Bismarck

"Yes, it has been arranged." Bangtai replied, "It has been prepared and will take off and intercept soon."

But after taking a look, I found that there seemed to be one person missing.

"Where's your secretary ship?" Bangtai looked around but didn't see...

"Are you sending her to the navigation bridge again?"

"Well, she went to steer."

Lütjens nodded, but his attention never left the drawing board, and his brows were solemn and gloomy, as if he was thinking of some bad memories...

20 He was still young and was just the captain of an ordinary destroyer...

"Bontai, have you noticed? The current situation is very similar to what we were facing in the Skagerrak Strait 20 years ago..." Lütjens said, pointing to the nautical chart.

"Yes... Whether it was that time or now, we must be careful not to be blocked by the British." Bonte immediately understood which naval battle Lütjens was referring to and continued.

Looking at the familiar battlefield situation on the map board, he nodded and looked at his old boss with a serious look.

"But there is a difference. That time we broke through at night. The night would provide us with cover, but this time..."

"It is expected that the encounter will happen at noon at the latest." Bangtai stated the result in a deep voice.

Retreating at night can also avoid enemy detection and also bring higher requirements to the enemy's artillery skills, but during the day, these ships are living targets.

"Yes, the situation can be said to be not optimistic."

Lütjens also looked uneasy, and...

"Just now I asked Bismarck to send a telegram to the air force stationed in Flanders, informing them of our course and position, and requesting them to send aircraft for support. But now the air battle between the air force and the British is so intense, and the distance is so far, they may not be able to spare many troops to support us..."

"Without air cover we would be doomed," Bontay stated.

"I know, that's why I keep asking for it, but I estimate that at most we can barely put together two fleets around noon, and by then we can only deter the British from pursuing us too far..."

"But in this case, you also know the relationship between the 'old man' and those people in the Air Force. In addition, this battle has been a bit difficult until now... Will it be... eh?" Bangtai hesitated and raised his doubts to his old boss and old friend.

After all, some things are indeed determined by things outside the battlefield...

For example – politics.

"We'll talk about those things later. The problem now is to break out. These ships, these planes, the sailors and pilots, the sea-air coordination, etc., are all lessons learned and valuable talents. They are all German soldiers. It is my responsibility to bring them back..."

Lütjens put out the remaining cigarette butt and laughed at himself: "Besides, even if I am sent to a military court, I have to lead everyone out of the British encirclement before I can appear in court!"

"Report! It will take at most fifteen minutes for the British aircraft group to reach our fleet!" The radar soldier reported when Lütjens and Bonte were thinking about the battle situation.

"It seems that time is running out... Zeppelin's turning ability is limited now, the planes take off immediately! Then the entire fleet prepares for air defense operations!" Lütjens gave the order without hesitation.

"Yes!!"

In the pilot waiting room, Flensburg and Zeppelin were making the final mobilization of the twenty-eight elite dive bomber crews and seven elite fighter pilots specially selected from GR186.

"...The core target of this assault is the enemy's aircraft carrier! We are all pilots, and I don't need to explain the significance of aircraft carriers..." Zeppelin drew a simple tactical map in front of the blackboard. After more than a month of training, everyone is now able to master this type of map work and sea navigation skills more proficiently, so they can fully understand these contents.

“…According to the information just sent back by the reconnaissance aircraft, if their navigation position and heading remain unchanged, the search heading is about 83 degrees east by north, and the target will be found in about an hour and a half at a distance of about 120 nautical miles! If the target is not found at this position, continue to conduct a fan-shaped search within a range of 0-60 nautical miles between 20-30 degrees northeast of the predetermined search position, or act according to the new reconnaissance intelligence of the reconnaissance aircraft and the mother ship!!” After closing the record book neatly, the serious and meticulous naval aviation instructor in white raised his head and glanced at the pilots: “Does everyone understand?!”

Dozens of pilots and navigators below responded in unison and firmly, "Understood!!"

"Everyone understands, very good!" Flensburg nodded when he saw the spirit and energy shown by his subordinates. But he still made a final mobilization to everyone: "This attack is related to the life and death of our entire fleet. Everyone must go all out! Only by destroying their aircraft carrier can we have a chance to break through! Therefore, even if we have to use planes to hit them, we must sink their aircraft carriers! Do you understand?!"

