Bismarck

"Isn't it just that the enemy is very strong? Ms. Zeppelin, what do you say we should do?" Steiger also patted his chest and promised: "As soldiers, we promise to follow orders!"

"Really? You're very courageous!" Zeppelin was amused when he saw the two guys. He smiled and arranged the tasks, saying, "Well, I'll take the GR-186 to intercept the crew from the east first. You guys should follow the fleet's radar observation guidance and intercept the enemy planes as before. After I finish fighting over there, we'll reunite together!"

"Ok!"

"no problem!"

Three squadrons of German fighter planes spread out in battle formation and headed towards the aggressive British aircraft group...

----------

Clive Cardwell, the number one ace in the history of the Australian Air Force, has a record of 28.5 aircraft, including various main fighter planes of the three Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. Nicknamed "Tiger", he is known for his bravery and even reckless style and his eccentric personality like a lone wolf!

At this time, he, who originally flew a P-40E fighter, is now flying the Royal Air Force's main front-line fighter, the Spitfire!

When he saw the Spitfire for the first time, he fell in love with this plane - its sleek appearance, powerful power, flexible maneuverability, and fierce firepower... It was much stronger than the P-40 he originally flew!

For an ace, this is undoubtedly a great advantage!

Driving his new mount, the ambitious Cardwell pushed the accelerator and rushed towards the direction of Alexandria!

This time, the mission of his squadron was to take off from Damanhur Airport and serve as the "Eagle Wall" to clear the sky for the entire formation, drive away the German aircraft over Alexandria Port, and cover a squadron of fifty bombers gathered over Tanta Airport and Damanhur Airport to bomb the western port of Alexandria!

According to the battle plan, another group of bombers at Rashid Airport will join him in attacking the German fleet! While the German fighters were distracted and the Axis warships were too busy to take care of other things, his main attack group would directly bomb the unstable German positions at the west port of Alexandria, cover the army to rush across the dangerous causeway, and directly wipe out the remnants of the African Corps that occupied the west port of Alexandria!

However, the front wheel was not so flat, and the alarm sounded before he arrived.

"Germans spotted ahead! The Germans are coming out!"

The voice of the vanguard aircraft was heard on the radio!

Cardwell was stunned for a moment, but when he saw the shadows of the German fighter planes in the sky ahead through the front windshield, the passion of a fighting maniac made a grim smile appear on his face!

"Well done! Attack! Attack!"

"Prepare for battle formation!"

With a push of the joystick, Cardwell led the charge! In the first encounter, he shot down a BF-110 that posed the greatest threat to the bombers! When the German heavy fighter pilot parachuted, he was horrified to see that the blood-thirsty Cardwell had already circled back, with a cruel grin, and aimed the four Hispano machine guns on the wings at his parachute...

"Do not--"

The futile and desperate howls had no effect on the butcher's murderous intent. The faint sound was directly drowned out by the roar of the engine and the explosion of the machine gun.

After a round of smoke and dust, the heavily fought German pilots desperately crashed into the ground thousands of meters below... and the butcher, who was bloodthirsty, after killing the parachuting pilot, bit onto a German fighter!

The fierce and brutal firepower continuously hit the fuselage of the BF-109 as it evaded in panic, forcing the German fighter into a desperate situation!

Led by Cardwell, the British fighters began to attack the German fighters frantically! Soon, the interception line of the German fighters was broken by the British aircraft group!

A large group of British bombers triumphantly rushed through the airspace where the German air combat was taking place and rushed towards the direction of Alexandria Port!

"You bastard!"

Werner Schur, a well-known ace pilot in the 27st Squadron of the GJ-109 Wing, could no longer bear to see the butcher's actions, so he called his wingman and two BF-s, pulled the nose of the plane over and launched an attack on Cardwell.

"Damn bastard! You're just a butcher!"

"Hahaha, so what!"

With wild laughter, Butcher Cardwell drove his Spitfire wantonly, passing through the barrage of bullets formed by two BF-109s, as if no one was around!

Although Shull and his wingman also hit several of Caldwell's Spitfires in their rounds of attacks, the BF-109's weak firepower did not cause much damage! And amid the butcher's wild laughter, another BF-109 that was attacked had already turned into a ball of fire!

