Bismarck

For a moment, Zeppelin felt that he was being targeted. The canopy had been shattered, and even his head was hit by several bullets. Fortunately, no vital parts were hit...

However, her not being afraid doesn’t mean that the plane isn’t afraid either, and the situation suddenly becomes dangerous.

-----

Off the coast of Crete, on the Marama-Chania line, the Bismarck, Tirpitz and Zeppelin aircraft carriers were approaching the Marama battlefield.

At the fleet command center, one piece of battlefield intelligence after another was being sorted out by Bismarck's secretary and sent to the fleet commander, Admiral Luttenstein, as a reference for command.

"Bontay sent a reconnaissance plane intelligence report. At 9:20, the reconnaissance plane discovered a British fleet retreating eastwards, including two light cruisers and four destroyers, at a speed of 30 knots, 45 kilometers north of Heraklion. At its current course, it is expected to encounter the Italian Dodecanese fleet (five destroyers, several torpedo boats and submarines) currently patrolling the eastern strait of Crete around noon. The intelligence has been reported to the Italian allies and the Air Force."

"Tizi reported that two British submarines were found operating in the waters near Malama, and they seemed to be planning to attack our fleet... The British submarines are currently too far away from our fleet to attack, but their whereabouts have been locked. As long as they get close..."

"Malama's paratroopers have sent the coordinates of several of the most important British positions and established stable communications. We will be able to bombard them soon... It is estimated that in fifteen minutes my fleet will be able to approach within 25 kilometers..."

The Persian cat reported.

"Well, load the high-explosive bombs. You will be in charge of the bombardment. Tizi and the Zeppelin, which is receiving the first wave of reconnaissance planes, will stay behind. Let Tizi protect the Zeppelin..." Lütjens raised his head from the chart table expressionlessly and said lightly. However, he suddenly saw that Bismarck's face suddenly changed!

"Captain! Zeppelin sent urgent information! The GR186 assault aircraft group encountered fire from the main guns of the Warspite! The losses were heavy!" Bismarck's originally delicate face was now filled with disbelief and... shock!

"Main gun?!" Lütjens's usual stern face now became the same as Bismarck's!

It specifically mentioned war-weariness, and the main guns fired into the air and caused heavy losses to the fleet commanded by Zeppelin himself, so there is only one possibility...

Bismarck and Lutjans looked at each other, and the answer was self-evident...

Soon, Zeppelin's communication came again, specifically for Lütjens.

"The Warspite has something different."

The answer has been revealed, and the next step is to respond.

"How much was the loss?"

"...We have lost seven fighters and seven bombers so far! The fleet has withdrawn to 20 kilometers away from the Warspite and is attacking the enemy's air defense fleet with all its might, covering the bombers' reorganization and organizing the attack! However, with the presence of the Warspite, it is expected that the effect of this air strike may not be very ideal..."

Lutjans also gritted his teeth...

The original plan was to destroy the British aircraft carriers directly, but the air force's air raid was too far away and consumed too much fuel, so they were beaten back by the Wildcats before they even touched the edge, so the air defense capabilities of the British fleet were not tested at all. As a result, even Zeppelin suffered a great loss in front of Warspite...

When it comes to the anti-aircraft firepower of the ship girl, Lütjens has her own say!

"These guys..."

Gnawing his teeth hard, Lütjens spoke in a suppressed tone, "Bismarck, believe in Zeppelin's ability over there. Let's first destroy the British positions around Marama! As long as we occupy an airport here, we can let the bombers of the Fourth Air Army deal with the British together!"

Lutjens was really angry this time...

Seeing the captain's tone and expression, Bismarck, knowing the seriousness of the situation, also responded in a strong tone: "Understood!"

ps: Please give me some reward, dear readers.

Announcement: One-day suspension

Alas, the big sister has been working very hard on the deduction, but she is still working overtime, so she doesn’t have time today... I will stop updating for a day.

What? You ask me, of course I am responsible for the water, but the main trunk has not been launched, how can I be responsible for the water~

So, I'm sorry~

One hundred words haven't even arrived yet...