"Yes!!"

"Okay, I understand! Everyone board the plane! Get ready for takeoff!!"

Soon, 37 planes roared up from the flight deck of Zeppelin and disappeared in the sky by northeast. Almost at the same time, a dark shadow appeared in the direction opposite them. A group of 32 bombers and 18 Spitfires of the Royal Air Force began to form several attack teams 30 kilometers away, and were about to launch an air strike on the German fleet led by Zeppelin!

"The British have appeared, all ships prepare for battle!" On the bridge of the Zeppelin, the sea breeze blew the signal flags. All the remaining anti-aircraft guns in the fleet were pointed in unison at the sky covered by the shadow of the iron wings...

The two clocks on the wall of the C3I command post were pointing to : a.m. German Standard Time and : a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (where the battlefield is located)...

ps: Come on, come on, ask for a monthly ticket~

Also, I have a question. I read some book reviews. Does it mean that otaku literature = yuri = boys' novels?

Chapter 227: Action in Progress (Part 2)

"Report to the Prime Minister! The Navy has just sent a report! The German fleet in Newcastle has been repelled, four of their destroyers have been sunk, a heavy cruiser has been severely damaged, and the flight deck of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier has been hit. Now General Tovey is leading the fleet to pursue them!..."

Accompanied by an excited voice, a secretary rushed into the Prime Minister's office at 10 Downing Street almost dancing.

Before the person arrives, the voice arrives first.

Churchill, who had just been leaning over the table anxiously considering the war situation, suddenly became happy. His fat face was full of smiles. He quickly stood up and asked the secretary: "Are you telling the truth?!"

"It's true! Prime Minister, General Tovey has severely damaged the German fleet and they are now fleeing for their lives!" the secretary said breathlessly.

This good news is directly related to the emotional issues of himself and the staff of the Prime Minister's Residence. The secretary is extremely happy.

Of course, the reason for his happiness was different from that of the Prime Minister. Churchill was happy because of the "victory" of the war, while he was happy because the Prime Minister was happy... For them, victory or defeat was secondary, after all, the war on the front line was not their area of ​​responsibility, but no one could stand facing the Prime Minister's low pressure all day long.

Maybe, these hard days are finally coming to an end, those damn Germans.

The secretary quickly handed the telegram to Churchill, while reporting verbally: "Yes! This is the telegram they sent! They coordinated with the Air Force, set up an ambush off the coast of Newcastle, and repelled the German fleet in one fell swoop! Now request support!"

"Very good! Very good! Tovey did a great job!" Churchill glanced at the documents and said with great joy: "Does Tovey have any other requests?"

"Yes! General Tovey said that he expects to engage in battle with the German fleet about 12-230 nautical miles northwest of the Netherlands between 150 a.m. and noon, so he requested air support."

"Very good! I approve it! Just do as he says and tell the Air Force to send me planes to bomb! Send this order to the headquarters immediately!"

"Yes!"

When the secretary walked out, he looked back at the Prime Minister, who looked like a completely different person. His old face was completely distorted by laughter, and he kept rubbing his palms together with joy... If the secretary came to the 21st century and played Angry Birds, he would know that the Pig King in the game looked very much like the Prime Minister now...

...............

While the British High Command was rejoicing over this victory, Staufen and Rudel were still quietly lurking around the British fleet with the help of the clouds on the sea...

"What a hassle!" Rudel complained. How long will this **** game last...

"Don't talk, be careful, they are still nearby." Stephen said. As the leader, he remained vigilant at all times.

"I know, I know." Rudel snorted, but did as he was told. He hid the plane a little deeper into the clouds based on his feeling.

A group of fulmars just flew over their heads, and another group flew below them. If the clouds were not so thick and large, and the two planes had not been so clever in circling in the clouds, without leaving the hiding area of ​​the clouds, they would have been found and shot down by now.

Of course, they should also be thankful that the radar of this era, due to the display factor (only early oscilloscopes, no 360-degree rotating flat information display screen PPI), is not efficient enough for detecting single aircraft or small groups at medium and low altitudes, and the patrolling fighters can only search for enemy aircraft with their naked eyes - and the focus of the search is actually to look outside to see if there are large-scale bomber groups coming. They are not vigilant about the hidden eyes around them, and they fly around without exploring the clouds - even if the exploration is useless... So until now, the two planes have been in the clouds at the edge of the British fleet's field of vision for a whole hour without being discovered by the British.

