The Rise of the Third Reich

Because the number of ZSO523 air assault transport aircraft was 10 more than originally planned, Airborne General Theodore von Hipper of the 1st Air Assault also loaded his army headquarters on the aircraft and included it in the first List of batches of airdrops.

Azores time, at 9:10 a.m. on April 25, Airborne General Hipple had already boarded the ZSO523 air assault transport aircraft numbered 0578 with his staff.

This ZSO523 has been modified. It is no longer a simple assault transport aircraft, but a flying command. The interior of the "Big Belly" cabin is now a small but comprehensive command center, equipped with maps, sand tables, radios, and telephones. Several Steyr command vehicles/communication vehicles are also fixed inside the cabin with chains.

The upper cabin (located at the rear of the cockpit) of this ZSO523 assault transport aircraft was converted into a small office and lounge. A fixed desk is placed, and two folding beds are hung on the aircraft bulkhead.

Colonel Hauptmann Walter Kok, who once commanded the Battle of Eben-Emel Fortress, is now the Chief of Staff of the 1st Air Assault Army. After confirming that all 5 air assault battalions, 18 parachute battalions, and the military headquarters of the 1st Air Assault Army had completed boarding operations, he also boarded the 0578 plane with his adjutant.

"General, all boarding operations have been completed!" Colonel Kirk sat down next to General Hipple Airborne and buckled his seat belt. "Now we are really going to Newfoundland... The Yankees will definitely be shocked by us! Tanks falling from the sky, this is really crazy."

"It is very crazy," Admiral Hipple looked at the neatly arranged ZSO523 aircraft outside the window. "It is also very risky. It is simply the work of a madman. Americans who lack military imagination will never think of it. The current problem, Can the naval aviation clear the fighter planes from Newfoundland? "

The purpose of the previous series of feint attacks and fierce air battles was to disperse the American aviation forces on Newfoundland. However, even if all efforts were successful, a large number of American fighter jets would still appear in the airspace of Newfoundland. Therefore, the key to the success or failure of the air assault operation is whether the German carrier-based aircraft can clear the sky over Newfoundland.

"Yes, definitely!" When Colonel Kirk answered, an open radio in the cabin suddenly rang, "General Hipper, I am Stuart, are you ready? Saint Mary Asia is ready to sail."

Admiral Hipper picked up the communicator and replied: "Admiral, this is Hipper. I have received the order and the Santa Maria is ready to set sail at any time."

"Very good! The Santa Maria is now setting sail. I wish you all smooth sailing."

"Santa Maria sets sail" is the code for the departure of the transport fleet! When the commander of the airborne forces, Air Force General Stuart, issued the order "Santa Maria is sailing now," the planes parked at the airport one after another coughed and choked and began to roar. Admiral Hipple and Colonel Kirk felt that the plane they were on began to taxi, the engine thundered, the taxiing speed became faster and faster, and finally the huge aircraft roared into the sky.

Because the ZSO523 aircraft are slower, they will take off first, followed by the Fokker 42. However, the first one to arrive over the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland was the Fokker 42, which set off later. According to the plan, they would airland at around 11 a.m. Newfoundland time. Two and a half hours later, the ZSO523 fleet launched an air assault. time.

If all goes well, before the air assault begins. Airborne paratroopers should be able to capture some key landing sites with air support.

While the transport planes on the Azores Islands were taking off one after another, a fierce air battle had already begun over Newfoundland. Unlike the last time the Americans were caught off guard by a jet, this time they were well prepared, so no aircraft dared to fly to an altitude of 10,000 meters to collide with the Me262T's gun. Even if the German Me264 swaggers in from an altitude of 10,000 meters, the American planes are still hovering resolutely in the airspace below 5,000 meters.

And the weather over Newfoundland today is not particularly good. There are large groups of stratus clouds floating in the sky. Therefore, it is difficult to visually find the airport on the ground from above 10,000 meters, and naturally it is impossible to launch remotely controlled missiles.

However, even if the American aircraft hides below 5,000 meters, it still cannot escape the encirclement and suppression of as many as 940 German Fokker 636 and Me262T fighter jets.

The first to fly over Newfoundland to perform the "clearance mission" were 140 Me262T and 160 Fokker 636 fighter jets commanded by Hersman Jr. After confirming that U.S. military fighters did not dare to fly to high altitudes for combat, Hersman Jr. divided his 300 fighters into two parts. 160 Fokker 636 fighter jets descended to an altitude of 5,000 meters, relying on their excellent low-altitude performance to fight with the United States. Human P-51 Fighting - The P-51 is not the only American fighter aircraft below 5,000 meters, but the only one that dares to fight the Fokker 636 at this altitude is the P-51.

