Long live Joachim

Chapter 13: The Strap In terms of appearance, the E-type attack aircraft manufactured by German Hubert Airlines conforms to the consistent characteristics of German made machinery in the eyes of the world: strong and simple lines, simple and low-key style, rigid and lacking artistic beauty. This dual wing single seater aircraft for land and sea use has a body like a slender sardine. The double wings are roughly the same width. The three leaf tail is relatively short and narrow, and is covered with blue gray paint. The two ends of the wing, the rear of the fuselage, and the vertical tail have eye-catching iron cross logo. The Daimler four cylinder engine drives the double leaf propeller to provide flight power, and the maximum speed of projectile carrying flight is 105 kilometers per hour. In this era, any aircraft appears ugly and insignificant in front of airships, and many countries place far greater importance on airships than on airplanes, with Germany being the most typical example. In the two years leading up to the outbreak of the war, the German Army, which had expanded its scale on a large scale, spent nearly 40 million marks to purchase 12 of the latest Zeppelin airships, while only 5 million marks were dedicated to the production of aircraft. Most of the newly commissioned aircraft were used for training pilots and conducting reconnaissance and shooting missions, and only two squadrons conducted bombing training. In the German Navy, most generals tended to form a large "Zeppelin Air Fleet". Their efforts enabled the German Navy to have a slightly smaller airship fleet than the German Army at the time of war. As a result, the Naval Staff established a rudimentary strategic reconnaissance system that could conduct large-scale reconnaissance of the North Sea and Baltic Sea during good weather conditions, while contemporary aircraft did not have such long-range activity capabilities. Hard airships have distinct technical characteristics, but are difficult to produce in large quantities due to their cost. Aircraft with relatively simple structures are obviously more suitable for assembly line production. In 1914, a Zeppelin airship with a capacity of 33000 cubic meters was built at a cost equivalent to 15 Humbert D-type reconnaissance aircraft or 12 E-type attack aircraft, and its maintenance costs could also sustain the normal operation of a naval squadron. In addition to manufacturing and maintenance advantages, many features of aircraft are also not possessed by airships. On this sea surface, which is over a hundred nautical miles away from the Jutland Peninsula and filled with strong smoke and bloody smell, the massive Zeppelin airship cannot fly as low as these Hubert E-type attack aircraft at a height of 20-30 meters on the sea, skillfully dodging the water column stirred up by shells like sparrows. At this point in history, there has never been a precedent for aircraft sinking warships, but seeing the torpedoes attached to the belly of these German planes, how dare the British neglect them? The 4-inch secondary guns on the battleship cruisers raised their barrels and fired at the German planes with a bang, while the accompanying light cruisers also fired with light and heavy naval guns. However, these shells use trigger fuses suitable for naval combat or enemy shelling, and the difficulty of shooting down an aircraft is not less than using a slingshot to fly flies. As for the machine guns equipped on each ship, they can only be intercepted at an appropriate distance At the top shooting observation deck of the Lion's horn bridge, David Beatty, with a dim expression, faced starboard and silently watched the German planes flying over the sea. He watched them smoothly and calmly turn sideways, aiming their bows and torpedo heads at the long silhouette of the British warship. Then, one of them dropped a torpedo 400 meters to the starboard side of the Lion. The cigar shaped self-propelled weapon entered the water with an elegant posture. The splashing water slowly fell, and the torpedo disappeared. A few seconds later, a white wake composed of bubbles appeared on the sea surface. Seeing this, Betty's heart sank. The use of torpedoes has a history of half a century, and airplanes have been around for more than a decade. In the British Royal Navy, which was brave enough to try new technologies, some officers also had the idea of using airplanes to carry torpedoes. However, they found that whether it was military reconnaissance planes or civilian sports planes, it was difficult to carry heavy torpedoes into flight, and the speed and range of airplanes did not have significant advantages compared to current high-speed torpedo boats. Therefore, the combination of torpedo attack planes has always been in the conceptual stage, and no one has even seriously tried it. Betty certainly wouldn't know that the torpedoes secretly deployed by the German Navy were stable models after multiple trials. Their length and specifications were the same as the F-11 naval torpedoes deployed by the German Navy, but with reduced fuel and charge and internally redistributed weight. The total combat weight was only 596 kilograms, and the speed for airdrop operations was generally set at 40 knots, with an effective range of 1000 meters, which was much shorter than shipborne torpedoes but easier to approach targets than any other type of ship. In the pre war training conducted by German carrier based aircraft pilots, they were basically able to hit large targets with just one strike, with a charge of 80 kilograms less than ordinary torpedoes. They could only cause limited damage to dreadnoughts equipped with lightning protection armor and enhanced anti sinking structures, while secondary ships were considered a weapon with tactical effects higher than their own power depending on their location. Torpedo found 300 meters to starboard The sentinel on the battleship mast sounded an alarm in shock, and the angry and helpless Betty stood still in place. The fleet commander did not issue any instructions, so Captain Rodrik had to adapt to the situation and ordered full rudder left turn, while the left engine was reversed and full speed left to avoid torpedoes. Just