Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 73: Milskbil Port

Corporal Abu Mustafa was sitting on a mottled yellowish-brown sandstone city brick, with his back leaning on the thick castellation, and an iron basin in front of him was lit with a small bonfire. (Baidu search network updates the fastest and most stable)

"God, bless you, I heard that Major Albi is going to be transferred. Is it true." The high class soldier Hashim picked up an aluminum lunch box with a thick branch and put it on the fire and roasted it in the air. There was a scent of grease.

"The cursed donkey should have rolled away. I haven't gotten a vacation for two months, but the greedy donkey ran to Oran every day, soaking it until midnight, and was drunk. When I came back, I beat and scolded our soldiers at every turn. If I were the commander of the base, I would have hanged this **** on the lamppost in the port." Corporal Mustafa fumbled in the miscellaneous bag on his belt and took out one. A long earthen pipe, he carefully pinched a ball of shredded tobacco from the cloth bag and filled it into the pot.

"Corporal, I heard that the Germans are coming, what do you think." The superior Hassan picked out a burning red twig from the brazier and respectfully lit Mustafa a cigarette.

"These are all rumors. The Germans are separated from us by the sea. What have you seen Germans? I saw them when I was young, wearing big leather boots and black peaked helmets, walking one by one Come like a duck, kicking so high. God bless us, we don’t have to fight with them anymore. I heard from Mr. Bridge in the morning that France and Germany are negotiating and the war is over.” The Algerian people gestured happily. Triumphantly show off his broad vision and profound experience to his young rookies. Master Mustapha had gone out and wandered.

Milskbil Port is two kilometers northwest of Port Oran. The two ports are actually close to each other, with only a small mountain beam in between. Milskbil Port is surrounded by this mountain range. The bay is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has an altitude of more than 300 meters. It is simply a natural defense line. Because the Port of Olan is a civilian port, merchant ships from various countries are busy, the waterways are crowded, and the personnel are complicated. It is very inconvenient for naval ships to park in Oran, so France built a harbour in Millskbil Bay. The navy ships are moored alone.

This is a naval anchorage port, not a regular naval base, docks, canals, ship repair yards, ordnance processing and other necessary base facilities. There is nothing here, only an old-fashioned coastal defense fortress stands abruptly on the tip of the promontory at one end of the port.

A huge breakwater stretches out from the side of the fortress, blocking the waves of the Mediterranean Sea from the port, and the harbour is unreliable and horizontal.

The fortress is a very standard French style. Near the tip of the cape is a semi-underground bunker position and a single-pointed bastion. A lighthouse is built on the bastion. Behind the bunker is the main fortress, which is composed of a North African standard double-layer square fortress and an obtuse-angled bastion. On the side of the coast, there is a deep moat and a defensive wall. Mustafa and the others are now sitting on the first floor of the huge main fortress.

"It is said that these two big guys are going back to France next week. When these warships all leave, we can relax a lot." Hashim took out a salt shaker from the glove bag and handed it to Hassan, the latter skillfully opened the salt shaker. Twist a pinch of salt and spill it into the lunch box.

"We will set sail next Monday. The sailor on the Provence still asks me to find a way to get some good stuff for him. Now there is a shortage of everything in France. I got this number for him, and he will be able to get it back. Flip twice." Mustafa stretched out his four fingers and shook his hand, then knocked his pipe on his army boots. He picked up a wooden stick to stoke off the carbon deposits in the smoke pan, and then blew it vigorously. Wrap it carefully with cloth and put it back in the sundries bag.

"You made a lot of money this time, sergeant." Hassan asked with a smile.

"What are you earning? I still owe a debt to pay." Mustafa curled his lips at his men.

"Okay, it's hot, ready to eat." Hashim shouted happily. He took a large aluminum spoon from his arms and wiped it on the placket.

"Oh, give me a big one, Hassan, take out the rest of the dough." Mustafa quickly picked up the iron plate on the ground and leaned over. Just as the three Algerian soldiers were happily eating an extra meal after dinner, they didn't know that a group of death gods were fast approaching them against the sea surface twenty kilometers away.

Fairley Swordfish is a kind of how to say it. . . . Semi-modern aircraft. It has the technical features of all contemporary models, such as a metal fuselage and wings, a high-horsepower engine, a full set of instruments, an onboard radio, an onboard compass, and an air oxygen supply system. At the same time, it retains an open cabin, double The main wing and fixed landing gear, as well as the speed that is too slow to say anything, this is an old-fashioned aircraft made with advanced technology. What's incredible is that this aircraft is still the latest model, having just served in the Royal Navy for two years.

As we all know, the British Royal Navy's brains are opened up and it almost breaks through the sky, but in fact, once the Royal Navy becomes conservative and rigid, it is even more invincible. The swordfish style is the epitome of conservative thinking in the Royal Navy.

Conservatives in the Navy believe that as a navy aircraft, it must be able to carry torpedoes and bombs. At the same time, because it needs to take off on a very short carrier runway, the aircraft must have great lift. Which wing type has the largest lift? , Of course, is a double-layer wing.

