August 20, morning. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

It is 100 nautical miles east of Chile and about 200 nautical miles from the Gulf of Valparaíso.

"10 o'clock, 200 meters away!"

The deck of the Z35 destroyer was very busy, and the soldiers quickly installed the hedgehog bullets in the launcher located in the bow, then adjusted the direction, and finally pressed the switch of the launcher, and fired the 24 hedgehog shells one by one at very short intervals, forming an oval barrage with a radius of about 40 meters at a distance of more than 200 meters in the front of the destroyer.

At the same time, several other 1938 Type B destroyers coordinating in the vicinity of the Z35 destroyer also fired hedgehog shells at the same time.

The sound of plopping ammunition into the water was particularly clear to the sonar soldier's ears, and then there was an anxious wait.

Unlike depth charges, which use a depth fuse, a hedgehog bomb uses a trigger fuse that can only be detonated when it touches the shell of a submarine. However, as long as one shot is detonated, the remaining 23 hedgehog shells will also explode together under the shock of the explosion, thus enclosing the submarine in a net of fire.

In actual combat, the explosion of a hedgehog bomb is equivalent to the destruction of the boat!

Because there is no submarine that can escape with a serial explosion of 24 30-kilogram hedgehog shells (16-kilogram charge).

However, the roar that can kill a boat of people is difficult to hear, and in most cases, the hedgehog is like a stone sinking into the sea after it bounces into the water, silently. And this time was no exception, 24 hedgehogs were bounced into the water for several minutes, and the sea was still calm.

"One more round!"

At the officer's command, the sailors on deck began to reload the launcher with hedgehog shells, and a few minutes later, another 24 hedgehog shells were ejected, and then there was silence again.

The use of hedgehog bullets to counter submarine warfare is so dull that it is often impossible to hear a sound for several hours, which is really a great test of the patience and morale of the soldiers on the destroyer.

However, the Z35 destroyer was lucky today, after firing the 8th round of hedgehog shells, the rumbling explosion suddenly flashed on the sea surface with a column of water, and then a mass of water mixed with oil exploded, staining a large area of turquoise sea, and everyone on the destroyer cheered.

More than a dozen nautical miles away, on the bridge of the aircraft carrier "Raeder", a staff officer breathed a sigh of relief: "Sir, it's sunk!" ”

Commander of the 10th Task Force of the Combined European Fleet, Helmut. Admiral Heyer (who was also the commander of the 1st Fleet) nodded slightly.

An American submarine, nothing to be afraid of, and not a submarine like the Type 21 that can sail at high speed underwater.

"Did the reconnaissance plane find it?" Helmut. Heyer asked.

"Not yet." Heyer's chief of staff, Werner. Vice Admiral Lowish (Chief of Staff of the 1st Fleet and Chief of Staff of the 10th Task Force) took over the question, "The Fw190TE searched all the seas within a radius of 400 nautical miles and did not find the American fleet. ”

The Fw190TE is a two-seat carrier-based reconnaissance bomber that integrates the Fw190T (carrier-based combat type) and Fw190E (reconnaissance-bombing type), and also has certain air combat capabilities and night combat capabilities, and is the air patrol of the German aircraft carrier formation.

In 1944, each B41 carrier carried 16 commonly used Fw190TEs. This is because this type of aircraft can have a range of up to 2,400 kilometers without bombs attached to the auxiliary fuel tank, which is enough to patrol the waters around the aircraft carrier formation for 400 nautical miles (740 kilometers). Although it cannot be compared with the Japanese "Caiyun" carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft, it is completely sufficient for the European Combined Fleet, which mainly operates in the narrower Atlantic. Moreover, there are a large number of reconnaissance Ju288 and Me264 and Bv138 seaplanes in the Atlantic Ocean to provide intelligence support for the fleet, and there is no need for ultra-long-range reconnaissance aircraft with a range of up to 5,000 kilometers like the "Caiyun".

However, now that the 10th Task Force is in the vast Pacific Ocean, and there is no support from shore-based or water-based long-range reconnaissance aircraft, it is really not very accustomed to it.

"What about Task Force 11 and Task Force 12? Did they make any discoveries? Heyer asked again with a frown.

"No," replied Vice Admiral Lowish, "we have found nothing in the submarines we have deployed in the Gulf of Panama, and the American aircraft carriers seem to have disappeared into thin air." ”

Heyer raised an eyebrow, now this is the Pacific Ocean! The sea area is so open that it is boundless, and there is no large number of shore-based and seaplane support, and it is almost impossible to search for the US aircraft carriers that are deliberately hiding with 96 Fw190TEs of the three task forces.

However, the 32 Fw190TE carrier-based reconnaissance bombers attached to each task force are enough to ensure that the US aircraft carriers will not be allowed to sneak close.

