Romanian Eagle

As Antonescu prepares to fly to Rome, the long-prepared battle for Cyprus has begun.

The naval formation composed of five aircraft carriers and two battleships took the lead, and embarked on the journey again from Athens with the three-day relaxation crew. Speaking of which, at present, several capital ships of the Navy are basically operating at full capacity. Immediately after the air raid on the port of Alexandria, it was Greece and then Crete.

Even the Iron Man couldn't stand it, so Lieutenant General Fernandez took advantage of the end of the battle on Crete and returned to Athens early to give the crew three days off.

By the way, Fernandez's lieutenant general rank was also promoted during this period. So he no longer has to bear the rank of major general to command a fleet that should be commanded by a lieutenant general.

Naturally, the crew could not be satisfied with three days, not to mention that they had to rotate, and each crew member could only be counted as rest for two days at most. It's just that there's nothing to be done if you're not satisfied, and there's still a task to be done.

Although the three-day break did not restore the morale to the best, at least it was much better than before, at least the work efficiency has improved a lot.

After Fernandez set off with a mighty fleet, Crete, which was the air base for this operation, was also ready. On the newly captured island of Crete, before the smoke cleared, the military began to expand the airport in Greece.

Crete originally had three airfields (a secret airfield was later discovered), which could accommodate no more than 400 aircraft. After Romania seized, immediately began a large-scale expansion. Bulldozers, excavators, cement, steel bars and other construction machinery and materials have replaced weapons and equipment and become the priority delivery target.

After ten days of work, Crete expanded two airports and built a new one. Its aircraft capacity also never exceeded 400, increasing to a capacity of 800.

Of course, the expansion of the airport can be completed so quickly. In addition to the sufficient materials and the desperate construction of the engineering team, it has a lot to do with the fact that the current fighter jets do not pick the runway. Although it can't be done like in World War I, just a piece of leveled grass will do, but flattened soil can also be used as a track, but it will not be used a few times.

Now, in addition to a large number of rushing planes, there are also troops in the airport who are clearly dressed differently from the army. They are talking in twos and threes outside the airport, and their eyes show a trace of tension, excitement and excitement from time to time. That's right, they are the 1st Parachute Division and the Independent Parachute Brigade that have just arrived in Crete by boat in the past two days.

These paratroopers are obviously no different from other troops in the first battle, but it is not yet their turn to play. Because the Air Force needs to clear the way for its airborne in order to protect these sons.

But everything waited until the fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Fernandez,

Only after reaching the designated area.

So has Lieutenant General Fernandez's fleet arrived?

After three days of sailing at sea, the fleet finally arrived 300 kilometers northwest of the island of Cyprus in the early morning.

On the flagship battleship Borcos, Fernandez told the communications staff.

Send a message to the Air Force in Crete and tell them we have arrived at the designated location.

Yes, General.

Following Fernandez's telegram, the air force on Crete also began to move. The alarm bell rang at the airport, and the pilots ran to their respective fighter planes under the order of the base commander. They jumped up from the airport in a neat line, and led by the pilot plane, they flew to Cyprus in a neat line.

On the fleet side, the five aircraft carriers are also preparing for their flight. The first fighters must be fighter jets, because air dominance needs to be guaranteed. At present, Romanian carrier-based fighter jets have been completely replaced by HF201 fighter jets. This carrier-based aircraft has so many advantages that it has completely conquered the entire navy. There is no reason not to use fighter jets with better performance.

And in order to meet this mission, the fighters of the three large aircraft carriers are not 24+2, but 36+4, plus two modified aircraft carriers (94), the number of carrier-based fighters exceeds Two hundred, completely prepared to provide escort.

These fighters were not released and were soon organized. They took over the escort mission of R20 fighters and protected the bomber group to fly to Cyprus.

When the large-scale fleet arrived on the island of Cyprus, the British fighters had already taken off. Since Alexandria was attacked by air, the British and French troops in the Middle East have long been frightened, and the early warning of the sky has been pulled to 200 kilometers away from the coast. The aircraft that patrol and warn every day are patrolling various sea areas at intervals.

And such a large-scale fleet (more than 500 planes in three batches) can be found without fear.

Therefore, when they flew to the sea more than 140 kilometers away from the island of Cyprus, the patrol plane had already discovered their traces. Although two HF201 fighter jets shot down the desperately fleeing enemy plane, the telegram had already been sent.

The Cyprus island, which received the telegram, immediately sounded the air defense siren, and the fighter planes on duty at the four airports on the island immediately took off without hesitation. They will serve as the first wave of interceptor fighters to intercept incoming Romanian aircraft. And at the airport behind them, fighter jets were constantly being launched into the air.

