Hearing Churchill's question, Marshal Pound, First Sea Lord, shook his head lightly and said: "Prime Minister, this naval battle in the Eastern Mediterranean shows that maritime superiority in the Eastern Mediterranean belongs to the side with air superiority. Germany and Italy www.biquge.info on the other hand, had a huge advantage in the skies over the Mediterranean, with a large number of JU88s, S.M.79s, and Fokker Zeros, as well as a new fighter similar in appearance to the P-36, but superior in performance to the Fokker Zero and BF-109. ”

On the evening of January 15, during the air raid on the Italian aircraft carrier fleet, several "Blenheim" planes escaped back to Crete, and the British military top brass learned of the existence of the FW-190 from the crews of these aircraft. After analysis by the Royal Air Force's air combat experts, it is believed that this aircraft is likely to have a greater range than the BF-109, and can be used in the air at a distance from the airport with the Fokker Zero.

The P-39 Flying Snake used by the British to match the Spitfire with the Spitfire (because Hersman brought the Zero to Europe, so there was a tactic of high and low matching) proved to be completely no match for the Fokker Zero. As for the British's own "Tubenose Swallow" carrier-based fighters, they also proved to be poor in performance and simply could not beat the Fokker Zero, let alone the latest fighters to appear.

The First Sea Minister continued to say with a sad face: "Mussolini's declared target is Crete, which is just over 500 kilometers from Benghazi, the great Italian stronghold in North Africa, and if the Germans deploy there 10 squadrons of Fokker Zeros and the same number of JU88 and S.M.79, our fleet will not be able to reinforce Crete......"

The cooperation of Fokker Zero, JU88 and S.M.79 can only be described as terrifying!

The JU88 can dive and drop bombs, and it can also drop two 500-kilogram armor-piercing shells at once (the Royal Navy is also worried that one 1000-kilogram armor-piercing shell will soon be attached to such aircraft). If it weren't for the war with Germany now, the Royal Navy would have wanted to buy this aircraft.

And the S.M.79 was the fastest flying torpedo bomber, and the slower carrier-based fighters could not catch up with it. And it has excellent low-altitude maneuverability (you can turn off the engine in the nose to improve low-altitude performance), almost comparable to biplanes such as the "Swordfish" and the "Big Mackerel". It's simply a shore-based torpedo bomber that the world's navies dream of!

Not to mention the Fokker Zero, the pilots of the Royal Navy wanted a copycat version of the Fokker Zero from 39 after the Battle of the Azov Islands.

Churchill looked at the Minister of Aircraft Production, and the whole person looked a little haggard Baron Beaverbrook, "Baron, we can now produce 1,600 planes a month, which is likely to exceed Germany." But of the 1,600 aircraft produced each month, there are no such useful aircraft as the JU88, S.M.79 and Fokker Zero. This put us in danger and lost many good pilots in vain. ”

The loss of aircraft is not a problem, because with the support of "Lend-Lease" supplies from the United States, British aircraft production has grown rapidly and has now surpassed Germany. But the training of pilots, especially good ones, is more difficult than aircraft production. In the English Channel, the North Sea, the northwest waters of Ireland, the Mediterranean and the Balkans, the battle between British and German planes was staged all the time, and the losses of British pilots were far greater than those of their opponents, which caused British pilots and crew members to become fast expendables, and it was difficult to accumulate sufficient experience in air combat. Moreover, the RAF pilot school was forced to repeatedly shorten the training time of cadets, which further contributed to the deterioration of the quality of pilots and the increase in losses on the battlefield.

And the carrier-based pilots lost by the Mediterranean Fleet in the battle on January 15 must be replenished by really good and well-trained pilots, and if you use poorly trained rookies to make up the numbers, it is likely that you will not even have the ability to fly planes to take off and land from aircraft carriers!

"Prime Minister, we actually have a couple of very good planes as well."

Baron Beaverbrook defended: "For example, de Ville. The Mosquito aircraft being developed by Havilland is an excellent example. At an altitude of 6700 meters during the tests, it flew 631 kilometers per hour, and no German fighter of any kind could catch up with it at such an altitude, and its range was large, and the combat radius was enough to cover the whole of Germany. With such performance, we could even bomb Germany during the day. In addition, the 'Lancaster' bomber, which had just begun to be delivered, was also very good enough to undertake a night strategic bombing mission against Germany.

If we can begin a large-scale strategic bombing of Germany before the end of this year, we will surely make the whole of Europe aware of the prospect that Germany will be defeated and that we must win. ”

"But we will have to wait until the end of this year...... Churchill was a little helpless, and the use of strategic bombing and blockade to defeat Germany was Britain's current general line of war -- because it was always unsuccessful in winning over the Soviet Union, and the German Army seemed to be able to fight, so the top brass of the British Empire could only come up with two tactics: bombing and blockade.

