“…… Long machine, call long machine! I've been bitten by the Germans, help me get rid of that guy! ”

“…… See the solo American bomber in the lower left? I'm going to teach this guy a good lesson, Morson, you cover my flank, and warn me as soon as there is a situation! ”

“…… Damn, my engine was hit! I'm about to parachute, and the command of the squadron will immediately be transferred to Second Lieutenant Lens, guys, good luck with you! ”

On the white-sand beach, German anti-aircraft artillery units were firing desperately into the air, and a group of destroyers guarding the beach landing ground also fired at the American fighters with their twin 128-mm high-level dual-purpose guns. Clouds of jet-black smoke burst through the air, enveloping the figures of the massive four-engine heavy bombers. However, what made the German anti-aircraft artillery units extremely anxious was that most of the shells fired by themselves had obvious deviations, and they were far from the real position of the opponent's aircraft; And even the trajectory of some large-caliber shells approached the trajectory of flight. In many cases, the detonation is not at the optimal time due to the setting error of the timing fuse. A great opportunity to attack was wasted. When the smoke from the explosion of the shrapnel clears. Those US bombers were still soaring in groups in the sky at a height of several thousand meters, and when the bomb magazines were opened, a large number of bombs flew and fell, setting off monstrous red flames on the ground like mountains stretching majestically!

"Boom!" There was a loud bang and a trembling earthquake, and the German soldiers who were not far from the explosion point only felt that the violent waves of hurricanes and tsunamis rushed towards them one after another. The earth and rocks are running, the sand and dust are rolling, and the weeds and vegetation are blown tightly to the ground; Dare to stand a little. The whole person is at risk of being blown away in an instant. The deafening explosion was like a giant drum being struck against their ears, causing their eardrums to burst and their brains to crash, like a hellish nightmare. The terrifying destructive power of a large number of bombers concentrated on bombing has made a qualitative leap compared with the shelling of naval heavy artillery; When those bombshells with extremely high reload factors suddenly burst open, it is undoubtedly the most terrible divine punishment disaster for the ground personnel!

At the same time, the German unloading trestles and transport ships in the sea were also heavily bombed by the American army. The cascading waves were rolling and gushing, and the surging waves were swaying for nearly 10 kilometers. Although the air raid sirens were sounded at the first moment at the landing site, the slow transport ships could not get much distance in just half an hour, and the only thing they could do was to leave the shallow water of the beachhead. Avoid blocking the safe landing route that has been cleared from the minefield with great difficulty because of your own beachhead. The U.S. fighter planes obviously hated the source of all evil that had unleashed a large number of enemy troops, and even when they were blocked by German destroyers, they were like mad tigers. After a bomb dropped. Unprotected slow-moving merchant ships ignited an irretrievably fierce fire, and the hull of the ship tilted sideways; Although they were desperate for the precious supplies that had not had time to be unloaded in the warehouse, the German seafarers could only flee for their lives, hoping that the subsequent transport ships would be able to fill the gap.

In less than 20 minutes, the US bomber group dropped more than 1,700 tons of bombs on the German-controlled landing site and the surrounding area. The transport ship "Ann Li", which was unloading cargo on the beach, was injured and capsized in the process of escaping, and sank to the bottom of the sea along with more than 2,000 tons of materials that had not yet had time to be unloaded. Two of the three trestles used for quick unloading were completely destroyed, and the other was also blazing, like a dragon crawling above the sea. More than half of the more than 40 landing craft, which were only a few meters square, were blown up and overturned by bombs dropped by US fighters. Compared to transport ships, these small boats with a displacement of only a few tons have no resistance, and a 50kg bomb falling at close range is enough to tear through the hull and cause catastrophic flooding.

At the same time, the defensive positions of the German troops on the front line were intensively baptized with aerial bombs. A large number of trench fortifications collapsed under the direct impact of bombs, and the mines that the German infantry had worked hard to lay were also detonated in a large area, completely losing their deterrent effect against the incoming American troops. According to preliminary statistics, nearly 200 German officers and soldiers were killed in this horrific bombardment, and the number of wounded was at least twice that number. When the U.S. planes had turned back after dropping their bombs, the German-controlled Balakoa was full of raging flames, and the officers and men who had lifted the air raid siren immediately threw themselves into the fire-fighting and repairing operations, and the battered beach was full of running figures using various containers to get water: the existing few water pumps alone could no longer meet the huge demand for extinguishing fires everywhere.

