Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 89: First click

The buzzing of aircraft engines came from the horizon. The weather was clear and cloudless, and the vision was very clear. The air defense watch post of the British fleet quickly saw the incoming German fleet in the telescope lens. Net

"The bearing is 30, the number is more than fifty, it's a fighter!" The lookout whistle reported loudly. The two rangefinders of the air defense command post have been aligned with the German fleet. The rangefinder began to measure the height and distance of the enemy aircraft, and then reported the measured data to the air defense gun positions via telephone.

As the flagship of the local fleet, the Kent is equipped with an experimental type of carrier-based air-to-air search radar that is being developed. This unfinished meter wave radar can only simply detect the position and distance of the attacking enemy aircraft. , It has not been able to detect the accurate altitude of the aircraft, and at the same time the data error is very large, and it does not reach the standard that can be used as a reference for fire control.

At the same time, the anti-aircraft firepower on the Kent also gave Tovey a headache. As a budget-conscious treaty heavy cruiser, the British naval designers did not leave her much room for modification. This heavy cruiser lacks enough deck space to house more anti-aircraft platforms.

With the advancement of aircraft technology, the threat from the air is no longer a joke. The Royal Navy began to upgrade its air defense firepower in 35 years. The problems of treaty cruisers like the Kent class are very common, making navy experts scratch their heads.

The final solution formulated by the experts for the Kent-class heavy cruisers is to dismantle the torpedo launchers of this class of heavy cruisers and install the third and fourth anti-aircraft guns where the launch tubes were originally placed. but. Kent is precisely the only warship of this class that has not dismantled the torpedo system, so it has the weakest air defense firepower among the ships of the same class, and can only rely on an eight-unit ping-pong gun on each side of the bottom of the bridge to be responsible for air defense.

This seemingly powerful eight-unit 40mm anti-aircraft gun has fully proved its value in the battle with the Luftwaffe in the past few months. Proved that it is a bluffing stuff.

This thing seems to have eight barrels, which seem to be able to fire one after another, resulting in continuous anti-aircraft fire. But in fact it's not the same at all.

Because the barrel of this artillery is too short, it has a very pitting muzzle velocity and an unusually weird ballistic. Why did you choose a barrel of only one and a half meters long for an anti-aircraft gun? This kind of speculation and explanation, the more reliable one is the naval ordnance bureau's misogynists who advocate diligence and thrift. The two million two-pound artillery shells left over from World War I in the Royal Navy's arsenal must not be wasted.

So this kind of advanced anti-aircraft weapon with a high degree of automation was installed with a short ridiculous barrel. The result of the decrease in muzzle velocity is a too close range and a curved trajectory. The projectiles have a large spreading surface, which makes it impossible to continuously track a target accurately. As a result, the original design of eight gun barrels alternately firing to maintain fire continuity was cancelled in order to ensure that it hits the target. It can only increase the firepower density delivered in one launch, and use the quantity to make up for the lack of accuracy. The eight-unit ping-pong cannon turns into eight barrels and fires shells at the same time. Each barrel has two shots per second. It can only shoot a ball of scattered barrage, and cannot hit the kind of bullet wall that was originally designed. .

Moreover, this kind of artillery is too bulky and heavy. It relies on the motor to rotate and pitch, and the gun mount is sluggish, making it difficult to keep up with the movement trajectory of the current new aircraft. Since the fire control radar that can improve the efficiency of the ping-pong gun has not been successfully developed at this time, all aiming commands still rely on manpower. It can be said that in addition to the ammunition power of this artillery, other indicators can no longer cope with the existing air strike mode.

The Kent’s anti-aircraft gunner turned the handle to point the ping-pong cannon to the side. The single-barreled 20mm Oerliek cannon and 40mm Bofors height were distributed on the top of the main gun turret and on both sides of the hangar. The guns are all loaded and can be fired at any time. The Royal Navy officers and soldiers watched nervously at the slowly approaching German fleet. Waiting for the first wave of dive attacks to arrive.

The dual-purpose guns on the peripheral destroyers and light cruisers have begun to fire one after another, exploding a black and gray bomb mist in the distant air. A string of bomb mist is staggered up and down in the air. The airflow slowly drifted away.

Tovey was very disappointed with the performance of the outer air defense firepower. Although the direction of the bombardment was very accurate, the distance and altitude were very different. Several consecutive rounds of fierce launches, let alone shooting down enemy planes. Not even the edge of the fleet was touched.

The German aircraft maintained a neat formation, slowly approaching the British fleet steadily. At this time, including the Kent, the four warships in the core area also started shooting into the air with secondary artillery. The 102mm high-explosive grenades exploded huge clouds of smoke in the air, shooting hundreds of fragmented shrapnel around at high speed.

The German fleet did not waver at all, still maintaining its original course, swaggering towards the head of the British fleet.

"They seem to be climbing?" Tovey was puzzled by this. The German aircraft flew extremely high, initially estimated to be about 3,000 to 4,000 meters. Without a telescope, only small black spots as large as ants can be seen. , Especially now the sky is covered with dots of black and gray anti-aircraft barrage. If you are not careful, you can't even find it.

