Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 435: Dignity (medium)

The author hereby wishes you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Third Fighter Wing of the Italian Air Force was one of the earliest fighter units established in the country. It was also the first air force unit to invade French airspace after the war, so it was hit by the French Air Force in the war.

The Third Fighter Wing was the absolute main force at the time. It had the second largest number of fighters among all fighter wings. It was equipped with fifty new r.42 fighters, and they were all well maintained. In a state where it can be put into combat at any time.

Here we need to introduce the basic organization of the Italian Air Force fighter unit. Each Italian fighter wing is subordinate to two squadrons, and each squadron is composed of three squadrons. Each squadron has two to three squadrons. It seems to be no different from most European countries. The problem is that the Italian squadron is based on dual aircraft, which means that even if the Italian flight squadron is fully equipped, there are only six to nine aircraft, which is exactly half the number of units at the same level in other countries. A fully loaded Italian main wing is the size of one and a half groups of the Luftwaffe, and the Italian Air Force’s equipment and personnel have always been severely lacking.

The combat readiness of the Third Fighter Wing is among the top in the Italian Air Force, and it should be said that it is an old combat force of the Italian Air Force.

Many pilots in the wing have participated in the Spanish Civil War and have a wealth of practical experience. Although many officials and children who have come to gilded have been included, the wing has a certain combat effectiveness in general.

The Italian Air Force had a group of the best "stunt pilots" in Europe at the time. They were best at turning somersaults at low altitudes. This kind of action is dangerous, but it can show off in front of girls.

The r.42 is a fighter jet that has been outdated when it was developed. On this issue, Marshal Italo Balbo should take full responsibility. The pioneer of Italian aviation and the founder of the Air Force is an avid pilot. , He loved aerobatics when he was young, and had a special liking for biplanes with outstanding fighting ability.

The purchases of the Italian Air Force are not allocated according to the performance of the aircraft, but that all participating companies share the benefits. This seems a bit like Germany. It should be said that Germany copied the policies of the Italian government. In fact, this is the result of collusion and compromise between the government and major arms companies.

It should be fortunate that Germany has finally retained some competitive models. The giants also know that they have invested in technology research and development. It is because of the efforts of German aviation technicians that Germany's aviation technology remains in the forefront of the world until the defeat. But Italy is different. The arms giants have been paddling and eating their own money throughout the entire process. Even if the aircraft is outdated, the government will still purchase it as usual. If it needs new technology, it will ask the Germans. Anyway, Hitler will satisfy Mussoli in order to save face. All the requirements of Nepal.

However, the situation is now completely different from the past. Germany completely stopped its technical assistance to Italy at the beginning of this month. At present, Italian arms dealers have begun to have a headache, because many weapon models have been upgraded in half. If they rely on their own development and want to produce results, I don’t know that they have to wait until the year of the monkey, if the task handed over by Rome cannot be completed within the deadline. , Making Mussolini feel lost, who knows what crazy things that guy will do.

The r.42 fighter is one of the victims. Fiat originally planned to replace it with a German-made db601 engine, so that the speed of this biplane can be increased to 500 kilometers per hour. The Fiat a74. air-cooled engine used by this biplane fighter has only 840 horsepower and a maximum flight speed of about 440 kilometers per hour. It has fallen behind the first-class European models. It can only barely be developed in the 1920s and 1930s. Fighters fought against each other.

In the early days of the French battlefield, all those fighting against the Third Fighter Wing were second-line troops of the French Air Force. Because of the brilliant victory of the German army, the French army had panic as a whole, and the morale of the troops was generally low. But even under such unfavorable conditions, French fighter pilots drove second-tier fighters such as the d510 and nid.62, which were also outdated, and still achieved a one-to-one victory with the Third Fighter Wing.

Immediately after the main force of French fighters transferred from the front line entered the battlefield, it was the turn of France's cutting-edge D.520 and fighter jets to teach the Italian Air Force how to behave. Speaking of this, this is the first time that Xu Jun and Petain have joined forces to smash Mussolini. The French and Germans have had an amazing understanding of entrapping the Italians. This was not before the war began. People can think of.

The Third Wing only persisted for two months before being removed from the front-line battlefield, because these pilots were ready to initiate a mutiny if they didn’t do so. The losses of the combatants were too serious and they could only rely on military discipline to barely maintain basic order. , The hearts of the officers and soldiers were full of frustration and failure, and this glorious unit unexpectedly appeared as a deserter for the first time.

