Chapter 1235 Chapter 1266 Atomic Bomb 23 Chapter 1267 Atomic Bomb 24

Eastern Time, April 29, 1945, 4:15 pm.

The USS Essex, the flagship of the U.S. 56th Task Force, was already shrouded in a thick smell of gunpowder smoke, and the sailors were nervously making final preparations for the sea and air battle. On the deck of the aircraft carrier, the F6F and F4U fighter jets have been arranged neatly, loaded with fuel and ammunition, and are ready to take off at any time to face the invading German fighter jets. On the sea near the Essex, hundreds of U.S. Navy ships have formed an anti-aircraft formation. The aircraft carrier is in the center, surrounded by layers of escorts of cruisers and destroyers, and hundreds of direct cover aircraft are hovering in the sky, making it look like it is facing a formidable enemy.

Because an hour and a half ago, a seaplane suspected to be a Bv138E conducted a reconnaissance near the Bay of Fundy under the cover of a squadron of Fokker 636s. If there is no equipment failure, with the Bv138E's reconnaissance capabilities, it is impossible not to detect the U.S. fleet in the harbor.

In addition, the carrier-based fighter jets sent by the 56th Task Force to fight on the island of Newfoundland also sent back some strange reports - what kind of huge water column, what kind of hemispherical clouds, what kind of large tsunami... It seems to be the Germans Tsunami bombs were used on Newfoundland, and perhaps the mines used to block the bay were cleared by this tsunami bomb.

The battle on Newfoundland seems likely to be in big trouble. If the Germans open up Concepcion Bay, the fighting on Newfoundland will become very fierce. By then, the U.S. military will have to massively reinforce Newfoundland. On the island of Finland, fierce sea and air battles may break out. And Task Force 56 will be the key to the outcome of the Battle of Newfoundland!

Admiral Mitchell, who had not fully understood the situation, felt that his fleet might be attacked by an air attack, so he ordered the fleet to form an air defense formation, and also requested support from the North American Northeast Air Defense Command to prepare for an attack over the Bay of Fundy and incoming The guilty German fighter planes fought to the death.

"Admiral, there is an urgent message from the Naval Operations Department, ordering us to disperse our formation immediately and evacuate the Bay of Fundy eastward at full speed."

"What?" After hearing Arleigh Burke's report, Admiral Mitchell was stunned. "Department of Naval Operations? Arleigh, are you right?"

The U.S. Naval Operations Department is equivalent to the German Naval Command (the German Naval Command is actually equivalent to a staff department). Its subordinates are the Grand Fleet Command and the Naval Aviation Command such as the Pacific-Atlantic Fleet Joint Command. Such departmental headquarters as the Marine Corps Command. As usual, you should not go beyond the Grand Fleet headquarters to give orders to the task force below - the superior of the task force is the squadron, and the superior of the squadron is the commander of the Grand Fleet. This time, orders were issued at two levels. Isn't Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King afraid that the command below will be messed up?

"It was a direct order from the Naval Operations Department," Arleigh Burke frowned, "I have asked the radio station to ask for the reason."

Admiral Mitchell nodded and said, "Okay, let's wait for the explanation from the Naval Operations Department first..."

"Admiral, Admiral!" Before Mitchell could finish his words, the fleet's communications officer trotted into the fleet command center on the Essex aircraft carrier, holding a piece of paper he had just translated in his hand. A copy of the telegram.

The communications staff officer did not wait for Arleigh Burke to ask questions, and reported quickly: "The telegram from the Naval Operations Department said that the Germans used a powerful atomic bomb in Concepcion Bay, Newfoundland. !

The explosion yield of this atomic bomb is estimated to be equivalent to 200,000 tons of explosives, and its power can cover an area of ​​100 square kilometers of sea! That’s why the Naval Operations Department directly issued the order..."

"What? The power can destroy the fleet within 100 square kilometers around the atomic bomb explosion point..." Arleigh Burke took the copy of the telegram and read it, "God, is this true? Is this true?"