The German fleet is already in the air. They swaggered past the outer air defense circle. The seemingly fierce anti-aircraft firepower of the British Air Force perfectly explained what is called external strength and bluffing at this time. Tovey felt his stomach swell, and his whole body was full Powerless.

"They are going to dive! They are going to dive!" At this time, there was a panic on the Kent's navigation bridge. Except for a few anti-aircraft machine guns, all weapons on the battleship hit the highest elevation angle, but the face was almost vertical. The gunners had nothing to do with the target overhead, and they could only wait for these death gods to attack.

"These are not Stuka! What's so scary! Left rudder 60! Start evasive maneuvers! Order the formation to disperse and pay attention to the course of the friendly ships." Tovey pushed away the helmet handed over by the captain. , He leaned on the fence of the nautical bridge and gave orders to the panicked officers and soldiers loudly.

"The Germans are on top of our heads! They passed by on the Cumberland!" The deputy captain reported loudly with a telescope.

"They didn't dive. Perhaps they wanted to attack the Queen Elizabeth. They ordered the artillery of the ships to focus their firepower and fully cover the Queen Elizabeth." Tovey put down the telescope and wiped the tears stimulated by the sun with the back of his hand.

"They flew over the Queen... Where are they going?" The deputy captain looked at Tovey with a puzzled look.

"They flew away like this?" Tovey was also a little confused.

The German fleet is like not seeing the British fleet at all. Flew straight over the head of the British fleet in a swaggering manner. They seemed to dismiss the shelling of the British fleet at all. Tovey felt an unprecedented humiliation. The attitude of the German fleet was just like in the Royal Navy. A hard slap in the face.

"Order the ships to stop shooting! Re-formation, pay attention to the order of formation, and form an air defense formation." Tovey twisted his swollen neck. He walked to the seat of his commander and sat down with his backrest and issued a series of orders to the staff of the fleet.

"The radar continues to search the surroundings. Be careful that the Germans turn back again. This is not impossible. Order the ships to check the ammunition balance, report the damage, and get me a cup of coffee." Tovey frowned. Turned his seat and looked at the chart on the chart table carefully.

"Anyway, the whereabouts of the fleet has been exposed, and perhaps countless German planes will pounce on us soon, and the fleet will enter a first-level combat readiness. We now need air cover. Why is there no news in London! "Tovey questioned loudly at the deputy chief of staff.

"The last contact was fifteen minutes ago. The headquarters ordered everything to proceed according to plan. The air cover forces have already set off. We will be able to join them soon."

"Sir! The radar room reported that a large fleet of aircraft was passing through the course ahead of us, flying towards the British coast!" The deputy captain stepped forward and reported.

"Huh? These **** Germans. How many planes are there." Tovey took a cup of coffee from the orderly.

"The radar operator reported that the number was so large that he could not count so many spikes."

"The incompetent Royal Air Force, Dowding should be sent to the Tower of London and beheaded! Even if the enemy cannot be defeated, he should at least fight to the end and make the enemy pay the corresponding price. A soldier should do his best to defend the country and the people. If necessary. Even if you sacrifice your life, you will not hesitate. During this time, the cabinet allocated a lot of resources and manpower to the Royal Air Force. Dowding gave us such a answer sheet. German planes are flying over Britain. Doing whatever he wants, he will only let his plane circle around London, sitting and watching the German plane burning English country towns and towns to ashes. I really doubt our aerial cover...not good."

Tovey's hand holding the coffee shook violently, and the coffee dangling from the edge of the cup dripped down his wrist and dripped onto the straight army pants.

"Damn it!" Tovey stood up abruptly, put the cup on the chart table, and the orderly handed the white rag hung on his arm.

"Send a report to London immediately to report what we have discovered. The Luftwaffe has dispatched a large fleet, which may be aimed at our air cover forces. Ask them to issue a warning immediately, otherwise it will be too late!" Tovey said. Wiping the pants with the rag, he said loudly to the staff.

"Yes, sir." The staff officer saluted Tovey and quickly turned and ran off the navigation bridge.

"Hope my guess is wrong. Now our aerial cover may be in trouble. Although I didn’t have hope for those guys from the beginning, we can save a lot of trouble with them. We are now in In danger, everyone must be vigilant. I want each of you to keep your eyes open and carefully search every inch of the sky and the sea. We will be attacked at any time." Tovey threw the rag back to the orderly, and then walked over. A telescope was raised on the front of the bridge.

"Order the avant-garde destroyer to advance five kilometers forward again, Leander and Ajax fill in the vacancies, Berwick and Campbell pay attention to the observation of the right wing..."

"The destroyer found the enemy ship! At two o'clock, five nautical miles away, seven small ships! They are sailing along the French coast."

"Identify the type of enemy ship." Tovey raised his binoculars and looked towards the reported position. He faintly saw a small bright white spot on the sea level, which should be a splash from the bow of the ship.

