Iron Cross

"I forgot it again in excitement..." Richthofen slapped his head and hurriedly called to the back, "Colonel Seydlitz, please fulfill your role."

Seydlitz looked at Ozawa gratefully. He had wanted to protest a long time ago, but it was really difficult to speak. Someone just helped him out. Seeing him command the entire fleet to take off in an orderly manner, Richthofen nodded. He was indeed an excellent wing commander he had recruited from the Air Force. He was also very good at playing the role of aviation commander.

Outsiders watch the excitement, insiders watch the doorway. Just when Seydlitz gave the order, Captain Aoki thought that these standard hand gestures introduced by the Germans were completely necessary. The aircraft carrier itself was noisy and tense, and with the influence of the sea breeze, it was difficult to hear if you shouted, and you couldn't carry a loud speaker with you. If there is a tacit understanding between the ground crew and the pilot, it is easy to say that they can understand what the other party is going to do next with just one look. If there is no tacit understanding, they will be at a loss. Although the German standard looks a bit strange and is a bit cumbersome to learn at the beginning, as long as the conditioned reflex is formed, the pilot can quickly determine the actual situation and perform subsequent actions with gestures. Considering that gestures are universal for the entire navy, a carrier-based aircraft pilot can completely learn them during training in the aviation school. In other words, even if he is not familiar with the ground crew on his first day on the warship, as long as he can understand the gestures, he can complete the flight mission correctly-this is very necessary in combat, because multiple aircraft carriers are likely to land on other aircraft carriers when landing.

Rear Admiral Crank also received the telegram forwarded from Sevastopol. He scanned the content at a glance, but the signature made him ponder for a long time:

"At present, this fleet is sailing towards the southeast route. All combat aircraft have been released. It is expected to meet the enemy in 50 minutes. The enemy aircraft may attack your fleet soon. Please prepare for air defense." The signature is the Zeppelin aircraft carrier formation.

"Why didn't I know that the Zeppelin aircraft carrier had flown to the Black Sea? Shouldn't it be built in the shipyard?" Crank thought for a long time and finally realized that it was the aircraft carrier base simulated by Richthofen. He couldn't help laughing.

"Reply: This fleet is heading eastward, requesting follow-up intelligence." Although the Soviet aircraft had not discovered him yet, the air threat was certain. Crank was mentally prepared for this, but he was not worried at all. Even without the air cover provided by Richthofen, the Southern Army Group had already ensured air cover for himself before the battle - the Romanians promised to send out all the fighters that could be sent to provide cover for the fleet.

If only according to the pitiful 42 carrier-based aircraft standards of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, the aircraft at the Black Sea base would undoubtedly be excessive. Richthofen was obviously not a pedantic person. In addition to leaving the necessary cover, he asked all pilots to practice the standard actions according to the standards of aircraft carrier takeoff before taking off for combat. Now there are nearly 240 aircraft in the air rushing towards the Black Sea Fleet, divided into two large formations with obvious differences. In addition, the Southern Army Group also launched a large number of Stuka bombers under the cover of Bf-109 or Fw-190 and rushed towards the surface of the Black Sea Fleet.

Okumiya praised: "Sir, the speed of assembling and launching a wave today is 37 seconds faster than yesterday, which shows that your country's naval aviation is growing rapidly."

Richthofen nodded, expressing his happiness, but then the other party made a turn, and his face was instantly embarrassed.

The other party pointed to the ground crew who were sitting in groups next to them and discussing the battle: "Now is not the time to chat. They should prepare to receive the landing aircraft according to the operating specifications, prepare to provide ammunition and fuel for the landing pilots, prepare to provide snacks or water for the pilots, and some should prepare for air defense, fire prevention and other unexpected situations-in case the pilots are injured, they should prepare first aid medicine and bandages... Only if these are well prepared can they provide a second and third strike in time."

Richthofen's loud voice immediately roared, and in conjunction with Seydlitz's urgent order, the ground crews were busy like a clockwork top.

"Attention, a group of Russian aircraft has been spotted ahead..." Captain Schmidt, who was the guide aircraft at the front of the naval aviation formation, shouted in the intercom, "The second squadron, throw away the auxiliary fuel tanks, and follow me to attack."

"Received." The BF-109s immediately became much lighter after throwing away the auxiliary fuel tanks, and they followed the guide and pounced fiercely.

This was a group of Il-4 bombers accompanied by La-5. Obviously, neither side was prepared for the encounter here, but sparks flew as soon as they met. Schmidt and the naval fighters behind him were all experienced pilots, and most of them had fought on the Eastern Front and knew how to deal with planes like La-5. The two sides chased each other in the air. There were only 36 Russian planes in total, all belonging to the Black Sea Fleet, and the second combat squadron that Schmidt called for support had 24 planes. Considering that there were 20 slow bombers among the 36 Russian planes, Schmidt had the advantage in both quantity and quality.

