At 8:15 p.m., the Bismarck's lookout post suddenly saw lights flickering on the sea in the distance. His heart was slightly cold, and after observing for a moment, he immediately relaxed, because it was a recognition signal that belonged to his own warship. The ship responded with the corresponding lights, and soon received a confirmation reply from the other party. When they got closer, the officers and men on the German battleship found their own aircraft carrier thousands of kilometers away under the light of the falling stars. The unique beveled deck layout is the only one in the world, and there is no semicolon.

The sudden sound of diesel engines sounded on the sea, and the Bismarck was getting closer and closer; A few minutes later, the fleet commander Bomei boarded the battleship from the transport boat and strode into the navigation room. As soon as he saw Lindemann, Bomme eagerly inquired about the ship's injuries, and his worried look was even worse than that of Lindemann, the captain. Seeing this, Fang Yan couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart. Although today's carrier-based aircraft unit has made an immortal achievement, Bomei, an old man in the navy, is still most concerned about battleships!

"General, how is the recovery of our aircraft, is there a non-combat attrition in the second wave of the group?" Seeing that the conversation between Bomei and Lindemann was almost endless, Fang Yan, who was standing on the side, finally couldn't bear it anymore and interrupted their discussion with coughing and questioning. Compared with the Bismarck, which was not in serious trouble, the fate of the carrier-based aircraft obviously made Fang Yan more worried and concerned. Bo Mei glared at his chief of staff and exhaled: "The recovery of the aircraft carrier group has not been interfered with by the enemy, and the landing of all aircraft is going very smoothly. At 7 p.m., the last wave of fighters sent to cover you also landed successfully, and now the celebration banquet is already taking place on the aircraft carrier. ”

"So, can you tell me about the final losses of the carrier-based aircraft forces?" Fang Yan spoke again.

Hearing Fang Yan's words, the expression on Bo Mei's face finally became solemn and solemn. He pondered for a moment, and then said slowly: "In this evening's battle, we lost four more fighters, bringing the total number of carrier-based aircraft losses today to 12 fighters. 10 bombers. In addition, 6 fighters and 7 bombers were damaged to varying degrees, making it difficult to participate in subsequent operations. We lost a total of 31 pilots and 9 were wounded; Their names have been counted, and their families will be duly compensated. ”

"May the souls of the departed be forgiven and redeemed." Fang Yan felt a slight heaviness in his heart, and couldn't help but whisper. By this time, less than 10 hours had passed since Britain declared war on Germany, but the war had already revealed its bloody nature: counting the number of dead and wounded on the Bismarck, the German fleet had already lost more than 400 officers and men. In peacetime, it is undoubtedly inconceivable that so many people will be killed or wounded: this is not only their personal tragedy. It is also a great pain for the whole family to which they belong.

If this was true for Germany, which was the victor, the British suffered a crushing defeat in the Scapa Bay raid, and their human losses were even more staggering. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the withering of life in this war. At this moment, the German-Polish war had been going on for 60 hours, and tens of thousands of Polish officers and soldiers had fallen under the guns and tracks of German tanks; Life has once again become a cold number represented by symbols, driven to death piece by piece by the ambition of Emperor Xiang. Although before the advent of the nuclear bomb, human history has always followed the naked laws of social Darwin, but in the midst of it, Fang Yan has never been able to face all this with an indifferent attitude.

I feel it in my arms. Fang Yan heard Bo Mei say again: "At present, the Bismarck has lost a lot of surface equipment and combat personnel, and it is no longer suitable for carrying out the next combat mission. It is my opinion that she and the two destroyers, Z11 and Z12, should return to their home port for repairs first, while the rest of the ships continue to move towards the Norwegian Sea. Hunt for an opportunity to break into the North Atlantic and go on a safari. Colonel Lindemann, let's say goodbye here for the time being. ”

Since he had long expected such a result, Captain Big Ears did not show too much regret and reluctance. He saluted Bome and turned around. stretched out his right hand to Fang Yan. Lindeman stared at the beaming and handsome face in front of him, smiled and said, "Jonas, I sincerely wish you even more success in your subsequent Atlantic cruises. I believe it won't be long. We'll be happy to work together, and I'll be sure to show you the majesty of the cannon ship. ”

"I will always look forward to the day you speak of." Fang Yan shook Lindeman's hand and said with a smile.

The motor hissed, the waves flew, and through the commander traffic boat with a displacement of 11 tons, Fang Yan finally boarded his favorite aircraft carrier after 12 days at sea. Due to the difference in emphasis, the Zeppelin, with a displacement only two-thirds that of the Bismarck, had more than twice the freeboard height and deck area; Standing in her sailing room, it is a different kind of magnificent and heroic feeling. A large number of warplanes with folded wings are parked on the deck, while the toiling ground crew is still busy, covering the big ones who can't get into the hangar with waterproof canvas.

