Chapter 1,181 Threat From the Air
Chapter 1181 Threat from the air
Rear Admiral von Lefetzov guessed correctly. Prince Ruprecht and Hipper's main fleet did encounter some troubles, but these troubles did not come from British surface ships. In this sea area, except for the British There is no longer a complete British warship among the fragments of the battleship, and there is no underwater submarine. In the face of a relatively large and well-escorted fleet, the role of submarines is very limited. Von Lefetzov's fleet was attacked by surprise. This was already a stroke of luck for the British, and their remaining RP value was definitely not enough to hit another stroke of luck... Otherwise, according to the conservation law of RP, Thomas and Betty will probably leave one!
Although the prince knew that the British Air Force was very impressive in the first battle. It is absolutely no problem to say that it is the first in the world, and it is far behind France, the second best, but it is all analyzed from data. Sometimes pure data is not Intuitive. This is like the concept of personnel. 1,000 people may not seem like a lot, but when the prince first followed his uncle Prince Leopold to review the 1st Regiment of the Bavarian Guards when he was a child, he asked his uncle how many people there were. How many people? The latter's answer was 800 people. Looking at the crowd, the prince certainly thought there were at least 3,000 people! Only later did he have a correct understanding of the so-called people filling the mountains and plains with tens of thousands of people!
But this time, the prince finally had a very direct understanding of the power of the Royal Navy's aviation force. Hundreds of aircraft of various types fly above your head, and then start dropping bombs. Can you not understand? !
To be honest, during World War I, the British aviation industry was quite terrifying in terms of quantity and quality. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was comparable to the United States during World War II! If we say that during World War II, the British aviation industry and the German aviation industry at their peak were still on par.
(Historically, the peak production capacity of the German Air Force was in 1944, when 39,000 aircraft of various types were produced. The British produced a maximum of 26,000 aircraft. Although the number is small, considering the number of aircraft such as Lancaster and Halifax, level of things, so the actual production capacity may not be less than that of Germany. In the same way, although Maozi produced a maximum of 40,000 aircraft a year, if we simply talk about the aviation industry during the war, it cannot be compared with Germany. After all, Germany’s twin-engine The number of bombers is very high.)
So in history, the German aviation industry in World War I is not worthy of carrying shoes for the British! The gap is so big. Even now, the prince believes that purely in terms of aviation industry scale and technology, there is still a gap between Germany and the United Kingdom. The reflection on the battlefield is that although the German Air Force has a better organizational system and a better battle command level higher. But the Allied Air Force has the advantage, and in addition to ensuring that it can compete with the main force of the Prussian Air Force on the mainland, the British also have time and energy to equip the Royal Navy with more than 2,000 aircraft! But today, what the prince saw was the tip of the iceberg!
In fact, if the First World War in history had been delayed longer, with the explosion of technological progress in 1917 and 1918, the British aviation power had made great progress. The quality has been greatly improved. By then, air power will make Germany's situation more difficult.
Carrying out large-scale strategic bombing 20 years in advance is definitely not talk. (Of course, the amount of bombs dropped is definitely not comparable to that of Battle 2.)
When the main fleet led by the prince and Hipper solved the British fleet on the sea and prepared to withdraw, it was probably around 10 o'clock in the morning. The sea fog finally cleared and visibility skyrocketed. At this time, the seaplane unit that had been on guard duty on the periphery sent a telegram. They saw planes, a lot of British planes!
"Within my sphere of influence, I can clearly see four groups of aircraft flying from the west. Their total number is about 45. In the distance, at the limit of the visual distance, I can see more Black spots. They swarmed over like a swarm of locusts!" the first German pilot who discovered the British bomber group wrote in a telegram.
"Okay, everyone, it seems that we need to face a new threat. The fleet is ready to concentrate. All seaplanes, aircraft carriers and aircraft are taking off to prepare to intercept the target. Don't worry about the single-engine aircraft. Whichever one is bigger will be hit!"
"Other fleets will return directly in units. We don't want to stay here. In addition to the two-engine seaplanes hunting freely, the single-engine seaplanes released by each warship only need to ensure the safety of our own units." Hearing this After receiving the information, the prince felt a little wilted and even a little depressed. He thought that as a time traveler, before he even got a plane to bomb the British fleet, he had the British naval aviation directly drop bombs on his head. This was a sign of respect to the time traveler. What a provocation! The very cautious traveler made a note for the British in his little notebook, preparing to retrieve it when he has time...
As for fleet air defense, what should we do? Don't tell me, the prince really doesn't know what to do. The historical air defense methods in World War II cannot be directly applied at all. Anti-aircraft wheel formation? Come on, destroyers in this era usually only have three 88mm guns, and the NB ones will have two 150mm guns, but no matter which kind of artillery is suitable for air defense due to the problem of shooting angle and gun mount, the battleships have some 2-pound guns, but None of the destroyer class ones are equipped. And without mature fire control, how many aircraft do you expect to shoot down with a simple 2-pounder gun and a small amount of 88-gun?
The so-called best air defense is aircraft. The prince can only rely on about 3 to 4 seaplanes on his own battleships, as well as the improved K-4 twin-engine seaplanes on the seaplane aircraft carrier. The fleet has set up an air defense network. As for fleet air defense guidance? Take a shower and go to sleep. Don't think about it!
Therefore, the task of fleet air defense basically depends on the pilot's own strength. The prince's arrangement is also the best he can do. The twin-engine aircraft has strong firepower and a relatively long time in the air. It has sufficient endurance to provide anti-aircraft firepower between the fleets. Now at sea, the main force of the entire German High Seas Fleet has dispersed because of the pursuit of British warships. The distance between the various fleets is more than 10 kilometers. In this case, it is unrealistic to emphasize that all aircraft should be concentrated for defense.
Twin-engine aircraft have good range and firepower and are responsible for active attacks. Single-engine aircraft have limited firepower and range. They only need to drive away the opponent or force the opponent to drop bombs. This can be regarded as making the best use of everything.
As for the fleet on the sea, let's go home as soon as possible. Therefore, after the prince gave the order, except for the battlecruiser squadron led by Major General von Lefetzov, the other battleships turned directly to the southeast and sailed towards Wilhelmshaven.
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