Iron Cross

Chapter 018 Obscene Flow Tactics The bad news spread to the headquarters of the Eighth Group Army one after another: after the tanks of the Eighth Armored Division and the 151st Infantry Brigade were destroyed and the organizational system of the troops was disrupted, the remaining soldiers of these two forces retreated one after another and were routed. The situation of the 44th Infantry Division, which lost its flank cover, worsened suddenly and was also surrounded by the division of German armored forces. If Montgomery had not taken the initiative to head up the last reserve, the 2nd Free French Brigade, in the whole defense area, the entire southern position of the British army would have been in danger of rapid collapse. German Ragan sent a telegram in a hundred thousand angry voice: The tank troops of the armored division must enter the battle before 3:00 pm! Due to the rapid mobilization of the 10th Armored Division and the 201st Guards Brigade to reinforce in the west yesterday, some artillery and infantry battalions that were difficult to move quickly were left behind in the original area, totaling less than 2000 people. They were also reinforced by Montgomery and given to the French Brigade for desperate resistance. Under the joint obstruction of these mixed forces, the southern position is barely defensible. The air strike force that Montgomery had high hopes for encountered fierce attacks from the German Air Force. After intense aerial combat in September, the British Desert Air Force carried out large-scale supplies. Faced with the influx of Fw-190 into North Africa, the number of the latest Spitfire 9 aircraft began to increase in order to counter, but not in large numbers. Faced with nearly 400 Fw-190As under Garland's command, the Spitfire 9 alone was unable to withstand it. It required P-40, P-38, and Hurricane aircraft to compete together. The problem was that the Spitfire 9 could still fight back and forth with the Fw-190, while other fighter planes, such as the P-40, P-38, and Hurricane, were no match for the Fw-190. Especially Hurricane, which had the worst performance and combat effectiveness among this group, had to cover a large air raid fleet, making it unavoidable and causing significant losses. Since Marcel became famous for using BZ tactics in the North African War, Garland has summarized his experience and believes that in the North African battlefield, the strict command system of squadron squad should not be strictly followed. Instead, the essence of BZ tactics of "fight and leave" should be fully utilized to carry out free hunting. Today, Goodrian's task assigned to him was the most satisfactory - the three fighter squadrons should not be distracted by covering their own bomber groups, but only attacking the British fleet. Starting from around 8 o'clock, far beyond the southern airspace, the squadrons of both sides had already collided fiercely. The battlefield airspace was from 6000 meters to 2000 meters, and more than 50 British bombers who were caught off guard and did not adapt to the changes in German tactics were shot down in less than half an hour. The British fighter squadron that protected them also lost more than 40 planes, but most of them were Hurricanes and P-40s. The Spitfire losses were relatively small, and the number of German losses was not as much as the British thought. A total of 27 planes were lost. Although the battle damage rates of Fw-190 and Bf-109 were basically the same, each accounting for about half, in terms of combat results, the Fw-190 with strong protection and fierce firepower achieved more kills than the Bf-109. 09 is more than one-third. Faced with such a fierce attack, the British fleet could no longer maintain its large formation - it would mean enduring the blow without being able to fight back with ease. When there were still more than 60 kilometers from the battlefield airspace, the entire formation disbanded, hoping to disperse the attack with the advantage of British planes still having more than German planes. The escort planes used all their strength to entangle the German fighter planes in front of them in order to create conditions for the attack fleet. The Bf-219 squadron, personally commanded by Garland, had the most cunning combat targets. They hung far behind their own fleet and did not engage in large-scale combat during the initial intensive flight of the British formation. They only coldly monitored and waited for opportunities to eliminate isolated enemy planes. After the entire British formation disbanded and disintegrated, they immediately rushed into the battlefield, ignoring the surrounding fighter jets and only targeting British bombers and attack planes. In the previous British military campaigns to seal the leak, the American made A-20 Havoc attack aircraft (known as "Boston" in the UK), the Hurricane ground attack aircraft equipped with anti tank guns, and the "Handsome Warrior" heavy twin engine fighter bomber posed the greatest threat to ground forces. This special squadron composed of elite pilots also firmly targeted these aircraft. Compared to the prototype of the Zero fighter 32, the Bf-219 not only enhances its speed, structural strength, and defense capabilities, but also strengthens its firepower. The two wings are equipped with two domestically produced MG151/20mm machine guns from Germany, with a single gun having a capacity of 150 rounds. Due to the advantage of the loading capacity brought by Germany's special thin shell casing, the power of German shells is almost doubled compared to Japanese shells with the same 20mm machine gun;And closer to the wing root in the middle, the original two 7. 