Raeder glanced at the colonel who was blushing and bowing his head, and didn't continue, but turned to the officer in charge of fighter dispatch beside him and asked, "What about the third wave of fighters?" You ready? ”

"Most of the pilots have just finished lunch and are seizing the time to rest for the afternoon battle." The officer immediately stood up and replied with a salute, "The planes are refueling and refueling, and the six aircraft carriers have basically lifted the 12 torpedo bombers that will take off before the dive bombers to the flight deck, General." ”

"Good." Raeder said, "But we still have to speed up the progress, the battlefleet of Lütjens is about to be blocked in front of the British fleet, and our fleet should try to reach the battlefield when the two fleets meet or before they meet, after all, it is still too risky for the British fleet to engage in a direct artillery battle with Lütjens." ”

"Okay, General!" The officer saluted again, "I'll arrange it later, so that the ground crew can speed up." ”

Raeder nodded in satisfaction, and opened his mouth to speak, but a poignant alarm immediately caused him to swallow the words from his throat.

The siren was familiar to all the officers present, but it had never actually sounded on the ship.

"What's the situation? Who is pulling the air defense siren indiscriminately ?! Raeder immediately stood up and glared in the direction of the bridge console—he subconsciously thought that someone had pulled it by mistake.

"General! It's not a mess! A second lieutenant just ran up to their big officer in a panic and said in a panic, "The anti-aircraft radar has picked up a large abnormal reflected signal, which is moving towards us at a speed of 200 knots!" ”

Hearing this, Raeder was stunned for a moment before he said, "200 nautical miles? British carrier-based aircraft forces?!"

"I think so! Sir! The lieutenant said anxiously, "What should we do?" Checkmate? ”

“scheiße！” A major general scolded angrily, "How did the British know where we are?!" ”

"It must be the same as when we found the British fleet! Tracking the returning carrier-based aircraft group! Another officer immediately guessed the reason, and said with annoyance, "The carrier-based aircraft group should pay more attention to the rear!" ”

"How do we know there's going to be a Britlet plane following?" An officer in charge of the carrier-based aircraft immediately said with a white face, "The target is so small, how can the pilot see it?" ”

Seeing that the two officers were arguing with each other, Raeder slapped the table fiercely, calming everyone present, and he said angrily: "The top priority is not to shirk responsibility!" Rather, immediately prepare air defense! ”

With that, he turned to the ensign and asked, "How long will it take for them to get over the fleet?" ”

"Twenty minutes at most!" The lieutenant replied.

"Twenty minutes?" Reddell paced, "Hmm...... Rear Admiral Hope, go down and distribute the anti-aircraft artillery ammunition to the various gun emplacements, so that all the soldiers of the ships are ready for air defense! ”

"Yes!" Rear Admiral Hope, who was in charge of the air defense of the fleet, saluted, and then immediately rushed to the radio room to convey the order to each battleship.

"Rear Admiral Andrei, immediately order the ships to stop reloading and refueling the bombers, and instead rebuild the fighters, and be sure to take off 24 carrier-based fighters before the British carrier-based aircraft group arrives in the fleet!" Raeder ordered to the major general in charge of carrier-based aircraft.

"Twenty minutes and twenty-four? Checkmate...... I don't have enough time......" Major General Andrei said in a tangled voice.

"How is it not enough?"

Hearing this, Andrei walked to the porthole, pointed to the flight deck below and said: "General, you see, there are already 12 well-prepared torpedo bombers in the front take-off position on the flight deck, and there is no extra take-off position at all. If you want to take off the fighters, you have to fold the wings of these torpedo bombers and send them back to the second hangar, and then go to the first hangar to put the carrier-based fighters on the flight deck. It's going to be too much time to go back and forth. ”

Raeder stood by the porthole, looked at the 12 torpedo bombers neatly parked on the deck, and thought carefully for a while.

After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth and said viciously: "Since it's too late, let the soldiers untie the blocking net next to the ship, and then push all these planes into the sea!" ”

"Pushed into the sea?" Andrei was taken aback, "But, so many planes ......"

"It's nothing good, if you go down, let alone the plane, we will all be sent to the sea by the British!" Raeder's eyes were red and he roared, "As for the loss of these planes, I will personally go to the Führer to plead guiltily after I go back!" ”

"Good...... All right! Major General Andrei saluted, "I'll go down and arrange it immediately!" ”

After the various air defense orders were given, Raeder leaned against the porthole, slowly rubbing the corners of his forehead with his thumb.

Raeder knew very well that these aircraft carriers were the work of the Führer, and the Reich spent a huge amount of money, materials and decades to build, and if they were sunk here by the British carrier-based aircraft group today, then I am afraid that Germany would repeat the mistakes of World War I and completely lose its sea supremacy in the North Sea.

At that time, not to mention blocking the withdrawal of Allied forces from Dunkirk to Britain, even the "Sea Lion" plan, which had high hopes for the high command, would be in vain. After the implementation of the "Barbarossa" plan, although the empire did not fight on two sides like World War I, it also had to deploy a large number of forces on the Western Front to prevent Britain from regrouping and crossing the sea to counterattack.

And he will become a sinner for the ages in Germany!

The more Raedel thought about it, the more frightened he felt, and he had to use God to calm his heart.

I have done everything I can and hope that God does not abandon the high seas fleet.

He thought silently.

At the same time, on the deck of the aircraft carrier Count Zeppelin, a large number of soldiers were quickly dismantling the blocking nets fixed to the side of the ship according to the orders of their superiors, and then working together to push more than a dozen torpedo bombers parked on the deck into the sea.

On the first floor of the hangar, there are many people in purple and red clothes, busy refueling and refilling the fighter jets.

Soon, one fighter after another was ready and was pushed by the ground crew to the three lifting platforms on the side of the gunwale.

At 12:23, eight minutes after the fleet aviation alarm sounded, the first fighter jet roared from the aircraft carrier Count Zeppelin, followed by the second and third......

At 12:25 p.m., an observer aboard the Leipzig visually spotted the British group, while the 25th carrier-based fighter of the German aircraft carrier fleet was taking off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Deutschland.

At 12:26, the first shot was fired from the 128mm high-level dual-purpose gun carried by the light cruiser Leipzig.