"The mole over there has sent out the information?" Casaldi asked. "That's right, if the radio is right, the other side just sent it. And according to the reconnaissance reports of the British, they found a large fleet leaving Crete, which, if nothing else, should have rushed here. Lieutenant Colonel Vito, who was next to him, said.

"I hope the British intelligence is more reliable this time. It seems that the Gorisia will not be able to leave, so let's prepare to evacuate in the middle of the night. Casaldi ordered. By the way, what about those Allied submarines squatting outside the harbor? Casaldi asked, turning abruptly.

"The line of their deployment is very long, but it only covers the north and west, and it will be difficult for them to detect if we go from the east, and the British have provided an electronic jamming device this time, specifically for the communication bands of the opposing submarines, and they will equip the dinghy and then accompany us on the voyage. Even if we are unlucky enough to run into a submarine, it will not be a big problem, because at night, if we implement the light control, we will find that the distance must be very close, and even if the other party risks surfacing to send a report, it will be affected by the jammers, as for the situation in the port? We've got fake targets ready. At a distance they can't find it. Lieutenant Colonel Vito said with a smile.

Tycho is careful in what he does. Two civilian ships had been sent to Benghazi a few days earlier, and then they were crammed into two enclosed docks in the port of Benghazi, where they were fitted with wooden turrets, masts, and chimneys. A thorough camouflage was carried out in all directions, after the departure of the two capital ships this evening. The two camouflaged ships will leave the dock and enter the berths where the original two warships were berthed, and if the other side conducts reconnaissance from a long distance or in the air, there is at least a 70% probability that they will not be discovered.

Just as Casaldi was preparing to evacuate. Ground-based aviation units located on the islands of Malta and Sicily are also preparing for tomorrow's battles. The Flying Fox fighters that once participated in the air battle in Naples have completed the modification. THE HEAVY ARMOR HAS BEEN REMOVED, AND THE TWO 30MM CANNONS IN THE BOW HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH ONE 20MM GUN. AS A RESULT, THE AIRCRAFT SAVED NEARLY 500KG OF WEIGHT. "I never thought a twin-engine could have such good maneuverability." After getting a feel for the modified aircraft, Boington found himself more and more interested in the aircraft! In simulated air combat, this kind of aircraft with better horizontal maneuverability and faster speed will not fall behind in the engagement with ordinary single-engine aircraft, if we take into account the abundant fuel and strong protection force. The actual combat power of this aircraft will also increase.

And not far away, the British twin-engine aircraft are also being improved, and they are not improving much. IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE ADDITION OF TWO 20MM CANNONS IN THE NOSE FOR ANTI-AIR. At the same time, a wooden dummy bomb or torpedo was installed on the belly pylon, but unlike what had been agreed in advance, on some of the planes, the British still loaded live ammunition. They also wanted to take this opportunity to test the strength of such an aircraft against the sea.

Comfortable compared to the Chinese and British. Italy's twin-engine torpedo units had a feeling of being sluggish and cold, and this was a deadly mission. Regardless of whether the Italian Navy can win or not, their chances of survival will not be very high, and according to the order, they will strike from a low altitude, although the lower altitude allows them to reduce the probability of detection with the help of camouflage color and sea background, but once spotted, it is almost impossible to dodge enemy fighters diving down from above at low altitude. And even if they threw out the torpedoes. It is also extremely difficult for a medium aircraft to dodge an attack with unfavorable speed and altitude.

"This time we may lose more than half of our comrades in one battle. Because the stakes are high, we will not allow the whole plan to be ruined in this operation because there is a coward. All crews have the right to choose whether to participate or not to participate in this operation, and now give everyone half a day to think about this. Before the operation, Tycho had personally rushed to the airport for mobilization, and he felt his heart bleed as he watched the pilots he had worked so hard to train go on a cannon fodder mission. This is a man, not a machine and a battleship!

And unexpectedly, there were not many crews who volunteered to participate in this campaign. "Yesterday, the Allied planes sowed death over Florence, and today, I will personally fly the planes to avenge the vain deaths of my compatriots in Florence and Naples." This was stated by a second lieutenant in a letter to his family before leaving. He then boarded the plane with his crew and prepared to fly to the battlefield at dawn.

The land-based air force was intensively preparing, and the Italian Navy and the Huaxia aircraft carrier Heilongjiang also left Sicily under the cover of night to prepare for an ambush in the war zone. Contrary to what the Germans thought, the Italian fleet did not want to detect the other side early and attack. Even if they spot the other side early, the Italians will choose a more suitable opportunity to attack again, rather than rushing forward as recklessly as a bull with red cloth. "Sumer. You are the first of the young generals to go to war, how sure are you about the tactics of aviation? In the conference room of the Flying Eagle aircraft carrier, Lin Yongsheng asked in a low voice.

