Iron Cross

The Canadian and American troops, mustering their remaining courage, jointly launched a massive counterattack. Their strength far exceeded that of the German army. Not to mention the newly joined 101st Airborne Division, the two Canadian divisions alone had nearly 20,000 troops, while the total number of troops deployed by the German army was only 3,000. The retreat of a battalion at night and the losses in the previous few days left the island with only a little over 2,000 troops. The enemy they faced was more than 26,000, and the force ratio was almost 13:1.

Although the ground forces regained a significant advantage, the result of the air duel was very unfavorable to the US military. The Axis aircraft group consisting of 92 Do-412, Ta-152, Bf-219, and Fw-190 (6 aircraft were lost in the early morning counterattack airborne) and the Allied fighter group consisting of more than 250 P51, P47, F4U, SBD, and A26 fought all over the field. Under the condition that the overall performance of the fighters of both sides was similar, the advantage of the German flying ace was quickly reflected, and the US Army and Navy Air Forces were defeated. More than 250 US aircraft were lost. 97, while the Germans only lost 15, easily winning 6:1 - this was based on the fact that the US aircraft were almost twice as many. If the numbers of both sides were equal, a huge disparity of 8:1 or even 10:1 could have occurred.

In addition to the German pilots' superb skills, the German fighter planes' reasonable combination of high and low layers also gave them an absolute advantage: the Ta-152H was in charge at altitudes above 8,000 meters, with fast speed and powerful firepower; the medium altitude of 3,500-7,000 meters was the main combat airspace, with the Fw-190 and Do-412 working together, which could circle and perform BZ; at low altitudes below 3,500 meters, the Bf-219 had the best maneuverability and was invincible in dogfights. The American pilots, who were already inferior in skills, could not get any advantage no matter which level of airspace they fell into - they were killed by Ta-152 when flying upwards, and they were killed by Bf-219 when flying downwards. In the middle air, they had to face the dense firepower of 2 MG213 + 2 MG151 cannons. Even if they were replaced with M-series armor-piercing shells, the 12.7mm aircraft machine guns in their hands were still not as powerful as the 20mm German thin-shell shells. In particular, the thin-shell shells used by MG213 had great lethality. It only took 8-9 rounds to hit heavy bombers. The American fighters and attack aircraft, which were famous for their defense, were directly finished with 2-3 rounds. The American fighters still had some room to struggle, but the SBD and A26 were almost sent to death - they could not fight and could not escape.

Hartmann, who was in a hot state, killed 4 more planes in the air battle. Just at noon, his record of shooting down reached 12, and the overall record had climbed to 110. Unfortunately, the victory in the air did not help reverse the situation on the ground. Under the command of Ridgway, the US-Canadian coalition forces advanced 5 kilometers in one breath with a sharp attack. The under-strength German Marines were forced to retreat to the deep defense line.

"Sir, the retreating fleet was attacked by heavy bombers of the US military. The Luigi Cardonal (Italy) and Skyhawk aircraft carriers sank, and the Veneto and Roma were hit by one bomb each, but the damage was not serious... In addition, two freighters were lost, but they were both ships transporting supplies, and the casualties were not serious. In addition, after the US airborne troops joined the battle, the enemy's offensive was fierce, and the pressure on the ground forces increased sharply. Our army was short of manpower and was forced to shrink the defense line. The commander requested to speed up the retreat."

Marshal nodded to show that he understood: the carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier formation heading southeast could only protect themselves, and the land-based aircraft on Newfoundland Island fought two consecutive battles with the US military, and were indeed unable to protect the retreating troops. They could only rely on the fleet's air defense firepower. The losses were completely reasonable. The Skyhawk was already injured, and it was God's will that it could not survive. If it were not for the US military's poor skills, the German losses would be more than these.

"Let the fleet retreat quickly, arrange for the retreat of two battalions of Marines, pilots without planes and other irrelevant personnel, and let the attack aircraft carry out the last ground attack to prevent the enemy from attacking in the chaos..."

At noon, taking advantage of the retreat of US aircraft, the German attack group counterattacked the Allied ground forces and curbed Ridgway's short assault. However, this morning's battle has established Ridgway's command position. Although the 101st Airborne Division has the least troops, the Canadians admit that the US military is better than them and are willing to accept Ridgway's command.

"The air raid fleet was successful, but the attack on Newfoundland failed? We also lost nearly 100 planes? How many enemy planes were there on the island? How many did you shoot down?"

"Nearly 100. Pilots reported that in addition to the common Bf-219 and Fw-190, they also saw two other new planes, which were fast, powerful, and seemed to have good defense... We shot down about 30, but the air raid mission had to be abandoned."

"Damn it, so the enemy still has 70 planes? Forget it, I'll report the situation to Washington and let them decide. We really can't fight here..." Lieutenant General Delos-Emmons, who rushed to Prince Edward Island overnight, looked depressed. In the morning, the transport fleet of more than 500 planes returned in defeat. At noon, the troops attacking Newfoundland suffered heavy losses. Whether it was the Army Aviation or the Navy Aviation, the entire base was wailing in despair, and morale was extremely low. After these planes were collected, he still had more than 300 planes to form an attack group. But did he really want to drag these exhausted divisions out to consume them? He really couldn't make up his mind.

