Fang Yan clenched his back molars and read the telegram in detail without missing a word.

Just nearly 30 minutes before the encounter between the German main fleet and the British fleet, Karls, out of caution, ordered his aircraft carrier to slow down and sail to 12 kilometers behind the main force, which made the flat-topped ships jump out of the nirvana and escape with all their might at the first warning of the friendly ships in front. Due to their position behind and their quick response, the sea-detection radars of the three aircraft carriers did not find other targets, and they successfully completed the operation of stealing the sky and crossing the sea.

However, the Germans' euphoria did not last long. While the main fleet was fighting in the dark, the Hippers spotted an unidentified ship in close pursuit from the rear: radar showed that the opponent was two large ships with a speed of up to 31 knots, apparently British battleships. In less than 1 minute, the other side corrected the course to exactly the same as the Hipper, which means that the existence of the Hippert has been discovered on the opposite side - the latter's majestic freeboard, which is 11 meters high, is inherently more reflective of radar waves than battleships!

This turn of events caused the commander of the air fleet, Bomay, to be angry. The three aircraft carriers in his hands are all typical examples of specializing in air and space combat, and their close-range combat capabilities are even inferior to the two Z-type destroyers next to them, and if they duel with the other party head-on, they will only die on the spot. But if it continues to run away for a marathon chase, the Hippers will not be able to catch it.

As the first work of the German Navy to get involved in carrier-based aircraft operations, the Hipper-class aircraft carrier was given enough power at the beginning of the design: the maximum output of the two engines was 78,000 horsepower, and even when the warship was at a full load displacement of 17,200 tons, it could drive a speed of more than 30 knots. However, after 8 years of service, the original efficient and stable steam turbine is no longer the original refinement. Although the steam engine can still drive 115% overload, the maintenance time has long been less than 8 hours at the time of acceptance, and more than 3 hours must be operated with reduced load.

According to the planning of the Construction and Repair Bureau, the Hipper was supposed to undergo a major overhaul of the power system in July this year, but due to the situation, she was still assigned to the expedition fleet. Originally, it didn't take her more than 30 minutes to fly the fighter at full speed, but the Kars fleet was at high speed the whole time as it passed through the Danish Channel. Especially in the second half, in order to avoid the British submarines, the fleet maintained its speed at 29 knots for 6 consecutive hours, and by the time the power of the Hipper could no longer maintain a high load, and could only barely drive 28 knots without being pulled away by the main force. Seeing the angry and suspicious face of the young man in front of him, Schnywinger explained in a deep voice.

Fang Yan clenched the telegram in his hand, fully understanding what happened afterward. In order to prevent the Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers from being exposed to the deadly fire of enemy ships, Bome had no choice but to let them accelerate their way first. The only two destroyers left behind to cover the Hipper, hoping to give her a chance to escape.

Unfortunately, in addition to the 2 heavy cruisers, the enemy pursuers also had 2 powerful Tribal-class destroyers that were not detected by the radar at the first time. In a skirmish of this level, these 2 extra destroyers of the British were enough to make all hopes of German ships lightning striking the British heavy cruisers come to naught!

"Don't be too disappointed, Jonas. Although the Hipper's was unfortunately sunk, she kept enough fire before it capsized: Colonel Norman immediately ordered the aircraft to be reconditioned at full speed, so that the valuable carrier pilot could leave first. Schnywenger put another document in front of Fang Yan, and then patted him lightly on the shoulder, "This is a report from the Trondheim base in Norway, where 48 carrier-based aircraft landed in the early morning of the 17th. None of the three carriers were tethered on deck, so this is enough to be an exciting achievement. ”

Fang Yan took the telegram and swept it quickly, and finally a faint light passed through the depths of his dark pupils. He knew best the capacity of the German aircraft carriers, and the two-story hangar of the Hipper-class class could accommodate a total of 37+18 aircraft, a total of 55 aircraft. Previously, during operations in the North Sea, 15 fighter jets were usually tethered to the flight deck to strengthen air supremacy and deal with the threat of British land-based air force; And if you want to enter the rough Atlantic, the deck-tethered aircraft will be canceled and the full hangar containment will survive the harsh weather.

Fang Yan slowly closed his eyes, and a thrilling picture gradually appeared in front of him: the howling deck wind, the mechanical technicians who were desperately overhauling, the damage management team members struggling to operate the smoke canisters at the stern, and the ground sailors gritting their teeth and pushing the multi-ton fighter plane on the deck repeatedly.

"In the midst of a crisis, Colonel Norman is qualified as the captain of an aircraft carrier." Fang Yan whispered silently in his heart. The southwestern tip of the Danish Channel is about 1,000 kilometers from the Trondheim base in Norway, which is exactly within the maximum range of the Goth-152 fighter jet, which can see the continental shelf after three hours as long as it hangs a fuel tank for cruising level flight. As for the Gotha-388 torpedo bomber, which has a larger range, it is even more so.