As the commander of the island, Major General Dawding Hughes naturally attaches great importance to it, and he has been psychologically prepared for Romania to attack.

Did Commodore Bronk's plane take off?

Major General Dodding Hughes, who had just rushed back to the headquarters, immediately asked his lieutenant, Captain Markley.

General, Bronk has just ordered Air Force fighter jets to take off to meet the incoming Romanian enemy aircraft.

Major General Dowding Hughes was very satisfied with the adjutant's answer, and he continued to ask while taking the documents handed over by other staff officers. Very well, what about the air defense unit?

The air defense department has already made preparations. In addition to the residents of the island, we have also asked the relevant departments to notify them to avoid it.

Very good. Major General Dawding Hughes stopped and continued to speak after a while. Order the troops to enter the fortifications, watch out for any ships that appear on the sea, and watch out for them to land. This air strike is likely to be a prelude to the landing. Also send a telegram to Admiral Wavell to report that we have been attacked by the enemy. Also to Syria General Westmoren sent a telegram, we need support.

Yes, Major General Dawding Hughes intended to direct French air forces in Syria to the island of Cyprus to help defend against the Romanians. This is also part of the military cooperation between the two countries. Although many of the French fighters in Syria are old models, there are also newer fighters like the MS.406 fighter.

This is France's main fighter, and in order to defend its colonies in the Middle East, 80 French fighters came over and formed two flying regiments.

Moreover, France is more concerned with the defense of Cyprus than the United Kingdom, because the island is more important to it than the United Kingdom. As long as the island is not taken by the Romanians, the French colonies are safe.

In addition, Major General Dowding Hughes has some lack of confidence in his air power. Although Cyprus currently has a lot of fighters, it does not have the most advanced Spitfires. In Cyprus, there are hurricanes and a small number of gladiators.

Does the UK in the Middle East have the most advanced Spitfire?

Yes, and there are four squadrons, but all in Egypt.

Because defending Egypt or the Suez Canal is a top priority for Britain, Cyprus is not worth the British deployment of this fighter to the island. You must know that the United Kingdom currently has only 16 squadrons of Spitfires (butterfly effect), and it is enough to see that the United Kingdom attaches great importance to Suez.

However, when Major General Dawding Hughes was in full swing, the first wave of fighters from the two sides met.

In the sky, both sides found aspects.

Go ahead, Squadrons 2 and 3 will cover, and Squadron 1 will go with me to destroy the enemy bombers.

Lead the British Air Force commander, commanding his own fighters to make tactical instructions.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd escort squadrons stepped forward to intercept, and the 4th and 5th escort squadrons were responsible for covering. Let's go.

Following the instructions of the two parties, nearly 40 HF201 fighter jets rushed over immediately, and more than 40 Hurricane fighter jets also attacked.

Another group of British fighters who wanted to attack the bomber group was also stopped by the fighters of the 4th and 5th squadrons. Now the two fighters are fighting in the air.

Da, da, da~

Ta, tower, tower~

After the two sides approached, they immediately filled the place with firepower. The British 7.7 aircraft machine guns from the Hurricane and the 20mm and 12.7mm machine guns on the HF201 fighters played an aerial chorus together.

It's just that the result of the air battle caused the United Kingdom to have two Hurricane fighters hit hard at the beginning. One of them must have been hit by a 20mm cannon, and its wing was smashed in half, and the pilot felt that he couldn't control it. It swayed and flew like a drunk.

And this made the British pilots frown a little, because they had heard about the air battle in Alexandria before. At that time, there were surviving pilots who complained that the firepower of their fighters was too poor, and the opponent was fine after a long time, but they were unable to fight any more after being hit by the opponent.

I didn't expect to encounter this situation myself. It's just that in this situation, it's impossible to wait for them to change their cannons. They can only operate their fighters and bite the tail desperately.

It was only after they entered the close-quarters fight that they discovered that they basically couldn't bite the opponent's tail, and it was the opponent who bit their tail, and no matter how much they maneuvered, they couldn't get rid of it. Whether it's hovering or accelerating, the Hurricane fighter he drives is not at all an opponent of the enemy's HF201.

So this is very uncomfortable. Except for a few people who can temporarily get rid of the enemy's rear-end with their superb skills, other fighters are caught in this dilemma.

And such a battle was a torment for the British fighters, and the commander of the British fighter group couldn't stand it. At this time, he found that the enemy bombers were trying to bypass them and touch the island, so he immediately responded. You can't go on like this, go to the enemy bomber.

So under the leadership of the commander, these Hurricane fighters immediately rushed towards the bomber group, completely ignoring the HF201 fighters that were chasing them behind.