The Azores lay in the east-central North Atlantic, 1,450 kilometers from Portugal, over 1,600 kilometers from Europe, and more than 3,200 kilometers from North America. They covered over 2,300 square kilometers.
The Azores occupied an excellent geographical position. If the German Atlantic Fleet used them as its main base, it could practically control the entire central North Atlantic. If the American Navy wished to push farther into the eastern North Atlantic, it would have no choice but to detour through the route near the Arctic Circle, passing Newfoundland and Iceland. That route was bitterly cold and thick with icebergs, making accidents highly likely. By comparison, crossing the Atlantic Ocean directly was naturally safer.
If the German Navy could occupy the Azores, they would also serve as an additional transit station when Germany launched attacks on the United States mainland in the future. This would correspondingly reduce the difficulty of Germany's future invasion of the United States mainland.
However, the Azores were currently Portuguese territory. Ever since the Portuguese had sailed there in 1427, they had belonged to Portugal. Moreover, Portugal had always enjoyed close ties with Britain. During the previous World War, although Portugal had remained neutral, it had maintained close relations with Britain and had even secretly provided Britain with considerable assistance. It was only after Germany had completely secured victory that Portugal cut off contact with Britain and began leaning toward Germany.
It was clear that the Portuguese were fence-sitters. Whoever was the world's foremost power, they would take the initiative to befriend them. But seizing the Azores from Portugal would probably be extremely difficult. The Portuguese were no fools; naturally, they understood the importance of the Azores. With the islands in hand, they could play both sides against each other. Once the islands were lost, Portugal's importance