At the same time, the Navy’s aircraft must carry both a pilot and an observer. Because the pilot’s eyes have to take care of the dashboard most of the time, reconnaissance and search cannot be guaranteed. Looking at the target on the sea in the air is often just a small point. Missing it will be a thousand miles away. In addition, there is no reference for flying at sea. It is necessary to remember the heading speed and time of the aircraft at all times, and calculate the exact route and position of the aircraft to ensure that it can reach the target area and return safely. It is difficult to take care of these issues by the pilot alone, so There must be a navigator to navigate.

In addition, if you want to report the results of maritime reconnaissance and search to the mothership or base in time, the aircraft must be equipped with a long-range radio. This is not a wireless phone. It can only send Morse codes. The pilots are already in a hurry. Wherever you can send a report, you need to bring a radio operator, because the operator is idle most of the time during the entire flight. In keeping with the navy's tradition of not raising idlers, let's have the tail machine gunner.

So, three people were squeezed into this ugly biplane torpedo. The cockpit was divided into steps. The pilot sat high in the first stage of the nose, and the other two people sat in the lower one. In the arc-shaped cabin, the operator and the observer are sitting back to back. There is only a piece of wooden backrest in the middle.

The cabin of the rear seat is completely open, and the front is completely against the back panel of the driver’s seat to block the wind. The observer does not have a dedicated flight seat, but sits on a horizontal wooden board in the cabin, which is designed so that he can stand up in the cabin at any time, leaning out to observe and search below. During reconnaissance and search missions. The observer was standing even most of the time throughout the voyage.

Observers can stand in the open-top cabin waving their arms, use voice calls and Royal Navy general gestures to direct pilots to change the flight direction or direct machine gunners to aim, which is unique among torpedo aircrafts in World War II, making swordfish The crew actually looked more like a group of rowing sailors.

The observer of the second unit of the first squadron of the 818th squadron of the Royal Navy torpedo bomber, Royal Navy Sergeant Raymond Hansen is now standing in his cockpit seat, banging **** the side compartment inlays. board.

"Okay, the hands of the watch are jumping, it must be blocked somewhere." Looking at the yellow light of the small illuminator in the cabin, the speedometer and altimeter finally started to work normally. Hansen was relieved.

"Don't be nervous, Sergeant, don't worry at all. We just need to follow the formation." Sergeant Carter, the pilot, said with a smile on the phone.

"Pay attention to staring at the lead plane, our height is too high." Hansen banged on the wall of the pilot's compartment without annoyance. He turned his head and looked to the rear. Under the bright moonlight, the Mediterranean sea below seemed to be covered with a silver veil. The milky white coating of the swordfish torpedo machine was visible under the bright moonlight, and even the machine The serial numbers on the body are clearly legible.

"The moonlight is too bright. The French can easily see us." Hansen said in the phone.

"Don't worry, it is difficult to distinguish clearly from below. This kind of moonlight is beneficial to us, and we can clearly find the location of the target." The pilot replied loudly.

"Attention, I have already seen the harbour. The target is the one on the right. I can't believe that the French have no light control." A surprise cry from the pilot came from the headset, and Hansen hurried to the side of the cabin. Leaning forward and looking forward.

Under the moonlight, the white coastline and gray mountains are clearly distinguishable. Observers saw the huge city with little lights flashing at a glance. This should be the prosperous Port of Oran.

"Following the lead plane, the French were unprepared. I saw the Port of Millskbild. They turned on the lights."

"They have no idea that we are here, have you seen it? Their lighthouse is navigating for us. There are still three kilometers, and the flares are ready." The pilot yelled loudly, venting his excitement.

The enemy is unprepared. If the French are not aware of it within one kilometer, they will never have a chance. This battle will be as easy as shooting a target.

Hansen bent down, loosened the **** the bulkhead, lifted the five-kilogram hand to throw the bomb, and checked the safety latch carefully with the light of the lamp, then picked up the bomb and moved to the cabin side.

Forty-eight swordfish torpedo machines were close to the sea, advancing towards the target at an ultra-low altitude of 20 meters. Every pilot stared nervously at the shining port, fearing that in the next second there would be a sky of tracer rushing toward him.

The twelve swordfish in the first row began to change their formation according to the plan. The twelve planes formed four three-aircraft formations, and then began to climb slowly and sprint toward the breakwater. Five hundred meters, four hundred meters, three hundred meters, one hundred meters. . . . The breakwater was clearly identifiable, and the pilots also saw the huge hull and towering chimneys of the French battleship docked behind the breakwater.

"Drop a bomb, drop a bomb, drop a bomb!"

The sword torpedo aircraft has reached an altitude of 300 meters. The formation suddenly pulled up the nose and continued to climb almost steeply. At the same time, the observers of each crew pulled out the flares at the moment the aircraft passed the breakwater. Insurance, and then threw the bomb out of the cabin.

The bomb fell twenty meters later. It burst in a muffled sound. Twelve flares hung under the silk parachute and drifted down slowly, and the core of the flares was like twelve tiny suns illuminating the berth in Milskbild as day.

