Bismarck

Page 480

The enemy's attack became more and more brutal. The other two tanks withdrew from the battle one after another. Only Shura and I and the last few dozen comrades were left. Even my tank's turret shield was hit by a shell. Although the shell bounced off, the artillery was already a little inaccurate... Before dark at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy launched another general attack! Under the cover of artillery fire, they pressed 20 tanks and two infantry battalions in one breath! I was a little desperate, but... suddenly countless flames lit up behind us! Then there was a meteor-like violent explosion that suddenly covered the German devils' offensive!

At that time, I thought that I was finally saved this time...

…Later, I heard from my comrades that it was a rocket artillery company sent by the front rocket artillery regiment. At first, I thought that the higher-ups had sent us an artillery division! But at night, I heard from the brigade commander that the battle on the entire front was very intense, and this rocket artillery company was only a temporary reinforcement for us. After that round of fighting, they would go to the next position to continue to reinforce other brother troops…

The battle is still going on, but at least now I can breathe a sigh of relief. Sometimes I wonder how great it would be if my motherland, especially my father, had such powerful weapons to smash the heads of the Japanese devils...

(Yang Yongfu's Battle Diary)

........................

About twenty kilometers away from Yang Yongfu's marching camp, in a German military tent, Field Marshal Rommel, commander of the Fifth Army, was holding the telephone with a trembling face, listening to the angry curses coming from the microphone without daring to breathe.

"Rommel, how are you fighting? You have 100,000 men and more than 300 tanks. You have been fighting for half a month in Tula, but you still haven't taken it! You are not fighting alone. You have the support of Model and Guderian! You are a marshal who beat the British in Africa, so why are you so cowardly when fighting these Russians?! Now the logistics of Manstein and Chrysler in Ryazan can no longer hold up, and the Russians over there have already shown signs of starting to counterattack! No matter what, you must take Tula before the end of the month! This is an order! Do you understand?!"

The scolded fox felt that his heart was even colder than the autumn rain outside before winter. However, he had to explain the situation on the battlefield to the leader.

Don’t think that they have 100,000 troops and more than 300 tanks in name - now they should only have 80,000 troops and more than 200 tanks. Moreover, these troops are of mixed quality. At least three engineering divisions with more than 20,000 people cannot be regarded as the main force! And while they are working, they are also responsible for protecting their own logistics roads that are not easy to build from being cut off by those damn Soviet guerrillas! In other words, these engineering divisions now even have the task of "security forces"!

Moreover, although his logistics efficiency could still be barely maintained, he had no way of withdrawing more troops!

He now has only more than 80,000 people at his disposal. If he deducts the directly-controlled units such as artillery, logistics and military police, the five divisions he can actually deploy to the battlefield will have less than 40,000 people - the average strength of each division is only 8,000 people!

The terrain of the Soviet Union was really disgusting. Even though they had asked the engineering divisions to build several simple roads that seemed to bypass Tula, the transportation capacity of the simple roads was completely incomparable to that of regular roads. Even though the quality of most Soviet roads was not high, it was not comparable to the "simple roads" built by driving wooden stakes and laying straw in the muddy land in the low-lying hills and then covering them with logs cut in half. Not to mention, almost all the Soviet defenders on the positions that they had finally broken through with great difficulty had been transformed into guerrillas on the spot!

The simple road was useless, what else could he do? If he couldn't take Tula, this was the last thing he could do to help the Rundstedt Army Group...

However, even though the fox with a desperate look on his face told all the difficulties, Hitler on the other side of the microphone remained in the same attitude!

"I know the difficulties you are talking about. All the troops are facing the same difficulties as you. I have seen the tenacity and perseverance of the Russians when I visited this country two years ago, but..."

Hitler's voice on the phone softened for a moment, then suddenly became stern again: "I don't want you to talk about difficulties. I want Moscow!"

"But..." The fox wanted to explain himself, but was interrupted mercilessly by Hitler:

"No buts - you have to know that we are in trouble, and the Russians are in trouble too! Guderian has now reached the outskirts of Moscow, but Hoth in the north has also been blocked at the Russian's last line of defense in the direction of Kalinin! ... I know you are in trouble, so I have ordered Rundstedt and Model to let Model use his main force to cooperate with you and besiege Tula from the east and south - Rommel, listen carefully! I am not kidding you! Only after we take down Tula and restore the supply efficiency can we truly encircle Moscow!"

