Chapter 743 Atlantic Strangulation War (52)

The sky gradually became brighter, and the P51s covered the few remaining transport aircraft and fled in a hurry. At dawn, the fierce battle allowed the German army to harvest 60% of the transport aircraft. Hartmann alone took over 3 P51 and 5 C54 transport aircraft. In the end, they ran out of ammunition and could not catch up.

In the early morning, Marshall received a crying telegram from Ridgway: During the air landing, the 101st Division did not encounter the expected fierce attack by German ground forces, but was killed by a group of German aircraft. At least half of the aircraft and one-third of the paratroopers were shot down ( The proportion of transport aircraft alone is higher). This is because the German aircraft arrived at the scene late and the airdrop had already begun. Some brave soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division also performed well. Even if the transport aircraft was hit and crashed, they still struggled to jump out of the cabin. Otherwise, the airborne division You will lose combat effectiveness before landing.

But the losses did exist. Nearly 200 C46\C47\C54 transport planes crashed, causing a lot of equipment to be scattered to unknown places before it could be airdropped. The troops gathered around Ridgway relied on the help and assistance of Canadians to survive. Get through it. Things got even worse after daybreak. The Germans took off a group of bombers to clear the scene, using bombs and machine guns to hit the 101st Airborne Division. So far, the 101st Airborne Division has not been able to gather all the troops. Ridgway couldn't wait to request aircraft reinforcements-all wanted fighter jets!

This telegram shocked and angered everyone in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This airborne landing was an unprecedented act. A large force including more than 300 transport aircraft and more than 180 P51s were dispatched, and three airborne regiments were dropped at once. A regiment was lost before the battle started, and it was the most elite airborne regiment - it was just digging into Marshall's heart! He was so angry that he almost wanted to slap Arnold in the face. After thinking about it, he finally held back: the latter was not easy either. He worked hard day and night. Not only did his hair turn gray, but also that lively, cheerful, smiling person. He kept talking, and "Happy Arnold" was long gone.

As the commander-in-chief of the Army Aviation, Arnold cannot actually command in such detail. Arranging personnel, mobilizing aircraft, and coordinating the actions of the Army and Army Aviation are where he comes into play. If he directly extends his hands to battlefield decision-making and tactical command, then he will He is not the Commander-in-Chief of Army Aviation, but at best he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force.

"The second batch of fighter jets has just been sent out. I thought that the German carrier-based aircraft would be able to attack after dawn, but I didn't expect it to be so soon..." Arnold sighed, full of regrets, "I was careless. It seems that there are people on Newfoundland. The German airport and aircraft! Yesterday, the reconnaissance plane and the Canadians clearly reported that the aircraft were all carrier-based aircraft..."

"It should have been repaired by the German army overnight... They lost two aircraft carriers and temporarily transferred some aircraft to the island." Marshall waved his hand and said that he did not want to hear such a hindsight explanation. "The problem must be solved as soon as possible, and the Army Aviation must be dispatched immediately. Bombers are going to blow up German airfields!”

"The bombers are ready, but yesterday's decision was to give priority to attacking the German fleet. This..." Arnold turned his attention to Admiral Jin.

The latter was speechless for a while, and then said after thinking for a long time: "Let the reconnaissance plane see clearly how many enemy planes there are on Newfoundland and where the enemy fleet is. If the bombing airport is being visited here, the Germans can escape there. What should I do?”

The news of the reconnaissance planes was quickly reported back. The Army Air Force dispatched a total of 8 reconnaissance planes, and 3 lost contact. They were probably intercepted and shot down. One reported that the Germans had dispatched new planes, and the escort fighter aircraft that returned described the Germans. There are more than 100 aircraft, and pilots insist that many of them are Fw-190s. Arnold's expression changed even more when he heard the news that the Fw-190 had landed on the island. No wonder the reconnaissance aircraft landed on the island. The Fw-190 often intercepted 4-engine bombers on the Azores. But there is a misunderstanding here. The reconnaissance aircraft refers to a new aircraft, and the escort fighter refers to the Fw-190. In fact, the two cannot be equated - even if the Fw-190 appeared in Newfoundland for the first time, in fact It was a Ta-152 that intercepted the reconnaissance plane. Unfortunately, it was shot down. I can't describe this anymore.

"Fw-190?" Eisenhower's eyes widened. "Can this thing be put on the ship? Or is it that the enemy has sent reinforcements from the Azores? How can they fly so far?"

"It should be possible to bring a few more auxiliary fuel tanks... Wouldn't the range of the P51 be nearly 3,000 kilometers after mounting the auxiliary fuel tanks?" In fact, the Fw-190 ultra-long-range transition is not easy. In addition to expanding the internal fuel capacity to 700 liters, it is also unloaded. More than 75% of the ammunition was used and 3 transition auxiliary fuel tanks were installed - 500 liters under the belly and 200 liters under each wing on both sides. The MW50 and GM-1 where the drug-taking systems are usually installed were also temporarily unloaded and mounted. With nearly 150 liters of fuel and more than 1,000 liters of external fuel, the Fw-190's original range of only more than 1,000 kilometers was extended to more than 2,600 kilometers. If you are not a carefully selected elite, you will never be able to complete such a difficult ultra-long-distance transition.

