"Why do we have to pass through enemy airspace during the day?"

Weiss's voice interrupted Octavier's argument with Major Hargles, and the two of them, along with several officers around them, all focused their eyes on him. After thinking about it for a while, although Weiss still had a lot of questions to figure out, he had figured out one thing: if they continued like this, no matter which route they took, they would be dragged by the enemy until they were exhausted until they failed.

"...... as originally planned"

"No, here's the problem – there was a big problem with the original plan, and we can't go ahead with the original plan."

As soon as the Major spoke, he was interrupted by Weiss in a very impolite way, and his face was even more gloomy, but the stakes were high, and he had to listen patiently to what Weiss had to say next.

"During the day, flying over enemy territory, the target is so obvious that enemy flying ships and planes are able to spot us from a great distance and pounce on us. If it's night, this hardly happens. Weiss said succinctly.

"If possible, we certainly prefer to pass through the enemy's airspace at night, as we did when we came. But. The question is how to do it now! The Major asked sharply.

Although the enemy planes did not come for a while, but. The enemy's flying ships are still following behind like shadows, and the absolute speed of this Federation transport ship does not have a significant advantage, and it is difficult to completely get rid of these stalks.

"It's not like there's no chance at all." Weiss led the group to a large map hanging on the wall of the command room, which focused on the geography and topography of the Norman Empire, and if you looked at the details carefully, you would see that it was not a regular print. In fact, the map originated from intelligence sources, and there was hardly a decent map of the Norman Empire in the Commonwealth, either before or during the war, and it was probably the same in the Norman Empire. If one is traveling in one's home country, the guidebook obtained from a bookstore or the post office is only a sketchy route map, and does not even fully reflect the geographical contours of a place.

Standing in front of the map, Weiss pointed to the place where they were going, the Monamolin Mountains that looked like long white walls, and said: "We are still four or five hours away from the Monamolin Mountains, which is enough for the enemy to organize multiple air interceptions, especially in areas close to the mountains, the enemy's resistance will definitely be very fierce, and we may even be ambushed by enemy ground anti-aircraft fire." With the ship's construction and protection, I think the chances of a safe passage through this area are slim. So, ladies and gentlemen, since the road ahead is difficult to pass, you have to be flexible, find a place to hide during the day, and wait until night to get on the road. ”

There is no doubt that Weiss's suggestion works logically, but as Major Haglais has just mentioned, how to get rid of the stalker? In response to this doubt, Weiss then explained: "My suggestion is to turn around and fly south, so that the enemy thinks that we are going to the edge of the sea, but in reality we do not run that far. This is the southern mountainous region with the most complex terrain in the Norman Empire, so we lower the height, weave between the mountains, use the terrain to interfere with the tracker's line of sight, and then find the right place to make a sharp turn, and in just two times, we can throw the enemy away, and then burrow into the valley to hide. Ladies and gentlemen, this area is vast, and as long as it is planned properly, with the command ability of a major, it should not be a problem to conceal it. Wait until night, fly a little further south, then east, and then north, where you can avoid enemy hunting and pursuit, climb over the Monamolin Mountains, and return to the Federation. ”

"What you're saying is indeed a way out." Major Haglas was the first to respond, saying, "In theory it is almost perfect, but in practice there are many places full of uncertainty and even crisis...... There are many details that can cause us to lose everything, for example, you hope that we will use the terrain to get rid of our pursuers, but our transport ship has to travel between mountains, which is inherently difficult and risky, and if we want to be safe, we must reduce our speed. However, if you reduce your speed, it will be difficult to avoid the enemy's tracking, and you will even be killed by a burst of artillery fire from the enemy. In other words, how easy is it to maneuver through these mountains like skiers, avoiding peaks and obstacles while keeping the enemy at a pace that can't keep up with us. Finally, we need to find a suitable hiding spot. However, we did not conduct reconnaissance of this area in advance, and we did not have reliable sources of intelligence. I'm worried

When we were caught in hiding by the enemy, all our efforts were in vain. ”

Hearing the major's analysis and worry, Weiss couldn't stop nodding, these are indeed the points that need to be considered, and being able to think of so many proves that the commander of the aviation unit in front of him is indeed a good hand. After he finished speaking, Weiss responded unhurriedly: "You are right, these are objective circumstances. It's just that there is really no better way to do it in the current situation. Besides, don't we have another one? Maybe she'll have some knowledge of these places. ”

"I'm sorry, Dragon, I'm afraid that hope is going to be dashed." Octavir interjected, "Although that lady has used her status to help us a lot, her role is limited to Gusty and the eastern part of the Norman Empire, and she is not expected to be of much help to the terrain and topography of the south. ”

Out of the need for secrecy, Octavier did not tell the girl's identity and background too clearly, but by this point, Weiss had already understood what she meant, so he had to break this conjecture and find a way out from other aspects.

While everyone was discussing, the crew in charge of the vigilance and lookout suddenly reminded loudly that there were about 40 enemy planes found in the north!

