Bismarck

The three commanders looked at each other and seemed to have reached a consensus...

The artillery of Bismarck and Tizi was chasing the British army all the way towards Chania. The German army in Chania was also urgently adjusting its deployment, and machine guns were urgently transferred to the only coastal road leading to Maramana...

The distance from Malama to Chania is actually less than ten kilometers. In the sneer eyes of the German soldiers who were already deployed, they could even see the artillery fire and the chaotic "flock of sheep" on the road ahead...

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The air battle south of Crete was still going on. The SBDs who had defeated the first wave of German dive bombers knew that they were no match for the BF109 and FW190 in terms of air combat. However, they were able to unite and use formation firepower to cover the rear while attacking the German bombers in a group!

However, the speed of Bf109 and FW190 is much faster than that of SBD, which is a guest fighter...

第二中队的九架JU87还在第一中队后方整整五公里以外，但是速度已经飞上了480甚至600的BF109和FW190们，要想追赶即使是利用了小角度俯冲的重力加速仍然也只有420公里/时的SBD，真的不要太简单……

Especially the FW190, which was diving at high speed, could catch up to a full 4 meters in one minute! Moreover, the fuselage structure was extremely solid, and the air-cooled engine had strong damage resistance. What's more, the frontal firepower was abnormally strong (20 2mm cannons and 13 7.62mm heavy machine guns)! The firepower of the 190mm twin rear machine guns in the rear seat of the SBD was completely a tickle for the FW190. The FW relied on its large ammunition load and strong firepower. Under the crazy shooting, one SBD after another plunged into the Mediterranean Sea in various ways of death...

In just one and a half minutes, the absolute numerical advantage of 500 SBDs was reduced to only 180 Crickets, and the Stuka Squadron opposite them had already begun to turn around when they were attacked. Although they were carrying KG armor-piercing bombs, more than one minute or two minutes was enough for them to turn degrees and start using their rear machine guns to aim at the SBDs that were originally hungry but now dumbfounded.

The Stuka with bombs hanging on it also has a speed of more than 250 kilometers per hour, and it is moving in the same direction! Not to mention that due to the distance, until the Stukas have completed their turn, the SBD has not yet flown into the range of the M2's onboard machine guns...

Although at a maximum speed of around 420, it won't be long before you can catch up.

"The Second Squadron hid just in time! It will take the British at least another minute to catch up with the Second Squadron!" In the cockpit of the Edelweiss fighter, Zeppelin thought with a chuckle, and at the same time, she released the throttle and put a few strands of hair covering her eyes behind her ears with her left hand. But her right hand holding the joystick did not stop - less than 200 meters in front of her, three SBDs were desperately changing their positions, trying to use the rear seat machine guns to drive them out of the ten o'clock position.

But, is it useful?

Moreover, it seems that several planes in a group can cover each other, but the planes in the group are too close to each other. After shooting down one plane, it takes almost no time to switch to attack another one!

As for the dive bomber escaping from the fighter plane…? Please, don’t think that just because you played a fighter plane once, you can really be a fighter plane!!

In one minute, it was really too easy for Zeppelin to deal with three shivering SBDs huddled together...

In ten seconds, two barrel rolls, three rounds of bullets, and three more British SBDs were destroyed! The extremely simple operation brought about an extremely gorgeous shooting effect, and the yellow No. 14 wingman following closely behind the Zeppelin was dumbfounded...

“Marceu, don’t be stunned! There are two SBD teams ahead, one for you and one for me - if you don’t shoot down at least two before I shoot down three, go back and train!!”

In the headset of the wingman pilot, a voice that was originally cold and not loud, but had completely darkened, and even the words were full of darkness. The super ace was shocked and just reacted, but he saw only the Edelweiss that had rushed up again!

"What are you still standing there for?! Hurry up!!" Seeing that Marseille still didn't respond, Zeppelin pushed the accelerator and continued to shout.

“Ah… yes yes yes!”

He responded hastily, and hurriedly pushed the accelerator, and the yellow No. 14 fighter accelerated and rushed forward. Just as Zeppelin destroyed the last SBD into the Mediterranean, Marseille almost broke the wing of the second SBD in front of him...

In the same short ten seconds, two SBDs...

"Not bad? I won't give you any special training today - you can deal with the remaining plane yourself!" With a chuckle like a silver bell, Zeppelin shook the wings and flew off the route at an angle.

The rear machine gunner of the SBD was still fighting hard, but in a one-on-one situation, how could he escape the crosshairs of a super ace like Marseille?

