Chapter 1,378 The Russians’ Reaction 2

Chapter 1378 Russian reaction 2

In Admiral Essen's view, this is no longer a question of whether to fight or not, but a question of how to hide. It is not that Essen is greedy for life and fear of death, but that he is the only one who has clearly seen the future pattern of the Baltic Sea. At least Within 3 months, not to mention large warships, even all surface ships should not be dispatched!

With the strength of the German High Seas Fleet, it is enough to stay still. If there is a fight, if nothing else, it is still possible to encircle the Gulf of Riga. The course of the Battle of the Gulf of Riga is actually unimportant. Because the outcome is certain, the Russian navy and army will definitely not be able to defend it. This has nothing to do with the quality and combat effectiveness of the Russian army, it only depends on the attitude of the Germans... After all, Riga is not far from mainland Germany.

In terms of the combat effectiveness of the fleet, although the gap between the two sides can be called crushing, it is not so much that Essen has no idea of ​​​​resistance. Because no matter how big the fleet gap is, the combat distance between the two sides is only 20 kilometers. It is completely possible to sail from the Gulf of Finland into the Gulf of Riga at night. If the fleet implements light blackout and radio silence, it will be difficult for the other party to detect it. In addition, warships are moving on the sea after all. No matter how powerful the BB is, the mine will be knocked down! The mine array in Riga is not thick enough, but as the Gulf of Finland is the most important backyard of the Russian Navy, the mine array defense is still good. Therefore, if you look at it purely from the sea, it is not very difficult to enter and exit the Gulf of Riga. But once you factor in air power, it's different!

To be honest, after learning that the British Air Force concentrated 7 squadrons and more than 150 bombers to conduct a successful bombing of the German Mediterranean Fleet, Essen was very excited at first, because his allies could achieve such results. And feel happy. But within two days, when Essen came back to his senses, there was only deep fear in his heart. It was not because the German fleet, which was severely damaged by the British, conveniently killed the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The death of the Black Sea Fleet was due to the gap in strength. It was no surprise to be killed.

What really frightened him was that if the British could blow up the Germans today, then one day the Germans would definitely be able to use the same method to blow up the Russians. And the Russians will be even worse, because the Russian Air Force is far from comparable to the German Air Force. There will be no Tracer force dedicated to bombers! General Essen saw that the British and German air forces were generally on the same level, and each side had some advantages. The French are worse, and the Italians are even worse. The Russian Air Force was thrown out by two levels by the Italians... Well, that's it, this idea is correct.

Essen believes that what the British can do, the German Air Force can definitely do! In fact, Essen believes that if the water is squeezed out, the British bombing of the German fleet is actually a tie exchange. At most, they have a slight advantage. After all, the loss of high-level crew members is also very precious. And if the price paid by the Russians is included, Essen believes that the Allies actually suffered a loss this time.

Therefore, Essen has always maintained its emphasis on the German Air Force. But this time, when the K-6 bomber appeared, Essen knew that the Russian Navy would no longer be able to jump within the combat radius of the German aircraft... Because the load and performance of the K-6 bomber are much stronger than the Russian so-called 4-shot Ilya bomber,

It is also more advanced than the British FB27 bomber.

Then when nothing happened, Essen used the ruler in his hand to roughly measure it according to the proportion, and then he discovered to his horror that the Russian fleet could indeed enter the Gulf of Finland by using the relatively concealed entrance and exit of the Gulf of Riga at night. But it doesn't matter, the German bombers can definitely chase the Russian fleet. The Russian fleet could not get out of the combat radius of the German bombers even if it traveled overnight! That is, unless God forbids. Otherwise during the day. There is a high probability that German bombers will drop bombs on Russian warships... Even if the front continues to push northward in the future, the German bomber troops can go to St. Petersburg and directly bomb and sink the Russian Baltic Fleet in the port! The Russian skies are almost undefended against German heavy bombers!

It's not that Essen has never thought about strengthening its aviation power, but aircraft engines are different from artillery. The latter can be made by the Russians, but it's just a matter of performance and output, while the former cannot be made by the Russians. (Low-power engines are okay, but these things are already considered products that can be eliminated in the eyes of the Germans.) And the aviation fleet composed of engines that were easily imported from outside was consumed in the front-line battles, and those The hard-won aircraft were also killed along with the few experienced pilots in Russia.

Although at present, the German aviation has not demonstrated the ability to attack moving targets at sea, but Essen believes that is because they have not yet had a chance. If their fleet sails out of the port, the German air force can do better than the British. Better people!

"The fleet can provide cover for the transport fleet and clear the interior of the Gulf of Riga and the nearby German light fleet and small main fleet. But I have two requirements. The first requirement is that I need at least 3 squadrons of fighters to provide The fleet provides aviation cover. The second requirement is that when the German main fleet appears, I have the right to order the fleet to evacuate under any conditions." Admiral Essen thought for a while and said.

"If you don't want the empire to lose this most powerful fleet overnight, then please don't refute my opinion. After all, the Baltic Fleet's 5 battleships, 2 cruisers and as many as 20 destroyers are surrounding the Gulf of Finland. One of the most important barriers along the coast and in the capital, even if we are only in the port, our naval guns can still provide amazing fire support to the Imperial Army." Looking at the hesitant people, Admiral Essen almost used a pleading voice Tone.

Seriously, are 3 squadrons a lot of aircraft? From a cost point of view, it is nothing to equip three squadrons of fighter jets for the Baltic Fleet and tens of thousands of naval officers and soldiers worth more than 20 million pounds. But no matter what, the Russians really lack this kind of aircraft. Think about it, the entire Polish military region only had 300 aircraft in total back then. That was 5 armies!

"Anyway, we only have time and the ability to deliver supplies to the Port of Riga before the main force of the German fleet enters the Baltic Sea. If General Essen's estimate is correct, this window period will be very short. In order to block the German army in Riga and ensure sea transportation The smooth flow of lines is still necessary." General Constantine first expressed his agreement with Essen. After his endorsement as the commander of the Sixth Army, other Russian bosses present also expressed their acceptance.

"I didn't expect that the main attack of the Baltic Fleet would be carried out in such a state." After returning to his headquarters, Admiral Essen couldn't help but smile bitterly and began to prepare for the upcoming operation!

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