The remaining 140 jets formed 35 4-plane formations, of which 1 4-plane formation was responsible for protecting Hersman's plane. The remaining 34 formations were guided by Hersman's early warning aircraft to search. Destroy nearby American F-13 early warning aircraft.

The tactic of flying early warning aircraft was proposed by Molders after the last air battle on Newfoundland Island, and it soon won the support of front-line air combat commanders such as Hersman Jr. and Heinz Barr.

However, it is not easy to implement this tactic, because the radar of this era not only has a limited detection range, but also has a low resolution, making it difficult to distinguish between a large early warning aircraft and a heavy fighter (the latter is about one-third the size of the former) one to half). However, today's situation is an exception. The American fighter jets are hiding below 5,000 meters, while their AWACS is hiding at high altitude and commanding - because the American AWACS is modified from a B-29, and the nose of the B-29 It is a large glass cover, and there is no way to turn it on the radar, so the radar is placed on the belly of the fuselage. You can't "see" it at all, and it is not easy to change it. In contrast, the Bv-138E, which places the radar on the nose of the aircraft, can be easily modified to expand the aircraft's upward search line of sight.

Little Hersman took a Bv138E and circled around the edge of the fierce air battle, and discovered two small groups of aircraft. Judging from the radar screen, there are 4-5 light spots at an altitude of around 7,000 meters (this is the altitude at which the high-altitude B-29 has the fastest speed). It is obvious that several fighter jets are protecting an early warning aircraft!

The 4-plane formation of 34 jets was divided into two groups. Under the command of Hersman Jr., they pounced at the highest speed on two small American aircraft groups dozens of kilometers away. Their actions were quickly discovered by the Americans, and the two early warning aircraft groups no longer cared about directing the air battle, and all sped up to escape.

However, no matter how hard the F-13 early warning aircraft modified from the B-29 could outrun the Me262T commanded by the early warning aircraft, the chase lasted just a few minutes. Two F-13s and eight P-13s were escorting them. 61 was shot by the Me2 cannon with tongues of flame in the air, shattering the escaping F-13 and the P-61 that turned around to block the gun holes into pieces.

After dealing with the American early warning aircraft, Hersman Jr. immediately commanded the Me262T jet aircraft to lower its altitude to support the Fokker 636, which was fighting with the opponent in the airspace below 5,000 meters.

He first ordered the Fokker 636 to raise its altitude to lure the American fighters to follow. Not all opponents would be fooled, but the fighters that lost the command of the early warning aircraft were in chaos. Some P-51 fighters also tried to compete with the Fokker 636 for altitude. Regardless of the 5,000-meter "warning line" (there was no AWACS command, and the British pilots did not know that the Me262T was hovering above their heads), the Me262T was caught red-handed by the swooping Me262T, and thirty or forty of them were shot down in an instant.

When the remaining American fighter jets saw something was wrong, they all rushed under the clouds. Little Hersman did not hesitate and immediately ordered all Fokker 636s to rush down to the clouds to hunt down the American P-51s, while the Me262Ts spread out in a formation of 4 aircraft at an altitude of 5,000 meters above the clouds.

After a while, another group of P-51s were lured up to the clouds. As soon as they appeared, they were severely beaten by the Me262T. Immediately, many P-51s were hit by 30mm cannons and fell to the ground.

The reason for this is that although the Fokker 636 that rushed down into the clouds had a low-altitude performance that surpassed that of the P-51, under the order of little Hersman, these Fokker 636 did not fight with the P-51 at all. Instead, it adopted energy tactics, pulled up and dived, and used its larger weight and more powerful firepower to engage in condescending energy tactics.

This is a tragedy for the American P-51. They want to fight with the Fokker 636 but cannot. They want to climb with the Fokker 636 (the P-51 is not much lighter than the Fokker 636. If they can get the height, they can do it) The Me2e262T is much bigger and more powerful than the P-51 at high altitudes. If it "attacks the nose", the P-51 will suffer a big loss!

But if these P-51s don't compete with the Fokker 636 to climb and gain altitude, and wait for the opponent to climb up to high altitude and then dive down, they will be beaten again!

The air battle soon became one-sided. With the cooperation of Fokker 636 and Me262T, less than 300 German fighters seemed to dominate the sky over Newfoundland.

However, little Hersman noticed at this time that the opponents he commanded were almost all American P-51 fighter jets with superior mid- and low-altitude performance, P-47, F7F and P-61, as well as the British "Sky Sky" fighter. "The high-altitude fighters barely showed up.

Little Hersman knew that the Americans had hidden their "interceptors" in preparation for attacking the Me264 bombers and Br.810 bombers that would arrive later.