In these bad times, southern Africa did not dare to flaunt itself with the spirit of contract, otherwise it would be equivalent to putting a pair of invisible shackles on itself.
The same goes for the Germans. When Mustache tore up the Munich Agreement, he did not hesitate at all. Now whoever dares to emphasize the contractual spirit of Westerners can have the Munich Agreement slapped in his face.
The so-called "spirit of contract" only depends on whether it is beneficial to oneself.
When a contract is beneficial to you, of course you must emphasize the "spirit of the contract."
When things go wrong, think of ways to make changes.
If you can't modify it, just tear it up.
Regardless of spirit or doctrine, in the final analysis it is all about interests.
The "Angel" hospital ship has a full load displacement of 15,000 tons, a maximum speed of 22 knots, 800 beds on board, and complete medical equipment and auxiliary facilities. There are a total of six medical ships of this level in Southern Africa.
The two destroyers escorting the "Angel" are the "Curiosity" and the "Dreadnought". Both destroyers were just built last year. They have a full load displacement of 2,500 tons and are equipped with two 125mm main guns and two triple
Equipped with 533 torpedo tubes and multiple depth charge launchers.
When the fleet left the home port, Bruni, the first mate of the "Intrepid", was relatively relaxed.
The German army was relatively restrained when fighting the southern African army. Some weapons that were obviously bound by "International Law", such as poison gas and landmines, were not used on a large scale. The "Angel" hospital ship is a ship that is expressly prohibited from attacking by "International Law".
He went to Crete to rescue wounded German soldiers. Bruni believed that the "Angel" would not be attacked by German submarines at all.
"Don't be too optimistic. The German submarine commander doesn't know that the 'Angel' went to Crete to save German wounded soldiers." Captain Yang Sheng was not careless. It would be best if the Germans did not show up, in case the "Angel" was
Sunk, neither Yang Sheng nor Captain Colclough of the "Curiosity" could bear this responsibility.
There are nearly a thousand sailors and medical staff working on the "Angel".
Sailors are easy to train, but medical staff need a long time to train.
As in the last world war, the medical staff serving on the "Angel" include some students who have not yet graduated but have entered the internship period from major medical schools in Southern Africa, especially the Nyasaland Military Medical College. These medical staff can
They are all the treasures of the military.
"The range of activities of German submarines does not exceed Crete. We can speed up appropriately." Bruni was not satisfied with the speed of the fleet. In order to adapt to the speed of the "Angel", the entire fleet was sailing at an economic speed of 15 knots.
.
After capturing the Twelve Islands, all the waters east of Crete were controlled by the Mediterranean Fleet and the Cyprus Squadron. Even if German submarines sneaked into this area, they would not be able to obtain logistical supplies.
Considering the strong anti-submarine capabilities of the Cyprus Squadron, when southern Africa entered the war, German and Italian submarines rarely entered this area.
"Do you really want to save the Germans?" Yang Sheng was curious. Bruni is of French descent.
"Of course not!" Bruni looked disgusted and his hatred for the Germans was palpable: "Only dead Germans are the best Germans. I want to complete the escort mission as soon as possible and then attack the German sailing ships."
After completing their escort missions, the "Curiosity" and the "Intrepid" will join Colonel Gauger's destroyer squadron and continue to prevent the German reinforcements from sending reinforcements to Crete.
This mission actually doesn't make much sense now. The Germans have broken through the Royal Navy's blockade in the direction of Chania. After the 23rd, the Royal Navy has shifted its main goal from preventing the Germans from landing to evacuating British troops.
This damn thing makes people speechless.
The Battle of Crete broke out on the 22nd, only one day had passed, and the British were about to escape. The task of holding back the Germans fell entirely on the Southern African army.
The Southern African troops currently on the island of Crete have also begun to assemble around Heraklion Airport. According to the command's orders, the Allied forces must postpone the battle until at least June. This task could have been easily completed. Now it seems
It's getting harder and harder to come.
Regardless of the 35th Division's various abuses against German paratroopers and airborne troops, this was based on the premise that the German paratroopers and airborne troops lacked heavy weapons and the 35th Division had overwhelming superior firepower.
As German reinforcements continue to arrive in Crete, the equipment gap between the German army and the southern African army is shrinking sharply. The southern African army is facing increasing pressure, and troop casualties have also begun to increase.
