Bismarck

"Together?...Okay...I understand. Report any developments immediately. (Click~)"

After hearing the pilot's report, Zeppelin replied somewhat depressedly. After hanging up the headset, she informed Bismarck of the situation via WIFI, while at the same time grabbing a two-color pencil and plotting the enemy situation reported by the pilot on the nautical chart.

The more she painted, the tighter her brows became...

It is now 11 o'clock in the morning. I am with the transport ship. Bismarck and Tirpitz are less than 30 kilometers in front of my left. If the American battleship turns east, theoretically it will be able to circle in front of me, that is, in the upwind position, in two hours, thus blocking my possibility of launching planes.

After all, without air supremacy, there is no sea supremacy, especially now that the US fleet can only rely on two escort aircraft carriers in the distance to provide fighter cover - but in previous air battles, the escort aircraft carriers also suffered heavy losses in fighters. Moreover, the escort aircraft carriers are no match for the regular carriers in terms of aircraft carrying capacity and deck operation efficiency.

only……

Even if it is a normal flight, the aircraft must be launched against the wind, but it takes two hours... If a large fleet is dispatched, the aircraft may not have enough time to prepare.

Not counting the FW-190 fighter squadron that was already prepared and ready to take off, there was only one FW-190 squadron on the flight deck. If the attack power was to be guaranteed, there would have to be at least aircraft on the flight deck, including the fighter squadron on standby.

Even if Bismarck and the others were to go forward to intercept, and at their maximum speed, they could still stop the American battleships. But...what if the Americans formed a separate destroyer group, and then used the battleships to take away Bismarck and Tirpitz, and then went around to carry out a torpedo attack...

And according to the reports from the reconnaissance aircraft, they are now preparing to do so.

The battleship was heading in front of him to get into the wind, but the movements of a high-speed and flexible ship like a destroyer were difficult to estimate. It was possible for it to follow the battleship or to sneak attack the transport ship from behind.

Moreover, Bismarck and Tirpitz would definitely protect themselves, but this would mean they would have to position themselves between the American battleships and themselves, which would put them further away from the transport ships. If the American destroyers went around, Eugen alone might not be able to protect five transport ships under the attack of six destroyers.

However, if we only prepare a small fleet and compress the preparation time, if the enemy does not disperse its positions, the fleet with insufficient attack power will be unable to do anything to the tough battleships.

Bombing a warship is not that easy.

When facing air raids, warships can not only use antiaircraft guns to organize counterattacks and cover each other, but also evade - even battleships, as long as they are discovered in advance, well-trained helmsmen can directly evade a single wave of attack by a squadron. Only by organizing multiple waves of attacks in turns or even a pincer attack can the warships be forced to have no way to escape.

(PS: In history, there was a record of a single attack wave avoiding ten torpedoes in the Malay Naval Battle, and the Japanese fleet in the Pacific also had quite a few examples of air evasion. Not counting the abnormalities of the two aviation battleship sisters of Matsuda Chiaki that were almost immune to air attacks, even though the Kurita fleet was attacked by more than 600 aircraft for two consecutive days in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, losing eight heavy cruisers and the battleship Musashi, the rest of the backbone battleships can be regarded as escaping unscathed - and the Japanese anti-aircraft firepower is still poor even compared with the German Navy equipped with 37 and 40 Bofors in succession and 20 quadruple-mounted tanks covering half of the deck in the later period...)

Qi Bolin's face became even more sad...

However, Bangtai saw her sad face...

"What's wrong? Zeppelin? Why do you have such an expression? Are you having any difficulties in attacking the group of aircraft?"

"Eh? Captain?" A question from Bangtai beside him brought Zeppelin back to his senses from his dual state of worry and daze.

"Yeah, I see you look so worried." Bangtai looked at Qi Bolin and asked, "What is the problem that worries you? Let me see if I can help you make a decision."

"Yes, that's right. I just estimated that the Americans could at most get in front of us and get in the upwind position to block our planes..." Qiberin nodded and told Bangtai beside him what he had thought.

