After Lieutenant Colonel Elstead sent back the "Tiger, Tiger, Tiger" telegram, the fleet immediately burst into cheers. This also meant that the surprise attack was very successful in concealment, which caused the officers who were waiting for the news on the radio to let out a burst of laughter.
cheer.
This also made the two commanders, Midrafael and Fernandez, who had been waiting for the news, smile.
"There will definitely be great results this time."
Fernandez smiled and told Midrafael next to him what he expected.
The steady Midrafael was also smiling at this time. "Definitely, because this attack has allowed us to change the mode of naval warfare. Congratulations to Major General Fernandez, you are destined to leave your name in history."
"Your Excellency, Commander, you have given me the award. This was not only accomplished by me alone, but also by the efforts of so many people in the navy, such a success was achieved."
It is obvious that Major General Fernandez still maintains a sober attitude even now.
In fact, after sending the carrier-based aircraft away before, he had been experiencing ups and downs in his heart and was worried about the fighter planes that were attacking in the air.
Will the raiding carrier-based aircraft formation lose its way halfway?
Will it be discovered by the British in advance?
After being discovered, will the carrier-based aircraft formation cause heavy losses?
And this news made him let go of his inner worries, and everything was in his ideal state.
So for the next result, he didn't have much expectation anymore. Because he had done many deductions before, all of which showed that if he was attacked without preparation, even the losses of the Romanian fleet would not be small. And the anti-aircraft firepower was even worse.
Mediterranean Fleet, then the absolute losses will be even greater.
Midrafael is very satisfied that the chief of staff around him still maintains a clear head, because they still have heavy tasks ahead.
I saw Midrafael opening his mouth and giving an order. "Send a message to the aircraft carrier formation and let them be ready to receive the aircraft."
In fact, he did not need to say that the five aircraft carriers would also do the same. On the three absolutely core Bormiku-class fleet aircraft carriers, the ground crews were already busy with their feet off the ground. Aviation torpedoes and 250KG and 500KG aviation bombs were placed on
Next to the runway, oil tankers and fire extinguishers are also placed on one side.
As the captain of the Bormiku, Colonel Nix looked at the messy scene on the deck and couldn't help but wrinkled his forehead.
"This is too chaotic, and it simply increases the risk. If an enemy plane attacks, this situation will create opportunities for the enemy."
Obviously, the ground handling work on his own ship is not very good. Since even the situation of his first aircraft carrier is not much better, then the chaotic situation of the remaining two aircraft carriers, as well as the two escort aircraft carriers that have just been commissioned, can be
Just imagine.
In fact, what he thought was absolutely correct. Compared with the Bormiku, the Serracos and the Yuginsku seemed more chaotic. As for the two escort carriers, the Biback and the Jarscu, they were not needed.
Enough said, fortunately they only need to refuel and supply the fighter jets.
They were not kept waiting long, and the first wave of returning aircraft appeared in front of everyone. This was composed of 11 H57 torpedo planes and 8 RU18T dive bombers.
This was the first fighter plane to attack. After throwing away the ammunition they carried, they formed a team and flew back.
And this is also a deliberate behavior, because there are too many fighter planes in the air attack, and they all start the air attack at the same time, so in order to avoid the return time of each aircraft being too concentrated, they all leave after dropping their bombs. But of course
Instead of letting them return alone, they formed a small formation to return.
The ground crews on the three aircraft carriers became even busier. They used chess language to direct the docking of the planes, and when the planes came to a stop, oil tankers and ammunition carts immediately surrounded them. The ones that should be loaded were
The crew members also ran off the plane, released water when needed, and ate when they needed to eat.
After loading the fuel and ammunition, they boarded the plane again and took to the sky again under the command of the ground crew.
This situation has continued since the first batch of planes returned. At the highest point, there were nearly 20 planes circling in the sky waiting to land.
When the first batch of returning aircraft took off, the two escort carriers were also releasing fighter jets, but this time they were protected by RH20T carrier-based fighter jets.
This batch of aircraft is composed of fighter jets that protect the aircraft carrier. After the first air raid formation flew away, the three aircraft carriers continued to fly out with the remaining fighter jets. In addition to protecting the fleet, these fighter jets were transferred to
On board the escort aircraft carrier. Because according to the plan, the three aircraft carriers need to vacate the space to prepare for the next acceptance work, further shortening the preparation time for the second air attack.
Therefore, these RH20T fighter jets can only keep escorting the aircraft carrier and waiting for the next air strike to be equipped.
As more and more fighter jets return home, a large number of Romanian Zero HF201 fighter jets also join the return flight.
These bodyguards during the air raid kept docking to the escort aircraft carrier. Fortunately, the fighter equipment was sparse, and all that needed to be replenished was fuel and ammunition. In the first air raid, many fighter jets did not get the chance to fire, which also alleviated the two problems.
The pressure on the ground crew aboard an escort aircraft carrier.
At this moment, an H57 torpedo plane with bullet holes parked on the deck. The pilot jumped out and shouted, "Quick, there are wounded."
In the rear compartment, I saw the self-defense machine gunner leaning sideways on his post, and the blood stains were still clearly visible on the glass.
Several medical soldiers wearing red cross logos immediately ran forward. They swarmed forward and carried the machine gunner out. The blood on his body dyed their military uniforms red. After they carried him aside,
A doctor came forward to diagnose him. After feeling his pulse and listening to his heartbeat, the doctor shook his head and stopped helping.
"Already killed in action."
After receiving the doctor's diagnosis, both the pilot and the bombardier fell silent.
An officer checked the bullet holes on the plane and found that there was no serious problem. So he pulled a small soldier and pointed at it and said to the two of them, "Now he is your new team member.
"
The plane took off again, and the little machine gunner sat in the last machine gun position. The blood stains on the glass were still vaguely visible.
From the first wave of planes returning on 9.37 to the last plane departing on 11.21, within nearly two hours, the 299 planes that returned set off again. (One plane failed to pull up after takeoff and fell into the sea. The pilot was rescued
, included in the loss)
However, there were some changes in this sortie, including a further increase in the number of fighter jets and a further reduction in the number of torpedo planes among the bombers.
The list of the second wave of air strikes is as follows: 86 HF201 fighters (8 left to defend the fleet), 48 RH20T fighters, 64 RU18T dive bombers, and 76 H47 torpedoes, for a total of 274.
The main reason for the increase in the number of fighter jets is that the enemy will definitely increase their numbers. Although Alexander's air power has been destroyed and the airport has been blown up, as long as the British army moves quickly enough, there is no problem at all in organizing a temporary airport. Chapter 1
The second wave took long enough for its emergency air reinforcements to arrive in Alexandria.
Therefore, for the air strike force, it is first necessary to destroy the enemy's resistance from the air.
At this point, the air raid force has enough confidence. Not only from confidence in its own fighter planes, but also from confidence in its own abilities.
