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Hersmann returned to Berlin on May 1, 1942, after a series of bluff inspections. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

And this night, for people on both sides of the English Channel, will be a sleepless night that will always be remembered.

The 18,000 officers and men of the 1st Marine Division of the German Marine Corps had already boarded the ship at Wilhelmshaven at noon that day, and a large amount of their equipment and baggage (this division was actually a light armored division with a large number of amphibious tanks and self-propelled guns) were also loaded with five amphibious assault ships and 78 T-type and T-type "Magician" series ships.

In the evening of the same day, the flotilla began to marshalling off Wilhelmshaven, covering the 5th Fleet of the Combined European Fleet - although most of the main ships of the German Navy left the Baltic and North Seas.

However, there are still many ships left to make up the 5th Fleet, including three "missile cruisers" that are not impressive in the German Navy today, but are actually extremely powerful in combat.

In addition, 3 Rhine-class escort aircraft carriers (C-ships) are now joining the 5th Fleet. And their strength should not be underestimated, although the C ship also belongs to the Diao silk aircraft carrier, but compared with the United States and Britain of the same kind, it is from the hands of German shipyards that pay attention to quality and like to make high-quality products, so it can also be regarded as the elite of Diao silk.

The tonnage of the C aircraft ship is relatively large (12,000 tons), the speed is relatively fast (21 knots), the anti-aircraft fire is relatively fierce, and the number of carrier-based aircraft is also large, reaching 30 (24 in the hangar and 6 on the deck), of which 24 are commonly used carrier-based aircraft. That is to say, there are a total of 72 carrier-based aircraft on the three "Rhine"-class escort aircraft carriers, and the combat effectiveness is still very impressive.

Escorted by the 5th Fleet, nearly 70 amphibious assault ships and landing ships loaded with soldiers and equipment were quickly formed and then sailed at a speed of 12 knots to the entrance to the English Channel in strict accordance with the schedule set by the German High Command.

The air and naval aviation of Germany, France, and Italy also became extremely active from noon on 1 May. Fighter planes flew in groups along the patrol routes over the English Channel, and under the guidance of ground radars and high-altitude reconnaissance planes, they intercepted all air targets that dared to approach.

A large squadron of JU87 Stuka dive bombers also appeared over the Channel and in the air nearby, searching back and forth at low and medium altitudes of less than 1,500 meters, and all British ships, military and civilian, that they spotted were fiercely attacked.

As for the large long-range anti-ship aircraft of Germany and Italy, such as the JU288, 7, S.M.79 and the JU88 that have not yet been replaced, they are nowhere to be found, apparently waiting for the British Grand Fleet to be dispatched.

"I didn't expect the sky of the English Channel to be completely in our hands." Rudolph, who has become a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Feng. Ribbentrop was leaning on the side of the "Baltic", looking up at the German plane in the sky, talking to himself. He remembers that before he left Europe for Japan, the skies over the English Channel were still a stalemate between the two sides.

"Company commander, the British Air Force has long been out of service, and British aircraft have not been very active since late December last year." One of Rudolph's platoon commanders, Carl. Second Lieutenant Wiesel came over with a vehicle inspection report.

"Last December?" Rudolph. Feng. Ribbentrop thought of the Hawaiian campaign, of the whimsical idea of transporting tanks to land with submarines. After he returned to Germany and was transferred to the Marine Corps Command as a staff officer, he once proposed to his superiors to transport tanks by submarine.

As a result, he was regarded as an outlier by a group of elite staff officers who graduated from the Berlin Military Academy, and then he was sent to the 16th Amphibious Tank Company of the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Marine Division as a company commander.

Thinking of the "conservative" of the Wehrmacht, Rudolph . Feng. Ritrov sighed softly, then took the report and read it carefully.

Lieutenant Ribbentrop asked: "Have all the vehicles been checked for fuel and batteries?" Are the spare tanks full? I waited for the beaches in Ireland, but I didn't know when I would be able to refuel. ”

"It's all topped up, it's all checked, and there are no leaks or damage." Cal. Second Lieutenant Wiesel replied that he was not dealing with an errand, but that he had really carried out a strict inspection of everything according to the order.

"Okay, now I'll go for a spot check." Lieutenant Ribbentrop closed the report and said to Karl. Ensign Wiesel said. "Come with me."

"Okay, Lieutenant." Cal. Second Lieutenant Wiesel gave a military salute and followed his boss to inspect the vehicle.

