Chapter 3 avengers action

Long before the Battle of Midway, Nimitz often asked Layton to think from the perspective of Yamamoto. Layton seemed to be an imaginary incarnation of Yamamoto, and he fully understood the value of that person. In the history of the Japanese Navy, the Commander of the Joint Fleet has served for 38 terms, and Yamamoto has served for the longest term. This irreplaceability shows the unique status of Yamamoto in the minds of the Japanese. He is known as the "Admiral of the World", a symbol of the United Fleet, and a genuine Japanese military god.Even after losing consecutive battles at Midway Island and Guadalcanal Island, people's trust in him has not wavered in the slightest.It can be said that in the whole of Japan, except for the emperor, who is revered as the "Superman God", no one has the same influence as Yamamoto in enhancing the morale of the people.

Layton firmly advocated killing the "I" other than the incarnation. He said to Nimitz: "General, you understand the psychology of the Japanese. If we kill Yamamoto, the morale of the Japanese navy will be destroyed. I believe this will definitely happen." It will cause Japan to be overwhelmed and plunged into chaos." Nimitz was still a little undecided, and he thought about something deeper: "I'm thinking about whether they can find a more capable fleet commander." No matter how powerful the old opponent is, after all, he knows the root and the bottom. If a new one is replaced, which is more ruthless and hotter than the old one, wouldn't it be self-defeating and help the Japanese?

Leiden is a living dictionary of the Japanese navy. As long as it mentions Japanese naval generals, no matter who they are, whether they are senior, inexperienced, capable or courageous, he can easily refer to them.After some comparisons, Layton made a conclusion: "Yamamoto is the number one figure in the Japanese army, the most outstanding leader in the Japanese navy, and he stands out from the crowd." Looking at the contemplative boss in front of him, Layton suddenly came up with inspiration: "General, you know, it's as if if you are killed by them, no one can replace you."

This metaphor made Nimitz feel comfortable, and he laughed: "Okay, let's try it." Nimitz made up his mind to ambush Yamamoto, but intercepting such a well-known figure is not only a military operation, but also involves political factors.Nimitz has always been cautious. He decided to ask Washington first for President Roosevelt's opinion. Roosevelt was having lunch with dignitaries when the request telegram arrived.After listening to Nimitz's report, Roosevelt did not immediately express his opinion. Assassinating the opponent's king or commander during a war may have no taboo for Orientals, as long as you can do it.But Westerners are different. It’s like throwing a stone on the back of someone’s head while they’re resting in the arena without putting in any effort. Once word spreads, it will be considered a cowardly and nasty person who lacks chivalry.

Of course, when World War II hit the fierce point, many Westerners didn't care about whether they were knights or not. Germany and the United Kingdom had organized similar assassinations. Roosevelt himself was almost wiped out by a torpedo launched by a German submarine.It's just that the U.S. government has been shy in this regard, and Roosevelt never considered assassinating Hitler and Mussolini. Secretary of the Navy Knox generally followed Roosevelt's thoughts. He took the lead in speaking and opposed the ambush of Yamamoto on the grounds that his actions were extremely disgraceful.

Secretary of the Army Stimson looked unhappy: "Assassination is certainly a violation of the "Laws of War", but is it legal for Japan to attack our Pearl Harbor?" Pearl Harbor was the original sin.In Stimson's view, Yamamoto first took an extremely disgraceful act and attacked Pearl Harbor. Naturally, he lost the protection of the "Law of War". It's disgraceful, if you insist on saying it, you're tying yourself up. Stimson also put forward a point of view. Yamamoto went to the front line, that is, to inspect the combat area. On the front line battlefield, a general is no different from an ordinary soldier, and it is reasonable to be killed.

Stimson's words drew echoes.Marshall, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Ginger, Chief of Naval Operations, both agreed, believing that Yamamoto was a serious threat to the U.S. military and the primary enemy on the Pacific battlefield. The revenge of the arrow can save the U.S. Navy from greater losses. Knox became a loner, he thought for a while, and asked another question: "The tour schedule seems to be carefully arranged, could it be that the Japanese set up a trap to lure our plane over, and then wiped out all of them? " That's unlikely, explained the chief of naval intelligence present here.Yamamoto's telegram used a new cipher that had just been changed, and it was a five-digit cipher that the Japanese thought was unfathomable. They would never have expected that the US would be able to decipher it.Just imagine, who would forge a message that cannot be deciphered by the other party?Doesn't that mean making up games for yourself and wasting time?

Everything made sense, and Roosevelt's worries were completely dispelled: "Then let's shoot down the Yamamoto plane and kill our old friend. Let's see, what name should we give this operation?" The president set the tone, and Knox immediately changed the direction of the wind. He suggested: "Since the interception of Yamamoto was to avenge Pearl Harbor, let's call it 'Operation Avengers'!" After receiving the telegram from Knox, Nimitz immediately called Halsey, then commander of the 57th Task Force, asking him to resolutely carry out the operation at all costs, and said: "Good luck and return with a full load." !"

Halsey deployed layer by layer, and the task finally fell to the 399th Fighter Squadron of the "Cactus Air Force".The P-38 "Lightning" fighter jets equipped by this squadron have been proved to be incomparable to the "Zero" fighter jets in actual combat. The squadron leader, Major Michel, was called into the war room. He found that the atmosphere in the room was abnormal, and almost all the senior officers in Guadalcanal were present.Someone handed him a telegram, which read: "Top secret, the P-38 fighter jets of the 399th Squadron must go all out, arrive in time and shoot down the Yamamoto plane. The president attaches great importance to this operation!"

In the signed column, it is Secretary of the Navy Knox.