After all, he is his captain and his old partner for many years. Although Bangtai seems to be very good and low-key on weekdays, he is actually very resourceful at critical moments.

When they were about to reinforce Bismarck in the port of Brest, the port garrison officer said that they had no oil. Lindemann was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves and was about to beat him up. But in the end, it was his own captain Bonte who used words to pressure the garrison officer to open the oil depot to his side. As a result, he scraped out thousands of tons of oil residue from the bottom of the cabin to make up the fuel for the voyage.

Right in front of Zeppelin, Bangtai thought about it and came up with an idea...

"Zeppelin, if you bring two squadrons of fighter planes with bombs attached, patrol the sky, and wait until their destroyers leave the battleships, are you sure you can destroy three or four destroyers?"

“…It’s possible if their destroyers break away from the battleships, but if they don’t… wait! I get it. Bangtai, you’re really something.” Halfway through his words, Zeppelin suddenly realized.

Bangtai on the opposite side smiled and nodded.

With two cutting-edge battleships and six American destroyers, their theoretical air defense firepower circle is not weak at all.

光是以那些127毫米高炮的火力——战列舰的双联装127毫米高炮每根炮管一分钟可以倾泻多达25发炮弹。而驱逐舰上装备的单管127虽然没有这么变态，但是毕竟也是装备着VT引信，而且有着对空简易射击指挥仪的指挥。这些火炮一分钟就能够喷洒多达1000发的127毫米高炮弹。更不要说，还有已经逐渐开始装备的40毫米瑞典博福斯高射炮和20毫米厄利空高射炮了。

If they were deployed in a wheel-shaped formation and were bombing battleships, even the GR186 squadron carried by Zeppelin would be an extremely difficult enemy to deal with.

But...if the destroyers and battleships are separated, that would be a different story.

Moreover, if those destroyers suffered heavy losses and were unable to independently carry out harassment and containment... relying solely on two American battleships, they would really be unable to do anything to Bismarck and Tirpitz.

The only requirement was to re-adjust the existing planes on the flight deck, load them with bombs, and try to launch the attack as soon as possible. This method could not only shorten the time of the battle to less than two hours, but also, because there were not many planes, the launch time and the distance of the defense circle would not be too long or too far. The entire formation was still within control.

Moreover, just by deterring them from the sky, they could be forced to gather together and not split up to attack the transport ships, which was a profitable business. And if they were forced to gather together, they would not have any advantage against Bismarck, Tirpitz and Prince Eugen.

The weaker party can only survive and find a way out if they disperse. If they are not strong enough in combat but still stubbornly stay together, the final result will be that they will be surrounded by the strong enemies who are also gathered together.

As for the consequences?

2333...

-

After figuring it out, Zeppelin's face immediately brightened up. Then, Zeppelin, in high spirits, directly contacted Bismarck through WIFI and reported Bonte's idea to Lütjens.

Immediately, the information from the Persian cat came over: Lütjens agreed to this plan, and even made a more perfect idea for this idea: first arrange the fighters on the flight deck, and at the same time prepare more planes in the standby area on the side of the flight deck - as long as there is any disturbance, they will take off directly. And if the Americans remain stable and there is no disturbance, the number of planes can be gradually increased. In this way, even if the Americans do not disperse, it will not delay the accumulation of enough strength to deal with the Americans who are concentrated together.

After receiving the instructions from Bismarck, Zeppelin and Bonte looked at each other and nodded together.

Just do it!

Chapter 649: Counter-grabbing T-head

Zeppelin was busy preparing for the attack, but Major General Giffen never split his troops!

They just took six American destroyers and went around to the left front of the Zeppelin and the transport ships...

It was noon, and the trade winds over the Indian Ocean were blowing hard, blowing the clouds overhead into fluffy cumulus clouds like cotton balls toward the African continent in the west. From time to time, between these cotton candy balls, there would be a fleeting, barely detectable tracer, and after some of these tracers, there would be one or several sparks of explosion, and then a thin black line would fall from the clouds into the ocean.