"Prepare to send out an air strike formation," Helmut said. Admiral Haye looked at his watch. "You can fry 3-4 rounds! Full deck assault, each of the two motherships sends 2 squadrons of fighter-bombers (each fighter-bomber squadron is equipped with 16 Fokker 636 or 16 Fw190T), one of which is a Fokker squadron and one is an Fw190 squadron! Then give the 11th and 12th task forces an order to send the same number of fighter-bombers. ”

Each of the 3 task forces sent 2 squadrons of Fokker 636 and 2 squadrons of Fw190T, for a total of 96 Fokker 636 and 96 Fw190Ts. Since all three task forces are about 200 nautical miles from Valparaiso Bay, which is not too far, they can launch a full 192 250-kilogram bombs and 192 500-kilogram bombs on the heads of Americans in Valparaiso Bay at once (the Fokker 636 can carry two 500-kilogram aerial bombs with a full launch). Although it was not enough to blow up the 10,000 or 20,000 Americans there with heavy losses, it still let the Americans know that the German aircraft carrier had arrived in the waters of the Southeast Pacific Ocean in a big way!

……

"Sir, Valparaiso Bay has been attacked by at least 200 German carrier-based aircraft!"

At noon on 20 August, Admiral Spruance, who was leading a fleet on standby in the depths of the Pacific Ocean 700 nautical miles off the coast of Chile, received information that Valparaiso Bay had been bombed.

"More than 200?" Spruance immediately turned to the chief of staff, Vice Admiral Browning, and asked, "How many aircraft carriers did the Little Mermaid submarine report on the discovery of before it went missing?" ”

"2 large aircraft carriers, Admiral," said Vice Admiral Browning at once, "the Germans should have adopted the tactics of dispersing the formation, as we did, probably forming 3-4 twin carrier squadrons...... It seems that the Germans did not want to take risks. ”

In World War II, there were two ways to concentrate and disperse aircraft carrier formations, and centralized formations were conducive to organizing large-scale attack aircraft groups. And the larger the size of the attack group, the more conducive it is to break through the opponent's defenses. However, correspondingly, the excessive concentration of aircraft carriers can easily be wiped out by the opponent, especially when the aviation combat strength of the two sides is relatively close. Therefore, in order to avoid suffering too heavy losses, it is also a great advantage to divide the aircraft carrier into multiple teams and arrange them in a scattered manner.

In the Battle of Valparaiso Bay, which began on August 20, 1944, both sides adopted the tactic of dispersing aircraft carriers. Helmut, Germany. Admiral Haye set up three twin-carrier task forces, while Spruance of the United States divided his eight aircraft carriers into four carrier strike groups.

"It's also possible that they dispersed the formation to search a larger area." Spruance crossed his arms and frowned, "Now the German carrier-based aircraft are better than us, and their pilots are better than our boys, so the chances of winning the air war are still better than theirs......"

Spruance's caution was not unreasonable, as the surrender of the British mainland to Germany in 1943, which was very technologically advanced, allowed the German aviation industry to absorb the strengths of the British aviation industry, and thus made great progress. The U.S. aviation industry was unable to get much technical support from the U.K. after it succumbed to Britain (some British aviation industry experts went to the U.S.), so the already existing aerospace industry technology gap between the United States and Germany was further widened.

Among them, the Fokker 636 is equipped with a BMW 803 18-cylinder air-cooled engine developed by absorbing the Sagittarius engine technology of the British Bristol company, and the power can reach 2480 horsepower without using any combustion technology. The Fw190T uses a BMW801F-type 14-cylinder air-cooled engine with 2,400 horsepower.

With the use of powerful engines, both the Fokker 636 and the Fw190T reach a maximum speed of 750 km / h.

Among them, the Fokker 636, which has excellent medium and low altitude performance, can reach the highest speed at an altitude of 5500 meters, and this aircraft can also climb to an altitude of 9000 meters in 9 minutes and 30 seconds, and its climbing performance exceeds that of any known fighter, and its fighting ability at medium and low altitudes can completely crush the previous Fokker Zero, the king of medium and low altitudes, and defeat the American F6F.

In addition, the Fokker 636's firepower is also extremely ferocious, frantically equipped with 4 20mm cannons, and also has 580 rounds of spare ammunition, which can easily shoot down American SBD carrier-based dive bombers and TBF carrier-based torpedo bombers.

Although the Fw190T has mediocre performance at medium and low altitudes, it can only compete with it above 6000 meters, even the P47D can only compete with it.

"Sir, should we launch an air strike? The first attack wave is ready. ”

Faced with Vice Admiral Browning's question, Spruance hesitated a little and thought for a while: "You can take the method of shuttle bombing, let the plane land at the airfield in Valparaiso Bay, and the aircraft carrier will retreat immediately after releasing the first attack wave, so that the aircraft carrier can be saved no matter what."

Now we must keep the aircraft carriers, because only by keeping the aircraft carriers can we attract the aircraft carriers of the Germans! ”