Bismarck

Tovey shook his head, looked at the wind direction outside, then looked at his own anti-aircraft formation drawn on the chart table, and ordered his men: "Order the formation to turn as a whole and head southeast 135 degrees."

"Yes!" A staff officer took the order and went down.

"The wind is from the southeast now. If we head southeast, the Germans will have to bomb us crosswind, which is said to be the bombing situation with the lowest hit rate. There is also a large cloud layer ahead. If we get under the cloud, you Germans won't be able to see us. Don't be afraid of crashing into the sea, just dive!"

While the Germans had not arrived yet, the huge but well-trained British fleet turned around almost at the same time. There was almost no change in the formation before and after the turn. Tovey, who was standing in front of the window, nodded. For the British Royal Navy that dominated the seven seas for hundreds of years, this kind of turn should be so uniform and orderly.

Although the anti-aircraft cruiser Bonaventure, whose bow was flooded, and the aircraft carrier Furious, whose deck and hangar were badly damaged, had already staggered away from the battlefield under the escort of two destroyers, Tovey still had two aircraft carriers, two battlecruisers, two light cruisers and eight destroyers.

The powerful British Home Fleet deployed a large anti-aircraft fan-shaped formation with the southwest as the defense focus in the turbulent North Sea. In the middle of the formation, four battleships were arranged in a double column with a spacing of 2000 yards. Two battlecruisers used their strong bodies to block the two aircraft carriers that needed protection behind them, and around them were eight destroyers with a spacing of 3000 yards. And on the outermost side, in the southwest corner, two Southampton-class light cruisers, Birmingham and Sheffield, were placed on the two wings of the formation.

"The target is seven miles from the Vanguard destroyers and cruisers, at an altitude of 3050 feet ( meters)... Destroyers, open fire!!"

On the radar screens of all warships, invisible electromagnetic waves were locking onto the German aircraft through the thick clouds. With the order of the fire control officer, the radar control console and electromechanical fire control system linked to the anti-aircraft guns controlled the large-caliber anti-aircraft guns and began to fire fiercely at the direction of the German aircraft in the sky with roars one after another. The shells fired by different warships dragged colorful tracers, spreading a dense barrage between the sky and the sea.

The faces of the Stuka pilots, including Flensburg, all changed collectively, but no one backed down. They gritted their teeth and pushed the throttle to the top. The JUMO211 dive bomber drove the propeller in front of the aircraft to roar with a thousand horsepower. Fourteen dive bombers roared from a height of three thousand meters and rushed into the anti-aircraft fire network!

ps: Please give me a monthly ticket, please give me a reward~ Do you know who got the lunch box?

235: For Germany

The British anti-aircraft guns instantly created dense clouds of smoke around the scattered attacking JU87C aircraft groups, just like a few drops of ink dropped into clear water. The color of the smoke after the explosion slowly spread out.

Although it does not have the abnormal hit rate of the VT fuse, nor the fire control range of the continuous-fire medium-caliber anti-aircraft gun with a firing height of up to three or four thousand meters, the shooting accuracy of the large-caliber anti-aircraft gun automatically controlled by the Type 285 air defense fire control radar is accurate to a terrifying degree, and the radar aiming is completely unobstructed by the clouds, which puts the bombers who want to hide in the clouds in a very tragic position.

Large-caliber anti-aircraft shells flew into the air and exploded accurately in front of the German fighter planes. From the smoke of the explosion, dense fragments flew out like a rainstorm and splashed towards the German aircraft group. Occasionally, a warship would suddenly launch a stream of flames flying towards the sky - that was the anti-aircraft rockets equipped by the British fleet shooting at them. Although the accuracy of the anti-aircraft rockets made the officers and soldiers of the British and German armies speechless, it was still effective to interfere with the German aircraft group here.

Listening to the roar of anti-aircraft guns exploding and the "tuu, tuu" or "clang, clang" sounds of shrapnel hitting the planes, the Stuka pilots felt like a group of weak sparrows struggling to fly in a storm.

Everyone's heart was lifted up, and they were sweating heavily. Even Zeppelin was a little worried. Because if they encountered the opponent's fighter plane, she could still help, but in this situation, they could only rely on themselves.

