It was not only the American fleet's 1st Capital Ship Formation that had been ambushed by German Navy torpedo boats and submarines. The 2nd Capital Ship Formation attacking Santa Cruz, the 3rd Capital Ship Formation attacking Faial, and the 1st Heavy Cruiser Formation attacking Corvo Island had all been ambushed by German Navy torpedo boats and submarines.
The 1st Heavy Cruiser Formation in particular had no Capital Ships. Thus, the six Baltimore-class heavy cruisers suffered severe losses under the German Navy's Encirclement Offensive.
"General, what should we do now? The Germans have dispatched torpedo boats and submarines to launch sneak attacks on us, causing us considerable losses. Clearly, their Capital Ships must be nearby," Rear Admiral Corville said worriedly.
The situation was already very clear. The Germans had laid a trap west of the Azores, waiting for the Americans to walk right into it. And the Americans truly had fallen for it, stupidly stumbling into the trap.
Although, judging from the intelligence gathered so far, the American fleet's losses did not seem too great. At the very least, none of the fifteen Capital Ships had been sunk. However, the Iowa-class battleships and South Dakota-class battleships were far inferior to the Montana-class battleships in their ability to withstand torpedo attacks. As a result, both Capital Ship Formations had battleships that had suffered heavy damage.
Furthermore, the American fleet's cruisers and destroyers had also suffered grievous losses in battle. This would leave the American fleet lacking cruiser and destroyer protection in the coming operations. Not only would its anti-torpedo capabilities be limited, but even its anti-aircraft firepower would be constrained.
"General, are we still going to continue attacking the Germans' naval bases?" Rear Admiral Corville asked.
"Continue! Destroy those German bases as quickly as possible, then withdraw!" Admiral Husband Kimmel ordered.
Destroying