The Rise of the Third Reich

October 11, 1939, 5 pm Iceland time. Atlantic Ocean, about 500 nautical miles northwest of Ireland.

The sky was very dark, there was no rain, the wind speed on the sea dropped to level 5, and the wave height was less than 2.5 meters. As the "Scharnhurst" and "Sedlitz" continued to sail southwest, the weather and wind and waves finally became less terrible.

Two huge ships that looked like mountains were currently walking in a Z-shaped circle on the sea. Their speed was very slow, less than 5 knots. This is the rendezvous point with the light cruiser "Leipzig", and it is also an excellent ambush position. Regardless of the route to the Americas or Africa, they will all pass nearby (in fact, there are hundreds of nautical miles away).

"Lieutenant General, it seems that the weather tomorrow will not be too bad." On the Scharnhorst, Major General Reifman held a stack of weather reports in his hand.

These are the weather conditions in Iceland and Greenland. The German General Staff has a special military meteorological bureau, which has "disguised weather observation ships" (disguised as neutral merchant ships or fishing boats), "weather reconnaissance aircraft" and "weather observation ships". submarine". In Iceland and Greenland, there are activities of "camouflaged weather observation ships" and "weather observation submarines". Every 1-2 hours, local weather conditions are reported (weather changes in Iceland and Greenland are valuable for predicting climate changes in Western Europe in the Atlantic Ocean).

"So, tomorrow it's time for the aircraft on the 'Seidlitz' to show off their skills." Marsha looked at the "Seidlitz" parallel to the "Scharnhorst" on the sea outside the command tower.

There are 3 Ar-196 seaplanes on the "Scharnhorst" (there are also 2 Ar-196 on the "Leipzig"), and 9 Fokker 99 reconnaissance bombers on the "Sedlitz", a total of 12 reconnaissance aircraft It can search thoroughly for hundreds of nautical miles around it.

Moreover, the nine Fokker 99s are also professional dive bombers. Once a British convoy is discovered, they can mount bombs and attack.

There is no need to bomb and sink them, as long as they are damaged, they will basically not run away - a damaged ship that catches fire will not only slow down but also expose the position of the entire fleet, and will most likely be abandoned by the fleet. "Scharnhorst" and "Leipzig" only need to move closer at night and use their cannons to "make up for it". Since both ships have the latest search radars, operating at night is very safe.

This is the ideal tactic of the "First Atlantic Squadron" in breaking up the engagement in the Atlantic.

…

"Admiral, telegram from AB-1: The formation is currently sailing towards point B at a speed of 10. No German ships have been found. The weather has cleared."

The communications staff officer of the Home Fleet read aloud the telegram sent by the newly formed AB-1 escort formation.

Admiral Charles Forbes stood next to the chart table, staring at the positions of Fleet F, Fleet G, Fleet I, and the reinforcement Fleet H sent by the Mediterranean Fleet marked on it. In order to encircle and suppress the German battleships and aircraft carriers that broke into the Atlantic Ocean, the British Royal Navy really spent a lot of money.

For the battleships/battlecruisers alone, 8 ships including "Hood", "Reputation", "Sovereignty", "Revenge", "Resolve", "Barham" and "Malaya" were used. Three aircraft carriers were dispatched: "Ark Royal", "Eagle", and "Hundred-Eyed Giant".

But the ocean is too vast, and even with 8 battleships/battle cruisers, it is impossible to form a tight encirclement. Moreover, except for the "Hood", none of these eight battleships/battle cruisers could catch up with the "Scharnhorst".

Unless the "Scharnhorst" is injured and slows down!

"We have to rely on aircraft carriers to fight. How are the conditions of each ship?" Admiral Charles Forbes said the word "aircraft carrier" with a feeling of distress. The Home Fleet lost 3 fleet aircraft carriers on September 3!

Rear Admiral Phillips, Chief of Staff of the Home Fleet, said: "Admiral, there are 60 carrier-borne aircraft on the 'Royal Ark', including 48 Swordfish torpedo aircraft and 12 Great European fighter-bombers; the 'Eagle' has 21 carrier-borne aircraft. Including 15 Swordfish torpedo planes and 6 Sea Gladiator fighters; the 'Hundred-Eyed Giant' is also equipped with 21 carrier-based aircraft, 15 Swordfish and 6 Sea Gladiator aircraft."

The British Royal Navy's aviation is actually quite bad, not even as good as Germany's HNA - they were under the jurisdiction of the Royal Air Force before 1937, and the Royal Air Force is not interested in carrier-based aircraft, so naturally it will not invest too much money. To develop truly useful aircraft for the Navy.

Therefore, the United Kingdom, which was clearly ahead in the aviation industry (different from Germany), gave the Navy a bunch of weird and bad aircraft.

The "Swordfish", "Sea Gladiator" and "Daou" are undoubtedly "bad" aircraft.