In fact, this is not just the case of the Third Wing. This situation has become extremely common on the Alpine Front. Compared with the air force with an independent supply system and sufficient supplies, the army’s situation is more difficult. , The war exhaustion of the officers and soldiers became more serious. Rome could only suppress it forcefully, but could not think of an effective way to get rid of this predicament.

In fact, the best way is to immediately cease the war with France, but this is absolutely unacceptable to Mussolini, and no one even dared to make similar suggestions for fear of being hated by the new era Caesar. At this time, the Roman High Command will approve the invasion plan against Greece. Part of the reason is that they want to use a glorious victory to reinvigorate the morale of the soldiers who are about to fall to the floor and cover up the Italian army in France at this time. The awkward situation on the border.

After the Third Fighter Wing withdrew from the front line, it took a few weeks to replenish personnel and equipment, and at the same time calm the traumatized hearts of the surviving officers and soldiers. During that time, Italian officers and soldiers indulged in enjoyment, numbing their nerves with alcohol and sensuality, forgetting the fatigue of fighting in the air and the sorrow of losing their loved ones.

At present, it seems that the effect of this method is quite remarkable. At least on the surface, the Third Fighter Wing has resumed normal operations. After adding some new pilots, the combat effectiveness has been restored to a certain extent on paper. , Morale also improved, and smiles reappeared on the faces of the officers.

In the original plan of the Roman High Command, the Third Fighter Wing was prepared to be transferred to Greece together with the Fourth Fighter Wing. Now there are almost all the main forces of the Italian Air Force remaining in the country, eight of them at the time of the war. Three fighter wings have been transferred. Two of the remaining wings are in the Libyan colony. The other two are on the border of Alps and France. The only one left in central and northern Italy is this one, around Rome and by the Mediterranean. Several independent brigades and squadrons remain along the coast, but most of them are newly formed units. Although equipped with the latest fighters, pilots generally lack actual combat experience. If they want to truly exert the combat effectiveness of new fighters, they still need to accept a lot of Flight training.

The 3rd Fighter Wing was initially stationed near Milan. In order to be able to support the Greek battlefield at any time, they were transferred to Venice. It happened that the rats fell into the rice tank. This group of pilots had an unusual life these days. Bold and extravagant.

When the city of Verona gave a warning, the Third Wing immediately dispatched a brigade, but before the planes flew away, traces of German troops were found near Vicenza. What made the Italian commander even more alarmed was that Italy Udine, an important city at the easternmost point of the northern border, suddenly lost contact with the outside world, and then the defenders of Motellano and San Michele Altagliamento were also anxious. IndoMTL.com~ Palmanova was even more troubled. It’s the German paratrooper's raid,

In less than three hours, the German forward troops are less than 80 kilometers away from Venice. Although the numbers of these German troops are still unclear, it is certain that there will be no less than three divisions, and at least one of them Is a regular armored division.

The ancient city of Venice, the capital of the province of Veneto, is in danger, but the Italians have few troops left. Even if Rome can mobilize some reinforcements, it will not help at this moment. The only thing the soldiers can do at this time is to do their best to maintain the glory of the Kingdom of Italy and fight a war that is bound to fail with the powerful invaders.

All the 3rd Fighter Wing was dispatched. The 18th Battalion, which is relatively well-organized, organized the existing 20 Fiat fighters into two groups. Half of the aircraft carried 100kg bombs under their belly. Half of the r.42 escorted to Vicenza to support the local defenders.

As a result, in the mountainous area less than ten kilometers southwest of the city, the Eighteenth Fighter Group headed into the German mixed formation.

ps: Sorry, there is only one chapter today. If possible, I will try my best to make up with double updates tomorrow.

I wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and I would like to thank kenda bookmates for their 2000 rewards ihydra, Daxue Wuhen 6663 for their 500 rewards, as well as Pingming Xun Baiyu, iii, book friends 160707005326031, another novice, tigertank, Qisi Wonderful ss, book friends n24694420dtdbk, West of the Black Zone, ba pants p59, Qi nuclear Qi nuclear, the watch of the king, the heart of fairy tales, crazy man, tzyh_99, tzyh98, tzyh97, Jiazhou Xiaofan 100 dozens of book friends reward. (.)

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