In the middle of the bridge, the young lieutenant was at his desk drafting a telegram, ready to report to Wilhelmshaven on the historic victory of his fleet today. After all, judging by the number of enemy ships sunk, the results achieved by the German fleet today are too staggering; This made all the officers and soldiers ecstatic, as if they were in a dream in the clouds. They could not wait to report this victory to their commanders and heads of state, and to receive the highest honor.

Regarding this move that seriously violated the life experience of the insect family, Fang Yan, who learned the news, immediately stopped it. He clearly remembered that the most direct reason why the historical Bismarck could not escape the pursuit of the British Navy was that Lütjans sent a long telegram to his family during the escape, so that the British quickly determined her location through radio anti-tracking technology, so that the final swordfish broke its leg.

Although in Fang Yan's understanding, the current stage of radio anti-tracking technology is far from being able to accurately locate in terms of accuracy, otherwise it is impossible to implement wolf pack tactics; But out of the best of 安全性, Fang Yan still asked Bo Mei to give up his plan to report directly to the Navy Headquarters. After all, the current two British battle cruisers are missing, and there is no capital ship in their own fleet that can take the lead. The aircraft carrier fleet should not just show off its merits, but also take the risk of being intercepted by the enemy. In addition to this, the fleet would soon break through into the Atlantic, and it was clear that the British would not be able to keep track of their tracks.

However, what Fang Yan didn't expect was that although he persuaded Bomei, he couldn't manage Lindeman, who had been separated from the main army. Towards 10 o'clock in the evening, the Zeppelin received a telegram encrypted with the code of its own navy, and the final signature was the Bismarck's code name "D-ship". Seeing the telegram sent by the adjutant, Fang Yan's brows twitched, and his heart was anxious and angry. Lindemann was indeed a master of telegraphing, didn't he consider that his position would be very likely to be exposed?

However, after some careful consideration, the worry in Fang Yan's heart gradually calmed down. This is because the situation on this plane is different from history: not only does the Bismarck have sufficient fuel and is closer to its home port than it was in history, but the German Navy also has a number of warships and aircraft in the North Sea Theater to support and respond to her. With the virtue of the men at the naval headquarters who held the Bismarck as a treasure, by the time the battleship finished the night at high speed, perhaps the cruisers and land-based fighters that escorted the ship had already arrived.

Fang Yan, who was tired and well-up, sighed helplessly and walked straight to his living room.

The sun sets, the west wind sends late, and the vast stars and moon shroud the archipelago's eco-friendly Scapa Bay.

Soaking wet, Bren struggled to climb up the dock from the water, his lips already dark blue from the long immersion in the water. His military uniform and shoes and trousers were long gone, and only a thin shirt was still attached to his body. A cool breeze blew, and the cold Brun couldn't help but sneeze heavily. He only felt that his whole body was trembling, sore, and weak, and his two nostrils were as if they were sealed with cement, and he could not breathe in the slightest; was dizzy in front of him, but he relied on his gritted teeth to insist, so he didn't fall to the ground immediately.

"Thank God, old man, you've finally been fished out!" Ensign Green rushed forward with a look of ecstasy on his face, and without hesitation, he draped his coat over his friend's body and wrapped his crumbling and fragile body. Seeing this familiar face appear, Bren's pale and decadent Jun struggled to squeeze out a smile on his face, and said in a dumb voice: "Thank you Green, I owe you once." What about the others, how many others escaped from the Guardian? ”

"You're not in good health, we'll take you to the hospital." A hint of grief and gloom flashed in Green's eyes, and he whispered. Bren, however, had a firm grip on his arm, and his eyes were filled with intense longing and eagerness. Green, who knew his friend's stubborn personality well, gritted his teeth, and finally said in a deep voice: "Except for the two of us, none of the 145 people on the ship survived. The total number of personnel killed in the fleet today will most likely exceed seven thousand, including dozens of admirals and officers; So you might as well look a little bit away. ”

The look in Brun's eyes became confused and dazed, and then there was an intense pain that could not be concealed; Green, who was also in a heavy mood, did not speak again, but helped the trembling young man to the stretcher. On the way to the hospital, Green couldn't help but look up at the military port, which was already a mess at the moment; In the sea and air, where smoke was still billowing out, there was not even a single large or medium-sized ship.

"The sun in the British sky ......," Green muttered, his eyes full of sadness. (To be continued.) )