Bismarck

"Yes!" The officers' voices were still loud, but they did sound a little weak...

-------

7:30 Berlin Standard Time, 6:30 Greenwich Mean Time, 5:30 in the morning in the local time zone, time always flies...

Nine Jaguars were neatly arranged on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable. This was a wave of reconnaissance aircraft. According to the reconnaissance plan drawn up by the staff, as long as they waited until dawn, they would conduct a carpet search of the entire 20-degree fan south of the British fast fleet with a reconnaissance area of ​​200 degrees and 180 nautical miles per plane!

Behind these reconnaissance aircraft groups, the rear elevator of the USS Formidable was taking off and landing slowly.

At the same time, on the aircraft carrier USS Wrath, five nautical miles away, ground crews were preparing eighteen Jaegers and eighteen Fulmars. According to the predetermined plan, after daybreak, these aircraft would be neatly arranged on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Wrath.

As long as the reconnaissance planes of the Formidable found the enemy, the strike planes on the flight deck of the Furious aircraft carrier would instantly take off and fly to the target. Even though they knew they were no match for the enemy, all the pilots were ready to fight, swearing that as long as they could find the target, even if they had to crash into it head-on, they would make the damn German crew pay the price they deserved!

Or to take a step back, even if the German crew took the initiative, with the radar search range, the eighteen Fulmars lined up in the front on the flight deck of the Fury would be able to climb to a sufficient height for interception before the German aircraft reached their heads. Even the twelve Skuas with bombs hanging on them could drop their bombs directly after takeoff and carry out emergency interception.

Not to mention, there were seventeen Fulmars on the Formidable. They were just waiting for the first group of reconnaissance planes to take off so that they could be brought to the flight deck to begin final preparations.

This is also where Samoville’s greatest confidence comes from.

"I'll be ready by daybreak... I want to see what surprises you can come up with, Lütjens!"

Looking at the watch, it's less than half an hour until dawn...

But...God was destined to make the British people uneasy this morning.

"Report! Radar detected a large-scale fleet to the south of our fleet! Distance 50 nautical miles! Expected to engage King George V in twenty minutes!"

Even if they moved forward carefully, the fleet brought by Zeppelin would be exposed after reaching a certain range.

The radar soldier wiped his eyes in disbelief, and then the shout made the entire bridge command center instantly silent. After just two or three seconds, everyone started to prepare for battle and there was a commotion...

"Battle alert! Anti-aircraft positions ready!"

"What the hell!"

I actually got it right!

Lütjens actually turned over and launched a sneak attack on himself!

Samoville's old face couldn't help but twitch. Fortunately, he was prepared...

"All planes that can take off, including skuas and fulmars, take off now! You must stop the Germans for me!!"

"Yes!"

---

"Have you had enough breakfast?" Facing the rising sun, Zeppelin was obviously in a very good mood. Within her perception range, the British fleet had appeared.

"I'm full, Captain." Laughter came from the radio.

"Is that so? That's a pity. Then, let's go for morning tea!" Zeppelin raised the corner of his mouth and coined a term.

"Fish frying operation, begin!"

Chapter 319: Yamamoto Nagai has arrived in Germany!

At 5:30 in the morning in the West District, the sea surface could only see the distant dawn sky in the east, but at an altitude of 3,000 meters, the dawn of the sun had already appeared. The flying aircraft carrier Zeppelin was rushing towards the British at a very fast speed with a group of pilots under her command (little brothers).

At dawn in November, there were no conditions for the formation of cirrostratus clouds caused by evaporation, and the sharp trade winds whistling from the east swept away the remaining fog over the vast Atlantic Ocean. The morning light scattered rays of light, dyeing the war eagles in the sky golden. Looking down from the sky, the blue-black Atlantic Ocean was cloudless, with only the white waves caused by the British fleet sailing in the distance being particularly obvious. In the eyes of the fighter pilots of both sides who were constantly climbing to high altitudes, this sky was nothing less than a gladiatorial arena for the sky knights arranged by God himself!

The last guardian of the British Empire in history, the battleship King George V, was sailing steadily in the windy and rough Atlantic Ocean at a speed of 284 knots, heading towards the rising sun, against the wind and waves. Under the command of the 285 air search radar and the 133 air fire control radar, the eight mm anti-aircraft guns on the starboard side were ready to fire at any time, pointing straight to the south.

