Reborn as a police officer in South Africa

At five o'clock in the morning, the huge fleet arrived at the waters near Pachino, Sicily at the scheduled time.

Pachino is the southernmost port city in Italy. Most of the German Air Force and Italian Air Force's air raids on Malta were launched from Pachino.

What made Mike Tolan angry was that when the fleet arrived in the waters near Pachino, not only were fighter jets from the Atlantic Theater watching in the air, but the Mediterranean Fleet also lined up a destroyer to watch the fun.

Mike Tolan gave the order to attack at 5:15.

Groups of "Goshawks" and "Sea Eagles" quickly took off and attacked Pachino Airport. Even the "Goshawks" carried two aerial bombs.

The Grand Fleet traveled a long distance, and the Italians should have known the news, so while the naval aviation was taking action, the naval guns of the Cyprus Squadron also bombarded Pachino.

Speaking of naval guns, it is a bit embarrassing. The Cyprus Squadron has a powerful aircraft carrier, but not even a battleship. The largest caliber naval guns are the 203mm main guns on the two heavy cruisers.

For a battleship with heavy armor, the 203mm main gun is just scratching the surface.

For port buildings, the 203mm main gun is still very powerful.

The "Richmond" is equipped with three triple 203mm main guns.

The scene of the main gun salvo is still very spectacular. This is usually the most exciting moment and makes people excited. This is where many people's admiration for battleships comes from.

It should be said that the salvo fired by the Cyprus Squadron was also spectacular. After all, dozens of warships opened fire at the same time, which was a rare scene in the Mediterranean theater.

On the destroyer USS Garforth Bay, Major Mike had mixed emotions.

The British are proud of their Royal Navy for good reason.

"A century-old navy" is not entirely empty talk.

Grand fleet operations involve a very professional and complex set of procedures.

The bombardment tactics of battleships are strictly regulated and standardized. Normally, each turret fires alternately with a single tube, and corrects it under the command of the gunnery commander until a near miss results in a cross-fire or a hit, and then switches to rapid fire. If

If deviations begin to occur during this rapid firing or salvo firing process, return to the turret and fire alternately with a single barrel until a near miss occurs.

In the 1940s, long-distance shooting generally had a calibration aircraft to report the impact point of the bomb. Each ship would have different color paintballs to identify them. At the same time, the range-finding machine on the ship would measure the range. The gunnery chief and staff would do the work on the map.

, attack through the commander.

After the emergence of optical measurement instruments, the flagship of the fleet usually fires a few rounds at the target or a prominent target in the target area (usually the opponent's flagship) to determine the shooting parameters, and then compares the ship's position, speed and course with the target.

The various officials notified the entire fleet, and then the fleet commander issued the order to fire.

The operations of the Cyprus Squadron were not so complicated.

In other words, from Colonel Mike's professional perspective, the operations of the Cyprus Squadron were even a bit amateurish.

No test firing.

No paintballs.

There aren't even any aircraft for calibration.

The scene of thousands of guns firing was indeed spectacular, but without unified command, it was like a reenactment of the Battle of the Somme.

Facing a dense machine gun position, a group charge involving more infantry will only lead to death.

"Wow, this is how the Southern African Navy fights?" On the bridge of the Garforth Bay destroyer, General Dill, the Foreign Secretary and Imperial Chief of Staff who had just arrived in the Mediterranean, was also surprised.

In view of the complex situation in the Mediterranean region and the coordination between various theaters, Winston sent General Dill to the Mediterranean, which fully demonstrated the importance Winston attached to the Mediterranean.

General Dill also came from the navy and was no stranger to naval battles.

Apparently, in General Dill's opinion, the operations of the Cyprus Squadron were also a bit amateurish.

"So let me say that there is definitely a reason why Southern Africa focuses on aircraft carriers." Colonel Mike's words were full of contempt and ridicule.

No matter how much the British Empire needs southern Africa now, there are still many people in the British Royal Navy who dislike southern Africa.

There are too many reasons.

For example, Southern Africa has "stolen" too many military bases from the Royal Navy in recent years.

Another example is that the Southern African Navy is equipped with so many aircraft carriers, which is so enviable.

