Two Hundred and Sixty-Three Bombing

If Germany's blitzkrieg is the vanguard of the war, then the Luftwaffe is the vanguard's most powerful weapon.

Within the Air Force, the units responsible for performing ground support missions are called bomber units. Equipped with the frightening ju-87 Stuka dive bombers and -217 medium-range bombers, these units can be said to be the most powerful war weapons of the Luftwaffe.

So these German bomber pilots loved their jobs so much, they even liked being called demons, because they destroyed cities, they killed lives, and to be fair they did everything.

But now, they were ordered to take off from the airport, fly over mountains and rivers, and form formation among the blue sky and white clouds. With the roar of engines, they gathered densely, covering the sky like locusts, and flying towards their new target. Rotterdam.

The -217 bomber seems to be very advanced in this era. The 17-meter-long fuselage is slender and streamlined, and the wingspan has an astonishing 19-meter width. The 5-meter-high double vertical tail looks very domineering, but it also brings a dead angle to the tail.

This kind of bomber can invade the enemy's airspace at a super high speed of 500 kilometers, and can calmly drop bombs over the target at a flying height of 7000 meters. fighter.

However, Yuan is still developing a more advanced long-range bomber, because Acado is not satisfied with the 2,000-kilometer range of the -217 bomber, which both the Army and the Air Force are very satisfied with. In Yuan's thinking, what the Air Force should deploy is a range of more than 2,500 kilometers. heavy long-range bomber.

In the narrow cockpit, the pilot is concentrating on manipulating the plane. Beside him, the co-pilot navigator is checking their map to distinguish their flight direction from the vertical and horizontal roads and rivers on the ground. Under their feet, the machine gunner in charge of manipulating the nose defense machine gun was chatting with the machine gunner in the back of the machine through the communicator. Their casual appearance did not seem to be performing an attack mission at all.

Until now, bombing missions have been a very comfortable job for Luftwaffe pilots: German fighter jets rule the skies, and they don't have to worry about rival planes rushing out to attack them. Those weak ground artillery fires have long been cleared by Stuka, and when they come out, the tasks are often unimaginably simple.

"Tell the escort formation to go back! The Netherlands has no fighter jets at all." The navigator sitting on the co-pilot looked at the ground under his feet, and then said with a smile: "I really feel sad for the Dutch. I don’t want to surrender to death.”

The engine is still roaring, and the unique greenhouse-style cockpit of the German aircraft allows the pilot to have a very good forward vision, but the premise is that you must have the courage to fly the aircraft so high.

"Forget it! This is a combat mission,

It's not that you feel safe, you will be safe. Let those pilot brothers continue to fly on it, at least it will make us safer. "

"Flying at an altitude of 6,500 meters! The plane is in good condition! Our flight heading is completely correct. Everything is normal, so normal that I have never encountered such a normal combat environment even in the exercise." The navigator returned the identification photos of the ground buildings. Throwing the map aside, he yawned and said, "I heard that Yuan was injured in the nose by a British killer the night before yesterday?"

"Nose? I heard that he injured himself. The British killer just fired a shot, and Yuan injured his nose in order to avoid the attack." At their feet, the weapon operator holding the cannon shouted loudly.

"So we'll have a new mission soon, right?" The pilot interjected, "We'll be ordered to take off from the Netherlands and bomb British cities. It's a pity that our range is not enough to threaten London, otherwise we will be killed in a few days." That city can be destroyed, I promise I can drop the bomb on the Queen's head."

"You're pessimistic, Mr. Driver." The navigator smiled and elbowed the driver beside him, "We will take off from France soon, and the distance will be close by then! In addition, I need to remind you of a very important thing. It's my job to drop bombs! Do you understand?"

"Yes! I know! I understand very well! Because if I were the bombardier, I would be the first to throw you down!" the pilot said with a helpless smile.

"Okay! The joke is over, there are still 7 minutes to Rotterdam! Turn on the radio! Confirm that the weapon system is normal!" The navigator began to carefully check his bombsight, and stopped chattering.

"Attention all bombers! Attention all bombers! We will arrive over the target in 5 minutes! All crew members are on alert." The voice of the commander-in-chief of the bomber formation came from the headset: "God bless you! For Yuan!"

