Chapter 715 Atlantic Strangulation War (24)

Ozawa and Krank looked at each other. They had never seen Machar behave like this before. After all, he was also a naval admiral in his sixties. The ecstatic look just now was the same as that of a young noncommissioned officer who had just joined the army and was promoted. Performance is pretty much the same.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little out of control." Machar, who realized that he had acted "excessively" just now, handed the telegram to the other two people and laughed at himself, "The head of state is right to criticize, I just can't keep my temper sometimes. …”

The staff couldn't help but smile, wanting to laugh but not daring to. However, Mashal's temperament is like this. He is frank and generous to his subordinates, which makes people feel quite friendly. He is not like Redel, who is aloof and thinks that everything is under control.

After reading it, Krank asked the confidential staff officer again to verify: "Have you checked it carefully? Is it sent through a top-secret channel?"

"Yes, check it three times and it's correct!"

"Very good!" Krank was obviously very happy.

In order to prevent secrets from being leaked or the codes being deciphered, in addition to using regular codes, the Axis Fleet also has a set of top-secret codes for the exclusive use of the headquarters. The compilation system and method are completely different from the regular codes. They are rarely used in order to avoid increasing the chance of exposure, but once Use it to have the highest authority.

The thinking reflected in the telegram is quite wild and unconstrained, but very powerful. At first glance, it is the handwriting and style of the head of state:... Machar and fellow commanders, the "Voice of Europe" will continuously send warnings about air strikes against the United States, leading the US military to misjudge us. The fleet attacked Bermuda. I ordered the fleet to march to the middle route between Bermuda and Newfoundland, and at the right time turn north to attack Newfoundland. According to reliable intelligence, this island is the starting point of the British-Canada route, and there are a large number of military supplies and ships stranded in the port. Please completely destroy the fleet. It would be even better if you can conduct landing operations to deter the British, American, and Canadian alliances. Please pay attention to safety during the trip, absolutely!

Ozawa also smiled after thinking carefully: "I think it is of great significance. The Führer deserves to be Germany's greatest strategist. Chief Horikichi admires the Führer's grand strategic thinking and far-reaching pattern. We cannot understand many strategic decisions. The independent head of state expressed his acceptance and approval as soon as he heard it, which is really touching..."

At this time, many staff officers realized why the head of state made a series of strange deployments: first, he placed the main force of the fleet in the Azores air defense circle, even indifferent to the exposure, and then decided to move west - not to the west where Bermuda is located. March south, but keep heading due west.

As long as you look at the global map, you can understand that Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the fleet now form a triangle, with each side nearly 1,000 nautical miles long. Continuing to advance westward will shorten the distance from the two islands at the same time. When the fleet reaches the appropriate position Turning north rather than turning south - thus implementing the strategic concept of assaulting Newfoundland in one fell swoop. This not only defeated the US troops who were waiting in the direction of Bermuda, but also attacked the fragile and valuable Newfoundland island. It can be said that it kills several birds with one stone.

The fleet continued to move forward, and the battle on Cape Verde's Sal Island became intense. The two sides fought from noon to evening on November 25. The U.S. military fought step by step, and the German troops resisted step by step. Countless bunkers and semi-underground fortifications became a nightmare for the U.S. military. Whenever the US military thinks that there are no survivors in the pile of rubble, the German army will come out from the corner and either use STG43 to hit you with a shuttle, or use the iron fist to hit you with two rounds. The U.S. Army was very uncomfortable with it. They had the firepower advantage but couldn't use it. They were as clumsy as an elephant.

The island defenders have a total of 1 armored battalion and 1 anti-tank battalion, including 1 Tiger company, 1 Panzer IV tank company, 1 Himmler Organ company, 2 Panzer III assault gun companies and 1 A raider company (the successor of the Stalker, an anti-tank destroyer equipped with an 88mm/L56 gun on a T-34 chassis) has a lot of armor strength, but Link did not stick to the usual thinking of armored force operations, cleverly Break them down and use them as firepower points instead of concentrating them to fight with the US military.

This process made Major General McDonald miserable. According to the US armor usage regulations, tanks are used to deal with German infantry, and tank destroyers are the main force against German tanks. However, in actual firefights, there are big problems with the performance of the M10. Not to mention that it cannot penetrate the Tiger armor at long distances, it is also difficult for the 80mm armor of the No. 4 tank and the sloped armor of the T-34 to be penetrated by the attackers. And if The German 88-gun cannon was enough to destroy the M10 even before it was destroyed. Not only the Tiger's caliber was 88mm, but the Assault tank destroyer and even the anti-aircraft guns used to shoot aircraft and tanks were all 88mm caliber. Can ensure destruction.

What's even worse is that the M10 cabin is still open, and mortars, grenades and even any high-explosive shells are enough to cause great damage and wipe out the US military. The No. 3 assault gun and Assault are both turret-less and closed designs. The shells cannot be blocked, but at least they can defend against infantry light weapons. In addition, the German army is engaged in defensive operations, and the low assault guns are hidden in the rubble. , causing sustained and sufficient damage to the US military.

In order to suppress the German army's sharp anti-tank artillery fire, the US military was forced to use destroyer gunfire to cover a large area, but the efficiency and speed can be imagined. However, the US military had many warships and ammunition, so it was just a training for the new recruits. In retaliation for the unscrupulous bombardment of the US light warships, Link used a new trick: on the third night, he deliberately exposed the anti-tank firepower in the center of the island to lure the US destroyer into the trap, and then ambushed 3 Tiger tanks (including 2 night fighters) on the other side and fired at the destroyer that was close to the coast and was fighting happily. At a distance of 2,500 meters, the German armored soldiers used tungsten core armor-piercing shells to hit the destroyer's turret and command tower in rapid concentrated fire. The Fletcher-class destroyer looked majestic, but the armor was actually thinner than that of a tank, and it was immediately penetrated and caused an explosion.

The unfortunate Fletcher-class destroyer was eventually sunk by the explosion of its own ammunition, becoming the world's first warship sunk by a tank. The other US warships responded fiercely, but the Tiger tanks had already fled.

For Turner and Ingersoll, the loss of one more destroyer was insignificant since all four battleships were lost. They were more worried about the night attacks by German submarines and S-boats. It was not until the sun rose again the next day and the fleet reported that everything was safe that the two of them were greatly relieved. They couldn't help but feel lucky for their good luck and their mood improved a lot.

Unfortunately, Admiral Cunningham was not in a good mood. He was almost going crazy...