The Rise of the Third Reich

"boom!"

A huge flame appeared in the sky above the "Zeppelin" aircraft carrier. An F7F "Tiger Cat" fighter was hit by fragments of a 128mm anti-aircraft gun shell. It turned into a ball of fire on the spot and circled into the distance. " Zeppelin" was in less than 20 meters of water on the port side. A large column of water rushed up to the anti-aircraft gun platform against the hull, covering a four-unit 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. The four gunners were swept by the sea water, and they were soaked as if they had taken a big bath. If If he hadn't been tightly tied to the anti-aircraft gun platform by a safety belt, he would probably have fallen into the sea.

"Rumble..."

"Sir, the bow of the aircraft carrier Prussia was hit!"

Before the little surprise brought by the F7F fighter jet being blown up and crashing into the sea had passed, the bad news came that the Prussia aircraft carrier had been shot.

"Report the damage!" Lieutenant General Erich Bei asked loudly.

"The Prussia reported that a bomb was hit near the bow lifting platform. The bomb penetrated the flight deck, penetrated into the sailor's cabin, exploded, and caused a fire."

"Sir, the light cruiser Frankfurt was hit, the stern of the ship was blown apart, and the entire ship lost power."

"Sir, the Seidlitz was hit and the flight deck was in flames!"

Then the bad news came one after another! About one hundred and twenty-three American F7F fighter-bombers were divided into four formations in the air, and then pounced on four European Community naval aircraft carrier groups on the sea. Although the aircraft carrier brigade's anti-aircraft firepower was very dense, the sky was full of smoke from the 128mm anti-aircraft guns and the flames of the 40mm "Bofors" anti-aircraft guns.

But there are still many F7F fighters that have achieved breakthroughs! The 1,000-pound bombs fell one after another, and within just a few minutes, several thick columns of smoke rose from the European fleet formations on the sea.

"Sir, do you want the Fw190 to take off in an emergency?" Looking at the EC warships that were hit one after another on the sea, the aviation staff officer Hersman frowned and loudly asked the fleet commander to let the Fw190 fighter jets on standby take off for combat. suggestion.

When the American F7Fs attacked, these Fw190s were put into the hangar along with the bombs on the aircraft to make room for the Fokker 636. The bomb has now been defused and is ready for deployment at any time.

"Rudolf, can those twin-engine planes take off from the aircraft carrier?" Erich Bay suddenly asked a question that surprised little Hessmann.

"From the aircraft carrier?" Little Hersman frowned and thought for a while, then nodded. "Theoretically it's possible...but most of these planes did not take off from US aircraft carriers."

"Why?" Erich Bey asked.

"They are too big," said little Hersman, who had been observing these aircraft carefully and taking many photos with the Leica camera he carried with him. "The total length is about 14-15 meters, and the wingspan is close to 16 meters. If such an aircraft is put on an aircraft carrier, it will take up a lot of space, and the number of hangars will be reduced. It will be more dangerous when landing, and the blocking net may not be able to stop it. If If the tail hook cannot catch the blocking rope, an accident will occur.

The French put a lot of effort into getting their Br.810 on the aircraft carrier. In the end, there were only 24 Joffre-class aircraft with a standard displacement of 20,000 tons. I think it is unlikely that the Americans will let their eight Essex-class ships bring less than 300 aircraft to the battlefield, right? "

"That means these aircraft are all shore-based aircraft?" Erich Bay asked again.

Little Hersman nodded, "Probably Kishi."

"Flying from Bermuda?"

"It could also be the mainland United States." Little Hersman frowned. "This kind of twin-engine heavy-duty aircraft can have a long range. If shuttle flight tactics are adopted, it can take off from the mainland of the United States and land in Bermuda. However, the airport in Bermuda is not very large and is easily damaged by air strikes. If it wants to accept these twin-engine aircraft, it cannot have too many fighters. "

"That is to say, there are still eight carrier-based aircraft sent by large American aircraft carriers that have not arrived." Erich Bay has already made a decision, "The Fw190 will not move!"

The non-dispatch of Fw190 means that the 21st Task Force can only rely on the firepower of surface ships to resist the bombing of more than a hundred aircraft in the air.

But fortunately, although these F7Fs have large bomb loads, fast speeds, and sturdy fuselages, they are not without shortcomings-their bomb delivery accuracy is very low (this is because the F7F-1 is a single-seat, two-engine combat aircraft. It is a bomber, and the aircraft is immature, has many small flaws, and many technical moves are prohibited), and the hit rate is only about 10%.

