Chapter 1,380 The End of the Baltic Fleet 1

Chapter 1380 The end of the Baltic Fleet 1

"The results of the last reconnaissance are out. The Russian fleet did not enter the port of Riga, but was stationed outside the port. There were minefields around it, and it seemed that a mine protection net was deployed." Holding the photo of the last aerial reconnaissance in his hand, Major General Harrell, commander of the Second Air Force, began to arrange tasks for his squadron leaders.

"We cannot use our precious torpedoes to compare the hardness of the opponent's mine protection net. Therefore, before the Russian fleet sets sail, the torpedo aircraft force will wait for the time being. We will first use heavy bombs to teach them a lesson." On a huge sand table, Several models of battleships are placed to represent the stationing of the Russian fleet.

"From north to south, there are three Izmail-class super-dreadnoughts, the flagship Borodino, Izmail and Eagle. A little further away from them are two Gangu super-class battleships, behind them To the east, there are two cruisers. Then there are at least 16 or more destroyers on the outside. Our main targets are the dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts. The cruisers can be ignored for the time being. Theoretically, one squadron has one battleship, and each squadron has one battleship. It has bombs and torpedoes. The order of attack starts with the flagship. To ensure that we can kill this battleship as soon as possible, I hope that the first and second squadrons will concentrate their firepower to kill the Borodino!"

"The entire fleet will take off in the early morning. The navigation method is to use radio, and then conduct landmark navigation after daylight. Our starting base is about 230 kilometers away from the target. It will take about two 2 hours of flight time, including takeoff and It will take about 2 and a half hours to form the team. If nothing goes wrong, the entire group will arrive on the battlefield at 7 o'clock! According to our intelligence, the Russian fleet operates around 8 o'clock every day. At this time, their ships should They are all in standby mode. Even if the steam is reserved, we can hit dead targets for about 25 minutes!" Major General Harrell said with confidence.

"Do you have any questions?" After arranging the general tasks, the major general added.

"Should the type and quantity of ammunition we carry should be finalized? My opinion is that each of our squadrons has about 21 aircraft, 9 of which are torpedo aircraft, carrying heavy torpedoes, and 6 of the other 12 carry single aircraft. 550KG armor-piercing bombs. There are also 2 250KG-level high-explosive bombs carried by 6 aircraft, which are used for arson and dealing with light targets." The chief of staff thought for a while and said.

"Actually, it is still difficult to use 250KG bombs against prepaid destroyers. The base number is not enough. It is very troublesome for these little guys to run." A squadron leader said.

"The attack targets of the 1st and 6th squadrons are capital ships, and the types of ammunition they carry remain unchanged. Later, the two reserve squadrons are responsible for clearing the battlefield. You will cooperate with the High Seas Fleet light cruiser detachment entering the port. The ammunition you carry is up to you. Take charge. I don't care," Maj. Gen. Harrell said.

"Another problem is air cover. The Russian Air Force has ceased to exist in name only, so we only arrange three air force fighter squadrons to control battlefield air supremacy.

There is a squadron of Tracers among them. They will always hover over the battlefield to ensure that we can stably sink all the Russian fleets in the sea. Okay, gentlemen, do you know what the purpose of our operation is? "Having said this, Major General Harrell leaned forward slightly with an inexplicable smile on his face.

"Leave General Hipper's fleet without a ship to attack!" A group of Bavarian Air Force officers shouted loudly in the audience!

"Very well, let today be our Bavarian Air Force's first step towards the ocean! Tomorrow we will kill the Russian Baltic Fleet. In the background, our target is the British fleet!" Major General Harrell said loudly.

The entire meeting lasted until 8 o'clock in the evening. The order of entry of each squadron and the division of attack targets have been completed. The flight routes of each squadron and the meeting point have also been finalized one by one. The entire aviation force entered its final state of combat readiness. That night, hundreds of K-6 bombers were towed out of the hangar, and then maintained and loaded with ammunition and fuel by specialized personnel.

Heavy bombs and torpedoes were placed on specialized ammunition vehicles. It is then towed to the tarmac using a transport called a bucket truck. After all, the installation of the bomb is easy. Just lift it up with a jack and then fix it with the bolts on the pylon. There is one difference between the debugging of ordinary armor-piercing bombs and high-explosive bombs, and that is the delay problem of the bomb's bottom fuse. The armor-piercing bomb is adjusted to explode with a delay of 0.5 seconds to ensure that after the bomb's thick warhead penetrates the armor, the bomb will not be released on the ship's hull. It explodes internally, while bombs used to set fire or attack light warships use trigger fuses to explode directly at the moment of contact.

The debugging of torpedoes is more troublesome. Specialized technicians must adjust the depth of the torpedo into the water and its speed. Also check the sensitivity of the fuze again. It won't work if it's too sensitive, and it might explode if you throw it into the water. It won't work if it's too slow. If it doesn't explode if it's hit, it's like throwing it in vain. Although Harrell said that he had no intention of relying on torpedoes to break through the mine protection net, he still ordered a cutter to be pressed in front of each torpedo. After all, what if it works….

"To be honest, since our aircraft were equipped with 20MM cannons, ammunition loading has become much more difficult." A German ground crew member who was loading the two 20MM cannons on the nose of the K-6 bomber complained. said. I have to say that the new 20MM*99MM shells are heavier. These shells are used against exposed gun emplacements on battleships and unprotected destroyers. The ammunition combination is 5 armor-piercing incendiary rounds followed by a tracer round for corrective shooting. During the previous bombing operation in the Gulf of Riga, a K-6 bomber used a clean burst to kill a mine-laying ship, which greatly stimulated the pilots' enthusiasm to clear the ground. They strongly demanded that more and larger cannons be put on the aircraft….

At the same time, Rear Admiral Hopman's light cruiser detachment was on standby 30 nautical miles outside the Irbe Strait. At dawn tomorrow, he will take his own destroyer squadron and 4 destroyer squadrons, a total of 20 destroyers, and risk rushing into the Gulf of Riga. Its mission is very simple: after the air force launches an air strike, it finds an opportunity to launch torpedoes and deal with Russian destroyers.

In such a small sea area as the Gulf of Riga, capital ships are indeed the most important targets, but destroyers cannot be ignored either. Bombers are not suitable for attacking destroyers, so the navy can only do it for them.

"Tomorrow will be a day remembered by history!" Major General Hopman wrote in his diary!

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