Chapter 1433: The Eagle Over the Bay of Biscay 1
"Our Reaper air force has entered the designated position, with the combat radius of HE177 bombers, we can completely cover the entire coastal area of France, in addition, in order to coordinate this operation, Count Spee has also transferred to us the land-based aviation units that originally belonged to the navy, even according to the most conservative estimates, we can concentrate 600 bombers of all kinds, of which the number of aircraft carrying guided bombs is about 300, and the rest are JU88 bombers and torpedo planes. The strength of the escort is also close to 800 aircraft! Our long-range patrol aircraft and the Navy's seaplane units also began to conduct reconnaissance in the open sea. As long as they appear, it will soon be found that at present, it is estimated that the Entente fleet does not have much time left for us, only 2 days at most, and maybe even 1 day, their speed is too fast. Kesselring reported to Richthofen.
"The number of fighters escorting is a bit small. Can't you pull some more? In addition, inform the German Navy that I would like to allow the naval side to deplete the air defense of the Entente fleet a little more before the arrival of our Reaper Air Force. In addition, which force is the other side providing escort for the Entente fleet this time? If I'm not mistaken, the French Air Force should have existed in name only, and the British and Americans probably didn't have that air force that could maintain more than 70% combat effectiveness. The Red Baron thought for a moment and said.
"There can't be more escort planes, because the number of DO335 fighters is already small, and we still have to come back from several other air forces if we can squeeze out these planes. The German Navy said that it could help us if conditions permitted, but their carrier-based aircraft were very bad, probably losing more than 40% of their aircraft, so first they had to sail south to the vicinity of the Azores to replenish carrier-based aircraft and fuel, and then go north, which may delay some time. As for our opponents. It is said to be the Huaxia Air Force, but they first participated in the war in the name of volunteers, and according to intelligence, they deployed thousands of fighter units in Britain and France. In fact, they are already in the war! Kesselring also had a headache after speaking, although in the early days of the war, the Luftwaffe pressed the air forces of the three Allied countries and had the advantage. In reality, however, Kesselring was not optimistic about the prospects for the war.
"We only took advantage of our temporary technological superiority and geographical and numerical superiority to gain the initiative on the battlefield, but as the battlefield advanced to northern France and the development of the Allied aviation technology, our advantage will become smaller and smaller." Kesselring emphasized more than once at the meeting that although the Germans also know about technology research and development, now, as in history, when the 1800-horsepower BMW 801 was developed, the Germans also fell into a technical bottleneck, although I don't know if it will be like in history. It took more than 2 years to go up to 200 horsepower, but now it is foreseeable that within 1 year, the Germans will only be able to use the engine with 1800 horsepower! And the appearance of the Spitfire 9 fighter also made the Luftwaffe feel threatened.
"We can't take care of the affairs of the navy, so let's take care of our own affairs first. I didn't expect that we would have to fight the Huaxia Air Force again so soon, and their Flying Bat fighters and Stone Tea Falcon made us suffer a lot back then. The rest of the forces were ordered to intensify their attacks to distract the Entente. That's all I can do. Richthofen said with some trepidation. Although the Navy's plan to replenish the planes first and then intercept them was a little uncomfortable, the Red Baron could not blame the other party for anything. After all, the navy has fought to the point of running out of fuel, and it can't fight without replenishment. And when he thought of the Huaxia Air Force, he was a little uneasy. The Germans are no less at a loss!
The French campaign was coming to an end, and the German Army, with the support of the Air Force, had occupied half of the west coast of France. The Maginot Line, which stretched across the eastern border of France, was now a joke, and the Germans had completely rendered it useless by their naval and air forces, and some in France had begun to make peace with Germany. Up to 40 days. France will fall, and whether the French government chooses to resist or compromise now, this outcome will not change, and the five-month French campaign is coming to an end. On the one hand, Richthofen wanted to draw a perfect end to the Luftwaffe with a clean victory, and on the other hand, he wanted to preserve his strength for the future battle of Britain. This made him a little tangled. And so the end result is. Although the Luftwaffe tried hard, it did not exert all its strength. It's probably about 8 percent!