Marseille, who was originally (historically) outstanding, unruly, but skilled, has completely turned into a weakling in front of Zeppelin.

Although, the skills seem to be much more sophisticated than the original level...

The nose of the plane was pressed into the blind spot of the SBD, and with a short burst of light fire, the tail of the SBD was completely broken. The unbalanced Dreadnought, with the desperate screams of the pilot and the rear gunner, spiraled into the ocean - in less than two seconds! !

It seems that being trained by a certain cold and beautiful instructor until I feel airsick every day is not without benefit...

ps: Silently thank the big sister...

Chapter 410: Zeppelin vs Warspite

In just less than two minutes, although another BF109 was shot down by the desperate counterattack of the SBDs' rear machine guns, a total of nineteen SBDs were shot down by the guns of these well-trained pilots!

Many planes continued to fight, trailing black smoke. No one knew how long they could fight. Maybe they could go back, or maybe in the next second.

All that's left is instinct.

"Surround us!"

"Aim and shoot! Save ammunition!"

"Yes!"

The SBD no longer had a numerical advantage, and the 17 remaining SBDs in the sky had been chased around by the ten fighters. It was only a matter of time before they were completely wiped out.

Although the SBD's attack was later repelled by fighter planes, the Stukas had already suffered serious losses.

On the bomber group side, Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Tinault, the commander of the GR186 bomber wing who personally led the team to participate in the battle, frowned tightly.

This loss simply hurts him.

Because of the huge fireballs that appeared earlier, the fighter planes suffered heavy losses, which led to the forty-eight SBDs breaking through the interception line in one round of assault, and even causing the first dive bomber squadron to be almost wiped out...

Tinolt didn't know what it was, but as the commander of the bomber unit, he had to do something! But one thing was obvious: the standardized sea attack training they did on a daily basis must be adjusted! They needed to respond according to the actual situation at sea.

He looked at his men: Walter Engels's 2nd Dive Bomber Squadron, the 3rd Dive Bomber Squadron carrying torpedoes in the rear, and the two remaining planes of the 1st Dive Bomber Squadron. Stan and Rudel had also regrouped.

At this time, Zeppelin had given up on harvesting heads and flew over in his Edelweiss BF109 fighter.

The pilots breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their instructor's fighter plane, which had been riddled with holes, return to them.

Fortunately she is fine.

For young pilots, as long as the instructor is fine, that's all that's good.

Although they knew that the instructor's skills were better than theirs and they also needed Zeppelin's command, subconsciously, they still hoped that she would not attack.

Looking at the remaining SBDs being chased by fighters and fleeing everywhere, as well as her own perception ability, Zeppelin breathed a sigh of relief. She was fully confident that even if any of the escaped SBDs planned to make a desperate attempt, they would not be able to get past her!

Therefore, Zeppelin could drive his fighter plane over with confidence and plan with Tinault how to attack the Mediterranean Fleet led by the Warspite!

Originally, this attack should have been very smooth, but due to the sudden appearance of Warspite, it has become a little tricky. However, Zeppelin will not retreat because of this.

Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Tinolt was a veteran dive bomber pilot and commander. Even though Zeppelin held a higher position, she still respected Tinolt very much.

Just like the previous attitude towards Flensburg and Bontai...

"How many troops do we have left now?" asked Zeppelin.

"Among the dive bombers, there are only two left in the first squadron, and the nine planes in the second squadron are intact. Including me, there are still twelve dive bombers! As for the torpedo planes, there are nine torpedo planes in the third torpedo squadron, a total of twenty-one!" Tinolt replied. "By the way, Zeppelin, what was that before? Was it the battleship's main gun firing into the air?"

"Well, an extremely troublesome opponent! If I'm not mistaken, the main gun of that battleship's anti-aircraft artillery hit rate is likely to be 100% within 20 kilometers!" Zeppelin said solemnly.

"Hitting the target every time?! The main gun of a battleship?! This...how is this possible!" Tinault couldn't believe the news!

"Some things are confidential so I can't tell you too much detail, but I am absolutely not wrong about this matter, 'she' has this ability - but fortunately, it should be only that one that is 100% accurate!" Zeppelin frowned a little depressed, after all, the existence of KanColle...how to say it?

Awkward……

"In short, don't ask too many questions for now. Just estimate and formulate an assault plan based on this!" That was all Zeppelin could say...