Flensburg instinctively huddled up in the cockpit, trying to stabilize his warplane amidst the hail of antiaircraft guns and vibrations, while taking the time to look around and command his subordinates to maintain their formation. The Stukas under his command were also being wounded by the dense hail of bullets. Two Stukas that had already been seriously injured in the fighter interception were unfortunately hit again. After being hit in the engine, they fell into the clouds below with smoke and fire.

The already scarce number of bombers made the situation even worse.

In front of the British fleet, which was dispersed into a fan-shaped air defense array, the firepower range of the large-caliber heavy anti-aircraft guns was a full ten to twenty kilometers. Even if the Stukas pushed the throttle to the maximum, they would still have to carry out a death flight for five minutes in such dense death fireworks...

During these five minutes, you may be shot down at any time.

No one can predict this kind of sudden misfortune. You may be dodging normally in the previous second, and start falling in the next second.

It has nothing to do with technology, but with luck.

But precisely because there was no warning, such losses put more psychological pressure on the pilots than the pursuit by fighter jets.

But the arrow is on the string and there is nothing we can do.

"Damn it... Fortunately, we dispersed the fleet before, otherwise if they were still crowded together, the losses would be huge..."

Looking at the several dive bomber squadrons that had deployed into two horizontal rows, still gritting their teeth to maintain the assault formation in such dense, accurate, swift and fierce rain of bullets, and began to disperse and outflanke from the left and right wings, Flensburg was proud of the will and flying level of his subordinates, and could not help but secretly feel lucky that he had previously issued the deployment order under the interception fire of British carrier-based fighters.

A group of aircraft gathered together would become living targets under this density of firepower.

However... despite being bombarded by a hail of bullets for five minutes, the remaining twelve battered Stukas finally maintained their formation and flew over the intended target.

The two battleships, which were much more sturdy (compared to the surrounding cruisers and destroyers) and the huge flight decks of the two aircraft carriers finally appeared in the observation window under the cockpit floor of the JU87C - they seemed to be constantly making serpentine maneuvers to try to evade them?

Overjoyed, Flensburg was about to order all planes to aim at the target and prepare for a dive attack, but...the view of the target was suddenly interrupted by a cloud!

"What the hell! Damn it!"

Frowning, Flensburg looked at the weather around him. In addition to the dense smoke from the anti-aircraft guns, there was actually a large cloud as thick as a quilt. Looking at the target below, it appeared and disappeared in the gaps of the clouds, and was soon covered by the thick clouds and fog, disappearing into the white smoke and could no longer be seen...

"Captain, the target is lost!" The anxious voices of the pilots came from the radio.

"Damn... this angle isn't very good... do I have to forcibly charge under the clouds and then aim?"

Flensburg immediately thought of this method, but forcing their way under the clouds would expose them further. If they failed to enter the attacking position and switched again, there might be more casualties...

"team leader!"

The pilots urged Flensburg to make a decision. They were in a dilemma. Staying above the clouds for a long time was not a solution. The enemy's radar could easily detect them. The smoke that kept appearing around them reminded them that time was running out...

Flensburg's face changed for a while, and finally he made up his mind.

"Never mind, let's take advantage of the moment when they disappear. If we wait any longer, we don't know what the British will do!"

He gritted his teeth, flicked the radio receiver, and issued an order for a forced assault.

"For the victory of the Greater German Empire, everyone, now, follow me and force the assault! Charge down together!!"

The strong and powerful hand pushed the joystick to the bottom, and JU87C rushed down from the -meter-high clouds like a falcon swooping down to its prey! The howling of the god of death who conquered the European continent sounded over the British fleet.

At the same time, the other eleven scarred Falcons pushed the joystick to the bottom without hesitation.

Twelve Iron Warhawks swooped down towards the increasingly dense anti-aircraft fire with fearless momentum!

"bring it on!"

"revenge!"

"For Germany!"

Faith is like steel!

On the bridge of the HMS Illustrious, Admiral John Tovey was standing at the window, listening to his subordinates' reports while looking up at the direction of the incoming German dive bombers.

Although the sight of twelve dive bombers flying in unison was spectacular, and their screams pierced the sky, by the time the sound waves reached the Glorious they were drowned out by the sound of layers of anti-aircraft guns, not to mention the armor-protected bridge, which was inappropriately quiet on the battlefield.

