Chapter 733 Atlantic Strangulation War (42)
The first bad news came from the Eastern Front. After the muddy period in early winter, the German army relaunched the offensive on the central battlefield. Everything was going smoothly on the front, but there was a big problem in the direction of Central Asia. Scheerner sent a telegram to report on Central Asia. The group army was besieged by the Soviet army. Although it had used short assaults to win a few small victories in the early stage, the Red Army was surrounded by more and more troops, which was surprising. He estimated that the enemy's strength was between 500,000 and 600,000, and their fighting will was weak. Weak and tactically stronger than the Zhazha soldiers he encountered some time ago, he is determined to hold on in the Central Asian oasis zone, but hopes that the rear can ensure transportation capacity and reinforcements.
The second piece of bad news was sent by Cole from Tokyo. There were various opinions on the next stage of the war in Japan. The second expedition to Europe and America proposed by Horikichi was not supported by the majority of people. What made Cole even more uneasy was that, The day before yesterday, it was suddenly announced that Horikichi was appointed concurrently as the Military Councilor. In theory, the authority of this position is higher than that of the Chief of Military Command or the Minister of the Navy, and it seems to be more powerful. However, for Cole, who knows the situation in Japan thoroughly, this is almost an exemption. This is a precursor to Horikichi taking up the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet - there has never been a precedent for a military counselor to concurrently hold the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. There were also people who contacted Cole secretly, hoping to inquire about the exchanges between Horikichi and the upper echelons of the fleet and Germany, vaguely hinting that Germany confessed that Horikichi had accepted "German political donations" in exchange for the approval of the United Fleet's decision to continue the Western Expedition. This was rejected by Cole without hesitation, but the undercurrent made him very worried.
In fact, the intelligence possessed by Scherner was not comprehensive. In order to deal with the Germans in Central Asia, Zhukov mobilized more than 1 million relatively combat-effective troops, of which 500,000 were used to encircle and attack the Central Asian Army, and the other 500,000 were dispersed and concealed. , prepare to surround the point and call for reinforcements.
Hoffman was mentally prepared for both aspects. After pondering for a moment, he said to Keitel: "In view of the special situation in Central Asia, it is not possible to send reinforcements for the time being, but sufficient material support for the advance should be guaranteed. I hope Scherner It can carry forward the tenacious and fighting spirit of the Cape Verde defenders, firmly hold the defense line, and use various means to attack the enemy; as for Japan, Cole's handling is correct. We must not recognize political donations. This will harm Horikichi. No one will sincerely cooperate with us in the future, but we must also be prepared. Germany can still win this war without a combined fleet."
Keitel whispered: "Should we withdraw the four marine brigades from India? Now Newfoundland is also asking for more troops, and Cape Verde is also asking for more troops. There are not enough experienced troops..."
"No for now, continue to observe the wind direction, and the material transactions with Japan will continue. However, credit cannot be used. They must transport the second batch of 200 tons of gold as soon as possible - it has been delayed for a long time." Hoffman said, "Technical output Don't take any real action for the time being. The Japanese will understand that what they want from us is far greater than what we want from them!"
Keitel accepted the order with understanding and left. At the same time, the decision to dispatch a battalion from the Azores to reinforce Newfoundland was also implemented.
"Sir, the Army aviation reconnaissance plane discovered that the German aircraft carrier formation is about 300 kilometers due south of Newfoundland. It is still nearly 800 kilometers away from us. The enemy has 4-5 aircraft carriers..." Spruance explained, " I think the intelligence is credible. The enemy attacked Prince Edward Island last night and is now returning to Newfoundland..."
"It's a pity that it's a little far away..." Cunningham looked at the chart carefully. "If I guessed correctly, the enemy should be heading northeast to support its landing force again to open up the situation and let the fleet adjust its course to 315 degrees. We Let’s close the distance first and hope that China Airlines can continue to keep track.”
"When do you plan to attack?"
Cunningham looked at the time: "To bring the distance to within 600 kilometers before attacking, we will need to release the attack group around 1 p.m.... It will happen to be recovered at sunset."
"Time is very tight. The fleet must move forward at full speed. Don't you plan to deal with the German battleships?"
"We want to attack, but not us." Cunningham smiled slyly, "First let the Army Aviation Air Force send aircraft to attack this fleet and attract some of the German air defense fighters. When the enemy's aircraft carrier escort force is weakened, we will then dispatch to destroy the enemy in one fell swoop. fleet……"
"Sir, the reconnaissance aircraft reported that no enemy fleet was found within a range of 600 kilometers." The confidential staff reported to Ozawa, "In addition, reinforcement aircraft from the Azores have departed. The first batch includes 24 Bf-219 fighter jets. 16 joint attack aircraft and 24 Ju-188 bombers will arrive around 12 o'clock. The second batch of approximately 90 aircraft and marine battalions will arrive in the evening. The third and fourth batches of cross-platform aircraft carriers are expected to be provided tomorrow as appropriate. 16 Bf-219 fighter jets and 12 latest Do-412 test aircraft will also be provided.”
