Chapter 413 Advertising War 8

"There were 18 enemy planes, and 6 were shot down by our Fokker Zeros, with a loss rate of one third. One of them fell into our hands relatively intact, which was undoubtedly a victory..."

Hersmann arrived at the Venice Palace in a happy mood, because he had just received a report on the results of the air battle - his son Hesmann's squadron showed great power this time, and actually used 12 Fokker Zeros to shoot down 6 B-17s without any loss.

If it weren't for the fact that the other three Fokker Zero squadrons in Taranto were out on missions (escorting Ju88 to bomb Crete and Tobruk) and did not participate in the battle over Rome, the invading B-17s would definitely be wiped out.

What made him even happier was that a B-17 escaped to Sardinia with injuries and made an emergency landing in a wheat field. This was equivalent to giving Germany one of the most advanced American heavy bombers for research for free, which was not only beneficial for Germany to fight against this type of aircraft in the future, but also provided a reference for Germany to develop its own high-altitude heavy bombers.

In particular, this B-17 also has a complete GR-1820-65 "Cyclone" radial engine with a turbocharger. Although Germany also has similar technology, getting a cutting-edge American engine can still be used as a reference.

"But they bombed Rome! They bombed the Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Queen Margaret Hospital, and destroyed the statue of Garibaldi..."

Mussolini was almost furious and roared in his office. Rome is a place full of monuments and art, all of which are well preserved. So dozens of tons of bombs dropped from the sky would hit a bunch of buildings that can be regarded as human historical and cultural heritage.

And on the west bank of the Tiber River in Rome, there is a small "city in the city" Vatican, which was also bombed this time.

"Is the Holy Father okay?" Since the Pope was mentioned, Hersman had to show a concerned expression. Although he did not have a good impression of Pius XII, he was still a Catholic in name.

"Yes, and the Holy Father!" Mussolini gritted his teeth, "When the British bombed, the Holy Father was repenting in St. Peter's Basilica, and the bomb fell!"

"Killed?" Hersman asked with his eyes wide open.

"No," Mussolini frowned, "but he was frightened and is now in Queen Margaret Hospital."

What a pity! Hersman thought.

Before he became Pope, Pius XII, as the Secretary of State of the Holy See, submitted dozens of notes and memoranda to the German government, attacking German policies, and once opposed Germany's annexation of Austria.

If this guy died under the British bombs he loved, it would be a great relief!

But there is still a chance. Because the British bombing will not be just that one time, due to the heavy losses of B-17, it is estimated that there will be no daytime bombing for the time being. But there will definitely be night bombings, and if a bomb happens to fall into the Pope's ward...

"Then can we ask the Holy Father to issue an encyclical to express opposition to Britain's war and colonial policies?" Hersman still thinks that the Pope should be given a chance.

"Galeazzo (Count Ciano) has already said it," Mussolini said unhappily, "but the Holy Father believes that the Church should remain neutral, and he is willing to forgive the crimes of the British."

There is nothing he can do about it, he asked for it... Hersman shook his head regretfully.

"But we can't just let the hateful British go," Mussolini turned the topic to revenge, "We must fight back!"

We must avenge the Pope! Hersman thought so in his heart, and he also echoed, "We must take revenge. When we conquer the British mainland, we must catch the thugs who ordered this bombing and bring them to Rome for trial!"

"We can't wait that long," Mussolini said angrily, "We must bomb London! If they dare to bomb Rome, then we should bomb London!"

Bomb London? Hersman frowned. This is not a good idea. Although the German General Staff had been promoting "strategic bombing" before the outbreak of the war, the German Air Force was a tactical air force.

At present, the main bombers of the German Air Force and Naval Aviation are Ju88, Ju87, He-111 and He-115. Among them, Ju88 and Ju87 are responsible for precision bombing, He-115 is a torpedo bomber, and the main task of He-111 is to harass Britain at night and also drop torpedoes part-time.

As for heavy four-engine bombers, although there are some, the number is limited, not as many as claimed to the outside world. The main models are Do-1177 (four-engine model) and Fokker 36, but each model is only equipped in small quantities, the purpose is to maintain the fire of strategic bombing forces.

