The Rise of the Third Reich

October 12, 1939, 6 a.m. Iceland time.

In the Atlantic Ocean 400-700 nautical miles south of Iceland, there are 6 fleets/fleets distributed from northeast to southwest. The one closest to Iceland in the northeast is Fleet F, with the battlecruiser "Reputation" as its flagship, the battleship "Sovereign" and the aircraft carrier "Hundred-Eyed Giant". About 100 nautical miles southwest of Fleet F is Fleet G, with the battlecruiser HMS Hood as its flagship and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.

About 300 nautical miles west of the island of Ireland is the I Fleet with the battleship "Revenge" as its flagship and the battleship "Resolution". There is also an AB-1 convoy consisting of more than 80 transport ships and 12 escort ships less than 70 nautical miles west of Fleet I.

Less than 80 nautical miles southwest of the AB-1 convoy, the German breakup fleet composed of "Scharnhorst", "Seidlitz" and the just-arrived "Leipzig" was cruising.

About 180 nautical miles due south of the AB-1 convoy, the British H Fleet, with the two battleships "Barham" and "Malaya" and the aircraft carrier "Eagle" as the core, is sailing.

This is undoubtedly a naval battle with a huge disparity in power, at least in terms of the number of ships. The number of ships on the German side is only a pitiful 3, while the number of ships on the British side is more than 200!

The balance of power is so disparate that in the last war, there would be little suspense about victory or defeat. However, with the rapid advancement of internal combustion engine technology in the past 20 years, the mode of naval warfare, like land warfare, has undergone revolutionary progress.

At 6 o'clock, the two parties participating in the battle did not know the specific location of the other party, or even whether the other party existed. So today's confrontation started with a search - using a variety of carrier-based aircraft to search!

The main ones dispatched by the British side are: "Swordfish" torpedo bombers - each aircraft carrier dispatched 3, and the 3 aircraft carriers dispatched a total of 9 "Swordfish"; "Walrus" seaplanes - each British The battleships/battlecruisers dispatched at least 2 seaplanes, each heavy cruiser and some light cruisers also dispatched 1 seaplane, 8 battleships/battlecruisers dispatched a total of 16 "Walrus", and there were 7 heavy cruisers. The cruiser and four larger light cruisers also dispatched 11 "Walrus" seaplanes.

Therefore, at the beginning of the battle, the British sent a total of 36 search aircraft (9 "Swordfish" and 27 "Walrus").

The three warships on the German side released 9 Type 99s and 4 Ar-196s (one of which belonged to the light cruiser "Leipzig"), with a total of only 13 reconnaissance aircraft.

13 to 36 is of course an absolute disadvantage!

And the weather is quite clear now, with no clouds to hide in. Therefore, it is very difficult for the "Scharnhorst", "Seidlitz" and "Leipzig" to hide their traces on the sea.

At 6:45, the air defense siren sounded on the Scharnhorst.

"Lieutenant General, it's a seaplane!"

The communications officer on the "Scharnhorst" held a telephone receiver in his hand and loudly reported: "Four Fokker Zeros have bitten it!"

The radars on the Fokker Zero and the Scharnhorst, which were responsible for the direct cover mission, discovered the invading "Walrus" seaplane almost at the same time.

"Are you sure it's a seaplane?" Major General Leifman asked. After getting a positive answer, he said to Lieutenant General Machar, "It should be the 'Walrus'. Its speed is very slow and can only fly about 200 kilometers." km/h. It is now 6:45, and the plane should have been ejected in less than an hour..."

"The enemy is within 100 nautical miles?" Marshall interrupted Leifman. The atmosphere in the entire command tower suddenly became tense!

There are large British warships capable of carrying "Walrus" within 100 nautical miles!

At this time, the communications staff reported again: "Lieutenant General, the Seydlitz reported that a Fokker Zero aircraft shot it down."

The combat effectiveness of the Fokker Zero is indeed outstanding!

Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the voice of the communications staff sounded again: "We also monitored unknown radio signals."

Damn it!

Machar and Reifman glanced at each other. The "Walrus" had already sent a telegram and their positions had been exposed.

"Lieutenant General," the communications staff officer received a new message at this time, "the British convoy has been discovered!" There was surprise in his tone, "It is 90-100 nautical miles to the west of us, to the east Driving, the coordinates are..."

Marshal and Reifman walked to the chart table in a few steps. The navigation staff had already marked the approximate location of the British convoy fleet on the chart - they were the AB-1 convoy fleet. The one who just discovered the German fleet was sent by AB-1's flagship "London" heavy cruiser.

