Bismarck

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One hundred words, one ....

Chapter 505: Teasing the Hamster

The dock facilities at the western port of Alexandria had long been reduced to ruins in the raging war.

Not to mention that the port machinery and equipment had been completely turned into a pile of scrap metal, even now on the water surface of the port, there were still many transport ships tilted here and there. Even under the dazzling sunlight, through the blue sea water, you could vaguely see the lifeboats and assault boats loaded with various cargo boxes lying quietly under the sea ten meters deep...

On this beach that had been bombarded with holes and even behind the beach, in the direction of El Alamein, the hardworking German engineers collected all kinds of scrap metal and sand and stone to fill the holes on the dock. They even organized some blasting on the beach of Alexandria Bay outside the port, and on the other hand, where conditions allowed, they used all kinds of materials and tools to build several loading plank roads...

After all, the shallows of the bay west of Alexandria Port are full of reefs, and it is only safe five kilometers offshore. While the port itself is still threatened by artillery and air strikes, opening up plank roads and transshipment routes in the bay is not a bad idea.

Although, the threat is still great...

The current battle line has been maintained at the location of the Westport Railway Freight Yard, which is near the ditch at the corner. The distance from the outermost dock of Westport has reached twelve kilometers, which is almost the maximum range of the British Army's largest 25-pound field gun.

Given the power and range of the 25-pound field gun, the impact on merchant ships at this distance is already very limited.

Although the British still had several more powerful American 155mm howitzers, these heavy guns weighing several tons were very cumbersome. It would take several minutes to push out the bunkers and deploy the guns by manpower alone. Under the bombardment of the two large warships monitoring the battlefield, I am afraid that these guns would be discovered before they could be deployed. Then, a bunch of 152mm high-explosive shells came down on them.

The power of the Italian 152mm high-explosive shells was not that great, but they were still high-explosive shells. With the firepower density of warships, it was basically no surprise that they could cover an unprotected artillery position in a few minutes...

The only problem is the British air raid...

After all, air power is still very fast, with a speed of 300 to 400 kilometers per hour, and there are air superiority groups to clear the way and suppress the airport, as well as close cover from escort fighters - in fact, even if you want to intercept the next bomber group without escort, it is not so easy! Even if the fighters can cause heavy losses to the bomber group, they cannot stop the bombing of large-scale bomber groups.

Moreover, don't even think about it, the British will definitely come and concentrate on bombing the port docks and the transport fleet.

After all, anyone can see the impact of a large port and a large transport fleet on the logistics of the African Corps...

"So, the key to this supply operation is how to withstand the British air raids, right?"

Under the night sky of the Mediterranean Sea, in the conference room of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, a pile of information, a group of staff officers, and a large group of people were holding a combat meeting.

"That's right... But what's the situation with the Air Force now?"

Looking at Bontai who had raised the key point earlier, Lütjens nodded. However, he soon raised another question...

Bismarck, who was sitting at the bottom as a clerk, took the time to secretly glance around the entire conference room.

Because the Air Force is the main force, why are all the Air Force wing commanders called together for this meeting?

There are so many talents...

On the army side, General Rommel, commander of the African Corps, General Nehring, chief of staff, and the commander of the German engineers and port loading at the port of Alexandria were already seated.

There were even more people from the navy. Admiral Lütjens, the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, Rear Admiral Bonte, the captain of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, Rear Admiral Lindemann, the coordinator, and his coordination partner, Rear Admiral Dazzara, the commander of the Italian Seventh Cruiser Squadron, and Rear Admiral Heyer, who coordinated the logistics and transportation.

Sitting in the main seat, the person in charge of the joint operations of the three German armies and the Italians in the entire Mediterranean theater of operations was Air Marshal Albert Kesselring, who was dressed in the uniform of an air marshal and sat upright. In addition, a row of people in air force uniforms were sitting in a row against the wall behind him. They were the commanders of several air force wings. After all, the main force to ensure the supply of this operation was the air force.

Moreover, among this group of people, there was a beautiful figure with flowing beige long hair and a heroic appearance. Compared with the other air force wing commanders, even though Bismarck was a girl, she still had a bright red spot among the green.

