The Rise of the Third Reich

March 26, 1942, dusk.

"boom……"

The earth-shattering roar of naval guns, accompanied by the salvo fire of 1 cannon and 12 380mm cannons, echoed round after round in the Norwegian Sea. The shelling began on the night of March 25, 1942, and continued until near dusk the next day. 28 large-caliber cannons roared for almost a whole day, destroying no less than 3,000 rounds of super-large-caliber high-explosive bombs.

At the same time, planes taking off from Bergen and aircraft carriers also dropped countless bombs on the British troops in the Faroe Islands.

The fierce shelling and bombing razed all the airports and coastal defense batteries on the island to the ground, and even the garrison barracks and all exposed warehouses were reduced to ruins. However, Tórshavn, the capital and main port of the Faroe Islands, survived the German shelling and bombing unscathed. Not a single shell or bomb fell in this small and quiet port city.

However, the commander of the British garrison in the Faroe Islands was once a pioneer of the British armored forces. He became the commander of the 1st Tank Brigade as early as 1934. Later, his official career was not good. In 1942, he was still a major general. Parisi Ho Bert did not think that Germany could not bear to harm the Danish citizens on the Faroe Islands without shelling and bombing Tórshavn.

The reason why the Germans did not shell and bomb this small port was obviously that they wanted to use this port immediately after occupying the Faroe Islands and immediately transport engineering equipment and airport equipment to the islands in order to repair the airport as soon as possible and turn the Faroe Islands into a blockade against Britain. Big stronghold.

"Sir, here's the latest damage report."

A staff officer rushed into the British headquarters located on the back of a more than 300-meter-high hill near Tórshavn and handed the newly calculated damage report to Paresi Hobert.

Hobert took the report and took a rough look at it. The loss was neither big nor small. The ground troops on the island are well hidden - the British army has been setting up defenses in the Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands for more than a day or two. Moreover, although Major General Hobert's official career was not good, his military level was not low. After taking over the defense of the Faroe Islands, the defenses were carefully laid out. The troops were ordered to dig a large number of tunnels on the island, and accumulated a large amount of supplies and ammunition, which could fully meet the needs of long-term persistence.

However, the airport and coastal defense batteries belonging to the island have been almost destroyed. Because there is not much flat land on the Faroe Islands, there are only a few places where airports can be built. Now they have been hit by a lot of bombs and artillery shells, and they have been blown up to the moon. Superficially.

As for the shore defense artillery, as long as it was exposed, it was basically destroyed. Because there are so many places that need to be defended, the British Royal Navy really cannot deploy many large-caliber artillery to the Faroe Islands. Therefore, the heaviest shore gun on the island is the 10-inch (254mm) cannon, which is very effective against the Hindenburg-class and Barbarossa. The level was completely useless, almost all results were destroyed without achieving any results.

"Send the damage information to the base camp." Listening to the roar of cannons, Parisi Hobert shook his head and said, "Tell them again that almost all the airports, forts, and barracks on the Faroe Islands have been destroyed. It was destroyed, but the ground troops suffered little loss. In addition, the Germans still show no signs of leaving and are still shelling... Maybe the Germans really want to land here? I think this possibility exists, no. can be ignored.”

…

When Parisi Hobert's report was sent to London, the war cabinet headquarters was filled with gloom and gloom. Everyone was dejected and extremely anxious. The German shelling and bombing of the Faroe Islands has continued for a day and a half. The airports and coastal defense guns on the islands have suffered devastating blows, and the four battleships have not left the Faroe Islands. This seems to indicate that the Germans are really going to occupy the Faroe Islands!

"Gentlemen, we cannot lose the Faroe Islands, otherwise the sunset of the British Empire will come..." Whenever Churchill fell asleep in the past two days, the scene of the sun setting always appeared repeatedly in his dreams - this was obviously an ominous scene. The omen indicates that the sunset of the empire is about to come.

"Prime Minister," Viscount Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, forced a wry smile, "The situation in the Faroe Islands is not that serious. The main force defending the islands is the army. We have deployed two divisions on the islands and built many strong forts. The fortifications are not that easy to capture.”

"Two divisions?" Churchill frowned, "There are also two divisions on Oahu... Do we have 200 tanks on the Faroe Islands?"

"No."

Of course, the British Army is not as wealthy as the US Army. Currently, there are only a few infantry divisions equipped with tank battalions. However, these infantry divisions with tanks are all placed on the British Island, and there is not a single tank on the Faroe Islands.

Churchill asked: "So if German tanks land on the island...perhaps 100 or more Panzer IV tanks will rush onto the beach. Can Major General Hobert's two divisions be able to withstand it?"