"Are you diving from this position? Are you planning to attack Hood and Reputation?"

The old-school admiral snorted disdainfully: "Although the American exercise in 1922 proved that aircraft do have the ability to sink battleships, this is a heavily defended fleet at sea, and the bombs they carried were only 500 kilograms. They want to sink a battleship with a horizontal defense of more than millimeters? It's still a little short of power!"

In the minds of old-school admirals of various countries, aircraft carriers are indeed defined as capital ships. They do have the ability to sink battleships, but more people think that aircraft carriers are like battlecruisers, which are mainly used for reconnaissance and offensive attacks. Battlecruisers can lead reconnaissance fleets to conduct reconnaissance and participate in naval battles. Their battleship-level main guns can also pose a serious threat to enemy battleships. But if they really have to confront battleships head-on...

Weren't enough battlecruisers sunk at Jutland?

Replacing the battlecruiser's reconnaissance range with the aircraft's range, and replacing the battlecruiser's main gun with the aircraft's bombs, these are indeed powerful, but in terms of defense? In terms of sustained combat capability? In terms of the bomber's strike efficiency and survival probability in front of its own fighters and anti-aircraft artillery? Don't forget that the previous Narvik Breakout, the Icelandic Naval Battle, and the Battle of Dunkirk, which time did British aircraft carriers not participate in the battle? But what was the result?

This time, too, they took great pains to ambush the German fleet, but the aircraft they sent out suffered heavy losses.

"Fortunately, I didn't ask them to blow up the battleship Tirpitz. I just asked them to find a way to damage Zeppelin and Hipper to see if they could slow down the evacuation of the German fleet. But they didn't even do that." Standing at the window, Tovey was already distracted by his thoughts.

Like many naval commanders, Tovey looked down on carrier-based aviation from the bottom of his heart, especially since the aviation he commanded had suffered heavy losses in front of the Germans but had not achieved much in the battle. Moreover, his anti-aircraft guns had just shot two German bombers into the sea.

But at this moment, Tovey's adjutant discovered something was wrong. That trajectory...

"...Hmm? They came out of the clouds...Wait...It seems that their dive targets are not Hood and Renown?! They are...us! Their target is us and the Royal Ark!!"

"what?!"

Everyone in the bridge, including Tovey, was extremely surprised. They rushed to the window and watched more than a dozen Black Falcons swooping down from the air at a non-standard angle, braving the anti-aircraft fire of the British fleet and the wind deviation caused by the strong wind over the North Sea, constantly correcting their course and adjusting their angle with an indomitable and resolute momentum!

It’s so close!

Although the opponent's angle was only fifty or sixty degrees at best, it was not the standard dive bomber's angle of more than 70 degrees.

Although the opponent's cloud height was only over 1,500 meters, it still needed to adjust its course while diving.

Although the fierce firing rate of the quad-mounted 40mm ping-pong cannon caused several of the planes to be hit by smoke and fire.

——But these Stukas that dived down from several directions did not flinch! It was as if they were going to perish together!

All the British officers and soldiers seemed to be trembling in their souls, as if they had heard Satan's death sentence and had a feeling: We cannot escape this round of bombing!

They seemed to hear the roar of the opposing pilot in the bomber - For Germany!

Especially the German lead plane that appeared above the Ark Royal and took the lead in breaking out of the clouds!

It was clearly riddled with holes due to shrapnel from large-caliber anti-aircraft guns, its engine had clearly stopped, and even its flight trajectory was almost blocked...but everyone seemed to be able to see the Stuka leader, which was clearly still in the air more than a thousand or two thousand meters away, and was actually trying to glide while falling downward. In the shattered cabin, the pair of eyes were stained with blood, but they looked like a real warrior, as if they were staring at their eyes!

Shortly after emerging from the clouds, as expected, they encountered even stronger fire interception.

Under this dense firepower network, Flensburg, one of the aces of the German Air Force, who participated in the Battle of Dunkirk and fought side by side with Bismarck, was unfortunately hit.

His fighter plane was hit by a shell during a dive, and the scattered shrapnel exploded from the rear of the cockpit, passing through the seat and hitting him hard.

Flensburg's hand holding the joystick trembled violently, and at the same time, alarms rang out, announcing that the War Eagle had reached its final moment.

