Vol 4 Chapter 70: , Influence and landing

Time passed quickly. According to the Bulgarian air raid on Taranto, three days have passed, and the news has begun to spread in all directions.
The whole world was stunned. Can airplanes be used like this?
This is definitely not a good thing for a naval empire like the British Empire, which means that the deterrent power of the navy in the future will be greatly reduced, and air defense has become a top priority for the British Empire!
Bulgaria can form a strategic bombing formation, can't other powers?
The answer is obvious, it's just a matter of time!
Then the major powers, led by Britain and Germany, began to form strategic bombing teams. To a certain extent, it is also a blow to the sea power advantage of the Allies.
It's just that the range of aircraft of this era is limited, the performance is not up to standard, and it can't effectively hit the target, otherwise the time for the German high seas fleet to break out of the blockade is not far!
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The London government, at this time George V is holding a high-level meeting. George V does not have the political skills of his father Edward VII, and he can't subdue these politicians, but it doesn't matter that he can pretend to be an ostrich.
For example, now, it is him who presides over the meeting, but it is actually the cabinet that makes the decision. It is also from him that the British royal family has gradually lost power.
The news of the success of the Bulgarian air raid on Taranto is undoubtedly a good thing for the Allies, which means that the Allies have taken the lead in the battle in the Mediterranean.
But for the Royal Navy, it was a trouble. In addition to encircling the Germans' high seas fleet, they had to guard against threats from the sky.
Prime Minister Alquez is now a mixed blessing. The good news is that the battle in the Mediterranean is now very beneficial to the Allies. The original plan to send the Royal Navy to reinforce the battlefield in the Mediterranean is no longer needed.
Even the urgency to win over the Japanese navy to join the war is now greatly reduced.
Before Germany had started unrestricted submarine warfare, the mission of the Allies was not very heavy.
At the same time, he worried that other countries would follow Bulgaria, especially the Germans. With Germany's industrial strength, it may take only one and a half years to build an air force that can threaten the Royal Navy!
"Regarding the threat of aircraft to warships, what specific plans does the Royal Navy have?" Alquiz asked concerned.
The Secretary of the Navy Churchill frowned, and immediately replied: "For Bulgaria's air strikes against the Italian navy, our Admiralty conducted a detailed analysis and found that the threat of aircraft to warships is actually not as great as external rumors!
A total of more than 350 aircraft were dispatched in Bulgaria. According to their bomb load, more than 300 tons of bombs were dropped by air, which severely damaged the Italian navy.
From this intelligence point of view, the main target of their attack was the Italian naval battleship, but the result was that they killed many other warships. The hit rate was poor.
You must know that the Italians didn't have any preparations this time. The Bulgarian Air Force was completely targeting targets. Dropping bombs at a height of 100 meters only had this hit rate.
If there is anti-aircraft firepower, the Italians will drive the navy out again, and it is estimated that they will not even be able to achieve a one-thousandth shooting rate!
As long as we are prepared for air defense, in fact, the threat of aircraft to warships is not high, but they are more threatening to ports and cities! "
In fact, Churchill’s analysis was too one-sided. In order to keep the air force’s secrets and let countries relax their vigilance in this regard, the Bulgarian air force has never had any actual combat experience. The first time I carried out the bombing mission, the level of performance was naturally not very good.
If the Taranto air strike is repeated now, this result can at least double. After all, in the age of underdeveloped technology, many things depend on human experience and feelings. In this age, the personal quality of pilots is also a decisive factor.
In history, the British attacked Taranto during World War II, which proved this!
The words of Secretary of the Navy Churchill made Trenchard, the Air Force Commander, very dissatisfied. However, in this era, the Air Force really has no right to speak. He, the "father of the British Air Force," is just a small colonel.
If it weren't for this matter, the Air Force was involved. Under normal circumstances, he would not even be eligible to attend meetings of this level.
Perhaps seeing that Trentchard was willing to speak and then stopped, Prime Minister Alquez deliberately asked: "Mr. Trentchard, what do you think?"
Trenchard said nervously: "The technology of aircraft manufacturing is now developing rapidly. The strength demonstrated by the Bulgarians this time has demonstrated the importance of the air force!
Since airplanes can be used to bomb Italian naval bases, they can naturally also be used to bomb cities, factories, army positions, and bunker fortresses.
According to the intelligence we received, the Bulgarians also attacked Taranto’s port facilities, such as shore artillery and factories.