In the sky that was already turning white before dawn, the enemy aircraft fleet, shining with a faint golden light like the morning star, seemed to have appeared in the eyes of British officers and soldiers...

In front and behind the starboard side of the King George V, at a straight-line distance of two kilometers, the heavy cruisers Kent and London were blocking the starboard side of the battleship. Although the weakest point was only 25 mm of ship structural steel, it was considered to be a very weak defense among the heavy cruisers of various countries. Such defense basically could not withstand any decent attack. Even the sailors on them did not trust their warships very much. They were nicknamed tin cans among the sailors - in short, they would be flattened with a pinch. The entire anti-aircraft firepower consisted of only two mediocre 102mm anti-aircraft guns, which were obviously not enough to deal with the aggressive German Warhawks... But even so, the fearless Royal Navy officers and soldiers still placed their cruisers in front of King George V, just like the loyal and dedicated royal knights in ancient times who guarded the king in front of them... And just behind the two cruisers and the stern of King George V, four destroyers in formation were following closely a few kilometers away.

Six or seven kilometers northwest and northeast of the battleship, the two aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Furious were also sailing eastward at the same speed of 10.7 knots as the King George V. Although they were not like the Zeppelin, with a maximum speed of knots with horsepower, they could generate a deck wind speed of up to kilometers per hour when sailing at full speed against the wind, supporting the full-deck attack of the large formations that filled the deck. However, the two British aircraft carriers, speeding against the strong wind whistling from the east, could also bring a deck wind speed of more than knots at a speed of knots plus a wind speed of meters per second, which was equivalent to knots. With the help of this east wind, the two aircraft carriers were busy operating the rear elevators, pulling out one plane after another from the hangar, and releasing the planes arranged on the flight deck in an orderly manner.

Amid the whistling wind and the surging waves, skuas and fulmars from the British Isles flew towards the bright sun, against the east wind.

In the name of the British Empire, march forward bravely. Either die or defend your own destiny with your own strength!

Around the two aircraft carriers, there was a Dido-class anti-aircraft light cruiser and two destroyers for escort. With the aircraft carriers as the center, the Dido-class cruiser was stationed in the southwest, and the destroyers were deployed in the northwest and southeast, forming a semi-circular escort formation with a radius of 2 kilometers.

The Dido class has a displacement of only 7000 tons, and due to the decline of national strength, its armament is not complete, with only eight 133mm anti-aircraft guns instead of the original ten. However, it is a specially designed anti-aircraft cruiser with 284 air search radar and 285 air fire control radar, and its anti-aircraft firepower is no less than that of King George V!

Well, although it is only one side...

"Enemy aircraft spotted to the north! Two groups of aircraft, about fifteen kilometers away, each at an altitude of about 2500 meters... They are still climbing! We must seize the height!"

A BF109T fighter plane painted with the Edelweiss logo rushed to the front of the entire fleet, and soon a queen-like voice that was cold but violent came from the radio station.

Zeppelin's cheating perception ability is equivalent to an early warning aircraft with amazing processing power in air combat. It grasps the dynamics of the entire battlefield, and the pilots take advance action according to her instructions.

"Roger that!"

"understand!"

All the pilots responded loudly without exception, and pushed the throttle to the maximum and pulled the joystick. Both the fighters and dive bombers raised their noses, and climbed to a higher altitude at the best climbing speed of 2000 kilometers or kilometers, from an altitude of meters to minimize the radar detection distance.

At this time, the pilots were supported by their unreserved trust in this instructor who had "foreseen every possible plan". After all, on the dividing line between the dark night and the morning glow, few people could clearly see the few tiny black dots in the distance that were almost as invisible as dust from the strong contrast between black and white.

Zeppelin had seen everything clearly through the observation range of the early warning aircraft, and her command ability at the command aircraft level was enough to command the German air force pilots to launch this air raid. However, in order to hide her identity, she often reported the enemy situation through means such as "observation" and "speculation". In this way, she could use excuses such as "observation and analysis ability" and "command tactical ability" to explain. Even if the analysis was "just right" to match the facts every time, most people would only think that Major Zeppelin's tactical literacy and analytical ability were strong, and would not think of anything else.

