章 142: Chapter 220 Naval Battle (3)
As early as World War I, British and French pilots frequently engaged in low-altitude flights, strafing German soldiers with machine guns. While this strafing might not cause severe casualties, it still dealt a considerable blow to the morale of German officers and soldiers. Drawing inspiration from this, the German high command thought that if bombers carried heavy bombs and dived from above the enemy, it could significantly improve bombing accuracy and create a powerful deterrent.
The Stuka was born for this purpose. However, the Stuka had a conspicuous flaw. To achieve extreme dive angles, the Stuka's structure was very rigid. Yet, this sturdiness came at a cost: reduced speed, decreased maneuverability, and shortened range.
In the early stages of the war, due to German fighter planes firmly controlling air superiority, Stukas could recklessly dive-bomb ground targets and achieve significant results. However, during the Battle of Britain, many weaknesses of the Stuka were exposed instantly. Because the Bf 109 fighter planes of the German Luftwaffe had a shorter range than the Stukas, they couldn't provide full escort throughout the mission. British Royal Air Force Hurricanes and Spitfires often easily intercepted Stukas without fighter cover, leaving the isolated Stukas vulnerable to enemy attacks. Additionally, the limited range significantly hindered German bombing operations against British airfields, and the responsibility for bombing Britain was eventually handed over to the longer-ranged He 111.
"Bazel, do you think the rear gunner plays a significant role?"
Bazel, now less nervous, responded promptly. "Your Highness, I believe the gunner's role isn't crucial. Even if the enemy fighters have half the performance of the Fw 190T, we'd be in trouble. It would be one plane, two lives. It's better to remove the gunner and save a life." Pausing, he continued to complain, "Moreover, this aircraft is not suitable as a carrier-based plane."
"Oh? Tell me more." Wilhelm had never considered carrier-based attack planes, as Germany's aircraft carriers were abandoned midway without completion.
"Firstly, its operational radius is far inferior to the Fw 190T. The Fw 190T has to compromise and shorten its operational distance for the Stuka. Secondly, its engine is liquid-cooled. I often hear ground crew complain that maintaining liquid-cooled engines at sea is a nightmare. Thirdly, the vulnerability of liquid-cooled engines to damage is significantly weaker than radial engines. A few cylinders being shot out in a wind-cooled engine isn't a big deal, but once the coolant starts leaking in a liquid-cooled engine, it's practically impossible to return to the mother ship."
Listening to Bazel's complaints, Wilhelm couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He thought he had done well, but there were still many shortcomings. With the Stuka's speed, it was essentially presenting itself as a target for various anti-aircraft guns and enemy fighters from the U.S. Navy.
"Don't worry, Bazel. You will soon have new carrier-based attack planes."
While speaking, 20 Fw 190T and 30 Stukas had already taken off, forming a massive formation heading towards the British fleet.
The sky was clear with no clouds, providing excellent visibility. Half an hour later, they spotted the moving British fleet.
Wilhelm took the binoculars and looked at the Warspite in the British fleet, couldn't help but marvel. "Indeed, it's an iron giant."
The name Warspite wasn't unique. The battleship following Warspite was the seventh ship to bear this name, with the first Warspite dating back to the 16th century.
This Warspite was completed before World War I and participated in the Battle of Jutland, making it quite a fortunate vessel.
During the naval battle, Warspite's rudder jammed while attempting to avoid colliding with the armored cruiser Malaya, which had been damaged in front of the fleet. The captain decided to continue forward instead of stopping or going astern, even though this made the warship circulate continuously, resembling a target. This decision saved the Malaya, as, for the Germans, a battleship with restricted mobility was a more attractive target than a heavily damaged cruiser.
After circling twice, Warspite finally regained maneuverability. However, this action propelled it directly towards the entire German High Seas Fleet, with the nearest point only 7,000 meters away from the main force. Warspite immediately engaged in a firefight with the main force of the High Seas Fleet (1 vs. 21). During this time, the main rangefinder and fire control center were no longer operational. Only the A turret could still fire, but Warspite could only retaliate with this turret, firing 12 rounds.
The entire process lasted about 20 minutes. Warspite was hit 15 times by the main guns of the High Seas Fleet, resulting in 14 deaths and 16 injuries. Consequently, it was ordered to leave the battlefield alone.
On the return journey, Warspite fell into an ambush by a U-boat but successfully avoided the two torpedoes launched by the enemy. Shortly afterward, Warspite faced another ambush and was shot at with a torpedo but still managed to evade it. Later, Warspite discovered a U-boat directly in front and attempted to ram it using the bow, but this attempt was unsuccessful. Subsequently, the ship safely arrived in Rosyth and underwent repairs for all damages.
Interestingly, after the incident, the crew of Malaya was extremely grateful to Warspite, believing that Warspite's sudden turning was an intentional decoy to protect them. However, due to severe damage, Malaya sank on the second day of the Battle of Jutland, June 1, during the towing process.
Wilhelm murmured softly, "I wonder if you'll be as lucky today."
The anti-aircraft lookout of the British fleet also spotted them, and a piercing alarm echoed in the sky above the fleet. "Heading 030, enemy aircraft, more than forty single-engine planes!"
"These damn Germans! All ships, turn to 030!" Warspite's captain, Pullman Cook, gritted his teeth and issued the command.
The vice-captain looked at him with surprise. "Captain, our mission is to go to Iceland."
"I know!" Pullman Cook rudely interrupted him, shouting, "But didn't you hear the German planes outside? It means their fleet is nearby. I'm going to sink all those German warships to the bottom of the sea! For revenge for the fleet in Scapa Flow!"
The vice-captain instinctively shrank his neck. This captain's temper was never good, especially since the last German submarine attack in Scapa Flow, where his brother died in the assault. Since then, the captain harbored an intense hatred for Germany, wishing to extract revenge. Now, with such a rare opportunity, there was no way he would easily let it pass.
Upon receiving the order, the fleet began to turn slowly while adopting an anti-aircraft formation. In the anti-aircraft command room, rangefinders were used to measure the height and distance of the German aircraft formation, and the data obtained was reported through the telephone to various anti-aircraft gun positions.
Although this battleship had undergone two modernization refits, its anti-aircraft weapons were pitifully few. It only had four twin 102mm anti-aircraft guns and four octuple 40mm automatic pom-pom guns. For a battleship with a length of 196m and a beam of 31.7m, this was considered only marginally effective. Although 30 American-made Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft guns and several quadruple anti-aircraft machine guns were scheduled to be added shortly, it seemed there might not be an opportunity for that.
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