"We must attack again and knock down the German planes on Newfoundland Island. Otherwise, what if they continue to receive reinforcements in the evening or tomorrow? Will it last forever? The most urgent task is to destroy the airport!"

Facing the red-eyed Marshall, Arnold had no choice but to continue to agree, planning to have the troops launch another attack at 2 o'clock, and at the same time desperately recruiting troops from the domestic air force - the troops originally prepared for Bermuda had been mobilized, and the original deployment Various air defense units on the east coast were also transferred to Maine and Prince Edward Island in batches, and then threw them into the meat grinder of Newfoundland like moths to a flame. The huge consumption made him feel desperate and powerless.

However, the plan could not keep up with the change. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the attack aircraft group was preparing to take off again, the forward reconnaissance aircraft suddenly transmitted surprising news: a German aircraft carrier formation was discovered, with the center located nearly 750 kilometers south-southeast of Newfoundland Island, with a speed of 21 knots. Heading 140 degrees.

Ingram immediately rushed to the chart to check and found that Prince Edward Island was about 1,200 kilometers away from the German aircraft carrier formation. Although it was within the strike range of heavy bombers, the distance was too far. It would take 1,350 kilometers to catch up with the opponent, and he would have to return home. It was late at night.

"The Germans plan to retreat to the Azores? Are they going to ignore the battleships and landing forces in Newfoundland?" Eisenhower asked suspiciously, "Can the dozens of aircraft on Newfoundland withstand our war?"

Arnold smiled bitterly: Of course the German pilots could not withstand the wheel battle, but the Army Aviation could bleed dry first.

In a flash, another possibility quickly flashed through Ingram's mind, and he exclaimed: "No, we must stop and delay them..."

"how?"

“What if they pounce and hit Cape Verde?”

Admiral Jin was also stunned. He walked to the chart in three steps and came back to his senses immediately: "Yes, how is the fight in Cape Verde? Didn't you say that we will capture the island in 48 hours? Almost 30 days have passed. It’s almost an hour, where is the war going?”

A staff officer reminded: "General Turner just sent a telegram, you haven't had time to read it yet..."

Turner's telegram is very frustrating: on the one hand, it is to report that it was attacked by the Germans again at night last night. They tried according to the strategies of domestic experts. The effect was a little but not the best. Two escort carriers were still lost. Some are not convinced. The fighter pilots forcibly took off to intercept, but could not find the enemy's position at all. In the end, they lost their way and made an emergency landing. They were rescued by a destroyer in the morning. On the other hand, they notified the army of the attack, and the fight was very difficult. Each yard is advancing, and casualties will be paid on every inch of the front. The German army's STG43 combined with the Panzerfaust's firepower is too fierce. The Army's Garand and Thomson submachine guns cannot suppress its opponents, and light machine guns are no match for the MG42. Turner believes Our land warfare light weapons have completely lagged behind those of our opponents. He pessimistically believes that the mission cannot be completed within 48 hours, and at least another 48 hours will be needed...

Marshall was so angry that he could not speak: The two main infantry divisions, with the overwhelming support of aircraft and naval guns, could not defeat the 5,000 or 6,000 German troops who were stubbornly resisting. It simply embarrassed the Army. They had attacked Tara in the first place. He still didn't take it seriously when a Marine Division lost troops and generals. Now it seems that the Army's performance is even worse!

Ingram asked Holland, who had commanded the amphibious force to attack Tarawa, for confirmation. The latter quietly told him: He was even more pessimistic than Turner. The Japanese army in Tarawa did not have automatic rifles, rocket launchers, heavy tanks, or night combat equipment. The fight was so difficult, and he thought it would be even harder to deal with the Germans now that they had all these equipment. He stretched out a hand and waved towards Ingram, indicating that there would be another 5 days.

In fact, the reason why the defenders of Saar Island are so tenacious is because the "Berlin Express" composed of submarines and S-boats has delivered two consecutive reinforcements of troops and ammunition, and also transported away the seriously wounded. The total number of reinforcements is nearly 240 people, although a drop in the bucket, greatly boosted the fighting spirit of the defenders - they firmly believed that the head of state would not give up on them.

Admiral Jin sighed: "The situation is not good. If this aircraft carrier force is determined to rush towards Cape Verde, it can arrive in 4 days... Depending on the enemy's strength, we will either be defeated or we can only be defeated." Yoyo retreats from Cape Verde.”

Ingram calculated it and found that Admiral Jin was not an alarmist. There were 4 battleships and 11 escort aircraft carriers in the direction of Cape Verde. Although there were many aircraft, escort aircraft carriers could not compete with regular aircraft carriers, and they could not carry only carrier-based aircraft. A heavy bomb or torpedo alone is deadly enough.

"Then let the heavy bombers deal with the discovered aircraft carrier formation? The problem is that the distance is too far. I'm afraid that we can't find the target and make an air attack."

The atmosphere of the meeting suddenly reached a deadlock. Everyone looked at me and I looked at you, not knowing how to express their stance. After waiting for a few minutes, Admiral Jin finally spoke...