Chapter 1127: Demonstration

As a “fleet in being,” Germany’s maritime power had been steadily building its strength. They remained obscure for a long time, but they were not inactive during this period. Perhaps ever since the German landing in Britain, the halo of the German surface fleet had been overshadowed by the U-boat force. However, this could not erase the German High Seas Fleet, which had always longed for the ocean.

Silence did not mean surrender. For a long time, the navy had seized every opportunity to practice its blue-water combat capabilities. From the long voyage to Australia to the reinforcement of Gibraltar, the German Navy finally mastered the essentials of ocean warfare. Once its fuel supplies were in place, it sharpened its knives and set out for the US East Coast.

Regarding the plan to attack the US East Coast, both the Air Force and the Navy had their own proposals. The Navy went first, dispatching an ocean-going wolf pack of 20 submarines to conduct harassing attacks. However, because it was a single service arm and lacked reconnaissance support, this fleet’s impact was very limited, and its results were not all that stunning.

The Air Force, on the other hand, proposed using new long-range bombers to attack the US mainland. However, the development of this new bomber was not going smoothly. The six-engine large passenger aircraft, developed as a civilian project, had tested well, but some of its specifications consistently failed to meet military requirements. Furthermore, the German Air Force high command had little confidence in unescorted bombing missions, so the development pace had slowed.

This sortie by the German naval carrier strike fleet was a top-secret operation. Even the fleet’s high command was not notified at the time of departure. Even the ship captains did not know that this voyage was to attack the US East Coast.

The main reason for such secrecy was that German ports were swarming with spies. Intelligence of the German fleet’s departure would quickly be known to the Americans. Therefore, the German fleet attacked the Iceland base first as a feint to confuse the enemy and prevent the US from strengthening its East Coast defenses. Using a carrier fleet for large-scale commerce raiding was, one might say, a more efficient form of naval attack developed by the German Navy after it had begun to enjoy the changes brought by aircraft carriers.

Soon, the first wave of 10 German attack aircraft achieved their results. A transport ship sailing from Canada to the United States was sunk. Subsequently, a US destroyer was also sunk in the nearby waters. Only then did the US East Coast Defense Command realize that something was wrong.

“Send a message to the British Royal Navy’s patrol fleets! Have them confirm the German fleet’s exact location after the Iceland attack!” A US naval admiral, looking at the damned shipwreck marker on the command center map, ordered loudly. “German planes on the US East Coast… this is not good news, no matter how you slice it. Have nearby naval patrol vessels confirm the number and type of the German aircraft!”

“The intel is too vague. The sunken destroyer reported being attacked by German planes, but we lost radio contact before we could confirm if they were single-engine planes or heavy bombers,” another US general said in an anxious tone. “The operations department speculates it’s German carriers. After all, heavy bombers aren’t likely to sink a nimble destroyer so easily.”

“Dammit! What if it is a German bomber fleet? I need confirmation on whether or not it’s the Germans’ new bomber fleet! We only have 300 anti-aircraft guns on the entire East Coast. If New York is attacked, those guys in Congress will dig a pit and bury us all.” The commander of the US East Coast Defense interrupted him, ordering in a stern voice, “Scramble all available combat aircraft immediately! I need to ensure the absolute safety of the East Coast. Get me on the phone with every radar station. Find the exact location of those German planes!”

“Report! The destroyer July is under naval gunfire from German warships! They claim to have spotted the German fleet, position in anti-submarine patrol area X17!” An officer rushed into the command center, handing his message to the admirals. For a moment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t German long-range bombers; that problem was a little easier to solve.

“Send a message to the British. Have them dispatch the fleet stationed in Canada. Try to inflict heavy damage on this German fleet.” The American commander, while mobilizing his own forces to drive away the German fleet, also ordered the radar systems to remain on alert to prevent the Germans from exploiting any loopholes. In an instant, the entire US East Coast was mobilized. All sorts of patrol planes and fighters streaked across the sky, and many ships at sea received notifications to avoid the German fleet.

“What the hell? A German fleet? On the East Coast?” A transport ship captain looked at the message he had just received, unsure whether to laugh or cry as he looked at his subordinate. “Let’s head west. We’ll wait near Boston for a day.”

