Chapter 401: Sea Battle IX
White clouds, sunset, blue waves.
As evening approaches, the Mediterranean Sea looks particularly peaceful, like the most beautiful landscape painting.
However, this poetic scene was incongruously ruined by dozens of Fokker Zero and Fokker 99 aircraft flying through the white clouds. The iron cross patterns on the wings and tail are particularly eye-catching, and the 250-kilogram armor-piercing bombs hung on the belly of the Fokker 99 carrier-based dive bomber exude a fierce murderous aura.
Sudden.
A Fokker 99 aircraft leading the way at the front of the fleet suddenly veered to the left and emerged from the clouds carrying the two crew members in the cabin. When the two crew members' vision suddenly widened, a magnificent battlefield picture was displayed in front of them!
On the sea, a huge naval fleet was setting up three circular air defense arrays and flying eastward. In the center of each air defense formation, there are two British battleships, one in front and one behind, that look like floating castles on the water!
"Captain Barr, Report No. 028, found them! Found the British fleet!"
Sergeant Walter Graf, the navigator/bombardier on the Type 99 bomber, turned on the onboard radio and reported the discovery of the British fleet to Captain Heinz Bahr, the commander-in-chief of the entire air attack formation.
"I am Captain Barr, the commander-in-chief of the air strike!" Heinz Barr's voice soon came over the radio. "The British fleet has been discovered and is ready to launch an air strike. Now number the air strike targets and assign tasks to each squadron..."
Just as Captain Heinz Barr assigned attack missions to his four bomber squadrons, air defense sirens were sounded on every British warship on the sea. The invading German aircraft from the air did not avoid the detection of the 279 radar, and the British sailors who had been waiting for them rushed to the anti-aircraft gun positions. Anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns all raised their muzzles and pointed them at the sky where bombs would fall at any time.
Two squadrons of 32 aircraft hovered over the British fleet (now British fighter jets have also learned the four-finger formation, so the shore-based fighter squadrons are all equipped with 16 aircraft). The P-39 "Flying Snake" also quickly followed the guidance of the radar and desperately pulled up. Seize the high-altitude position.
The British pilots flying these P-39s already knew that their aircraft could not defeat the Fokker Zero in mid- and low-altitude dogfights. The only hope was to dive from high altitudes. As the fleets of both sides approached rapidly, some British pilots flying P-39 "Flying Snakes" had discovered the German Fokker 99 carrier-based dive bombers.
Since the bomb load and range of this aircraft cannot be compared with the twin-engine Ju88, it is not widely used in the German naval aviation. Only the bomber squadrons in the carrier-based aircraft group have such aircraft. The Royal Navy is certainly aware of this situation.
Therefore, as soon as he received the report from the P-39 pilot, Cunningham knew that this wave of enemy planes was launched from the Italian aircraft carrier.
"The Italian aircraft carrier sent out carrier-based aircraft!" Cunningham exhaled softly, "This will definitely weaken their air defense... How many aircraft did we dispatch?"
Major General Crutchley replied: "Six squadrons of Blenheims and two squadrons of P-39s are all fully-equipped squadrons. There are also 24 Fulmars and 60 Mackerels. It should be enough..."
6 fully established Blenheim light bomber squadrons with 72 aircraft, 2 P-39 squadrons with 32 aircraft, plus 24 Fulmars and 60 Mahlers for a total of 188 aircraft .
In Cunningham's original plan, the scale of dispatched fighters was much larger than 188. However, in the third and fourth waves of attacks launched by the German and Italian Air Force, the British P-39s suffered heavy losses.
In the third wave of assaults, 12 P39s were lost - one was accidentally hit by British artillery fire, and one disappeared on the way back. Cunningham then had to order more P-39s to cover the fleet. As a result, 46 were lost in the fourth assault wave launched by German and Italian aircraft, 35 of which were shot down by the escorting Fokker Zero, and 5 were shot down. Ju88s and S.M.79s were shot down by self-defense fire (they also shot down 3 Ju88s and 5 S.M.79s), 3 were accidentally hit by British artillery fire, and 3 were missing or crashed during landing.
Fifty-eight P-39s were lost in the two waves of air combat. At the same time, Cunningham mobilized another 70 P39s to take turns escorting his fleet. In addition, a large number of P39s were sent to escort reconnaissance aircraft taking off from Crete, and they also suffered a lot of losses. Therefore, the Royal Air Force stationed in Crete could only muster 32 P-39s (the original plan was to dispatch more than 100) to escort 72 Blenheim bombers. Waiting for them above the Italian aircraft carrier were 24 Fokker Zero fighters!
"Attention all of the 1st Squadron of the 9th Group, don't worry about the British fighters, the Blenheim bombers are our target! Everyone, charge with me!"
