Chapter 2202 The 1st Aircraft Carrier Attack 4
After getting rid of the German fighter jets that were as crazy as sharks, Major Short's colleagues were somewhat relaxed. However, Major Short knew that if the other party dared to give up the pursuit, it was probably because they had great trust in the anti-aircraft firepower of their fleet. ! At this time, a large number of Allied naval officers and soldiers were making final preparations on the deck. They would conduct the first fleet air defense operation in this battle!
"If anyone among the fleets of the Allied Powers is most concerned about battleship air defense, then it can only be the Graf Spee fleet, because they do not have an independent aircraft carrier squadron like the High Seas Fleet. They are also the first fleet in the world to be attacked by large-scale bombers. Fleet, therefore, his own shortcomings and previous experience made the count very concerned about the air defense issues of battleships. He invested a lot of manpower and material resources to train and arm his own battleships, and these efforts obviously gained in the first battle. Repayment!" Count Souchon wrote in his memoirs after the war.
The fighter jets on the USS Independence bought the Allied fleet sufficient time to deploy defensively. At this time, on the deck of the battleship, groups of soldiers were running around with machine guns, ammunition and various parts to defend against the British air attack. Final preparations. Long before leaving the Mediterranean, Count Spee equipped each battleship with three different anti-aircraft weapons.
The one with the longest range is the 88MM anti-thunder gun. The artillery is the original artillery, but the Germans have equipped these artillery with brand-new gun mounts so that they can rotate quickly. Each battleship is equipped with at least 16 or more 88MM anti-aircraft guns, and Every four artillery pieces will fire with the help of a unified fire control group. Of course, the most fire control in this era is range measurement and height measurement, which cannot balance the speed changes caused by the roll and navigation of the battleship, but don't Forgot, the targets they were dealing with were torpedo planes flying at less than 90 kilometers. At low altitude, he was as stupid as a duck with a broken wing.
Although the hits of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns in this era are more impressive, the anti-aircraft guns like the spikes of hedgehogs can still disperse the British attack aircraft formations at long distances. It does not require them to shoot down many, but it can disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm. .
In addition to the original deck guns, the Spey fleet is also equipped with a large number of 20MM machine guns. These machine guns are modified from fighter cannons. They use heavy barrels and are more suitable for long-term shooting. They are also very light and can be easily fired by one person. The rotation is very flexible. Moreover, drum ammunition can be used to ensure the continuity of firepower. Originally, Ruprecht planned to equip the Count with some 40MM machine guns, but after the inspection, the Count gave up this seemingly good artillery because the 40MM artillery was too It was heavy, and the cooling was not good. An additional cooling bucket was needed, which made the entire artillery very inconvenient and the ammunition supply was inconvenient. Therefore, in the end, the Spey fleet used a large number of 20MM artillery pieces to replace the 40MM artillery pieces.
As for the last layer of firepower, it is the large-caliber machine gun. Although the 12.7MM machine gun is very average in terms of power, it is numerous and easy to deploy. It can be deployed in time before the battle, and the firepower is very sustainable, so that now, every battleship has At least two parallel 12.7MM machine guns are deployed on the top of the main gun turret! Therefore, after some arming, each aircraft carrier has at least more than 60 anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns of various calibers! Although it is not comparable to the hundreds of anti-aircraft guns that the battleships of the Second World War had, but no matter what, for a battleship of this era, it is already armed to the teeth!
The count's efforts were not in vain. When the British approached and saw the dense anti-aircraft firepower and the people running on the deck, more than 80% of the British pilots felt chilled in their hearts.
Because they do not have fighter jets to provide machine gun fire suppression, and if the bombers want to attack, they must first be attacked by at least 10 or more 88MM artillery guns from several kilometers away!
"Distance 5,500 meters! Height 150 meters, 9 o'clock direction, battleship speed due north, 21 knots!" A German officer calculated the approximate height of the British bomber group from the rangefinder. And quickly notified the artillery team to which it belonged. Facing the approaching British bomber formation, the gunners on the United Forces were ready.
At the same time, next to the battleship United Forces, the fast battleship Tegelhof and the anti-aircraft guns on General Suchon's flagship Scharnhorst were also ready. The three battleships formed a triangle on the sea. , the firepower composed of dozens of 88MM anti-aircraft guns and hundreds of machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns was already aimed at the enemy in the distance like the fangs of a ferocious beast.
"Fire!" When the two sides approached 4,000 meters, as the firing order was issued, the side string of the United Forces was instantly covered in dense firelight, and more than a dozen orange light spots danced on the deck, accompanied by rumbling. With the sound of cannons, the first group of more than a dozen shells roared towards the target. In less than half a minute after the United Forces opened fire, the other two battleships also sprayed out fire snakes, a fan-shaped one. The fire net covered the British bombers that were rushing straight into it. Continuously exploding shells and dense shrapnel formed death barriers on the British bombing route.
"Damn it, the German anti-aircraft firepower is too dense!" He looked at the artillery shells exploding around him and listened to the ear-piercing whistling sound caused by the shells passing through the air. Feeling the vibrations caused by shrapnel constantly hitting the outer shell of the aircraft and leaving wounds on it, the British were really scared. Some people roared hysterically and frantically operated the aircraft to try to win in the deadly rain of bullets. However, The bulky aircraft could not avoid all the shells. Less than 1 minute after firing, the first victim was born!
A British bomber was hit by an 88MM shell flying head-on. The 10KG warhead easily penetrated the entire aircraft, like a hammer smashing an apple, turning the poor aircraft into a huge Fireball. After a flash of light, there was no trace of the plane in the sky, leaving only countless ignited wood chips falling into the sea.
As the assault distance got closer and closer, the German firepower density suddenly increased to a higher level. When the 20MM machine guns and large-caliber machine guns also joined in the shooting, the side string of the entire battleship was like an erupting volcano, with bullets like lava. Impenetrable walls of fire were formed to seal the British attack route. The whistling sound of bullets and the explosion of artillery shells are as terrifying as the death bell, and the constantly shaking fire net sweeps across the air like death's scythe.
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