Another example is the outstanding performance of the Southern African navy in previous joint exercises. This is simply disgusting!

With so many reasons put together, it’s really hard to have a good impression.

"You are right, in the traditional field, the southern Africans will never catch up with us, so they found another way." General Dill's expression gradually became solemn.

Although the fleet's bombardment looked a bit messy, the effect was surprisingly good.

This is due to the outstanding performance of the naval aviation of the Cyprus Squadron.

The strength of the Southern African Air Force is obvious to all.

Even the Royal Navy has to admit that in terms of air power, Southern Africa surpasses the United Kingdom by a lot.

Just a week ago, the aircraft carrier "Glorious", which had just been put into service, was frantically attacked by the German Air Force while performing a mission in the Mediterranean Sea.

In just two hours, the "Glorious" was hit by three air strikes, and at least six bombs hit the "Glorious", killing 83 people and seriously injuring 60 others.

Thanks to the experience learned from southern Africa when the "Glorious" was built, and the installation of an armored deck, the "Glorious" was able to sail into Tunisia with great difficulty.

German planes followed, determined to sink the "Glorious".

The Southern African Air Force stationed in Tunisia came to the aid of the "Glorious" and shot down 19 German fighter planes in a fierce battle with the German Air Force, so that the "Glorious" survived.

The naval aviation of the Cyprus Squadron performed equally well.

When the "Goshawk" and "Sea Eagle" attacked, they were already ready for air combat.

But for some unknown reason, the Germans and Italians were not prepared. When the faster "Goshawk" flew over Pachino, the German planes did not even take off, but were neatly arranged on both sides of the airport runway.

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The "Goshawks" will definitely not let go of such an opportunity.

A triple combination of diving, bombing, and strafing, most of the German aircraft were destroyed before they could even take off.

The "Sea Eagle" arrived shortly after, causing more serious damage to the airport.

In terms of bombing, "Sea Eagle" is professional.

Unlike the "Goshawk" which only carries two bombs, the pylons under the wings of the "Sea Eagle" are full of fifty and one hundred kilogram aerial bombs. There is also a 500 kilogram bomb in the belly. This is for

Prepared for relatively solid ground targets.

For this air attack, the Cyprus Squadron had been preparing for two months. The reconnaissance aircraft had already determined the location of the oil warehouse, so shortly after the air attack began, the oil warehouse at the airport was hit.

The fire caused by the violent explosion was 100 meters high. According to subsequent statistics, all glass within a radius of one kilometer was destroyed, and houses were damaged to varying degrees. There was a company of Italians stationed near the oil warehouse. All of this company died in the explosion.

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There were still sporadic German fighter planes struggling to take off, but unfortunately their number was too small and unable to cope with the overwhelming attack, and they were shot down in just a few minutes.

The air raid was a complete success, more than 200 German and Italian aircraft were destroyed, and the Germans and Italians lost the ability to attack Malta through Pachino in a short period of time.

This result was difficult to accept for General Dill and Colonel Mack.

The poor-performing Cyprus Squadron has such excellent naval aviation, which is simply a huge mockery to the Royal Navy.

"We need to strengthen our aircraft carrier capabilities." As Foreign Secretary and Chief of General Staff, General Dill has a certain say.

"The aircraft carrier's own protection is too weak. Once approached by a battleship, there is almost no possibility of escape." Colonel Mike contradicted himself. He had just praised the outstanding performance of the naval aviation.

"Then you have to have the opportunity to get close to the aircraft carrier." General Dill was a little depressed. There were too many conservative-minded officers in the Royal Navy.

While Dill and Mike were discussing, the Cyprus Squadron was already moving towards the next target.

The Grand Fleet finally dispatched once. It couldn't just attack Pachino and end it hastily. It had to teach the Italians more lessons.

Italy is also an island country, and there are many targets that can be attacked along the Mediterranean coast.

According to Mike Tolan, the Cyprus Squadron will sweep through all Italian port cities on the Mediterranean coast and completely eliminate the Italian Navy. Only in this way can the security of Cyprus be guaranteed.

Unfortunately, this goal cannot be achieved in a short time.

There were too many port cities along the coast of Italy. After attacking Pachino, the Cyprus Squadron went all the way north to attack Avola, Casibile, Siracusa, and Augusta.