With the improvement of aircraft performance, the air force will become more and more important in future wars. In addition to attacking fixed targets, it can also attack moving targets.
Perhaps in the near future, whoever has control of the air will be able to dominate the world! "
Obviously what he said surprised everyone. Now that the British Empire relies on sea power to dominate the world, will the air force replace the navy? Everyone's first reaction was: impossible!
But everyone is a person of identities, and it's impossible to take his face down and argue with Trenchard, just smile away.
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This is how an episode passed. The British Empire in this era is still full of bullishness. Although it does not agree with Trenchard's views, the British Air Force still receives government funding.
The atmosphere of the German government as far away as Berlin is not so good. Originally, the Italian navy and the Austro-Hungarian navy joined forces. Even if they were at a disadvantage against the Allied powers in the Mediterranean, they were not without the power of a war, and the power gap between the two sides was not large.
Even in certain areas, it can still have an advantage. After all, the Allied Powers still maintain routes. With Italy's geographical location, the entire Mediterranean Sea can be turned into a hunting ground for Allied submarines.
Unless the British send reinforcements, the maritime blockade of the Allied Powers under the joint efforts of the Italian and Austrian navies will be a dead end!
But everything is different now. The main force of the Italian Navy suffered heavy casualties, and it was at least two or three years later to regain its vitality. At that time, the daylilies were cold.
William II knew that the Italian navy could not be counted on. He could only hope that the Italian army would improve, otherwise the Western Front would only be a one-man show for the Germans.
"Your Majesty, we should also increase our investment in the air force. Since the Bulgarians can use the air force to attack the Italian navy, we can also follow them to use the air force against the Royal Navy!" Xiao Moqi suggested.
Obviously his words made William II's eyes shine bright. It would be idiotic to want the High Seas Fleet to defeat the Royal Navy, but if the Royal Navy can be severely damaged in advance, the result will be different if the decisive battle is in progress.
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When countries decided to increase investment in the air force, Bulgaria did not sit idle. On March 11, the Bulgarian Marine Corps launched a landing operation on Taranto.
The reason for the delay was mainly to wait for the completion of the aircraft overhaul. The main reason is that Taranto’s fort has not been cleaned up. Ferdinand has not been so proud of using warships and shore artillery.
Anyway, the Italians do not have air defense facilities, even if it is delayed for a day, they can do nothing. Even if they thought of a countermeasure, they couldn't find an effective air defense weapon in such a short time!
The first division of the Bulgarian Marine Corps in charge of the landing operation, the commander of the division, Major General Christo Ivanov.
Oh, it seems that the Bulgarian Marine Corps now has only one division, with four infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, and one garrison regiment, with a total strength of about 12,600.
The Bulgarian Marine Corps was formed after the Second Balkan War, and it was established for a short time. This was their first landing operation.
Christo Ivanov took out his binoculars and stared intently at the port of Taranto ahead, only to see shells flying over the sea, UU reading www. uukanshu. com went straight to the port.
At the same time, the shore artillery of the Italians on the opposite side was also fighting back. The two sides were engaged in a fierce artillery battle. At this time, the Italians' nightmare once again fell.
The Bulgarian air force roared, and flames spurted out of the sky, and bombs fell from the sky, causing a large number of casualties to the Italian defenders in an instant.
There is no way for the shore artillery of this era, but it does not have the ability to defend against threats from the sky, and Taranto is no exception. Since there are no threats on land, all defenses are against enemies from the sea.
Simply put, the fortresses are too lazy to repair, or can't be repaired! To defend against the navy's main artillery attack, it is not a simple fortification that can be effective. Without steel plates, it will definitely not work. Even one or two meters of reinforced concrete can't stop a shell!
For the Italians, instead of spending a lot of money to build fortresses, it would be more reliable to use the money to build two dreadnought ships. Since the founding of Italy, no one has attacked Taranto!
Then, this time it was a tragedy. The machine guns of the Bulgarian Air Force were able to cause great casualties to them.
As time passed, the Italians' counterattack became weaker and weaker, and in the end they were simply dumb.
Obviously, the Italians on the opposite side are not stupid. After so long, they also know that the planes in the sky are mainly for bombing shore artillery. As long as the fire is turned off, they will not be attacked.
Their innate talent taught them the best way to save their lives-pretend to be dead!
Yes, the best way to avoid plane bombing was understood by the Italians!
Seeing that the fire was almost over, Christo Ivanov said solemnly: "Order the first regiment to start landing!"
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