as the emergency turn alarm sounded, the sound of the ship's hull pushing away the waves suddenly intensified. The massive hull tilted due to the rapid turn, and the crew had to rely on the fixed objects next to them to avoid body imbalance. On the shooting observation deck, Betty, dressed in white military uniform, tightly grasped the guardrail with both hands. Despite the accompanying officers reminding him that it was not safe here, this brave and combative general remained completely unmoved. The Lion made an emergency left turn to avoid torpedoes, and immediately after, the Royal Princess, also threatened by torpedoes, began to turn at full speed. With excellent maneuverability, they both avoided the rapidly approaching torpedoes, and the whole process was breathtaking. However, the danger did not disappear. To the north of the fleet - the "Lion" and "Royal Princess" - two German attack planes quietly approached from the starboard direction at this moment. These two British war cruisers originally had strong military equipment, but after a fierce battle with the German battle cruiser formation, many upper level facilities were damaged. The starboard side of the "Lion" only had four 4-inch secondary guns and two machine guns that could fire normally. Many sailors were holding rifles on the side deck to shoot, while the situation of the "Royal Princess" was slightly better, and continuous shooting did not yield any results. Two German planes continued to approach, one projecting torpedoes from 300 meters away and the other dropping torpedoes almost 200 meters away. Moreover, both torpedoes were fired at the flagship flag hanging "Lion"! These two German aviation torpedoes speeding underwater are separated by a hundred meters from each other, with slightly different firing angles, which increases the difficulty for enemy warships to evade. It seems that the Lion is doomed. At a critical moment, Colonel Rodrik, who was bold and meticulous, commanded the warship to continue turning left and instructed the helmsman to turn right in the opposite direction after turning two compass points. Fortunately, the steering system of this warship was not damaged during the battle, and the huge tail rudder responded promptly, driving the giant lion to turn at full speed at a speed of 24 knots. The towering mast tilted with the ship, and its momentum was so strong that it made people sweat for the sailors staying in the observation tower at the top of the mast. On the observation deck at the top of the bridge, Betty stared intently at the torpedo tracks on the sea surface. The fearless behavior of the officers and sailors comforted him, but the current situation was indeed unbearable to look at. The powerful German dreadnought fleet was still closely chasing behind, with heavy shells falling from time to time pressing down on everyone's nerves. On the other side, their old rival Hipper had already eliminated the threat of British lightning strikes on the fleet and joined the pursuit. These German warships were like terrifying meat grinders, capable of shredding any fallen British warship into pieces in the blink of an eye... Thinking of this, Betty looked up at the other two German torpedo attack planes still searching for opportunities not far away. Their mission may not be to sink a British warship with all their might, but to slow down the retreat speed of this fleet. The sinister intention made him shudder. Sure enough, the remaining two German torpedo planes on standby did not keep a close eye on the "Lion" and launched torpedoes from the starboard direction towards the "Queen Margaret". Then, the other aircraft launched an attack on the "Australia", which had been heavily damaged but was still following the fleet. These two British cruisers had to quickly turn around to avoid it. In between, the speed of the British mobile fleet's northward retreat was slowed down, and the distance between them and the German dreadnought fleet was correspondingly shortened by several kilometers. Six German torpedo planes dropped six torpedoes, but none of them hit the British warship. The British fleet fired hundreds or even thousands of shells, but failed to shoot down a single German plane. The first round of confrontation between slingshots and flies ended painlessly. The sunset has already sunk into the sea, and the light is gradually dimming. A few stars are like gems embellished on a blue swan velvet cloth, and the effective line of sight is constantly shortening. The field of view has also become blurred, and the plane's shot will soon become unsustainable. Only this can alleviate some of the oppression of David Beatty, who is just in his forties and in the prime of his life. Four German planes can be seen from the south As soon as the "Lion" returned to its bow heading north, the lookout on the mast issued another annoying warning. Betty tried to maintain a calm attitude as he looked around the sea. The four battle cruisers were separated from each other, and during their emergency turn, the light cruisers turned their heads one after another to avoid collision - six German torpedo planes easily disrupted their fleet formation, and the scattered array meant low efficiency in defensive firepower and high hits from enemy torpedo attacks. Looking at these and thinking about them, Betty couldn't help but make a cross on her chest and pray in her heart, 'God bless Britain.' On a Hubert E-type attack aircraft carrying bombs, the stern faced pilot was also praying, praying that he could receive the favor of fate, make achievements in this battle, and change his ordinary life path. A few minutes later, two people who had never met before and had vastly different statuses happened to be at the same level. They were separated by more than 300 meters, facing each other but unable to see each other's faces clearly. Their prayers were like water and fire at this moment, but even in danger, they persisted for their respective beliefs and honors. Under the sea, torpedoes are like sharp arrows, with a cold light shining brightly. On the sea, the warship was like a wild beast, showing its embarrassment. Who can always be invincible in the competition of speed, skill, and luck?