Bismarck couldn't help but compare Zeppelin's image with his sister's daily image. Well... it seems to have some hilarious effects.

"Tizi Tizi, what are you doing? You should learn more from your sister Zeppelin!" Bismarck started flirting with the girl with a wicked smile.

Well, the one he’s flirting with is his own sister!

"Ah, stop bothering me! I have more than a dozen points to suppress! Everyone is in a mess! It's so annoying to suppress the bombardment!" Sure enough, a hamster that couldn't stand the teasing got angry when teased.

"You call this annoying? I can't tell."

Bismarck, whose fur was blown up and who was roaring at the hamster, looked at the "flustered" hamster on the fire control director in the opposite cruiser through his perception and blinked his eyes playfully.

Moreover, he actually dared to say that his sister was annoying?

It seems that under Lindeman's education, he has become a lot braver these days?

But, he doesn't look annoyed at all. Instead, he sounds a bit panicked?

The fire control director's seat backrest was almost flat with the pillow on, and his legs were placed on the dashboard. He was lying on the seat like a Shen Hai Bei Zhai, and was frantically putting a black cover book with an X on it, with the cover invisible, under his seat...

Wait, what is that book?

"...Ah...it's nothing! It's really nothing!"

Seeing the pink-haired hamster suddenly stuck in the middle of the book, and then hurriedly threw the book under the cushion and sat on it to cover it up, Bismarck, thinking of his past bad deeds and criminal record, would not know what this girl was reading!

He was reading comic books on the battlefield and said he was busy?

"How many times have I told you to focus on your work on the battlefield? What are you doing, Lindemann?"

"I'll settle the score with you later!"

The vicious Bismarck was so angry that his teeth itched.

506: Alexander's Supplies

When the Persian cat came to his senses after flirting with the girls and began to continue taking notes of the meeting, it happened that Field Marshal Kesselring, who was sitting in the main seat, was summarizing the situation of the air force in the North African battlefield.

"...From what we can see now, their air force still has about 109 aircraft that can be deployed...On our side, there are several wings at several land airports...even if the newly added aircraft are included, there are only ten squadrons of BF-110 fighters, two squadrons of BF-87 heavy fighters, one squadron of JU-40 and twin-engine bombers left. If all these aircraft are added together, there are about ..."

"Well... Fortunately, fortunately, I still heard the key things~ Record it, quickly~" Bismarck didn't have time to think about it, and hurriedly grabbed the pen to quickly write down the contents of the meeting.

On the stage, Marshal Kesselring continued...

"…But now, there is good news. The Zeppelin has returned after repairs! The GR-186 wing she carries has 84 BF-109T2 and FW-190T carrier-based aircraft, as well as 27 JU-87C2 dive bombers. Moreover, her fuel and ammunition are fully loaded, so she can last for three to five days even in high-intensity air combat—and our estimated supply combat cycle is about this time!…This means that the number of aircraft we can use in the North African battlefield, plus the aircraft of the Zeppelin, is ."

"…In addition to Debba Airport, we now have two field airports near Alexandria Port. The airport at the western port is even near the port! It can directly cover the port shipments… The other field airport is located at Borg el-Arab Fort, which is not far from here… The British have Damanhur Airport 80 kilometers away and Tanta Airport 100 kilometers away, and the others are all 120 to 30 kilometers away."

"…In addition, the Air Force's logistics are still sufficient. Currently, we rely on small-scale supplies and materials transported from the North African coastal highway. Although our fuel and ammunition are not very sufficient, based on the current inventory and the expected amount that can be transported by air and from the coastal highway, the Air Force can still hold on for a while."

"…Now there is good news. The Zeppelin aircraft carrier that went out this time first attacked the British submarine dock in Haifa Port and sank several targets suspected to be British submarines. Then, it used centimeter-wave radar fighters to clear submarines in the Mediterranean and sank two British submarines. In this way, the UK lost half a squadron of submarines at once. According to General Lütjens's estimate, the British submarine force in the western Mediterranean is only about twelve in a squadron. According to this situation, their submarines are not a big threat to the transport team now - of course, we still can't take it lightly. After all, if some things are likely to happen, we must be prepared for them to happen."