The British escort aircraft carriers had only a few reconnaissance planes left. Now they had summoned long-range reconnaissance planes from airports on the Indian subcontinent to monitor the movements of the German fleet at all costs!

In the combat command center CIC of the battleship Washington, Rear Admiral Giffen was holding a telescope, looking at the faint black smoke 28 kilometers behind his northwest side - the "evil spirit battleship" of the Greater German War Navy, the Prinz Eugen heavy cruiser! Moreover, according to the air force reconnaissance report, behind the Zeppelin, about 40 kilometers away, two more powerful "evil spirits" - the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, were under the command of Lütjens, following closely behind the Prince Eugen, covering the transport ships behind them and the Zeppelin aircraft carrier!

Thinking of the powerful fighting power of these evil spirits, Giffen wanted to curse...

Even if Rear Admiral Chris joined together, they couldn't defeat one Prinz Eugen - and it was said that five of them were paralyzed by a salvo of torpedoes from Prinz Eugen while they were charging! In the farewell telegram that Rear Admiral Chris sent to himself, he even clearly stated that he saw with his own eyes that "the German torpedoes can turn!"

"Do the Germans already have the technology to guide torpedoes?"

As a naval general, although Rear Admiral Giffen was not clear about it, he had heard some rumors and knew that someone seemed to be researching guided torpedoes and even guided bombs. It might even include a weapon called an anti-ship missile.

But... these things are still in the laboratory, and the Germans have already brought guided torpedoes directly to the battlefield? !

Major General Giffen smacked his lips and looked at the six destroyers deployed in front of him - the intelligence sent by the reconnaissance planes at all costs was there. According to the intelligence, he had actually successfully distanced himself from Bismarck and the other three - if the destroyers were somewhere else at this time, then the Zeppelin and the German transport ships would probably not be able to escape!

In fact, as long as you do the homework on the diagram, you can be sure to spread out your formation - not to mention that just a week ago, Lütjens dealt with the "support" in this way.

but……

It was because of the report sent by Major General Chris, telling him that Prince Eugen had guided torpedoes, that he did not do so.

Sending out destroyers can indeed pose a great threat to the German escort fleet, but without the protection of the destroyers, wouldn't they also be exposed to danger?

In the Battle of the Faroe Islands, it was this heavy cruiser, the Prinz Eugen, that alone defeated an entire formation of Rear Admiral Wilcox's Task Force 39! She earned the reputation of the "Black Storm". Even though she used guided torpedoes, this tactic of using high-explosive shells to wash the deck during the bombardment suppressed the combat effectiveness of the battleship Washington, and Giffen had to be vigilant.

The Prince Eugen had twelve torpedoes, six of which had just been used, and there were still six left. Once the destroyer's cover was gone, and this Evil Spirit heavy cruiser, which was currently traveling at a speed of 34 knots and was said to have a maximum speed of 37 or 38 knots, ran by and directly fired a round of guided torpedoes at it... the consequences would be terrifying to think about.

Even if it's not face-to-face, it's still scary.

But now, he and his destroyers have already surrounded her.

The tactical situation of naval warfare is that the faster ship has the advantage. The destroyer's speed is four knots faster than hers. And the distance of 30 kilometers is not very far, so it is completely possible to directly launch a wave of T-superiority anti-navigation mines.

Six American destroyers have sixty torpedoes. With this kind of firepower density, even if Prince Eugen is a so-called evil spirit with an incredible evasion rate, I'm afraid he won't be able to avoid it, right?

and…

The United States has a large land area and a small population density, so it must rely on the world's best management level to improve production and operation efficiency. Because of this, one of the main strengths of the US military is that it is a management-oriented army with extremely high troop operation efficiency. In the previous hour, Major General Giffen had even thought of the battle plan for how to send his destroyers to evacuate the formation, how to launch torpedo nets, and how to attack the German evil spirits.

