Bismarck

"We can't go on like this, Commander..." War-weary closed the memo in his hand and frowned in thought. "Although we have retreated to the edge of their land-based airport's combat radius, the Zeppelin's location is still unclear..."

"Besides, the distance between the aircraft carrier and us must be closer than that of the land airport..."

War-weary said as he looked at Cunningham with a worried look on his face.

After all, there is basically no combat-capable Allied air force on Crete at present, and Germany's overall advantage is too great. Even if there are 180 carrier-based aircraft on the three aircraft carriers, in front of the combat aircraft of the Fourth Air Army, this amount of troops is just enough to protect itself at most... So far, there is no extra force on our side to conduct reconnaissance.

For an extremely maneuverable opponent like an aircraft carrier, launching an attack without any reconnaissance is simply unthinkable...

"Have you informed the Army to be on the lookout for German battleships?" Cunningham asked.

"Notified."

Cunningham nodded: "Okay, let's continue to retreat and wait until night..."

But at this moment, War-weary's brows suddenly frowned!

"Commander, there are more enemy planes coming! 130 degrees behind the starboard side, 90 miles (155 kilometers) away, at an altitude of to ! Expected to engage my fleet in minutes!"

As he spoke, War-weary looked at the clock: 9:20......

In other words, after the previous wave from 8:45 to 8:55, another wave came just one hour later?

The amount of troops the Germans invested was really... a huge investment!

"Again?" Seeing the depressed and angry face of War-weary, Cunningham actually smiled and dared to reach out and grab War-weary's hand. Then with a snap, Cunningham had to rub the back of his hand awkwardly, and said with a thick face as if nothing had happened: "Fortunately, Lister still left a reserve team, and there is enough time for them to take off urgently. Let them take off - God bless, this wave will definitely survive!"

However, everyone, including War-weary, saw deep worry...

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Meanwhile, on the battleship Bismarck...

"The sea dragon calls for heavenly punishment! The sea dragon calls for heavenly punishment! Please answer if you hear me, please answer if you hear me!"

“…? Hailong Hailong, I am Tianfa, I am Tianfa! The password is *****, please reply!”

"Reply #####, (to prevent the enemy from impersonating you) please reply again!"

"Okay, the second reply is..., please verify according to the password..."

After a verification process...

"Captain, the communications squad has contacted the paratroopers! After verifying the password and passcode, their identities have been confirmed!" In the command room of the Bismarck, Bismarck was holding a folder and reporting the situation to his admiral.

"How are they doing?" the captain asked as he raised his telescope towards a huge shadow gradually appearing in the southeast.

"It's not good... Although the paratroopers have air support, the air force has to deal with the British aircraft carriers, so some of the troops have been withdrawn. In addition, the British have tanks and heavy artillery... Now the paratroopers in Marama and Chania have been suppressed, and even the airborne commander Lieutenant General Sussman has been killed. Now Major General Meindl from Marama has taken over the command..."

"Have we passed Antikythera now?" The captain took a final look to the southeast, and even in the sunny sky, the blue-green and yellow-tinged mountains of Crete gradually appeared on the azure sea and sky. Putting down the telescope, the captain walked back to the chart table, picked up a pencil and ruler, and asked.

"Well! We are here..." The well-behaved Persian cat marked his position on the nautical chart: "In about half an hour, we will be within 20 kilometers of Malama."

"Very good! Contact the paratroopers now and confirm with them the frequency and coordinates of the artillery support. And tell them that the artillery support will begin in half an hour, that is, at ten o'clock - remember to coordinate the time with them!"

"Yes!!"

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The blue sky was clear, and at an altitude of 5,000 meters there were only gauze-like cirrus clouds and the breath of the wind. The Mediterranean Sea, which was also blue at the foot, was blurred by the May sunshine and the blue-green refracted by the atmospheric dust.

The fleet of 55 carrier-based aircraft left a thin trail of white smoke in the sky - the exhaust of the piston engines condensed into a white smoke ribbon in the cold sky. Although the white smoke from one aircraft was very light, dozens of thin white silk ribbons stretched together looked spectacular.