"100 square kilometers? Didn't you say 10 square kilometers?" Mitchell was also shocked. Destroying the surface fleet within 100 square kilometers is no joke.

The air defense formation currently deployed by the 56th Task Force does not occupy that much space. It only takes one atomic bomb and it will be completely wiped out! No wonder the Naval Operations Department skipped the Pacific-Atlantic Fleet Joint Command and the 5th Fleet Command and directly gave the evacuation and retreat order to the 56th Task Force. If it had been slowly conveyed from level to level, the Germans would have dropped an atomic bomb. , Task Force 56 ceased to exist.

But if I can run this time, will I still fight in future battles? A large fleet such as the 56th Task Force is spread out over 1,200 square kilometers. It is a normal combat state. But spread out over 1,000 square kilometers is too scattered. It is difficult to respond from head to tail, and it is difficult to command the fleet. It is also difficult to encounter an air attack. Can't defend. Moreover, it is inconvenient to send out air raid groups. It is difficult to form a large group and it is easy to resort to refueling tactics.

Just when everyone in the fleet command center on the Essex aircraft carrier was dumbfounded, the fleet electronics officer suddenly shouted: "Enemy planes! Enemy planes were detected at the radar station on the Nova Scotia Peninsula! There are more than 500 in number. In the south direction, it is 350 kilometers away from us and the altitude is more than 7,000 meters..."

Is this the atomic bomb coming?

The command center of the Essex aircraft carrier was suddenly enveloped in an atmosphere of terror. Everyone knew that they could not defeat an atomic bomb that could flatten everything within 100 square kilometers!

Moreover... the Germans are likely to drop more than one atomic bomb.

"Admiral, we can send out carrier-based aircraft to intercept enemy aircraft and evacuate the fleet at the same time." Fleet Chief of Staff Arleigh Burke reacted the fastest and proposed a feasible response plan.

"Okay, okay, let's do it." Admiral Mitchell frowned, "In addition, call Vice Admiral Harmon (Commander of the Northeast Air Force Command of North America) and ask him to send shore-based aircraft to cover us as soon as possible!"

Now is not the time to consider how to fight the future war. If we can't escape the disaster in front of us, we will all become nuclear waste!

Just when Mitchell and Arleigh Burke were busy commanding the fleet to disperse and escape, the bomber group commanded by Hersman Jr. had already flown to the vicinity of the Nova Scotia Peninsula. The Bv138E seaplane he was riding flew directly from the vicinity of Newfoundland Island. It took nearly 3 hours and flew nearly 1,000 kilometers-this is because the speed of the Bv138E seaplane early warning aircraft is too slow. If it flies back to find the seaplane carrier for refueling before setting off, it may not be able to catch up with the command of the air battle on Fundy Island. Moreover, the Bv138E has a great range of more than 5,000 kilometers and can fly in the air for sixteen hours without interruption, so there is no need to fly back for refueling.

While Hessman was flying to the new battlefield in the Bv138E to command the battle, he was always using the radio on the plane to communicate with the Air Force Chief of Staff, Admiral Gunther Kolten. The latter is also on a Me264H early warning aircraft, on the way from the Azores to the Bay of Fundy.

Admiral Gunther Kolten personally controls the 802 Bombardment and the 803 Bombardment, two bomber groups carrying atomic bombs. His mission is to use two atomic bombs to destroy a main fleet of the US Navy. When the 802 Brigade and the 803 Brigade set out from the Azores, the European Allied Atlantic Front Command only knew that there was a US fleet hiding in the Bay of Fundy.

However, since it is more than 3,000 kilometers from the Azores to the Bay of Fundy, even if the Me264 flies faster, it will take almost 7 hours to arrive, so Admiral Gunther Kolten still received the order to lead the team to attack.

Of course, the atomic bombs loaded in the bombers can return with the aircraft. If the German naval aviation still fails to find out the situation in the Bay of Fundy within 5 hours, the bombing plan will be cancelled.

