Bismarck

Battle Name: Casablanca Landing (Part 1)

Commander in Chief: U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Battle situation: Although the US diplomatic and intelligence agencies have contacted the Vichy French government and Admiral Jean Darlan, the commander of the Vichy French Navy, many times, and the governor and garrison commander of the French West African colony Dakar, who owns the battleship Richelieu, have also sworn allegiance to "Free France" under the efforts of diplomatic work. However, the hatred of Britain's betrayal two years ago, suspicion of the "Free French Movement", concerns about the German military threat, and the inexplicable "Fan Family-style arrogance (eh?)" in the French national character eventually made the Vichy French government give up the idea of ​​uniting the forces of the free world to fight back against Nazi Germany. In view of this, the Allies, whose diplomatic means failed, could only use their fists to "persuade" the Vichy regime to cooperate with the free world...

Since Italy's current attention is attracted by the troops of Admiral Auchinleck, commander of the British Empire's Middle East-India Theater, in Egypt, it is determined that the battle will not be disturbed by the Italian Army, but the Italian Royal Navy still controls the Mediterranean sea. Therefore, the threat of the Italians' three new Veneto-class battleships and the two converted aircraft carriers Aquila and Empire cannot be ignored along the Mediterranean coast...

Due to Vichy France's hostility towards Britain, the main force of this landing campaign was the US Army.

Overall operational plan: scheduled to land in Casablanca, Morocco at dawn on December 1942, 12!

The original plan for this operation was to organize the six divisions of the landing force into three armies, landing at the ports of Casablanca in French Morocco, Oran in French Algeria, and Algiers, the capital of French North Africa. However, considering that the German submarine forces in the Atlantic Ocean might still discover specific shipping operations, and considering the main forces of the German and Italian naval fleets were intact, especially the threat of the infamous "evil fleet", the dispersed fleets were in danger of being defeated by the enemy one by one. Therefore, this idea has been abandoned by the headquarters.

The finalized battle plan was: under the heavy cover of the Allied Navy, six divisions were reorganized into two armies, and concentrated on landing in the port of Casablanca within the protection of the Gibraltar Fortress and the naval fleet. The specific steps were to first use airborne troops and special forces to raid and seize the airport near the landing site, and ensure the Royal Air Force and the US Army Air Force to enter after the landing. At the same time, under the cover of the naval fleet, the main force of the army carried out landing operations and occupied French Morocco. After completely controlling this place, they would march towards French Algeria...

The two army commanders were Major General George Patton Jr. and Major General Omar Bradley.

陆军兵力：除了战役开始时突袭机场的四个伞兵旅外，登陆部队共计四个机械化师和两个装甲师共107000人，1200门火炮和高射炮，以及1000辆坦克。以一条2000吨级登陆舰装载一个步兵营800人或一个榴弹炮营18门火炮又或者一个坦克连14辆坦克计算，共计登陆舰250艘。

Operation Torch (Part 2)

Logistics and transportation: Three months of supplies (including fresh water, food, ammunition, fuel, weapon spare parts, etc.) have a loading tonnage of approximately 30 tons. Based on the average load of 5000 tons per merchant ship, at least 60 merchant ships are needed. Taking loading redundancy into account, 50 merchant ships are needed to actually carry 100 tons of supplies.

Covering Fleet: The escort of army troops and logistical transport, as well as minesweeping and fire suppression at the landing site, is undertaken by a special covering fleet consisting of seven old battleships, six escort carriers, twelve light and heavy cruisers, four destroyer squadrons, and two ocean-going minesweeper squadrons.

The covering fleet is directly responsible for the landing fleet throughout the entire process and can only engage in naval battle when the landing encounters a direct threat from the German fleet.

Commander of the Covering Fleet: Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, U.S. Navy…

………………

In terms of naval warfare: the navies of the participating countries formed the Allied Combined Fleet and fought under the unified command of the commander-in-chief of the campaign.

Commander of naval operations: Royal Navy Marshal Andrew Cunningham.