It's just that the Hipper, which has more than 1,800 members, has very few people who have really survived. After emptying the deck, the Hippel was hit by a series of close British heavy cruisers, and soon a 203-mm shell pierced the motor room from the stern and burrowed into the aviation ammunition bay further forward. The rear of the ship suddenly fell into an earth-shattering explosion, and the sound was so terrifying that even the officers and men of the German destroyer a few hundred meters away were shocked to the point that their eardrums were ruptured. In less than three minutes, the aircraft carrier was quickly swallowed by the sea, and its performance was even more fragile than that of the Z-type destroyer!

In addition to the Hipper, the light ship group that provides the shield for the capital ship also has a sad fate. Due to the disparity in numbers, they could not change their outcome with a single blow of oxygen torpedoes: two heavy cruisers of the Königsberg and Karlsruhe were sunk, 7 of the 8 armored destroyers were lost, and only 1 damaged ship barely repaired the right condenser, relying on half of the weak power, and staggered on the dangerous return journey. And in exchange for the survival of the Tirpitz and Spee. The report was sent by the Tirpitz, who had sailed into Norwegian waters, received by German torpedo boats and fighter planes, and was in absolute safety.

The British fleet successfully ambushed their targets, but their fate was no longer favored. At 7 o'clock in the morning, the sky was twilight, the Danish Strait was shaking in the microwave, and Bomei, who had already been holding back the fire in his belly, released a large number of attack planes in a vigorous manner, launching a complete liquidation of the enemy last night. At this time, the British heavy cruiser that sank the Hippel had not yet run 100 kilometers before it was directly caught up by the roar, and then the bombs and torpedoes were quickly killed. The remnants of the British team's light ships were also hunted down in retaliation, and in the end, only a few fish escaped the catastrophe.

Fang Yan took a deep breath, his eyes gradually changed from nervous and sad anger to a deep pool. It is true that the German navy suffered heavy losses in the Danish Strait this time, with a total tonnage of nearly 100,000 tons, but the British home fleet that came to intercept it was also almost completely wiped out, and the tonnage of the sunken ships was twice that of Germany. Although in the case of a normal engagement, the British fleet without aircraft carriers would only be left to the mercy of others, and it would be extravagant to even touch the sleeves of the German fleet, if the side insists on calling this battle a victory, there is nothing wrong with the propaganda, it depends on how the naval command and the Chancellery characterize it.

After a moment of silence, Fang Yan opened his mouth and asked, "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, what does this matter have to do with me being recruited today?" If there is an internal investigation within the Navy to hold accountable, it should also wait until the person concerned returns. I really don't understand why I was suddenly asked to be the commander of the three air battles. ”

Schnywinger rubbed his forehead and temples, and a look of inexplicable complication appeared on his face. His lips twitched for a moment, and he said vaguely: "Judging from the tonnage of the sunken warships, our army is indeed not a failure in this battle. But the Bismarck is the most well-known spiritual totem of the Navy, and the sinking of the Bismarck is easily exaggerated with a layer of haze of failure. For some reason, this will be very bad for the marshal, so Jonas is needed for you to return to the first line of the fleet. You should be able to understand what this means, right? ”

Seeing Schnewenger's face, Fang Yan was stunned for a moment and immediately understood. For Raeder, the result of this naval battle was undoubtedly to give Hitler a bullet to shoot at himself: with a little guidance from the propaganda machine, the sinking of the Bismarck would immediately ignite public anger and revolve on him, the commander-in-chief of the navy.

With Goebbels' ability to repeat lies into truths, it is not too simple to put the pot on Raeder's head half-truthfully. The German population will be told, why was the fleet so defeated? It turned out that it was Raeder who was jealous of his ability and suppressed the hero General Brom, which caused thousands of officers and soldiers to die in the ice sea!

Although Fang Yan clearly knew that even if he was at a loss on the Zeppelin at that time, ordinary people would not see it that way. They would only assume that the fleet would be defeated without Admiral Brom, and that even the Bismarck would be sunk; And only if he stands on the bridge of the command ship, the splendor of Scarpa Bay and the Norwegian Sea will be staged.

Previously, the pathological praise of Fang Yan by the Kuomintang propaganda machine had been repeated over and over again, and it had left an indelible mental steel mark in people's hearts, and even within the navy. At this time, if Fang Yan cooperates with Hitler as an actor to speak out publicly, Raeder can be removed from the stage in minutes!

Therefore, in the face of this crisis, Raeder could only choose to win over Fang Yan first and try to eliminate this core hidden danger first. As long as Fang Yan could hold still, Hitler lacked the most direct weapon to attack him. Although Raeder knew very well that he was certainly not Hitler's opponent in a real fight, it was impossible for him to sit idly by and watch the opponent seize the lever that brought him down, and then knead himself arbitrarily.