Iron Cross

Keitel was puzzled. Didn't he successfully shoot down all the enemy planes? Why did the head of state still complain about the problem of radar operations? He was a little at a loss. He had heard about the light interception defense line for which Kamhuber was famous. It worked very well, but later the value gradually declined and it was disbanded.

"In addition to the fact that you are unable to achieve early warning due to insufficient resources and an insufficient number of radar networks, the strategy you have adopted in guiding fighter operations is very inefficient in my opinion." Hoffman pointed to the huge aviation picture Operation map, and pointed to the telegram he had just received reporting the bombing in the Ruhr area, "Today's success in the radar operation in the Berlin area was highly accidental. The main reason was that there were too few enemy aircraft. You can Gathering night fighters that far outnumber the enemy planes. If there are hundreds of enemy planes in the sky at this moment, just like in the sky above the Ruhr area, will the dense light spots be enough for you to handle alone? With too many guides, it is not easy to distinguish their respective targets, not to mention that current radars cannot monitor so many targets at the same time.”

Colonel William explained in a low voice: "Our fighter jets are equipped with an identification friend or foe system, which will answer the response signal when the radar beam is scanning." This is a huge improvement, but obviously this equipment is not very helpful in solving the density problem.

To the surprise of Keitel, Jeshunek and others, Kamhuber quickly acknowledged Hoffman's criticism. He said frankly: "Although the defense line I designed looks very tight, as long as the enemy lines up Forming a tight formation, continuously pouring in from the gap, and even consciously abandoning some small formations to confuse the interception troops, the system will soon collapse due to lack of tracking and interception capabilities, just like the original light interception defense line was breached, but this This is the ideal tactic we have designed so far.”

Garland expressed his position: "Although the head of state has repeatedly stated humbly that he does not understand air defense operations, it currently seems to be obviously unrealistic. He stands higher and sees farther than any of us, and he clearly understands the problems existing in our operations. , I now very much hope that the head of state can show us the direction and path just like he gave us the revolutionary ideas." Now other people no longer think that this "mustache general" who imitates the head of state in every aspect is flattering, but instead think that he is flattering. It is only natural that the head of state, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, should make rationalization suggestions.

"General Dönitz's submarine wolf pack tactics are of great reference significance. To a certain extent, intercepting enemy aircraft is the same as sinking merchant ships. You must have the concept of thinking from the overall situation." Hoffman Ask Colonel William to get a map of Europe, "Your current tactics are to use the command centers distributed in various places to divide the entire Western European defense area into block-shaped air defense areas. Each independent command center is responsible for its own area. According to You imagine that in the future, radar stations and command centers will become increasingly dense, and the areas they are responsible for and the fighter and anti-aircraft artillery bases they can guide will also become smaller and smaller. But in fact, there are only 400 or 500 enemy aircraft after setting off from the British Isles. They are a large formation of left and right aircraft. They are a whole. When passing through each air defense area, what they encounter is our isolated and dispersed air defense force. We do not have enough fighter jets in these areas, and they may not be able to do so because of too much food. Perhaps because of their own weakness, they are unable to pose a comprehensive threat to the enemy, while other fighters in the air defense area are on standby on the ground because they have not received relevant orders. I asked Dönitz if one of his submarines was encountered at sea. What should we do if we encounter a large group of merchant ships? He said, 'Don't alert the opponent first, let our submarines track them, determine their course and approximate target, and then call all submarines that can pose a threat to launch a full-scale attack at the designated time and location. '.

Hoffmann drew several marks on the map of Western Europe: "First of all, we should set up long-range radar bases on the mainland side of the English Channel. They can be built together with the Western Wall fortifications to build a continuous early warning system. When the British bomber group begins to gather, our radar begins to estimate the number and heading of the enemy; secondly, when the British bomber group crosses the channel, which is roughly located along Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, we should use anti-aircraft guns and night fighter units Waiting for various means to disperse them, the purpose is not to eliminate the opponent, but to disrupt the opponent's formation and force them to disperse, because a dispersed enemy is easier to deal with than a concentrated enemy; when the British fleet continues to advance towards the hinterland of Germany At this time, the command center must quickly identify the main air attack target of the enemy aircraft and then mobilize all fighter planes to attack. At this time, the fighters on the first line of defense can rest and replenish fuel bombs. When the British aircraft return, the fighters near the strait should carry out the second attack. Second battle. Generally speaking, an air raid lasts 6-8 hours. When returning, the crew members will be exhausted, their alertness will be greatly reduced, and many aircraft will be injured, so it is easier for you to shoot them down at this time. Understand that every time the British come, they will give us at least two opportunities to attack, and we also know their return journey, because the plane will always fly back to the British Isles, and we can wait on their only way."

The air force had heard about the wolf pack tactics of U-boats, but they had never thought about the air force using naval tactics. After listening to Hoffman's explanation, everyone fell into deep thought. Kamhuber felt as if he had opened another door that could help him find what he had been waiting for a long time.

"Of course, the technology and equipment of the navy and air force are different, so the use of wolf pack tactics cannot be simply copied. For example, the air force radar can detect all British targets, which is superior to anti-submarine warfare, but at the same time, because the speed of aircraft is much higher than that of ships, the joint The time for combat and intermediary coordination is very tight and requires efficient command." Hoffman encouraged them, "After you have enough radar and fighter units, I believe you can try this new tactic. Radar is a very useful piece of equipment, but it is clear that there are still many shortcomings in its current performance and usage, and it urgently needs to be improved. I recommend that it be included as the highest priority.”

Everyone nodded frequently, saying that they would implement and try the new tactics of the head of state as soon as possible.

On the way back, Speer deliberately got into Hoffman's car, obviously as if he had something to say, and in order to keep it secret, he drove Lieutenant Colonel Dargos, the chief deputy to the Führer, into his car. Hoffman did not expect Speer's move, so he asked: "What's wrong?"

Speer did not talk about his own affairs, but instead talked about air defense operations that had nothing to do with it: "I feel that the head of state still has unfinished business in air defense operations."

Hoffman nodded: "There is indeed a third question, but I don't know how to say it. In order to prevent it from causing trouble to them, I finally decided not to say it. Regarding the existing air defense system, we should develop one that can automatically track The bombs of enemy aircraft are used to deal with heavy bombers. They are extremely powerful. Only 1-2 bombs can shoot down a bomber. At the same time, they have the function of automatic tracking, which is far superior to anti-aircraft guns in terms of cost-effectiveness. "

"What kind of invention is this?" Speer thought hard while thinking about the new term "cost-effectiveness". After a long time, he asked tentatively: "Führer, you are referring to the invention in Peenemünde. Those rockets?”

"That's them." Hoffman nodded, "Since rockets have the ability to go into space, they can definitely be used for air defense operations. I plan to visit the Peenemünde base in a few days and talk to the scientists about this topic. , I hope you can go with me."

"I'm very happy." Speer now turned to what he wanted to say, "My head of state, what I want to say is also related to military projects. Although we have further optimized it after transitioning to a full-scale wartime system , enriching our resources and projects, but we cannot guarantee that each of them will be a key project and achieve priority development. Do I suggest that we make some trade-offs? "

Hoffman nodded in agreement. From his posture just now, he knew that Speer must have something to say. Sure enough, the other party took out a dossier from the leather bag he carried: "After the launch of the general mobilization system, the Ministry of Armament registered and coordinated all resource requirements. During the inventory process, we discovered a confidential project - how should I say... "He suddenly felt a little embarrassed.