"…It's already mid-October, and I can tell you that the Russians may launch a counterattack at any time during the winter! They have been on the defensive for the past six months, and you can guess with your toes how many troops they have accumulated for the counterattack! You must capture Tula before the end of the month, so that we have at least one month to encircle Moscow! - We must control the area around Moscow before the end of this year, and then we can rely on the advantage of the interior to break the Russian siege one by one!... Now the last hope of this matter lies on you. I will provide you with supplies and assistance, but for the sake of the Third Reich, you must also complete the task for me! - If you can't do it..."

At this point, Hitler's tone was no longer harsh, but rather word by word, with gnashing teeth. Even through the phone, Rommel could hear that the head of state on the other side of the microphone was already furious...

"If you can't do it... then our Third Reich is doomed!"

Rommel was trembling with fear after being scolded by the voice in the microphone. His face turned pale and blue. The other hand that did not answer the phone was clenched tightly in the sleeve, and it took a while to loosen it. With a determined heart and gritted teeth, the former Desert Fox and African God of War finally made up his mind to respond:

"Okay, Führer, I'll order them to attack with all their might when I get back..."

Although he said so, the fox no longer had any confidence in the current situation...

Recommended BGM: The Teletype.

Chapter 789: Intensify training

Re-training the battleship after it returns to service is no small problem.

Especially since more than four months had already been wasted and the remaining time would be very tight, Lütjens directly learned the Japanese method of "moon-moon water, fire, wood, metal, and gold". He even implemented harsh training with training requirements that far exceeded the previous actual combat level, not only endlessly but also constantly changing the ways.

Although the crews of Bismarck and Tirpitz had been training with equipment from Prinz Eugen, which had almost the same fire control system, before returning to service, they had rested for more than four months, and now they had not only modified the 406 main guns, but also added new weapons such as anti-ship missiles. The extent of the modification was really quite large. In addition, the sailors had been "resting" for so long after returning to the port, so it would take a lot of effort to get them back to combat status from their lazy rest state.

In particular, Lütjens is very clear that Britain and the United States on the opposite side have now entered a state of large-scale construction with the rich spending a lot of money!

According to information collected by the Navy and intelligence agencies from various channels, in just these few months, the Allies have commissioned at least five cutting-edge 406mm main gun battleships and five aircraft carriers - four improved armored aircraft carriers of the Vengeance type: the Dreadnought, the Invincible, and the Glorious II and Dreadnought II, which inherited the names of the "sacrificed" battleships; three Lion-class battleships: the Lion, the Reckless, and the Vanguard; two Iowa-class battleships: the Iowa and the New Jersey; and the Essex, which is said to be the newest aircraft carrier in the United States...

Although most of these new ships are probably undergoing various adjustments and trainings like himself, the Allied fleet that was badly damaged before has now rested: two King George V-class battleships, three South Dakota-class battleships, and the repaired armored aircraft carriers HMS Grudge and HMS Indomitable. In addition, there is the Royal Navy's current flagship, the HMS Warspite - not only is it the old rival of Bismarck, the deep-sea cat of his own, but it is also the one he had "admired" in the Battle of Jutland 26 years ago when he was the captain commander of a torpedo boat!

(War-weary (gritting his teeth): If I had known this would happen, I would have shot you and your torpedo boat to pieces with one shot!)

Now the German Navy's fleet is still scattered, and the connection between Germany and the forward base on the French coast has always been under the threat of the British home fleet! If they cannot rush into the North Atlantic again before the large number of Allied warships are officially commissioned and join up with Kumetz and Dönitz, they will be defeated one by one by the other, and it will be a direct song of death.

Knowing this, Lütjens was more strict than ever about the retraining of the fleet! During these three weeks, the training of the four ship girls never stopped - the sailors were quite complaining.

However, even so, the training level of the officers and soldiers is still much lower than the previous heyday...

"Alas, time is running out..."

Standing by the guardrail at the top of the bridge, watching the sailors busy training below, Lütjens, who was under great pressure, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyebrows, then raised his hand and took a deep puff of the cigarette... ?

However···

The two fingers holding the cigarette had already been placed in front of his mouth, but a gust of wind swept past him in an instant. With a whoosh, the cigarette was gone...

"No smoking on the warship!!"

A cute and vicious female voice sounded beside his ear. His secretary, with one hand on her waist, threw the cigarette she snatched into the ashtray with a bad temper, then took out a fruit candy from her pocket and stuffed it directly into the mouth of his commander who was still confused. Lütjens even saw a few sailors passing by not far behind him, not only watching the show, but also giving him a look that said, "I didn't expect our captain to have tracheitis."