"Fifth Fighter Squadron, have you caught up?" In the leading Edelweiss fighter, Zeppelin asked on the radio while leading the twelve BF109T2 fighters of the Fourth Fighter Squadron to climb to a higher altitude - although she knew very well that the Fifth Fighter Squadron, relying on the slightly faster speed of the FW190T, had already surpassed the three JU87C2 carrier-based bomber squadrons, and was now following behind her about five or six kilometers away, climbing little by little at a very small elevation angle, while struggling to catch up with the BF109T2s she was leading.

The 4th Fighter Squadron led by him was now climbing to a higher altitude.

The altimeter had reached 4 meters, but Zeppelin still led the fleet to continue climbing! Because in Zeppelin's perception, just above and to the left, about to kilometers away, at an altitude of to meters, there were already about a dozen FF Wildcat fighters trying to seize the altitude, trying to use the advantage of a surprise attack with their backs to the sun to pounce on him head-on!

Ten or twenty kilometers behind these Wildcats, there were another eighteen or so F4Fs approaching. And further behind these F4Fs, vaguely appearing in the detection range of the Edelweiss early warning command fighter, was a group of SBD Dreadnoughts taking off and climbing around the British aircraft carrier formation!

Is this the rhythm of three-level interception?

However, given the performance difference between the two fighters, it is not a problem to get through! Zeppelin smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to push the throttle, and at the same time pushed the joystick slightly to the left: "Six kilometers to the left, twenty kilometers away, the tail smoke of the British aircraft group is found! The enemy aircraft is facing away from the sun, everyone wear goggles! The fourth squadron will follow me to turn left and climb, and the fifth squadron will climb to intercept head-on! Everyone, prepare for the assault!!!"

Although the disadvantage brought by the backlight is still great, and the distance is still far... there are even a few people who are not experienced enough, have relatively poor eyesight, or have not sharp eyes, and have begun to secretly ask their comrades if they have seen the enemy plane...

However, no one suspected anything. Everyone started to move and deploy according to the order.

After all, the prestige of the icy beauty ghost instructor is based on her impressive combat record, her impeccable command ability, and her inhuman flying skills, which have overwhelmed all of this group of talented people.

Through rigorous training and standardized operating procedures, all German fighters maintained a speed of 260 km/h, which was able to optimize the climb rate.

At a closing rate of nearly 130 meters per second, or eight kilometers per minute, even with the cover of facing away from the sun, the German pilots wearing goggles could see one black spot after another hidden behind the bright sun, which were also desperately trying to gain altitude.

Although the Wildcats had consumed 109% of their fuel to make themselves lighter, as a traditional low-altitude fighter, the Wildcats could not climb higher than the BF109! As the German fleet flew higher and higher, the British fleet could no longer maintain its concealment even with its back to the sun! The original height advantage was also rapidly reduced in front of the BF's climbing rate!

Seeing that the height difference had been reduced to an acceptable range, and looking at the Wildcats on the opposite side who were already diving down like a desperate gamble, Zeppelin sneered, and with the 109s, he slightly lowered the nose, and soon gained enough speed! The staggered Wildcats did not hurt the fighters led by Zeppelin himself, but because they followed the dive, they exposed themselves to the muzzles of the second wave of FW190s. They wanted to compete with the FW190s in diving. It must be said that these British Wildcat pilots were very imaginative...

The slightly smarter wildcats who didn't follow the rush were preparing to maintain their altitude when they were shocked to find that the 109s who had escaped earlier had already used Immelmann turns and spiral climbs to pull them back in twos and threes! And they were getting closer and closer behind them!

The 109° climb and 190° dive were used by the German Air Force in World War II to conquer the world! This pair of swords combined to start killing these poor wild cats!

Amid the sneer of Zeppelin, the grin of the Iron Cross eagle, and the panic of the European geese...

A real massacre has begun!

ps: By the way, is my new book very dirty?

