Chapter 1283: Thunderball
"Boy, don't hit the parachutists!" A BF109 fighter jet burst a parachute with a clean point shot, only to see the British pilot under the parachute fall from several kilometers of air like a sandbag. And this operation unnerved the squadron leader of the JG2 fighter wing, Second Lieutenant Pam. Not attacking parachuting pilots is almost the usual rule in war. Everyone has a glimmer of life, today you can kill someone, tomorrow someone can kill you. Once this tacit understanding is broken, it will not benefit anyone. To paraphrase a Chinese saying, you can do the first year of junior high school, and others can do the fifteenth.
However, at this time, the newcomers who had already killed the red eye took the commander's words as a deaf ear. More and more people are joining in on this bloody feast. This action eventually angered the British, and many British pilots turned back to meet the fighter jets that were about to run out of fuel, and of course the result was naturally tortured by the superior BF109. Courage is sometimes not as useful as people think. Everywhere in the frontline battlefield is a one-sided situation. And the situation on the ground was not good, and under the attack of attack aircraft guns and bombs, one field airfield after another turned into a sea of fire. The sporadic anti-aircraft fire was simply no match for the roaring Grim Reaper.
The British tried to activate some spare airfields through Guò to contain and organize their troops, but this time the Germans did not give the British a chance, and after gaining forward air supremacy, the attack of the JU90 bomber group was only the beginning, and a large number of gunboats with machine guns, machine guns and small bombs cruised over the war zone, sweeping all the targets on the ground like harvesters.
A British convoy quickly withdrew, taking advantage of the gap between the opposing attacks. THESE VEHICLES WERE LOADED WITH THE REMAINING RECYCLABLE PARTS AND HEADED TO THE REAR, AND TWO OF THEM WERE EQUIPPED WITH FOUR 12.7MM MACHINE GUN TURRETS. This motor-driven anti-aircraft turret rotates at speeds of up to 45 degrees per second. It is a short-range air defense weapon. It is completely capable of driving small fleets, which is why this British convoy dares to walk in the wilderness!
But this time. They miscalculated, because the incoming JU88 modified gunboat machine had very thick belly armor. The engine compartment was also protected by steel plates, and a twin MK103 cannon turret was also installed in the lower part of the fuselage. The firepower that is enough to wipe out light armored vehicles to deal with these vehicles can simply be described as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts. Two long tongues of fire erupted from under the belly of the JU88 bomber that swept low, twisting its crimson body like a viper, shattering vehicles to pieces. JUST ONE 30MM HIGH-EXPLOSIVE SHELL CAN DESTROY A TRUCK. In vain, the anti-aircraft vehicles opened fire on their opponents with machine guns, and the bullets clanged against the armor plates. A few bullets hitting the wing will pierce a few holes, but it is nothing for a huge medium bomber, although the M2 machine gun has a large projection, but the vast majority of the bullets fired on the bumpy ground are not accurate.
The same situation arose in various parts of the battlefield. This time, the Germans used a desperate strategy, relying on single-engine aircraft and twin-engine gunboat aircraft to carry out non-stop suppression of British front-line airfields. If the British want to leave, I'm afraid they will have to wait until the evening. As for whether you get lost at night, it's up to the people and luck, imagine the difficulty of driving in the wilderness without street lights and any guidance equipment. Flying a plane is several times more difficult than driving!
When the front line collapsed, a large number of strategic and medium bombers, under the cover of fighters, also began to attack the British air base in southeastern Iran. As a base in depth, it was not caught off guard, but the air cordon was also torn apart, and the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters who scrambled into the air could only look for opponents under sporadic ground guidance.