Viscount Brooke said: "This...according to the reconnaissance of the intelligence department, the Germans do not have amphibious tanks."

"No? The Japanese have it, but will the Germans do it?" Churchill shook his head repeatedly. "We can't take such a risk. If the German fleet does not leave the Faroe Islands by tomorrow morning, let the Coast Air Force dispatch! As long as it can bomb By sinking one or two German battleships, we should be able to drive the German fleet back home.”

…

"What? Dispatching the Coastal Air Force? This is nonsense!"

Cunningham on the battleship King George V got the news that the Coast Air Force would be dispatched tomorrow morning, and his face suddenly turned ugly.

Although the Faroe Islands were badly bombarded by aircraft and naval artillery, it would not be that easy for the Germans to capture them. Even if an amphibious tank unit is deployed, it will still take a month or two. Even if you want to invest in the Coastal Air Force, it's not too late to wait until the Germans start landing... Even if you dispatch battleships to fight a decisive battle with the German fleet!

But what are you anxious about now? Isn't it just four battleships firing three thousand rounds of artillery shells? The service life of the battleship's main guns is limited. Such a bombardment cannot last for a few days. What is there to worry about?

"Are we allowed to attack?" Cunningham asked next.

"No, the First Sea Lord has left the decision to us." Lister, Chief of Staff of the Home Fleet, replied, "But I think we should attack and cooperate with shore-based aircraft to destroy the German fleet near the Faroe Islands."

"Cooperate?" Cunningham glanced at Lister, "The Coast Air Force should be allowed to cooperate with us, instead of risking the four precious Glory-class ships! If we reach the strike radius of the German shore-based aviation in Bergen Even with P51 cover, it is difficult to ensure that the Glory class is not lost... They are too precious. As long as they exist, we can block the Denmark Strait before the autumnal equinox."

Lister frowned and reminded: "But if our four Glory-class ships are not dispatched, the Coast Air Force alone may not be able to defeat the German fleet. They are equipped with Beaufort torpedo bombers and Boston attack aircraft (A- 20) The anti-ship capabilities of the Mosquito reconnaissance bombers are not strong and it is difficult to pose a fatal threat to the main force of the German High Seas Fleet.”

The British Coast Air Force is now imitating the Germans and also wants to build its own "anti-ship three weapons". However, in addition to the outstanding performance of the P51 responsible for air combat and the Mosquito aircraft mainly responsible for reconnaissance, the performance of the Beaufort torpedo bombers and Boston attack aircraft responsible for attacking surface ships was unsatisfactory and could not be compared with the German Ju88 and the Italian S.M.79. .

"What the hell!" Cunningham knew that Lister was right. Since he was going to attack, he should go all out. He took a sharp breath and gritted his teeth and said: "Then fleet B retreats, and our fleet A goes up!"

…

"Commander, are you going north tonight?"

"Going north? Why?"

"We have been lingering near the Faroe Islands for nearly 24 hours and shot down 3,000 rounds of super-large-caliber high-explosive artillery shells, but the British did nothing. Obviously, they have seen through our intentions..."

On the battleship "Hindenburg", Gunther Lütjens, who was having a meal, was discussing the war situation with the fleet chief of staff, Lieutenant General Erich Bey.

The performance of the British army today was beyond their expectations. They originally thought that there would be a fierce air battle today, which should be able to severely damage the P51 fleet of the British Coast Air Force. However, the aircraft carriers of the British Coast Air Force and the Royal Navy did not seem to know that the German fleet was bombarding the Faroe Islands, and did not react in any way.

"If our intention is seen through, it will be difficult to break through the Denmark Strait." Gunther Lütjens gently turned the tall glass in his hand and frowned slightly.

The British Royal Navy is not a paper tiger yet! Although their battleship force is no longer worth mentioning, they are no match for the German High Seas Fleet with two "Hindenburg" class ships.

But the four Glory-class aircraft carriers are still a force that cannot be ignored! If they cannot be destroyed, the European combined fleet may be attacked by British aircraft carriers at any time - the British have now obtained truly useful carrier-based aircraft from the United States, such as F4F, SBD and TBD, which makes their aircraft carriers The attack power of the carrier-based aircraft force has been greatly enhanced.

"Erich, let's wait for another day. If the British plane doesn't come tomorrow, then we will go to the Denmark Strait." Gunther Lütjens thought for a long time and finally made a decision.

His fleet cannot linger around the Faroe Islands all the time. Breaking through the Denmark Strait is a task that must be completed. Moreover, in the Battle of Denmark Strait, he had an ace in hand that the British had not expected - 60 P.108S heavy bombers that could drop "human eye-guided bombs"!