Therefore, among the more than 120 F7Fs that broke through the Fokker 636's blockage, although nearly 100 successfully dropped bombs, only 13 bombs hit the target in the end. Three of them hit the light cruisers and destroyers escorting the aircraft carrier, causing a Type 41 anti-aircraft light cruiser and a Type 1938B destroyer to sink. The other 10 hit 4 aircraft carriers including Prussia, Bohemia, Seydlitz and Sekt respectively.

The flagship Zeppelin was lucky enough to escape all the bombs thrown at it, and also shot down 3 F7Fs. The two armored aircraft carriers, Prussia and Bohemia, only suffered minor injuries, which did not affect the takeoff and landing of aircraft at all. However, the Seidlitz and the Sekt were more seriously injured. The former's stern flight deck was penetrated by a 1,000-pound bomb, opening a huge hole, losing the function of taking off and landing aircraft, and also ignited into the sky. The fire broke out and the speed dropped to less than 10 knots. A large hole was also opened in the middle of the latter's flight deck, the hangar was also blown up, and fighters could no longer take off or land.

…

The flagship of the U.S. Task Force 31, the battleship Iowa.

The radio station in the intelligence center was ticking constantly, and from time to time, staff officers would rush out excitedly with copies of telegrams, reporting the good news they had just received to Admiral Halsey in the command tower.

The news is exciting! More than 220 F7F fighter-bombers taking off from Norfolk Airport achieved exciting results. Just one wave of air strikes severely damaged 4 German aircraft carriers, 2 of which were Prussian-class large fleet aircraft carriers! In addition, 2 German light ships were penetrated!

Although these F7F fighters themselves have paid a heavy price, there are still more than 80 fighters that have not returned to the airport in Bermuda.

However, with more than 80 fighter planes severely damaging 4 aircraft carriers and sinking 2 light cruisers or destroyers, this exchange ratio still gives people hope of victory.

No, not the hope of victory, but victory already!

Before the 700 carrier-based aircraft on the 9 aircraft carriers of the 30th Task Force were dispatched, 4 German aircraft carriers suffered heavy damage!

Is there still any doubt about victory?

"Sir, the Bermuda Goddess long-range reconnaissance aircraft reported that it found that the German fleet turned due east and is currently retreating towards the Azores Islands at a speed of about 10 knots."

Another good news came.

General Halsey said to Major General Callahan with a smile: "The German guy wants to run away!"

"Admiral, they can't run. They are only traveling at 10 knots... It seems that the two Prussian-class ships were severely damaged and can't run fast." Major General Callahan said with a smile.

In his opinion, the two Seidlitz-class aircraft carriers were not worth much, and the Germans would not let the entire fleet evacuate at a speed of 10 knots just for them.

"Has Task Force 30 sent carrier-based aircraft?" Halsey asked.

"It's being dispatched!" Major General Callahan said. "The first attack wave consists of more than 300 fighter planes. It started taking off 20 minutes ago, and the formation will be almost completed in another 10 minutes."

"Great." Halsey clapped his hands, "Let's get started, first go and join the 30th Task Force, and then move towards the Azores together.

In addition, the Atlantic-Pacific Fleet Joint Command will be notified of the results just obtained. "

…

"Marshal Imperialis, Seidlitz and Sekt were severely damaged. The two aircraft carriers completely lost the ability to take off and land aircraft. Among them, Seidlitz's speed was reduced to about 10 knots."

In Zossen, Germany, the atmosphere in the Joint Intelligence Center of the General Staff Headquarters seemed a bit solemn. Although everyone had been mentally prepared for a long time, it was still a big surprise that Task Force 21 suffered such losses in the first wave of American air attacks.

Hersman also frowned slightly. He had not seen the photo of the new American fighter plane, but after thinking about it for a while, he could guess that it was the F7F.

The "tiger cat" that did not shine much in history has now become a life-saving straw for Americans. If a plane with one engine cannot compete in Europe, then use an aircraft with two engines... This idea of ​​​​the Americans is understandable.

In fact, Germany also has similar fighter-bombers, and they are more ferocious, namely the Me410 that can drop Hs-293 ​​and Fritz-X series remote control guided bombs (not TV remote control).

If the American fleet encounters the Me410, as well as the Ju288 and Me264, shore-based aircraft with powerful anti-ship capabilities near the Azores, it is possible that they will be bombarded by various missiles and completely destroyed.

Although the current remotely controlled guided missiles are still very immature and far from being comparable to the various missiles of later generations, they are still enough to determine the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic. Now I wonder if the damaged and diverted 21st Task Force can attract the American main fleet?

"Report," a staff officer walking quickly broke the dull atmosphere in the Joint Intelligence Center of the General Staff Headquarters. "Just received a telegram from the 21st Task Force. The Bv138 long-range water reconnaissance aircraft discovered more than 250 enemy aircraft approaching!"