"We understand!" Lindemann, Haye and Dazzara responded in unison.

After Marshal Kesselring nodded to the three rear admirals, he continued to deploy the relevant arrangements for this North African supply operation:

"...The bombers at Matrouh Airport and the Zeppelin aircraft carrier must suppress the British airports that pose the greatest threat as much as possible - especially the two closest airports, Damanhur and Tanta. In addition, Debba Airport, Alexandria West Port Airport, and Borg el-Arab Fort Airport, your three airports must be organized into an airport group to prevent the British from suppressing our planes in the airport! If an airport is bombed, then the aircraft fighting in the sky will land at the airport that has not been bombed... In addition, to ensure the success of this operation, I will personally set up a command post at the radar station at Alexandria West Port Airport! Unified command of the air force operations in the entire theater of operations."

"Also, regarding the unloading plan of this transport fleet, what opinions do our Italian allies have?"

"Well... I think we should first calculate the speed at which these ports and facilities can unload." The commander in charge of loading said weakly.

Everyone in the meeting room, including Bismarck, couldn't help but look at this man.

Bismarck knew that this man was a port and shipping expert sent by Italy. He had a good understanding of the hydrology, sea conditions, and port loading and unloading capabilities along the North African coast. However, he was not actually a soldier. He was sent here by Mussolini from the Port and Waterway Administration.

Moreover, this task is very heavy...

"If I were among a bunch of generals and marshals, and was given all kinds of pressure by others... well, if it were me, I would probably feel that I was a little insignificant..."

But just as Bismarck was daydreaming, Marshal Kesselring smiled and nodded: "Mr. Guido Grimaldi, you are a shipping expert from Flotta Lauro, the largest shipping company in Italy. Your opinion is very important to us, so please give us your frank advice on our shipping arrangements."

Seeing the friendly attitude of Marshal Kesselring, who was in a high position, Grimaldi, who was a little nervous at first, began to relax.

"Well, okay. Then, I will first talk about the situation at several ports, and then analyze it from the perspective of port loading and logistics coordination..."

As Grimaldi began to talk, Bismarck began to take notes.

Moreover, Grimaldi, who seemed a little immature in front of the generals and marshals, was like a completely different person when it came to business matters, and he was able to speak clearly and logically.

Looks like he's quite capable.

"As for the ports in North Africa, Tripoli and Benghazi are too far away. The current situation is urgent, so they are not considered for the time being. The more realistic ports are Tobruk, Matruh and Alexandria. Now I will introduce the situation of each port and then explain the detailed transportation issues."

"…The port of Tobruk was often attacked by air raids in the past, and the theoretical daily loading capacity of 1500 tons could not be fully utilized. However, according to the current situation, this is the relatively safest port with the strongest actual loading capacity. Before coming here, I went there to take a look, and it can basically reach a daily loading capacity of more than 1200 tons. However, this port is also the farthest from the front line, to kilometers away from Alexandria, and the transportation pressure is very high..."

"Matruh Port is a shallow-water port - it's more like a lagoon than a port. It can't accommodate large ships and is threatened by air strikes! But... there is a main airport here, and according to His Excellency the Marshal, this airport is very important. Therefore, the transportation capacity here can only be used to transfer small bulk cargoes by small boats, or to use hoses to unload fuel on a large scale. It can also be used as a gas station between Tobruk and Alexandria."

"Although Alexandria Port is a good natural port, its infrastructure is severely damaged and it is too close to the enemy. According to what the Marshal said before, even if there are two or three airports here, it is not safe. In addition, although the bay west of the port is open, the water is too shallow. We can only use small boats to transfer bulk cargo and personnel... Most importantly, the merchant ships that are moored for loading and unloading, as well as those simple plank roads, are too dangerous..."

"In addition, from the perspective of port shipment, we need to comprehensively consider the impact of factors such as ship berths, unloading speed, lifting capacity, and cargo distribution speed at the terminal. From the perspective of logistics, we also need to consider the transportation from the port to the front line... But now is wartime, and the docks here lack infrastructure and have been severely damaged by air raids. Many of them are still temporary berths..."