Anyway, the information revealed, and the time of disclosure, were "just" enough for the pilots to have time to exert their abilities. Whether it was tactical tacit understanding or training quality! ----And she just gave a "just right" click at the critical moment!

This not only ensured tactical efficiency and assault success rate, but also cultivated the pilots' own combat experience. Even if they were transferred, their combat performance in other battlefields would not be much worse. After all, the training of the German Air Force was still quite tight due to many factors such as pre-war preparations, the scale of the war, and the resources available for training.

Therefore, if you are able to "lead" your troops well, of course you should "lead" them more often - this is the approach taken by a certain "Lei Feng" who led the world's strongest fighter wing in history.

After all, wars are fought to test the comprehensive strength of a nation. Compared with personal heroism and fighting for achievements, they are nothing. Zeppelin still has this awareness.

However... those who need to report should still continue to report, and those who need to command should still continue to command.

"Except for the four fighters led by Bal, the rest of the fighters will follow me to seize the altitude!"

"Yes!!"

But there was a weak "Yes..."

?

Amidst the uniform and loud responses, one seemed to recognize the voice of a cynical fighter unit commander and captain of a squadron?

Are you in a bad mood?

I'm already very good that I didn't put you on the flight deck and ground you, okay?

The enemy has more fighter planes than ours, so there will be plenty of things to do later. And you dare to answer the captain so weakly at this time? I guess I need to train you well later...

Thinking of what she saw when Rudolf, Barr, and Buckhorn were whispering to each other with puffed cheeks after they were intercepted by the Yorktown, Zeppelin couldn't help but smile evilly.

Well, it's still very beautiful when the iceberg melts a little and reveals a smile occasionally, but young men rarely see it.

"Attention, dive bombers! The enemy aircraft is in two groups. It is speculated that the enemy aircraft carrier is likely to be divided into two formations! In addition, based on the strength of the enemy fleet, it is speculated that the enemy battleship will lead some ships to rush forward as an air defense support point. The dive bomber team should make relevant tactical preparations and be ready to execute the predetermined tactics at any time! Now each team should prepare for the tactical deployment and continue to climb!"

"Dive Bomber Commander Oscar Tinolt reads!"

"Dive Bomber Squadron 1, read it!"

There was another uniform response. Ten kilometers behind the BF109T fighter, squadrons of dive bombers began to deploy their tactics. From the initial long snake formation, they quickly expanded into three groups of three planes as the basic unit, and the planes and the three planes were separated into three groups. At first glance, it looked a bit messy, but a closer look showed that the distance between them was just enough to cooperate with each other, but not enough to shoot down two planes by a round of anti-aircraft guns.

Although a large number of new recruits were added after the Battle of Newcastle, under the rigorous training of Zeppelin and the teaching by example of the veteran naval officers who had participated in the Battle of Newcastle, these new recruits who already had a certain foundation quickly adapted to the technical and tactical requirements of naval warfare.

Among these pilots, there are always a few who want to make big news...

Hans Rudel, Johann Helbich, Walter Engels, Ernst Stein…

However, the expressions of these people are very consistent: either rubbing their hands, or gritting their teeth...

Over there, Zeppelin's enemy intelligence reports continued...

"The enemy aircraft group has begun to disperse... The left wing group has nine Jaegers at an altitude of 2,500, and the right wing group has several batches of Fulmars at an altitude of 3,500! They are all continuing to climb!... We are five kilometers away, we will scatter to intercept! Rudolf, your four-plane squadron will be responsible for the left wing, and the others will join me in intercepting the right wing! Grislavsky, you and Novotny, climb as high as you can and cover everyone!... Bar, you and Buckhorn stay behind, and the task of intercepting the fish that slip through the net is left to you!"

"understand!"

"Very good! All tactics deployed! ... Four kilometers away, the enemy begins to turn... Three kilometers away, intending to rely on the mobility advantage, turn first and then fight us in a dogfight? Two kilometers away! Everyone, pay attention! Aim at the enemy! Charge head-on! Use our speed! Attack!"

"Yes!"

