Chapter 1624 Army Aviation Dispatches

After listening to the conversation between Admiral Marshall and Admiral Harold Stark, President Roosevelt nodded in satisfaction. In the face of national crisis, the army and navy can let go of their prejudices and join forces to fight against the enemy. This is undoubtedly a great progress.

"Very good, generals. Although our enemy is very powerful, I believe that as long as we all work together, it is entirely possible for us to defeat a powerful enemy!" President Roosevelt said.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Admiral Marshall and Harold Stark replied.

After that, President Roosevelt personally summoned General Henry Arnold, the commander of the Army Air Force, and asked him to send fighter planes from the Army Air Force to attack Bermuda.

"Your Excellency, the Army Air Corps has long been ready and can launch an attack at any time!" Admiral Marshall had already talked with Admiral Henry Arnold about this time. Therefore, Admiral Henry Arnold was not surprised by this. In addition, the Army Air Force also wants to prove its strength in such a war. This made Admiral Henry Arnold look forward to this attack very much.

"General Arnold, can our heavy bombers deal with the German fleet?" President Roosevelt asked suddenly.

If heavy bombers can be used to destroy German ships, this will play a great role in weakening the strength of the German navy. At that time, the possibility of the U.S. Navy defeating the German Navy will undoubtedly be even greater.

"Your Excellency, this is probably very difficult. Although heavy bombers can carry a large number of bombs, even heavy aviation armor-piercing shells. However, the hit rate of the bombs is not very high. This is especially true for targets on the sea. .Warships on the sea are moving at high speed, and the hit rate of dive bombers will be much higher. Heavy bombers can only conduct horizontal bombing, and the hit rate will be very low. Unless the German ships are stationary on the sea. Otherwise If you want to hit the German ship, it is almost impossible." Admiral Henry Arnold said.

President Roosevelt nodded. He also knew that he was thinking too much.

"Well, General Arnold, it's up to you! As long as the Army Air Corps can continue to bomb the Bermuda Islands, the Germans will not be able to build airports and other military facilities on the islands, and Bermuda will not be able to The archipelago has been built into a huge military base, and it will no longer be able to threaten our homeland." President Roosevelt said.

"Yes, Your Excellency the President." Admiral Henry Arnold said.

After receiving the order personally issued by President Roosevelt, the U.S. Army Air Forces immediately acted. A large number of P-51 fighter jets and B-17 heavy bombers began to gather at coastal airports.

Among the various aircraft equipped by the U.S. Army Air Forces, only these two aircrafts have a combat radius that can include Bermuda. As for other planes, they are often only able to fly to Bermuda, but there is not enough fuel for the return flight.

At six o'clock in the morning on October 17, the sky just dawned. Various airports in the eastern United States have long been busy. A huge B-17 heavy bomber has been refueled with the efforts of the ground crew. All the heavy aerial bombs have also been placed in the magazines. As long as these heavy bombers fly over the Bermuda Islands, they can drop bombs. At that time, the dense bombs will be enough to make the German army on Bermuda pay a heavy price.

You must know that the maximum range of these B-17 heavy bombers can reach 3,000 kilometers, which is completely capable of including Bermuda within its combat radius. At the same time, the sturdy body and the bomb load of up to eight tons have earned it the reputation of a sky fortress.

For this plan, the U.S. Army Air Forces assembled a large number of B-17 heavy bombers. At more than a dozen large airports in the eastern United States, the U.S. Army Air Force has assembled more than 300 B-17 heavy bombers. And there are as many as 500 P-51 fighter jets escorting it.

This is undoubtedly a very large scale. Although, the number of B-17 heavy bombers equipped by the U.S. Army Air Forces is as many as thousands. The number of P-51 fighter jets is more than a thousand. And it is still producing these aircraft at full capacity. But it is undoubtedly amazing to invest so many heavy bombers and fighter jets in one operation.

"Are the airports ready?" Admiral Henry Arnold asked.

Admiral Henry Arnold attached great importance to this operation. This was the first large-scale operation of the U.S. Army Air Corps after it became an army. Although, their enemy is the brutal German Navy carrier-based aircraft force. But Admiral Henry Arnold is still full of confidence in this operation. He believes that the U.S. Army Air Forces can achieve significant results in this battle.

The carrier-based aircraft force of the German Navy is very powerful. It can be seen from the previous naval battle of the Azores that the German Navy's carrier-based aircraft force completely crushed the US Navy's carrier-based aircraft force. However, the strength of the U.S. Army Air Forces is even stronger. The P-51 fighter not only has a long range, but is also fast, and its performance in all aspects can be called a world-class fighter. Even against the FW-190 fighter jets of the German Navy, it did not lose at all. Of course, the pilots of the U.S. Army Air Corps are inferior in quality to the elite German Navy carrier-based pilots. But as long as they go through the baptism of bloody battles, they can grow into elite pilots.

The B-17 heavy bomber has a solid body structure, and it is not easy to be shot down even if it is attacked. Especially the aviation machine gun, the damage caused to this heavy bomber is very limited. Even if it is riddled with holes, as long as the key parts are not destroyed, it can still continue to fly. In addition, the B-17 heavy bomber also has self-defense firepower consisting of as many as 13 12.7mm aviation machine guns. It is not so easy for the enemy's fighter jets to break through the dense anti-aircraft firepower and shoot down the US military's B-17 heavy bomber. It is precisely because of this that Admiral Henry Arnold is full of confidence in this operation of the US Army Air Corps.

"General, all our heavy bombers and escort fighters are ready!" the adjutant reported.

"Then, let all the aircraft take off in ten minutes!" Admiral Henry Arnold issued an order.

"Yes, General."

At 6:15 in the morning, the B-17 heavy bomber of the US Army Air Forces took off first. After the three hundred B-17 heavy bombers took off, the P-51 fighter jets took off one after another.