The Rise of the Third Reich - #1235 - Chapter 1235 Chapter 1266 Atomic Bomb Twenty-three 1267 Atomic Bomb Twenty-four

Eastern Time, April 29, 1945, 4:15 pm.

The USS Essex, the flagship of the U.S. 56th Task Force, was already shrouded in a thick smell of gunpowder smoke, and the sailors were nervously making final preparations for the sea and air battle. On the deck of the aircraft carrier, the F6F and F4U fighter jets have been arranged neatly, loaded with fuel and ammunition, and are ready to take off at any time to face the invading German fighter jets. On the sea near the Essex, hundreds of U.S. Navy ships have formed an anti-aircraft formation. The aircraft carrier is in the center, surrounded by layers of escorts of cruisers and destroyers, and hundreds of direct cover aircraft are hovering in the sky, making it look like it is facing a formidable enemy.

Because an hour and a half ago, a seaplane suspected to be a Bv138E conducted a reconnaissance near the Bay of Fundy under the cover of a squadron of Fokker 636s. If there is no equipment failure, with the Bv138E’s reconnaissance capabilities, it is impossible not to detect the U.S. fleet in the harbor.

In addition, the carrier-based fighter jets sent by the 56th Task Force to fight on the island of Newfoundland also sent back some strange reports – what kind of huge water column, what kind of hemispherical clouds, and what kind of tsunami… It seems to be the Germans Tsunami bombs were used on Newfoundland, and perhaps the mines used to block the bay were cleared by this tsunami bomb.

The battle on Newfoundland seems likely to be in big trouble. If the Germans open up Concepcion Bay, the fighting on Newfoundland will become very fierce. By then, the U.S. military will have to massively reinforce Newfoundland. On the island of Finland, fierce sea and air battles may break out. And Task Force 56 will be the key to the outcome of the Battle of Newfoundland!

Admiral Mitchell, who had not fully understood the situation, felt that his fleet might be attacked by an air attack, so he ordered the fleet to form an air defense formation, and also requested support from the North American Northeast Air Defense Command to prepare for an attack over the Bay of Fundy and incoming The guilty German fighter planes fought to the death.

“Admiral, there is an urgent message from the Naval Operations Department, ordering us to disperse our formation immediately and evacuate the Bay of Fundy at full speed eastward.”

“What?” After hearing Arleigh Burke’s report, Admiral Mitchell was stunned. “Department of Naval Operations? Arleigh, are you right?”

The U.S. Naval Operations Department is equivalent to the German Naval Command (the German Naval Command is actually equivalent to a staff department). Its subordinates are the Grand Fleet Command and the Naval Aviation Command such as the Pacific-Atlantic Fleet Joint Command. Such departmental headquarters as Marine Corps Command. As usual, you should not go beyond the Grand Fleet headquarters to give orders to the task force below – the superior of the task force is the squadron, and the superior of the squadron is the commander of the Grand Fleet. This time, orders were issued at two levels. Isn’t Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King afraid that the command below will be messed up?

“It was an order issued directly by the Naval Operations Department,” Arleigh Burke frowned, “I have asked the radio station to ask for the reason.”

Admiral Mitchell nodded and said, “Okay, let’s wait for the explanation from the Naval Operations Department first…”

“Admiral, Admiral!” Before Mitchell could finish his words, the fleet’s communications officer trotted into the fleet command center on the Essex aircraft carrier, holding a piece of paper he had just translated in his hand. A copy of the telegram.

The communications staff officer did not wait for Arleigh Burke to ask questions, and reported quickly: “The telegram from the Naval Operations Department said that the Germans used a powerful atomic bomb in Concepcion Bay, Newfoundland. !

The explosion yield of this atomic bomb is estimated to be equivalent to 200,000 tons of explosives, and its power can cover an area of ​​100 square kilometers of sea! That’s why the Naval Operations Department directly issued the order…”

“What? The power can destroy the fleet within 100 square kilometers around the atomic bomb explosion point…” Arleigh Burke took the copy of the telegram and read it, “God, is this true? Is this true?”