And that was not all. While the two BF-109s of the Shure crew were attacking desperately and neglecting to control the distance, Caldwell did a barrel roll, relying on the superior maneuverability of the Spitfire, and actually threw the two BF-109s of the Shure crew in front one after another! Moreover, when he threw them, he just happened to press Shure's wingman into his crosshairs!

"No! Asshole! Damn it!"

"I need support!"

Shul was so angry that he jumped, but he had been bitten by the butcher at six points! He shouted hurriedly, but in the middle of the battle between the two sides with red eyes, he had no time to come to support.

Plus, pressing the fire button might take less than a tenth of a second.

It's over. Shule tried his best to maneuver, but a chill emanated from his body.

"Asshole? Hahaha! When you go down and see old man Satan, remember to tell him that you were sent to him by a bastard like me!"

The butcher stared at Shule in the halo with a fierce smile, and was about to press the button...

“Dududududu….”

The butcher's laughter stopped abruptly, as if time had stopped and suddenly shattered.

As Shul turned his head in astonishment, a trail of light descended from the sky, sweeping the arrogant butcher's Spitfire from head to toe! And in the next second, a fighter plane painted with edelweiss patterns rushed through the fireworks of the Spitfire's explosion in the midday sun above his head...

It was probably just a few seconds before the speeding Edelweiss would have collided with the wreckage, thanks to the powerful explosion of the Hurricane.

"You...are the Captain of the Zeppelin League?!"

Shule, who survived the disaster, asked in disbelief.

"It's me. The feint at sea has been dealt with. Hey, don't be stunned! The British bomber group still has thirty or forty planes! And they will arrive in Alexandria soon!"

"Oh, ok, ok..." Shure replied in a daze. But soon, Newman's voice came from the radio:

"Ms. Zeppelin, I want to thank you on behalf of Shul... But Ms. Zeppelin, didn't you lead your troops to intercept the enemy planes at sea? Has the situation been resolved there?"

"Yeah! What happened? Didn't you chase them and catch up with them in Alexandria?" Zeppelin replied nonchalantly, "They were just like you, constantly rushing in the direction of Alexandria. After we intercepted them, we chased them from behind, and naturally we followed them back - you chased your group, and now you have caught up with Alexandria, haven't you?"

"And please don't call me ma'am, maybe you could call me Miss Zeppelin."

"It's common sense that the distance of a concentric attack will be quickly shortened. From the position where we intercepted them, it only takes three to five minutes to fly to you - besides, I have a group of carrier escort aircraft on the Zeppelin aircraft carrier!"

"So I'll take a look over there and see that it's almost done. And seeing that you guys are a bit out of control, I'll bring a few planes over to support you."

"But, so soon..." Shule still couldn't believe it. After all, although he was also called an ace, he also knew how difficult it was to shoot down an enemy plane in an air battle!

"Oh? Do you think your hit rate is not good enough? Then get as close as possible and train your prediction ability as much as possible. You will be fine if you train more in the future." Zeppelin chuckled, pulled the joystick casually, and pressed the button. An unlucky Hurricane that flew almost vertically in front of Zeppelin exploded in the air!

Without paying attention to the stunned Shull, he looked at the sky above the port of Alexandria and saw Zeppelin, which had been torn to pieces by the brutal fire of the FW-190 fighters that arrived later. He waved his wings as a farewell and flew away to find his own troops.

And all she left for Newman and Shull was a chuckle: "...As for the attack efficiency, you need to know the people under my command. Forget it, you can discuss it when you have time."

What to discuss? I guess it’s life.

Perhaps the pilots under Zeppelin really wanted to complain.

The German fighter planes finally flew over Alexandria. They originally thought that there would be a fierce battle, but suddenly found that it seemed unnecessary.

A yellow line appeared on the distant horizon.

Zeppelin quickly determined what it was, a sandstorm.

With the cover of the sandstorm, British fighter planes no longer had to think about attacking.

"Everyone, pay attention. I think I saw a sandstorm in the southwest desert. It seems to be flying towards us. I think it is unlikely that the British will launch another air raid. Everyone, return home!"