"Did you see the airport below?" The navigator who was looking at the ground with a bombsight suddenly asked.

"See, you mean the one with the national flag on the roof?" the pilot replied casually.

"They are already so close to Rotterdam, why don't they just call there?" the navigator asked.

"Because if we go to bomb first, it will be easier for them to fight." The pilot focused on driving and replied after a few seconds.

"This shows that we are more important, doesn't it?" The navigator adjusted the bomb sight and looked up: "Every time I drop the bomb, I feel like God, I am destroying a civilization! I can easily destroy Buildings, destroying streets - sending countless people to heaven."

"You're talking about the job of the bombs! You're just in charge of dropping them," the pilot said with a smile. "And if you keep talking like that, I'll drop you."

"Attention all planes! The target of this mission is ahead, the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Everyone, open the bomb bay and prepare to drop bombs."

Pulling the switch of the bomb bay, with the sound of mechanical friction, the bomb bay of the -217 bomber slowly opened, revealing the dark bomb hanging in the belly.

"Keep heading!" A loud command came from the headset.

"Down high!" After a while, it may have been as long as a few minutes, the commander's voice came from the earphone again.

"They returned fire! They are returning fire with anti-aircraft guns!" A pilot reported through a microphone: "An anti-aircraft shell exploded on my left side, and it missed."

"It seems that they don't have many anti-aircraft guns! All bombers stay in formation! Hold on! Hold on! Continue to descend!" The commander shouted loudly in the headset.

"We have arrived at the target! The attack begins! Free bombing!" Suddenly, the order to attack was issued.

"Crack!" There was a slight noise in the cabin, and the navigator knew that under his operation, a bomb had broken away from the hanging point in the belly of the plane and fell to the ground.

"No one can save the Dutch! They are dead!" The navigator, who is now the bombardier, said with a smile: "Go down, baby."

Following his words, another bomb was dropped on the streets of Rotterdam.

"Bomb on the 01st!" "Bomb on the 02nd!"... With one report after another, the last bomb fell from a high altitude, hit the houses in Rotterdam, and destroyed the factory. Building after building collapsed with the fire.

"Stop bombing! All bombers stop bombing!" The commander's voice came quickly: "Air Force Commander Catherine's order! All bombers stop bombing! Close the bomb bay! I repeat! Air Force Commander Catherine conveyed Yuan's order, and the mission was cancelled! All bombers close their bomb bays! Return immediately!"

"What's going on? Commander! I didn't hear your order clearly just now. We were ordered to bomb Rotterdam, and the mission will not be canceled easily." A pilot confirmed the accuracy of the order through the headset.

"You heard me right! I was ordered to lead all the bombers back home immediately! Yuan personally issued the order to cancel the mission, and I confirmed the cancellation password with General Catherine on the radio." The commander said into the intercom.

"May I take the liberty to ask why? After all, it is very unusual for such a large operation to be easily canceled." The squadron leader of another bomber squadron said in the headset.

"Of course there is no problem. I just got the news that the Queen of the Netherlands has ordered the Dutch soldiers to issue weapons. In a few hours, the Dutch frontline commander will formally submit the Dutch defenders' surrender letter to General Keitel, commander of Army Group B. So Yuan Order to stop this bombing operation," the commander explained.

"That's the only way to go, Commander." The squadron leader said helplessly, "I don't have any problems anymore."

"Attention all pilots! Head to the east! All return!" The commander ordered loudly.

The roar of the engines became louder, and across the sky, the German bombers began to turn. Although it still blocks the sky, it no longer drops deadly bombs.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, whose face was pressed against the window, finally breathed a sigh of relief, she turned her head to look at the smiling Merkel, and said, "I want to leave a few days later to express condolences to the people affected by the air strikes. "

"There is no problem with this." Merkel nodded and agreed: "I think General Reinhard Heydrich, who is in charge of your security in the SS, will make arrangements for you. You can use the guard of honor of the German Wehrmacht, they are very powerful, It's the most mesmerizing military music in the world."

...

In the sky, the talkative navigator propped his chin with his hand in boredom: "It seems that there is still someone who can save the Dutch. At least our yuan can."

"Hehe." The pilot ignored him and laughed.

The navigator sighed and continued: "What God can't do, our yuan has done."

...