“100 square kilometers? Didn’t you say 10 square kilometers?” Mitchell was also shocked. Destroying the surface fleet within 100 square kilometers is no joke.

The air defense formation currently deployed by the 56th Task Force does not occupy that much space. It only takes one atomic bomb and it will be completely wiped out! No wonder the Naval Operations Department skipped the Pacific-Atlantic Fleet Joint Command and the 5th Fleet Command and directly gave the evacuation and retreat order to the 56th Task Force. If it had been slowly conveyed from level to level, the Germans would have dropped an atomic bomb. , Task Force 56 ceased to exist.

But if I can run this time, will I still fight in future battles? A large fleet such as the 56th Task Force is spread out over 1,200 square kilometers. It is a normal combat state. But spread out over 1,000 square kilometers is too scattered. It is difficult to respond from head to tail, and it is difficult to command the fleet. It is also difficult to encounter an air attack. Can’t defend. Moreover, it is inconvenient to send out an air strike group. It is difficult to form a large group of aircraft and it is easy to resort to refueling tactics.

Just when everyone in the fleet command center on the Essex aircraft carrier was dumbfounded, the fleet electronics officer suddenly shouted: “Enemy planes! Enemy planes were detected at the radar station on the Nova Scotia Peninsula! There are more than 500 in number. In the south direction, it is 350 kilometers away from us and the altitude is more than 7,000 meters…”

Is this the atomic bomb coming?

The command center of the Essex aircraft carrier was suddenly enveloped in an atmosphere of terror. Everyone knew that they could not defeat an atomic bomb that could flatten everything within 100 square kilometers!

Moreover… the Germans are likely to drop more than one atomic bomb.

“Admiral, we can send a fleet of carrier-based aircraft to intercept enemy aircraft and evacuate the fleet at the same time.” Fleet Chief of Staff Arleigh Burke reacted quickly and proposed a feasible response plan.

“Okay, okay, that’s it.” Admiral Mitchell frowned, “Also, call Lieutenant General Harmon (Commander of North American Northeast Aviation Command) and ask him to send shore-based aircraft as soon as possible. Cover us!”

Now is not the time to think about how to fight future wars. If we cannot escape the immediate disaster, everyone will become nuclear waste!

While Mitchell and Arleigh Burke were busy commanding the fleet to disperse and escape, the bomber group commanded by Hersman Jr. had already flown near the Nova Scotia Peninsula. The Bv138E seaplane he took flew directly from near Newfoundland. It took nearly 3 hours and flew nearly 1,000 kilometers. This was because the speed of the Bv138E waterborne early warning aircraft was too slow. If he flew back to find the water, After the aircraft carrier is refueled before setting off, I’m afraid it won’t be in time to command the air battle on Fundy Island. Moreover, the Bv138E has a huge range, more than 5,000 kilometers, and can fly in the air for sixteen hours without interruption, so there is no need to fly back to refuel.

While little Hersman was flying to a new battlefield in a Bv138E to command the battle, he had been using the radio on the plane to communicate with Air Force Chief of Staff General Gunther Kolten. The latter is now also on a Me264H early warning aircraft, en route from the Azores to the Bay of Fundy.

Admiral Gunther Korten personally controls two bomber groups, the 802nd Bomb Group and the 803rd Bomber Group, which carry atomic bombs. His mission is to use two atomic bombs to destroy the 802nd Group and the 803rd Group, a main fleet of the U.S. Navy. When setting off from the Azores, the European Allied Atlantic Front Command only roughly knew that there was an American fleet hiding in the Bay of Fundy.

However, since it is more than 3,000 kilometers from the Azores to the Bay of Fundy, even if the Me264 flies faster, it will take almost 7 hours to arrive, so Admiral Gunther Korten still got the order to lead the attack. .

Of course, the atomic bomb installed in the bomber can return with the aircraft. If the German naval aviation still failed to identify the situation in the Bay of Fundy within 5 hours, the bombing plan would be cancelled.

However, nearly 2 hours ago, when the 802nd Group and the 803rd Group were about to arrive at the “return point”, the Bv138E waterborne early warning aircraft that ventured into the skies above the Nova Scotia Peninsula for reconnaissance finally made a key discovery.