"This was a great fight, thank you guys."

As Zeppelin led his team away, leaving behind sounds in the distance, all the remaining fighters of ZG-26 and JG-27, including the remaining British aircraft, had seen that a thick gray-yellow line seemed to have begun to appear on the distant horizon of the Sahara Desert in the southwest, and it seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.

Soon the entire port of Alexandria would be enveloped, including Bismarck who was on the beach.

"Sandstorm?! Damn it! Retreat!"

"Damn it, how could this happen......"

There is no need to think about what the consequences would be if a plane entered a sandstorm.

"Hehe, this is called God bless, these British people are so mad!"

"God bless Germany, may it live forever... Isn't my singing of the British national anthem with the changed lyrics good? Hahahaha"

The British and German planes evacuated the sky over Alexandria, some swearing and some jubilant.

And Zeppelin was also very happy...

"Haha, with the cover of the sandstorm, the British should be helpless now, right?"

"Commander, the rescue of Bismarck depends on you, please..."

(PS: There are often sandstorms in Alexandria in spring and autumn, which can last from a few hours to 5 days. In the first Battle of El Alamein in history, in late August 1942, Rommel encountered a sandstorm that lasted for three days. However, the fox himself believed that if the sandstorm had not helped him block the Royal Air Force, he might have lost long ago...)

(PS2: Auchinleck's words "The wind has changed...")

Chapter 478: Desperate Repair

Where is this?

It seems like... it was soaked in sea water?

So cool...

There is something underneath, and it's very soft. Did we succeed in landing on the beach?

It seems... there are still people active...

Looks like... someone from the repair team...

Everyone...should...be alright...

Do you want to take a look at...

My eyelids are so heavy...

I feel dizzy too...

It seems... I have no strength again...

Lütjens···

---

The sandstorm that covered the sky and the sun blew across the entire North African desert and even swept into the Gulf of El Alamein. However, in the face of the rising air currents of the ocean's huge evaporation, it was blown back to the land in a somersault! Only the scorching heat brought by the blowing sand that had been exposed to the high temperature and the hot and humid rising air currents of the Mediterranean, which were mixed together and then cooked by the high temperature, were left, similar to the rotten garbage dump and the strange smell of dryness and scorch.

Whether it is the Bismarck battleship paralyzed on the Mediterranean Sea, the German sailors on the battleship who are holding various simple tools and equipment and desperately repairing the dying battleship under their feet, or the officers and soldiers of the African Corps on the shore who are enduring fatigue and injuries, eating dry food and digging trenches under the baking hot sand and dust brought by the hot wind from the southwest, there is no time to rest now!

In just a short moment, the Bismarck was covered with a thick layer of sand and dust, but she had already been blackened by the war, so so much sand didn't matter.

Taking advantage of the complete lack of vision, the sailors began desperate repairs.

The Bismarck battleship, which was resting on the sandy seabed of the beach, was emitting billowing black smoke - black smoke from the burning fire on the battleship and black smoke from the power system coming out of the chimney. The black smoke and yellow sand and dust mixed together, but it soon dissipated.

Admiral Lütjens had already seized the position of chief engineer and engineer and sat in the electrical and mechanical room himself to observe the specific situation of the Bismarck battleship. Then, relying on the emergency communication system, he directed and dispatched the damage control operations of all officers and soldiers on the ship.

The remaining fuel was barely enough, and now all the power could be transferred to the generator - although some cables had been damaged in the battle and short-circuited when soaked in sea water.

But the most difficult thing was that the short-circuit current also ionized the salt in the seawater, decomposing it into light green toxic and corrosive gases! The sailors were still wearing heavy and stuffy gas suits and gas masks, dragging spare cables to connect emergency maintenance equipment in each cabin one by one. Although they were either unable to work or their efficiency was much lower.

With the support of emergency power generated by the main engine, some equipment also began to work. All the compartments that could be closed were closed, and some minor breaches were plugged with leak plugs by the damage control team. For those larger breaches or breaches that threatened the strength of the hull structure, the sailors forged some steel structural parts from the emergency repair equipment, and the divers operating underwater welding machines welded them to the remaining relatively intact ribs, load-bearing bulkheads and structural support frames around the breaches.