Therefore, the focus of British aircraft research and development was heavy and high-speed bombers that could carry out strategic bombing on the German mainland. But now the British strategic bombing was not ready, and Germany was going to break the blockade first.

"Well, mass bombing can begin at the end of the year. But the Germans were ready to seize Crete in a month's time, and they were going to invite naval observers and journalists from all over the world to visit it......" Churchill looked bitterly at the Admiralty and First Sea Secretary, "Do you know what that means?" This means that the whole world will know that the invincible Royal Navy of our British Empire is no longer good, and even the Italian Navy cannot beat it! How can a Britain, which can't even beat Italy, lead the world? ”

In fact, after the naval battle in the Eastern Mediterranean, Churchill's enthusiasm for the Balkan front was not very high. If the Germans had quietly seized the island and carried out a surprise attack, he might have taken the opportunity to retreat. But now Mussolini is shouting and shouting, and he wants to pull naval observers and journalists from various countries out of the scene to visit!

This is to make people see the Italian Navy flaunting its might, and the British Royal Navy shrunken turtle. So the people of the world who love democracy, freedom and the pound must not be discouraged and all turn on the side of the Nazis and fascists?

Therefore, Hersmann's "advertising warfare" strategy suddenly forced Churchill and the British Empire into a corner.

"So we must not retreat," said Churchill, gritting his teeth, "otherwise France, Spain and Turkey will all fall to Germany, and this will have fatal consequences!" ”

As soon as France fell to Germany, the German Navy would immediately be able to "get" two "Richelieu" class and two "Dunkirk" class. Spain's fall to Germany would have deprived Britain of the fortress of Gibraltar, which had blocked the Mediterranean Sea and the mouth of the Atlantic. Turkey's defection to Germany would allow German armored forces to enter the Middle East, and the oil problem would no longer bother Germany.

If all three of these scenarios had occurred at the same time, Germany would have been able to attack Britain in 1941!

France's two "Richelieu" and Italy's two "Veneto" plus Germany's two "Bismarck" did not have to wait for the H-class to be built, and these six super battleships could kill the British Empire.

"Field Marshal," Churchill looked at the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, John Brown. Sir Dill and First Sea Lord, Field Marshal Pound, "The Middle East Theater and the Mediterranean Fleet must defend Crete!" Do whatever it takes...... Also, inform our military delegation in the United States, inform the Americans of our predicament, and ask them to help no matter what. ”

The "military delegation" to which Churchill was referring was the "tri-service staff delegation" led by the former Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Baron Ironside, and the former commander of the Home Fleet, Sir Forbes. The purpose of the delegation's visit to the United States was to hold talks with the US military and discuss a strategic approach to defeating Germany.

Although the United States is still playing the sign of neutrality, both the Roosevelt administration and the U.S. military have made up their minds to go to war against Germany.

But it's one thing to make up your mind, it's another thing to actually go to war. Although isolationist sentiment in the United States has ebbed sharply on the eve of the presidential election in the past 40 years, the vast majority of the American people are still opposed to joining the war "immediately". President Roosevelt, therefore, needed an excuse that would convince all Americans to go to war, and until that excuse appeared, he could not send troops directly to fight the British.

"Generals, how do you think we should help Britain from a terrible defeat in the Mediterranean?"

In the Oval Office, President Roosevelt asked his two principal military staffs, Army Chief of Staff Marshall and Chief of Naval Operations Stark.

"Mr. President, I don't think there is such a way!" Admiral Stark of the Navy said that "the German and Italian offensive will begin in 1 month...... If the fascist leader speaks, it counts. And even if we are willing to send a fleet, it is impossible to deploy it in one month. ”

"And it's impossible for us to send a fleet!" President Roosevelt said lightly. "At least not at the moment."

"It's too late to provide tanks and planes," Marshall said, "and even if they are shipped out now, they may not arrive in a month, and even if they are delivered to the Mediterranean theater, it will take time for the British to become proficient with our weapons." ”

"So, we can't do anything?" Roosevelt asked, somewhat disappointed. "Can only watch Britain lose the war alone?"

Marshall and Stark looked at each other, and Marshall said, "Mr. President, perhaps the British could consider implementing a strategic bombing plan in advance, which might ease some of the pressure on the Mediterranean Fleet." We now have some ready-made B-17s, which can be loaned to the UK. ”

"Will it be useful?" Roosevelt was skeptical, "As far as I know, the Germans had high-altitude aircraft. ”

"No, not to bomb Germany," Marshall said, "to bomb Italy!" (To be continued.) )