Chapter 557 Sunset 1

March 26, 1942, dusk.

"Boom..."

The earth-shaking roar of naval guns echoed in the Norwegian Sea with the salvos fired by 1 cannon and 12 380mm cannons. The bombardment began on the night of March 25, 1942, and lasted until dusk the next day. 28 large-caliber cannons roared almost all day, firing no less than 3,000 large-caliber high-explosive bombs.

At the same time, planes taking off from Bergen and aircraft carriers also poured countless bombs on the British troops in the Faroe Islands.

The fierce bombardment and bombing razed the airport and coastal defense batteries on the island to the ground, and even the garrison barracks and all exposed warehouses were reduced to ruins. However, Torshavn, the capital and main port of the Faroe Islands, was safe and sound during the German bombardment and bombing. Not a single shell or bomb fell in this small and quiet port city.

However, the commander of the British garrison in the Faroe Islands, who was once a pioneer of the British armored forces and became the commander of the 1st Tank Brigade as early as 1934, but later failed to get promoted and was still a major general in 1942, did not think that Germany could not bear to hurt the Danish citizens on the Faroe Islands and did not bomb and shell Torshavn.

The reason why the Germans did not bomb and bomb this small port was obviously that they wanted to use this port immediately after occupying the Faroe Islands, and immediately transport engineering equipment and airport equipment to the islands, so as to repair the airport as soon as possible and turn the Faroe Islands into a large stronghold to blockade Britain.

"Sir, this is the latest loss report."

A staff officer rushed into the British headquarters located on the back of a hill more than 300 meters high near Torshavn and handed the loss report that had just been counted to Parisi Hobart.

Hobart took the report and took a rough look at it. The losses were neither large nor small. The ground forces on the island were well hidden-the British army had been deployed in the Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands for a long time. Although Major General Hobart was not very successful in his career, his military skills were not low. After taking over the defense of the Faroe Islands, he carefully arranged the defense. He ordered the troops to dig a large number of tunnels on the island and accumulate a large amount of supplies and ammunition, which could fully meet the needs of long-term defense.

However, the airport and coastal defense artillery on the island were almost destroyed, because there were not many flat lands on the Faroe Islands, and there were only a few places where airports could be built. Now they have been hit by a lot of bombs and shells, and they are more like the surface of the moon.

As for the coastal defense artillery, as long as it was exposed, it was basically destroyed. Because there were too many places to deploy defenses, the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom could not transfer many large-caliber artillery to the Faroe Islands. Therefore, the heaviest coastal artillery on the island was a 10-inch (254mm) cannon, which was completely useless against the Hindenburg class and the Barbarossa class, and almost no results were achieved before they were all destroyed.

"Send the damage to the headquarters," Parisi Hobert shook his head and said as he listened to the sound of the cannons roaring, "Tell them that the airports, artillery positions, and barracks on the Faroe Islands have been almost flattened, but the ground forces have not suffered much loss. In addition, the Germans still show no signs of leaving and are still bombarding... Maybe the Germans really want to land here? I think this possibility exists and cannot be ignored."

...

When Parisi Hobert's report was sent to London, the wartime cabinet headquarters was gloomy and everyone was dejected and extremely anxious. The Germans' shelling and bombing of the Faroe Islands has lasted for a day and a half. The airports and coastal defense guns on the islands have suffered devastating blows, and the four battleships have not left the Faroe Islands. This seems to indicate that the Germans really want to occupy the Faroe Islands!

"Gentlemen, we cannot lose the Faroe Islands, otherwise the sunset of the British Empire will come..." In the past two days, whenever Churchill fell asleep, he would repeatedly dream of the setting sun - this is obviously an ominous omen, indicating that the sunset of the British Empire will come.

"Prime Minister," Viscount Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, forced a bitter smile, "The situation in the Faroe Islands is not that serious. The main force defending the island is the army. We have deployed 2 divisions on the island, and we have built many solid fortifications. It is not so easy to be captured."

"Two divisions?" Churchill frowned, "There are also 2 divisions on Oahu... Do we have 200 tanks on the Faroe Islands?"

"No."

The British Army is certainly not as rich as the US Army. Now only a small number of infantry divisions are equipped with tank battalions. However, these infantry divisions with tanks are all placed on the British Isles, and there is not a single tank on the Faroe Islands.

Churchill asked: "So if the German tanks land on the island... maybe 100 or more Type 4 tanks will rush onto the beach. Can Major General Hobart's two divisions resist them?"

Viscount Brooke said: "Well... according to the intelligence department's reconnaissance, the Germans don't have amphibious tanks."