Little Hersman's voice, trembling with excitement, came from the headphones of every pilot of the 1st Squadron of the 9th Carrier Aircraft Group. The arrival of a large number of enemy planes was definitely not good news for the Italian Admiral Aquino, but for Hessman Jr. and his partners, it was a shortcut to becoming ace pilots.
The "Sea Beat" radars on the aircraft carriers "Eagle" and "Sparrowhawk" detected the invading British aircraft from high altitude in advance, so Hersman Jr. and his 11 men had already flown the aircraft up to 4,000 meters. High altitude, seizing a favorable altitude in advance. Although the practical ceiling of the Blenheim bomber is nearly 2,000 meters higher than that of the Fokker Zero, dropping bombs at that altitude poses no threat to ships on the water, and the probability of hitting the target is about the same as winning a lottery jackpot. So these Blenheim bombers broke through from an altitude of 3,000 meters, and now they were caught by the Fokker Zero diving down from an altitude of 4,000 meters.
The Blenheim aircraft flying in formation also discovered the incoming Fokker Zero at this time. However, they did not disband the formation and throw away their bombs to escape. Instead, they continued to maintain the formation and counterattacked with two top-mounted machine guns.
Little Hersman is now an experienced "veteran". When the enemy's machine gun fires, he knows that the opponent is just a novice with little experience, and is very panicked, because most of the machine guns fire too early. It started before the Fokker Zero aircraft entered effective range.
Little Hersman piloted the plane to dodge left and right, using the abnormal agility of the Fokker Zero to navigate through the fire net of machine gun bullets. Soon, a Blenheim aircraft was within the optimal shooting range of the little Hirschmann aircraft. He was not in a hurry, and first fired a burst with two 7.92mm machine guns. After seeing the two strings of flames accurately sweeping across the back of the enemy plane, he did not hesitate to press the firing buttons of the machine gun and the cannon at the same time. Two 20mm cannons and two 7.92mm machine guns roared and fired deadly ammunition, punching terrible holes in the wings and fuselage of a Blenheim aircraft, and even one engine was hit and set on fire. The plane could no longer maintain altitude and fell down, dragging thick smoke.
"This is the sixth one!" Little Hersman muttered in a low voice, and then steered the plane towards a P-39 "Flying Snake" flying towards him.
"The 6th" is Hersman's "number of kills". The road to the ace pilot must be paved with the wreckage of enemy planes! Today's air battle will undoubtedly allow Hessmann to take a big step forward on this path.
While Hirschmann shot down a Blenheim light bomber, other Fokker Zero pilots were firing heavily. In the first round between the two sides, six "Blenheim" light bombers were shot down by Hessman Jr.'s squadron. At the same time, 12 Fokker Zeros of the 10th Carrier Aircraft Group also shot down 5 "Blenheim" aircraft.
However, the remaining 61 "Blenheim" bombers did not give up. After a brief period of confusion, these aircraft once again gathered into formation and continued to pounce on the Italian aircraft carrier fleet, which was in an air defense formation dozens of kilometers away.
However, these "Blenheim" aircraft, which can only carry out horizontal bombing, are not the only means available to the British. While the "Blenheim" aircraft and P-39s were penetrating the defense from high altitude, at an ultra-low altitude of only twenty or thirty meters above the sea level, 24 "Flange-nosed" fighter jets were guarding 60 torpedo-carrying torpedoes. The "big mackerel" sneaks up on the Italian aircraft carrier. They are the real deadly killers!
"Your Majesty Marshal, the aircraft carrier fleet was attacked by air!"
Following the staff report, the atmosphere in the Medici Villa suddenly became tense.
"The number of enemy planes, are they carrier-based?" Hersman asked immediately.
"The number of enemy aircraft is about 100, and some of them are 'Blenheim' light bombers."
Hersman and Admiral Kavniari exchanged glances, and Kavniari said: "Can we send shore-based aircraft now?"
Jeshunek replied: "There are three squadrons of BF-110s and three squadrons of Fw-190s. However, the range of the Fw-190 is only 835 kilometers. It needs to be equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks to barely reach it, and it does not stay empty for a long time. "
"Send them all out!" Hessman said immediately, "Let the Fokker Zero, which is responsible for direct cover for the battleship force, also rush to reinforce!"
"Marshal, there is no need," Jeshunek said with a relaxed look, "There are 24 Fokker Zeros currently covering the aircraft carrier, so there will be no accidents."
"It's always a good idea to be more cautious!" Hessman frowned slightly, "I don't know where the British aircraft carrier is yet... By the way, send all the Ju88s that can be sent out to the vicinity of the aircraft carrier fleet. If the enemy aircraft Come back and follow us.”