Following orders from headquarters, the German Home Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, and Mediterranean Fleet entered the highest state of combat readiness. All personnel on leave returned to their bases. One warship after another completed maintenance and stood ready to take part in an intense confrontation in peak condition.
Although only three months had passed since the Battle of the Azores ended, the officers and sailors of the German Navy seemed still immersed in the excitement and joy of victory. They firmly believed that the German Navy would likewise achieve final victory in this naval battle.
Confidence was naturally a good thing. But if it turned into blind optimism, the final outcome might prove far from satisfactory.
Even the senior commanders of the three German Navy fleets were extremely cautious about this operation. Although the German Navy had already gained the upper hand in the Atlantic Ocean, both the American Navy and British Navy were formidable. If the German Navy made a mistake in battle, the American Navy and British Navy could very well seize the opportunity and turn the tables in one stroke.
To avoid capsizing in a gutter, the German Navy's generals were even more cautious about this naval battle. Of course, that did not mean they would let a fleeting opportunity slip away. As the German Navy's finest commanders, aided by countless outstanding staff officers, once an opportunity arose, they would certainly seize it accurately and keenly.
Moreover, the German Navy possessed the world's most powerful warships, the strongest carrier-based aircraft, and the finest sailors and carrier-based aircraft pilots. This gave the German Navy an enormous advantage in naval warfare. It would not be easy for any other country to defeat it.
On the night of October 9, the German Home Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, and Mediterranean Fleet left their