However, just nearly 2 hours ago, when the 802nd and 803rd squadrons were about to arrive at the "return point", the Bv138E waterborne early warning aircraft that ventured into the air over the Nova Scotia Peninsula for reconnaissance finally made a key discovery.

Then Admiral Gunther Kolten and the little Hessman who had just seen the atomic bomb explosion scene, finalized the air raid plan through the radio.

The plan was mainly formulated by the little Hessman, who had rich experience in air command and participated in the first actual application of atomic bombs in human history, and knew how scary the scene of atomic bombs exploding in water was.

To be honest, the power of the explosion of Heisenberg Device 3 in Conception Bay was beyond the expectations of the U Engineering Committee and the German Air Force. According to the data calculated by scientists, the power of an atomic bomb explosion in water should be similar to that of an air explosion (historically, American scientists also made a mistake in their calculations, and as a result, during Operation Crossroads, the officers and soldiers responsible for filming the video were almost killed by a tsunami), but they did not expect it to be so scary when it really exploded!

So if you don’t see it with your own eyes, you can’t formulate a correct plan at all.

"Lieutenant Colonel, Admiral Colten called to ask if Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 6 really need to be 6,000 meters apart?"

Little Hersman said: "Call the Admiral back. According to the analysis of the explosion in Conception Bay, the power of an atomic bomb exploding underwater can reach up to 6,000 meters away. However, in order to ensure sufficient lethality, it is more reasonable to drop two atomic bombs 6,000 meters apart. In this way, although the power coverage of the two atomic bombs overlaps, it can still cover 150-200 square kilometers of sea area."

Less than 3 minutes later, the communications officer on Little Hersman's plane said again: "Lieutenant Colonel, Admiral Colten asked, if the US fleet in the Bay of Fundy adopts a dispersed breakout, what response strategy should we adopt?"

It has been several hours since the nuclear explosion in Conception Bay. The US fleet in the Bay of Fundy has probably been warned and may have begun to escape.

Little Hersman had a countermeasure long ago. He said: "If that happens, we will drop two atomic bombs at the entrance of the Bay of Fundy during high tide, and use the high tide to boost the atomic bombs to achieve the greatest destructive effect. At the same time, there will be Fokker planes and Br.810 bombers carrying bombs to attack after the atomic bomb explodes to expand the results."

Chapter 1267 Atomic Bomb 24

"Two enemy planes, 120 kilometers away, 11,000 meters high!"

With the shouting of the electronics officer of the Essex aircraft carrier, everyone in the command center on the aircraft carrier island had their hearts in their throats.

"Admiral, they must be here to drop atomic bombs!"

Arleigh Burke's words shocked Mitchell slightly, and his face suddenly became ugly. Two enemy planes, 11,000 meters high... They are definitely not here to drop conventional bombs, and they are probably not here to drop missiles. Conventional bombs dropped from an altitude of 11,000 meters cannot hit moving targets on the sea. And it is unlikely that there will be only two planes to attack with "Reaper" missiles. Even if two "Reaper" missiles hit 100%, they can only paralyze two aircraft carriers.

Moreover, many smoke launchers are installed on American aircraft carriers, battleships, and heavy cruisers, which can cover themselves in smoke at any time. It is hard to say whether the two missiles dropped from an altitude of 11,000 meters can hit.

So these two German planes that broke through from an altitude of 11,000 meters are most likely carrying atomic bombs!

"How far are we from the exit of the Bay of Fundy now?" Mitchell turned around and asked the fleet's navigation staff.

"There are still 20 nautical miles to go. It will take at least 40 minutes to break out."

"It's too late," Arleigh Burke reminded, "and the fleet is not dispersed enough."

The Bay of Fundy is not very large, with a maximum width of more than 70 kilometers, which is not enough for the huge 56th Task Force to be completely dispersed. Moreover, while Admiral Mitchell ordered the fleet to disperse, he also ordered the fleet to break out to the west. So now the hundreds of large and small ships of the entire fleet are crowded near the exit of the Bay of Fundy, forming a long snake formation of more than 30 kilometers. If they are hit by an atomic bomb that will at least blow up 10 kilometers of warships, one-third of the fleet will be gone!