Again, in wars in the era of hot weapons, weapons and equipment play a decisive role most of the time. If the Southern African army did not have the equipment advantage, it would have to pay a huge price to recapture Heraklion Airport.
The German attack cannot be underestimated.
Last night, the destroyer HMS Modesty of the Cyprus Squadron was sunk by the Luftwaffe. Only 28 of the 125 people on board were rescued.
The "Angel" fleet departs from the home port of the Twelve Islands, which is only about 180 kilometers away from Heraklion.
Four hours after setting off, the "Angel" fleet entered the waters of Crete to prepare for possible attacks at any time.
It was not just attacks from submarines. After the Battle of Crete broke out, the Southern African Air Force and the German Air Force launched a fierce battle for the Cretan airspace. The Southern African Air Force had a slight upper hand, but it did not completely control the Cretan airspace.
There was still a possibility that the fleet would be attacked by the Luftwaffe.
"Our air force is fighting a fierce battle with the German Air Force ahead. The command orders us to go to Pombia and no longer go directly to Heraklion." The communications officer informed the command of the latest order.
As the order was issued, the fleet drew a beautiful arc on the sea, which was pleasing to the eye.
It was already evening at this time, the sun was setting in the west, there was a gorgeous sunset in the sky, there were many seagulls around the warships, the water quality of the Aegean Sea was indeed good, the waves were as clear as crystal, and the blue sea and sky were intoxicating.
Just as the fleet was turning, a German submarine suddenly fired three torpedoes at the "Angel" at a distance of 1,200 meters.
The fleet's alarm bells suddenly sounded loudly, and the battle alarm sounded instantly. The "Curiosity" turned on its horsepower and rushed towards the German submarine. The "Intrepid" reduced its speed and approached the "Angel", preparing to carry out rescue at close range.
Faced with attacks from three torpedoes, the "Angel" turned on its full power and turned its rudder in an emergency attempt to escape the attack range of the torpedoes.
After all, the hospital ship is not a warship. The power on the ship is weak, and it takes a certain amount of time to accelerate or turn.
At this time, the "Intrepid" opened fire, and the high-altitude dual-purpose machine gun came into play. One torpedo was exploded by the high-altitude dual-purpose machine gun on the "Intrepid", and the second torpedo missed the "Angel" in a dangerous and dangerous way.
Pass by.
The third torpedo hit the "Angel" under everyone's desperate eyes.
Then something lucky happened, the torpedo did not explode.
It is normal for torpedoes to misfire. Not to mention the Germans, the problem of torpedo misfires has not been completely solved in southern Africa. The Americans are even worse.
Before the United States obtained a large amount of German technology, the technological level of the Americans was seriously inconsistent with the industrial strength of the United States. The Americans only gained the ability to be on par with the British Royal Navy by spending money.
When it comes to technology, the United States during this period may not even be as good as Japan.
Japan can at least complete the "Yamato" 460mm naval gun independently.
When the "Angel" escaped, the "Curiosity" had already arrived in the waters where the German submarine appeared.
After firing torpedoes at the "Angel", the German submarine dived with all its strength in an attempt to escape the pursuit of the destroyer.
The anti-submarine capabilities of the destroyers in southern Africa are more powerful than the Germans imagined.
The "Curiosity" quickly locked the position of the German submarine and fired 20 depth charges continuously. It did not stop until large amounts of oil stains and submarine parts floated out of the water.
That night, the "Angel" successfully arrived in Pombia and began to receive the wounded.
Mainly wounded Allied soldiers.
After many days of fierce fighting, the Allied forces also suffered heavy casualties, and thousands of wounded soldiers were in urgent need of medical treatment.
Compared with German wounded soldiers, Allied wounded soldiers must be rescued first.
However, what Pan Wenkang, the captain of the "Angel", did not expect was that many wounded Allied soldiers boarded the "Angel" on the grounds of mental illness. These wounded soldiers seriously occupied the precious medical resources on the "Angel".
"There are all kinds of illnesses. Some people were blinded by poison gas. Although our doctors checked that their vision was not affected in any way, I insist that I can't see anything. Some people suffered severe concussions due to shells. This is amazing. Even I
We all know that the German paratroopers and airborne troops lacked heavy weapons, and some people sprained their arms, but they had to take a stretcher to get on the ship. They looked miserable as if they were going to die at any time." Professor Kant from Nyasaland University was really eye-opening. He spent his whole life
There are not as many weird cases as this day.
