"Marshal, the first assault wave took out an aircraft carrier!" "In addition, a 'Nelson'-class battleship was also heavily damaged, taking at least 4 500-kilogram bombs and 3 torpedoes!" ”

"What? A Nelson-class heavy damage? Admiral Cavgnari, Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, hurriedly asked, "Are you sure it's the 'Nelson' class?" ”

"It is absolutely certain," said Jeshunek, "that the Nelson-class guns are strangely laid out, and the three turrets are in the bow, so it is impossible to be mistaken." ”

"Good!" Kavnyari was overjoyed, turned back to Hessman and said, "Marshal, I suggest that the main fleet be dispatched immediately and launch a surprise attack on the British fleet!" ”

The "Nelson" class was one of the world's seven largest battleships during the "Naval Holiday Era" during the war, with nine powerful 16-inch cannons and a very strong defense. This "Nelson" class sailed to the Eastern Mediterranean can be said to be the most feared opponent of the entire Italian Navy! It was precisely because of its existence that Admiral Cavgnari did not dare to send a force of Italian battleships with two "Veneto" class to fight the British Mediterranean Fleet.

"Dispatch the main fleet?" Hersman thought for a moment and asked, "Are you sure?" ”

"As long as the Air Force can take it out, no, as long as it can severely damage that 'Nelson' class, there will be no problem." "Our two 'Veneto' class were very formidable battleships, with firepower even exceeding the German 'Bismarck' class, and they also had a strong defense, with a broadside main armor belt up to 360mm thick at its thickest, enough to withstand the 15-inch guns of the British. Moreover, the Air Force has now completed only one wave of attacks, and later there will be a second and third waves. In the afternoon, you can also launch the fourth, fifth, and sixth waves! By that time, I am afraid that all British battleships would be damaged by bullets, and the combat effectiveness of the British Mediterranean Fleet would be significantly reduced. This is our chance to annihilate it in one fell swoop! ”

"But where did the 2 British aircraft carriers go?" Hersman looked worried.

"Aren't there 48 Fokker Zero carrier-based aircraft?" "The British had at most sixty or seventy biplane torpedo planes on their two aircraft carriers, and with the Fokker Zero, they simply could not get close to the fleet." ”

"Also shore-based aircraft on the island of Crete." Jeshunek reminded. "The British Blenheim light bomber can carry heavy bombs, is relatively fast, and is no less effective than the S.M.79."

Kavnyari said with a smile: "It's a big deal to bear some losses, but as long as you can defeat the British Mediterranean fleet in one fell swoop and take the sea power in the Mediterranean, the lost ships can be built quickly...... Both Italy and France have strong shipbuilding industries! ”

As early as 1935, the Italian Navy proposed a grand shipbuilding plan with 9 new battleships (excluding the "Count Cavour" and "Doria" classes), 3 new aircraft carriers (not including the "Eagle" and "Sparrowhawk"), 36 cruisers and ocean-going reconnaissance ships, 142 destroyers and mine-strike ships, and 85 submarines by 1942. However, due to the high cost of the Abynesian War and subsequent colonial development, as well as the intervention in the Spanish Civil War, this ambitious shipbuilding project was never realized. But in January 1939, Mussolini, sensing that war was imminent, approved a smaller shipbuilding program, preparing to start construction of two new "Veneto" class (in addition to "Veneto", "Litorio", "Roma" and "Imperial") and two 15,000-ton aircraft carriers, 20 2,100-ton destroyers and 20 1,000-ton mine-strike ships, plus 60 submarines between 39 and 40.

But with the outbreak of the war after the outbreak of various raw material supplies became strained, the shipbuilding program approved in 39 also came to a standstill. However, as long as the Italian navy could control the Mediterranean, the German army could sweep through North Africa and the Middle East. Raw materials will no longer be a problem, and the shipyards in Italy and even France will be at full throttle!

Hersman smiled and nodded: "Okay, I've approved the dispatch of the fleet." In addition, shore-based aviation prepares the 4th, 5th and 6th assault waves! ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, Marshal!"

……

The commander of the flagship of the Italian fleet "Veneto", Rear Admiral Baroni, the chief of staff, Rear Admiral Baroni, happily addressed Igoni. Admiral Cumpioni said: "Shore-based aircraft sank an aircraft carrier and wounded a Nelson-class ship. Now Admiral Kavnyari has us sent out to engage the British fleet! ”

"Good!" Admiral Kompioni clapped his hands, "It's finally time for your chance!" Leave 5 heavy cruisers and 10 destroyers to support the landing force, and the rest of the ships will leave immediately! ”

"Admiral, the British fleet should flee northeast after being damaged, and then turn east in the sea south of Crete. Considering that one of the 'Nelson' class was damaged, they should have reached a speed of less than 18 knots. ”

"Predict their routes, and then take the shortest route to pursue!" Igoni. Admiral Kompioni said, "We pursued at a speed of 28 knots for 3 hours, then lowered to 26 knots. ”

"Admiral, we can't drive at 28 knots," Rear Admiral Baroni reminded, "and the two aircraft carriers have only a maximum speed of 25 knots. ”

Both aircraft carriers of the Italian fleet were converted from cruise ships, and they were not based on expensive "Blue Streamers" cruise ships, so they were slower.

