October 11, 1939, 5 p.m. Iceland time. Atlantic Ocean, about 500 nautical miles northwest of Ireland.

It was very dark, there was no rain, the wind speed over the sea dropped to force 5, and the wave height was already below 2.5 meters. As the Scharnhurst and Seydlitz continued to sail southwest, the weather and wind and waves finally became less terrifying.

Two huge ships like mountains were now walking in circles on the surface of the sea, and their speed was very slow, less than 5 knots. It was a rendezvous point with the light cruiser "Leipzig" and at the same time an excellent ambush position. Routes to the Americas and Africa pass through nearby (in fact, hundreds of nautical miles away).

"Lieutenant General, it seems that the weather tomorrow will not be too bad." On the Scharnhorst, Rear Admiral Leifman holds a stack of weather bulletins in his hand.

These were the weather conditions in Iceland and Greenland, and the German General Staff had a special military meteorological bureau under its jurisdiction, under which there were "camouflaged meteorological observation vessels" (disguised as neutral merchant ships or fishing vessels), "meteorological reconnaissance aircraft" and "meteorological observation submarines". In Iceland and Greenland, there are "camouflaged meteorological observation ships" and "meteorological observation submarines" activities. Every 1-2 hours, local weather conditions are reported (weather changes in Iceland and Greenland are valuable for predicting climate change in Western Europe in the Atlantic).

"Well, tomorrow it's time for the planes on the Sedlitz to show their skills." Marsha looked at the Sedlitz, which ran parallel to the Scharnhorst, in the sea outside the conning tower.

There are 3 Ar-196 seaplanes on board the "Scharnhorst" (there are also 2 Ar-196s on the Leipzig), and there are 9 Fokker 99 reconnaissance bombers on the "Seydlitz", a total of 12 reconnaissance planes can search the surrounding area for hundreds of nautical miles.

Moreover, the 9 Fokker Type 99 are still professional dive bombers, and they can be hung up and launched once the British convoy is spotted.

There is no need to sink them, as long as they are injured, they basically do not run away - the wounded and burning steamer will not only slow down, but also expose the position of the entire fleet, and most of them will be abandoned by the fleet. "Scharnhorst" and "Leipzig" only had to lean over at night and "mend the knife" with cannons. Since both ships have a "metronome" radar, it is very safe to act at night.

This was the most ideal tactic of the "First Atlantic Fleet" in the Atlantic Breaking Engagement.

……

"Admiral, telegram from AB-1: At present, the formation is sailing towards point B, at a speed of 10, no German ships have been found, and the weather has cleared."

The communications staff of the home fleet read aloud the telegram from the AB-1 escort formation that had just been formed.

Charles. Admiral Forbes stood by the chart platform, staring at the positions of the F, G, I, and H fleets, which had been sent by the Mediterranean Fleet. In order to encircle and suppress the German battleships and aircraft carriers that broke into the Atlantic, the British Royal Navy really spent a lot of money.

The battleship/battlecruiser alone used 8 ships, including "Hood", "Prestige", "Monarchy", "Revenge", "Determination", "Barham", and "Malaya". The aircraft carrier dispatched three ships, including the "Royal Ark", the "Eagle", and the "Hundred-Eyed Giant".

But the ocean is too vast for even 8 warships/cruisers to form a tight encirclement. And none of these 8 battleships/cruises, except for "Hood", could catch up with the "Scharnhorst".

Unless the "Scharnhorst" is injured and slows down!

"We have to rely on aircraft carriers to fight, how is the situation with the ships?" Charles. When Admiral Forbes uttered the word "aircraft carrier", he felt a pang of distress. The home fleet lost 3 fleet carriers on September 3!

Rear Admiral Phillips, Chief of Staff of the Home Fleet, said: "Admiral, the Ark Royal has 60 carriers, including 48 Swordfish torpedo planes and 12 Great European fighter-bombers, the Eagle has 21 carriers, including 15 Swordfish torpedo planes and 6 Cape Fighter fighters, and the Hundred-Eyed Giant also has 21 carriers, 15 Swordfish and 6 Cape Fighters. ”

The British Royal Navy's air force was actually quite bad, even inferior to the German air force - they were under the jurisdiction of the Royal Air Force before 1937, and the Royal Air Force was not focused on carrier-based aircraft, so naturally it would not invest too much money in developing really useful aircraft for the Navy.

As a result, Britain, which is clearly ahead in the aviation industry (and Germany), has given the Navy a bunch of bizarre rotten planes.

And the "Swordfish", "Cape Fighter" and "Great Europe" are undoubtedly all aircraft that can be called "rotten".

Among them, the "Swordfish" is a torpedo attack aircraft that made its first flight on December 31, 1935, but its appearance looks like a classic biplane from the 20s.