“Ahem, but Captain, our ship is full of urgent supplies for Britain. If we stop for a day at a time like this, their work will be forced to halt…” This transport was a British ship, and the crew was also British. Hearing this decision, the crewman spoke, unconvinced: “How could a German fleet possibly appear in a place like this? Couldn’t those Americans have gotten something wrong?”

“There’s no time for us to confirm. I hear the German fleet is nearby…” The captain didn’t want to risk his own life, so he insisted on his order. A few minutes later, their ship changed course and sailed toward the distant US East Coast. Like this transport, countless fishing boats, patrol boats, cargo ships, and passenger liners were forced to change their heading.

The US East Coast was thrown into chaos by this suddenly appearing German fleet. Lütjens, at this time, was also taken aback by the problem he was facing. He had originally thought the Americans would only take this seriously after he had sunk at least several dozen of their ships. But he had only sunk 4 vessels, and the Americans were already making adjustments and responding.

American reconnaissance planes were appearing in his airspace in increasing numbers, forcing him to abandon his interference with the US East Coast shipping lanes and make a turn to escape the combat radius of American aircraft.

Watching the distant battle as German fighters drove off American patrol planes, Lütjens had no choice but to once again give the order to turn south. “Full speed, head south! Dammit! The American forces deployed on the East Coast are stronger than we anticipated. It seems we are destined to return empty-handed this time.”

The Americans had responded in a timely manner and had begun to scramble all sorts of aircraft to interfere with the German carrier fleet’s operations. Lütjens did not dare to get entangled with land-based US fighter groups. He was more worried that the British fleet, whose position he couldn’t confirm, would suddenly appear. Therefore, the German fleet did not linger. It fought a retreating battle, choosing the safest route south, and left the dangerous waters.

Lütjens’s operational objective this time was mainly to demonstrate German naval power and tie down the US Navy. His goal was to pin down American forces as much as possible and disrupt the rhythm of American shipping. Judging by the results, they had partially achieved their objective. Retreating and disengaging now was a very wise choice.

Just as Lütjens was fighting his retreat, the US East Coast command was also in a cold sweat over the German fleet’s sudden appearance. Their main fleet was in the Pacific, and most of their fighter forces were also in the Pacific, maintaining pressure on the Japanese. One should not underestimate the combat effectiveness of the Japanese. Even at a disadvantage, they were still a powerful opponent. To maintain a strategic advantage over Japan, the United States had to commit the majority of its combat forces.

The entire East Coast had, just now, thrown almost everything it had into the air. If the German fleet had insisted on staying, the Americans had no decent way to deal with this damned fleet. The German fleet was outside the combat radius of the American fighters; to repel them, they would have to rely on the British fleet.

Unfortunately, the British fleet was still in the waters near Canada. It would take a great deal of time to get here. Unfortunately, Lütjens didn’t know this. So he was forced to retreat by a fleet that was hundreds of kilometers away and a not-so-strong US Army Air Force.

“We can’t keep defending the East Coast with such a small number of planes. We need at least 300 combat aircraft, and we need them immediately!” The American commander looked at the report he had just received, stating they had lost track of the German fleet. He breathed a sigh of relief and ordered loudly, “The Germans won’t just come this one time! They’re not short on oil anymore!”

Even though they knew this “demonstration”-like attack from the German Navy wouldn’t amount to much, the United States still didn’t dare to bet on the absurd idea that “the Germans won’t come back.” They needed to ensure the absolute safety of New York, Washington, and other regions, so this would inevitably divert some forces that were about to be deployed to the Pacific.

In fact, the Americans were indeed affected by this “demonstration.” They intercepted 2 air groups that were heading for the Pacific theater and deployed them on the East Coast. The British fleet also purposefully moved south to ensure the safety of the shipping route from the US to Canada. More than two hours later, President Roosevelt finished a meeting and only then learned of this small-scale battle. In total, the Americans had only lost 1 destroyer, 2 transport ships, and 1 large fishing boat. But this attack forced the United States to take the war in the Atlantic seriously, and it dispersed the US Navy’s combat forces.

But Lütjens didn’t know any of this right now. For him, this commerce-raiding operation was not a victory, but a “demonstration march” that had been cut short. He eagerly hoped he could come back again and fight a real battle that would truly cripple the US Navy…

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