Germany did not have only one secret weapon, and in order to put pressure on the British as much as possible, the Germans also dispatched a special air force that was already quite large. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

This air force has never appeared in history in Germany, and it is also the main culprit for the direct destruction of the Third Reich.

Yes, the American B-17, copied by the Germans, has already begun to produce a powerful strategic bomber.

This type of bomber was numbered JU-118 in Germany, replacing the original unreliable JU-188 bomber and becoming the first strategic bomber of the Luftwaffe.

In fact, this bomber is a high-end copycat of the American B-17. It's just a few changes, and the overall changes are pitiful.

So a situation that makes people laugh and cry appeared on the battlefield, that is, the United States and Germany used a similar strategic bomber in World War II at the same time, and each used this bomber as the backbone of the strategic bombing force.

In this way, the B-17 also proved the effectiveness and science of this weapon. Of course, Germany has changed some of the design to make the aircraft more German.

For example, the engine was replaced with a German engine of the corresponding level, and the aircraft as a whole was smoother.

It was inevitable to change the weapons and bomb pylons to German equipment, and in order to increase the speed of imitation, even the layout in the cockpit was almost the same.

In order to barely make do with it, the powerful large-caliber 12.7 mm machine guns on the plane were temporarily replaced by German 7.92 mm machine guns.

A new 13 mm heavy machine gun is still under development, and the overall reference is the 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on the American B-17.

In this way, the B-17 captured at the end of the 40th year was only 20 copies in February.

As prototypes, these aircraft were sent to the front-line units for combat duty, and at the same time they arrived at the front, along with 20 original American bombers.

In order to use these American bombers, even the American-made bombs captured on the island of Crete were transported to France.

20 original American B-17 bombers were designated JU-118A, and 20 JU-118 bombers, of German own production, were designated JU-118B.

Two types of bombers carried out the mission of bombing London at an altitude of 10,000 meters, rendering 99 percent of the British anti-aircraft guns useless.

On the afternoon of February 17, the German strategic bomber forces carried out their first attack mission. 40 German bombers flew over London and dropped dozens of tons of bombs.

"A new kind of German plane, we're done......" Looking at the black dots flying overhead in the sky, General Dowding felt a deep powerlessness for the first time.

He has always believed that the British Air Force and the enemy are at the same level, which is the driving force behind his persistence in fighting.

But now, when he saw the German planes soaring so high in the sky, he knew that he was no longer capable of stopping the Luftwaffe's next move.

The next time these planes will appear in Birmingham or Liverpool, the familiar four engines on the wings prove that the range of this aircraft is definitely not small.

"On the island of Crete, did the American planes not have time to be completely destroyed?" Dowding had seen American B-17 bombers, and of course he recognized that the planes in the sky were very similar to American B-17 bombers.

He didn't need to do much analysis to know why the Germans made their new planes almost like the American ones.

Obviously, the Americans' aircraft has been thoroughly studied by the Germans, and according to the Germans' attainments in aircraft design, it really doesn't take much time to imitate a similar aircraft.

Hearing Dowding's questioning, an American officer standing next to him was also embarrassed. He had just flown to England from the United States to help Britain rebuild its own air force.

Now that his work was not fully underway, he saw the spectacle of B-17 bombers bombing Britain.

"It's useless to pursue this now, I brought 300 fighter jets and 100 pilots specially approved by the President of the United States, hoping to help you stabilize your position." The American officer blushed for a moment before changing the subject.

Dowding shook his head with a wry smile, looked at the German bombers in the sky that were huge but small like a black dot in the sky and said, "We don't have time." ”

The British really didn't have time, and the Germans had already advanced their lines to only 7 kilometers from London when they were about to eat dinner that day.

The 1st Army was cut off, and the 2nd Panzer Division and an infantry division were encircled and besieged in Rochester.

On the frontal battlefield, Viscount Gott had been ordered to take over the 1st and 3rd armies, and reorganized the two forces into the London Army.

This unit was now in charge of the defense of London, with the 1st Panzer Division being redeployed to the rear to rest and the frontal battlefield entirely to be defended by infantry.

At this stage of the battle, the British had to consider the option of allowing Rochester's troops to break through.