As he spoke, the Edelweiss fighter and the leading Fulmar flew past each other! The intersecting bursts of fire caused the Fulmar to leave a long trail of black smoke, and in just two seconds, the entire left wing broke off from the fuselage! In the rising sun and sunset glow above the sea and sky, the Fulmar fighter rolled over, dragging the pilot who didn't have time to parachute, and plunged headlong into the direction of hell! ! Marseille, who followed Zeppelin closely, also used his own precise and sharp bursts to send the Fulmar's wingman to the bottom of the sea to accompany his leader...

A brutal sea and air battle has begun!

-----

When Zeppelin was fighting fiercely in the Atlantic, Bismarck returned to Hamburg safely with the little mustache. Originally, Bismarck only planned to stay in Hamburg. After all, if her captain came back, he would definitely come to Hamburg. However, the little mustache still invited her to Berlin, for example, to accompany Eva or something...

Bismarck thought that the man with a mustache might have thought of himself as Eva's best friend?

Well, it’s incredible to think about it, although Eva and I did get along pretty well along the way.

After several hours of flight from Hamburg, the special plane returned to Berlin. Bismarck first went back to Lütjens' residence.

"Ah, it's Miss Bismarck. Why are you back? Where's the general?" Krupp said happily when he saw that the person coming was Bismarck, but when he looked behind him, it seemed that his master did not follow?

"The captain went to the Atlantic. I was not with him. I went out with the Führer." Krupp took Bismarck's luggage and walked into the house with her.

"How are you guys doing lately, Liliana?"

"Miss Lily has not been back. She has been in the research institute."

"Is Berlin safe now?" Bismarck remembered that Berlin had suffered an air raid before they left.

"Except for an air raid when you were here last time, there seems to be no more air raids since then." Krupp thought for a while and said.

It seems that Berlin's air defense has been strengthened a lot, Bismarck nodded, but this is the heyday of Germany after all, and it is still unknown what will happen in the future.

"This time I will stay in my room until the captain comes back..."

"Don't worry, Miss Bismarck, your room has always been intact and you can move in at any time." Krupp said with a smile.

"Then I'll trouble you~"

After returning to Berlin, Bismarck first took a nice hot bath, then lay on the big bed wrapped in a bathrobe, his long golden hair covering the sheets behind him.

Bismarck placed the soft pillow behind him and leaned on it in a comfortable position.

"Oh, yes, newspaper..."

Although many things in the newspapers at that time were not timely, it was still interesting to read them as something interesting. After all, in that era, there were too few facilities to provide entertainment. Bismarck used to like reading novels very much, but here... no one was writing.

She got out of bed and went downstairs to ask Krupp for today's newspaper.

"Well, Krupp, is there today's newspaper?"

The hardworking butler was wiping something, although this was not within his area of ​​responsibility and was usually done by servants.

"Miss Bismarck, at the table..." The butler turned his head and looked at Bismarck in a pure white bathrobe.

Slender thighs, small and delicate feet, and the upright indescribable part, cough cough.

The young man's face turned red all of a sudden.

He turned around quickly, and his breathing became rapid...

"Where?" Bismarck asked.

"It's on the table." Krupp stammered, and his hands moved faster.

"Krupp, you are too shy. Be careful... don't break the captain's photo frame." Bismarck said with a smile.

It's just someone wearing a bathrobe, there's no need to get so excited.

"Ms. Bismarck, there are outsiders here. How can you come out dressed like this..."

The calm butler seemed to lose his composure. He felt his blood boiling when he saw the angelic Miss Bismarck... No, he couldn't have this fantasy. Miss Bismarck was the general's... um, the general's something.

"There's no such thing as an outsider. Are you one?" She walked over, picked up the newspaper and held it in her hand.

"I mean someone else will come in..."

"Who else would come at this hour?" Bismarck said, "Okay, I'll go upstairs first. Sorry to bother you."

"I'm not disturbing you..." Krupp turned his head, glanced at Bismarck, and turned away embarrassedly.

"Hmm... the Führer's visit to the Soviet Union was reported so quickly." Bismarck was surprised when he saw the huge headlines in the newspaper. It was obvious that the man with the mustache had just returned to Berlin today.

"The French rebels launched an attack on our military base... Next."

"Hey, ha, what's going on here?"

Bismarck turned the page and saw on the third page of the newspaper the words "Japanese Naval Delegation Visits Germany".