And the remaining two-thirds can forget about fighting... because the naval officers and soldiers above must have gone crazy!

"We must stop them!" Admiral Mitchell shouted, "Let the Army's P-47 and P-61 stop them! At all costs... Even if it means ramming, we must knock down the German bombers!"

Because the two enemy planes climbed to an extremely high altitude of 11,000 meters, and they were flying quite fast according to the radar. So Admiral Mitchell did not let the Navy's F4U and F6F deal with them, but let the high-altitude models of P-47 and P-61 take off from the Nova Scotia Peninsula, Prince Edward Island and Cape Bresson Island to deal with them... But the number of P-47 and P-61 taking off from the above areas was limited, and some were sent to support the operations over Newfoundland Island. Now there are only more than 70 to support the 56th Task Force.

A joint fighter command commanding operations at Halifax Air Force Base on the Nova Scotia Peninsula received Mitchell's order (the aircraft sent by the US Army Air Force to cover the 56th Task Force were now under the control of Admiral Mitchell) and immediately dispatched 12 P-47s and 12 P-61s to intercept two high-flying and fast "Me264 bombers".

"Lieutenant Colonel, more than 20 American fighters have flown right in front of the 1st Guerrilla Group."

The actions of more than 20 American fighters did not hide the actions of little Hersman who was riding on the Bv138E seaplane early warning aircraft. His current mission is still the same as in the sky over Newfoundland, which is to command fighters to clear the way for the Me264K bombers that dropped atomic bombs.

However, he does not have more than 100 Me262T carrier-based jet fighters in his hands now - the Me262T is good in everything, but it is "short-legged". After hanging the auxiliary fuel tank, it can barely fly 2,000 kilometers, and it is impossible to reach the Bay of Fundy from near Newfoundland.

So Hessman Jr. didn't actually have the trump card to crush more than 70 P-47 and P-61 fighters. He only had 16 He219G high-altitude fighters that originally belonged to the escort squadron of the 802 Bomber Group (although the German 1st Air Force stationed in the Azores could not send He219 escorts, there were still He219Gs in the two atomic bomber groups), and the 16 He219Gs belonging to the 803 Group were divided into two, each responsible for covering the main forces of the two atomic bomber groups.

These 16 He219Gs definitely couldn't beat more than 70 P-47 and P-61. But Hessman Jr. still had a way, after all, he was the ace air combat commander of the German Air Force and Naval Aviation.

And his way was to divide the 16 He219Gs into 8 double-plane formations, named the 1st to the 8th guerrilla groups, and then use them to fool the American P-47 and P-61. He219G can act as a sword-wielding guard for the atomic bomber Me264K, so it is naturally quite capable.

This aircraft is equipped with the best 24-cylinder liquid-cooled engine in Germany and even in the world, the Jumo222G engine of Jumo Company. This engine has an ultra-high power of 2,800 horsepower, and is also equipped with a turbocharger and a GM1 combustion aid (laughing gas combustion aid). The maximum level flight speed at an altitude of 12,000 meters can reach 760 kilometers per hour (after using GM1). Moreover, this aircraft is very large, with a wingspan of 28 meters (the wingspan of the He219A series is only 18 meters), and the firepower is also powerful enough with 4 20mm cannons and 4 30mm cannons.

However, Hessman Jr. did not intend to use its powerful firepower to shoot down P-47 and P-61, but to use its huge system to pretend to be an atomic bomb delivery aircraft, thereby attracting the attention of US fighters. After successfully luring the enemy, the He219G's speed advantage at extremely high altitudes was used to circle the enemy aircraft.

"Guerrilla Squadron 1, I'm Kitty Hawk 1, there are more than 20 roadblocks to your north, please go west to the exit of the Bay of Fundy, and keep your distance from the enemy planes. Over."