As Grimaldi explained, the difficulties, problems and situations became clearer and clearer. Everyone nodded involuntarily...

"…We have few cars, and a considerable number of them must be used exclusively for port logistics. However, apart from cars, we are seriously lacking in supporting facilities for port loading, which has a great impact on the efficiency of loading and unloading. Moreover, the cargo yard is very large, and air defense may be difficult…"

"...The lack of heavy cranes at the port is a big problem. Although the merchant ships dispatched this time are equipped with self-unloading cranes, and the government has allocated us additional fuel for the operation of self-unloading cranes, the lifting capacity of our ship cranes is insufficient, with an average lifting capacity of only 15 to 20 tons. For things like tanks, if they are Chinese tanks, ship cranes can barely lift them as a whole vehicle, and they can also find places around Alexandria to ship them locally. German friends, your tanks are 36 tons, so loading and unloading is more troublesome. If we assume that it normally takes 48 to 72 hours to unload a shipload of cargo, with the current infrastructure of our North African ports, it may take 96 or even hours to unload those heavy weapons, and we also have to consider the factor of transportation time..."

"... Taking all factors into consideration, the initial plan of our shipping organization department is as follows: German 'heavy' tanks and heavy artillery, as well as the main ammunition, will be unloaded at the relatively safe port of Tobruk, which has a relatively complete infrastructure. This time, we will use four 10,000-ton large transport ships and four 5,000-ton bulk carriers to load 160 tanks, 50 heavy artillery and 12,000 tons of supplies. The port facilities at Tobruk have six berths, and the unloading can be completed in about five days. According to the plan, this batch should be the safest, and only two or three destroyers are needed to escort it, just in case..."

"…At the lagoon of Marsa Matruh, we plan to arrange four 24-ton tankers to unload there, with a total of 36 tons of various oil products…Although Marsa Matruh needs to arrange a convoy, because it is liquid cargo, we can follow the sea supply method provided by the navy, using hoses and oil pumps that do not depend on the condition of the dock, so the unloading time is relatively short. The operation is also more convenient. It is expected to be unloaded in to hours, so the pressure on this route is actually the least. The naval personnel of the Shipping Bureau estimated that this route would require a reinforced destroyer squadron and about six destroyers for cover. After the unloading is completed, we will retreat to the direction of Tobruk, and then return to the country with the eight merchant ships in Tobruk..."

"…The problem now is that there are still four transport ships at the port of Alexandria, carrying the bulk ammunition and fuel that are most urgently needed on the front line, as well as reinforcements... Although these are bulk goods and personnel, they can be transferred by transport boats. But the efficiency of transfer is very low and very dangerous..." When talking about the last batch of transport ships, Grimaldi couldn't help but look embarrassed.

Italy has an average of 80 shipping lines per day. The 16 transport ships sent out at once this time are already a huge investment! Not to mention, many of them are from the Lauro Company where Grimaldi works.

After all, it’s your own stuff, how can you not feel bad about it…

"But this batch is what the African Legion needs most..."

Field Marshal Kesselring, Lütjens, and Rommel looked at each other and were also worried.

(PS: In 1947, with the support of the Grimaldi family behind him, Guido Grimaldi bought a retired Liberty ship and established the Grimaldi Shipping Company. The current Grimaldi Shipping Group is already one of the largest shipping companies in Italy!)

No. 507:

The straight-line distance from Tobruk to Alexandria is 600 kilometers, so the actual transportation distance is definitely much longer than this. Even for Matruh Port, the straight-line distance is 300 kilometers, so the actual transportation distance is at least 450 kilometers.

It would take at least ten days or half a month to pull tanks and heavy artillery over such a long distance. But on a battlefield where every second counts, how can we wait so long?

Not to mention the remaining four ships, which were loaded with the most urgently needed items.

These four bulk carriers must be unloaded on the spot at the Port of Alexandria - no matter how great the cost.

but…

If the Zeppelin and the Grape had previously swept the sea together and eliminated the threat of submarines to an acceptable level, then the Royal Air Force, the biggest enemy, would not be so easy to deal with...