Vice Commander for Maritime Operations: Admiral Ernest King, U.S. Navy

Combined Fleet flagship: HMS Warspite

Battle ideas:

1. Within 40 days before the North African landing, the Allied Navy planned to attract the attention of Dönitz's submarine forces as much as possible with some of the weakly escorted transport teams in the North Atlantic, and at the same time concentrate the escort teams (organize 350 transport ships and landing ships with 15 troops and 21 tons of supplies into several escort teams) and set off from the US mainland at the same time as the US fleet. The landing troops and supplies will be transported to West Africa for assembly via the Caribbean Islands and the Latin American coast (protected by US military bases in Latin American countries along the way), as well as the British Ascension Island base in the mid-Atlantic. It is expected to take - days.

2. After the troops and supplies are fully assembled and replenished (estimated to take one week, with an additional five days left for mobile deployment), a unified landing fleet will be formed to sail to North Africa to carry out landing operations.

Because it has to bypass the Canary Islands of Spain, it is estimated that it will take 7 days to sail from the Gold Coast of West Africa to Casablanca.

3. When the troops depart from Africa, in accordance with the communication plan and the prescribed combat sequence, relevant communication channels should be established between the Army Landing Fleet, the Airborne Forces, the Navy's main fleet and the Navy's cover fleet, as well as the Gibraltar Fortress and the Royal Navy Headquarters to communicate battlefield information as much as possible and achieve combat coordination.

4. When the troops are sailing, gathering and landing, they must be prepared for the German Navy to interfere. Although the British escort fleet is expected to be able to divert the main attention of Dönitz's submarine force, there is still the possibility of leakage and discovery... The landing fleet will be protected by General Kinkaid's cover fleet throughout the journey. At the same time, when gathering in West Africa and entering the war zone, the main fleet composed of the US Navy will operate in the waters south and east of the Azores, west of the Gibraltar Fortress, and north of the Canary Islands to cover the safety of the landing site.

If the main fleet fails to intercept the German fleet, the covering fleet must block and delay the German fleet, thwart its attempt to destroy the landing site, and then work with the main fleet that is pursuing the German fleet to encircle and destroy the German fleet.

Operation Torch (Part 2)

5. The main fleet is composed mainly of the US Navy, including five cutting-edge battleships (Vice Admiral Raymond Spruance, commander of the battleship formation), five aircraft carriers (Vice Admiral Frank Fletcher, commander of the aircraft carrier formation), eight heavy cruisers (Vice Admiral William Halsey, commander of the cruiser fleet) and three destroyer squadrons. The main task is to intercept the possible attack of the German surface fleet, especially the "evil fleet", and ensure the safety of the landing fleet. If there is an opportunity, it should cooperate with other combat units to encircle and annihilate the German fleet!

Commander of the Main Fleet: Admiral Ernest King, U.S. Navy (concurrently)

6. Gibraltar Fortress: It includes a destroyer squadron, a minesweeper brigade and a base aviation unit of the fortress garrison fleet. The mission is to block the Strait of Gibraltar and cut off possible interference from the Italian Navy. At the same time, the Gibraltar Fortress will conduct reconnaissance and anti-submarine/anti-mine clearance of the sea area near the landing site at least ten days in advance with the base garrison fleet and base aviation. If the German fleet breaks through the interception of the main fleet, the base aviation force will cooperate with the naval fleet to attack the German fleet.

7. Royal Navy Home Fleet: Mainly composed of the British Royal Navy. Available forces include six new battleships, four armored aircraft carriers, six light aircraft carriers and escort aircraft carriers, ten light and heavy cruisers, and four destroyer squadrons.

The Home Fleet should form an escort fleet mainly composed of destroyers to protect the North Atlantic merchant fleet, and the main fleet should be stationed in the British Isles to ensure the safety of Atlantic shipping. At the same time, shore-based long-range reconnaissance aircraft and patrol destroyers should be used to monitor the movements of the German Navy in the Bay of Biscay. If the main fleet of the German Navy is dispatched, the Royal Navy Home Fleet should sail out to intercept.

If the German fleet sets out towards the North Atlantic, the Royal Navy's Home Fleet must independently hold back the German fleet and try to prevent it from moving south to threaten the North African landing site; if the German fleet turns to attack the landing area, the Home Fleet must pursue the German fleet with all its might, cut off its way back, and cooperate with other combat units to encircle and annihilate the German fleet!

