On the night of February 18, the German Home Fleet had reached Flores Island. Once dawn broke the next day, they would be able to attack the US Marine Corps stationed on Flores Island and the defensive fortifications they had built. This was essentially the westernmost edge of the Azores, several hundred kilometers away from the Atlantic Fleet.
"Your Excellency Commander, will the Americans take the bait this time?" On the Home Fleet's flagship, the battleship Kaiser, Fleet Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Richter Fiers asked. This operation was intended to destroy the American Navy's main fleet in one stroke! If their plan truly succeeded, the American Navy would undoubtedly suffer a crushing blow. By then, the US government would likely have to pour enormous sums into rebuilding its navy. That would give the German Navy more than another decade of dominance over the Atlantic Ocean.
"I don't know. But I think they should take the bait. After all, this is an excellent opportunity for them. It is also their only possible chance to defeat us." Admiral Hipper wore a smile.
"General, what if the Americans do not attack the Atlantic Fleet and come for us instead?" Lieutenant General Richter Fiers asked.
"The Americans' Commander will not be that foolish. Although the Home Fleet has only eight Capital Ships, they are all powerful Capital Ships equipped with 410mm Main Guns. Even if the American fleet has eleven Capital Ships, swallowing us whole would be extremely difficult. At most, it would end in mutual destruction. In that case, they would no longer have any chance of defeating us. Only by swallowing our Atlantic Fleet first can they keep their losses from becoming too severe. If luck is on their side afterward, defeating us would not be impossible." Admiral Hipper said.
That