"Get ready for battle!" The major hurriedly ordered.

The enemy planes came one after another, and in just over an hour, there were more than 200 planes one after another, which was far beyond Weiss's initial expectations. The facts do not lie, the Normans were able to dispatch combat aircraft of this magnitude in a short period of time, and their overall holdings are estimated to be ten times or even ten or twenty times this. With such a powerful air force, if it weren't for some political reasons, they would still have the strength to continue fighting this war. Weiss's divergent thinking made him wonder why the Normans deployed such a large number of flying troops in a hinterland where they were rarely threatened by the Federation Army in peacetime, and could it be that the internal strife of the enemy did not subside as the outside world speculated, but the undercurrent was turbulent, and those in power had to deploy reliable military forces in various parts of the country in order to deter those who opposed it? For the Federalists on the front lines, this meant less pressure on them to confront the Norman army, but for the Special Forces behind enemy lines and the officers and men on the transport, it was not good news – they would encounter more enemies in the next few hours.

Due to the arrival of enemy aircraft, Weiss and Octavier returned to their respective combat positions. If these Norman fighters are equipped with aerial bombs, then the transport ship will not last a few minutes and will be killed, but fortunately, these swarming enemy fighters are still combat interception models, that is to say, the main positioning of the Norman fighter force is still to deal with the combat aircraft of the Federal Army, and the flying ships of the Federal Army will continue to be dealt with by the Norman fleet.

In sight, the dark-painted biplanes swooped down in distinct formations, appearing to be more aggressive and more skilled than their previous counterparts, staring at the ship's main fire output point, the anti-aircraft gun emplacements on both sides. In order to be more accurate, they were so close that Weiss could even see the young faces of the Norman pilots, and the energetic faces in the cockpit reminded him of the first time he took a plane piloted by Nikolai, and the bumpy ride back to Lorraine from the Badton Military Academy......

The same young Norman pilots whizzed past in warhawks, and after each strafing shot, they circled in the air, looking for a new opportunity. After a series of firefights, the crew of the federal transport ship and the fighters of the special service unit are also accumulating and absorbing experience in air defense operations, and they are becoming more and more able to calm down and wait for enemy planes to approach before concentrating on attack, so as to save ammunition and improve combat efficiency. The fierce exchange lasted about 20 minutes, and three of the 40 enemy planes were shot down, and the rest flew away in droves, as they had come, and the transport ship not only had hundreds of bullet holes, but also dozens of casualties, but the enemy's bullets still failed to penetrate the heavy walls of the transport ship and destroy important internal facilities.

This wave of air raids had just ended, and within three or five minutes, more than a dozen Norman planes came. The dozen or so weren't here to deliver heads, they flew over the transport, and Weiss could clearly see that there were round, black bombs hanging under their belly, which was not good! Judging by the attack power of these bombs, only one bomb is needed to inflict heavy damage on the transport ship, and once damaged, all assumptions and all expectations will be zeroed.

"Those are enemy attack aircraft, we must go all out and don't let them get close!" Weiss reminded the combatants loudly.

Because of the bombs they loaded, the Normans were much slower than the previous fighters, and when they circled in the air to adjust, their attitude was rather clumsy, and before they could launch the first round of official attacks, one of them was hit by the fire of the transport ship, and fell like a bird with folded wings. However, the sudden death of their companions did not deter the other Norman pilots from the fight, and they quickly swooped down directly in front of or behind the transport ship - for a slender flying ship, the most suitable way to drop the bomb was to dive along its vertical line and aim the bomb at the right position, which not only ensured the probability of hitting, but also converted the gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy...... Weiss hurriedly reminded the major with the help of the ship's communication phone that it was necessary to carry out air maneuvers against these enemy planes carrying bombs. The Major coldly replied, "I know," and cut off the communication. Almost at the same time, the transport ship experienced a slight side deviation and chatter due to an emergency turn. Compared with cruisers and corvettes, its maneuverability was not excellent, but the all-out steering allowed it to avoid the first bomb dropped by the enemy plane without danger - the black thing almost fell on the starboard side, and those who witnessed it could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

"Damn, it's like the enemy's bomb training." Weiss muttered, there was nothing he could do but continue to direct the shooting.

After a few moments, the transport ship made a sharp turn in the opposite direction and took an S-shape in the air. This made it more difficult for the enemy to hit the bomb, but it also reduced the relative speed, and the three enemy ships that followed closely behind took the opportunity to close the distance, making it more difficult to get rid of them.

Having survived the attack, the entire combatant finally waited for an unpredictable break in battle, and Weiss and Octavier returned to the command room in unison. After the battle just now, Major Haglais had clearly made up his mind, he looked at Weiss and said, "Well, Mr. Clumber-Hayth, we have no choice but to adjust according to your plan. ”

Weiss did not give the major a look at the previous unpleasantness, he sent a compliment in a playful manner, so as to make the flying ship commander show full fighting spirit: "Major, we believe that you will be able to lead us out of a desperate situation, you are the best transport commander in the Federation Army." ”