Royal Navy Home Fleet Commander: Royal Navy Marshal John Tovey

8. Free French Navy: Considering that this operation is to liberate the French nation rather than to occupy the territory of other countries, the Free French Navy fleet led by the battleship Richelieu (in addition to one battleship, it also includes one light cruiser and four destroyers) will represent the Free French side and participate in this operation.

In view of the Vichy French Army's hostility towards the Free French, as well as the relationship between France and Britain, the Free French Navy in this operation will be assigned to the main fleet to call on the French people to resist the occupation of Nazi forces with a unified attitude and actions towards Germany.

Commander of the Free French Navy: French Admiral Emile Muselier

...The above combat plan is confirmed and authorized for execution by the governments of the Allied Powers!

Chief of Staff to President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Admiral William H. Leahy

Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill Chief of the Imperial Staff: British Army General Viscount Alan Brooke

Picture 820: Bald Cat

For Dönitz, observing the enemy situation along the 5,000-kilometer North Atlantic route has always been a major problem.

The submarine's own observation capability is limited, and the new U-209 class submarines currently in use are mainly used for underwater raids, which are not suitable for the traditional wolf pack tactics of forming a group of boats to search in a net. They can only use the towed sonar they carry to conduct passive range monitoring within the specified cruising area. Even with the assistance of the code-breaking team and the FW-200 long-range reconnaissance aircraft assigned to the Navy by the Air Force, the collected information on the heading and location of the Allied convoy is still quite scattered.

These scattered intelligence need to be accumulated to a certain amount and analyzed, organized and collated before we can determine which target is found at which location and which merchant fleet it belongs to - and this is the prerequisite for predicting the opponent's next destination and action location.

Not to mention that before submarines in the Atlantic Ocean want to send a telegram about the enemy situation they have observed, they have to ask the Allied escort fleet for permission...

After all, it is a conventional submarine. Even if it has four or five times more battery capacity and compressed air storage than previous submarines, it is still impossible to move freely in the deep sea indefinitely. Perhaps the "nuclear-powered submarine" currently being studied by the Navy's research team has this potential, but that has to be studied first...

The problem of intelligence processing chain search and communication efficiency has always limited the combat efficiency of submarine forces. Even if Dönitz is equipped with a new command computer and a statistical computer for data analysis, the improvement of command efficiency is relatively limited.

However, even so, the inexplicable decline in the tonnage sunk by the North Atlantic submarine force finally attracted Dönitz's attention after two weeks.

After all, although the German submarines and reconnaissance aircraft had limited efficiency in searching for the enemy, the person who was most sensitive to the shipping conditions in the North Atlantic was Dönitz, who made up for his shortcomings with diligence and kept a close eye on the information from the Allied convoys 24 hours a day.

As an absolute expert in submarine warfare, Dönitz knew very well that even if the submarine's observation means were limited, the efficiency of the "wait-and-see" deployment method of searching for the enemy would be affected by weather, luck and good fortune, not to mention the efficiency of the attack.

"The number of ships sunk in the past three weeks is 22% lower than last month. And as of the nd, there have been batches of merchant ships from the United States to the United Kingdom, which is about ships... Wait! If you calculate it this way, isn't there only an average of ships in the North Atlantic every week?!"

A flash of lightning flashed through his mind, and the experienced Dönitz figured it out in an instant!

The average transport volume of the Allied forces in the North Atlantic is 500 to 600 ships per month. If the transport fleets running on the South Atlantic route and even the Indian Ocean are included, the total scale can even reach thousands of ships per month! However, three weeks have passed since this month, and the estimated number of shipping merchant ships in the North Atlantic is only 300 ships? !

This number is only similar to the data when the Allies issued an emergency stop-sail order when the battle fleet was cruising at sea, and then organized the merchant fleet to either take a detour or evade.

but……

If I remember correctly, it has been at least ten days since Kumets and Lütjens returned from the North Atlantic, right?

The main fleet has been back for more than ten days, and it is time to resume shipping!

If the number of sailings is still so low - this is either because the data is wrong, or the Allies have withdrawn a large number of transport ships - and the withdrawal of so many transport ships at this juncture is most likely a major military operation!