At this time, the French finally reacted, and the harsh sirens suddenly echoed over the harbor area. But everything is too late. The twelve torpedo aircraft of the second echelon protruded into the harbor from the left side of the breakwater. Then he rushed directly to the mountains behind the port, made a nearly one-hundred-degree turn at a gentle mountain pass, and initiated a dive from the port's east to the breakwater.

Twelve torpedo planes lined up in two rows and dropped to a height of ten meters. The torpedoes were fired against the French battleship moored by the breakwater against the water, and then they were almost pulled up against the battleship’s mast without hesitation. Evacuate to the open sea while climbing.

The third wave followed. It took the same route as the second wave, and the twelve torpedoes almost followed the track of the previous mine. Then the last wave of torpedo machines penetrated through the break in the breakwater. A row of torpedoes was fired at the French destroyer fleet that was parked deep in the harbor. After the launch, the fleet turned around and crossed the mountains northwest of the harbor and disappeared from the sight of the French.

The last wave of attacks was launched by the formation of flares. They circled back from the mountain pass, dropped the last batch of torpedoes at the burning French battleship, and then headed for the open sea.

The whole battle was like flowing clouds and flowing water. From the explosion of the first flares to the evacuation of the last swordfish torpedo machine, it only took a short period of five minutes. In these five minutes, the British Royal Navy's sword torpedo fleet was like a divine aid, completing the attack with precision and perfection, from beginning to end. The French Navy failed to fire a single shot.

"God is on board, it's the German plane! The Germans are here to bomb!" Mustafa stood on the battlement of the fortress wall with his Lebel rifle. Looking at the huge battleship in the harbour with flames constantly spewing stunned. At this moment, a bright white light flashed, and then a huge ball of fire rose from the breakwater. With the harsh blast, Mustafa was blown down the battlement by a violent storm.

"The torpedo group sent a report and the attack was successful. The results were huge. The French fleet was in the harbor. At least two battleships and two destroyers were sunk, and three cruisers and four destroyers were injured. The French did not respond. No one is hurt.” The communications officer climbed up the bridge happily with a copy of the telegram. He handed the telegram to Somerville, who was sitting in the commander’s seat with his eyes closed and rested with joy.

"Really? Very good." Somerville nodded, and took the telegram calmly. Captain Scott noticed that the Lieutenant General's knee was shaking violently.

"Now we are still one step away from success. Only after all the planes return and land can we truly complete the mission." Somerville shrugged his shoulders and stood up.

"I can see the performance of everyone. Everyone has fulfilled their duties and performed their duties perfectly. The professionalism and discipline of the officers and soldiers of the entire fleet impressed me deeply. This is human For the first time in history, an aircraft carrier-based aircraft was used to attack the fleet in the enemy’s harbour. This battle will be recorded in the history of the empire’s war. When I return to the United Kingdom, I will present the Prime Minister with awards for all those who have contributed.” Somerville Putting down the telegram, he smiled at Captain Scott.

"Your Excellency, the destroyer Elegance sent a report just now that the ship's shadow was found in the northwest of the fleet, and it is approaching us." A staff officer carried the telephone receiver inside the ship and said loudly.

"What? Identify the type of ship immediately, and the **** unit is ready for battle." Somerville ran out of the bridge, and he held the high-powered telescope on the observation deck to look northwest.

At this time, the United Kingdom has not developed a sea search radar. The exploration of surface ships still relies on visual inspection and reconnaissance aircraft, otherwise the Glory will not be targeted.

"Let the destroyer go forward to investigate and confirm the identity of the other party."

"Are we going to immediately turn to avoidance." Scott asked.

"Don’t panic, there is no fleet of other countries nearby. The Germans can’t cross Gibraltar. The French have been beaten and paralyzed in the port. The Italians will not run so far. Maybe it’s the Gibraltar squadron or Canning. Ann’s Mediterranean Fleet~IndoMTL.com~Somerville stood calmly on the observation deck, leaning on the binoculars and looking at the sea and sky, under the bright moonlight, there is indeed a little ship shadow looming on the horizon.

As time goes by, the ship's shadow becomes larger and larger, and the outline of the ship can gradually be distinguished. The British had discovered that the target was not a ship, and several smaller shadows were found on both sides of the target, which was obviously a fleet.

"There is no established fleet in this area of ​​the Mediterranean Sea. It must be someone from Cunningham. Haven't the radio contacted yet? Let the destroyers send light identification signals to the opponent." The outer destroyers began to accelerate toward the target. Going up, the signal lights by the bridge flickered and sent identification lights to the opponent.

The other party apparently found the British fleet, and it adjusted its course. The other party did not reply to the light inquiries, nor did it receive the callsign from the radio, so it silently inserted diagonally toward the route of the British fleet. Somerville noticed it at this time. Something is wrong.

The signalman who had been staring at the destroyer's light screamed loudly. "God, there is a signal from the Grace, that is a battleship! It is Richelieu!"

Just as Somerville turned her head in panic, the shadow of the ship in the distance gave out a dazzling flash, and the French battleship fired her first salvo after serving. (To be continued)