Then General Gunther Korten and young Hersman, who had just witnessed the atomic bomb explosion, finalized the air strike plan over the radio.

The plan was mainly formulated by little Hersman. He had very rich experience in air command, and he also participated in the first actual combat application of atomic bombs in human history. He knew how scary the scene of atomic bombs exploding in water was.

To be honest, the power of the Heisenberg Device No. 3 explosion in Concepcion Bay has greatly exceeded the expectations of the U Engineering Committee and the Luftwaffe. According to the data calculated by scientists, the power of an atomic bomb’s underwater explosion should be about the same as that of an air blast (Historically, American scientists also made miscalculations. As a result, during Operation Cross Street, the officers and soldiers responsible for filming the video were almost killed by the tsunami). I didn’t expect it to be so scary when it exploded!

So if you don’t see it with your own eyes, you can’t make the right plan.

“Lieutenant Colonel, General Kolten called to ask, do Thunder 4 and Thunder 6 really have to be 6,000 meters apart?”

Hersman Jr. said: “I called the general back. Based on the analysis of the explosion in Concepcion Bay, the power of an atomic bomb exploded underwater can reach up to 6,000 meters away. However, in order to ensure sufficient lethality, , it is more reasonable for the two atomic bombs to be released together at 6,000. In this case, although the coverage of the two atomic bombs overlaps, they can still cover an area of ​​150-200 square kilometers. “

Less than 3 minutes later, the communications officer on Little Hersman’s plane said again: “Lieutenant Colonel, Admiral Kolten asked, if the U.S. fleet in the Bay of Fundy adopts a dispersed breakout, what response strategy should we adopt?” ?”

It has now been several hours since the nuclear explosion in Concepcion Bay. Most of the US fleet in the Bay of Fundy has been warned and has probably started to escape.

Young Hersman had already had a countermeasure. He said: “In that case, drop two atomic bombs at the entrance of the Bay of Fundy during high tide time, and use the tide to supercharge the atomic bombs to achieve the maximum destructive effect. At the same time, There will also be Fokker aircraft and Br.810 bombers carrying bombs that will attack after the atomic bomb explodes to expand the results.”

Chapter 1267 Atomic Bomb Twenty-Four

“Two enemy planes, 120 kilometers away, 11,000 meters altitude!”

As the electronic officer of the Essex aircraft carrier shouted, everyone in the command center on the aircraft carrier island raised their hearts to their throats.

“Admiral, you must be here to drop the atomic bomb!”

Arleigh Burke’s words shocked Mitchell slightly, and his face turned ugly. Two enemy planes, at an altitude of 11,000 meters… They are definitely not here to drop conventional bombs, and they are probably not here to drop missiles. Conventional bombs dropped from a height of 11,000 meters cannot hit moving targets on the sea. And it is unlikely that only two aircraft will be used to attack with “Reaper” missiles. Even if two “Reaper” missiles hit 100%, they will paralyze two aircraft carriers.

Moreover, American aircraft carriers, battleships, and heavy cruisers are now equipped with many smoke launchers, which can cover themselves in smoke at any time. It’s hard to say whether the two missiles dropped from an altitude of 11,000 meters can hit them.

So these two German planes that broke through from an altitude of 11,000 meters probably came with atomic bombs!

“How far are we from the exit of the Bay of Fundy now?” Mitchell turned back and asked the fleet’s navigation staff.

“There are still 20 nautical miles, and it will take at least 40 minutes to get out.”

“It’s too late,” Arleigh Burke reminded, “and the fleet hasn’t been dispersed enough.”

The Bay of Fundy is not very big. It is more than 70 kilometers wide at its widest, which is not enough to completely disperse the huge 56th Task Force. Moreover, while Admiral Mitchell ordered the fleet to disperse, he also ordered the fleet to break out westward. So now the entire fleet’s hundreds of large and small warships are crowded near the exit of the Bay of Fundy, forming a long snake formation of more than 30 kilometers. If an atomic bomb is hit, it will blow up at least 10 kilometers of warships, and one-third of them will be destroyed. One’s fleet is gone!