7mm machine guns were replaced with two MG131/13mm aircraft machine guns. Dr. Messerschmidt believes that this firepower enhancement is equivalent to the firepower output of the Bf-109 (1 30mm+2 13mm). Although the lack of axle gun deployment made German pilots a bit uncomfortable, after several experiments, they also accepted the new layout, believing that this firepower is not inferior to the Bf-109, and the new aircraft with stronger low altitude maneuverability has the ability to fight even if it encounters the latest Spitfire. Compared to the maneuverable Bf-219, whether it's the A-20, Hurricane Ground Attack Edition, or Handsome Warrior, who are now clumsy like a big bear, the British finally know how the Germans were painfully carrying out bombing missions in the Battle of Britain. The positions of both sides were reversed - Stuka was replaced by A-20, Bf-110 was replaced by Handsome Warrior, and they were hit and crashed one after another. Less than half of the planes were able to successfully complete ground attacks. A British fighter jet in the distance also noticed an anomaly over the air raid battlefield and desperately abandoned the interception of the Fw-190 and Bf-109 in front of them to come and rescue. However, the Bf-219s couldn't hold their ground. The British pilots finally bit their opponents and were easily thrown away by them with a gentle roll. Basically, all British pilots had never seen the Zero, let alone the advantages and combat characteristics of the Bf-219. They were confused and entered into the advantageous combat mode of the Bf-219 through dogfighting and dogfighting. In addition, the pilots of the Bf-219 were all German elite pilots. Soon, these British planes that dared to engage in low altitude dogfighting were shot down, and the Bf-219s only lost one. By around 10am, the two sides engaged in a fierce aerial battle that lasted for over 100 minutes, resulting in the loss of nearly 300 aircraft. The German side lost over 60 aircraft, while the British side lost over 220 (134 bombers, attack planes, and 89 fighter planes), resulting in a loss of almost 1:4. At this time, most of the planes carrying out ground attack missions in the UK had completed their missions, and the short legged Bf-109, Spitfire, and Hurricane had reached the point where their fuel was running low. The pilots of both sides tacitly began to withdraw from the battle and return to each other, preparing for a rematch in the afternoon. The Desert Air Force adopted the approach of bombers going first and fighter planes providing cover. When they had almost separated from each other, the fighter planes followed suit to escort and return. The Bf-219 squadron led by Garland was the last to break away, flying far behind the tail of our own fleet at a slow speed as if they didn't want to go home, while their altitude was gradually climbing. Sir, it's almost done - our team's planes still have at least 1000 kilometers of fuel left, and ammunition is generally more than half left. "Lieutenant Starr Schmidt's familiar voice sounded in Garland's earphones. As a close friend of Marceau, he was also deeply affected by the changing fate and did not sacrifice. Instead, he became the top ace of JG27 Squadron after Marceau returned home. According to the requirements of the Air Force Staff, he will return to China in half a month to fulfill a coaching mission for at least six months. Very good, each captain reports the situation. The voices coming from each pair on the radio are similar to those of Starr Schmidt. Great! "Garland shouted," Army, execute the assault plan, sprint With the issuance of this command, all fighter jets quickly turned their heads and charged towards the group of British planes that had just returned at a high speed of 600 kilometers per hour. Crazy! "The British officers and soldiers on the ground observed the scene and opened their mouths in shock, expressing disbelief - the commanders of these German planes must have lost their brains, and both sides have separated from contact. Why did they still pounce relentlessly? Nearly 300 British planes are returning, what role can a mere 20 planes play? Taking a step back, what if we take down the enemy plane? Don't you want to go back to the airport. The German ground troops who were attacking also saw this scene, and their blood was boiling. Although they did not understand why the commander had launched such a "decisive attack", it was obviously an exceptionally brave act. They were deeply inspired and launched a fierce attack on the enemy in front of them again. Let me tell you a secret, haha... we have a lot of fuel! "Major General Garland in the cockpit began to laugh. This sleazy tactic was learned from the Japanese - Japanese pilots often use their advantages of fuel efficiency and long range to grind enemy planes. After Garland learned of this situation, he immediately prepared to do the same - the Bf-219s had a range of over 2000 kilometers after being equipped with a large auxiliary fuel tank, and now there are generally still two-thirds of the fuel left in the aircraft! After a fierce and prolonged battle, there was not much fuel left for the Spitfires, Hurricanes, or P-40s, and they had to cruise at speed to return smoothly. However, the Bf-219s were constantly haunted, and the British had no idea that the Germans would use this tactic. Several British fighter planes at the back of the fleet were shot down by the Galand Assault Team before they could react. By the time some planes finally realized that the alarm was off, the entire German air assault team had already achieved seven surprise attacks, but the pursuit continued