Toronto, Canada, Naval Ministry.
Sir Dudley Pound, First Sea Lord; Admiral John Tovey, Commander of the Atlantic Fleet; Admiral Andrew Cunningham, Deputy Fleet Commander; Admiral Harold Stark, Chief of Naval Operations of the American Navy; Admiral Nimitz, Deputy Fleet Commander of the Navy; Admiral Ernest King, Commander of the Atlantic Fleet; and others had all gathered here.
The main force of the American Navy was heading north, but warships clearly could not match aircraft in speed. It would still take time for the American Navy's main fleet to reach the waters south of Newfoundland.
Yet the senior commanders of both nations' navies needed to meet first. Only then could they ensure that their fleets would truly work hand in hand in this naval battle.
"Sir, have we still not determined the size of the German fleet?" Admiral Harold Stark asked. This was also what concerned the American Navy most.
"Minister, we have dispatched quite a few Reconnaissance Aircraft, seaplanes, and submarines to the waters southeast of Greenland. But the Germans' defenses are far too tight. Our aircraft were shot down by their fighters, and our submarines were sunk as well. We have not obtained any definite intelligence so far. We can only piece together a few fragments from the Telegrams we received and know that the German fleet is extremely powerful," Sir Dudley Pound said helplessly.
After discovering that the German fleet had appeared in the waters southeast of Greenland, the British Navy had never ceased gathering intelligence on it. Unfortunately, they had still failed to do so. Large numbers of Reconnaissance Aircraft and seaplanes were shot down by German Navy carrier-based fighters before they could even approach the German fleet. The submarines that attempted to get closer were sunk by German Navy anti-submarine escort vessels and destroyers. As a