And the remaining two-thirds don’t want to fight anymore… because the naval officers and soldiers above must be crazy!

“They must be blocked!” General Mitchell roared and ordered, “Let the Army’s P-47s and P-61s block them! At any cost…even if it hits, knock down the German bombers!”

Because the two invading enemy planes climbed to an extremely high altitude of 11,000 meters and were flying very fast according to the radar. So Admiral Mitchell did not let the Navy’s F4U and F6F deal with it, but let the high-altitude models of P-47 and P-61 flying from the Nova Scotia Peninsula, Prince Edward Island and Cape Bresson Island deal with it… But The number of P-47s and P-61s taking off from the above-mentioned areas is limited, and some of them were sent to support the operations over Newfoundland. Now only more than 70 have been gathered to support the 56th Task Force.

A joint fighter command that was directing operations at Halifax Air Force Base in Nova Scotia received orders from Mitchell (the aircraft sent by the U.S. Army Air Forces to cover Task Force 56 are now owned by Mitchell). Admiral Control) immediately dispatched 12 P-47s and 12 P-61s to intercept the two “Me264 bombers” flying high and fast.

“Lieutenant Colonel, more than 20 American fighter planes have flown directly in front of the 1st Guerrillas.”

The actions of more than 20 American fighter planes were not hidden from little Hersman who was riding on the Bv138E waterborne early warning aircraft. His current mission is still the same as over Newfoundland, which is to command fighter jets to clear the way for the Me264K bombers that drop atomic bombs.

But now he doesn’t have more than a hundred Me262T carrier-based jet fighters – the Me262T is good at everything, but has “short legs”. It can barely fly 2,000 kilometers after attaching the auxiliary fuel tank. It is impossible to fly from near Newfoundland. Reaching the Bay of Fundy.

Therefore, little Hersman actually does not have the trump card to crush more than 70 P-47 and P-61 fighters. He only has 16 He219G high-altitude fighters originally belonging to the 802 Bomber Group Escort Squadron (although the German fighter jets stationed in the Azores The 1st Air Force could not send He219 escorts, but there were still He219Gs in the two atomic bomber groups). The 16 He219Gs belonging to the 803rd Group were divided into two, each responsible for covering the main force of the two atomic bomber groups.

These 16 He219Gs will definitely not be able to defeat more than 70 P-47s and P-61s. However, little Hersmann still had a way. After all, he was the ace air combat commander of the German Air Force and Naval Aviation.

His method was to divide the 16 He219Gs into eight two-plane formations, named them 1st-8th Guerrillas respectively, and then use them to fool the American P-47s and P-61s. The He219G can serve as a knife-carrying guard for the atomic bomber Me264K. Naturally, there are two reasons.

This aircraft is equipped with the best 24-cylinder liquid-cooled engine in Germany and even the world, the Jumo222G engine of Jumo Company. This engine has a super high power of 2,800 horsepower, and is also equipped with a turbocharger and a GM1 combustion device (laughing gas combustion). The maximum level flight speed at an altitude of 12,000 meters can reach 760 km/h (after using GM1). Moreover, this aircraft is very large, with a wingspan of 28 meters (the wingspan of the He219A series is only 18 meters), and its firepower is powerful enough, with four 20mm cannons and four 30mm cannons.

However, Little Hersman did not intend to use its powerful firepower to shoot down P-47 and P-61. Instead, he used its huge system to pretend to be an atomic bomb delivery aircraft, thus attracting the attention of US military fighter jets. After successfully luring the enemy, the He219G’s speed advantage at very high altitudes was used to lead the enemy aircraft in circles.

“The 1st Guerrillas, this is Kitty Hawk 1. There are more than 20 blocking dogs to your north. Please go west to the exit of the Bay of Fundy and be careful to keep a distance from the enemy planes. Over.”

Hersman Jr. immediately used the radio to direct the two He219Gs to turn westward. Their turn was immediately detected by the American radar on the ground, and then immediately notified to more than 20 P-47s and P-61s in the air preparing to intercept. Of course, these more than 20 P-47s and P-61s do not dare to neglect. What they are facing now is probably not two German planes, but two damn atomic bombs!

