Chapter 1,149 The Establishment of the Air Fleet 2

Chapter 1149 Establishment of Air Fleet 2

"If resources and manpower are sufficient, we can complete the improvement work of Hercules before June next year, which includes adding a layer of dome armor where necessary and adding a layer of thin armor to the side strings for defense. Because the Constellation needs to be dismantled first and then modified, it may take a longer time, at least until September next year." After listening to the reports from relevant engineering personnel, Tirpitz wrote in a document to the prince.

To be honest, if this plan can be implemented, the aircraft carrier detachment of the High Seas Fleet will have three regular aircraft carriers available for use in one year. According to current aircraft standards, including reserve aircraft, there will be at least 280 aircraft! In terms of naval aviation power, it is already overwhelming. It is normal for more than 100 attack aircraft to be dispatched within an hour.

Not to mention severely damaging the Royal Navy alone, if this aviation force can cooperate well with the main fleet, then it will be no problem to sink a few battleships. If the British want to catch up, even if they get the news now, if they start to recruit aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft pilots now, they may be half a year to a year later than the German Navy! This time advantage is already huge!

But the prince felt that it was not good enough. On the one hand, it was because the Kaiser had promised three additional ships that could be converted into aircraft carriers. Based on the principle of one extra ship being counted as one, the prince was naturally unwilling to waste the leased spot. Another reason is to consider battlefield emergencies, such as an aircraft carrier being attacked by a submarine or destroyer... For example, let's go out and let the British fleet touch it at night... Think about it, when there was radar in the second battle, the British aircraft carrier Glorious could let the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau get close and then beat them to death in close combat. In the first battle, What's so surprising about an aircraft carrier detachment being stolen to death at night? Therefore, the prince thinks that three aircraft carriers are enough for combat, but they cannot withstand battle losses.

If we consider that the British Navy also changes an aircraft carrier and arranges fighter jets in an emergency, then the combat effectiveness of the German aircraft carrier fleet may be compromised. Attack aircraft carrying bombs or torpedoes that want to take off and land on the aircraft carrier are somewhat Difficulty, it is even more difficult to take off and land on a large scale and to form combat effectiveness. These cannot be accomplished in a short time, but if you only take off and land fighter jets, it will not be difficult. After all, during World War I, the aircraft could take off at about 50 knots, and If you consider the speed of the aircraft carrier and the deck wind, it is actually very easy to take off and land a large number of fighter jets.

And even if the opponent only has one aircraft carrier filled with fighter jets, it will be a hidden danger to the German Navy's aircraft carrier strike capability. The British have many warships under construction. Once they find that something is wrong, they don't have to look for ships from civilian ships to convert aircraft carriers like the prince. They can just pull one out of the unfinished warships. Anyway, just build a shelf, get an open hangar, and then build a flight deck on top. If you just make it simple, the construction speed will not be slow.

It is true that the efficiency of air defense guidance in this era is very low, but everything is feared. What if in a certain decisive battle, the opponent's guidance is correct? Just like in history, such as Bismarck killed Hood with one shot,

A swordfish can break its leg with one shot or something like that. This accidental factor must be considered.

The German carrier-based aircraft can bomb the British fleet, but at the same time, the British land-based aircraft can also bomb the German fleet. In fact, the world's first seaplane lightning strike was caused by the Allies. If I remember correctly, history This incident should have happened in 1914. The capacity of an aircraft carrier is fixed. If there are more attack aircraft, there will be fewer fighter jets. Therefore, the best solution is to have one more aircraft carrier. To sum up, the prince believes that one more aircraft carrier is necessary.

"I have always thought that the British V1500 large maritime reconnaissance aircraft is our biggest problem. I heard that the Bavarian Air Force has a unit dedicated to dealing with large aircraft. If possible, I hope they can appear in the German naval aviation, preferably If you want, you can board the ship." When they met in private again, Hipper made such a request to the prince.

"The current V1500 can still be dealt with, but it may be more difficult in the future." The prince replied at the time. The V1500 at this time still used the 275-horsepower Eagle I engine. If the K-4J Tracer interceptor is used, it can effectively intercept the opponent even with pontoons taking off from the water. However, this engine is not the limit of current British aviation. If necessary, if it is later replaced by a 375-horsepower Eagle VIII engine, the V1500 bomber with an overall increase of 400 horsepower will fly higher and faster! And this thing is much better than the half-baked Russian-made Ilya bomber.

As a time traveler, the prince's sense of technology is much sharper than that of his contemporaries! Can a fighter jet fight the V1500? It's certainly possible in theory. But if you expect a 50mm machine gun and a 7.92MM machine gun to kill an aircraft with a length comparable to that of a B17 and a wingspan comparable to that of a B29. It can only be said that it is too difficult for a behemoth with machine guns inserted all over its body.

Moreover, the altitude problem of aircraft in World War I was actually worse than in World War II! In World War II, it was said that German aircraft could not fly at high altitudes. It was not that they could not fly, but that they could not defeat P51s and the like when they flew up. Before the US Air Force provided cover, they were still beaten badly by BF109s and FW190s. In World War 1, the problem with the height of the plane became that you couldn't climb up at all... In this regard, the aerospace engines of Germany were at most the same level as Italy's in history. Although Germany was historically stronger, the prince could not guarantee that his aircraft would be able to catch those huge guys!

Just like the original British planes couldn't reach the German airships...

Since the single-engine aircraft in this plane did not have enough firepower, the flight altitude was not high enough, and additional weapon pods could not be attached, the prince thought that if possible, it would be safer to bring a few modified Tracers. However, the current problem is that the Tracer's wing length is a bit large, and the width of 30 meters cannot even fit two Tracers with their wings spread side by side. This greatly affects the take-off efficiency of the aircraft. Even if the wings are folded, it will still be troublesome for deck operation.

"Your Highness, the cars, tractors and various mechanical accessories provided by the Ford Group have arrived, but they mentioned in the telegram that if the North Sea blockade still cannot be broken, this may be the last batch they send. The car is here." At this time, Earl Schelling came in and reported to the prince.

Two updates today~~~! Here comes the first update~~~!