Just when Rudel's patience was about to run out, the radio operators in the back seats of the two planes who also served as rear machine gunners received a "text message" from the Zeppelin almost at the same time:

"This strike group has set off and is expected to arrive in one hour. Please do the final guidance work."

Everyone perked up and was ready to put an end to this crappy act of hiding!

"An hour..."

Rudel, who was originally feeling depressed, immediately became more cheerful upon hearing the news. He thought about it, rolled his eyes, grabbed the telescope and looked out of the porthole at the distant horizon. The British fleet was advancing without any awareness.

Well, the speed is thirty knots, and the heading is still the same as before. He took out the map board from the fixed pocket on the side of the seat, made a rough estimate, and calculated the time. A cunning smile gradually appeared on Rudel's young face.

Immediately, a slightly cunning voice came from the close-range tactical communication channel of Staufen, who was flying in front: "Hey, Staufen, I guess the British radar will soon discover the large force, and then take off fighter jets to intercept..."

"What do you mean? I don't understand what you are trying to say." Stephen in front frowned, indicating that he didn't understand.

"It's like this. I just estimated that the main fleet is at most two hundred and twenty kilometers away from here. But the search distance of the long-range radar will not be less than one hundred and fifty, so I estimate that the British will soon discover the main fleet and then send fighters to intercept... If our fleet encounters their fighters, even if it will not be wiped out, it will have a great impact on the completion of the mission." Rudel on the other side of the radio was sincerely lobbying his comrades, although he was actually smiling with his teeth shining... "So I said, man, should we do something for the main force? Like lure their fighters out first... What do you think?"

"What do you want to do?" Although he was somewhat tempted, he also felt a little uneasy. Staufen looked back at Rudel's plane following behind him. But under the sunlight, he couldn't see anything clearly. Only Rudel's reply with a sneer came from the radio:

"It's nothing, actually. I just wanted to find an opportunity to blow him up!"

He finally said what he had always wanted to do...

ps: Fuck him! Please give me a monthly ticket!!! Please give me a reward~

Chapter 228: Action in Progress (Part 3)

"Report to the commander! Radar detected a large-scale fleet! Direction 270 degrees due east, distance 90 nautical miles (165 kilometers)! Expected to engage in battle in 30 minutes!"

Just as Rudel expected, more than a hundred kilometers away, the British radar discovered the fleet of planes taking off from the Zeppelin, and Tovey soon learned the news.

In the command cabin of the Glorious, radar soldiers were reporting the latest enemy situation to Admiral Tovey, commander of the Home Fleet.

Tovey looked at his watch. It was a quarter past eight.

"Order the patrol fighters to intercept, and the fighters on the flight deck to prepare for takeoff!" A sneer flashed across his rigid but handsome face, which was the satisfying feeling of seeing the prey struggling in death. "After two days of fighting, and the Royal Air Force is still bombing them, I guess this should be their last wave of dying counterattack, Lütjens, you got away last time, you won't be so lucky this time!"

He loudly declared, "Tell everyone, especially the fighter planes, as long as we can withstand this wave, we will win!"

"We must take back the glory of the Royal Navy!" Tovey clenched his fists, and the veins on his hands bulged slightly.

"Sir, yes sir, Aye aye sir!!" The subordinate saluted and turned away.

Under Tovey's order, the British fleet at sea began a collective turn, heading 120 degrees east-southeast against the wind.

At the same time, the huge fleet formation began to adjust. Two large battleships began to sail towards the southwest wings of the three aircraft carriers to serve as air defense support points. Other light battleships were also deployed in front of and on both sides of the main battleships, forming a fan-shaped formation with 240 degrees southwest (where the Zeppelin was expected to be located) as the axis, focusing on defense between 180-300 degrees, but there were several ships behind the aircraft carriers as fire cover.

At the same time, except for four of the twelve Fulmars that were patrolling in the sky, the other eight began to gather and prepared to intercept the German aircraft group under the guidance of radar. At the same time, on the flight decks of the three aircraft carriers, one Fulmar after another was lifted from the hangar onto the flight deck and began to warm up and prepare for takeoff.

