April 29, 1945, 9 a.m. (Azores time). Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

The No. 1 airfield at the Port of Heroes Air Base was already heavily guarded, and the armed gendarmes were stationed around the airport at five paces and one post at ten paces, and two single-shot "Waterfall" ground-to-air missile launchers were erected next to the runway of the airport, and the two missiles were aimed at the sky with their pointed heads held high.

A half-track flatbed truck was slowly driving out of a vaulted reinforced concrete building, walking very slowly, surrounded by a group of Air Force officers, like stars and moons. On the flat plate of the flatbed was a huge bomb loaded with iron chains, which looked to weigh at least several tons - it was the Heisenberg Device-3 atomic bomb with a yield of more than 20,000 tons!

Fifteen minutes earlier, the atomic bomb had just completed its charge filling and final detection, and was now ready to be dropped and ready to detonate.

Air Force Lieutenant General Modders, who had just been promoted to commander of the 1st Air Force, also appeared at this time at the atomic bomb carrier, to his old friend, the ace pilot of the Me264 and the current commander of the 801st Group, Helmut. Colonel Lunt said, "This bomb is really big...... It was used to blow up the Churchill naval fortress, right? ”

Air Lieutenant General Mauders did not know that it was an atomic bomb, although he knew that it was a very important bomb that needed to be closely escorted to the front line. But I didn't know there was such a thing as an atomic bomb - the atomic bomb was the highest secret!

In the Azores, in addition to the members of the 801st, 802nd and 803rd Brigades, there is now only the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gunther Gaunther, who is personally in charge. Admiral Corten knew the secrets of the atomic bomb, and he was now among the officers who sent the atomic bomb off.

Gunther. Admiral Corten took the question and replied, "Yes! It was used to destroy Churchill Fortress and also to carry out a certain degree of remote navigation. ”

He didn't mean to deceive Moders, but he simply had no right to tell him the truth.

"But even if the Churchill Fortress is blown up, Concepson Bay will still be difficult to fight." Mauders didn't seem so optimistic, he knew the battle on Newfoundland very well, and certainly knew how difficult the battle was.

"Well, it's hard to fight, but you'll still win!" Gunther. Admiral Corten changed the subject and said, "I heard that the Americans have a fleet coming?" ”

"It's still 1,300 kilometers away, and if they don't change course, they won't fight tomorrow." "Maybe there's an airstrike tomorrow morning, but there's no problem, we can deal with it." ”

He is not talking big, and now the air defense forces on the Azores are still very strong, not only the medium and low-altitude king Fokker 636 is deployed, but also the Ta152 fighter that has just entered service. The extremely high-altitude performance of this aircraft (above 10,000 meters) is not as good as that of the Me262, but it is applicable to a wider range of airspace, basically from 5,000 meters to 10,000 meters, if it is not for jets like the Me262, there are few opponents above 10,000 meters.

In addition, there are many Me262HG high-speed fighters and He219 night fighters deployed in the Azores, which are enough to provide all-round air cover.

But Gunther. Admiral Corten knew that the two atomic bombs that could never be damaged were stored at the Anglo-Herosmo airfield, so he was not as sure as Mauders, and it was better not to let the American carrier-based aircraft approach the airfield.

Thinking of this, he moved his lips and wanted to ask if he could use the Me264 and Me410 to bomb the American fleet, but at this time, the four high-powered Jumo222 engines of the two He219Gs (which were escorting the Me264K that dropped atomic bombs) that took off in the first wave began to roar.

This means that the first real combat of the German atomic bomb has begun!

Due to the fact that the combat distance this time was very long, almost reaching the limit of the He219G, the plane took off at maximum weight. Therefore, the two He219Gs taxied on the cement runway for nearly a kilometer before slowly pulling up the nose.

The airport began to release He219Gs at a rate of one wave every two minutes, and after all the He219Gs took off, four Me264 planes responsible for bomb dropping, remote control, and early warning also roared into the sky one after another.

At the same time, hundreds of He219s for perimeter escort also rushed into the sky at several other airfields in the Azores. Watching more than a hundred planes team up in the air, Gunther. Admiral Corten took a deep breath, and was about to continue the previous conversation when out of the corner of his eye he saw his adjutant running over sweating profusely.

"Sir, an urgent telegram from Marshal Kesselring."

Field Marshal Kesselring is now in charge of the dropping of the three atomic bombs, while Gunther is in charge. Corten commanded three atomic bomb dropping brigades at Angra Herosísmo Airport. Most of the urgent telegrams between them were not good.