Chapter 407: Zeppelin is caught off guard

Under Zeppelin's personal command, the brief air battle ended quickly...

The fourteen Wildcats, which did not have much of an altitude advantage, were mostly destroyed in less than three rounds when faced with the almost double strength advantage of the thirteen BF109s and twelve FW190s.

Although some British pilots tried to attack the bombers by diving into the Stuka group behind them, the Wildcat's speed and diving ability made it impossible for them to dive to the Stuka group's altitude of 190 meters in front of the FW190. The only fighter plane in World War II that could compare with the FW47 in terms of diving performance was the P, which appeared two years later!

But there is no sign of P47 yet!

As for the wild cats?

Ha ha…

Not to mention, there was a "safe distance" of 190 to kilometers between Zeppelin and the Stuka - five minutes was enough for these wildcats to be caught up by the FW eight or ten times!

In front of the FW190 Shrike, which can kill anyone who stands in its way and even gods who stand in its way in a high-speed dive, the Wildcat is at best a moving target...

Under the brilliant sunshine in the sky, the war eagles that dominate the sky are soaring in the blue sky with rolling and circling tail clouds. Under the colorful tracer barrage, the fireworks that are scattered from time to time and the black smoke that falls into the sea with flames are the desperate eyes of the European geese on the British ships...

Listening to the hysterical cries and screams of the first batch of comrades, the second batch of 18 Wildcats pushed the throttle to the bottom in a hurry, and finally rushed to the battlefield five minutes later... But under the command and dispatch of Zeppelin, several groups of German fighters that had been freed up quickly seized the height and entangled the Wildcats with their superior performance. Then these Wildcats, who could not fight, escape, climb or dive, could only look at the black Iron Cross Warhawks surrounding them from all directions in despair...

After an air battle, 32 Wildcats suffered heavy losses, and only five or six fighters managed to escape the battlefield...

Only two BF109 fighters and two Stukas of the German fleet were shot down, while three FW190 fighters and two BF109s were damaged and returned or flew to Crete for emergency landing.

On the blue sea, you can already vaguely see the scattered trails of the sailing battle fleets... Although there is also a large black shadow in the sky - 48 SBD Dreadnoughts that have been dispatched in full force! But who would take these guest dive bombers seriously?

"Finally, we found it..." Looking at the wake of the British fleet that had appeared in the field of vision, Zeppelin, who had been fighting and entered a black state, smiled grimly: "Everyone! Let's get to work! Let these British people tremble under our iron wings!"

Her voice was transmitted through the public channel to the ears of the British and their own pilots. It was the clarion call to launch an attack. Before a battle, Zeppelin liked to inform the enemy of his arrival to make the enemy nervous.

Germany's sea eagles are already hungry and thirsty, and can't wait to use the blood of the British to prove their glory. They are different from ordinary air forces!

Zeppelin pushed the joystick first, and an Edelweiss fighter suddenly broke out of the formation, followed by the rest of the fighters.

The wind seemed to have materialized.

It whistled across the wing.

The beautiful edelweiss is about to turn bloody.

Zeppelin has entered the attacking state, and the surrounding environment seems to have nothing to do with her anymore.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you can't do it this time!"

A voice that was as graceful as that of a queen, but with an undisguised murderous aura in its fluent words, suddenly appeared in Zeppelin's mind!

Loud noise!

"who!"

She was concentrating on aiming at the evading British fleet flagship when she was startled by the sudden sound.

Zeppelin was so frightened that he almost blurted out the question on the radio. Although he managed to keep his mouth shut at the last moment, his heart was beating faster.

This is···

The voice just now...she couldn't have heard it wrong!

Isn't Hood the only one in the British fleet? Is there another hidden one?!

Her eyes suddenly became sharp.

"Everyone be careful, the enemy this time is different, be careful!"

In a split second, several thoughts flashed through my mind.

But at this moment, a scornful laugh came from Zeppelin's mind.

"Oh my, you were actually scared by me. It seems that your psychological quality is not up to standard."

"Who are you!" She just laughed contemptuously and asked back.