"Oh my God, the size of the opponent is even bigger than the scale of the bombing of Italy!" When Squadron Leader Johnson saw the huge box formation composed of upper, middle and lower bombers and the BF110 fighters escorting the escort next to him, even if he had participated in the air battle in Italy, he couldn't help but have a cold war. A bomber like a hedgehog. The large-caliber machine guns that gleamed with cold light sent the entire fleet through the air like an air fleet, and in the face of bombers as big as wild boars, the spitfire the size of rabbits was almost unsightly. Although he had seen the scene of the Huaxia Haidongqing Brigade beating German heavy bombers, he knew that his squadron would definitely not be able to do it. The British did not expect the Germans to use heavy strategic bombers on themselves. And because the radar network was destroyed. The British Air Force did not amass enough interceptor aircraft, and squadron-sized fighter groups went up to deliver food.
"It's too late, they're aiming for Bambul! That's our largest air base and material diversion hub! "But at this time, it was obvious that they could not wait for reinforcements to arrive. In the face of a huge air fleet. Johnson and his companions rushed over, and the German bomber swarm in the distance suddenly rained down a large number of bullets like an erupting volcano. The large-caliber machine gun bullets like a wave of flames instantly drowned out the attack. Johnson saw with his own eyes a Spitfire with its wings shaved off and falling out of the air. The British struggled to control the planes and tried to pass through the gaps in the opposing fire. But their enemy is not just heavy bombers with machine guns, but also a large number of BF110 fighters. With a huge numerical advantage. The BF110 fighter also turned into a difficult enemy.
BF110 fighters rushed towards the opponent like a battering ram, if it was just a fighter fight, the nimble Spitfire did not need to be afraid of it at all, spread out, and then use the small team with better maneuverability to surround the opponent sooner or later, but this time, the British had to give up their maneuvering advantage, because once dispersed, it was almost impossible to use the two-plane formation to take out a heavy bomber in a box formation. "Before you can hit enough shells to kill your opponent, those ubiquitous machine guns can take you down. Our firepower is too weak, and the airframe is too fragile! Johnson recalled after the war.
Huaxia Haidongqing dared to fight to the death with heavy bombers because of its heavy armor and strong firepower, as well as anti-aircraft rockets, and Spitfire obviously had a tendency to be overwhelmed with a thin body and two 20 guns. If the formation cannot be broken, any lightly protected aircraft will hit its head and break the blood flow in the face of the box. The glory of the Luftwaffe's first strategic bombing was repeated in this one. A large number of British fighter formations pounced on the behemoth in the air like fuel, and then were repulsed again and again by the opponent's fire net. Occasionally, unlucky bombers will be shot down. In the end, the red-eyed British fighter pilots even flew their planes into heavy bombers.
The griffon bomber that was hit quickly turned into a huge ball of fire and fell from the sky. The courage of this nameless pilot was respected by both sides, but it did not contribute to the overall situation. Should the British fighters be repulsed or repulsed, and the Germans should throw bombs or bombs. In this war of attrition, the British Air Force's fighter units were reduced to nothing like moths throwing fire.
Hundreds of tons of bombs rained down from the sky, turning the British air base, warehouses, and transportation hubs in Bambre into a sea of fire, and the mix of high-explosive and incendiary bombs even set the entire city on fire, and the scene in Italy was repeated here, and this was not the first time that the Luftwaffe had leveled a city with strategic bombers, and it was definitely not the last. In the face of the opponent's unprepared strategic attack, the rigid response of the British seemed so powerless. The losses of fighters were several times greater than those of the opposing bombers. So much so that someone joked that the German griffin was the best fighter in the world!
As night fell, the battle between the two sides finally came to an end. The Luftwaffe was overloaded today, and the evening would certainly be relatively subdued, and the British finally had a chance to breathe, and Lieutenant General Slim and Major General Veron could finally take stock of their stocks.
"Our forward airfields and radar warning systems in the west have collapsed, and as of 7 p.m. today, we have no more than three airports in the western group of airports that can take off, and no more than 40 planes can take off. As for the situation of the inner circle? Much better. We still have about 400 aircraft that can still be used. However, the number of fighters is relatively scarce. And we lack twin-engine interceptors that can deal with the enemy's heavy bombers, and although the Mosquito light bombers have the potential for improvement, we lack large-caliber cannons and this piece. At this point, I think we should withdraw the cluster to India or northern Iran, where China is in control, to avoid the Luftwaffe. And Huaxia has the supplies we need. "Major General Wei Lun built yì road.
