Chapter 863 Roosevelt's Psychological Warfare (Fourth Update)
Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia, USA.
US President Roosevelt inspected the newly commissioned Essex-class ship No. 4, "Franklin", at this naval base (historically, this name was given to the Essex-class ship No. 5, but in this time and space, because the Yorktown was still there, the name Franklin was given to the No. 4 ship), and also watched the demonstration of the "disposable Spitfire" - the Spitfire Mk5G fighter.
The Spitfire Mk5G fighter is an improved model of the Spitfire Mk5F (also a "disposable Spitfire"). Like the Spitfire Mk5F, this fighter is also specially customized for the German Ju288 high-altitude and high-speed bomber. It is equipped with a Merlin 267 engine produced by the American Packard Company. The performance of this 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engine is not outstanding, and it is not as good as the Merlin V-1650 series engine produced by Packard for the P51 series. However, this engine, developed by the British Rolls-Royce company before the fall of the mainland, is extremely targeted - it has only one target, that is, the Ju288 bomber that can carry the terrible Fritz X remote-controlled glide bomb and penetrate from an altitude of 12,000 meters.
In order to allow the engine to output strong horsepower at an altitude of 12,000 meters, the Merlin 267 engine has a specially designed two-stage two-speed supercharger dedicated to high altitudes, which allows the engine to run at full speed in an oxygen-deficient extremely high-altitude environment.
In addition to the Merlin 267 engine with superior high-altitude performance, the Spitfire Mk5G fighter also has an aerodynamic shape adapted to high altitudes (increases lift) and a special body structure. The aircraft is very light, has no armor, and has a small fuel tank capacity, but the key parts of the fuselage are still strong and can withstand the pull caused by the acceleration of the dive. At the same time, the Spitfire Mk5G fighter has also learned from the previous generation of Spitfire Mk5F's insufficient firepower, strengthened its firepower, and equipped with 4 20mm cannons, which can instantly smash medium bombers such as Ju288 into pieces.
In addition, the take-off and landing method of the Spitfire Mk5G is still a wonder. In order to save weight, this aircraft simply canceled the landing gear. When taking off, the ship's catapult is used and rocket boosters are added to speed up the climb. After completing the interception mission, the pilot will parachute, and the plane... will be thrown away!
It's really a rich style!
However, the United States now does not need to produce tens of thousands of various bombers for strategic bombing of Germany, so there are raw materials and production capacity to produce carrier-based high-altitude interceptors such as "disposable Spitfire".
A muffled "bang" sound reached the ears of President Roosevelt sitting on the flight deck of the "Franklin" aircraft carrier. A Spitfire Mk5G aircraft has been ejected directly from the hangar. Under the combined effect of the Merlin 267 engine and rocket boosters, this small Spitfire aircraft climbed at a very high speed and disappeared within a few minutes.
"It flies so fast!" President Roosevelt said to the people around him with a smile, "and it's very high."
"Mr. President, it can climb to an altitude of more than 12,000 meters at a very fast speed." Admiral Ernesto King, the Chief of Naval Operations, told Roosevelt, "Then dive and attack, and use four 20mm anti-aircraft guns to smash the German Ju288 into pieces. Even if the Ju288 is escorted by Fw-190 carrier-based aircraft, it is useless."
Even if the Fw-190T carrier-based aircraft is equipped with a high-horsepower engine of the BMW801F series, its high-altitude performance is not particularly outstanding. Because as a carrier-based aircraft, it must take into account both medium and low altitudes, and at the same time have a long range and certain anti-ship and anti-ground attack capabilities. With more uses, it is naturally miscellaneous and not refined.
And because the Spitfire Mk5G is fighting over the fleet, it can also get the command of the ship-borne radar, so it can seize the high altitude in advance and then dive attack. It will not entangle with the Fw-190T, but directly bombard the Ju288 with four 20mm cannons, and run away after the attack. How can we intercept this?
"Hahaha," Roosevelt laughed heartily, "Now our navy can deal with the Germans in the Atlantic, right?"
"Yes, Mr. President," Ernesto King said, "We can deal with the Germans and fight a war of attrition."
The United States is a rich country, so of course it has to play to its advantage. So the U.S. Navy is now thinking like a rich man, not considering any tricks to fight an annihilation war, but only intends to consume the enemy steadily.
So the U.S. Navy is now planning to cancel the dive bombers and torpedo bombers on the aircraft carrier, and there are only three types of carrier-based aircraft, F4U and Fk5G.
This can ensure that the U.S. carrier-based aircraft can obtain a satisfactory exchange ratio in air combat, and at the same time ensure that the aircraft carrier is not easily sunk by the enemy.
