Chapter 922 Turning Point (1)

Under the sunlight of the North Atlantic in May, three powerful SKC/28 52-caliber 283mm naval guns were aimed at the target. Under the command of the gunnery chief, they were based on the calibration parameters of two Fi-156 (Stork) observation aircraft. He quickly corrected the scale and suddenly fired out another salvo, making a huge roar.

Although the Fi-156 has been in service for many years, it is inconspicuous among aircraft in terms of speed and ceiling, but it has unique capabilities that other aircraft do not have: a stable observation platform and a stall flight speed as low as 56 km/h. . As long as this plane can be driven as fast as a car, it can stay stable in the air without falling. Whenever this kind of plane is dispatched, it means that the enemy's hard days are coming.

Three 283mm artillery shells flew past the apex of the ballistic parabola and continued to bombard the US military positions in depth. Their longest range exceeds 35 kilometers, and they can still achieve high hit accuracy even in indirect fire 25 kilometers away.

Each shell weighing 300 kilograms is called pediatric in the naval field, and is also classified as a high-speed light projectile. However, its power and range are obviously not comparable to ordinary army artillery. The 155mm Long Leg Tom that the U.S. Army is most proud of The howitzer position didn't even have the strength to fight back, and was shattered into pieces by the direct hit of the shell.

This is the fire suppression provided by the main gun in front of the heavy cruiser Lützow. The sailors used 9 rounds per minute to support the German landing force's advance in depth. From the first moment of landing on the beach, the scarred Lützow contributed its final blow. strength.

In yesterday's fierce British and American air raids, the warship was hit by more than 10 1,000-pound high-explosive or armor-piercing bombs. The rear deck, rear main gun, engine, and power compartment were blown to pieces. The entire warship was hobbled, and the sailors also There were numerous casualties. Even so, this veteran heavy cruiser, which was the first to form an army when the Third Reich was expanding its armies and preparing for war, still did not sink. Instead, it struggled to seize the beach successfully, using its last three remaining main guns to provide all the help for the battle.

This is the third and last warship lost by the Deutsche-class armored ships: Graf Spey sank in Uruguay with scars all over her body under the siege of superior enemy forces; Admiral Scheer suffered serious losses in the Battle of the North Atlantic. , and finally ran aground on the Azores beach. There are still naval forces operating naval guns to provide anti-landing firepower to guard against any possible attack; today the Lützow follows in the footsteps of its predecessors and will use its remaining heat on the beaches of Iceland.

The situation of the Hipper-class heavy cruisers was not much better: Blücher, Prinz Eugen, and Seydlitz were damaged and sunk in the battle, and only one Hipper was still operational.

The Lützow is not the entire force for today's artillery support. There are also 4 Veneto-class ships and 1 Tirpitz on the sea providing long-range suppression with 380mm-caliber heavy artillery. On the closer beachhead, 203mm and 127mm ships The artillery was also pouring out firepower sparing no effort.

In today's British and American air strikes, the two sides once again staged a desperate battle. The British army dispatched a total of 486 bombers and fighter jets of various types throughout the morning. The US military dispatched 164 B-29s for long-range attacks as usual in the afternoon. After supplementation, the German army dispatched more than 240 B-29s. Fighters (47 of which were transferred from the direction of Norway through cross-platform tactics) met the interception and shot down 238 British aircraft at a heavy cost of 79 aircraft (plus 271 aircraft that were unable to return due to injuries, insufficient range, etc.) , shot down 93 US military aircraft, and won the second day's air defense battle with difficulty.

In addition to the losses suffered by aircraft, the German fleet and landing forces also paid an extremely heavy price:

The integrated aircraft carrier Joffre covered the landing of the Armored Grenadier Battalion. It was the most advanced one and was besieged by enemy aircraft. The company was hit by bombs. The deck and hull were bombed horribly, leaving no trace of its original appearance. In the end, it also ran aground on the beach.

The light cruiser Marseillaise (7,600-ton La Garissonnier-class) acquired from France was sunk by multiple 1,000-pound bombs;

The aircraft carrier Hyuga suffered heavy damage again, the deck was completely destroyed, the speed dropped to less than 10 knots, and it staggered away from the killing field. It may not be repaired if it does not continue to lie down for 4-5 months;

The R1 escort aircraft carrier was severely damaged by three 1,000-pound bombs, and simply struggled to run aground. It used the ship's 128mm anti-aircraft guns to continue to hold up anti-aircraft umbrellas for the landing infantry. The R8 escort aircraft carrier, which was severely damaged yesterday, received several more bombs today, and finally announced sink.

As for other landing ships, cargo ships transporting supplies, and auxiliary ships, there were also many damages. Seven Sibel tank transport landing ships alone were lost, and half a battalion of German tanks sank in the offshore before they even saw the land of Iceland.

By sunset, Germany, which had fought hard for two days, had lost nearly half of its aircraft carriers (2 large aircraft carriers and 4 escort aircraft carriers), and its most precious carrier-based aircraft pilots had also lost nearly a quarter of their personnel.