All right···

Chapter 408: Firepower Support

Crete, under the bright sunshine of the Mediterranean Sea, has completely turned into a mess with its blue sky and blue sea...

The three-way war on land, sea and air broke out fiercely, with smoke and gunfire everywhere and lives lost in every corner.

More than 7,000 German paratroopers in Malama and Chania suffered heavy losses in front of the British's strong positions. As light infantry, they could not compare with the British who had strong fortifications. They could only rely on their courage and lives to attack. The British kept spewing out tongues of fire from the bunkers, harvesting the soldiers under the sky that had been dyed dark by gunpowder smoke.

However, the elite paratroopers, knowing that the battleships' artillery fire would soon reinforce them, gritted their teeth and fought to the death in the face of the British army's fierce firepower.

Although they did not have heavy weapons to fight the British, they had them behind them!

The only hope is the two battleships that gave the Germans hope!

Looking at the small black dot on the sea and sky with wisps of black smoke, all the paratroopers couldn't help but clench their teeth...

"Damn you British, you'll learn what fire suppression is all about soon!"

-

On the bridge of the battleship Bismarck, Bismarck had already taken the command position of the artillery director, and now it was Hyde who was responsible for conveying orders and intelligence reporting beside Lütjens.

"Hyde, has the British fleet's air defense capabilities and their current positions been sent to the Fourth Air Army?"

"It was sent, and the Air Force replied! They already know that the British fleet has strong air defense capabilities, and the second batch of 160 bombers just took off." Hyde grabbed the telegram book and flipped through it, saying as he flipped through it. "By the way, they also said later that now they have withdrawn their main force to bomb the British fleet, and Chania's firepower support depends on us..."

"Well, that's no problem." Lütjens also nodded. After all, this was also part of the emergency response plan in the previous combat plan when the Zeppelin suffered damage.

As for ground support... within 25 kilometers, with the artillery level of my secretary, I can already hold a memorial service for the Allied forces in advance, right?

Now onto the next question…

"Where is the landing party?"

"Report to the commander, the landing fleet has arrived at Minos Island! The current speed is 12 knots and it will reach Sula Bay in about 8 hours!" Hyde reported.

"Well... it's almost ten o'clock now, let them go!" Lütjens ordered. But he quickly added: "Remember to tell Captain Kenneth (the captain of the 3rd Torpedo Boat Squadron, who also temporarily served as a liaison officer) to tell General Cassady (the commander of the Italian 7th Squadron escorting the transport fleet) that there are many British submarines in this area."

After all, a certain Bismarck-class No. 2 hamster is now secretly hiding next to the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, with the hair on its head moving around like a cat's ears, listening to the sea rat hiding in the sea...

On the Bismarck battleship, which was gradually approaching Malama, the eight sturdy 380 main guns and six 150 secondary guns, which had been loaded with high-explosive bombs, slowly turned towards the direction of Hill 107, the commanding height near Malama Airport, according to the coordinates reported by the paratroopers.

The British heavy machine guns in the bunker were still firing, but from the flames from the muzzle, it was clear that the shooter's hands were shaking...

Because the British occupied the commanding heights of the position from the bunker, they had a clear view of the situation on the seashore. So when the two huge monsters suddenly appeared in front of their field of vision, everyone felt something was wrong. When Bismarck's huge naval guns slowly turned around, everything became quiet.

If the bunker is the obstacle blocking the paratroopers, then the Bismarck is the behemoth that crushes the obstacle. No matter how charming the projections of these two steel monsters are, they cannot conceal the purpose of their construction - that is killing.

The two warships behind the coastline suddenly let out a fierce roar, and the entire sky seemed to be illuminated.

A few seconds later, a seemingly indestructible bunker was completely overturned into the air.

When a firepower point was taken out, all the paratroopers cheered. The supporting firepower of Bismarck and Tirpitz had already become famous during Dunkirk, and this time, they proved themselves again!

"Fire at will and destroy all targets that can be hit!" Bismarck gave Tirpitz a light order.

"I understand, sister!"

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On the Mediterranean Sea about 90 nautical miles south of Chania, Zeppelin was also in a tough battle...