---

Three battleships (Warspite, Queen Elizabeth, and Valiant, with two twin-mounted 2mm anti-aircraft guns on each side, and a combat firing rate of 102-15 rounds per minute); three aircraft carriers (Glorious, Formidable, and Indomitable, with four twin-mounted 20mm anti-aircraft guns on each side, and a combat firing rate of 4 rounds per minute); two anti-aircraft light cruisers (Sirius and Cleopatra, with 114 20mm anti-aircraft guns on each side, and a combat firing rate of 10-133 rounds per minute); eight destroyers (Javelin, Black-backed Jackal, Queen, Juno, Jarvis, Legion, Lightning, and Lance, with three twin-mounted 8mm main guns on each side and a single-barrel 10mm anti-aircraft gun, and a firing rate of about 8 rounds per minute. Among them, Legion, Lightning, and Lance are anti-aircraft types with a maximum elevation angle of 3 degrees, and the others are models with an elevation angle of no more than 120 degrees). This is all the long-range anti-aircraft firepower of the British fleet...

Of course, there is actually another one that is beyond the scope of this theory: the Warspite's eight 381mm main guns!

The light cruisers and destroyers formed a box-shaped array. Two anti-aircraft cruisers with powerful anti-aircraft firepower were placed at the two corners facing the German aircraft group. In the middle of the circle were three battleships and three aircraft carriers arranged in double columns...

Dozens of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns blocked all directions, and they could also cover each other... They were like hedgehogs, making it difficult to attack...

"This anti-aircraft firepower is not easy to deal with..."

Tinault touched his nose helplessly.

"I'm afraid the conventional concentrated assault won't work. We can only use the dispersed assault tactic. I'll need ten to fifteen minutes to deploy - luckily we still have enough fuel."

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Looking at the crews that were dispersing and approaching from all directions, everyone, including Cunningham and War-weary, was a little confused.

"Are they going to... split up and attack?" War-weary asked, frowning. "This way our firepower will be dispersed..."

As a veteran who has been through many battles and is good at chatting and laughing, War-weary has enough life experience to see at a glance that these German pilots are probably going to make some big news.

A large hand grasped War-weary's small hand, while another patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. If the fleet is dispersed, the positions and distances will be inconsistent, and coordination will inevitably be a problem." Cunningham comforted War-weary. Although War-weary could feel it, Cunningham himself was actually sweating...

The high-altitude dive bombers and low-altitude torpedo planes were dispersed into several small groups, attacking from both sides at the same time! This kind of joint attack is the most difficult to defend! Although it is also the most difficult attack mode to play in actual combat due to various factors!

Be it Cunningham or War-weary, or even any qualified naval officer, one can see the power of this move!

However, as a surface fleet, with the absolute speed advantage of aircraft, all they can do is passive defense and protect themselves together...

At this time, the German aircraft groups sparsely distributed around the British fleet had almost simultaneously swooped down in groups of two or three from all directions!

At this moment, except for the Warspite, which could use its 381mm main gun to carry out accurate anti-aircraft shooting at a distance of kilometers, and command the other two sister ships to follow its shooting at a long distance, the effective range of the other anti-aircraft artillery fire networks of the British fleet was within ten kilometers or even eight kilometers!

Although, the destroyers deployed on the periphery were located three or four kilometers closer to the German aircraft group because of their positions on the periphery, so their maximum range could barely reach the range of 18 kilometers away from the Warspite. But the hit rate...

Dense black smoke and fireballs appeared in the sky, which were the anti-aircraft guns of the outer destroyers and light cruisers. However, the sparse German aircraft group completely ignored the already sparse anti-aircraft fire network, and drew S-shaped arc trajectories, passing through the black clouds formed by the anti-aircraft fire network!

As the fleet was divided into several groups attacking at high and low altitudes at the same time, the firepower of the escorting destroyers and light cruisers was also scattered. The scattered firepower led to a lower interception rate. In the whole two minutes, except for the three dive bombers destroyed by the Warspite with three salvos, the British fleet did not hit any!

In just these two minutes, the German bomber group had rushed to a distance of 8000 meters!

It was still 12 kilometers away from the Warspite, and five kilometers behind the Warspite, another team of aircraft in the British aircraft carrier formation had already circled to the rear of the fleet and had already begun a forced assault!

For a moment, the British fleet was caught between two things! Even though the main guns of the Warspite were hitting the target every time, her bulky 381mm main guns could not be turned or reloaded quickly. Although the 102mm anti-aircraft guns could also be accurate, the power and quantity of the 102mm anti-aircraft guns, which had not yet been equipped with VT fuses on a large scale, were slightly insufficient...

