At that time, it was just a speculation.
By July 7, the situation had changed again.
During a battle that morning, the 22nd Special Mixed Fleet suffered an attack from the Newland Navy Air Force, and the enemy planes were all coming from the east.
Crucially, they encountered F4F fighters!
In the previous battles, the Newland Army had deployed purely P-series fighters, with the P-41s being the most numerous, along with the twin-engine P-38s.
These fighters were part of the Marine Corps Air Force.
It wasn't that the Land Air Force's fighters were better, but the production capacity for the Navy ship-borne fighters had never picked up.
Moreover, the Land Air Force's fighters were more suitable for deployment on the ground.
To maintain sufficient combat strength, the Newland Marine Corps had consistently used the Land Air Force's combat planes, rarely purchasing Navy combat aircraft.
