Chapter 1737 Flying over Shetland 1
The fleet first transferred from the port of Kiel to Denmark. In order to prevent the news from being exposed, the entire fleet stayed at the airport for a relatively short period of time. The crew came down for some activities, while the ground crew stepped up to refuel the plane, and at the same time checked the equipment of the plane for the last time. . This airport was temporarily rebuilt. It was originally an airship field in Denmark. The place where the airship was tethered was used as a runway and apron, and the warehouse where the airship was originally stored was used to store various materials.
Knowles walked to the open space next to the airport and lit a cigar for himself. He looked up at the sky, and the cloud cover was indeed very low, estimated to be only about 3,500 meters. It is now around 11 o'clock in the evening. Taking off in the early morning, the entire flight is expected to take about 6 to 7 hours, which is much shorter than expected. The most perfect situation is when the first ray of sunlight rises from the sky, the German reconnaissance plane unit enters, and then uses the camera to see Scan the entire island group.
In this mission, an additional 6 K-8 long-range reconnaissance aircraft were added to conduct reconnaissance on the Orkney Islands. After all, it used to be the base of the British Grand Fleet. Previous news said that this fleet is currently stationed in central England. , but just in case, the headquarters of the High Seas Fleet still hopes to go there for a while. As a result, Knowles' fleet expanded a bit.
"Head, everything is ready, not only our plane, but also the navy." Just after smoking a cigar, Knowles' deputy had already walked over.
"Let's go take a look." Knowles came to the cabin of his plane, and at this time, a radio operator was fiddling with the radio on the shelf. Soon, a series of navigation signals came through, and according to the radio lateral results, the operator drew a circle on the huge map.
"The Navy has sent a fleet and they provide relays for us at sea. If the shore-based equipment fails because of the distance, they can still guide us home." The radio operator said.
"Okay, let's go!" Major Knowles said after making sure everything was ok.
With the help of a passenger car tractor, huge planes re-entered the take-off runway. At the end of the runway, Major Knowles’ plane was first prepared, and three huge Daimler Benz liquid-cooled engines started running. After that, when the power of the engine reached the take-off standard, the major sent the brakes, and the huge plane taxied on the runway and flew into the air at nearly three quarters of the runway.
"Turn on the signal lights! We have to wait for the brothers behind." Looking at the illuminated airport, Major Knowles ordered. In fact, 12 K-8 reconnaissance planes are not needed for reconnaissance of the Shetland Islands. The reason why so many planes are prepared is actually to be prepared to be lost during the flight.... There is no way, the distance is too far, under the current navigation conditions, scattering is certain, it depends on how many colleagues can reach the target area.
However, in order to maintain the formation as much as possible, the Germans installed signal lights for identification on the tail and fuselage of the K-8 aircraft, and in order for the fleet to complete the formation at the beginning, the searchlights provided by the Danes also played a role. My batch of 12 K-8 reconnaissance planes are at least all over the airport....
"Let's go!" When all the crews were in place, the fleet once again determined its course and flew towards the Shetland Islands. After more than 30 minutes, the huge fleet finally penetrated the clouds and entered the high altitude. After completing the climb, the entire fleet began to fly to the target at cruising speed. After flying for about 4 hours, the German fleet finally received radio waves from the Shetland Islands.
"Seamless docking!" We have locked the target,
This signal is exactly the same as the signal sample collected by our submarine force in the area around the Shetland Islands. We are sure that it is the target radiation. So far, we have not found the signal of the large fleet. " said the deputy.
"It seems that the British fleet really isn't operating nearby," Knowles said. Under the guidance of the signal from the British base, the German fleet flew to the Shetland Islands smoothly. Of course, this success only means that there is no error in the general direction. In fact, when they finally approached the target, K- The number of Type 8 long-range reconnaissance aircraft has dropped to 8, that is to say, 4 have been separated.
When the sun appeared in the sky again, the entire cloud layer was dyed golden yellow. Through the gaps in the cloud layer, Knowles could already see the Shetland Islands. And according to the previous map to distinguish the approximate location.
"Hey, we're now close to Mainland, the largest of the Shetlands, and if we drop in another 15 minutes we'll be able to see it when we pass through the clouds! Braysay and Wolsey The location of the island has also been determined, and the largest islands in the Shetland Islands have been locked." The deputy said while comparing the chart.
"Then let's get started! St. Milga bless us!" With the order issued, the fleet began to lower the altitude. From now on, all the planes will carry out their missions alone, and they can leave on their own after they are done. The fleet began to disperse. This is the first time that the Luftwaffe has appeared at the northernmost tip of the UK. At this time, the British airport on the ground has also begun a busy day. Knowles is very lucky today. Two days ago, it just snowed here, and a lot of snow accumulated on the runway of the airport. At present, only 40% of the airport in the entire Shetland Islands can operate. If it is in the past, at this point in time, A large number of planes have already started patrolling, but now, there are only two or three kittens in the sky.
"Damn it, what did I see?" When a K-8 bomber code-named Bull pierced through the clouds first, I was surprised to find a British V1500 bomber just taking off from an ultra-long runway , the wings of more than 30 meters are like a huge bookshelf. This plane obviously has a heavy load. It climbs very slowly and flies almost in a straight line. Although the bull is also huge, it faces the sun with its back. When the direction entered, few people really noticed it at first, at least the British bomber didn't notice it!
"It seems that we are going to be a fighter jet first!" The Bull adjusted its course slightly, and flew almost parallel to the flight path of the V1500. The huge bull almost rushed head-on to the slowly climbing V1500 bomber. Because the height is too low, this worthy giant of the First World War can't even dodge! And when the two sides passed each other, the pilot on the Bull could even see the stunned expression of the British on the opposite side.
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