As soon as Lieutenant Commander Elster sent back the telegram "Tiger, Tiger, Tiger", the fleet immediately thundered with joy. This also meant that the raid was very successful, and the officers who were waiting for the news on the radio burst into cheers.

And this also made the two commanders who had been waiting for news, Midrafael and Fernandez, also smile.

"This time there will be great results."

Fernandez smiled and told Midrafael beside him his expectations.

And the steady Midrafael was also smiling at this time. "Definitely, because this attack allowed us to change the pattern of naval warfare. Congratulations to Major General Fernandez, you are destined to go down in history. ”

"Your Excellency, Commander, you have won the award. This is not only something that I can accomplish alone, but also the efforts of so many people in the navy to achieve such success. ”

It is clear that Major General Fernandez is still sober even now.

In fact, after sending the carrier-based aircraft away, he has always been uneven in his heart, worried about the fighters of the air attack.

Will the raid carrier-based aircraft formation get lost halfway?

Will it be discovered by the British in advance?

After being discovered, will the carrier-based aircraft formation cause heavy losses?

And this news made him let go of his inner worries, and everything was his best state.

Then the next result, he didn't have much sense of expectation. Because many deductions have been done before, all of which show that if you are attacked without preparation, even the losses of the Romanian fleet will not be small. And with the Mediterranean Fleet, which has worse anti-aircraft firepower, then the absolute losses will be greater.

Midrafael was pleased that the chief of staff around him was still keeping a clear head, because they had a heavy task ahead of them.

I saw Midrafael open his mouth and give orders. "Send a message to the aircraft carrier formations so that they are ready to receive aircraft."

In fact, there is no need for him to say, five aircraft carriers will do the same. On the three absolutely core Bormiku-class fleet aircraft carriers, the ground crews have long been busy with their feet on the ground. Aerial torpedoes and 250KG and 500KG aerial bombs were placed next to the runway, and fuel tankers and fire extinguishers were also placed on one side.

As the captain of the Bormico, Colonel Nick couldn't help but wrinkle his forehead as he looked at the chaotic scene on the deck.

"It's too messy, and it just adds to the danger. If an enemy aircraft are coming, such a situation is simply creating opportunities for the enemy. ”

Obviously, the ground crew on his ship did not do a good job. Since the situation of even his first aircraft carrier is not much better, the chaotic situation of the remaining two aircraft carriers, as well as the two escort aircraft carriers that have only recently entered service, can be imagined.

Actually, he was right, compared to the Bormiku, the Serrakos and Eugensk were a little more chaotic. As for the two escort aircraft carriers Bibak and Gilesku, there is no need to say more, fortunately they only need to provide refueling and replenishment for fighters.

Without making them wait long, the first wave of returning planes appeared in front of everyone. This is by 11 H57 torpedo planes and 8 RU18T dive bombers.

It was the first fighter to attack, and after throwing away the ammunition they were carrying, they flew back in formation.

And this is also an intentional act, because there are too many fighters in the air raids, and they all start the air raids at the same time, so in order to avoid the return time of each plane being too concentrated, they all leave after dropping bombs. It's just that, of course, it is not to let it return alone, but to return in small groups.

And the ground crews on the three aircraft carriers have become busier. They played chess and directed the plane to stop, and when the plane came to a standstill, the tanker trucks and ammunition carts immediately surrounded them. The one who should be on the bullet, the one who should be refueled. And the crew members also ran off the plane, and those who should release water released water, and those who ate ate food.

After loading the fuel and ammunition, they boarded the plane and took to the skies again under the command of the ground crew.

This situation has continued since the return of the first batch of planes, with nearly 20 planes hovering over the sky waiting to land at the peak.

When the first batch of returning aircraft took off, the two escort aircraft carriers were also flying fighters, but this time they were protected by RH20T carrier-based fighters.

This group of planes was composed of fighters to protect the aircraft carriers, and after the first air raid formation flew away, the three aircraft carriers kept releasing their remaining fighters. In addition to protecting the skies over the fleet, these fighters were transferred to escort aircraft carriers. Because according to the plan, the three aircraft carriers need to vacate places to prepare for the next acceptance work, further shortening the preparation time for the second air attack.

Therefore, these RH20T fighters can only keep escorting aircraft carriers to dock, waiting for the next air attack to be equipped.

And with the increasing number of fighters returning home, a large number of Romanian Zero HF201 fighters have also joined the return sequence.

These bodyguards in the air raid kept docking to the escort aircraft carrier. Fortunately, the fighter has few equipment, and what needs to be replenished is ammunition in addition to fuel. And in the first air attack, many fighters did not get a chance to fire, which also reduced the pressure on the ground crews on the two escort aircraft carriers.

And at this moment, an H57 torpedo machine with bullet holes stopped on the deck. The pilot jumped out and shouted. "Quick, there are wounded."

I saw that in the rear compartment, the self-defense machine gunner leaned to his post, and the blood stains on the glass were still clearly visible.

Several medics wearing Red Cross insignia immediately ran forward, and they rushed up to lift the machine gunner out, and the blood stains on his body stained their uniforms red. After they lifted him aside, a doctor stepped forward to diagnose him. Feeling his pulse and listening to his heartbeat, the doctor shook his head and stopped helping.

"Already dead."

After receiving the doctor's diagnosis, the pilot and bombardier fell silent.

An officer examined the bullet holes in the plane and found that there was no serious problem. So he brought in a small soldier and pointed at him and said to the two of them. "Now he's your new recruit."

The plane took off again, and the little heavy sat in the last machine gun position, blood still faintly visible on the glass.

From 9.37 the first wave of planes returned home, to 11.21 the last plane departed. Within nearly two hours, the 299 planes that had returned home had departed again. (One of the planes failed to pull up after takeoff, and the pilot was rescued when it fell into the sea, which is counted in the loss)

Only this sortie had some changes, in which the number of fighters was further increased, and the number of torpedo planes among the bombers was further reduced.

The list of air raids of the second wave is as follows: 86 HF201 fighters (8 defending the fleet remained), 48 RH20T fighters, 64 RU18T dive bombers, 76 H47 torpedoes, a total of 274 aircraft.

Among them, the increase in the number of fighters is mainly due to the fact that the enemy will definitely increase the number of fighters. Although Alexander's air power has been destroyed and the airfield has been blown up, as long as the British army moves fast enough, there is no problem at all in sorting out a temporary airfield. The second wave took long enough for its urgent air reinforcements to reach Alexandria.

Therefore, for the air attack troops, it is first necessary to destroy the enemy's resistance from the air.

And in this regard, the air strike force has enough self-confidence. Not only from the confidence in their own fighters, but also from their own capabilities.