"What the hell is this!"

Lütjens, who was harmed by public opinion for no reason, felt that he must be looking very aggrieved at this moment.

But this girl not only didn't let him smoke but also handed him candy. This kind of concern is a bit... You know, this candy is quite sweet!

After smacking his lips a few times to taste the sweetness of the fructose, Lütjens, who was forcing his old face to pretend to be dignified, turned his head away somewhat unnaturally and began to change the subject: "Bismarck, have you finished the statistics on the situation of the air wing?"

"The statistics are ready, Captain."

Hearing his captain asking about serious matters, the well-behaved and tactful secretary put away the slight wilfulness on his face and began to report.

Part of the Zeppelin hangar has now been converted into missiles, and the steam pipes of the catapult also occupy part of the internal space. Combined with previous combat experience and adjustments over the past four and a half months, the GR-186 wing has been reduced in size compared to the previous large 111 aircraft.

Even taking into account the angled deck parking area, the current GR-186 wing has only seven fighter squadrons and one reconnaissance squadron, plus Zeppelin's own aircraft, a total of ninety-five aircraft.

But relatively speaking, the combat effectiveness is more reasonable!

Based on combat experience and the fact that Germany has a relatively small number of aircraft carriers and will inevitably have to fight against the majority in the future, the number of fighter jets in the flight formation has been unprecedentedly strengthened - even the carrier-based bombers are now being used by the FW-190 fighter-bomber!

There are four squadrons of FW-1730T190 fighter-bombers equipped with 2 horsepower air-cooled engines and modified wings.

The so-called modified wing structure refers to the original wing structure being further reinforced, and the flaps behind the wings being modified into a perforated speed brake structure similar to that of the JU-87, which is conducive to high-angle dives. This modified FW-190 is obviously used for dive bombing! At the same time, this aircraft, like the previous model, has the ability to carry torpedoes.

As for the original JU-87, it has been completely eliminated in the carrier-based aircraft squadron due to its slow speed, poor maneuverability and poor survivability. Anyway, now the FW-190 can also carry 800KG-level heavy bombs and torpedoes to carry out dive bombing and torpedo attacks. All it needs to do is modify the kit on the belly mount before the attack.

In fact, in recent training, Zeppelin has integrated FW-190 pilots and JU-87 pilots together to conduct combat and anti-ship attack training at the same time.

除了四个FW-190战斗轰炸机中队外,另外的三个中队,则是换装了最新型DB605发动机的BF-109T3舰载战斗机——相当于德国空军的BF-109G型。

Because the FW-190 fighter's high-altitude air combat and climbing capabilities are not as good as the BF-109, this is why the two types of fighters are still needed to match and cover each other - this is also the consistent pattern of the German Air Force.

Anyway, the GR-186 Squadron itself is an air force flight squadron, but it is assigned to the Zeppelin aircraft carrier for a long time.

As early as two years ago, when Zeppelin just debuted, he suggested Messerschmitt to modify the wing design of BF-109, and also asked Goering to equip the DB600 engine family with twin turbochargers, intercoolers, and even aftercoolers... and other magical changes. Some problems that were originally expected (li) (shi) (shang), such as the lack of structural strength of the thin single-spar wing at high speed and increased weight, engine overheating, easy carbon deposition in rich fuel combustion, and limited increase in engine output power, now do not exist! Even the resonance phenomenon of the tail wing that might have appeared (Ying) (Gai) has now been solved!

The BF-109G fighter, which has completely solved a series of problems, has not much less maneuverability than the previous F-type, but its performance has been improved by a whole level based on the former - and you have to know that this is still an early model, that is to say, after solving the problems of structural risks and insufficient engine potential, the BF-109 family, which even the designer Dr. Messerschmitt believed had reached its potential, has now tapped new potential!

The remaining reconnaissance squadron is based on the BF-109 two-seat trainer aircraft, with increased wing width to improve take-off and landing performance, and a large-scale enhanced fuel carrying capacity. At the same time, it is specially designed to fit the aircraft belly bottom "conformal mounting" electronic equipment compartment aircraft - including surface search radar, and electronic jammer two models, so you can freely switch between long-range reconnaissance aircraft and electronic jammer! Moreover, since the basic model is the BF-109 trainer model, it has a very high universal compatibility with those BF-109T3 carrier-based fighters in terms of engines and spare parts.