"Why did you find it so close?" Tovey asked angrily.

"The opponent is too small. The hull seems to be disguised to a certain extent, and it is difficult to spot it from a distance."

"It's a German torpedo boat. They may want to go around behind us. Do you order the destroyer to drive." The chief of staff of the fleet suggested from the side.

"Also, order Napier and Nerissa of the 23rd Destroyer Squadron to go and drive, um... let Glasgow follow and cover the two destroyers. The sailors on the two ships are all recruits. The captain is also a novice and may need some support. Order them to pursue for up to ten minutes. Then immediately return to the formation."

Tovey is very touched by the German torpedo boats, the destroyer captain he once valued most. Just two months ago, the destroyer under its command was raided by two German torpedo boats at night, and finally sank into the North Sea with 170 men. Only five people survived. Two of them were taken and captured by German torpedo boats.

German torpedo boats are sturdy in structure, powerful in horsepower, and fierce in action. They often launch surprise attacks on the British fleet patrolling at night in the strait. If it were not for the small number of the overall number and insufficient crew experience, the results would definitely not be the same a little bit.

If Tovey has air support in his hands, then airplanes are the best weapon against them. But Tovey only had a bunch of warships in his hands, so he could only drive those torpedo boats away.

Tovey has entangled with Italian torpedo boats several times in the Mediterranean. These speedboats will follow the fleet far away, reporting the fleet's position, course, speed, ship type and number, and every move to the headquarters. And I will come up to harass and attack whenever I have the opportunity, which is really annoying.

Of course it’s better to sink them if possible, but the German torpedo boats can reach speeds of more than 40 knots, and they can steer flexibly. If they want to run, they will be able to run.

Tovey stood by the bridge, watching the two destroyers and a light cruiser quickly turn to leave the formation. Then he rushed towards the German torpedo boat with full horsepower.

"In three hours, we will be able to reach the target waters. Even if the Germans find us now, their fleets will not have time to evacuate. They may send a fleet to intercept... To send a report to London, we need The latest information from the Dover Coastal Observatory, whether the opponent’s fleet is still in the port. Whether the German navy’s warships have been dispatched. We have been dispatched for fourteen hours, and there is no useful information.

Now that our fleet has been exposed, I have no idea what awaits us ahead. Tell London that if we don't have the latest information, I will suspend this mission and lead the fleet to return. I will bear all the responsibilities. I feel bad now. We are now charging towards the enemy blindfolded, and the Germans have already seen us clearly, and the Admiralty cannot support even the simplest piece of information. I can't just inexplicably sacrifice the last remaining strength of the British Royal Navy's home fleet. I am responsible for my subordinates. "Tovey said angrily to his chief of staff.

At this moment, a loud roar suddenly remembered in the distance. "The Nerissa exploded!" the bridge watcher yelled loudly.

Tovey and a group of naval officers hurriedly rushed to the side of the bridge, each raised their binoculars and looked into the distance, only to see a huge plume of smoke on the sea in the distance was dissipating, and the inside was vaguely visible. The stern of the SA is slowly lifting, the propeller and rudder are already out of the water, the main engine should be still running, and the propeller blades are slashing in the air in vain.

Tovey saw that the Napier in front of the Nerissa was slowing down and turning, and it seemed that he was about to turn around to rescue the friendly ship. The Glasgow, which was behind Nerissa, had deflected its bow, avoiding the destroyer that had lost control.

"Is it a shelling or a torpedo?" Tovey asked the watchman.

"I don't know, there is no warning at all. The ship exploded like this. I guess it might be a torpedo. The water column splashed high and exceeded the mast of the Glasgow." The watcher was frightened by the tragic scene. , His voice trembling reported to the commander.

Tovey wanted to continue to inquire about the details, but suddenly there was a loud noise in the distance, this time it was the Napier. In an instant, like a volcanic eruption, a huge water column rose from the sea, enclosing the first half of the poor destroyer, only a small sharp bow was exposed, and the erupting water column engulfed it. The bow of the destroyer slowly lifted her from the sea, and people could see the red hull below the waterline~IndoMTL.com~ In the next second, hundreds of tons of seawater crashed down under the weight of gravity, and this poor The destroyer smashed back into the sea, and the entire bow was pressed into the water.

Then, in full view, in front of the commander of the British Royal Navy's home fleet, with a terrifying noise, Napier broke in two from the bridge position, and the second half of the hull began It leaned quickly, and after a few seconds, it turned over, revealing the red bottom of the ship. The front half of the ship hull floated on the water slantingly with two main guns.

"My God, **** Christ, it was a mine! The Germans laid minefields there! Those torpedo boats are a **** bait, oh my god." The captain of the Kent wailed loudly.

"Send the Nestor to rescue the people who fell into the water, keep them away, and release the lifeboat. Order the Glasgow to stop immediately..." Before the voice fell, the sea again rang out with the roar of mines. This time, There were two sounds in succession. (To be continued)

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