Chapter 1947: Strategic Adjustment II
"In addition, we must pay close attention to the training of pilots. In addition to transferring some fighter pilots to the newly established interceptor unit, some experienced bomber and reconnaissance pilots can also join the interceptor unit. As for bombardiers, radio communication Personnel, except for the necessary ones, are all trained as machine gunners," Trenchard said.
"Your Excellency Marshal, it would be a very tragic thing for bomber pilots to conduct interception operations. The German interceptor pilots are all fighter pilots. At least they know how to deal with most air combat situations." Wells said with some embarrassment.
"However we cannot allow our precious fighter pilots to charge the Germans' fire hedgehogs. This is a great waste of resources. Because the survival of such battles is more a matter of luck than skill of the pilots, there are not enough fighter pilots to begin with , We also need fighter jets against the Germans. So now we can only use second-rate personnel to fly interceptors. Their task is to rush to a close enough distance and kill the bombers in front of them before the opponent shoots them down!" Thrun There was a sense of determination in Chad's words.
"Well, if the interceptor pilots can perform 15 missions, then they can transfer to other non-combat departments." Trenchard said with a sigh. The death rate is the highest, even in the Bavarian Air Force, the interceptor unit is covered by a large number of fighter jets, equipped with special interceptors and cannons. The death rate is more than twice that of ordinary fighter units! On the battlefield in Asia Minor, it was normal for a squadron of 18 planes to face the British bomber force and lose 3 planes in one round.
After confirming the equipment and personnel issues of the future Royal Air Force with Wells. Marshal Trenchard began to adjust the internal structure of the aviation force again. The first thing he had to do was to dispatch a large number of technical personnel to the rear to prepare to participate in the formation and improvement of the interceptor force. Later, he filled some personnel into the air defense force, increased the density of air defense firepower in important areas, and began to learn from the Germans, preparing to re-establish an air early warning network. In the case of insufficient fighter force, Trenchard can only rely on anti-aircraft artillery to ensure the safety of key positions, not to shoot down a few enemy planes, but to drive them away.
And the air team that is on rotation in the UK can't rest now. Using the few remaining V1500s as imaginary enemies, the air team on rotation is conducting interception exercises against bombers in the UK. And a group of excellent pilots who retired from the front line due to war injuries or other reasons were also enriched to various aviation schools to accelerate the training of pilots. Trenchard prepared in terms of equipment and personnel. However, there is one problem that still cannot be solved, that is, the fuel of the British Air Force is really tight, so the training of British pilots has to be based on ground education. The flight time before going to the battlefield was compressed to only about 15 hours!
"Hopefully, the Germans will give me 2 months." After some adjustments, Marshal Trenchard has done everything he can do so far. And the rest of the matter is not up to him to decide, he depends on how the Germans choose.
"I'm not worried about German bombers bombing our lines of communication, artillery positions, or depots. Bombers have limited projection and low accuracy. They won't be very effective against any defensive ground units. If the Germans do this, we can ignore it. But my worry is that if the Germans attack our transport ships in the English Channel, I am afraid that the situation will be completely different. A ship with tens of thousands of tons and thousands of tons of materials on it were directly sent to the sea! We cannot afford such a loss.
’ wrote Field Marshal Trenchard in a telegram to General Haig.
And if this happens, the only thing Trenchard can do is to allow the Royal Air Force, which has not yet completed its transformation, to participate in what can be called brutal air defense operations. Of course, if fighting over the English Channel, the British have certain advantages. They are closer to the airport, and parachuting personnel can be rescued quickly, while the Germans are at a disadvantage.
After the bombing of the British airport in the first few days, the Luftwaffe's attack power dropped significantly. Many people thought that the storm had passed, but those who really knew the Air Force knew that this was just an end. Because the Germans have no shortage of fuel and bombs, and their losses are very small, it is definitely not because they are unable to stop their attack now. The biggest possibility is to find a suitable target. Just like a hunter, after consuming the physical strength of his prey, he began to think about how to strike, and then killed him with one blow! You can also understand that in a bullfighting performance, after the matador consumes the strength of the bull with brilliant steps and skills, the bull killer enters the arena and prepares to kill the bull with a spear!
And Trenchard saw it more clearly, maybe the Luftwaffe at this time is weighing the benefits and costs of the attack on the English Channel! The effect of air strikes on port cities such as Dunkirk and the English Channel is obvious. As long as the Germans have enough crews with experience in attacking ships, then in good weather, a large-scale attack will definitely pay off. And it hardly takes into account the day of the sortie, because now, whatever the day, the English Channel is busy. Among other things, the British just want to ensure the consumption and supplies of more than 1.5 million troops in mainland France, right? The 50 million tons of coal that the French need every year must also be provided! Let’s just talk about coal mines. On average, more than 150,000 tons of coal mines are transported every day!
"It seems that I need to deploy part of the fighter force near the English Channel and on the mainland." When Trenchard thought of the German bomber fleet flying quickly over the English Channel and dropping torpedoes and bombs, he thought I couldn't help but shuddered. The situation is truly dire.
Trenchard guessed half right. After relying on a surprise attack to successfully damage the Royal Air Force again, the German bomber fleet did reduce the air attack. The German eagle that had just stretched out its claws returned to its nest again, overlooking the against the opponent. Trenchard thought about the safety of the English Channel route, and the Germans thought about it too, but what the Royal Air Force Marshal didn't expect was that the Germans didn't just focus on the English Channel this time!
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