Although the flight performance of these BF-109 reconnaissance aircraft is not as good as that of fighter jets, for reconnaissance aircraft, as long as they do not perform large-scale violent maneuvers, the flight speed can be maintained at 630 kilometers per hour - for reconnaissance aircraft that basically fly by, and electronic warfare aircraft that basically operate on the periphery of the war zone, as long as they can maintain their speed, enemy fighter jets with a normal patrol speed of about kilometers will have to spend a lot of effort to accelerate to kilometers and then catch up with them!

Moreover, the range of the BF-109 reconnaissance aircraft has reached nearly 2000 kilometers with the massive addition of fuel tanks - in this way, the problem of insufficient reconnaissance range that has always existed has now been basically solved!

As for whether the lack of planes will lead to a decrease in attack power or something...

The entire fleet of one hundred long-range anti-ship missiles expressed their dissatisfaction!

Because the GR-186 wing was assigned to the Air Force, Zeppelin had arranged for them to maintain training and combat readiness at the Kiel Air Force Base in the past few months. As long as they strengthened their carrier-based aircraft take-off and landing training, they could directly go aboard and restore their combat effectiveness. Therefore, the combat effectiveness of this fighter wing was what Lütjens was most relieved about.

"Really? That's good."

Hearing the report that the carrier-based aircraft wing had recovered its combat effectiveness, Lütjens felt 50% to 60% relieved.

If Zeppelin's combat effectiveness is guaranteed, it seems that there is hope for us to go to sea and fight as soon as possible...

Although he and Redel have always been at odds, and he also looks down on Kumets - both in terms of ability and character, but facing a powerful enemy, they must unite as one to help each other!

Even Redel knows this truth now!

Therefore, there is now basically a consensus on the need to go out to sea as soon as possible to break through the GIUK defense line in the Arctic Ocean and reinforce the Atlantic Fleet while the Allies are ready.

and……

Speaking of which, the combat effectiveness of the warships under his command is probably still decided by these girls, right?

As he thought about it, Lütjens's imagination went astray again...

Although their combat effectiveness is beyond reproach, they are still "human beings" after all, and as long as they are human beings, their energy is definitely limited. If they focus their energy on one aspect, the sailors will definitely take care of the other aspects - whether it is anti-aircraft artillery, secondary gun firing, or daily maintenance, injury and damage control...

It is impossible to conquer the world with warships alone. This is unfair to them and a waste of the more than 8,000 sailors in the entire fleet!

The workload of these aspects is far greater than that of the "main combat targets"! These are both daily and "combat effectiveness guarantee" matters, and these sailors are responsible for them!

"Tsk, why does it smell so strongly of platelets?"

Lütjens chewed on a fruit candy, and for some reason he wanted to order all the officers and soldiers on the ship to change into sun hats, and he also wanted to set an example himself...

Chapter 781: The restless Bismarck

"Kumetz."

"Here!" The timid commander of the Atlantic Fleet stepped forward and tried to stand straight. Even in front of the North Sea hero, Kumets was very cautious.

"Lütjens' fleet will set sail soon. Your mission this time is to rush into the Atlantic Ocean when they break through the GIUK defense line, draw away the British troops, and cover their breakthrough."

"Yes, I understand! But..." Kumets, who was always quick and decisive when accepting orders, hesitated for a moment, and asked a question that was both necessary for combat and a little personal: "Marshal, he and I are operating together in the Atlantic. If we need to cooperate in combat, how do we divide the command?"

There is nothing wrong with asking this question. After all, if the command is not coordinated well, the final battle will definitely not go smoothly, and it will be very uncomfortable even if you win.

"At that time, I will intervene and coordinate - fight well, and on the premise of ensuring your own safety, coordinate more with Dönitz and hit the British harder!"

"I understand. I will never let down the Marshal!" Kumets promised solemnly.

Raeder looked at the guy in front of him calmly - this was the most capable admiral under his command. Although his expression did not change, he felt very upset in his heart. He had no useful people under his command, and the few who could be used were disobedient, which made the admiral very hurt.

This guy... I can't really tell him directly that I actually want him to take advantage of Lütjens's breakthrough in the GIUK defense line to get more achievements for me, so that he can have a reason to help me, and finally let Kumets - instead of that guy Lütjens - take the lead in fighting in the Atlantic, right?