Machar and others quickly exchanged opinions and agreed. In this way, the fleet's carrier-based aircraft replenishment has been basically completed, and the land base can also be covered by more than 100 aircraft, which has basically reached the maximum use of troops. As for Do-412 It was a complete surprise. Due to the rapid upgrade of the F6F-5 and the successive attacks of the P51B\P47, the Bf-219C has become increasingly unable to cope with it. On behalf of the fleet, Machar believes that new carrier-based aircraft should be provided quickly, whether it is the Zidian modification or the Gale modification, first in actual combat After testing, the first batch of trial production Do-412 was put into combat with Hoffman's personal approval.
Compared with the original design specifications, due to the delay in service of the 2,400-horsepower BMW801F or BMW901 (imitation R2800) engines, the DFK Design Bureau was eventually forced to install an 801E engine with only 2,000 horsepower. The overall performance shrank significantly from the original preset specifications. : The empty weight is 3016 kg, the carrier version has a maximum speed of 654 km/h, a maximum range of 1600 km, and is equipped with 2 MG213 cannons (120 rounds of ammunition) and 2 MG151/20mm cannons (175 rounds of ammunition). The fast climb speed is 1080 m/min, and the range after adding the auxiliary fuel tank is more than 2400 kilometers. The performance at high altitudes above 6000 meters has deteriorated, but the maneuverability below 6000 meters, especially between 3000-6000 meters, completely crushes the Bf-219 or Fw. -190, while once again narrowing the gap with P51\P47 in level flight and dive speeds.
Due to its fast climbing speed, it is especially suitable for use as an anti-aircraft interceptor. Compared with the Bf-319 (Gelee modification), it has more comprehensive performance. Compared with the Fw-190, it is lighter and faster (when not taking drugs).
"Take off air defense fighters to cover our fleet and the artillery fleet, and then dispatch attack aircraft to carry out ground attacks. The reconnaissance aircraft continue to expand the detection range..." Ozawa issued the order in an orderly manner, "It is now 8 o'clock in the morning, I estimate 2-3 A U.S. military attack group will attack in an hour. The attack planes will cover the advance of the ground troops. Most of the pilots who parachuted on Newfoundland were rescued by the Canadians. If the Marines advance quickly, let's see where they escape... "
Time passed by, and the situation was exactly as Ozawa expected. Around 10 o'clock, the Canadian attack group launched an attack on the aircraft carrier formation, but their number was too small, with only more than 60 aircraft in total, and the covering aircraft were not the latest models. The P51 or P47 is not the Navy's F4U, but the outdated P40.
"Are you going to die?" Lieutenant Erich Hartmann, the commander of the German fighter squadron in charge, muttered subconsciously when he saw the incoming enemy plane.
Hartman had been serving in the Air Force. Due to his unique style and lack of outstanding performance, his performance in the first 18 months after joining the Air Force was considered very poor. He saw that his teammates' records and ranks were slowly increasing. , he just didn’t make a breakthrough. However, he was lucky. After several twists and turns, he was appointed as Krupinski's wingman. Krupinski had shot down more than 70 aircraft at that time and was one of the aces of the Air Force. With the help of Richthofen, Krupinski jumped from the Air Force to HNA, and by the way brought Hartman into HNA.
Hartmann has a good understanding of warships and quickly mastered the skills of taking off and landing warships. He also performed well on Socotra Island. After joining the Navy, his favorite dogfights and close-range attacks have been put to great use. His record is It grows straight up, gradually growing from a wingman to a leader. During the battle with the Spruance fleet, he shot down 4 aircraft in one go and was promoted to squad leader to lead a 4-plane formation. His combat exploits continued to grow. Not only did he receive the Second Class Iron Cross, he was also promoted to lieutenant and served as squadron leader. . In the previous two days of fighting, he shot down 5 more planes in a row, all of them fighter planes, and the total number of enemy planes he shot down exceeded 90.
Since the Navy is promoted faster than the Army and Air Force, Krupinski hinted two days ago that if he performs well in this battle, he is ready to recommend him to become a captain and deputy captain to assist him in managing all personnel on the entire aircraft carrier. fighter. Hartman didn’t know the specific number of outstanding performances, but he believed that the more the better. Now that he saw the Canadians driving their P40s, he was immediately elated - this is God’s gift to us!
"Brothers, rush over, aim at the P40 and fire... Give the attack aircraft to the 2nd Squadron behind!"
The officers and soldiers of various ships on the sea watched dumbfoundedly as a formation of 16 aircraft began to launch a lightning assault. Under Hartmann's call, the entire squadron seemed to be in a deserted land, rushing into the enemy aircraft and killing them wantonly. The other fighter jets were like a dream. When I first woke up, I also followed the attack. Planes fell one after another in the sky. Basically, they were all planes painted with the Canadian maple leaf logo, but they still rushed towards the fleet regardless of their own safety...