Gunther. Corten hurriedly took the telegram, glanced at it, suddenly took a deep breath, and said to the adjutant: "Go and summon the officers of the 802nd Brigade and the 803rd Brigade to the conference room!" ”

Mauders, who was on the side, saw Corten's nervous expression and asked a little strangely: "General, are the 802nd Brigade and the 803rd Brigade also going out?" ”

Gunther. Corten nodded: "Always ready to go!" ”

Mauders frowned slightly: "But there are no extra escort planes, and the He219G on the Azores has already taken off." ”

He pointed out that the escort aircraft was a "peripheral escort" aircraft, but in fact it was not necessary, but an insurance factor. Due to the distance between the Azores and Newfoundland, it can only be escorted by long-range He219G long-range high-altitude fighters. And the number of such aircraft is not large, there are only more than 100 here in the Azores, and now all of them have been sorted.

"Dispatch Ta152," Gunther said. "It's enough to do a one-way escort and land at the airport on the island of Newfoundland after completing the mission," Corten said. ”

What the!?

Moders couldn't believe that such words were made by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Colonel-General Korten, wasn't this a joke about the air defense of the Azores?

Ta152 is one of the main forces of air defense in the Azores, it is responsible for air defense above 5000 meters, and without them the air defense of the Azores will not have a "cover". And if you want to send Me264 and Me410 to launch missiles to attack the American fleet, then you have to let Ta152 escort it, how can you let Ta152 fly to Newfoundland?

Two German-controlled airfields on the west coast of Concepson Bay on Newfoundland have been rehabilitated to allow the Ta152 to land, but there is not enough fuel in the oil depots at both airports to serve 100-200 Ta152s (there was a little fuel, but it was used up by German tanks, vehicles, and construction equipment). In other words, the Ta152 that flew to Newfoundland will be the same as the ZOS523 assault transport aircraft that landed before, and will become a "disposable" (there may be a chance to recycle it later).

Although the pilots flying these Ta152 fighters could later return by seaplane (since the Germans controlled a long stretch of coastline on the western shore of Concepsin Bay, there were enough places to take off and land Bv138 seaplanes and larger Bv222 seaplanes), the air base on the Azores could also be quickly replenished with Ta152 fighters.

But the recall of pilots and the replenishment of aircraft requires a process during which the air power of the Azores will be weakened.

Gunther. Corten understood Modders' thoughts, but he couldn't tell them the truth - the atomic bomb was still a legend, and many people had heard about it from various sources, but very little really knew about it, and it was the Wehrmacht's top secret.

"So be it," Gunther. Admiral Corten smiled apologetically and said to Mauders, "160 Ta152s are on standby...... That's an order! ”

Gunther. Admiral Korten had such powers, he came with orders from the Air Force Command and the Atlantic Front Command, and Mauders could only obey.

"Yes, Admiral." Mordells saluted and watched as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who seemed to have a wrong brain, walked briskly towards the officers' conference room at the Anglo-Heroísmo airport.

The room was already packed with officers, all the chairs were full, and many were standing against the wall, and when Admiral Korten walked in, everyone was talking about the bombing mission.

"Close the door!" Corten ordered the Air Force gendarmes standing guard at the gate, "Highest alert level!" ”

This means that the gendarmes will be stationed around the meeting room, and no one will be allowed to approach without permission, and if necessary, they will shoot and kill!

Seeing that the door of the conference room was closed, everyone inside knew what was going on, and suddenly it fell silent, and everyone was staring at Admiral Korten, as if waiting for the order to attack.

"It's still a tactical mission, and the primary target is the U.S. aircraft carrier formation in the Bay of Fundy, with a nuclear explosion in the water." "Because it's so far away, you have to land on Newfoundland after you finish dropping the bomb." In addition, the operation can be revoked at any time, and it is necessary to be prepared to return home and land with bombs.

Still have questions? ”

It turned out that the telegram that Corten had just received was an order from Kesselring from Brest - a German Navy Bv138E water early warning aircraft had spotted a large number of unidentified aircraft taking off from the Bay of Fundy 30 minutes earlier, so the Atlantic Front Command suspected that a large number of aircraft carriers were hidden in the Bay of Fundy. In view of the special topography of the Bay of Fundy, the command of the Atlantic Front once again made a request for the use of atomic bombs.

"Admiral, are we going to get started right away?" Captain of the 802nd Brigade, Hans. Ulrich. Rudel asked.

"Yes!" Corten nodded, "The action begins now...... This time I'm going to be with you. ”

Chapter 1259 Atomic Bomb XVI

Newfoundland time, April 29, 1945, 6:30 a.m.

