Published at 13th of February 2023 06:55:23 AM

On the afternoon of February 3, a large fleet was sailing southeast at a speed of 20 knots in the waters about 500 kilometers northwest of Ponapei Island. This fleet is exactly the fleet composed of the 1st, 3rd and 4th battleship battleships of the combined fleet of the island country navy. Their goal is obviously to go to Ponapei Island.

Of course, if the German Navy does not send a fleet to intercept them, this fleet will attack those airports on Pohnpei Island and destroy those airports. And if the German Navy sends a main fleet to intercept it, the island navy combined fleet wants to take this opportunity to destroy the German Navy's capital ships in the Pacific Ocean in one fell swoop. Perhaps it is because they have strong confidence in the performance of their own capital ships, so the senior generals of the combined fleet of the island nation's navy believe that they can win the duel.

On the battleship 'Ki', Vice Admiral Yoshida Zengo looked serious. This time, he was ordered to lead three capital ship teams to fight, and he naturally hoped to win. But at the same time, he also knows how big the risk is, and if there is a mistake, the consequences will be disastrous.

"How long will it be before it gets dark?" Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo asked.

For this fleet of capital ships, the German Navy's aircraft will be their worst enemy. Only after dark were those planes unable to take off for combat. At that time, they will be truly safe.

"General, it will be dark in four hours. Calculating the time, if the Germans are going to send planes to attack us, it should be within this hour. If it is later, when their planes return, it will be already It's getting dark." Chief of Staff of the 1st Battleship Squadron Fukudome Shigeru reported.

Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo nodded: "How about the air search radar? Once you find a German plane, immediately notify the aircraft carrier team and let them take off their fighter planes to assist our air defense!"

Although, these warships of the island navy are also equipped with a lot of anti-air weapons. But even so, Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo did not have the confidence to resist the enemy's air strikes. Fortunately, the United Fleet's No. 1 and No. 2 aircraft carrier teams are only two hundred kilometers away from them. Once the radar detects an enemy situation, it can immediately request the aircraft carrier team to send aircraft to assist them in air defense. In this case, the certainty of resisting the German Navy's aircraft attack will undoubtedly be much greater.

"General, the air defense radar is working well, and no German planes have been found so far. The contact with the aircraft carrier team has also remained unimpeded. The aircraft carrier team keeps dozens of air defense fighters on duty in the sky at all times. Once the enemy is found, you can Come and reinforce us immediately," Colonel Fukushige reported.

After confirming that there were no problems with these, Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that as long as he persisted until dark, it was time for them to take the initiative. At that time, the powerful main guns of their 12 battleships can destroy all enemies. This time the plan has a very high chance of success.

The combined fleet of the island nation's navy had better luck, although the German Navy sent many ships, submarines and aircraft to further search for their traces. But in the vast sea, even a huge fleet is just a drop in the ocean, trying to find them is completely like looking for a needle in a haystack. Therefore, until dark, the German Navy did not find any trace of the combined fleet. At this moment, the capital ship team of the United Fleet is only more than 300 kilometers away from Ponapei Island. Calculating the time, they will be able to arrive at Ponapei Island at 2 am on February 4th at the latest.

Aboard the aircraft carrier 'Aries', Admiral Konrad Abbrecht and Fleet Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Oscar Kumetz both frowned. The combined fleet of the island nation's navy seemed to have disappeared, which made them feel quite threatened.

"Damn it, where did those islanders hide? Haven't our planes and ships found them?" Admiral Konrad Abbrecht said angrily.

"General, we didn't find them before dark. After dark, it will be even more difficult to find them!" Lieutenant General Oscar Kumetz said.

"However, what is certain is that the islanders must have come from the airport on Pohnpei Island. We have deployed a large number of aircraft there, which poses a great threat to the island navy. When our fleet is not found Before, they would definitely try to destroy those airports, just like what they did in the Mariana Islands." Lieutenant General Oscar Kumetz continued.

Admiral Konrad Abbrecht's face is constantly changing. If the airport on Pohnpei Island is also destroyed, this will undoubtedly be a big loss for the German Navy. What's more, being succeeded by the islanders twice in a row is also a big blow to the morale of the fleet. These generals are also shameless!

"Let the airport on the island get ready. Once the navy of the island country advances to a more dangerous distance, all combat aircraft on the island must take off and transfer to the Bismarck Islands!" Admiral Konrad Abbrecht ordered . In the absence of other options, the only option is to ask the combat aircraft on the island to transfer, so that even if the airport is destroyed, at least most of its strength can be preserved.

"Yes, General. Maybe we can find them!" Lieutenant General Oscar Kumetz said.

The luck of the navy of the island country cannot always be so good. In fact, it is true.

At 8:30 p.m. on February 3, a submarine of the German Navy spotted the main fleet of the island nation's navy two hundred and sixty kilometers northwest of Ponapei Island.

After the island nation's fleet left, the submarine surfaced and sent a telegram.

The telegram was sent to Admiral Konrad Abbrecht immediately.

"Very well, the islanders are here! Our main fleet, how far are they from here?" Admiral Conrad Abbrecht asked.

Now that the island nation's navy has been found, the next step is to fight. As long as the island nation's navy can be defeated in combat, the crisis on Pohnpei Island can be resolved.

Although, most of the capital ships of the Japanese navy are cutting-edge capital ships with advanced performance. The capital ships of the German Navy are almost all old ships. However, Admiral Konrad Abbrecht is still full of confidence in the main fleet of the German Navy. He believes that even in a head-on confrontation, the main fleet of the German Navy will not be defeated. What's more, it is still fighting at night, and the main fleet of the German Navy should have a greater advantage.