"When the reconnaissance plane makes a discovery, immediately recall all Fokker 99s, add bombs, and let them attack!" Major General Leifman immediately made suggestions. "Because we are pursuing at a speed of 30 knots, it will take at least 3-4 hours to catch up. If we want to achieve victory, we must send planes to bomb!"

This is where the efficiency of aircraft carriers in breaking diplomatic ties is high!

Similarly, the role of carrier-based aircraft/seaplanes in escort is undoubtedly reflected. If the German break-up fleet did not have an aircraft carrier, even if the AB-1 was discovered with an Ar-196 seaplane, there would be no way to achieve significant results.

Because the distance between the two sides was still 90-100 nautical miles, the "Scharnhorst" had to run for three hours before it had a chance to fire, and the opponent was likely to disband the formation and flee. By then, the "Scharnhorst" would be able to capture at most one or two merchant ships, and its efficiency would be limited compared to that of a submarine.

But with Fokker 99 carrier-based bombers, even if there are only 9 of them, at least four or five ships can be easily damaged.

"But the British aircraft carrier may be somewhere nearby." Lieutenant General Machar hesitated.

"Lieutenant General, we have 20 Fokker Zeros. Are we afraid that we can't deal with the British biplanes?" Major General Leifman said. He knew that his proposal was very risky, but if he wanted to achieve results, he couldn't do it without taking risks.

Besides, the anti-aircraft firepower provided by 20 Fokker Zeros should be powerful enough. Now we just need to be careful not to let the British battleships get close.

"Okay, that's it!" Lieutenant General Machar nodded, "Give the order to Major General Haye."

He paused, and then said, "Now we turn around and head south, at full speed, 30 knots. After all the Fokker 99s come back, we will slow down and take back the aircraft. After the nine Fokker 99s attack again, we will turn around and head east. Go around to the south of those British freighters. During the day, we will continue to use nine Fokker 99s to bomb, and at night we will use the 'Scharnhorst' to sink the injured ship. "

…

"Admiral, we found them!"

In the command tower of the "Revenge" battleship, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"A battleship, an aircraft carrier, a cruiser!" the communications officer shouted.

"We got them!" Major General Phillips almost cheered. "They're almost in the middle of our four squadrons!"

"The news is correct, isn't it?" Forbes said. "Did the seaplane lose contact?"

"Contact was lost, and it may have been shot down by a Fokker Zero." Major General Phillips said, "But other 'Walrus' have already flown by, and I believe the position of the German fleet will be confirmed soon."

Just when Admiral Forbes frowned and hesitated, the fleet communications staff shouted again: "AB-1 reported that they found an unidentified seaplane!"

This should be the German Ar-196! Everyone is thinking: This is almost confirming the discovery of the German fleet!

Rear Admiral Phillips immediately suggested to Admiral Forbes, "Let the aircraft carrier send the 'Big Europe' and the 'Swordfish'! Send it now!"

General Charles Forbes also shouted in his heart: "God bless!"

My luck is so good this time! It seems that the shame of the "Battle of Scapa Flow" can be washed away.

"Okay, send the coordinates of the Germans to Fleet F, Fleet G and Fleet H, and ask them to send out torpedo bombers and dive bombers immediately!" Charles Forbes ordered loudly, "Our I Fleet must also take action to fight with AB- 1 Join forces and move towards AB-1 at full speed!"

AB-1 is composed of 86 transport ships, with a total tonnage of more than 630,000 tons, and those transport ships also carry a lot of raw materials that Britain urgently needs, but the "Scharnhorst" cannot be sunk. .

…

"Garand detachment, Garand detachment, I am 'Sedlitz'." At 7:55, Adolf Garand was flying a Fokker Zero in the sky, and the sound came from the earphones The voice of Aviation Staff Lieutenant Colonel Weiss appeared.

"The radar has detected an aircraft, right in front of you at 2 o'clock at an altitude of 3000. Go and see who it is?"

"Garland received it!" Major Garland replied immediately, "Repeat it, Garland received it." Then he adjusted the intercom to the frequency of the formation call, "We have work to do! Come with me." !”

When he gently pushed the joystick and piloted the plane to search for the invading enemy, he suddenly thought in his heart: The enemy planes were coming one after another. It seemed that there must be a bloody battle going on today!

At this time, the voice of wingman Schumacher came from his earphone: "Major, I saw it, it is a 'Swordfish' aircraft... not a seaplane, it is a carrier-based aircraft! It seems that the British aircraft carrier is Nearby!"

Not necessarily that close, but certainly not far! Thinking of this, Garland said: "Cheer up, now we have to decide the outcome of the war!"