Just look at yourself and you will know. The German Air Force's own 200 fighters, relying only on the three airports of Daba, Alexandria West Port, and Borg el-Arab Fort and the cover of the surrounding anti-aircraft guns, were able to support each other and make alternate landings to withstand the bombing of 500 British fighters.

If we just switch the roles, the British Royal Air Force, which has 500 fighter planes, a dozen airports, and hundreds of anti-aircraft guns, has such combat resilience and survivability that it cannot be dealt with by just two or three hundred German planes.

The idea of ​​relying on proactive attack to preemptively crush the enemy at the airport... Just think about it and you will know that the effect is very doubtful.

However, if we just rely on holding on, with the flying speed of air power, and the high attack power and high penetration capability brought by it, just relying on holding on... except for making the air battle exchange look better, can we rely on this to cover the transport ships on the dock? How is it possible.

And even if the air combat exchange ratio is superior, so what? God knows whether the British will not know where to transfer additional fighters - although according to the current time calculation, it will take a few days for the British Air Force to transfer reinforcements from India and the Middle East...

After all, the war has reached this point, and it is already a total war to the death. Relying on one or two big victories can only cost the enemy's lives at most, which is far from enough to win. Only by hitting the enemy's economic potential and war potential as much as possible and letting the enemy gradually decline can we win.

but…

Although we all know the principle, but how to do it...

For a moment, no one had any good ideas.

"General Lütjens, last time your Bismarck ran aground on the beach for repairs, can you let the merchant ship run aground as well?"

Rommel is indeed a famous general in the army. As soon as he opened his mouth, he came up with a bad idea that was at the level of a naval layman...

"This... I'm afraid it's difficult. The transport ship's structure is not strong enough, and the bottom line of the ship is not suitable for running aground..."

Grimaldi and Lütjens didn't even need to exchange glances, they just shook their heads at the same time.

"The main reason is that this place is too close to the British. All the airports are within 250 kilometers... and God knows whether they will bomb the positions, the ports, or both..."

"We still don't have enough night fighters. There are only two squadrons of heavy fighters. Even if we add Zeppelin's twelve night fighter FW-190s, there are only thirty-six. We also have to support Matruh in the first two days... But now there are no more night fighters..." Marshal Kesselring covered his forehead in frustration and angrily cursed the British bomber commander to die...

"(British bomber commander) Harris, this bastard, couldn't break through the interception of the fighter group on the Western Front during the day, so he shamelessly threw incendiary bombs at civilians at night... The guys at the International Court of Justice in The Hague help Britain and the United States to criticize us all day long, why don't they also charge this guy with the crime of massacring civilians..."

(PS: The International Court of Justice in The Hague was established in 1919 by the League of Nations through the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice. However, this "Permanent Court of International Justice" manipulated by powerful countries has not played any role in history. It even lifted sanctions on Italy with the connivance of Britain and France when Italy invaded Ethiopia, and finally became a laughing stock...)

"Besides, this battle will continue, and we cannot consume too much air force now..." Rommel was also a little exasperated, holding his chin with one hand and his stomach with the other.

After all, eating junk food and drinking sewage with gasoline floating in it in the North African desert, it’s good enough that the fox didn’t get stomach cancer…

"…No matter what, this batch of goods and reinforcements must be transported up. This is a difficult task. If there is no way to arrange the battle, we can only see if we can reduce the losses as much as possible through tactics… Lao Lu, if it really doesn't work, this time we can only rely on your navy. …You know the limited resources of the navy and air force. The fleet will arrive in Alexandria in three days. You should come up with a plan as soon as possible."

As Field Marshal Kesselring spoke, he and Rommel looked at the confused Lütjens with unfriendly expressions.

The captain, who was "placed with high hopes", could only shrink back timidly under the threat of the two people's covetous eyes, and touched his nose helplessly:

"...I'll try my best..."

"…If we want to resupply at night, we can only use the old method we used in Gibraltar… Zeppelin, do you have a jammer with you?"