Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 288: Preparation (medium)

In reality, building an air force base is not playing a computer game. It can be selected with a single click on the map. Just selecting a location is a very time-consuming process.

First of all, the airport should not be too close to the town, which can reduce the interaction with the residents and also help the security of the base. Of course, the base should not be too far away from the residential area, and the transportation must be convenient. It is best to be close to the railway and highway hubs to facilitate the transportation of large quantities of logistics materials.

German bombers did not use the dual-plane formation of long-wing wingmen. Usually three bombers were constructed as a flying team, which was the basic unit of the bomber force. Three such teams form a squadron, and then three to four squadrons form a squadron, and finally three to four squadrons form a flying wing, which is the largest tactical combat unit of the Luftwaffe.

In addition to the fact that the German fighter unit consists of two dual-plane units, the organization of the squadron and the group is the same as that of the bombers.

An airport usually has three to five squadrons stationed in a regular organization, plus aircraft directly under the squadron and squadron headquarters, as well as auxiliary service liaison and trainer aircraft. The total number is generally about fifty to sixty. .

Let’s not talk about single-engine fighter units, but just talk about multi-engine long-range bombers. For example, a Heinkel III bomber has five crew members (captain and pilot, bomber and navigator, flying Mechanic and first machine gunner, radio operator and back machine gunner, and abdominal machine gunner), and such a large aircraft needs to be equipped with a five- to six-person ground crew to be responsible for the maintenance and maintenance of the bomber's combat readiness.

To complete the combat preparation of a bomber, it is impossible to rely solely on these ground maintenance personnel, but also engineers and mechanics who are responsible for the replacement, modification and maintenance of parts and components, as well as fuel crews responsible for filling various fuels and oils, and processing machines. Ammunition squad for carrying ordnance and bombs, etc.

After the plane completes its mission and returns, in addition to the above-mentioned unit personnel, there will be more fire brigades responsible for firefighting and rescue work, medical personnel who provide emergency rescue to the wounded, and even those who are responsible for cleaning and scrubbing blood in the cabin. Cleaning team.

If these units add up, there will be about five or six hundred people. This does not include the number of command, administration, internal service, and communications departments of each squadron and brigade.

In addition to these people, don’t forget the logistics support units, such as the slaughter company, the bread company and the automobile transport company, the cooking squadrons directly under each squadron, the senior officer’s kitchenette, the pilot bar club, and the military post station. , The laundry room, the military service department, the fitness center, and so on. Add up to a number seven or eight hundred.

For a large airfield of the Air Force, at least one battalion must be arranged for the surrounding air defense firepower. The ground garrison force also needs almost the same number. This is still an airport in Germany. If it is a base outside or even close to the border, the defense force I'm afraid it's more than doubled.

In the end, the Air Force has calculated a strategic bombing base at the wing level, and the total number of work and combat personnel is likely to exceed 15,000.

The daily consumption of supplies by these people will be calculated based on the basic unit of ten tons. This is only the share of food that people chew off by eating horses. If you add aircraft, vehicles and various power generation equipment daily use Fuel, as well as ammunition consumed during normal training, may have to add a zero to the tonnage.

Without the support of a well-developed transportation network, just relying on the Air Force’s half-ton trucks, even if the SS shoots out a logistics staff every day, they will not be able to keep up with this daily consumption rate, not to mention the outbreak of war on the Eastern Front. Later, related consumption will somersault and grow.

In history, the Royal Air Force prepared for a large-scale strategic bombing operation. It often took several weeks to assemble aircraft, personnel, equipment, and stock up of ammunition required for combat. This is not only due to the exhaustion of the British national power, but also the demand for supplies. The pressure on the transportation system caused by traffic is also one of the reasons for this situation. If you change to the end of the twentieth century, you don’t even need to spend twenty-four hours if you want to gather the same amount of supplies.

The Command Department has already begun to select the location of the new airport. This requires professional engineers from the Air Force to conduct a careful survey. So even if Xu Jun feels anxious, he knows that this kind of thing is definitely not fast. However, it takes time to build aircraft and train pilots. Xu Jun only hopes that everything can be completed smoothly according to the planned schedule.

If someone asks, now that there are planes and airports, then strategic bombing can be carried out, right? The answer is of course no.

In reality, it is impossible to be like in the movie. A certain general draws a circle on the map, and Wuyang Wuyang's bomber group flew past. Every strategic bombing operation that goes deep into the enemy's territory requires detailed calculations in advance. Reckless operations usually do not yield good results. In this regard, the bombing crew members of the US Army Air Force may have a deep understanding.

The most critical one is the navigation problem. This is a technical difficulty that cannot be avoided in any case, because even the most advanced bombers at the time will not be more valuable than a pile of scrap iron.

A costly strategic bombing. As a result, a large number of planes were unable to reach the target location due to trekking. If they were replaced by an army commander, they would not be able to explain to their superiors. However, in the bomber force at the beginning of World War II, this was attributed to Within the acceptable range.

The German aircraft group invaded Norway encountered heavy fog, which caused an unprecedented air chaos. The important turning point of the British air battle was also the accidental trek of two German bombers. At that time, the trek German pilot threw the bomb into a residential area of ​​London. Turning his head, the British bombed the urban area of ​​Berlin with revenge. Public opinion and Hitler pressure forced Fatty Ge to shift the bombing center to London, which was already in collapse. The Royal Air Force on the fringe is a respite.

To say that the German radio navigation system should be considered quite advanced in terms of the technological level of the time, but the Germans believe too much in their technological advancement, but did not notice the hidden defects of this system. The result is in history It encountered targeted electronic interference from the UK and almost caused a crisis of confidence among the bomber pilots.

Xu Jun dare not guarantee that the Soviet Union's electronic warfare capabilities can reach the height of the British, but there is no big mistake in being careful.

Germany needs to establish a series of large-scale radio navigation base stations on the Eastern Route. Using the simple principle of triangulation, the radio navigator carried by the bomber will calculate the coordinates of the aircraft at the time according to the strength of the beams emitted by different base stations~IndoMTL.com~ . In theory, the greater the number of such base stations, the less likely it is to encounter enemy interference, unless it encounters undifferentiated full-band interference, which of course will have a greater impact on the Soviets themselves.

In addition to these radio navigation base stations, the German army will also establish a series of ground radar stations on the eastern line of defense. Part of the mission of long-range radars is to provide ground guidance and command services for strategic bombing.

Radars are also readily available, including Würzburg and Freya systems in Germany, as well as local chain products developed in the United Kingdom. Xu Jun’s goal is to build an invisible line on the east line before 41 June. Electronic cordon.

The Soviet Union began to equip its own radar RUS-1 as early as 1949. It is currently mainly deployed in the Caucasus and the Far East. This is a long-wave radar with a wavelength of four meters. The technology is quite primitive. It is 35 kilometers away from the trusted station, and it can only detect the number and direction of the target, but cannot provide the target's distance, altitude, and speed.

However, the performance of the second-generation radar RUS-2 that the Soviet Army has just put into use has improved a lot, at least the height and angle coordinates of the target can be obtained, but because the Soviet Union’s electronic product processing capabilities are weak, the price of this radar is quite It was expensive, and only twelve were produced until the outbreak of the war.

The performance of the new Soviet radar is not as good as what they advertised. In history, because the number is too small, it hardly played a big role in the war.

Now Germany has airplanes and pilots, exclusive air bases, and supporting navigation and radar systems. The next thing Germany needs to prepare is to collect intelligence in the target area.

PS: Thank you for your support. The cold is not completely healed, so continue to take medicine and rest.