Battering Ram of the Sea

Chapter 55 - World Situation

Since the Second Battle of the Solomons, where Japanese and American task forces clashed, it had been thought that the United States would shift its focus from the Pacific to Europe given the current situation. Before the war, the United States completed two North Carolina-class battleships and, since the start of the war, commissioned four South Dakota-class battleships. However, on the other hand, most of the regular carriers that existed before the war were lost, with only the USS Enterprise surviving. In modern naval warfare, the number of aircraft carriers and the number of carrier-based aircraft are what matter. Currently, the probability of winning against the Japanese Navy, which possesses multiple carriers, is close to zero.

The concern for the United States was the two naval defeats in the Indian Ocean and the loss of the region, which had put Prime Minister Churchill's political career in jeopardy. Britain, as a nation, is currently facing unprecedented hardship. The scarcity of supplies during wartime was already severe. In such circumstances, the loss of the Indian Ocean exacerbated the situation. Inflation accelerated, and there were even reports of starvation among the impoverished. In such a situation, it was impossible for the country to provide foreign aid. In fact, the aid to the Soviet Union via the Arctic route was temporarily suspended, and most of those ships are now deployed on the UK-US route, which is the UK's only lifeline.

The Soviet Union also faced a difficult situation, as the interruption of aid shipments through the Persian Corridor and the suspension of aid convoys via the Arctic route meant they were in a tough spot. However, fortunately for the Soviet Union, Germany had postponed its planned summer offensive and redirected its focus to the Mediterranean, specifically Malta and Egypt. The United Kingdom and the United States appear to view the opening of shipping routes between Germany and Japan as a significant concern, but for the Soviet Union, it is not as major an issue. Of course, it is not a welcome development if Japan were to become too powerful, as it would divert American war resources to the Pacific. However, the likelihood of this happening is extremely low. No matter how much technical support Japan receives from Germany, it is still a technologically backward and resource-poor country. Japan was not seen as a significant threat. In any case, for the Soviet Union, the disruption of the Persian Corridor and the termination of aid convoys provided a legitimate reason to ease the pressure on Germany. Taking advantage of this, the Soviet Union could focus on building up its military strength and watch the conflict between Germany and the United Kingdom from a safe distance.

Unlike the struggling United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, Germany and Italy were in high spirits. Germany had nearly complete control of Europe, while Italy, with the substantial weakening of the British Royal Navy by the Japanese Navy, had gained control of the entire Mediterranean region. Additionally, Germany and Italy were jointly sweeping Allied forces from North Africa. The strategic bombing campaign originating from the United Kingdom, which had been troubling Germany, had clearly diminished. It is likely that the United States had to prioritize the transport of essential goods, such as food, to ensure that the British people did not go hungry, rather than transporting bombs and fuel. Conversely, Germany and Italy could obtain natural resources such as rare metals and rubber from the resource-rich areas in Asia. Furthermore, the interruption of the supply of ground forces from Australia to the United Kingdom had made life easier for them.

It was because of this situation that the United States had to put the Pacific on the back burner and devote its efforts to supporting the United Kingdom. They organized large convoys to transport necessary supplies to the UK in order to alleviate the dissatisfaction of the British people. Alleviating the dissatisfaction of the British people meant, in other words, eliminating the dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Churchill. For the United States, the scariest thing was the removal of Prime Minister Churchill and the establishment of a conciliatory regime towards Germany. If the UK and Germany were to reach a ceasefire or peace agreement, the United States would lose the moral justification for the liberation of Europe, which would mean losing the war. To prevent the worst-case scenario from becoming a reality, the United States provided full support to the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Churchill. At the same time, they planned to build the capabilities to defeat the Combined Fleet.