Another round of tsunami-like shelling was over, and the battlefield suddenly became very quiet, except for the undulating sound of the waves and the low, resounding hum. The Germans, who had been fighting the island of Newfoundland for several days, knew that the sound came from the tank clusters of the Americans. They must have used the shelling as a cover to complete the build-up at the front of the German position.

A new wave of assault on tank and infantry clusters will soon begin!

Brandt, who was already wearing a white hazmat suit, but had not yet put on his sunglasses and gas mask, was dizzy and came out of the artillery bunker - in the shelling just now, the bunker he was in was directly hit by a 105mm grenade, although the sandbag on the top of the steel plate (the steel plate was found from the warehouse at the US military airfield and was originally used to fill the runway) withstood the test. But the people hiding inside were still not at all uncomfortable, and they were shocked by the explosion that happened overhead, and among them, there was a Frenchman with relatively thin nerves who was so frightened that he cried, which was really embarrassing.

After Ensign Brandt, who had long since changed from a staunch anti-war activist to an anti-war combat hero at heart, he got out of the bunker and first squinted at the sky, which was blue and clear, and there were no clouds. This is undoubtedly a good day for air power to play to its advantage! Then he lay on the edge of the trench again and grasped it forward with his binoculars. What appeared in the telescope was a dark and dreary American tank, an unknown number, as if they were all covering the front line, all shaking and slowly approaching.

"Carl!" Brandt shouted the name of one of his squad leaders, "How many Taylor mines are there?" ”

"There are not many, less than 20 left."

"Spread it all down, go quickly!"

"Yes! Brothers, take the Taylor mine and come with me......"

The squad leader who was named did not shirk it, and with a roar, he climbed out of the trench with 9 paratroopers who could still move, and one of them held two Taylor mines.

The tactic of burying mines after the end of the enemy shelling and before the tank cluster impact first appeared on the Eastern Front, and it was a trick used by Soviet GC fighters against German tanks, and it was quite easy to use, so it was learned by the Germans.

And who will carry out this highly dangerous task is not decided randomly, but several squads under a combat platoon are rotated in order, and no one can run.

Mitterrand, a freedom-loving Frenchman who had been crying in the anti-artillery bunker just now, was now forced to crawl on the muddy ground that had just been washed by the rain with two mines, and the white radiation suit he was wearing was already stained with muddy water -- due to the rain and repeated shelling, the front of the German front was already covered with muddy puddles, and it was still a cold and bitter mud puddle. In late April, the temperature in Newfoundland is still very low.

But mud puddles and low temperatures weren't Mitterrand's worst enemies, and the real danger was the incessant firepower of the Americans. I don't know if it was because I found the Germans crawling on the ground in white clothes (although the temperature on Newfoundland is low now, it is not the ice and snow season, and the soldiers in white clothes are really eye-catching), anyway, not long after Mitterrand climbed, the machine guns on the American tanks and the mortars that I don't know where they were placed opened fire. The shells rained down like bullets, so that Mitterrand and the others couldn't even lift their heads.

Mitterrand felt unable to move forward, so he placed one of the two mines he was holding in front of him, the other into the mud a few meters away, and crawled back into his trench.

This is the so-called buried mine, which is not really to dig a pit and bury it, but just put it on the dirt ground. If the American tanks had pressed over from above, they would have been blown through the territory by the "Taylor" mines. Because the shells of these mines are painted in a protective color, they are not easy to spot, and even if they do, they are nothing—they are not anything of value in the first place, and they are not afraid of being picked up by American GIs, as long as they dare to brave the rain of bullets!

"Huh? Why do these Germans wear snow combat suits? ”

At this moment, the commander of the 20th Army of the United States Army, who personally went to the front line outside the port of Grays Airport to supervise the battle, was in charge. Lieutenant General Walker was watching the battle with a telescope, and he also saw the Germans crawling on the ground in white clothes, and felt very strange.

"General, since this morning, the paratroopers of the Germans have changed their clothes." An American colonel (who was a tank commander) shouted at Walton. Lieutenant General Walker said, "But this is not a snow suit, but a chemical suit." ”

"Chemical suits?"

"Yes!" The American colonel said, "Our men found a very sophisticated gas mask from the killed and captured Germans, as well as a kind of chemical protective glasses." ”

From three or four o'clock in the morning until now, there has been a fierce exchange of fire on the front line of the Port Grays airfield, and the American troops have also broken through the first line of German trenches around 6 o'clock. In the process, naturally, some German paratroopers were also killed or captured. From them, the Americans seized a full set of radiation protection suits.