Because in the view of Hessmann and Kesselring, the battlefield survivability of heavy four-engine bombers without high-altitude and high-speed penetration capabilities is too poor. If the method of night bombing is adopted, the accuracy of bombing is too poor, which is a waste of precious gasoline and raw materials.

Gasoline is too precious for Germany. At least before conquering the Middle East, Germany will not be able to use oil freely.

"But we don't have heavy bombers like the B-17." Hersman shrugged and told Mussolini helplessly. "We have a small number of heavy bombers, and they are already lagging behind. If we want to carry out the attack on Britain, Strategic bombing must wait until we complete the development of a new generation of heavy bombers.”

The research and development order for a new generation of heavy bombers has been placed, requiring six rounds (or four rounds), long range, high altitude, large bomb load and strong self-defense firepower. However, there was still a process from placing the order to completing the development. Being able to be put into use in 1943 was already considered super high speed.

"We have such an aircraft!" Mussolini heard Hessmann saying that Germany had no available advanced heavy bombers, and immediately said, "Our P.108 is a very excellent four-engine heavy bomber. At present, the main The development work has been completed, and if you are willing to provide us with advanced engines, this aircraft will be ready for combat within two or three months."

The P.108 is a heavy bomber developed by Italy. It has now completed test flights and will soon be put into production. Hersman also knew about the existence of this kind of aircraft. Its design was actually quite advanced, and its bomb load and range were satisfactory. But there are many problems faced, the biggest of which is the power unit-this is a heavy bomber with a "heart disease".

"No problem," Hessmann thought for a while and agreed to Mussolini's request. "I can ask the armaments department to provide Italy with BMW 801 series engines with turbochargers, so that your P.108 can fly at high altitudes. Bombed. In addition, we can also give you the use of the newly built large airport in Brest, and you can deploy S.M.79 there... When the operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa are over, S.M.79 torpedo aircraft can be deployed in large numbers. Went to Brest."

Hersmann was not very interested in using strategic bombing to defeat Britain. The reason he agreed with Mussolini was to get the other party to agree to send a large number of Italian S.M.79 torpedo aircraft squadrons to Brest. Because he has found that this humpback torpedo aircraft is much more useful than Germany's own He-115 and He-111 torpedo bombers. The He-115 and He-111 torpedo planes are just fine for breaking up enemy ships, but not very useful against fleets.

"Okay, it's settled!" Mussolini waved his fist, "After we capture Egypt, we will send Italian planes to bomb London. We must let the British taste the power of Italian bombs!"

He suddenly looked at Hessman, "Marshal, when will the attack on Crete begin?"

"Today," Hersman replied, "it starts today!"

"today?"

"Yes, today!" Hersman said with a smile. "The attack on Crete is an amphibious landing operation, and before the amphibious landing operation can begin, air superiority must first be gained. Therefore, the Crete operation starts from Air raids began on airfields in Crete and Tobruk."

It turned out that at the same time when the British B-17 bombed Rome, the Ju88 and Z.1007 (another advanced three-engine medium bomber from Italy), the Italian engine was not good, so there was a three-engine medium bomber. A group of bombers composed of S.M.79s and Fokker Zeros were conducting indiscriminate bombings on the airfields and radar stations in Crete and the port of Tobruk.

Moreover, in today's bombing operation, the German naval aviation dispatched two squadrons equipped with Fokker Zero C-1s for the first time to serve as escorts. Although this Fokker Zero still has the disadvantage of weak dive performance, its performance at medium and high altitudes has been greatly improved. In addition, the MW50 "drug-taking" system also allowed the aircraft to gain "precious 10 minutes", thus causing considerable losses to the British "Spitfire" fighter jets.

"Admiral," at 6:30 pm on the 15th, Rear Admiral Crutchley, Chief of Staff of the British Mediterranean Fleet, walked into Cunningham's office on the "Warspite" with a heavy heart, taking the battle report he had just compiled. "Our losses were very heavy...The Germans improved their Fokker Zero aircraft and shot down a lot of Spitfires. Their bombing also caused a lot of damage to the airport and radar stations, with dozens of them The aircraft was destroyed on the ground.

In addition, the 90th Bomb Squadron's bombing of Rome was not very successful...6 B-17s were lost at one time. The Air Force has decided to cancel the daytime bombing and instead conduct air raids on Rome at night. "