Chapter 1,250 The Grieving Trenchard 1
Chapter 1250 The Grieving Trenchard 1
"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, it has been 2 hours since the scheduled return time. Look at this day and the length of time. It is estimated that there are very few people left who can fly back." On the tower of PU2 Airport, a man An officer said this to Lieutenant General Trenchard, who still insisted on waiting for the bomber formation to return. At this time, it was already 6 p.m., and more than 12 hours had passed since the departure of the fleet. Such a long time has basically exceeded The maximum endurance time of the FB27 bomber, and the V1500 bomber is almost close to the limit. Considering that during the entire battle, bombs were carried when going out, the endurance time will naturally be shortened.
"No, I have to wait. It was me who sent these outstanding young men to this unpredictable battlefield. Therefore, I must see that they come back safely. This is my obligation and responsibility." Lieutenant General Chad lit his pipe tremblingly, and the sparks flickered, just like the confidence of the current Lieutenant General. Almost on the verge of destruction.
The first to come back was the B group that attacked Constantinople. The two squadrons had a total of 36 bombers and returned 24, which was a stable two-thirds. Of the 12 bombers lost, 7 were destroyed, because the bombers were destroyed. The number of bombers lost due to damage or malfunction was 5. Although this loss rate was still a bit high in the opinion of Lieutenant General Trenchard, considering that they blew up two German super-dreadnoughts, overall it was still worth it. The personnel of the British Navy were congratulating the Vice Admiral on the success of Group B.
Then the situation of Group C became very bad. There were also 2 squadrons of 36 bombers. In the end, only 14 aircraft flew back alive. More than half of the bombers were destroyed or lost due to malfunctions. After hearing the news, Troon Lieutenant General Chad's heart was as sharp as a knife. However, it is said that they severely damaged two German battleships, and there may be one Super Dreadnought among them. This record seems to be reasonable. Lieutenant General Trenchard is worried about his loss, but for others, this is also A huge victory!
As for the largest aircraft group A, after the communication was interrupted, the lieutenant general himself was extremely worried. They flew the farthest distance. Although they were unexpected, considering the slow return journey, the German interceptor force had sufficient Time can be used to arrange interceptions. In this case, considering the losses of fleet B and fleet C, Lieutenant General Trenchard's initial guess of the attack loss on fleet A was about 45%.
"Forty-five percent, that's more than 30 bombers, including the precious V1500 bomber." Thinking of this, Lieutenant General Trenchard felt heartbroken, the most elite in the Royal Air Force equipment and the most elite crews organized this attack. They may not be too impressive in terms of number, nor are they particularly amazing in terms of the value of their equipment, but the hundreds of people who operate these flying behemoths The crew are the jewels of the Royal Air Force! They are the best of the best! Be the firebrand of the Royal Air Force's bomber force! These people are worth much more than the bombers they fly!
"There are a total of 420 crew members in the A fleet. He was selected by me from the entire aviation fleet.
Even if only half is lost, the combat efficiency of the Royal Air Force bomber force will be reduced by at least 10%! Lieutenant General Trenchard said this while waiting for Group A to return. Because they were fighting over the enemy, as long as the plane was destroyed, it would be almost impossible for the personnel to be rescued. Even if the Turks did not arrest them, they would not be able to swim. Crossing the Aegean Sea...
As time went by, even after the scheduled return time was extended by more than an hour, the return that Lieutenant General Trenchard expected did not come! When the sun set and night gradually fell, the bombers of Group A had not returned yet, and at this time, communication had not been restored...
It's not that the German electronic jamming covered the entire flight route, but that the British bomber force, which had been frightened, didn't even dare to send a report! Please, if you send a message, the other party will use the radio to locate it laterally. What if the other party pursues you again at this time and strikes again? ! Looking at the bombers of less than one squadron left around him, Colonel Short asked the entire fleet to maintain radio silence! This order was naturally recognized by his colleagues whose nerves were about to collapse.
"General, they are back! Our reconnaissance ship at sea saw our bombers." At this time, the dead silence of the tower was finally broken by the ringing of the phone. A British destroyer 20 kilometers away from the airport discovered the returning bombers. The British bomber detachment of the Air Force and notified the airport by telegraph, and the airport in turn forwarded the information by telephone.
"How many more? I knew they would come back. Maybe in order to avoid the opponent's interception, they chose a tortuous path, but they came back in the end, my children, warriors of the British Empire!" Trencha Lieutenant General De threw down the pipe in his hand and said happily.
"Now, immediately prepare to welcome the triumph of our warriors, clear all the runways, prepare the ground crew to welcome their return, and the logistics department, tell those chefs to throw all those damn cans into the trash can! They We need fresh beef, special seafood from the Mediterranean, and wine from Bordeaux, France! Go quickly!" Lieutenant General Trenchard was a little incoherent. He couldn't wait to see his men come back safely. Enjoy some incredible relaxation after a fierce battle.
Under the order of the lieutenant general, thousands of people working at the airport, ranging from commanders to chefs, were mobilized to prepare for the arrival of Group A. Even the cars prepared for senior officers had been driven to the tarmac. The warriors of the British Empire have been fighting in the sky for twelve hours. Now that they are back, how can they be allowed to walk back on their own feet? Arranging a car is a must! And the chefs were unequivocal, preparing enough plates, meats, vegetables and wine for at least 500 people to enjoy a feast. But in the end, what they were waiting for was...
"This, it seems, is a little missing." After the blurry figure in the sky finally became clear, the British present finally discovered that there were three or two kittens when Colonel Short arrived, and they were as dense as when they set off. Compared with a large area, the size of this fleet is too small, and can even be described as pitiful.
"Maybe it's just the forwards," an officer whispered.
"Even if there are other planes still alive, if they don't fly back within half an hour, then we can only go to the sea to fish them out." An officer next to him said with a livid face.
Here comes the second update~~~! Please subscribe and reward~~~!