Thinking of this, Dönitz stood up from his seat without hesitation and rushed towards the communications squad.

"Someone, get me through to the Navy Department right now! I need to speak to the Marshal. I have important information to report to him!"

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

There is no wall that is impenetrable. Although the Allies tried their best to keep it secret, the Germans eventually discovered the clues.

After discovering the clues, Raeder and Dönitz did not dare to delay and kept a closer eye on the shipping routes in the Atlantic. In addition, other parties were also collecting intelligence. Within a few days, the Allies organized several large-scale transport convoys with heavy escorts - and accompanied by the main fleet - which were passing through the coast of Latin America and heading to the central Atlantic. The information that they were suspected to be bound for West Africa was placed in front of Raeder.

"What?! At least five aircraft carriers and five new battleships?! This... are the Americans pulling out all their assets..."

Looking at the confirmation information sent by the submarine and the German intelligence personnel in a third country, Raeder jumped up from his seat in shock. Not long after, a telegram "complete the repair work quickly and be ready to attack at any time" was sent to the two fleet headquarters in Brest and Saint-Nazaire.

Then, in the conference room at the port, the four captains and the four warships sat together, staring at each other...

"...We have already called up the sailors to work in three shifts to repair the ship. But... Commander, even so, we are still too tight on time. Moreover, the first batch of new aircraft and pilots arrived yesterday, and the follow-up will take some time. In addition, some training subjects that should be conducted on aircraft carriers can only be simulated at the base..."

Bontai, who was reporting the situation to Lütjens, looked embarrassed. Lütjens, who was listening to the report, had his eyebrows twitching and jumping from time to time.

After all, in this operation, the superstructure was almost bombed to the ground, and many damaged weapons and equipment had to wait to be shipped from the country!

It is not difficult to gather the sailors to participate in the repairs, but it is indeed a bit too much to repair it to the point where it can be used in battle within a month.

Besides, even after the repairs are completed, the warships still need to be resupplied and prepared for combat before they can go out to sea for combat - as for debugging, now they can only hope that these "girls" under their command will simply debug themselves while on the road.

However, everyone knows that the enemy will definitely not give you this time!

The estimated probability of the US fleet going to West Africa this time is 90%. After all, there is no opponent in South Africa that the US Navy's main fleet can deal with. If it is to go around the Indian Ocean to fight against Japan, it is better to let the main force of the US Navy go through the Panama Canal directly, which is much closer than going around the Cape of Good Hope and going through the Indian Ocean - not to mention, what is the concept of five aircraft carriers? I am afraid that the Americans have "strategically" given up the Pacific and have to deal with the Atlantic first!

Not to mention, if the US Navy goes all out, what about its old rival, the British Royal Navy?

The conference room fell silent for a moment, and the strong pressure from the Allied Navy seemed to be looming over everyone in the conference room. Looking at the two pieces of paper on the table, which seemed to be as heavy as a thousand pounds, even Grape, who was the most heartless in the past, now huddled in Lindemann's arms, secretly glancing at his shit shoveler with a sad face, and then seeing that Lindemann also looked helpless, he turned his head and began to secretly glance at his sister.

Noticing his sister's little movements, Bismarck's heart was filled with sighs.

After all, it is quite difficult to repair it within a month.

His eyes drifted towards the dock outside the conference room window. His real body was now lying there motionless. And even now, the scars on his real body after that naval battle were still far from being healed.

As she looked out the window, she saw that except for the command tower on the front bridge of her own ship, which was barely in good condition, the main mast at the back, which was originally tall and majestic and equipped with a navigation bridge, main gun sight and radar, had been broken into two parts in the ocean under the saturation attack of anti-ship missiles!

And the damage was really huge. The front bridge was hit by three anti-ship missiles! In addition to the mast, the bridge base was also hit by one, which blew it to pieces. Even the hemispherical secondary gun sights on both sides of the bridge were blown away in that attack. If the conning tower was not protected by 350 mm armor, and she was desperately protecting the conning tower at the time, I am afraid that the conning tower and her captain would also be...