However, the captured German paratroopers did not know that this clothing was used to protect against radiation, and when the Americans saw gas masks, they took it for granted that they were chemical protective suits.

"Damn it, the Germans are going to use poison gas!" Walton. Lieutenant General Walker had fought trench warfare in World War I for several days and had learned the power of German poison gas, so he immediately thought of poison gas. However, he was not afraid of poison gas, because the American GIs on Newfoundland Island also had a gas mask in their hands. And...... The U.S. military also has poison gas bombs!

In order to retaliate after the use of poison gas by the Germans, all American units located on the front line were armed with gas bombs, and the American troops on the island of Newfoundland naturally also had them. Moreover, considering that the island may be blocked, there are still a lot of poison gas bombs in the inventory of the US military guarding the island. There are no less than 100,000 mustard gas shells alone!

And Lieutenant General Collins, commander of the Allied ground forces on Newfoundland, was also authorized to retaliate with gas bombs immediately after the Germans used them.

"Gas bombs?" Vice Admiral Collins in Churchill's naval fortress soon got the report, and he twisted his eyebrows and said to himself, "The killer weapon of the Germans turned out to be poison gas, it must be a new type of poison gas......

"Sir, Lieutenant General Walker has requested that mustard gas shells be distributed to the 20th Army."

"Yes." Lieutenant General Collins thought for a moment, "But he will have to fight back if the Germans use it first." ”

After giving the order, Lieutenant General Collins added: "Send a telegram to the Pentagon and tell them that it is possible for the Germans to use a highly effective chemical weapon on the island of Newfoundland." ”

White House Bunker, Washington, D.C.

News of the possibility of the German army using highly effective chemical weapons soon reached the area, and the optimistic atmosphere that had finally appeared here was swept away.

"It must be sarin gas!" War Secretary Wallace snorted coldly, "The Nazis invented this evil murder weapon long before the war, and now they are finally going to use it, but we are not afraid!" ”

Truman looked at his Minister of War and said, "Sarin is not afraid, but the Germans still have something to fear!"

"President, don't worry about sarin." Wallace saw the worried expression on Truman's face, and hurriedly comforted, "The front-line troops are equipped with gas masks and protective gloves, as long as they wear masks, tighten their cuffs, and put on gloves, they should be able to resist sarin poison."

In addition, we have the means of retaliation, we have not only mustard gas, but also anthrax spore bombs and plague bacteriological bombs, which can be tasted by the Germans......"

"No, anthrax spore bombs and plague bacterium bombs cannot be used." Truman immediately rejected Wallace's suggestion, "The anthrax spore bomb and the plague germ bomb are our last killer weapons, and they cannot be used lightly." ”

Due to the slow progress of the Manhattan Project, the Americans have not yet built an atomic bomb, and the Germans clearly have an atomic bomb. Under these circumstances, the United States had no choice but to settle for the next best thing, mass-producing anthrax spore bombs and plague bacteriological bombs to counter Germany's atomic bombs.

To this end, the Pentagon has also developed a "Patriot" program to recruit fanatical American freedom fighters from the US Army Air Force and Navy Air Force, and at the same time designed and produced long-range "Patriot" bombers (a subseries of the B-29) to carry out the Patriot mission of no return—dropping anthrax spore bombs and plague germ bombs on major European cities.

But this crazy battle plan cannot be easily started, because the enemies of the United States have atomic weapons that are much more lethal!

"Even without the use of anthrax spore bombs and plague germ bombs, we are not afraid of the sarin gas bombs of the Germans......" Wallace was halfway through his sentence when he was interrupted by a hurried knock on the door.

The knock on the door was a senior White House secretary who, under the anxious gaze of the crowd, walked briskly to the president, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Vice President's phone number...... He asks you to answer immediately. ”

This was almost the tone of an order, but Truman did not dare not listen, because he knew that Kennedy had now established secret contacts with the Germans!

"I'm going to leave for a while." Truman stood up, said hello to the crowd, hurried away, went back to his office, and then sent his secretary out again, and picked up a red hotline by himself.

"Is Joseph here?" The president asked.

"Mr. President," Kennedy's voice came out of the receiver. "Received reliable bad news...... "the vice president's voice trembled, "the Germans are about to drop the atomic bomb!" This is very reliable information, the source ......"

"What?" Truman gasped and interrupted Kennedy, "They...... Are they going to blow up New York or Boston? ”

"No...... Not in large cities, it is used on the island of Newfoundland. It's a warning that if we don't accept their terms, the next target will be New York! ”