The engine stopped, the propeller spun helplessly under the influence of the air, and the trembling hands made the flight trajectory become crooked.

But even in severe pain, he tried his best to control the plane, aiming directly at the aircraft carrier that was within reach.

I remembered what I said before I set out: "Even if we have to crash into them, we must sink their aircraft carrier..."

He smiled bitterly, with blood foam appearing at the corners of his mouth. He didn't expect that what he said hit the mark!

"The plane is gone, and so am I."

"I'm afraid I can't go back... But at least... I can still have someone to take the blame for me..."

The last groan came from his bleeding mouth, and the blood from the wound under the broken pilot's helmet even began to blind his eyes. However, Flensburg used his last will to firmly engrave the position and turning direction of the British aircraft carrier below into his subconscious mind!

Although his consciousness had begun to blur, his subconscious mind continued to faithfully execute the last command in his consciousness. He used his long-trained control instinct to finally lean back and pull the joystick flat. After doing all this, Flensburg had almost completely lost consciousness.

The last breath was exhaled from his mouth, but he seemed to be muttering something as if he was obsessed with something.

Through the radio that was not turned off, his weak final voice was broadcast to the minds of every subordinate following behind him:

"Long live the Greater German...Reich..."

Flensburg, who was as wounded as his own plane, slowly closed his eyes... The last image that flashed through his mind was his lovely daughter.

"dad--"

ps: Flensburg successfully got a delicious lunch box, don't worry, he said he enjoyed the meal very much and will cheer for Bismarck's performance!!! Please vote for me~

Chapter 236: Unfinished War

A powerful fireball flashed by, accompanied by a deafening and terrible noise.

The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal shook violently!

A tall column of water exploded from her side, and through the blurred and scattered water vapor, it seemed that the violent shock wave in the water below the column could be seen! The second column of water caused by the shock wave and the smoke rising from the explosion in the water column seemed to be giving the final farewell to the warriors who died heroically as the Valkyries welcomed them back to Valhalla.

Flensburg and his fighter plane turned into torches, lighting the way to victory for the remaining war eagles!

The suicidal collision occurred just below the waterline of the Ark Royal. Several consecutive explosions tore a hole in the waterline of the aircraft carrier, and seawater poured in unstoppably.

The water entered very quickly, and after the huge explosion, the Ark Royal quickly tilted to an angle as if it was about to lose its balance. Her bridge was the highest point of the tilt, and the people inside had to hold on to fixed objects to keep their balance.

Just when everyone thought that the aircraft carrier was going to capsize, the watertight bulkheads took effect. Since many bulkheads were flooded, no effect was seen at first. However, after the damaged compartments were filled with water, the bulkheads and the sailors' desperate rescue efforts finally reduced the trend of water inflow. At the same time, the captain of the Ark Royal ordered water to be poured into the other side, sacrificing the reserve buoyancy in exchange for balance.

After a flurry of activity, the bridge was gradually put back in place, but it still hadn't been fully restored, except that it no longer needed to hold on to fixed objects.

But her speed slowed down...

"Captain, the water inflow is under control!" The staff officer adjusted his crooked hat and reported to the captain with a long breath. He stepped on the ground and felt like he was on a slope - it was indeed a slope.

"God bless us." The captain crossed himself in fear. "What is our current speed?"

"Ten knots!"

"This speed is not even as fast as a merchant ship!"

At this speed, it's no different from being banned in front of those damn German planes!

"Report the damage! Go all out for air defense!"

"Yes!"

This was a precious opportunity for Flensburg to attack at the cost of their lives...

The dive bomber pilots following Flensburg were stunned. They stared blankly at the fighter plane that had lost power and staggered towards the huge aircraft carrier.

The smallness and the hugeness form a sharp contrast.

The body twisted, shattered, and finally exploded into brilliant fireworks.

Flensburg's final instructions are in my ears...

Shouts of disbelief and indignation echoed over the radio station...

"team leader!!"

"team leader!!"

Twenty kilometers away, five German ace pilots, who cooperated well with each other under the command of Zeppelin, had just sent the last British ace that tried to escape into the clouds to hell with a round of concentrated fire. Before they had time to celebrate their victory, they heard the angry cries of the dive bombers on the radio!

The five fighter aces were all stunned by the sad news!

Zeppelin was slightly stunned.

Flensburg...dead?