Vol 4 Chapter 65: Attack on Taranto

Ferdinand dragged the Italians into the water from the very beginning, but it was not a mess. Before the war broke out, the Allies considered the threat of the Italian navy, and France and France also formulated a set of action plans against the Italian navy.
The Italian navy is distributed in ports such as Taranto, Tripoli, and Naples, among which Taranto is the main one.
According to the plan, when the war broke out, the French navy cut off the ties between the Italian navy and the country in Tripoli. The Bulgarian Sixth Army pushed past Libya and forced the Italians to surrender!
Well, this is all idealism. The Mediterranean is still so big. Unless the French navy stops doing anything and just stares at the Italian Tripoli fleet every day, people can still do it if they want to run!
Obviously, these are the winds that Ferdinand deliberately let go, deliberately creating pressure on the Italians, forcing the naval fleet of Tripoli, Italy to go to Taranto harbour and join the main force. &1t;i>&1t;/i>
To get rid of the Italian navy, Ferdinand did not expect to rely on the French navy alone. After all, the French have a major mission, and they are responsible for the defense of the entire Mediterranean.
Ferdinand thought of the famous Battle of Taranto in World War II. On the night of November 11, 194o in history, the Italian Navy of Taranto launched a fierce attack.
Riding in the darkness, at 8:35 in the evening, the first attack wave-12 "Swordfish" attack aircraft took off from the "Glorious" aircraft carrier under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Williamson.
Six of them each carry 1 545 kg aerial torpedo, and the remaining 6 each carry 4-6 112 kg aerial bombs.
At 11 o'clock in the evening, the fighter plane arrived at the port and the air assault began. Six "Swordfish" mounted torpedoes attacked the battleship, and the "Swordfish" mounted aerial bombs were responsible for attacking cruisers, destroyers and dock facilities.
At 9:20, the second attack wave 7 "Swordfish" took off under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Hale. &1t;i>&1t;/i>
At 11 o'clock, the second wave of attacks began at 55 minutes. Among them, five "swordfish" mounted torpedoes once again violently attacked the Italian battleships.
The British navy's raid sank and severely damaged 3 battleships, 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers of the Italian Navy, and almost destroyed half of the Italian navy's homes.
What was dispatched was only an aircraft carrier with an old-fashioned plane, and it achieved amazing results. The previous life attracted the attention of Ferdinand, and now it is natural to follow suit.
"Swordfish": The aircraft has a length of 1o.87 meters, a height of 3.76 meters, a wingspan of 13.87 meters, and a maximum take-off weight of 3,4o6 kg. The aircraft is equipped with a 9-cylinder air-cooled engine with 75o horsepower, a cruising range of 193 km/h, a maximum time of 222 km/h, a ceiling of 3,26o, and a maximum range of 1,658 km. The aircraft can mount a 73o kg torpedo or a maximum 68o kg depth charges.
Obviously the performance of this aircraft is very average, although the Bulgarian aircraft is now more behind than it, but the gap is not fatal! &1t;i>&1t;/i>
It's nothing more than a slower flight and a shorter range, but with this intensity of bomb load, Bulgarian bombers can also do it!
Moreover, the Taranto Peninsula of the Italian Apennines and the Rolla area of ​​Albania are only about 7o kilometers away from the sea, which is just within the coverage of the Bulgarian Air Force's firepower.
At this distance, most of the bombers in World War I were able to achieve fire coverage. Representative models are: the Italian Caproni, which can carry 453~145o kg bombs, has a range of 5oo~8oo kilometers and a flight degree of 116~152. Km/h.
The British v/15oo has a weight of 136o8 kg, a load of 339o kg and a battery life of up to 6 hours.
The German "Gotha" and "Gotha" gv, the former carries 5oo kilograms of bombs and the latter two tons of bombs. There is no doubt about the voyage, the existence of bombing London from Germany! &1t;i>&1t;/i>
The Russian Ilya Muromec "e is what, 1o5 km/h, with a bomb load of 8oo kg, and a battery life of up to 5 hours.
...
Therefore, the Italians are going to be unlucky. As early as 1912, when the Bulgarian Air Force was established, Ferdinand formed a heavy bomber group, equipped with Falcon 1st generation bombers.
Parameters: The flying height is 52oo meters, the range is 48o kilometers, the hour is 118 km/h, and the bomb load is 836 kg.
Now that three years have passed, the Air Force is no longer the original two or three kittens and puppies. Now the Bulgarian Air Force has been equipped with more than 350 bombers, of which heavy bombers account for one third, more than 280. For fighter jets, this number will definitely increase dramatically with the explosion of war!
The newly developed Falcon 2nd generation bomber has achieved new breakthroughs. The range has been directly doubled, the degree has been increased by one-third, and the bomb load has reached 1.2 tons. &1t;i>&1t;/i>
Originally, these were prepared for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They were planned to be used in the attack on Belgrade. They were caught off guard.