Returning to Cyprus, we encountered almost no threatening attacks along the way.

There are still attacks.

During the attack on Casibire, an Italian Navy patrol ship bravely launched an attack on the fleet.

For a patrol ship with a displacement of less than 500 tons to attack a large fleet with a total displacement of more than 50 ships and a displacement of more than 200,000 tons, it is like mantis trying to use its arms as a chariot.

When the Cyprus squadron attacked Pachino, the Saar Conference also came to an end.

According to de Gaulle, the Allies should, like the Axis Powers, divide their respective combat scopes and lay the foundation for the distribution of post-war benefits.

This request was apparently ignored.

France has already surrendered, and Free France has not achieved anything yet and has no qualifications to make demands.

If according to de Gaulle's method, the Atlantic Ocean belongs to Britain, and the Indian Ocean and Asia belong to southern Africa, France can dominate the Mediterranean.

Don't doubt that this is what De Gaulle planned. With the current strength of Free France, maybe De Gaulle might actually succeed.

After all, the combat effectiveness that the Italian North African Army has shown so far is really no match for the Free French army that has received formal training in southern Africa.

But how is this possible? While France regards the Mediterranean as its core interest, the United Kingdom and Southern Africa also regard the Mediterranean as their core interest and will certainly not let it go.

The Indian Ocean is also something that the UK cannot give up. Winston previously proposed sharing the interests of the Indian Ocean with southern Africa, rather than de Gaulle's transfer of power to French Indochina.

Southern Africa has huge interests in the Mediterranean and even the Atlantic Ocean.

What's more, the United States, which has not yet joined the war, is watching with eager eyes.

Therefore, there is no possibility of implementation of de Gaulle's proposal.

Given the actual situation of the Allies, Rock proposed that the distribution of interests among countries after the war should be determined based on their contributions in the world war.

The "countries" here only include current allies, excluding countries that have not yet joined.

Winston agrees to Rock's proposal.

Roosevelt disagreed.

The United States has not officially entered the war yet.

"Countries that have not officially participated in the war have no say!"

The attitude is so tough, so clear-cut, so to the point——

Not Roark, not Winston, and not de Gaulle, but Australian Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies.

Australia has always been a traditional ally of southern Africa.

Nearly half of Australia's population is now Chinese.

Menzies was born in 1894. When World War I broke out, Menzies met the requirements to join the army, but he did not join the army because he had to complete his studies. This became Menzies' biggest stain in the future.

Menzies qualified as a barrister in 1918 and began practicing in the High Court of Australia in 1920.

On September 27 of the same year, Menzies married Patty Leckie, whose father was a federal member of Parliament.

On April 26, 1939, Menzies was elected as the leader of the United Party and officially became the Prime Minister of Australia. After Britain declared war on Germany, Menzies became the wartime Prime Minister. He had no history of participating in World War I and became the leader of Australia's domestic opposition to Menzies.

Schiess's main reason.

The reason why Menzies was so active was because while he was attending the Saar Conference, some people in Australia were trying to force Menzies to resign. Menzies needed Roque's support to help him stabilize the situation at home.

"Although the United States did not participate in the war, no one can deny the role of the United States to its allies." Roosevelt's words were threatening.

The meaning is obvious. If the allies cannot guarantee the interests of the United States, then the United States may consider joining the Axis Powers.

In the four-nation conference that Russia participated in, whether it was Germany, Italy, or Japan, there was a tacit understanding that the Americas and southern Africa were not involved.

Obviously, the Americas and southern Africa are reserved for the United States and southern Africa.

"Mr. President, if we want to protect the interests of the United States, the United States must first make a statement, such as cutting off trade with Japan -" Roque has the conditions. The trade between the United States and Japan is the biggest thorn in Roque's heart.

"After Japan entered the war, the U.S. government has cut off trade with the Japanese government." Roosevelt said confidently.

"So, all current trade activities between the United States and Japan are commercial activities of American companies, and the U.S. government has no right to interfere, right?" Rock blocked Roosevelt with words.

"Yes, that's it -" Roosevelt said frankly. Southern Africa was also doing business with the Germans through the United States. Don't talk about anyone else.