In fact, as early as when Chris was killed and the escort fighters were completely wiped out by Zeppelin, Giffen knew that it was impossible for him to retreat safely - Zeppelin was an aircraft carrier, and no matter how fast a battleship ran, it could not outrun an airplane.

However, if I work harder, even if I can sink or even just damage a demon, then...

Somehow, although he was an American general, Giffen suddenly understood the "Nelson spirit" that his British Royal Navy allies, who fought alongside him, always boasted about...

Although a trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, Major General Giffen gritted his teeth and still made up his mind.

"This is probably what is called enlightenment..." Shaking his head, Giffen could not help but curse the powerful enemy in front of him in a low voice with some hatred: "...I don't know if you evil spirits are really like the legend, that Satan released you from the bottom of the deep sea to be the enemy of mankind... But at least I can risk my life to send you back to the bottom of the deep sea!"

I looked at the situation on the chart and then at the hands of my watch: it was exactly 12 noon, the estimated time! We could launch the attack.

I don’t know why, but now that I’m about to take action, I don’t feel excited, but rather I feel very stable.

"Come here, pass on my order: the entire fleet turns left as planned! North Carolina and Washington are heading northeast at 45 degrees to provide firepower covering. The destroyer fleet speeds up to 33 knots and turns degrees... target Prinz Eugen, attack!" After thinking for a moment, he added, "Tell them to be careful of the enemy's guided torpedoes!"

"YES SIR! AYE AYE SIR!" The subordinate saluted and turned away!

Soon, following the flags, signal lights and tactical radio signals of the USS Washington, six American destroyers - two Benson-class destroyers DD421 Benson and DD459 Laffey, and four Fletcher-class destroyers DD445 Fletcher, DD449 Nicholas, DD450 O'Bannon and DD451 Chevalier, which were put into service in advance during wartime production, accelerated to a high speed of knots and began to turn. The sisters North Carolina and Washington, who were slowly turning behind them, also quietly raised their main guns...

"Top! Top! Wake up! The enemy is coming!"

With a loud bang, Top woke up suddenly.

After commanding Eugen to deal with the cruiser, Top, who had just half-leaned and half-reclined on the backrest of the captain's chair for a nap of less than half an hour, felt something - like a cute little rabbit - shaking his arm. It seemed that even the hull was shaking, and the sound of the cruiser's 203 main gun firing was heard.

Moreover, we can already hear the gunfire!

As an old sailor, Top opened his eyes and climbed up with his instincts. "What's wrong? Eugen? They're coming?"

Before he finished speaking, the eight main guns of the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen fired another round of salvos!

The violent vibration caught Top, who had just woken up, off guard and made him dizzy!

Shaking his head, Top finally came back to his senses from the shock of the previous shot - if he remembered correctly, he had told his heavy cruiser before he dozed off that if the enemy appeared, he should first open fire and return fire, and at the same time report to the commander, and then pull himself up...

Before he could say anything else, a small hand had already grabbed his sleeve:

"They are coming! Toptop, come and see!"

Looking at the target of the opposite side's artillery fire, Eugen anxiously pulled Top up from the captain's chair and dragged him to the side of the automatic plotter that was plotting the battlefield situation. He pointed to the direction where the Americans were coming from southeast of him on the drawing board that was automatically plotting: "Top Top, look... just now, their destroyers and battleships turned their rudders and began to approach... The range change rate is... The azimuth is... The situation has been reported to the commander and others, and they have also started to bombard them... Top Top, what should we do next?!"

The little rabbit looked at his captain nervously, asking for combat guidance. As Eugen explained, Top's expression became serious and darkened!

The Americans are trying to steal T’s own words!

In just three minutes, the distance between him and the American destroyer had narrowed from 28 kilometers to 25 kilometers! And the distance between him and the American battleship had also narrowed to a little over 26 kilometers!

Although it can be seen that there seems to be a destroyer on the opposite side that is emitting thick smoke due to Eugen's artillery fire, but... they still have five destroyers.