But all the costs were worth it, because the Armored Instructor and the Naval Ceylon Brigade had officially landed successfully.

Facing attacks from hundreds of naval guns and hundreds of aircraft, the 80,000-strong British and American Allied Forces garrisoned in the air had no naval cover, no solid shore defense firepower, and no adequate beachhead anti-landing system. They were completely unable to withstand the attack.

Britain and the United States have always believed that it was impossible for the Axis to land in Iceland. Even if the Germans wanted to land, Great Britain or Ireland would be more suitable. Only after urgently discovering the majestic Axis fleet, they struggled to deploy some defense systems. Facts have proved that everything is Useless effort.

"We have no aircraft, no artillery fire, and no solid permanent fortifications to counter the overwhelming German bombing and artillery attacks...Iceland is already a sea of ​​fire and immersed in a pool of blood!" Smith sent a desperate emergency telegram to Washington and London, but Everyone was helpless.

General Arnold's Army Aviation could no longer gather a formation of more than a hundred B-29s; under the fierce German air raids on the British Isles that continued with up to 7,000 sorties on the second day, all aviation forces were completely paralyzed. Today's more than 400 aircraft are the last A desolate blow!

With a "bang", the front hatch of a Sibel tank landing craft was lowered heavily, and six Panther tanks immediately filed out of it, roaring towards the beachhead; on the other side, the same tank landing craft approached Shore, but what came down was not a tank, but an Sdkfz.251 armored vehicle carrying fully armed infantry. The half-track armored vehicle has experienced the test of the North African desert and is highly adaptable to beaches. Heavy equipment such as cyclones, ball lightning and even Himmler's organ also emerged from the landing craft and rushed towards the designated target together.

Compared with the United States, which has developed a variety of large and small landing craft in its history, Germany is not so pretentious and does not have the strength to develop so many landing equipment - this is not only a great test for organization and scheduling, but also more detrimental to production. , what is commonly used in Germany is the large landing craft developed on the basis of the Siebel barge, which uses a standard unified structure regardless of whether it is equipped with machinery or personnel.

The official name of this large landing craft is the Sibel-800 class landing transport craft, or the European standard landing transport craft. Its principle is the same as the early small Sibel boat, but its shape and scale are much larger, with a standard displacement of more than 800 tons, so it is called The 800 class uses two M6V supercharged diesel engines from Germania Corporation - also the power used by Class VII submarines. Many of them are simply engines disassembled from submarines.

Under the influence of Hoffman, the Ministry of Armaments changed the previous idea of ​​developing different components for designing one model, and took careful calculation and standardization to the extreme. In many cases, it began to go crazy. This diesel engine with a total power of nearly 3,000 horsepower allows the landing craft to achieve a top speed of 20 knots and a cruising range of 2,000 nautical miles. Germany has a large number of ready-made engines, and as long as European industrialized countries provide hull equipment, it will be completed.

In order to enhance the defense and suppression capabilities of the landing craft, the Germans also carried out ingenious modifications - after the captured Sherman tanks had their turrets removed and used as service vehicles, those turrets were not abandoned, and some were installed on island defense positions to serve as fortifications. , and the other part is directly installed on the Sibel-800 class landing craft, each equipped with 4 doors. The engineer plausibly explained: "During the landing process, the firepower of 4 tanks can be provided to suppress the beachhead."

Since the captured tank turrets can be installed, the captured 12.7mm Browning heavy machine guns should be installed, so 4 more heavy machine guns were added. Later, when it was not enough, 48 rocket launchers were installed on the bulkheads on both sides of the ship. He planned to set off some fireworks before rushing to the beach, so he got his nickname - Sibel, who was full of firepower.

As night fell, the German army further accelerated the pace of landing. Rommel, who was staying on the Tirpitz with Lieutenant General Bay, was very satisfied with the progress, although more than 2,000 officers and soldiers and a large amount of equipment and supplies were lost to air strikes before they even landed ashore. It made him heartbroken, but the powerful naval gun attack and the unhindered battle on the beach made him very happy - he had planned to have a hard battle on the beach, with at least nearly a thousand casualties, but now these losses have been completely avoided, and the landing speed will be accelerated.

Lieutenant General Bei was also very satisfied with the pace of the landing. Although the loss of the aircraft carrier was a bit large, facts proved that the enemy could not sink the thick-skinned battleship by attacking with only aerial bombs without torpedoes. In addition, Iceland did not have effective shore defense. Fortifications, the fleet can confidently and boldly approach and shoot.

He even called Americans idiots: "There are no mines in the sea, no fortifications on the beaches, and no mines on the land...Who do the Americans think they are?"

Smith would have burst into tears if he heard this: Iceland is a transfer station for material dispatch, how could it be possible to lay mines? As for the landmines, there are some in stock, but unfortunately I have never thought of deploying them - what will happen to the Icelandic people who are injured by the bombs and are quarreling with the American soldiers?