As for those flooded compartments whose damage had been contained, seawater was pumped out by water pumps and emergency submersible electric pumps, and the water was continuously delivered to various fire hydrants through seawater pipes, converting the water inside the hull into a free source of water for firefighting. Of course, seawater is strictly prohibited from being used to extinguish electrical circuit fires, oil fires, and certain chemical fires where the use of water is prohibited.

Bismarck was now completely bedridden. If she wasn't covered in wounds, Lütjens would have liked to imagine her basking in the sun on the beach - of course, there was no sun at all now.

In order to save the battleship Bismarck, the 2,000 officers and soldiers on the ship, from Admiral Lütjens down, have been thoroughly organized. Holding various tools, under the command of officers, boatswains, damage control teams, and even those non-commissioned officers, they began busy repairs!

In fact, when the German large warships were designed, a large number of simple maintenance equipment were reserved on the warships, including portable underwater welding machines that can be used when sailing at low speed on the high seas and equipment for replacing the inner bore of the main gun barrel! After falling out with Raeder, Lütjens, who knew that he would inevitably have to be self-reliant in the future, had already stuffed as much processing equipment as possible on the three warships Bismarck, Zeppelin and Prinz Eugen! There were even things like small machine tools and small forging machines!

They even vacated some of the personnel cabins deep inside the ship, and converted the seaplane hangar, which was now completely unused, into sailors' dormitories!

The inside of Bismarck's hull was like a simple processing workshop. It was no exaggeration to say that it was comparable to the industrial facilities of some small countries, and everyone became an operator.

Although these machining workshops inevitably suffered losses in the battle and many of them were destroyed by a single artillery shell, their dispersed layout and the fact that the machine tools were made of cast steel were not afraid of the impact of explosive shrapnel and they could continue to be used after a slight cleaning, as long as they were not directly hit.

And at the center of it all, in the chief engineer's room deep inside the ship...

Under the dim explosion-proof emergency lights, Lütjens listened to the various reports from the chief engineer and the damage control team. His face was as gloomy as water and his eyes were expressionless. Apart from issuing some instructions from time to time, his bloodshot eyes stared gloomily and worriedly at the huge instrument panel flashing red or green fluorescence on the screen...

As the captain of the battleship Bismarck, Lütjens was fully aware of Bismarck's self-repair capabilities and the field emergency repair capabilities that were designed into her if she had not fallen into a coma!

If the Bismarck was still conscious, it would have a relatively slow self-repair capability - although this ability is of limited value in combat, it is only through the accumulation of time during overhauls at the shipyard that hidden damage to the hull can be eliminated, and some parts that are difficult to repair with normal technical means can be repaired - including the fire control director's precision gyroscope and gear set and other extremely complex equipment under normal circumstances, and even the main gun barrel and main armor. As long as there are no obvious scars such as folds, breaks, penetrations, and explosions, they can always be repaired bit by bit.

After all, the continuous pipeline pressure of the high-pressure steam turbine requires a metal pipeline with a pressure resistance that is not inferior to the instantaneous chamber pressure of the main gun. The ship girl can not only strengthen her boiler pipeline, but also make certain improvements to her underwater line shape.

Because the ship girls can completely control their own bodies, in fact, if they repair themselves, simple "damage" will not be a problem as long as they have time...

The only problem is that these repairs and enhancements actually take a long time to gradually strengthen and repair. In addition, those things that were completely blown up cannot be repaired because they cannot be restored...

If you try to repair something like this that has been blown to pieces by yourself, not to mention how time-consuming and laborious it is, it would be terrifying to death.

Just like human metabolism can repair the damage it suffers, but it also consumes the "raw material reserves" normally stored in the body, and it cannot "create" an organ for itself "out of nothing"...

It’s like when a person’s skin, part of the muscle tissue or even bones are damaged, the wound can heal again after a period of rest and treatment - but if this person has an arm chopped off, there is no way to grow a new arm!

After all, those things require a strong national heavy industry base, including precision metallurgy, precision processing, chemical treatment and a series of other means, and are manufactured bit by bit by the hands of thousands of well-trained and well-coordinated workers...