Later, Ferdinand undoubtedly thought of the Battle of Taranto, so he changed his mind. In any case, the presence of the Italian navy poses a more serious threat to Bulgaria's security.
Instead of always worrying about the threat of the Italian navy, it is better to kill them or severely damage them at the beginning of the war, and completely establish the Allied powers' dominance in the Mediterranean.
The most important thing is to be able to kill a future opponent. Once the Italian navy is hit hard, their value will no longer exist. As far as the combat effectiveness of their six armies is concerned, the Allies really look down on it.
In order to protect Italy, the joke of "ten divisions" is not groundless. Anyway, it is a problem to feed the 35 million Italians!
Under the German submarine warfare, the Allied Powers' own capacity was very tight. There is no value, who is willing to pay for nothing? &1t;i>&1t;/i>
If the Italians become a defeated country, Ferdinand supports the French to cede Turin, Milan, and Sardinia. Coupled with huge war reparations, it will be difficult for the Italians to stand up again!
However, Ferdinand has not yet ordered the action. Although the airport in the coastal area of ​​Albania has been built long ago, the air force is also in place, and even the bombs specially prepared for this action are already in place.
But he is waiting for news, waiting for a news that can attract the attention of various countries, and this news is coming soon!
On March 5, the third day after the two sides declared war, the Germans implemented the Schlieffen plan and submitted an ultimatum to Belgium, demanding that Belgium open the channel for the German army to attack France and order the Belgians to respond within 24 hours.
I don't know if the Belgians knew the allusion of the "fake roads", and categorically rejected the Germans' request and asked the British for help. &1t;i>&1t;/i>
On March 6, the German army invaded Belgium, and the British were waiting for the excuse of war, and the Germans themselves gave it to the door.
The British Foreign Secretary issued a warning to the Germans, demanding that the Germans abide by the treaty of permanent neutrality signed by Belgium in 1839 and stop the attack on Belgium.
The understatement of the British warning will naturally not be taken to heart by the Germans. German diplomats made it clear: International treaties are just a piece of waste paper!
After receiving the news, Asquis was ecstatic, and an excuse for war came. So on March 8, the British government declared war on the Germans on the grounds that the Germans undermined the neutrality of Belgium and ignored international treaties. The First World War broke out. .
"The British have joined the war!" People all over the world were attracted by the news, and the Italians were naturally no exception.
The birth of the aircraft is still too short, and now it is only used as a reconnaissance aircraft. What the is a bomber? Is it just throwing a few grenades? &1t;i>&1t;/i>
This is the image of the airplane in people's minds at the time. Most people still think that the airplane is just a toy, with at most one machine gun hung up and scatters from a high level.
As for bombing, airships are more popular in this era, both in range and carrying capacity are much larger than airplanes.
...
"Is the air force ready?" Ferdinand asked concerned.
After all, this is the first appearance of the Bulgarian Air Force. Whether it is brilliant or embarrassing depends on this time.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, our 35o bombers and 172 fighters have all been deployed and ready to attack at any time!" Chief of General Staff Imya Dimityev
In the early morning of March 9, the world was still shocked by the news that the British had entered the war. At 6:35, 138 bombers of the Bulgarian Air Force were escorted by 46 fighter jets. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com took off from the Rolla area of ​​Albania, targeting the port of Taranto, the largest naval base in Italy. &1t;i>&1t;/i>
At 7:40, the second batch of 126 bombers of the Bulgarian Air Force's attack group, escorted by 58 combat effectiveness, also took off from the Lora area, and the target was the port of Taranto.
At 8:50, the last batch of 86 bombers in the Bulgarian Air Force bomber formation, escorted by 72 fighter jets, took off from the Lora area, and the target was still the port of Taranto.
Obviously this time the Bulgarian Air Force bombers came out in full force, and Ferdinand is preparing to kill the main force of the Italian navy at one time and eliminate the competitor in the center of the Mediterranean!
At this time, most of the main forces of the Italian navy gathered in the port of Taranto, and they were waiting to converge with the coming Ottoman navy, ready to do a big fight.
Originally, Ferdinand wanted to connect with the Austro-Hungarian Navy. After thinking about it, he decided to give up this tempting idea. What if their navy merged and ran away?
After leaving Port Taranto, Ferdinand could only watch them in a hurry, after all, the range of the plane was limited!
It is better to take it as soon as you see it. As long as you kill the main Italian navy, the Allied navies will not be able to overcome the big waves in the Mediterranean.
As for studying the nighttime attacks of the British, Ferdinand doubted that the pilots would get lost. In case they bombed the wrong place and scared away the Italian navy, it would be a waste of work!
Anyway, in this era, everyone has no awareness of air defense. The new bomber is still the original creation of the Bulgarian Air Force.
Even if it is spotted and the Italian planes come to intercept, the Bulgarian fighter jets are enough to deal with these troubles.
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