"No? The Japanese have them, so how could the Germans not?" Churchill shook his head again and again, "We can't take such a risk. If the German fleet doesn't leave the Faroe Islands by tomorrow morning, let the Coastal Air Force go! As long as we can sink one or two German battleships, we should be able to drive the German fleet back home."

...

"What? Send out the Coastal Air Force? This is nonsense!"

Cunningham on the battleship King George V received the news that the Coastal Air Force would be dispatched tomorrow morning, and his face suddenly became ugly.

Although the Faroe Islands were badly bombarded by aircraft and naval artillery, it would not be that easy for the Germans to capture them. Even if an amphibious tank unit is deployed, it will still take a month or two. Even if you want to invest in the Coastal Air Force, it's not too late to wait until the Germans start landing... Even if you dispatch battleships to fight a decisive battle with the German fleet!

But what are you anxious about now? Isn't it just four battleships firing three thousand rounds of artillery shells? The service life of the battleship's main guns is limited. Such a bombardment cannot last for a few days. What is there to worry about?

"Are we allowed to attack?" Cunningham asked next.

"No, the First Sea Lord has left the decision to us." Lister, Chief of Staff of the Home Fleet, replied, "But I think we should attack and cooperate with shore-based aircraft to destroy the German fleet near the Faroe Islands."

"Cooperate?" Cunningham glanced at Lister, "The Coast Air Force should be allowed to cooperate with us, instead of risking the four precious Glory-class ships! If we reach the strike radius of the German shore-based aviation in Bergen Even with P51 cover, it is difficult to ensure that the Glory class is not lost... They are too precious. As long as they exist, we can block the Denmark Strait before the autumnal equinox."

Lister frowned and reminded: "But if our four Glory-class ships are not dispatched, the Coast Air Force alone may not be able to defeat the German fleet. They are equipped with Beaufort torpedo bombers and Boston attack aircraft (A- 20) The anti-ship capabilities of the Mosquito reconnaissance bombers are not strong and it is difficult to pose a fatal threat to the main force of the German High Seas Fleet.”

The British Coast Air Force is now imitating the Germans and also wants to build its own "anti-ship three weapons". However, in addition to the outstanding performance of the P51, which is responsible for air combat, and the Mosquito aircraft, which is mainly responsible for reconnaissance, the performance of the Beaufort torpedo bombers and Boston attack aircraft, which are responsible for attacking surface ships, is unsatisfactory and cannot be compared with the German Ju88 and the Italian S.M.79. .

"What the hell!" Cunningham knew that Lister was right. Since he was going to attack, he should go all out. He took a sharp breath and gritted his teeth and said: "Then fleet B retreats, and our fleet A goes up!"

…

"Commander, are you going north tonight?"

"Going north? Why?"

"We have been lingering near the Faroe Islands for nearly 24 hours and shot down 3,000 rounds of super-large-caliber high-explosive artillery shells, but the British did nothing. Obviously, they have seen through our intentions..."

On the battleship "Hindenburg", Gunther Lütjens, who was having a meal, was discussing the war situation with the fleet chief of staff, Lieutenant General Erich Bey.

The performance of the British army today was beyond their expectations. They originally thought that there would be a fierce air battle today, which should be able to severely damage the P51 fleet of the British Coast Air Force. However, the aircraft carriers of the British Coast Air Force and the Royal Navy did not seem to know that the German fleet was bombarding the Faroe Islands, and did not react in any way.

"If our intention is seen through, it will be difficult to break through the Denmark Strait." Gunther Lütjens gently turned the tall glass in his hand and frowned slightly.

The British Royal Navy is not a paper tiger yet! Although their battleship force is no longer worth mentioning, they are no match for the German High Seas Fleet with two "Hindenburg" class ships.

But the four Glory-class aircraft carriers are still a force that cannot be ignored! If they cannot be destroyed, the European combined fleet may be attacked by British aircraft carriers at any time - the British have now obtained truly useful carrier-based aircraft from the United States, such as F4F, SBD and TBD, which makes their aircraft carriers The attack power of the carrier-based aircraft force has been greatly enhanced.

"Erich, let's wait for another day. If the British plane doesn't come tomorrow, then we will go to the Denmark Strait." Gunther Lütjens thought for a long time and finally made a decision.

His fleet cannot linger around the Faroe Islands all the time. Breaking through the Denmark Strait is a task that must be completed. Moreover, in the Battle of Denmark Strait, he had an ace in hand that the British had not expected - 60 P.108S heavy bombers that could drop "human eye-guided bombs"!