It was Churchill's order not to allow a retreat that allowed the main forces of the 1st Army to fall into the encirclement of the Germans.

Fortunately, the current encirclement has not been closed too tightly, and with a little effort, it is possible to break out.

In fact, this was also a method that the Germans came up with, and they had no choice but to lure the British to break through.

If they closed the encirclement too thick at once, they could only let the surrounded British army fight to the death.

The Germans were unwilling to fight street battles, and this was not in the interests of the German army. So Dietrich decided to cooperate with the 112th Mechanized Infantry Division to drive the British army into the field and annihilate them.

The encirclement of Rochester was not a fatal wound for the British army, but the rapid development of Germany on a horizontal basis also disrupted the subsequent deployment of the British army.

The terrible thing is that Royal, Hastings, Eastbourne and other areas have been captured, and the 9th Panzer Division, which is part of the 2nd Army, has suffered heavy losses, which is a problem that worries the British high-brass.

They could no longer draw up the surplus forces to stop the German attack in the other direction. Because the Germans in the direction of London were so close that they were so close that it was frightening.

By the time the towns of Seaford and Lewis were captured by the attacking German 114th Infantry Division, Brighton had become a front-line city.

Not only Brighton, but also Brauri, once these two cities were breached, then due south of London would become a German-occupied zone.

The 6th Panzer Division was forced to be withdrawn from the Wall Peninsula, and a large number of coastal infantry were assembled to fill the devastated battlefield.

The 200,000 troops who arrived in a hurry from the Wall Peninsula barely managed to stop the German attack of more than 30,000 men.

The flanks gradually stabilized, as if to set the stage for a bloody battle on 18 February.

"We have to let the 2nd Panzer Division break out, we already have few heavy weapons, and if they don't pull back, it will adversely affect the London Line." Now there is really no need to set up a so-called front-line command.

The headquarters of the London Army Group was actually located in London. And right next door to the High Command. Churchill wanted to ask about the war, so he just walked over and asked, and even saved the time to make phone calls.

Viscount Gott, as commander of Army Group, was explaining his own arrangement to Churchill: "The first line of defense is engaged in a fierce battle with the Germans, and we are stalling for time to build a third line of defense on the outskirts of London. ”

"That's closer to London, isn't it?" Churchill glanced at Viscount Gort, somewhat dissatisfied with this arrangement.

He had just passed a military tribunal and executed the former commander of the 1st Army, which led to the collapse of the 1st Army and the loss of Maidstone.

This was the highest-ranking army commander to be executed by the British themselves since the beginning of the war. The Gothic Viscount didn't want to be the next person to be executed, so he was cautious.

"Sir! If we did not rely on a complete line of defense, but only resisted step by step, the Germans would have entered the city of London by February 20 at most. Viscount Goth pointed to the map and explained to Churchill.

He pointed to his defensive line again and continued: "If we retreat about 2 kilometers, then our new defensive line will be able to hold out for more than 5 days...... Although it is still possible for the Germans to enter the city, the time will be postponed until around February 23. ”

Like Hitler's Third Reich, the British resistance is no longer counting on itself to defeat the German army.

They are delaying time, delaying until there is a fundamental change in the international situation, until the other side is willing to accept their own request for peace, and this is considered a success.

Regardless of whether it will succeed in the end, it is a brave attempt to save one's country and nation.

"The situation is very bad for us...... The Germans are already less than 7 kilometers from the city, and we must do everything possible to prevent them from continuing to approach London! Churchill stressed his thoughts again.

Now this battle is fought in the direction of the international wind, and every meter of German advance may lead to a change in the direction of the wind, which is very dangerous for Churchill.

"Order the 2nd Panzer Division to break through! Abandonment of Rochester ...... That's the maximum concession I can give! In the end, considering that he really did not understand the front-line tactical command, Churchill could only choose to trust his subordinate Viscount Gott.

Viscount Goth hurriedly stood up and saluted excitedly, with this order, it was equivalent to saying that he had another army that could fight: "Thank you, sir! I think that with the 2nd Panzer Division, our line of defense until February 25 should not be too much of a problem. ”

"I hope so!" Churchill said this, and walked out of the room in solitude.