should be 42 hours ago."
Wu Xianyu answered Tan Renhao's question very accurately.
"So, when will our next batch of submarines be able to reach this sea area, and when will they reach 300 nautical miles east of the Ryukyu Islands?"
"Three days, and one day after that."
Tan Renhao nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Take the Southwest Combined Fleet of Japan as an example. If they leave the exercise area before or after our submarines leave, and if calculated at a cruising speed of 18 knots, they have now reached the waters near Iwo Jima, and will probably arrive less than 300 nautical miles from the Ryukyu Islands tomorrow morning. The bombers carried by their aircraft carriers are enough to bomb Naha Port and other military bases on the island at this distance. If combined with Japan's long-range bombers deployed on Kyushu Island, Shikoku Island, and the southwestern part of Honshu Island, all the imperial military bases on the Ryukyu Islands will be reduced to a sea of fire within two hours, including all the main battleships of the First Fleet anchored in Naha Port."
"We have reconnaissance planes. It's impossible for Japanese bombers to fly over the Ryukyu Islands easily."
Ji Xiaobin frowned.
"Yes, they will be discovered, but why can't the Japanese take a chance?"
Tan Renhao glanced at the three generals and said, "The First Fleet has 40% of the Empire's battleships, and 60% of the Empire's battleships deployed in the Eastern Hemisphere are in the First Fleet. More importantly, 80% of all the battleships built by the Empire after the war are in the First Fleet.
If Japanese bombers suddenly launched an attack, even if they were discovered, the Imperial Fleet on the island would have less than an hour to prepare for battle.
Moreover, we all know the capabilities of those reconnaissance planes. How likely are they to discover the Japanese bomber groups? If Japan wants to control the sea power in the Western Pacific, it must first defeat the Imperial Navy, and the First Fleet is the most powerful fleet in the Imperial Navy.
As long as the Japanese Navy fighters can seize air superiority over the Ryukyu Islands, the First Fleet in the harbor will become a piece of fish on the chopping board, with only the fate of being slaughtered at will."
"But we still have the Second and Third Fleets, and our Fifth Fleet is no pushover either."
Wu Xianyu raised another question.
Tan Renhao smiled bitterly, then continued with the help of the sea chart: "The Japanese Southern Fleet must have moved south. They are probably in the waters near the Caroline Islands and are heading towards the Sulu Sea.
This is Japan's second most powerful fleet, and its strength is not inferior to the Second Fleet.
If the Second Fleet gets support from the bombers on Timor Island, I'm afraid it won't even be able to fight back."
The three generals gathered around and listened carefully to Tan Renhao's analysis.
"The Third Fleet's actions were to commit suicide."
Tan Renhao pointed at the Java Sea and said, "Based on the current speed of the Third Fleet, they will enter the Java Sea tonight, and early tomorrow morning - this is likely to be the time when the Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack - the Third Fleet will arrive at the south of the Makassar Strait, which is less than 300 nautical miles away from Timor Island. The combat radius of the hundreds of fighter planes deployed by Japan on Timor Island exceeds 300 nautical miles. Even without the cooperation of the naval fleet, there is a great chance that the Third Fleet will be destroyed, as well as the Southwest Fleet that will cooperate with it."
Liao Hanxiang's expression darkened.
"At our current speed, when will we be able to reach Naha?"
Tan Renhao let out a long sigh.
"About tomorrow at noon."
Ji Xiaobin answered Tan Renhao's question.
"That's totally right."
Tan Renhao sat down. "We will appear in the waters near Ryukyu Island tomorrow morning and enter the attack range of the Japanese fleet. If we don't know anything, then I guarantee that by then, bombers with plaster flags will appear over the fleet, and we may not even have time to launch anti-aircraft fighters."
"Major, do you know what these analyses mean?"
Liao Hanxiang also sat down.
"I know it, and I know it very well."
Tan Renhao met Liao Hanxiang's gaze and said, "Commander Liao, I didn't make up these analyses out of thin air. I analyzed them based on facts.
How many tricks did the Japanese have in the past six months? Every time the two sides were on the verge of a fight, Japan took the initiative to make concessions and let us relax our vigilance.
And every time the alarm was sounded, the nerves of the Imperial Navy relaxed a little.
This is Japan's constant testing of the Empire and the Imperial Navy's response.
Now, we have not made any response, and we don't even take the war signals they sent out as a warning. This is actually sending a very clear signal to Japan that the Empire is not ready for war, and the Empire does not want to go to war with Japan at this time.
So, how will Japan respond after receiving this signal? "
The three generals looked at Tan Renhao again, but this time they were much less suspicious.
" We have proven that a fleet without an aircraft carrier and without the ability to control the air will be vulnerable. Moreover, warships docked in ports are even more vulnerable."
Tan Renhao lit another cigarette and said, "The First Fleet is a sitting duck parked there, and this is the opportunity the Japanese are waiting for.
They first issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Korea, asking us to dispatch the First Fleet southward to pose a threat to the Japanese mainland.
Then it turned its attention to the United States, leading us to believe without a doubt that Japan would go to war with the United States, or at least move Japan's main fleet eastward.
Just when we all thought that the Japanese Navy was focusing on the central Pacific, they suddenly came back and took advantage of our lack of preparation to destroy the First Fleet in one fell swoop, and at the same time defeated the Second Fleet and the Third Fleet, causing the Empire to lose control of the sea in the Western Pacific, and the Empire will lose the initiative in the war from then on! "
Liao Hanxiang nodded slightly. He had made a decision. Of course, it was not an easy decision.
