After getting rid of the crazy German fighter jets like sharks, Major Short's colleagues were a little relaxed. However, Major Short knew that if the other party dared to give up the pursuit, it was very likely that they had great trust in their fleet's air defense firepower! At this time, a large number of allied naval officers and soldiers were making final preparations on the deck, and they would carry out the first fleet air defense operation in this battle!

"If anyone among the Allied Fleets pays the most attention to battleship air defense, then it can only be the Earl Spey fleet, because they are not as equipped with an independent aircraft carrier detachment as the High Seas Fleet. They are also the first fleet in the world to be attacked by large-scale bombers. Therefore, their own shortcomings and previous experiences have made the Earl very concerned about the air defense of battleships. He invested a lot of manpower and material resources to train and arm his own battleships, and these efforts were obviously rewarded in the first contest!" Earl Su Xiong wrote in his memoir after the war.

The fighter jets on the USS Independence aircraft carrier have given the Allied fleet plenty of time for defense deployment. At this time, on the deck of the battleship, a team of soldiers ran with machine guns, ammunition and various parts, making final preparations to resist the British air strikes. Long before leaving the Mediterranean, Earl Spey equipped each battleship with three different air-to-air weapons.

The farthest range is the 88mm anti-lightning gun, which is the original artillery, but the Germans equipped these artillery with brand new artillery mounts so that they can rotate quickly. Each battleship is equipped with at least 16 more than 88mm anti-aircraft guns, and every 4 artillery will be fired with the help of a unified fire control team. Of course, the fire control in this era is at most range and altitude measurement, which cannot be balanced because of the speed changes caused by warships' roll and navigation. But don't forget that the target they deal with is just a torpedo aircraft with a flight speed of less than 90 kilometers. It is as stupid as a duck with a broken wing at a low altitude.

Although the hits of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns in this era are quite touching, anti-aircraft guns, like a hedgehog's spike, can still disperse the British attack aircraft formation at a long distance, without asking for a lot of shots, but can destroy the opponent's attack rhythm.

In addition to the original deck cannons, the Speer fleet also equipped a large number of 20mm machine guns. These machine guns are modified with fighter cannons and use heavy gun barrels, which are more suitable for long-term shooting. At the same time, they are very light and can rotate easily by one person, and are very flexible. In addition, they can use drums to supply bullets to ensure the sustainability of firepower. Originally, Ruprecht planned to equip the Count with some 40mm machine guns, but after the inspection, the Count gave up this seemingly good gun because the 40mm gun was too heavy and the cooling was not good, so an additional cooling bucket was needed, which made the entire cannon very inconvenient and the supply of bullets was not convenient. Therefore, in the end, the Speer fleet used a large number of 20mm guns to replace the 40mm guns.

As for the last layer of firepower, it is a large-caliber machine gun. Although the power of the 12.7mm machine gun is very average, it is not as large as it is easy to deploy. It has time to deploy before the war, and the firepower is very sustainable. So now, at least two parallel 12.7mm machine guns are deployed on the top of the main gun turret of each battleship! Therefore, after some arming, each aircraft carrier has at least 60 anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns of various caliber on each aircraft carrier! Although it is incomparable to the number of anti-aircraft guns of hundreds of warships, no matter what, for the warships of this era, they are already armed to the teeth!

The Count's efforts were not in vain. When the British approached and looked at the dense air defense firepower like a barb on a giant dragon and the people running on the deck, more than 80% of the British pilots were in a state of silence. Because they did not provide machine gun fire suppression by the fighter, if the bomber wanted to attack, they had to wash the 88mm cannons with at least 10 or more sides from several kilometers away!

"Distance 5,500 meters! A height of 150 meters, at 9 o'clock, the warship speed is north, 21 knots!" A German officer calculated the approximate height of the British bomber group from the rangefinder and quickly notified the gun group to which he belonged. Facing the British bomber formation that was coming, the gunners on the United Force were ready.

At the same time, next to the United Force battleship, the Teghof fast battleship and the anti-aircraft guns on General Suxiong's flagship Schanehorst were also ready. The three battleships formed a triangle on the sea surface, dozens of 88mm anti-aircraft guns and hundreds of machine guns, and the firepower composed of anti-aircraft machine guns was aimed at the enemy in the distance like the fangs of a ferocious beast.

"Fire!" When the two sides approached 4,000 meters, with the firing order issued, the side strings of the United Power were instantly covered by dense flames. More than a dozen orange spots of light jumped on the deck. With the rumbling sound of cannons, the first group of more than a dozen shells roared towards the target. Less than half a minute after the United Power fired, the other two battleships also spewed out fire snakes, and a fan-shaped fire net covered the British bomber that rushed straight. The constantly exploding shells and dense shrapnel formed a series of death barriers on the British bombing route.

"Damn, the Germans' anti-aircraft firepower is too dense!" Looking at the shells that are constantly exploding around them, listening to the harsh whistling sounds of shells passing through the air. Feeling the vibrations caused by shrapnel constantly hitting the shells and leaving wounds on them, the British were really scared. Some people roared hysterically, operating the plane frantically trying to win in the deadly rain of bullets. However, the bulky plane could not avoid all the shells. Less than a minute after the fire, the first victim was born!

A British bomber was hit by an 88mm shell flying towards him. The 10kg warhead easily knocked the entire plane against each other, just like a heavy hammer hitting an apple, turning the poor plane into a huge fireball. After a flash, there were no traces of the plane's existence in the air, only countless ignited wood chips fell into the sea.

As the assault distance got closer, the German fire density suddenly increased to a higher level. When the 20mm machine gun and large-caliber machine gun also joined the shooting, the side strings of the entire warship were like an erupting volcano, and bullets like lava formed an inpassable firewall to seal the British's attack route. The roar of the bullets and the explosion of the shells were as terrifying as the ringtone of the god of death. The constantly shaking fire net swept across the air like the god of death.
Chapter completed!