The bombers were getting closer and closer to the British fleet...

Chapter 411: Who is walking away in the raging fire?

When diving at a ship, dive bombers must lower the speed brake to reduce the dive speed, so that they have more time to observe the target and correct the aiming angle. The more accurate the aim, the greater the harvest, which is decisive. However, dive bombers with reduced speed can be easily shot down by enemy fire! Especially when dive bombers dive over enemy ships, it is difficult to climb up quickly, which is the most dangerous. Therefore, when bombing a fleet, dive bombers generally do not pull up directly after diving, but directly leave at full speed close to the water surface at ultra-low altitude. Then use extensive evasive actions to leave the battlefield over the sea area controlled by the enemy. Only after leaving that airspace can the pilots take a breath of fresh air, return home to rest their bodies and minds, and prepare for the next attack to rush into hell again.

——by Hans Ulrich Rudel, the German dive bomber super ace pilot, the only knight of the Iron Cross with gold, diamond, oak leaves, swords and double swords

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"Rudel, follow closely! Don't fall behind at this time!"

The sky at an altitude of 3,700 meters is not a pure and flawless paradise. At this moment, this airspace is covered by dense artillery shells and has become a dangerous place where death is everywhere.

As Ernst Stan walked along the edge of the anti-aircraft smoke, he didn't actually need to judge the explosion point of the anti-aircraft guns, because there was no way to judge. No one knew where the anti-aircraft guns would come from and whether they would hit them.

What can be done is to speed up the process.

A few hundred meters behind him, Rudel's JU87 was following closely behind his squadron leader.

There were only two fighter planes in their formation.

This was just one of more than a dozen aircraft formations that were rushing towards the British fleet. Moreover, among these formations, there were even shadows of FW190 fighters. In order to suppress the British fleet's anti-aircraft firepower, these fighters also had to use their 20mm machine guns to sweep the anti-aircraft gun positions of the British warships!

In fact, although the fighter jets' strafing did not cause any damage to the warships, it could cause great fear to the sailors. After the series of flames swept from the side of the warships, they left behind a field of bloody body parts and viscera hanging everywhere. This was very shocking to a normal person, especially to the sailors on the anti-aircraft artillery positions without much protection, who were under tremendous psychological pressure.

Moreover, not only is the psychological pressure great, the casualties are also real.

The fighter squadron led by Zeppelin was responsible for suppressing the anti-aircraft artillery.

She rushed forward again and fired fiercely at the unprotected anti-aircraft guns.

However, the warships were not without the ability to fight back, and this was destined to be a lose-lose battle.

Although it has a dive speed of more than 650 kilometers per hour, it is still very dangerous to fly over the enemy fleet that is raining bullets. If you are not careful, you will be hit...

It should be said that there is no point in being careful. At this speed, human beings' poor nerve reflexes are no longer effective. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.

The fighter pilots followed their instructors and plunged headfirst into the terrifying fire network.

It's so crowded that it makes people feel desperate.

However, who else would they attack?

An FW190 fighter was hit directly by five twin 1500mm anti-aircraft guns just 133 meters away from the Cleopatra air defense cruiser!

In almost an instant, the cockpit and the fuel tank were blown up!

A ball of fire suddenly burst out of nowhere, illuminating the side of the cruiser. The distance was so close that the debris from the explosion even cut off the top of the head of a British soldier, who fell directly to the deck and was quickly dragged away.

The flames were dazzling, and no body was left!!

However, all this did not scare the German pilots, or they had no time to check on their comrades in such an intense battle.

The only thing left in my mind was kill, kill, kill!

Although the British fleet was able to cover the surrounding airspace of ten to twenty kilometers with deadly anti-aircraft firepower, it was still breached by the desperate raids of the German Air Force.

Due to the energy lost during acceleration and evasion, the altitude of the German dive bombers has dropped to about 3300 meters. Although this altitude is too low, it is relatively easy to hit the target!

Amidst the dense forest of anti-aircraft guns and the barrage of thorns, two dive bombers continued to fly through the smoke and rain of bullets. They were Shitan and Rudel.

"Rudel, don't break up! Follow me! It's your turn to charge!" Captain Stan made a joke and without even looking back at the position of his wingman, he pulled the joystick to the left and barely avoided several clouds of smoke that suddenly exploded seven or eight hundred meters ahead.