Iron Cross

Facing the 37 Bf-219s that came over aggressively, the European Swallows were simply unable to parry. One after another, the aircraft were sent to the bottom of the sea. Only 4 TBFs were lucky enough to launch torpedoes, but none of them hit. The battle ended 10 minutes later. All 28 carrier-based aircraft were annihilated by the furious Bf-219s, and the Germans themselves lost 3 more.

The deck of the Zeppelin was in chaos. A large number of damage control team members were rescuing the warship. Some were extinguishing the fire, some were judging the ship's injuries, and some were rescuing the casualties... Machar and other fleet leaders all put in intense rescue command. Richter Hofen forced himself to calm down and continued to issue orders: "Fighters with more fuel will stay in the air to continue covering, while those with less fuel will land on the Europa to resupply."

The Zeppelin has fully proven itself to be the core of the entire fleet in the tsunami plan. Its injuries have attracted everyone's attention, and as it is the flagship, the fleet's top brass is watching every move it makes.

"How is the situation?" Richthofen asked anxiously after issuing the order.

"A large crater was opened in the middle of the runway on the deck, with a diameter of about 7 meters. The only good thing is that the British bomb was not powerful enough and did not penetrate the main armor belt below and penetrated into the hangar. Otherwise, the loss would be even greater. In addition, the bomb was hit The location happened to be near the ship's bow elevator. The explosion caused part of the structure to twist. The elevator there is stuck and cannot be used at the moment," Lieutenant Colonel William, the damage control leader and second officer of the Zeppelin, reported to everyone.

"What to do now?" Machar was anxious. "There are two groups of attack planes outside. How will they land when they come back?"

"We are trying to make emergency repairs. First, we will cut the entire damaged runway and use spare steel plates to temporarily cover and fill it. However, the elevator cannot be repaired and must be returned to the shipyard for repair. The hangar operations will also be restricted."

“How long will runway repairs take?”

"If it's fast, it'll be two hours, if it's slow, it'll be three hours - but there can be no more air strikes."

"Go do it immediately, be careful, and restore your ability to take off and land as soon as possible."

"Sir, does it not matter if the bow elevator is damaged?" Machar asked Richthofen nervously.

"Theoretically, the inability to use the first elevator will cause major problems in the hangar and aircraft deployment, but as long as normal takeoff and landing can be restored, the problem is not particularly big." Richthofen sighed, "So many aircraft were lost today. , even if the remaining spare aircraft are assembled, the hangar will not be filled, so the dispatch efficiency will not be reduced in theory. How about comprehensive repairs on other warships when we return? "

"The loss is huge. Prinz Eugen and Z15 sank. People who fell into the water are being rescued. Scharnhorst was hit by a torpedo. Coupled with the original injuries, it can only drive up to 24 knots. I'm afraid it will have to be in the shipyard after returning. "Lie down for half a year..." Machar shook his head and sighed, "To break through the enemy's interception, the price paid today is really not small."

"But after all, they broke through, and the British suffered greater losses..." Richthofen looked ferocious, "Just watch, I will sink the two battleships in the south to avenge the Prinz Eugen."

At 11 o'clock sharp, the fleet was more than 400 nautical miles away from Iceland. Machar ordered the fleet to turn southwest and prepare to break into the Atlantic as soon as possible. At this moment, good news came from the south. Under the joint attack of Ju-98 and He-218, the two old battleships of Fleet E, the USS Ramiri (Sovereign Class) and the USS Arkansas (Sovereign Class), lost their air power cover. Wyoming class, supported by the U.S. Atlantic Fleet) was sunk successively, and two destroyers (Positive and Antelope, both A-class destroyers) were sunk. The fleet lost two He-218s and two Ju-98s respectively. Fighting with 1 aircraft, the remaining aircraft are returning to the mothership.

After hearing the news, the atmosphere in the Zeppelin's commander's tower became active again, and everyone's excitement was written on their faces - this meant that there was no force ahead that could stop him.

The losses suffered by both sides in this battle were not small. Including Icelandic land-based aircraft and E Fleet carrier-based aircraft, the British overall losses were close to 100 aircraft, with a loss rate of more than 75%. The Germans lost 11 Bf-219s in air defense operations. In addition to the losses of the remaining 10 aircraft in the two attack waves, the total battle losses reached 21 aircraft. The loss rate was as high as one quarter. The number of missing and dead pilots reached 21. 13 people (group), and an additional destroyer and a heavy cruiser (Prinz Eugen). Scharnhorst and Zeppelin were severely damaged again. Fortunately, Europa was still intact and could barely provide a Landing place, otherwise all these planes in the sky will turn into a pile of scrap aluminum when they run out of fuel.

"Did you damage the Zeppelin?" Although he was shocked that so few planes returned, Fraser was still very excited after hearing the conclusive report of the surviving pilots.

