Chapter 1,372 Final Preparations
Chapter 1372 Final preparations
Therefore, in general, this time, the problem of Russian mines that troubled the German Navy is not that big. The Gulf of Finland is naturally the core of key protection. This area is still dangerous, but if you want to enter the Gulf of Riga, it is naturally not very difficult. The German navy cadets (destroyers) and submarines who often move here said that as long as there are a few minesweepers to cooperate, it is very convenient to enter and exit!
"Compared to the Russian mine array, the four 12-inch artillery pieces of the Russian No. 41 turret are more threatening. The opponent's range can cover the entire strait. And because of the key location, the range of fire for attacking them from the sea may not be Good," one officer said.
"It doesn't matter, someone will help us solve it." Hipper said nonchalantly. "What is the strength of the Russian fleet inside the Gulf of Riga?"
"There are two outdated cruisers and a large number of destroyers. Give me a lightning strike group, and my light cruiser detachment can defeat them." Rear Admiral Hopman said.
"In other words, if there is no intervention of the Russian main fleet, if you enter through the Irbe Strait, you will not encounter an impossible situation in the Gulf of Riga?" Hipper asked.
"No problem. If we still have aircraft to provide reconnaissance, it will be no problem even if the Russian battleships come from the north. The Gulf of Riga is said to be a bay, but it also has a water area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers." Rear Admiral Hopman said .
"Okay then, get ready and take action. My fleet will temporarily cruise outside the Gulf of Riga. The scheduled location is in the northwest of the Gulf of Riga. If the Russian main fleet is dispatched, our fleet will block the exit of the Gulf of Finland." Pell said.
"Then what if they hide in the port of Riga and are protected by minefields and shore guns?" Major General Hopman asked.
"If the weather is good that day, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's air force can deal with them. His Highness guarantees that the Bavarian aviation force will do better than the British. If the Russians can come out, we will be at least 80% sure to keep our opponents here this time." Get off," Hipper said. Of course, you have to say that the Russian fleet is like a blessing from God. If you go out for a trip, the weather will be bad when you return, the air force will not find it, and the Hipper fleet will not block it. Will it happen? Of course it is possible, the world is so big and full of wonders. An 80% chance of defeating the opponent in a battle is already very high, and it is worthy of Hipper's full investment!
At the same time, Major General Haller's Second Bavarian Air Force is also making final preparations for this Gulf of Riga hunt. This aviation force, which has more than 300 aircraft of various types, has at least 5 squadrons dedicated to this mission. With ship attack training, you can skillfully use torpedoes and heavy bombs to attack large mobile battleships. Moreover, individual pilots are also very proficient in the ability to use 12.7MM machine guns or 20MM artillery to shoot small targets on the sea! Well, it’s more of a hobby.
Actually,
Before Hipper obtained the prince's authorization and started contacting Major General Harrell, Major General Harrell had already comprehensively updated and modified his bombers. Considering the possibility of bombing the port, the water depth and mine protection network needed to be considered. problem, so the German Air Force specially installed a wooden floating body on the tail of the newly commissioned MK-3 aviation torpedo to reduce the depth of the torpedo when it enters the water. In order to deal with the mine protection net, the weight of the new torpedo is as high as 850KG, and the maximum speed of the torpedo is 38 knots. And a cutter is installed on the front of the torpedo, which can cut all non-heavy mine protection nets with its huge kinetic energy.
(The heavy-duty mine protection net weighs more than 100 tons. It is prepared for capital ships. It is very troublesome to hold up and close up. It is generally not equipped. Moreover, even the heavy-duty mine protection net will still be penetrated by submarines or ship-borne torpedoes. After all, the kinetic energy of the latter is too great. This is also the reason why lightning protection nets will gradually decline.)
In order to increase the attack power of bombs, technicians of the Second Air Force reinforced the K-6 bombers, which are specialized in sea bombing, so that they can dive and drop bombs at a larger angle. According to current data, the new K-6 bombers The 6-sea type bomber can throw legally 500KG bombs onto the opponent's battleship at an angle of 30 degrees at a maximum speed limit of no more than 250 kilometers per hour, and the bombing accuracy is pretty good.
At the same time, in order to control the dive speed of the bomber, they also added an additional speed brake under the wing. This type uses two controlled steel plates, which are kept horizontal during normal times and will open downward when used to increase the resistance of the aircraft. After completing such improvements, bomber pilots are considering putting 800KG bombs on the aircraft. Then shallow dive bombing.
While the bomber unit was undergoing improvement and adaptability training, reconnaissance aircraft and airships of the Second Air Force began to conduct reconnaissance of the entire Gulf of Riga area, and collected weather conditions in the area. When Hipper found Major General Harer in person, the first order given to him was to destroy the Russian No. 43 battery at the entrance to the Irbe Strait. The four 12-inch guns in this position are really annoying.
"Actually, there are only 3 guns there now. One gun was removed. I don't know if it was used as a battleship main gun or as a train gun. The other 8 guns of the two forts were also removed and 2 6-inch guns were removed. gun and two 130MM naval guns. The Russian forts in the Gulf of Riga had been massively weakened before our attack." Harrell's answer surprised Hipper.
"Do we need to bomb the port and other forts?" Harrell looked at the Russian forts on the sand table, thought for a while and said.
"Don't carry torpedoes. You can only attack civilian ships in the port. You can blow up the forts as you like, but the damage to the port must be controlled. I want the Russian sea transportation to continue, and there is a feeling of impatientness! Well, maintain a presence in the air, My light cruiser needs reconnaissance and artillery guidance." Hipper thought for a while and said.
"Okay, let's just warm up before the battle." Harrell thought for a while and said.
"If my fleet leads the Russian main Baltic fleet to the Gulf of Riga, will you be able to destroy them if the weather is not good?" Hipper asked before leaving.
"The situation in the Gulf of Riga is different from that in the North Sea. Even if the weather is not very good, we can still search for targets under the clouds. The morning fog is not very big now. In addition, the scope of the Gulf of Riga is really small for aircraft. , we can cross in less than an hour, the problem is not big. Even if the Russian fleet enters the port, we can bomb at night!" Harrell thought for a while and said.
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