"If we have a 70% chance of breaking through the opponent's defense, even if they have land-based long-range fighter support, it doesn't matter." Su Mo thought for a moment and said. Although the Heilongjiang aircraft carrier will be released immediately after the first wave of aircraft, Lin Yongsheng and Su Mo, as commanders, will still stay on the capital ship of the Italians and continue to command the battle. "That's good." Lin Yongsheng nodded, and didn't say much, Su Mo was not good at talking, but he was still relatively reliable in doing things.

While the Italians were carefully preparing for the war, the Allies were not bad at doing their homework. At this time, in the conference room of the Bohemia, the flagship of the Allied Combined Fleet, the generals participating in the battle were verifying the final plan. "General Jordy, why did you raise the attack fleet from 120 to 150 again? This time we came out with a total of only 360 carrier-based aircraft. The number is 20 less than the normal number. And if it is 150 aircraft, 4 of our aircraft carriers and 1 aviation cruiser must be used for engines, and according to the plan we should leave the deck of an aircraft carrier for replenishment of direct guard aircraft. A German general asked.

"The other side has about 80 aircraft, and there are a large number of anti-aircraft guns on the ground, if only 120 aircraft are sent, it is difficult to destroy three warships in one wave, and according to the latest intelligence, the other side has deployed a lightning protection net in the port, coupled with the limited water depth of Benghazi Port, the torpedoes we are using now are easy to sink to the bottom or hit the mine protection net after being shot, so that the attack effect of the guide torpedo machine is greatly reduced, and if there is no torpedo machine, I guess it's hard to destroy 3 warships with a displacement of up to 15,000 tons with just 250KG bombs from dive bombers, right? Jordi said, looking at the people around him.

"Why didn't Your Excellency say it earlier? If that's the case, what are we doing with torpedo machines? A German officer next to him complained.

"Just because the fish can't be used doesn't mean the torpedo machine can't be used. AFTER WE SUPPRESSED THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY ON THE PERIMETER, THE TORPEDO MACHINE CARRIED 500KG BOMBS FOR LOW-ALTITUDE HORIZONTAL BOMBING. According to the information provided by the technical department, the horizontal bombardment of 500KG armor-piercing shells has a probability of more than 8 percent of the horizontal armor of large ships and heavy cruisers. And because the other party is moored in the port, this hit rate can also be guaranteed. Jordi said unhurriedly.

"Rest assured, there will definitely be no problem with the number of direct guard fighters, after we launch this attack, there will be no second wave of attacks, and we will directly prepare the second wave of fighters to cover the withdrawal of the fleet from the battlefield. Together with General Goering's land-based aviation, we can always maintain a direct guard force of about 80 aircraft in the sky as long as we wish. Jordi added.

"But I would like to remind you that the performance of your country's fighter jets is not very good, and sometimes air combat is not just based on quantity." Raeder said calmly on the side.

"Well, the fighters on the aircraft carriers and aviation cruisers of your country do not have to take part in the attack on the port of Benghazi, and the missing fighters are replenished by us. Your country's fighters are responsible for full air defense, this is always okay, right? With twelve points of patience, Holdie communicated with the German general, who was two ranks lower than himself. Raeder really pulled a hand of hatred, this kind of overly explicit expression made Jordy's face very unbearable, but what Raeder said did make sense, because the resources of Austria-Hungary were limited, and advanced aircraft were generally distributed to the air force first, and the specially developed carrier-based aircraft were replaced very slowly because of the small amount of use and high cost. By now, 6 percent of the fighters in Jordi's hands are biplanes.

"Okay, so be it. If you have been offended a lot just now, your Excellency Marshal will bear with me. Unlike Haldy's single-minded dedication, Raeder emphasized conservatism. This battle was led by the Austro-Hungarian navy, and even if it was won, it would be the Austro-Hungarian navy. He came out only to cooperate with the operation, in this case, it is better to ensure his own safety first, so he did his best to strengthen the air defense of the fleet.

"If you don't have any other opinions, let's get ready, in another three hours, our attack will begin!" Haldy said after glancing at the venue with a gloomy face.

In the same way, the Ambush of the Allied fleet in the south was also discovered by the Allies (the aircraft carrier Heilongjiang merged with the Italian fleet after nightfall, so it avoided the other side's daytime aerial reconnaissance), both sides were very clear about each other's calculations, but with the generals of the night, the two sides lost each other's intelligence again. The Allied fleet wanted to finish the battle as soon as possible, while the Italian fleet wanted to take the opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the opposing fleet, and after the end of the First World War, the prelude to the first naval battle was slowly beginning!

Thanks to the book friend hukaikaka for the tip~~~, and the book friend Xingqing 77's monthly pass support ~~~. (To be continued......)