Igoni. Admiral Compioni waved his hand and said, "Then let them follow behind, it's nothing to pull 3 nautical miles in an hour, and 72 nautical miles in 24 hours, which is not a problem for the Fokker Zero at all." ”

At about 11 o'clock in the afternoon, the main Italian forces split into three in the sea near Malta and formed a battle fleet with battleships as the core, an aircraft carrier fleet with aircraft carriers as the core, and a support fleet with heavy cruisers as the core.

The battle fleet consisted of all the battleships and most of the light cruisers and destroyers; The aircraft carrier fleet consisted of 2 aircraft carriers, 2 heavy cruisers and 6 destroyers; The support fleet consisted of 5 heavy cruisers and 10 destroyers.

After the division was completed, the support fleet remained responsible for the shelling of the island of Malta. The battle fleet swooped down to the east under the personal command of Admiral Kompioni, while Anzu. The aircraft carrier fleet commanded by Admiral Aquino hung behind the ass of the battle fleet and also headed east.

The movement of the Italian fleet division was detected at about 1:30 p.m. by a Mosquito reconnaissance plane taking off from Crete, and it was quickly reported to Admiral Cunningham, who was a little anxious.

At this time, the Mediterranean A Fleet commanded by Cunningham had already withstood the 2 assault waves launched by the German and Italian air forces, and was now preparing for the attack of the 3rd assault wave.

Under the attack of the first two waves of enemy aircraft, the aircraft carrier "Eagle" sank at 11:10, and the battleship "Lorraine", which belonged to the Free French Navy, also suffered a fatal blow after the arrival of the second strike wave, hitting 5 armor-piercing bombs of 500 kg, its thin deck armor (25mm) could not withstand such an attack at all, 3 bombs pierced the interior of the battleship, one of which directly hit the engine room, The 23,000-ton battleship lost most of its power and became a target for the S.M.79 torpedo bombers. At 12:05, three aviation torpedoes hit the "Lorraine", tearing three huge holes in its starboard side, and in just a few minutes the battleship and nearly 1,000 French people on it disappeared into the sea.

After successfully destroying the "Lorraine", the remaining bombers and torpedo planes of the second assault wave turned their fire on the "Rodney" near the "Lorraine". 500 kilograms of bombs rained down, and in just 15 minutes, the "Rodney" received four more bombs. One of them penetrated the aft deck and exploded outside the engine room, and although the armor of the engine room of the "Rodney" was so strong that it could not have been destroyed by a 500-kilogram bomb, the explosion still damaged some pipes, causing a steam leak in the engine room. The speed of the "Rodney" was also reduced from 20 knots to 10 knots.

After the reduced speed, the "Rodney" then became a live target for the S.M.79 torpedo bombers, which launched an attack from the starboard side of the stern of the "Rodney". There were several bombs in the vicinity of this position, most of the anti-aircraft guns and secondary guns were damaged, and the fire on the deck of the rescue compartment also blocked the gunner's view, so the anti-aircraft fire was very weak. More than two dozen S.M.79s dropped torpedoes from this direction, and six of them hit, almost destroying the stern of the "Rodney". Although severe damage to the stern would not have caused the sinking of the Rodney, the massive flooding and rudder damage caused the battleship to lose most of its combat capability.

At the same time that the "Rodney" was besieged by torpedo bombers, the Ju88, which had not yet dropped its bombs, took the slow-moving "Sovereign" as the target of attack. It was a battleship that was designed with huge flaws, and its power compartment was too narrow (it was originally planned to use a coal-fired boiler, but it was converted to an oil-fired boiler halfway through), which limited the scope for major changes in the future. Therefore, the British Admiralty, in the spirit of breaking ships, did not carry out large-scale refits for more than 20 years after its construction.

Today, not only is it underpowered, but even its armor defense has become outdated. The horizontal armor of the "Sovereign" was only 1-3 inches, which simply could not withstand the attack of 500 kg of armor-piercing shells.

As a result, every 500-kilogram armor-piercing shell that hit the deck of the "Sovereign" burrowed into the body of the "Sovereign" and blew up the interior of the battleship, destroying the boiler room, the engine room, the soldiers' and officers' cabins, and an oil depot. The fire began to spread on the "Sovereign", and everyone knew that the battleship would not be able to be saved. (To be continued.) )