"Yes, I saw with my own eyes that there was a big hole on his deck, and it was constantly smoking... Sir, we have killed at least 2 heavy cruisers and 3 destroyers, and maybe the Scharnhorst is about the same. He ate two torpedoes... In addition, it seems that the Tirpitz also suffered a few bombs. "It is actually easy to misjudge on the battlefield, and the observations of this handsome warrior pilot are actually quite reliable.

"Where's the other aircraft carrier?" Fraser asked hopefully.

"Well... I didn't see it clearly. I was busy avoiding a Bf-219 at the time, so I must have been injured - the aircraft carrier is the key target of attack aircraft."

But this excitement could not last long. Within 5 minutes, the aviation staff told him that the second attack wave and the search and reconnaissance aircraft did not find the target and had to return due to fuel problems. Fraser's face suddenly turned livid - the second attack wave was a force that came from the mainland early this morning and was supported by the Royal Air Force. There were more than 100 aircraft. They arrived in Iceland around 9 o'clock and then replenished oil urgently. After the bombs were released one after another, they even included P-47s, which were specially designed to escort American B-17 heavy bombers and were still very few in number at this time.

He originally had high hopes for it, but now it can only be ruined. To make matters worse, half an hour ago he also learned the unfortunate news: except for two destroyers of Fleet E that escaped, the rest of the warships were completely destroyed. Rear Admiral Hamilton, who had done the hard work with him the day before yesterday, chose to sink with the ship. Martyrdom for the country!

"Report to the Prime Minister, just say..." Fraser thought for a moment and slowly dictated to the Chief of Staff, "The Icelandic Air Force conducted an air attack on the enemy fleet this morning and achieved significant results, destroying 2 heavy cruisers and 3 destroyers. , severely damaged the battlecruiser Scharnhorst, the aircraft carrier Zeppelin, damaged the Tirpitz and an unknown aircraft carrier, shot down nearly 30 enemy aircraft, and our army lost nearly 70 aircraft... The current enemy fleet It is far away from the strike range of Icelandic land-based aviation, and its destination is unknown. It is suspected of breaking into the Atlantic Ocean."

"What about Fleet E?"

"That is what Admiral Tovey should report. It has nothing to do with us. The fleet is under his direct command." Fraser thought to himself: I was stupid to report the destruction of Fleet E!

Churchill in the Prime Minister's Residence had two battle reports on hand: one was sent by Fraser, reporting the severe damage to the German fleet; the other was sent by Tovey, reporting that due to the disparity in strength, Fleet E was completely destroyed, and Hamilton News of the death of the major general.

His face was livid. He had also been the Minister of the Navy, and of course he was aware of the tricks of his men. The subtext in the battle report was clear at a glance: whether it was heavy damage or destruction, there was only one result when interpreted. The German fleet was paying some price. Then slipped into the Atlantic Ocean.

"Our shipping line is fucked!" he roared, his voice threatening to tear off the entire roof. "Now the Tirpitz can rush into the Atlantic and start killing people."

"Prime Minister, we also have the Independence and Pennsylvania, they will be here soon."

"Immediately?" Churchill glared at Pound and asked loudly while breathing heavily. "In less than a week, the Royal Navy lost 4 battleships and 8 escort carriers. Now you tell me 1 battleship and 1 light aircraft carrier. Can we save the whole situation and treat everyone else as idiots?”

"This..." Pound was speechless.

"Someone must be responsible for this, and I need to give President Roosevelt an explanation." He stared at Pound and said word by word, "The Americans gave us three battleships, but they were all sunk in one week, and they died. So many American naval officers and soldiers; the aircraft carriers and King George V battleships that the Americans borrowed are still fine and unscathed. What do you want them to think? Especially Admiral Jin, it is difficult to explain..."

Pound understood the implication of Churchill's words: Whether it was to give an explanation to the Americans or to calm down internal anger, it would be difficult to maintain the position of commander of Tovey's Home Fleet, and now it is Captain Fraser who has achieved results and achievements. General, and since he is the deputy commander-in-chief of the local fleet, it is inevitable to change the general.

The phone rang, and it was the adjutant who called: "Prime Minister, General Tovey believed that he had unshirkable command responsibility for this defensive battle and resigned. He also said that if you need to pursue other issues, he is willing to cooperate with an independent investigation. The committee is doing its work and he is out now, do you need to see him?"

The two looked at each other, speechless for a long time. It took a while before Churchill managed to say: "Invite him in! No! Marshal Pound and I will go to greet him."

Pound thought as he walked: If Tovey has an attitude, things will be much easier to handle later on. The Prime Minister probably won't embarrass people too much. He did the same to General Alexander, and General Tovey will do the same. Only Cunningham, who insists on insisting that he did not make a big mistake, needs to calm down and reflect.

"Führer, I must report to you..." Redl's face turned red in the Berlin Admiralty. "The fleet defeated the interception of the British Navy and successfully broke into the Atlantic Ocean! In the past week, the navy sank 4 battleships, Nearly 300,000 tons of British warships, including 8 escort aircraft carriers and 8 cruisers, and more than 200 aircraft suffered little loss themselves. "