Chapter 56 getting better

During Koga's "death trip," his chief of staff Shige Fukuru carried a box of top-secret documents with him.Afterwards, the box was seized by the Philippine Anti-Japanese Guerrillas. When they checked the documents, they found out that there was an outline of "Operation Z" inside. This very important document was finally sent to the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, and Japanese experts translated the document overnight.Nimitz not only read it from beginning to end, but also ordered the document to be sent to the captains who were about to participate in the Mariana Islands operation.

Although Caolu regards the "Adaihao Operation" plan as a proud work, but in the big picture, it is just a specific replica of "Z Operation".In other words, the Pacific Fleet basically saw through the internal organs of the "Operation Adai" before it was launched. Nakajima was right. No matter how MacArthur made progress on Biak Island, Nimitz's advance to Mariana would not be delayed at all, not to mention that he knew the combined fleet's intentions in advance. In fact, Nimitz was more eager to fight than Toyota.Before, he was afraid that the United Fleet would be divided into small pieces, and it would take a long time to solve it. Now Koga and Toyoda are following suit and learning from the 58th Task Force to organize an aircraft carrier force. The sledgehammer is on.

This is called "the emperor has to starve if he loses power".It is a good thing that the United Fleet is catching up with the trend, but it is a pity that it is a step too late. When fighting on an empty stomach, no matter how much you compare pictures, you owe so little meaning. In the list of Japanese aircraft carriers in the "Operation Adai", Nimitz saw the names of "Xianghe" and "Zuihe".These two aircraft carriers not only participated in the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, but were also old opponents of the US military. They were the archenemies of the US military in large-scale naval battles such as the Coral Sea naval battle and the Solomon Islands naval battle.

Nimitz named "Operation Raid" for the Mariana Islands campaign, and the purpose was to conquer Saipan, Tinian and Guam.He told Holland Smith, who commanded the amphibious landings: "One day, when I see a telegram on my desk saying that the two Japanese aircraft carriers have been sunk, that will be the happiest day of my life." On June 6, 1944, military operations on the two major battlefields in Europe and Asia reached a boiling point almost simultaneously.On the European battlefield, the U.S. military crossed the English Channel with other Allied forces and landed in Normandy, France, piercing the German defense line in one fell swoop.On the Pacific battlefield, the 5th Fleet, the 58th Task Force and the amphibious landing force led by Spruance are also heading for Saipan in mighty force. This formation includes 535 ships and 127,000 soldiers. , which made the "surprise operation" the largest naval battle since the beginning of the Pacific War.

It took more than two years to formulate the plan for the Normandy landing. In comparison, the complexity of the "surprise attack" is not inferior, but Spruance and others completed the entire plan in only three months. And preparations fully demonstrate the command and planning ability of this team, which is getting better and better. On June 7, the officers and soldiers of the US military sailing at sea heard the news of the successful landing in Normandy through the radio. Someone said softly: "Thank God!" The landing of the Pacific Fleet on Saipan is quite similar to the attack on Midway by the United Fleet two years ago.But there is a clear difference between the two. At Midway Island, the Japanese army crossed the river by feeling the stones and did not know the specific location of the US combat fleet. As a result, they were counterattacked by the US military in a daze.This time was different. The U.S. military knew the location of the Japanese fleet well, and clearly knew that Ozawa's troops were on Tawi Tawi Island.

The U.S. submarine force was redeployed.The submarine group operating in the Tawi Tawi waters is waiting for an opportunity to attack and monitor while the rest of the submarines are patrolling the Philippine Sea near the Mariana Islands. Earns' eyes and ears. The United Fleet is concentrating on reinforcing the "Operation Hun" on Biak Island, completely unaware that the U.S. fleet has already killed Saipan.Although the two "mudgy operations" were in vain, Ozawa was still not reconciled. He sent a telegram to the United Fleet Command, claiming that the airport on Biak Island was extremely important and could not be lost in any case, while reminding Toyota, Kusanagi, etc. Deer, if we try again, we can not only take Biak Island back, but also bring the US fleet into the waters where the decisive battle is scheduled.

Ozawa's reminder was actually unnecessary. "Operation Hun" was Caolu's idea. He would naturally try his best to persuade Toyota to continue, so "Hun-3" came into being. On June 10, "Hun-3" left Tawi Tawi Island and headed south.At the same time, the 58th Task Force continued to approach Saipan. They did not have to worry about the Japanese carrier-based aircraft thousands of miles away, and only had to deal with the Kadota troops on the island. At noon on June 11, when the fleet arrived in the waters 200 nautical miles east of Guam, in order to prevent the Tsunoda troops from attacking, Fleet Commander Mitchell preemptively dispatched a carrier-based aircraft group consisting of 208 fighter jets and 8 bombers to attack the Air strikes were launched on Saipan and Tinian.