In addition, Admiral Ernesto King, the Chief of Naval Operations of the United States, also proposed a theory of "active fleet".
It means "no decisive battle, but keep active". In fact, this is an extension of the theory of the existence fleet, and the existence fleet should stay in the port and not move much. The "active fleet" should be deployed as much as possible, not for a decisive battle, but to mobilize the enemy's fleet, so as to force the enemy's fleet to run around and waste fuel.
When the two sides' aircraft carrier formations encounter each other, they do not seek to sink enemy ships, but only to shoot down as many enemy aircraft as possible.
However, before the Spitfire Mk5G, a disposable carrier-based high-altitude interceptor aircraft, is equipped with troops, the Americans have no theory and cannot realize it. Because the Ju288 can drop Fritz-X bombs or Hs293 bombs/missiles (models equipped with rocket engines have now been developed) from heights where ordinary carrier-based aircraft cannot effectively exert their power, it poses too great a threat to the U.S. fleet.
"Mr. President, look there, the pilot has already parachuted." General Leahy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President's Military Advisor, put down his telescope, raised his hand and pointed to an open umbrella flower in the sky, and said to Roosevelt, "The aircraft first rushed to an altitude of 12,500 meters, then performed a simulated dive attack, then circled and lowered its altitude to 3,000 meters, and then the pilot parachuted."
"Very good, perfect!" Roosevelt smiled, "We must equip the fleet with this aircraft as soon as possible. Because our Russian friends are now in big trouble, a big trouble."
The president looked back at his adviser and confidant Hopkins, "Harry, don't you think so?"
Harry Hopkins frowned, his face was very pale, and he looked very depressed.
"Mr. President, I think it's a little late," Hopkins said.
"Is it too late?" Roosevelt smiled. "It's not too late. It's not too late now. As long as Stalin hasn't signed the armistice agreement, it's not too late."
"Maybe this day will come soon," Hopkins said. "Otherwise, what else can the Soviets do? They just suffered a disastrous defeat...The situation is deteriorating rapidly."
Roosevelt nodded, and then said to Secretary of State Hull, who accompanied him to Norfolk: "Cordell, was that Kennedy invited by Hitler?"
"Yes, Mr. President," Hull said. "He really wants to go because the Germans have made some offers that he thinks are very good..."
When Roosevelt listened to Hull's introduction of the peace terms proposed by the Germans, he lit a Camel cigarette, took two puffs, then waved his hand and said, "Let him go."
"What? Mr. President..." Hull was startled, looked at Roosevelt and asked, "Are we going to change our policy?"
Roosevelt tilted his head and said: "Of course this possibility exists, so Mr. Kennedy should go to Berlin. Of course... someone must also go to the Soviet Union."
The President glanced at Harry Hopkins.
"Mr. President, I can go." Hopkins replied immediately, "But... what should I say to Stalin?"
"Say something that will make the Russians bite the bullet and fight." Roosevelt said lightly.
"But what can I say?" Hopkins asked.
Roosevelt smiled: "This is easy... because we can also make peace with the Germans. We must make Stalin understand that he can betray the United States and the United States can betray the Soviet Union. If he dares to make peace with Germany, then what awaits him is our Abandon the prospect of fighting the whole of Europe alone.”
"Mr. President, are you telling the truth?" Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernesto King interjected and asked, "Are we really going to abandon the Soviet Union?"
Abandoning the Soviet Union meant making peace in the Atlantic so that the United States could concentrate on fighting Japan, which was good news for the U.S. Navy.
"That's up to the Soviet Union!" Roosevelt said coldly. "We can give up at any time and watch the Bolsheviks fall into the cold Arctic Ocean. In the long run, this will be detrimental to the United States.
But my president only served until January 1945, so I am not worried at all about how much impact a Germany that rules most of Eurasia will have on the future of the United States. This is a headache for future American presidents. If Stalin was prepared to make peace with Germany alone, then I would not mind Germany destroying the Soviet Union, and would even support such a thing. In fact, more people in the United States hate the Soviet Union than hate Germany! "
After hearing Roosevelt's words, Hopkins suddenly felt confident. He smiled and said to the President of the United States: "Mr. President, I know how to negotiate with Stalin. I think this time he will have to bite the bullet and fight to the end!"
Roosevelt smiled and said: "He will fight to the end, because in addition to us, there is a Russian empress who wants Stalin to fight to the end... Harry, I remember a British Prime Minister said that there are no permanent friends in the world, nor are there any Eternal enemies only have eternal interests, right?”