Just when the Luftwaffe was preparing to wipe out the Allied fleet off the coast of France, the Huaxia Air Force and the U.S. Air Force were also intensively planning their own rescue plans. In this battle plan, codenamed "Dawn", the Huaxia Air Force will participate in this epic war as the main force for the first time! 900 Casa Falcon fighters and 500 Foxbat fighters were ready to go, and they were to base in Normandy and the British mainland, with the cooperation of the United States Air Force, to provide an air defense umbrella for the Allied fleet.
"We are in a bad situation, the US Air Force has lost tens of thousands of aircraft of all kinds in the last five months of war. So far, we have less than 4,000 planes left in the air force in France, and we have to deal with a battlefield that has turned into a sieve! There are only 700 aircraft of all kinds that can really help you, but you can rest assured that these are brand new P47 fighters, which can completely suppress the German FW190 fighters at medium and high altitudes, and they are fierce, equipped with 6 M3 20MM guns, which can also be used directly as interceptors. Fuel and ammunition supplies are also available for aircraft stationed at U.S. bases in your country. Li May's words are quite sincere, and to be honest, as allies, the attitude of the American military is much better than that of the British army, and they can always provide assistance to the allies within their ability. Although the combat effectiveness is not comparable to that of the British. But it's very comfortable. Is this the so-called inevitability of both fish and bear's paws?
Theoretically, Wang Yue has more than 2,000 aircraft of various kinds concentrated in his hands, which is already a lot in terms of quantity, but considering the distance between the airport and the battlefield, and the range of the Shicha Falcon 3 fighter is not too far, the number of planes on the battlefield will be relatively small. The German Navy could amass about 1,000 fighters after replenishment, and the Luftwaffe attacked at least at the level of the Air Force. Even if the remaining aircraft of the Allied fleet are counted, the number of aircraft that can be used on the actual battlefield of both sides is comparable, and China has a slight disadvantage. In order to make up for this shortcoming, the Huaxia Air Force decided to use eight watchtower-type radar sentry planes deployed on the British mainland to expand the early warning range and improve the interception efficiency.
"The Foxbats of the 3rd and 5th Wings had a longer range, although their base of departure was on British soil. However, the stay time in the sky over the battlefield is still longer than that of the Shicha Falcon fighter. They will take on the task of air patrol. These aircraft will serve as the fleet's first interceptor force, along with the Allied fleet's Spitfire and Hellcat. After encountering the German planes, their main task was to delay the opponent's attack and intercept them at a distance as much as possible. THE REMAINING THREE SQUADRONS OF FLYING FOX FIGHTERS WILL BE DEPLOYED IN THE ROMANDY PENINSULA OF FRANCE, CARRYING 30MM MACHINE GUN PODS AND ROCKET LAUNCHERS TO INTERCEPT BOMBERS. As for the seven Ishcha Falcon Wings, which are responsible for the outer engagements, we will not only inflict heavy damage on the German bomber units, but also on their long-range fighter units, which will be of great significance for the next stage of British defensive warfare. Wang Yue said his own arrangement.
"I'm afraid it's more difficult, although the DO335 fighter is a bit bulky and has poor low-altitude maneuverability. But relying on good speed, I am afraid that it is not difficult to get out of the battlefield, and the bombers carried by the Germans with guided weapons generally fly at an altitude of about 5,000 meters, which is exactly the best flight range for DO335. Our P47 also has no advantage at this height. Li Mei said with some confusion.
"So, we had to get them to lower the altitude, and at the beginning we were going to concentrate our forces on intercepting the high-altitude bombers with guided weapons, and we had to put some of the dive bombers and torpedo planes in, and they were attacking at very low altitudes. To cover these aircraft, the accompanying fighter must also properly descend in altitude. As long as the DO335 is lowered below 4000 meters, then we have a good chance of keeping them! Wang Yue said confidently.