Among them, the "Swordfish" is a torpedo attack aircraft that only flew for the first time on December 31, 1935, but its appearance looks like an old biplane from the 1920s.

The "Sea Gladiator" is also a biplane fighter that looks very "old", but it is actually not very old. It was developed in 1934 and equipped with the Royal Air Force in 1935. Like "Swordfish", it has a bit of a retro feel.

The "Big European" fighter/bomber is a "cutting-edge" aircraft that was put into service in November 1938. It is slightly older than the Fokker Zero and older than the BF-109 and the "Hurricane" and "Spitfire" of the Royal Air Force. Be new. However, the design concept of this aircraft is very weird, integrating a "dive bomber" and a "fighter", and it is also equipped with a small engine with insignificant horsepower (only 890 horsepower). Therefore, the speed of this aircraft is very slow, with a maximum speed of only 360 kilometers per hour.

"Admiral, our 'Big Gull' and 'Sea Gladiator' are probably no match for the 'Fokker Zero'." Major General Phillips said with some concern. "There should be 12 Fokker Zeros on their Seydlitz."

"It doesn't matter," Charles Forbes shook his head, "We have 102 carrier-based aircraft, 90 of which have very powerful attack power, as long as our 12 'Sea Gladiators' can entangle the 'Fokker Zero' In 15 minutes, we can achieve a complete victory. Even if it doesn't take that long, our 12 'Big Ou' and 78 Swordfish will have a high chance of severely damaging the 'Scharnhorst' and 'Seidlitz'. No. So the victory must belong to the Royal Navy!”

…

October 12, Iceland time, 5:30 in the morning. Looking out from the command tower of the aircraft carrier "Seidlitz", the sky was still dark. However, there was already a hint of morning glow in the eastern sky, there was only level 3-4 gentle wind on the sea, and the waves were no more than 1 meter high.

Obviously, the weather is suitable for carrier-based aircraft to attack today!

The captain of the "Seidlitz", Rear Admiral Helmut Heyer, half-turned around and said to the aviation staff, Lieutenant Colonel Weiss, and the carrier-based aircraft group leader, Major Garland: "The weather is good, there may be a big battle today. of!"

He paused and said, "The headquarters in Wilhelmshaven just sent a telegram. Last night, the submarine discovered a huge formation composed of battleships and aircraft carriers in the waters 200 nautical miles south of Iceland."

Lieutenant Colonel Weiss and Major Garland suddenly became nervous. Major Garland asked: "Is it the Hood and the Ark Royal?"

"Not sure." Rear Admiral Haye shrugged. "The entire British Royal Navy must be looking for us now...and we must find the British aircraft carrier first!"

"Major General, I only have 9 Fokker 99s." Major Garland said, "This is too few."

"No, you don't need to attack." Rear Admiral Haye said, "I need to know the location of the British aircraft carriers... there are estimated to be three."

"Okay, my people will go all out!" Garland said.

"Send 8 more direct-cover aircraft," Haye ordered. "It must be ensured that there are 8 Fokker Zeros in the air at all times. In addition, 2 four-plane formations must be deployed on the deck."

There are eight Fokker Zeros in the air at any time, and another eight on the deck, ready to take off at any time. There are also 4 Fokker Zeros staying in the hangar. Once detected by radar or reconnaissance aircraft, they will immediately rise to the deck. If enemy planes really attack in large numbers, all 20 Fokker Zeros will take off to fight within 20 minutes.

"Rear Admiral, please rest assured. There are 20 Fokker Zeros here. Even if the British send 100 carriers, don't even think about getting close!"

Garland patted his chest and assured, but Haye still frowned. The break-up fleet attacks in small formations. Its advantage is flexibility and concealment, but its disadvantage is its lack of escort capabilities. Once the defense line composed of 20 Fokker Zeros is breached, the entire formation may be destroyed!

"Also," Major General Haye asked again, "Adolf, can your men recognize the Hood and the Ark Royal?"

Adolf Galland replied: "The Ark Royal is difficult to recognize, but the Hood is easy to identify. All the Fokker 99 crew members have seen it with their own eyes."

"HMS Hood" is the face of the Royal Navy. Over the past many years, this ship has been "exhibited" around the world to show the power of the Royal Navy. So it's very easy to get a glimpse of it.

"That's good, Hood and Ark Royal must be acting together." Haye smiled slightly, "If one of them is discovered, then we have to escape quickly!"

The "Hood" cannot be defeated, and the "Royal Ark" has 60-70 carriers. They are the most threatening weapons of the British Royal Navy. It is also the most valuable goal! As long as one of them is killed, the German break-up fleet will be able to roam the Atlantic until mid-1940.

Therefore, just 20 days before the "Scharnhorst" and "Seidlitz" launched, 10 Type IX boats quietly left Wilhelmshaven, took advantage of the night and thick fog to cross the English Channel, and rushed to The waters off the Azores are lurking...