"Let the doctors conduct a detailed examination of all wounded soldiers. Only the seriously wounded can board the Angel for treatment. If anyone tries to get away with it, throw it directly into the sea!" Pan Wenkang was very angry. This situation is basically the same in southern Africa.
It won't happen.
During the last world war, some people used various reasons to avoid military service or run away from the battlefield.
Some people pretend to be sick, some pretend to be stupid, and some even shoot themselves directly. As a result, it is not uncommon for the wounds to become infected and seriously injured and die.
Now the situation is like this again. Some despicable guys are trying to make excuses to escape from the battlefield, and even occupy precious medical resources. This makes Pan Wenkang intolerable.
Other doctors couldn't stand it either.
At Pombia Pier, nearly a thousand wounded soldiers were waiting in line to board the ship for treatment.
There are also many healthy soldiers.
Many healthy soldiers boarded the "Angel" on the pretext of carrying stretchers, and then refused to get off the ship, hoping to evacuate Crete with the "Angel".
Since the "Angel" docked, Chris from Johannesburg Medical College has been working continuously for three hours.
"Doctor, doctor, please save my brother, he is a real hero, and he was injured in a bloody battle with the Germans." A private begged, hoping that his brother could get on board the ship for treatment as soon as possible.
Chris checked in detail and found that the soldier's brother had a huge wound on his abdomen, and his bleeding internal organs could be clearly seen. This kind of injury cannot be faked.
"Stretcher bearer, take this away and give priority to treatment." Chris is serious and responsible. Even if there is only one percent chance of successful rescue, he must put in 100% effort.
"Thank you, thank you." Private collapsed on the ground and cried bitterly, thanking him endlessly.
Chris didn't speak, there were more wounded soldiers waiting for him.
A wounded soldier was sitting on a stretcher muttering to himself. No matter how Chris asked, there was only one sentence: "Help me, I don't want to die."
It looked like his hearing was severely damaged.
But it's not to the point where I need immediate treatment.
So Chris casually wrote "II" on the wounded man's clothes with a white marker.
This symbol represents the second level of priority.
The wounded soldier immediately became unhappy and grabbed Chris's clothes to prevent him from leaving, hoping to board the "Angel" immediately.
"I'm sorry, your injuries are not serious enough to require immediate treatment. We have to leave the opportunity to other more seriously injured soldiers." Chris was ruthless. Compared with other wounded soldiers who were about to die, this was really not the case.
Too serious.
"No, no, no, I must receive treatment immediately. I feel very uncomfortable now. I think I am going to die." The wounded soldier grabbed Chris's white coat and refused to let go. Now he spoke very fluently.
"Asshole, let go of your hands, don't affect the doctor's work." Immediately, other wounded soldiers became furious. Everyone was queuing up for treatment, and they were all very angry.
"I am also a wounded soldier, and I also need treatment." The wounded soldier refused to let go and quibbled. He looked so angry that it was hard to tell where he was injured.
Chris has a very gentle personality.
Most soldiers have bad tempers.
A soldier with an injured leg and a cane hit the wounded soldier on the head without letting go.
"What a defeat!" The wounded soldier stood up quickly and pushed the wounded soldier on crutches.
The wounded soldier on crutches is not alone. Even if he is on crutches, he still needs someone to support him. The two soldiers next to him are probably his comrades.
"Does this look like you're injured? Which army are you from?" A captain on the stretcher was very angry. He had lost a leg, and the bandage was still leaking blood.
Chris conveniently put a "hook" on the captain's bandage.
This means priority processing.
"This bastard is just pretending. He's not injured at all, you coward." Two comrades with crutches came over and directly lifted the wounded soldier who was weak just now but now vigorous and vigorous from the stretcher.
"What are you going to do?" The wounded soldier was horrified and confused.
"Aren't you injured? Let Poseidon treat you!" The two healthy soldiers carried the guy to the dock and threw him into the sea without talking nonsense, shouting "one, two, three".
All the wounded soldiers on the dock suddenly laughed, and a pleasant atmosphere filled the entire dock.
No one paid any attention to the soldiers struggling in the sea and calling for help.