When intercepting enemy planes, slipping through the net is not a big deal at all, but when the interception target becomes an atomic bomb, it must not be missed.

“The 2nd guerrilla group broke in from the east of the Bay of Fundy at an altitude of 11,500 and maintained a speed of 670 kilometers per hour.”

After little Hersman saw more than 20 American fighter jets chasing the 1st guerrilla group, he immediately sent the 2nd guerrilla group, also composed of 2 He219G high-altitude fighter jets, to break in from the other direction.

After the two He219Gs belonging to the 2nd Guerrilla Group broke in, they were immediately discovered by American radar. Needless to say, more than 20 P-47s and P-61s rushed to intercept.

Of course, it cannot be stopped. Although the high-altitude performance of the P-47 and P-61 is good, it is still not as good as the He219G, so it is still led by these two He219Gs. Then Hersman Jr. sent out the 3rd, 4th, and 5th guerrilla groups. The Americans no longer have three more than 20 P-48s and P-61s to send, and there are only eight P-47s or P-61s used to intercept these three two-plane formations.

At the same time, the commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Command on the ground may have realized that the Germans were using high-altitude fighter jets to take their P-47s and P-61s in circles, so they started chasing the 40 units of the first and second German guerrilla groups. Thirty-two of the fighter jets were deployed as backup.

Naturally, this action did not go unnoticed by the German forces who had many early warning aircraft in the airspace near the Nova Scotia Peninsula. Little Hersman immediately made a judgment that the U.S. military did not have enough high-altitude interceptor aircraft!

“Start taking action and execute the invasion plan!”

This is the opportunity that little Hersman has been waiting for!

With an order, the large German aircraft fleet hovering at an altitude of 7,000 meters over the waters south of the Nova Scotia Peninsula immediately split into three. One of the fleets of about 26 aircraft climbed to an altitude of 11,000 meters at extremely fast speed, and then rushed towards the entrance of the Bay of Fundy. The remaining more than 400 fighter planes dropped to an altitude of 6,000 meters, divided into two large groups, and also rushed towards the entrance of the Bay of Fundy.

Of course, the actions of the large German aircraft fleet cannot be hidden from the radar of the US military – the Americans not only have ground radar stations on the Nova Scotia Peninsula, but the fleet in the Bay of Fundy is also equipped with a large number of air search radars, and there are also F-13 early warning aircraft are circling. Although due to technical limitations, it is impossible to distinguish enemy aircraft models through radar signals (German radar is also unable to do so), the dispatch of German aircraft cannot be hidden from them.

“This is really coming!” Admiral Mitchell suddenly felt like his hairs were standing on end after receiving the report – of course he also knew that the two enemy planes that had penetrated the defense just now were all decoys, and now they are coming are the enemy planes that actually carry the atomic bomb.

But…where is the plane carrying the atomic bomb?

Was it from among the more than 20 aircraft that broke through from 11,000 meters, or from the middle of two large groups of aircraft that broke through from 7,000 meters?

“Most of the Me264s carrying atomic bombs penetrate from extremely high altitudes.” Arleigh Burke, Chief of Staff of the 56th Task Force, thought for a while and said to Admiral Mitchell, “It is better to let all F4Us go to 11,000 altitudes to stop the Germans. aircraft close to the fleet.”

Since the German Air Force and Naval Aviation have long been equipped with Ju288s that can drop remotely controlled guided bombs, the U.S. Navy has also worked hard to improve the high-altitude performance of the F4U. Although the high-altitude F4U cannot be compared with the Me264T, it is not as good as the He219. But it can use its numerical advantage to attack its opponents. After all, the fleet above 11,000 meters currently only has more than 20 aircraft.

“There is no need to dispatch all of them,” Mitchell thought for a while and said, “It is enough to dispatch 120 F4Us. After all, there are more than 30 P-47s and P-61s available. The remaining F4Us and F6Fs will be used to deal with them. Two aircraft groups penetrated the defense at high altitude.”

“Yes, Mr. Admiral.”