He didn't pay too much attention to La 5's entanglement. He took advantage of his maneuverability to dive down, firmly placed a Red Army bomber in the aperture, continuously pulled the trigger, and accurately hit the enemy plane with his 20mm cannon. Schmidt could clearly see the engine part of the aircraft. The enemy aircraft soon emitted green smoke, then started to catch fire, then lost balance and spun, falling like a leaf. His companions were luckier than him and encountered an Il-4 bomber carrying a torpedo. Due to the restrictions of the torpedo, the clumsy bomber could not avoid it at all, and did not expect to abandon the torpedo in time. He could only watch and die until Was beaten into a ball of sparks in the air.

After a fierce battle, the two sides finally broke away from contact, and the La-5 formation was greatly weakened. 13 of the 24 Il-4 bombers were shot down, and 5 of the 12 La-5s serving as escorts were also shot down. However, the Russian The man was obviously unwavering and continued to pounce in the direction of Krank's fleet. Only one plane on Schmidt's side was shot down. Looking at his parachuting companion, he could only pray in his heart, hoping that he could withstand the coldness of the Black Sea and not be frozen into a lump of ice before the fleet picked him up.

"We're here..." The formation suddenly cheered warmly. The Red Army's Black Sea Fleet was clearly visible below. It was slowly advancing in a single column. He could see clearly that after the fleet appeared in the sky, the fleet on the sea immediately accelerated its speed. , the overall speed increased to more than 21 knots, and then clouds of black smoke suddenly rose in the sky. It was the Russians who were desperately using anti-aircraft guns to block shooting, but strangely there was no covering aircraft group on the Black Sea Fleet.

"Is the enemy plane hiding in mid-air waiting for the best opportunity?"

Schmidt was thinking while trying to observe the surrounding situation. The Ju-87C fleet behind him was already diving down one after another.

"Jie Jie..." The Stukas let out sharp, blood-curdling screams and pounced on their chosen targets. The most bombers pounced on the battleship Paris Commune.

The Ju-87Cs began to drop bombs, and water columns of various sizes appeared on the sea. There was no doubt that they were empty bombs, but there were also bombs that accurately exploded on the deck. There was a boom, and Schmidt saw clearly that a Russian destroyer was hit by a 500-kilogram aerial bomb, and began to take in water and sink in less than a minute. The bombing had been going on for several minutes, and he had not yet seen the Russian fighter jets pounce down. Only then did he realize that the Russian fleet had not concealed the fighter jets but had not received cover at all.

Vice Admiral Oktyaborsky was furious at the Paris Commune. According to the prior agreement, the Caucasus Front should provide aircraft cover when the naval attack group went to attack the enemy fleet. He had said it well before departure, but Lian Yi actually engaged in the battle. There wasn't a plane in sight. He didn't know that he couldn't blame the Caucasus Front completely for this. The group they dispatched had already set off, but was entangled halfway by the Bf-109 and Fw-190 groups dispatched from Army Group South. It didn't matter at all. There is no way to escape. The Germans are all fighter jets with fierce firepower and high speed. The Caucasus Front also has to take care of bombers and attack aircraft. Covering aircraft such as La 5 and Yak 7 simply do not dare to run too far and can only be chased away by the Germans. beat. They also received an emergency call from the fleet, but it would take time to rush over.

This time is enough for HNA

When the dive bombers completed their attack and left with satisfaction after dropping their bombs, Schmidt led the fighters down. They had to quickly suppress the firepower on the deck and cover the Ju-87Cs carrying torpedoes. His plane swept across the deck and hit the scene on the spot. Hitting two anti-aircraft guns and leaving neat rows of bullet holes on the deck

"Torpedoes!" The sailors on the Paris Commune suddenly screamed. They discovered the torpedo rushing from the port side.

"Another torpedo!" It was also discovered on the starboard side.

The captain could only try his best to control the hull and aim the bow of the ship in the direction of the torpedo. Unfortunately, the Paris Commune was a 30-year-old ship after all, and its maneuvering ability was too poor. Even if his judgment was correct, he still did not get out of the way. , the torpedoes on the left and right sides hit the hull firmly, with two "boom, boom" sounds, each blasting a large hole about 2 meters square, and sea water poured in like crazy.

Everyone felt that the warship was sinking significantly, and this speed could no longer be suppressed by damage control or leak plugging.

"Abandon the ship and return the entire fleet." In pain, Oktyaborsky gave the final order.

Facing the returning Black Sea Fleet, the German Navy obviously refused to give up the opportunity to beat the drowned dog. It sank one destroyer and one destroyer leader one after another, and returned to the sea with satisfaction in the center of the enemy's embarrassed escape.