The news reported back by the other five reconnaissance planes was not very good: they had not yet found the German aircraft carrier formation, but they found that there were fewer ships in St. John's port, and there was a fleet traveling more than 150 kilometers southeast of the port. , judging from the size, part of it is a capital ship, and part seems to be a transport or landing fleet-the overall speed is not fast, only about 15 knots.

"The Germans are considering retreating." Ingram read the telegram carefully and came to a conclusion after thinking for a long time.

"What's the reason?"

"First, the Airborne Division was not attacked by large-scale German snipers when it landed, indicating that the enemy had withdrawn more ground forces; second, the fleet left the port and did not accompany the German aircraft carrier formation..." Ingram thought for a moment, Feeling that he could not speak too fully, he added, "It is also possible that the German aircraft carrier formation secretly went south to look for our aircraft carrier forces to fight. They have at least two fully equipped aircraft carriers and do not know that our reinforcements have set off. The enemy commander They mistakenly believe that they still have the strength to destroy our army.”

Admiral Jin nodded: Without reinforcements, Cunningham's strength alone would not be as good as the German army. With the addition of reinforcements, the balance of strength between the two sides would be different. The most difficult part now is to choose the target to attack Newfoundland. island? Fighting a transport fleet? Or stay and fight the aircraft carrier formation?

"Admiral Cunningham reported: No enemy forces have been found in the field of view of the fleet reconnaissance aircraft. The fleet is currently about 550 kilometers due south of Prince Edward Island and 600 kilometers away from the reinforcement fleet. It is expected that the two armies will converge this evening. He hopes that the army will During this period, aviation can continue to weaken the German aviation power..."

Marshall sighed: "This won't work. The Germans want to leave, but Cunningham's fleet is in the south. The current distance between the two sides is at least 1,200 kilometers. If the Germans are determined to retreat, then we have no chance..."

"It won't work if we don't go this way. He doesn't have enough strength. Only when the two sides merge to form five aircraft carriers can they overwhelm the opponent."

"I guess there won't be a fight between the two aircraft carriers today. Let's focus on attacking the other two targets." Admiral Jin turned to Arnold, "How about attacking the German transport fleet?"

"Okay, should we attack the port first or the fleet first?"

"Attack the fleet first. The port is probably the next wave of German troops to retreat. Can Matthew and his men be allowed to entangle them first?" Admiral Jin turned his attention to Marshall, "We can't let the Germans go so easy. Could it be that Newfoundland is theirs?" Is it a place where you can come and leave whenever you want?”

"How about a two-pronged approach? Some short-range aircraft cooperate with the airborne division to attack the Germans on the island, and some long-range aircraft attack the transport fleet?" Eisenhower's suggestion made people shine.

Yesterday, Admiral Jin and Arnold agreed that in addition to the normally arranged attack fleet, an additional 500 aircraft would be used for consumption - 300 from the Army Airlines and 200 from the Hainan Airlines. Arnold gritted his teeth and agreed. He no longer knew how many planes had been thrown in since the war started. He only felt that Newfoundland was like a huge meat grinder, constantly throwing planes and pilots into it and killing them.

The Army Air Force is like this, and the Hainan Airlines is not much better. Cunningham killed 50% of the pilots in one battle. The few outstanding carrier-based aircraft pilots left in the British Empire have been almost exhausted. Except for the training instructors and the large forces currently coming for reinforcements, In addition to some pilots with actual combat experience on board the Wasp and San Jacinto, the Royal Navy will soon face the terrible situation of having no skilled pilots like the U.S. Navy. Admiral King had approached Nimitz and asked him to bring 60 skilled carrier-based aircraft pilots from the Pacific Fleet when he came to serve in the Atlantic Fleet. Cunningham didn't even know where the next wave of outstanding pilots he could supplement would be. Could it be like this? Like the Germans, from the Air Force?

At 10 o'clock sharp, the U.S. troops who had arrived earlier began air strikes on Newfoundland. The 101st Airborne Division and the Canadian Infantry Division finally received their long-awaited reinforcements. Although the Airborne Division was very embarrassed after landing, the Canadian Army was still very happy when they heard that Ridgway, a hero of Bermuda, was leading the team. Not only did they give up some of their equipment to the 101st Airborne Division, but they also took the initiative to help Ridgway collect a lot of 101st Airborne Division equipment. The stragglers of the division.

Li Qiwei asked Macdonald strangely: "I see that you have a lot of troops and complete equipment. Why were you rushed here?"

Macdonald was a little embarrassed, so he just started talking about naval guns, air force, etc. Ridgway understood without saying a few words - the Canadians were not confident enough, so he didn't tell him, but held Macdonald's hand. : "Look, now I'm here to reinforce your army. Army aviation planes will soon support us continuously. Let's work together to wipe out all the Germans!"