In addition to the main mast, the chimney, which was originally the number one infrared source on the ship, was also blown to pieces this time. As for the rear bridge, it was not much better, with only two or three layers of a base left. Even on the side deck between the front and rear bridges, there was a huge bomb crater, black and hollow!

The engineers at the repair shop evaluated the remaining lower half of the bridge and chimney and concluded that they had no value for reuse. They had now completely removed the upper half of the bridge and removed a channel to install the main control computer.

Bismarck even wanted to "cage" two circles of ventilation ducts around the chimney to cool the exhaust temperature.

(It's really called a bald cat.JPG)

Anyway, the main body of the ship was in a mess, but the bridge and superstructure… except for the front and rear command towers, everything above three floors had been demolished! It looked like it had been “forcibly” visited by the demolition office, and it didn’t look good at all!

She couldn't help but touch her head. Somehow, she remembered what her captain said when he just returned to the port a few days ago - "Ah... What a bald cat..."

It’s fine if I didn’t become stronger after becoming bald, but it’s so ugly after becoming bald... I don’t like being disfigured! !

Not to mention that there is only a month at most, and I am afraid I will have to go out and "appear in the world" again...

What should I do if I can't go out because of my ugly appearance? Waiting online, very urgent...

The Persian cat, who was a little mad in his heart, probably knew why Grape had such an expression on his face - they were both sisters in the GIUK naval battle. After being blown up like this, she didn't look much better than her sister...

As for Eugen... Bismarck raised his eyes and looked at Eugen, who had turned pale and had a QAQ face and was completely dazed, and Zeppelin beside her, who also had a crazy look on his face and whose carrier-based aircraft were far from being replenished. He couldn't help but feel even more depressed.

But...the ugly bride still has to leave in the end...

After all, the battle situation is here - the decisive battle of the army in the Soviet Union is said to have entered a critical moment, and the army has obviously put in all its efforts! If the Allies really take any major military action at this juncture, the headquarters will not be able to take out even a division of reserves!

Now we can only rely on the navy, and the navy can only rely on large warships. Large warships can only force us to do something...

It's all the fault of these damned British and American bastards! They are always making trouble here or there! And they never stop!

Bismarck became more and more angry, and he gritted his teeth and blurted out: "Never mind, never mind! It's just going to be bald! At worst, I won't repair the superstructure. I'll just fix the hull and main guns first, and we'll talk about it after we finish this battle!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the originally dull and silent meeting room was instantly awakened by the Persian cat's muttering. Then everyone turned their gazes to Bismarck.

Six or seven silent eyes, but no matter how I looked at them, I felt that they were suddenly paying attention to me...

The Persian cat, who was grumbling one second ago, was instantly frightened the next second.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?!"

Seeing the Persian cat's face suddenly change from gritting its teeth to one of panic, Lütjens reacted and the corners of his mouth twitched. He knew that this girl's problem of having random thoughts might have struck again.

but……

"Bismarck, going into battle without repairing the superstructure, isn't this in line with the ship acceptance regulations?" After thinking about the navy's regulations, Lütjens felt that this was obviously a blatant violation of the rules and regulations and was unreliable no matter how he thought about it: "Besides, those were your own repairs. Wouldn't it be irresponsible to go into battle in such a hurry..."

As a German soldier and the maintenance of his own secretary, Lütjens' attitude is still very serious and even rigid.

"But if we follow the routine now, we won't have time!" Bismarck answered without thinking: "Now is an emergency, we must have special things to do!"

As soon as he said this, Lütjens's face turned serious: "Can this violation of the rules be dealt with specially?"

"What else can we do? We only have one month left! If we really want to repair it step by step, it will take forever!"

"you……"

Hearing this from his own Bismarck, Lütjens, as an orthodox German soldier, wanted to explode on the spot. But when the words came to his lips, he suddenly realized that he had no words.

One month... Even if the German style is strict and rigid, this amount of time cannot be wasted!

"Isn't it just command ability? Put up a temporary mast, install a temporary radar, and weld the secondary gun fire control device to the top of the deck, isn't that enough?" The unhappy cat rolled his eyes and despised his captain's stupid head.

I figured out a way, but you're still mean to me...

“This… is this even possible?!”