The same test has actually been done twice, and this is the third time. Since the 22 amphibious tanks of the 16th Amphibious Tank Company No. 3 were installed on the amphibious assault ship "Baltic", the platoon commanders of the five tank platoons have to check the condition of the vehicles every eight hours to ensure that all 22 tanks are in good condition -- the intact rate is combat effectiveness! Especially in a landing operation, all supplies can only be carried out through the beachhead before the capture of the port, and it is impossible to send reserve vehicles to the beachhead. Therefore, the landed tank units must cherish the equipment at hand and make sure that they can give full play to their combat effectiveness.

Throughout the day on 1 May, the officers and men of the four tank companies (one tank company in each regiment) belonging to the 1st Marine Division of the German Marine Division aboard four Baltic-class amphibious assault ships completed at least two rounds of routine equipment inspections. And on the amphibious assault ship "Norwegian Sea", the No. 5 ship of the "Baltic" class, the "office general" Paulus, who went to the battlefield again after 28 years, was a little restless at this time.

The last time he went to war was in 1914, when the First World War had just begun, but he was withdrawn from the front line due to illness not long after, and then he obtained a position in the army office through connections, and until he was appointed commander of the 1st Marine Division more than a month ago, he did not leave the army to lead troops.

"Lieutenant General, you don't have to worry, according to intelligence, there are no Irish troops deployed near Cork Bay."

Chief of Staff of the 1st Marine Division, Boto. Feng. Colonel Ahlberg was a war veteran who fought in the Spanish, Polish, Belgian and Yugoslav wars. is invincible all the way, and naturally has full confidence in the Germanic Superman who has opened the hanging.

Moreover, the place of this landing was not the beachhead in the south of England, which was full of troops, artillery and tanks, but near Cork Bay in Ireland. It is located next to Cork, Ireland's second largest city, and Cork Bay is a natural deep-water harbour. Once the port is in hand, a truly formidable panzer division will depart from the French port of Brest and reach Cork Bay in less than 20 hours.

"And we are not the first Germans to set foot on Irish soil." Colonel Alburg sat comfortably in a circle chair that he had found out of nowhere, squinted his eyes and said to his somewhat nervous superior, "According to the plan, those supermen of the 7th Airborne Division will jump to Dublin to invite the Irish government to join the European Community. Maybe there will be no landing at all, but it will drive directly into Cork Bay and disembark from the pier. ”

After being exposed by his subordinates, Lieutenant General Paulus was a little uneasy, and after coughing twice, he said: "Colonel, what I'm worried about now is not landing, but after landing...... According to intelligence, the British had heavy troops in Northern Ireland, as well as armored units. If the British knew that we were going to attack Ireland, their armored forces would immediately break through to Irish soil, and then there would be a tough battle to be fought! ”

……

"Lieutenant, are your men ready?" In a barracks next to a large military airfield on the Brittany Peninsula, the commander of the German 7th Airborne Division, Wilhelm Brown. Feng. Lieutenant General Sussman asked a scar-faced lieutenant who was 1.92 meters tall.

The scar-faced man looked fierce and seemed to be a robber of reckless origin, but in fact he was a graduate of the engineering department of the University of Vienna named Otto. Skorzny. While at university, he joined the Nazi organization in Austria and became a stormtrooper officer. And this guy is also very fond of fighting, and participated in 14 duels during his college years, and the scar on his face was left from the 10th duel.

However, after Austria was controlled by Germany, he did not go into politics, but took up his old profession as an engineer. At the beginning of the World War, he was already a moderately accomplished engineer, and he also had a C license to fly an airplane. So he signed up for pilot training, but was rejected because he was too big, and then he went to join the Waffen-SS and became the "Adolf. An infantryman of the "Hitler" banner, who rose to the rank of alternate officer after the Battle of France.

After graduating from the SS officer school in Braunschweig, he did not return to the "Adolf. Hitler's team, but was recruited by the German Airborne Forces, which were upgraded to an independent branch after the merger of the Miuta Special Forces, and became a special forces officer subordinate to the Airborne Forces.

"Lieutenant General, my men have been preparing for Ireland for 1 year!" Otto. Skorzne gave a military salute and replied, "All of us are now fluent in English and Irish." All the officers had been to Dublin at least once and were well acquainted with the terrain there. And I myself have met with the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland. ”

"Good!" William. Feng. Lieutenant General Sussman said, "Then I now announce that Operation Moonlight will begin in 48 hours, and the Moonlight Squadron must be ready to go at any time." Good luck, Lieutenant. Your success will make our military operations in Ireland even more effective. (To be continued.) )