Theoretically, he had to change his course now. Otherwise, in five minutes at most, he would be within the range of fifty torpedoes from the five enemy destroyers.

but……

He glanced at the two marks behind his position on the chart - just ten kilometers away from his eight o'clock position were the commander's Bismarck and Tirpitz, and further away were the Zeppelin and the transport ships...

Commander Lütjens was not far behind him on the right! If he turned, with a distance of only ten kilometers, he would be able to block the angle of Bismarck and Tirpitz in just a few minutes - of course, it was not impossible to join the commander's formation. But in this case, the enemy destroyers could, under the cover of the flanking battleships, bypass the front of his entire formation and directly attack a wave of torpedoes, or bypass him and directly raid the Zeppelin and the transport ship. It would be easy!

In other words, if I were completely out of position, the entire formation would be put in a passive position. If the entire formation turned to avoid the situation, then the Zeppelin at the back would lose the ability to launch its fighter jets into the wind.

Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, he saw that five minutes had passed. The distance between him and the American destroyer and battleship had shortened to 23 kilometers and 25 kilometers respectively!

The situation on the battlefield is race against time and there is no time to think about it!

But… it seems that when I thought of Zeppelin just now, I thought of something… Wait! Didn’t Zeppelin say that she was preparing a fleet of aircraft? Is it ready now? !

"Eugen, go ask Zeppelin, the American destroyer has separated from the battleship, when can her planes take off!" Looking at Eugen who was concentrating on the bombardment target, Top asked

"Yeah, okay, okay... No! Everybody hold on tight! The American battleships are firing!"

At the same time as Eugen's somewhat anxious voice, a flash of light appeared in the distance - the flash of the muzzle of an American battleship twenty-four kilometers away (27000 yards).

The battleship's shells are heavy, have a strong speed retention performance, and fly for a shorter time. Because of the high trajectory, the dispersion range is relatively closer to a circle! The power and deterrence are not comparable to the 203!

This is the real killer!

Chapter 650: Eugen's Situation

Just as Top was in a dilemma about whether to turn or not under the bombardment of two American battleships, the battleship Bismarck, the aircraft carrier Zeppelin, and a little hamster that was dragged in were acting as a megaphone for tactical arrangements between their two captains in the WiFi space...

While discussing combat ideas with Bismarck and Tirpitz on behalf of their respective captains, Zeppelin also paid a little attention to the sky above his head. What made Zeppelin a little uneasy was that he had not been able to gain the upper hand in this air battle. In his original expectation, this sea and sky should have been under his control long ago.

In order to detect their movements, the Allies even sent out four-engine heavy bombers with sturdy fuselages and large radars. If they didn't come, it would be fine. But if they did, they would send a squadron of six planes.

The maritime reconnaissance version of the American Consolidated B-24 heavy bomber, the PB4Y Privateer.

The one patrolling in the sky was a BF-109 fighter that had participated in an air battle before. Although his piloting skills were perfect, most of that was experience in fighter-to-fighter combat. And although he was equipped with a powerful MG151-20 cannon, it was still difficult to deal with this kind of dense formation, sturdy fuselage, and powerful self-defense firepower.

Three planes had already been destroyed by the fierce fire of the self-defense machine guns, which made Zeppelin particularly sad. At this time, only two heavy bombers of this type had been shot down.

Although with Zeppelin's knowledge and vision of aircraft, as well as the circumstances of previous attacks, she could see that the place where the wing and fuselage of this aircraft were connected was a location where the structural strength was easily damaged.

But...

In front of the bomber self-defense fire network that was as dense as a hedgehog and with an effective range of more than 1000 meters, the small and light BF-109s, which did not have enough firepower, circled back and forth and flew up and down. There was nothing they could do about this group of "hedgehogs" - even if they knew where their weaknesses were, they had to be able to withstand the opponent's counterattack fire and aim and shoot accurately.

If these planes are not dealt with, our maneuvers will be exposed.