After receiving the report of the large-scale air raid on Barakoa, Kesselring could not help but feel a little worried in his heart. Due to the short landing time, the lack of infrastructure and logistical supply capabilities on the Cuban front line made it impossible for it to deploy a large number of air forces to this area in a short period of time, which directly led to its own inability to intercept large enemy aircraft groups. According to the battle report sent back from the front line, the total number of planes of various types dispatched by the US military in this air raid exceeded 400, while less than 100 fighters of its own side took to the air to intercept them. Although the fighter and antiaircraft artillery units confirmed a total of 34 crashes in the battle, which obviously greatly exceeded the loss of 29 German monoplane fighters considering the difference in aircraft types, the other side did effectively bomb its own landing site, and its ability to deliver supplies to Cuba was reduced by at least one-third. However, due to the geographical location, its own fighters on the island of Haiti could not rush to support as soon as the police in Baracoa were called; As long as the other side does not stay in the sky over the theater of operations too much, then by the time the main force of its air force flies through the strait, the US fighter planes will already be nearly 100 kilometers away!

"Send a telegram to Lieutenant Colonel Mill asking him to organize all the manpower to carry out the construction of the front-line airfield, especially the construction of the concealed hangar, without any pause. In three days, I need to see a field airfield with a total capacity of 400 warplanes, and he will receive an Iron Cross of the First Class for completing this mission! Kesselring immediately gave the order to the commander-in-chief of the engineering team he had selected in accordance with the Basic Law. His thoughts raced, and after a moment he spoke again: "In addition, inform the navy and ask them to revise the original transportation plan, and the replenishment of the Balacoa landing force will be changed to night. Since the pier at the landing site has been damaged, we have to prepare more dinghys and rafts to ensure the efficiency of the transfer of supplies. The adjutant next to him swiped down the points and walked briskly towards the direction where the communication room was.

Looking at the detailed combat map in front of him, Kesselring already had a full plan for the battle in the coming period. Given the unsustainability of the ideal unloading condition at the Balacoa landing site, he decided to go on the defensive in the area first. The previous overhaul of the trestle there was to quickly deliver a large number of follow-up troops and supplies to the Cuban battlefield, and with the powerful night supply, it was enough to meet the material needs of the four divisions that had landed. In addition, some new units can also wade ashore at night to replenish the losses lost on the front line and replace the seriously wounded who are no longer able to fight again. With their superior superiority, Kesselring had every reason to believe that these troops, with their large numbers of heavy equipment, would be able to nail themselves like wedges into eastern Cuba.

In the meantime, he will focus on eliminating the U.S. forces still entrenched on the island of Haiti. With the landing of German troops in Cuba, the United States land-based air forces and naval ships were heavily involved in the war in Cuba, and the support for Haiti was sharply reduced, which was a good opportunity for the German army to take advantage of the situation to annihilate the American forces on the island. In fact, this is one of the considerations for choosing to open up a new battlefield in Cuba; U.S. forces on the island of Haiti have been isolated, and it is only a matter of time before they retreat from the island.

The development of the battle soon confirmed Kesselring's judgment. In the battle in eastern Cuba, although the American forces gained air superiority over the Germans most of the time by virtue of the preemptive factor, their advance on land was extremely difficult. Soon after the Sherman tank was put into the offensive, it was destroyed by German anti-tank artillery one after another, and the nascent American armored units still had too many deficiencies in the field of combat, and they could hardly get any advantage in the face of experienced German troops. The U.S. infantry, which had lost its tanks, was like spears with the tip of their guns cut off, at a loss, and were barely able to advance by the closely coordinated machine gun and artillery fire of the Germans.

The German troops in eastern Cuba were still able to receive more than 1,000 tons of supplies per day for the night, which was enough to sustain their high-intensity fighting on the front line. America's plan to drive the Germans back into the sea has increasingly become an elusive mirage. (To be continued......)

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