In fact, compared to the FW190 fighter, the DO335 is not suitable for air combat, it is more like an interceptor, the firepower and speed are good, but the maneuverability is too unpleasant. The main air combat tactic of the FW190 fighter is the BZ. That is, observe, dive, attack, and then disengage. It's not easy to take out an opponent with a single dive attack unless they don't notice. As long as you grasp it well, there is a chance to get rid of it. The FW190 is so great that he can repeat this tactic over and over again, and although the FW190's climb rate is not particularly good, it is okay. Plus better roll and higher speed. He can repeat this attack tactic over and over again. But the DO335 is not good, the famous Luftwaffe ace pilot Garand once said that the DO335 has only one tactical advantage, that is, it is fast! And not suitable for engaging fighters.
Although the DO335 can also dive and attack, it is much more difficult to recover altitude, and its climb rate is terrible, and the climb speed is only 550 meters per minute without driving the MW50! Such a rate of climb can simply be described as garbage! And the lower the altitude and the greater the gap between the single-engine fighter! In the past, it was not very obvious to cooperate with the FW190 fighter and fight at high altitudes, but if you fight alone, this problem is big! And as a fighter with an empty weight of more than 6 tons, it is conceivable how good its horizontal maneuverability is. In addition to the advantages, the other performance of FW190 is also passable, but the other performance of DO335 is simply poor!
As one of the opponents, Huaxia has conducted a study on DO335, Huaxia believes that the new liquid-cooled engine of the Cascha Falcon 3 fighter can suppress the opponent at any height, and the maximum output of the new 2-stage 2-speed supercharged engine reaches 1650 horsepower! At an altitude of 7,000 meters, the Cascha Falcon 3 can fly at a maximum speed of about 710 kilometers and can reach an initial climb of 4,600 feet per minute at sea level. The horizontal maneuverability is much stronger than that of the DO335. AS FOR THE FIREPOWER, THE DO335'S 30MM CANNON IS INDEED MORE POWERFUL, BUT THE STONE TEA FALCON'S 4 SISPANO CANNONS ARE ALSO NOT VEGETARIAN, AND EVERYONE CAN KNOCK EACH OTHER OUT IN A SHORT TIME. In a timely battle at high altitude, the Cascha Falcon fighter with a level 2 supercharger also has a great advantage, but in line with the principle that no matter how big the advantage is, it is not too much, Wang Yue still decided to create a better engagement situation as much as possible!
"And what are we going to do if the Allied fleet attacks as well?" The threat is not only from the Luftwaffe, after the German Navy replenished its aircraft, its combat effectiveness must not be underestimated! The Navy's carrier-based aircraft force is the most elite of all German air fleets, and the FW190 does not have too many shortcomings like the DO335, although the Shicha Falcon 3 fighter still has an advantage, but the Shrike is obviously much more difficult to deal with than the arrow! Li Mei's opinion is very good, after all, there is no problem for the Allied fleet to make up 800 FW190s, in Li Mei's opinion, if the right time is invested in these aircraft, I am afraid that the already not thick air defense circle will become even more difficult to maintain!
"This can only depend on the improvisation of the battlefield, the Allied fleet is unlikely to dispatch a large-scale bomber force, bomber pilots are more difficult to train than fighters, and in the battle of the Atlantic, the Allied bomber forces suffered heavy losses, and the combat effectiveness will be greatly discounted in a short period of time. After all, the Huaxia fleet will soon appear. Of course, if the Germans are really desperate, I don't have a good solution, after all, I have this little force in my hands. In the end, Wang Yue was also a little helpless.
"Where do we end up? Is it Normandy or England? Or is it the United States? While the Allies and Entente were ready to fight again, the French were in a state of confusion. In this battle, the French can be described as auspicious, and not a single main army is sunk. Compared to the beaten nose and swollen face of the American and British navies, the French seem to be very happy, but in reality? Dar Lang was even more disappointed than Nimitz and Cunningham, because the United States and Britain lost and had a chance to start all over again, while France had no chance! "The rest of the time is garbage time, and the surrender of Paris is only a matter of time." Darlan was well aware of the situation. What about the French head, so where do you go from here? Should the fleet be deployed on the French mainland at the behest of the government and await the Germans, or should it learn from the Italian marshal and take the fleet elsewhere and organize a government in exile? Dar Lang couldn't make up his mind.
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