Forty-eight SBDs are too many. Even if the German fighters have an overwhelming performance advantage, it is impossible to deal with so many Dreadnoughts at once!

When quality faces quantity, sometimes there is nothing we can do.

And these planes in the hands of British pilots were fully worthy of the name "Fearless". The SBDs formed a triangular array in twos and threes, and completely handed over their rears to themselves and their comrades' rear machine gunners. Just like the spears in the hands of charging knights, they plunged into the formation of the first squadron of dive bombers!

In one encounter, the nine intact JU87 Stukas were submerged in the fearless charge of dozens of SBDs!

There were torches trailing smoke everywhere, and even Zeppelin's plane was hit a lot. She could clearly feel the difficulty in controlling it, and the sluggishness of the plane was transmitted to her hands.

"hateful!"

Zeppelin was so angry that her teeth were creaking! Her sharp mental power quickly caught a fighter plane that was trying to launch a sneak attack. She turned around, made an incredible maneuver, and then bit the fighter plane tightly.

The British panicked and tried to escape Zeppelin's pursuit, but this was easier said than done.

Once the SBD was locked onto the aiming frame, the Zeppelin opened fire almost instantly.

A stream of green smoke came out of the muzzle of the gun, and the bullet swept across.

After a burst of shooting, another SBD dived towards the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Still following her, the other fighter pilots who were fighting this time: Bar, Buckhorn, Novotny, Marseille, Graf, also followed closely behind the SBDs. Taking advantage of the opportunity before the SBDs rushed into the second dive bomber squadron a few kilometers away, one after another German fighters, under the counterattack of the British SBDs' rear machine guns, used their superb skills to desperately shoot at the tails of those SBDs...

One after another, the SBDs turned into flames and black smoke and fell into the sea, but before that, the nine Stukas of the first squadron had been completely defeated by that wave of fearless dive attacks...

Facing the overwhelming SBDs, the Stuka was powerless. Fighter planes kept falling and slammed heavily into the sea.

Although there are only two JU87s left, they are still struggling in the SBD frenzy...

Two JU87s lined up in a horizontal formation, using their rear machine guns to cover the rear of their comrades...

"Turn around, turn around! Join the second squadron!"

On the tactical radio channel of the first squadron, the squadron leader, Captain Ernst Stein, was leading his only remaining wingman, Lieutenant Hans Rudel, to turn with difficulty at the edge of the British anti-aircraft fire. Although the Stuka was equipped with the latest JU87C2 with a high-horsepower engine (equivalent to the Army's JU87D1), after carrying 500 kg of heavy armor-piercing bombs, the mobility of the Stuka was barely enough...

If they could drop these bombs, their mobility would be greatly improved, but their mission this time was bombing. If they dropped the bombs, what would be the point of all their previous efforts?

They gritted their teeth and cheered up.

Three SBD Dreadnoughts have already set their sights on them, and are about to take up the attack position. Although the Dreadnoughts only have two front machine guns, the performance of the Dreadnoughts without bombs is much higher than that of the Stukas with bombs! Not to mention the situation of three against two and occupying six points...

"A sneak attack is not a good idea." The laughter of the German pilots was heard in the channel. Two 190s arrived in time to save their lives.

Under the high-speed raid of the two FW190s, the three sneak attackers quickly turned into two fireballs in the dense and fierce barrage, and the remaining one dived away with thick black smoke. The two FW190s did not have time to stay for too long and rushed to the next target.

The black figure of the FW190, flying through the blood-red sky with the arrogance of having shot down an aircraft, began to fade away, leaving only a cynical sentence on the radio: "Rudel, remember that you owe me a life! Remember to treat me to a big meal at a French restaurant when you return!"

"Got it, Buckhorn, you're a foodie, be careful that one day you'll get too fat and won't be able to get into the plane!" Rudel yelled into the radio in annoyance.

"Hahaha, this is how you treat your savior. Next time you encounter something like this, you'll see whether I will save you or not! Don't die, you still owe me!" Buckhorn's FW190 shook its wings triumphantly, and flew away at a speed of nearly 600 kilometers per hour, looking extremely arrogant.