If Lütjens really wants to take the lead, then he will be in charge of the main forces of the surface fleet and even the submarine force! With Lütjens's ability, what if he can fight a few more beautiful battles?

Wouldn't his prestige and status as the commander-in-chief of the navy be in tatters?

Redel said that he still had to save face, and he would never say such words directly. In society, people have to have dignity and trees have to have barks. When speaking, doing things, and every move, one still has to be "tactful (xu) (wei)". ( _, )

But then again, he really didn't have much hope for this subordinate. Lütjens himself was capable, and he had several capable captains and ship girls around him. There was no doubt that he could achieve much more results than Kumets.

If we don't take advantage of the opportunity when Lütjens and Kumets are separated to gain some achievements, we will really be out of control!

"Remember, safety is safety, but you must produce results - if you can't suppress him, you don't have to come back!"

--

After a long time in the hospital, Lily's condition was barely restored to normal. But the doctor told Bismarck that the girl was relatively weak, and the lungs were not easy to recover from injuries. She had to undergo long-term systematic care to recover to a level that would not affect her daily work and life as much as possible - and it was possible.

Before the doctor finished speaking, Bismarck felt like she was about to collapse. She had been through so many things recently, and each one was so terrible. The only thing that made her feel good was catching all those scientific rebels in one fell swoop.

The motherland of the previous life was being invaded, the Germany of the present life was falling into madness, and the enemy's potential was unfathomable... Especially now, Lily's injury relapsed because of herself, and she didn't know if she could get better in the end.

Especially now, I will be ordered to attack tomorrow morning - not to mention that the enemy is now unprecedentedly powerful, I am not sure, and more importantly, who will take care of Lily after I leave?

Her original home in Berlin was no longer there, and she felt uneasy about entrusting her care to a nurse.

And those endless British bombers...

Actually, she didn't have any lofty ideals, such as changing the direction of the world or helping Germany III win. She just wanted to survive first, and then let the people she knew spend this period of time in peace. Maybe after the war is over, she will be like War-weary, right?

But…if something happens to Lily, what should the captain do without telling her how she feels?

Thinking of the regret of staying here, Bismarck once had the idea of ​​taking Lily out of the hospital, putting her on her own body, and taking care of her directly! However, thinking of the strong impact force under the harsh sea conditions in the North Atlantic and the unpredictable dangers in the battle, she had to silently give up this unrealistic idea. Lily's body could definitely not withstand the environment of drifting on the sea, she just needed to rest.

Watching the doctors and nurses busy in the ward, Bismarck, who seemed to be redundant standing by, could only mechanically and instinctively do the things in his hands: he found a place to reheat the oatmeal porridge and rock sugar pear water he brought, then filled Lily's thermos with boiling water, and finally looked at the hot water bag in his arm, which he brought specially for Lily's cold hands when she was on an IV drip. Bismarck, with numb eyes, stood in front of the hot water faucet for a few seconds before he remembered to fill the hot water bag with scalding hot water.

Lily was too weak, and the cold liquid in the IV drip was very uncomfortable and hurt her health. So she brought a hot water bottle to warm her daughter's cold arm.

A moment later, looking out the window of the hospital bed, Bismarck saw Lily, who had already recovered her breath, with an oxygen tube inserted, covered with a white blanket, an IV hanging on her arm, leaning lightly on the quilt and cushion, staring at the sunset outside the window in a trance. He blinked at the silent Bismarck who pursed his lips, pushed open the door with a forced smile, and walked in.

Hearing the noise, Lily turned her head slightly, her gaze shifted from the scenery outside the window to her direction, her originally weak eyes brightened up a little. However, she could only nod slightly, her lips moving, but still no words came out - her lung injury left her no strength to express more.

Bismarck felt that he couldn't hold back his tears again. He quickly turned around and wiped his eyes, put the thermos on the bedside table, and then sat down on the bed. He wrapped the hot water bottle in his arm with a towel and stuffed it under Lily's arm. The temperature was so warm that it was even a little hot, and it seemed that even his pale face was a little rosier than before.

"Bismarck..."

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Bismarck, fearing that her injury would relapse, quickly stretched out his fingers and gently pressed her lips.

"Don't talk, just take good care of your injuries... I'm going to sail tomorrow night and can't accompany you, so don't let me worry about you anymore... Come on, open your mouth and drink some porridge. You'll feel better after drinking it..."

Lily blinked her eyes and stopped talking. She opened her mouth slightly, and Bismarck began to feed her with a small spoonful.

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