"I'm afraid this plan is difficult to get through. This is in conflict with our goals in Iran. The point of our war in Iran is not to help China, but to provide India with a piece of sufficient depth. If that happens, we will be abandoning the south-east of Iran. I will ask for reinforcements from the Indian Air Force. It is impossible for the opponent to fight like this for a long time. We need to persevere! Lieutenant General Slim shook his head in disapproval.
"Today's attack has almost reached the limit of the current German air power in the Middle East, and their attack wave will be much weaker the next day. We still have enough planes. And India's support will also come here. They will assemble in the border areas and then join the battlefield. The opposing side lacks front-line airfields. It is difficult for fighters to provide enough cover for bomber groups, so we will definitely win if we consume them. Slim emphasized.
Slim thinks so, but on behalf of the Germans and Huaxia, the Germans have long realized the disadvantage of their own away battles, and as a long-planned plan for the Navy and Air Force, it is impossible for Richthofen not to prepare! "If we had a decent long-range fighter, then we wouldn't need the help of the Navy to wipe out the British completely." Richthofen looked at the battle report sent from the front and said with some unfinished feelings.
Slim is not wrong about one thing, that is, the Luftwaffe offensive cannot be as sharp as the first day, especially the fighters, the peripheral targets have been swept away, and the core is too far away from the base, beyond the combat radius of BF109, the opponent only needs to choose the appropriate retreat, readjust the warning post and radar can re-warn. For this ignorance, Richthofen has no choice, but it doesn't matter, don't forget, in the Gulf of Oman the Germans have another aviation force! Nearly 3 air wings on the aircraft carriers of the three fleets are the backbone of the escort of the bomber units to take over the fighters of the Air Force!
The next day's air strikes will fly along the coastline and fly together to the target after the convergence of carrier-based aircraft taking off from the Gulf of Oman and the aircraft carrier. The British lost more than 200 aircraft on the first day of fighting, and the total number of remaining fighters was just over 100. This little force in the face of about 100 fighters drawn from aircraft carriers and escort BF110s and a solid box formation is enough to break the head of the British cluster! And that's just the first move!
The Germans were to land at Park, as long as they could hold off the first wave of the British counterattack, if any. Then it is possible to create a temporary field airfield near the city, as long as it can take off fighters, and even air defense is not needed much. Because the British Air Force will be torn apart in the next few engagements, if only to defeat the existing air power of the British in Iran, this airfield is not needed, and the purpose of this airfield is to jam the air passage from India to Iran! Under the constant supply of aircraft carriers coming from the sea through Guò. This will be the front line of the Luftwaffe, and the purpose of the Navy is to do that!
The air force crushes the opponent from the front like a heavy hammer, and the naval aviation is like a dagger to the opponent's soft underbelly! It would not be an exaggeration to call Operation Hanging Garden the highest level of Luftwaffe naval and air cooperation before the start of World War II! The idea of the whole battle is very clear, step by step until the opponent is finally forced into a desperate situation!
"The British can't bear it." Peng Yi looked at Qin Yue, commander-in-chief of the Iranian Theater Air Force opposite, and said. Peng Yi was now very depressed, and finally stabilized the situation in the west, and when he was about to launch the Battle of Kirkuk, there were problems in the east again, although Huaxia did not agree with the British to divide Iran. But don't die so quickly, as the saying goes, if you don't die, you won't die. The Germans who are stuck by the British are a little too ruthless, and you can't blame others for killing you! "Is there a way to delay?" Peng Yi finally decided to see if Qin Yue had a way to pull the British.
Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~, and the book friend chinesesoul1 for the monthly pass support ~~. (To be continued......)