For a moment, the roar of the propellers once again filled the entire flight deck.

"There are twelve Fulmars in the sky, and each of the three aircraft carriers can launch six, a total of thirty planes. The Germans should not have many planes left. Even if our aircraft performance is much worse than theirs, this force should be enough to intercept them..."

In the command post, Tovey was making his plans as he wished. No matter how he calculated, he seemed to be sure of victory.

But at this moment, the light of a ship firing into the air was seen from afar outside the porthole. And just a dozen seconds later, the sound of continuous gunfire could be heard faintly.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

"Da da da…"

"Dong dong dong..."

"Huh? What's going on?!"

The sudden sound of gunfire interrupted Tovey's thoughts, but not long after, a staff officer walked in quickly: "Report to the commander, the Bonaventure anti-aircraft cruiser in the front left of the fleet has spotted two JU87s and is organizing a shooting."

"Just two? Are the Germans using the JU87 as a reconnaissance plane?" Tovey sneered. He had long expected that Germany would send reconnaissance planes for surveillance.

Looking up at the thick clouds in the sky, Tovey knew that his fighter planes had been patrolling hard, but... the cloud coverage rate of 45% was already quite dense, and the early radar was not very powerful. Tovey rarely refrained from cursing. Those two damn flies were probably hiding in the clouds to monitor the Royal Navy.

Now that you know the main force is coming, are you coming out?

Tovey knew that this was understandable, but he still frowned, indicating that he was still dissatisfied with the current radar performance.

"I just think that it's unexpected that we have only just discovered these German reconnaissance planes at this time, and they have already sneaked around our fleet. The performance of our alert search and radar should be improved. Oh, and send a team of fulmars to take care of those rats!"

"Yes!" The staff officer walked down quickly.

What Rudel said was certainly not wrong. When they appeared, the British would definitely send out fighter planes. However, it would be a pipe dream to attract all the attention with just these two fighter planes. Their goal was actually to bomb him!

However, compared to the plumpness in dreams, the reality is so skinny that it is almost causing anorexia. Rudel said he doesn't like it at all!

Tovey was only slightly dissatisfied, but the two JU87Cs were desperately evading the anti-aircraft fire...

"Damn, why is the anti-aircraft firepower so fierce... Is this an anti-aircraft cruiser?!"

1500 meters above the British fleet, Lieutenant Hans Ulrich Rudel, a rookie who had just transferred from the reconnaissance aircraft unit and was conducting his first actual combat attack, was completely panicked by the fierce anti-aircraft firepower of the British.

While frantically fiddling with the joystick in the midst of the fire, he gritted his teeth and stared at the warship in front of him with resentful eyes, wishing he could burn and sink the enemy ship with the rage in his eyes!

But no matter how angry they were, they couldn't sink the warship. Instead, the eight 133mm dual-purpose guns of the anti-aircraft cruiser on the opposite side, under the command of the 285 fire control radar, accurately exploded around Rudel. And it was not only the anti-aircraft cruiser that opened fire. A "battleship" and a destroyer 2500 meters away on both sides of her also began to fire at the poor two JU87s.

The dense artillery shells formed an almost impenetrable firepower network, strongly protecting several battleships in the center and making it difficult for them to enter.

For a moment, JU87C was surrounded by dangers.

"Damn bastard...actually..."

He hurriedly pulled the joystick to evade, and just two or three seconds later, eight puffs of red and black smoke exploded in front of JU87's original route.

The physical exertion of operating the aircraft, the strong steering overload, and the powerful anti-aircraft firepower of the British fleet made Rudel breathless. He was breathing heavily, as if he was pulling a broken bellows in a blacksmith's shop, and trying to calm down a little. However, the British warships on the opposite side did not give him time at all. The tracer fire net pulled out by the anti-aircraft firepower once again enveloped him in the middle!

Mom... the battlefield is so scary...

ps: Mom, Shuke is so dirty... Where are the monthly tickets and rewards~

Chapter 229: Action in Progress (IV)

Rudel, who was trying hard to avoid the artillery fire, even had an illusion that he was like a poor sampan in the stormy waves, and might be reduced to ashes in a ball of fireworks in the next second.

The density of artillery fire is really too terrifying.