The Cape Fighter is also an "old-looking" biplane fighter, but it is not really old, but was developed in 1934 and equipped with the Royal Air Force in 1935. Like "Swordfish", it has a bit of a retro meaning.

The "Great Europe" fighter/bomber was a "cutting-edge" aircraft that only entered service in November 1938, slightly older than the Fokker Zero, and a little newer than the BF-109 and the "Hurricane" and "Spitfire" of the British Royal Air Force. However, the design concept of this aircraft is very strange, combining "dive bomber" and "fighter", and it is also equipped with a small engine with little horsepower (only 890 hp). As a result, the plane was slow, with a maximum speed of only 360 kilometers per hour.

"Admiral, our 'Big Gull' and 'Cape Fighter' are probably no match for 'Fokker Zero'." Major General Phillips said with some concern. "They should have 12 Fokker Zeros on board the Sedlitz."

"It doesn't matter," said Charles. Forbes shook his head, "We have 102 carrier-based aircraft, 90 of which have very powerful attack power, as long as our 12 'Cape Fighters' can entangle the 'Fokker Zero' for 15 minutes, we will be able to win a big victory." Even if it doesn't last that long, our 12 'Big Gull' and 78 Swordfish have a good chance of damaging the Scharnhorst and Sedlitz. So the victory must belong to the Royal Navy! ”

……

October 12, Iceland time, 5:30 a.m. Looking out from the command tower of the USS Seydlitz, it was still dark. However, the eastern sky has already revealed a trace of morning glow, and there is only a 3-4 level of Japanese wind on the sea, and the wave height is no more than 1 meter.

Obviously, today there is a suitable weather for carrier-based aircraft to attack!

The captain of the "Seydlitz", Helmut. Major General Haye half-turned around and said to Lieutenant Colonel Weiss, Aviation Staff Officer, and Major Garland, Captain of the Carrier-based Aircraft Group: "The weather is good, there may be a big battle today!" ”

He paused, "A telegram has just been sent from the headquarters in Wilhelmshaven that last night the submarine had spotted a huge formation of battleships and aircraft carriers in the waters 200 nautical miles south of Iceland. ”

Lieutenant Colonel Weiss and Major Garland immediately became nervous. Major Garland asked, "Is it 'Hood' and 'Ark Royal'?" ”

"I don't know." Rear Admiral Haye shrugged, "The entire Royal Navy is definitely looking for us right now...... And we must first find the aircraft carriers of the British! ”

"Major General, I only have 9 Fokker 99s." Major Garland said, "That's too little. ”

"No, you don't need to attack." Rear Admiral Heyer said, "I need to know the location of the British aircraft carrier...... There are estimated at 3 ships. ”

"Okay, my people will do their best!" Garland said.

"Send eight more direct cover planes," Haye ordered, "and make sure that there are eight Fokker Zeros in the air at all times, and that two four-plane formations must be deployed on the deck." ”

8 Fokker Zeros are guaranteed in the air at any time, and another 8 are placed on the deck, ready to take off at any time. There are also four Fokker Zeros in the hangar, which are immediately raised to the deck as soon as radar or reconnaissance planes detect them. If the enemy planes really attack in a big way, within 20 minutes, all 20 Fokker Zeros will rise into the air to meet them.

"Major General, please rest assured, there are 20 Fokker Zeros here, and the British will send 100 carriers, don't even think about getting close!"

Garland patted his chest in reassurance, but Haye still wrinkled his eyebrows. The Broken Fleet is a small team attack, which has the advantage of being flexible and concealed, and the disadvantage is that the escort ability is insufficient. Once the defense line composed of 20 Fokker Zeros is broken, the entire formation may be destroyed!

"And," Rear Admiral Haye asked, "Adolf, can any of your men recognize the Hood and the Ark Royal?" ”

Adolph. Garland replied: "The Royal Ark is not easy to recognize, the Hood is easy to recognize, and all the Fokker 99 crew members have seen it with their own eyes." ”

HMS Hood is the face of the Royal Navy, and for many years the ship has been "exhibited" around the world to show how strong the Royal Navy is. So it's very easy to get a glimpse of it.

"Well, Hood and the Royal Ark must be acting together." Heyer smiled, "If one of them is found, then we'll have to run away!" ”

The "Hood" could not be defeated, and the "Royal Ark" had 60-70 carriers, and they were the most threatening weapons of the British Royal Navy. At the same time, it is also the most valuable goal! By killing one of them, Germany's fleet would be able to run rampant across the Atlantic until mid-1940.

Therefore, just 20 days before the sortie of the "Scharnhorst" and "Seydlitz", 10 Type IX boats quietly left Wilhelmshaven, took advantage of the night and dense fog to cross the English Channel, and rushed to the waters near the Azores...... (To be continued.) )