Although, what Buckhorn didn't finish saying was: If there is a next time, I will still save you!

And in Rudel's heart there was also one word: Thank you!

There is no need to say too many hypocritical words between comrades...

Under the blue sky, similar war dramas are happening everywhere...

ps: Shamelessly asking for a monthly ticket for the new book~

Chapter 409: Flames Shooting into the Sky

On Hill 107, flames were already rising to the sky...

"Target, Hill 107! Distance 25000 meters, elevation difference 107 meters, bearing 070 on the port side... all main guns ready... fire!"

Bismarck, sitting on the fire control director, grabbed the artillery periscope, staring at the target while correcting the relevant parameters. Although she could clearly see and lock the target even if she only used her perception, she still preferred to do it this way.

As for the reason... cats are very willful animals, okay?

A fierce fire flashed on the sea and sky, and the blazing temperature could be seen even on Crete, dozens of kilometers away. Although the British officers and soldiers quickly dropped their heavy weapons and rushed into the bunkers and tunnels, just one minute later, eight 800KG 380 high-explosive bombs smashed through the roof of the fortifications built by the British army without any suspense...

The heat and fire from the deafening explosion could be felt even by the German soldiers hiding behind various temporary shelters hundreds of meters away. Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the German army, the shelling of the battleship Tirpitz once again brought fire and death from the sky...

The time for fire support was approaching. According to the plan, Persian Cat transferred the shooting parameters to the 150mm secondary gun, and only waited for the time to use the slow-moving barrage to support the infantry charge.

很快的，20分钟的炮击时间就到了…波斯猫和提尔比茨恰好提前一轮炮击的时间开始让主炮延伸射击了。380毫米的重炮弹飞过了这最后的几十秒钟。而在指针恰好指到了进攻时间的同时，大号波斯猫和大号仓鼠上的12门150副炮便开始接替380主炮射击——与此同时，之前最后那一轮380毫米炮弹也恰好落到了英军的阵地上！

Although the 380 main gun was still firing, it was already firing at British targets further back - such as barracks, artillery positions, deep fortifications, etc.

The timing of artillery firing must be accurate to the second!

As the heavy artillery roared, an officer wearing a steel helmet raised the submachine gun high in his hand, climbed out of the trench, turned back and shouted at his men to attack.

"Comrades, charge!" (PS: The German soldiers in World War II also called each other comrades! But don't get the wrong idea, this comrade is not that "comrade"! Those who wanted "comrades", including Himmler's nephew, were sent to Auschwitz...)

The morale of the German paratroopers was greatly boosted as they grabbed their guns and, under the dense, precise and fierce 150mm artillery fire, they rushed up to the top of Hill 107, the commanding height and defensive barrier on the east side of the Marama Airport, which had previously suppressed them and made them unable to raise their heads!

"Our army has captured Hill 107 and occupied the Malama Airport! The defeated British soldiers have fled towards Chania!" Looking at the bullet-riddled Nazi swastika flag on the hilltop that was still fluttering in the wind, and then looking at the defeated British soldiers at the foot of the hill who were being bombarded by 380mm heavy artillery and could not even flee in a panic, the German airborne commander continued to shout to the radio operator: "Order, inform Chania of the escape of the defeated British soldiers, and don't let them be attacked from behind! Leave one battalion to occupy Hill 107, and everyone else, charge with me!!!"

At the Fourth Air Force Command in Athens, General Roll, General Richthofen and General Student all slapped their thighs with joy after receiving the victory telegram...

"It looks like we can take down Chania by this evening!"

"Yes, with the fire support of the battleships... There is only one coastal highway in the entire north of Crete, and it will be difficult for them to maneuver!"

"I guess they will retreat... They will take those mountain roads and retreat to the south, right?"

"It's no problem to send more troops now, but simply airdropping on their positions will cause too much loss... In addition, it seems that there are less than 4,000 of the 7,000 people left on the island..."

"Then we need to increase our forces even more! I suggest revising the battle plan! The second echelon should set off early, land at the Malama Airport, and then push forward under the cover of the battleships!"

“I agree!” “I agree!”