When Zeppelin heard this, he had already figured it out: the other party must be someone like him!

The voice was silent for a while, and when it sounded again, it was serious and earnest.

"My motto is 'I despise the hardships of battle'!"

Hearing this motto, Zeppelin's pupils shrank in shock: "You are tired of war..."

As they said this, in the eyes of the pilots in the sky, a bright light seemed to flash on the sea in the distance...? And it seemed that the enemy's SBDs were also well prepared. As the flash of light burst out on the sea, the entire SBD fleet was uniformly separated to the left and right!

Seeing this scene, Zeppelin seemed to suddenly think of something. He immediately turned on the tactical radio channel and shouted loudly: "Everyone, disperse immediately! Disperse immediately!"

The confused pilots began to disperse in twos and threes, but it was too late...

The tracer light like a meteor flew down from afar, exploding into eight huge fireballs! Several fighters were slow to react and were instantly swallowed by the huge fireballs! And within ten seconds, sixteen more fireballs of the same size, but slightly sparse, exploded in twos and threes around the previous eight fireballs, just covering the fighters that were dodging in all directions!

This is the main gun salvo commanded by Warspite!

The trick Bismarck used against the British was copied completely and used on the German War Eagle.

In almost an instant, Zeppelin was shocked to find that several fighter planes on his side were falling with a wailing sound.

"damn it!"

"dispersion!"

Zeppelin shouted anxiously.

Every carrier-based aircraft is filled with her team members, the pride of the German Air Force, and she would be heartbroken if she lost one!

Although there were still many lucky ones who managed to avoid the fire of the artillery shells, before they could adjust their posture, they had to face the sprint attack of a large number of SBDs!

When the smoke of the fireball in the sky completely dissipated, Zeppelin discovered with grief that, after the previous bombardment and raid, only eleven fighter planes were left on his side, which were badly damaged! The SBDs relied on their dives and did not stop after rushing through the fighter group. They reached a speed of 500 kilometers per hour after the dive and rushed down to the Stukas that were frightened by the previous shocking explosion more than ten kilometers behind them! ! Under the threat of the shocking bombardment and the group assault of the SBDs, the Stukas were in an awkward situation where they could not disperse or not disperse...

"Fighters, hurry up and catch up! Rescue the Stuka squadron! The Stukas should retreat to the periphery and protect themselves first, and temporarily suspend attacking the enemy fleet!"

Under the anxious shouts of Zeppelin who led the charge back, the other stunned pilots finally came to their senses. However, the only thirteen fighters left behind were completely unable to stop the nearly fifty SBDs that had rushed from an altitude of 540 meters to an altitude of only 5000 meters at a speed of nearly 4000 kilometers per hour, and were dragged by the heavy bombs and torpedoes hanging on them, which made the Stukas unable to raise their heads...

The machine gun started firing, and the bullet holes created thick smoke!

Everywhere there were the wails of planes crashing.

A tough battle!

With red eyes, Zeppelin rushed forward to meet the SBD. Neither the anti-aircraft firepower from the battleship nor the machine guns of the SBD could stop her rage for revenge.

"That plane has been mixed with our formation and we can't fire on it anymore." Warspite said to Cunningham on the bridge.

"Sure enough, there are also ship girls on the Zeppelin aircraft carrier. Does that mean the Germans have three of them? This is disadvantageous to us."

"It doesn't matter, don't worry about that, let's just knock them down first." Cunningham said.

"I know." War-weary nodded. "This time I caught her off guard, so we have the upper hand. But she is still threatening. Let the pilot shoot her down first."

"Will shooting her down kill her?" Cunningham asked casually.

"My dear, are you thinking too much about killing a battleship with a machine gun?" War-weary smiled elegantly. "What I mean is, if we shoot her down first, at least we can lose fewer planes."

As she was speaking, she saw the Edelweiss and an SBD passing each other, but the SBD was emitting black smoke.

"That's true." Cunningham touched his nose, "Tell the pilot to attack the Edelweiss first!"