Hissman Jr. immediately used the radio to command the two He219Gs to turn west, and their turn was immediately detected by the American radar on the ground, and then immediately reported to the more than 20 P-47s and P-61s in the air ready to intercept. Of course, these more than 20 P-47s and P-61s did not dare to neglect it. They are now facing not two German planes, but two damn atomic bombs!

When intercepting enemy planes, slipping through the net is not a big deal, but when the interception target becomes an atomic bomb, it must not be missed.

"The 2nd Guerrilla Squadron, break in from the east of the Bay of Fundy, at an altitude of 11,500, and maintain a speed of 670 kilometers per hour."

After seeing more than 20 American fighters chasing the 1st Guerrilla Squadron, Hessman Jr. immediately sent the 2nd Guerrilla Squadron, which also consisted of 2 He219G high-altitude fighters, to break in from another direction.

After the 2 He219Gs belonging to the 2nd Guerrilla Squadron broke in, they were immediately discovered by the American radar. Needless to say, more than 20 P-47s and P-61s rushed up to intercept.

Of course, they could not be stopped. Although the high-altitude performance of the P-47 and P-61 was not bad, it was still not as good as the He219G, so they were still led by the nose by these two He219Gs. Then Hessman Jr. sent out the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Guerrilla Squadrons. The Americans no longer had more than 20 P-48s and P-61s to send, and there were only 8 P-47s or P-61s to intercept the three double-plane formations.

At the same time, the commander of the US Army Air Force commanding on the ground may have realized that the Germans were using high-altitude fighters to take their P-47s and P-61s around in circles, so he drew out 32 spares from the more than 40 fighters chasing the German First and Second Guerrillas.

And this action naturally did not hide from the German army, which had multiple early warning aircraft in the airspace near the Nova Scotia Peninsula. Little Hersman immediately made a judgment that the number of high-altitude interceptors of the US military was insufficient!

"Start the action and execute the breakthrough plan!"

Little Hersman was waiting for this opportunity!

At the command, the large German fleet hovering at an altitude of 7,000 meters over the sea area south of the Nova Scotia Peninsula immediately split into three. One of the fleets, about 26 aircraft, climbed to an altitude of 11,000 meters at a very fast speed, and then rushed to the entrance of the Bay of Fundy. The remaining 400 fighters descended to an altitude of 6,000 meters and divided into two large groups, also rushing towards the entrance of the Bay of Fundy.

The actions of the German large group of aircraft, of course, could not be hidden from the radar of the US military - the Americans not only have ground radar stations on the Nova Scotia Peninsula, but the fleet in the Bay of Fundy is also equipped with a large number of air search radars, and there are F-13 early warning aircraft hovering in the air. Although it is limited by the technical level and it is impossible to distinguish the types of enemy aircraft through radar signals (German radar is also not good), the dispatch of German aircraft cannot be hidden from them.

"This is really coming!" Admiral Mitchell, who received the report, felt a sense of hair standing up - he certainly knew that the two enemy planes that broke through just now were baits, and the ones coming now were the real enemy planes carrying atomic bombs.

But... where is the plane carrying the atomic bomb?

Was it from the more than 20 planes that broke through at 11,000 meters, or from the two large groups that broke in at 7,000 meters?

"The Me264 carrying the atomic bomb is most likely to break through from a very high altitude." Arleigh Burke, chief of staff of the 56th Task Force, thought for a while and said to Admiral Mitchell, "Why not let all the F4Us go to 11,000 meters to block the German planes from approaching the fleet."

Since the German Air Force and Naval Aviation have long been equipped with the Ju288 that can drop remote-controlled guided bombs, the US Navy has also worked hard to improve the high-altitude performance of the F4U. Although the high-altitude F4U cannot be compared with the Me264T, nor is it as good as the He219. But it can use the advantage of numbers to attack the opponent. After all, there are only more than 20 aircraft in the fleet above 11,000 meters.

"No need to dispatch all of them," Mitchell thought for a while and said, "120 F4Us are enough, after all, there are more than 30 P-47s and P-61s available. The remaining F4Us and F6Fs will deal with the two fleets that break through from medium and high altitudes."

"Yes, Mr. Admiral."