World War II: Starting with the defeat of the Desert Fox

Chapter 41 "Méser"

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Mediterranean Sea.

The calm sea surface resembled a sapphire, without a ripple in the gentle evening breeze.

Suddenly, a dark shadow swept past with a whistling sound, flying close to the sea surface like a nimble cormorant, the airflow disturbed by the propeller creating ripples on the water.

That wasn't an Osprey, but a German Stuka bomber.

Behind it followed a large group of similar bombers, a dark mass, the black crosses on their wings standing out prominently in the moonlight, like a dark cloud floating on the sea.

(The image above shows a German Stuka dive bomber, characterized by its inverted gull-wing design, two-seat configuration, and rear-facing machine gun. Early models had a single-barreled gun, while later models were upgraded to a more powerful twin-barreled gun.)

This unit belonged to the 3rd Dive Bomber Wing of the German Afrika Korps, and its commander was Major Hottmann, who was flying at the front.

Bombers typically operate in two-plane formations, so the number of aircraft in a formation is always even.

However, the 3rd Dive Bomber Wing was different, with 37 aircraft deployed this time.

Major Hotman was used to playing single-player games; he played single-player games even before he was promoted to major.

He served for three years, participating in 328 sorties and destroying more than 100 artillery positions, 35 vehicles, 58 tanks, and countless bridges and fortifications.

He accomplished all of this single-handedly, without exception.

Therefore, even after he was promoted to major and became a regimental commander, he still maintained this habit.

"No one can keep up with my pace," he told his men. "So, being in formation with me isn't a good thing, for you and for me!"

His subordinates did not think that the major was being arrogant, because he was stating the facts.

"Harper!" Holtman glanced at the night sky and asked his longtime mechanic partner behind him, "How much longer?"

Harper took out a map, and in the dim light of a flashlight, he calculated the time and speed for a moment before replying, "About ten minutes, Major!"

Holtman grunted in response: "Order: All personnel prepare for battle."

"Yes, Major." Harper relayed the order over the radio.

After a pause, Hottman added, "Supplementary order: Once the war begins, everyone drop all their bombs and return to base as quickly as possible."

Harper was puzzled. Shouldn't bombing prioritize destroying the target? Why was it "drop the bombs and return as quickly as possible"?

Seeing that Harper didn't reply, Hottman asked again, "Is the mission clear?"

"Yes, Major," Harper replied, quickly sending out the supplementary order word for word.

Holtman was indeed somewhat worried.

He recalled a piece of advice his father, who had fought in World War I, had given him: "If a mission seems easy to accomplish, it is probably not luck but a trap. Don't doubt it, stay away from it!"

This mission was simple: a beach, no anti-aircraft firepower, and a bunch of highly flammable and conspicuous factory buildings.

Hottman had reported his concerns to his superiors more than once, but the response he received was invariably the same:

"Don't worry, Major, we will send 20 fighter jets to provide cover."

"The British only had 50 Spitfires that could fight us, while one of ours could take on three of theirs."

"So, there won't be any problems."

However, Holtman did not think that this "would not be a problem".

Hotman cast his gaze into the distance, where the sky was gradually brightening at the edge of the ocean, like the slowly opening eyes of a giant, or like a large net being spread out to the aircraft.

At this point, 20 BF 109s joined the formation, patrolling around the bomber group with skillful tactical maneuvers, which finally put Hottman at ease.

He told himself, "I may not trust those generals, but I should trust 'Moses,' they are the best!"

(The image above shows a German Bf 109 fighter plane. Because it was faster than bombers, it often departed later in coordinated operations, joining the formation before entering the battlefield. It had a well-known nickname, "Messer," derived from the manufacturer's abbreviation "Messer," which means "knife" in German.)

At this moment, Harper reminded Hotman, "Major, arrive over the target in one minute!"

"Free attack!" Hottman ordered.

This is a characteristic of bomber warfare; they hope to stun unprepared opponents upon first contact, or at least destroy some of their air defenses to reduce the risk of being shot down.

The target gradually became clearer, and a black column of smoke stood out against the gray sky. It surged into the clouds like a tide, as if lighting a lamp for the bomber wing and telling everyone its precise location.

The pilots cheered and pulled their planes up into the air.

The Stuka is a dive bomber that must climb to an altitude of at least 2000 to 3000 meters before attacking its target.

Only Major Hotman did not do that.

He stared blankly at the black column of smoke outside the porthole, feeling that something was amiss.

At this moment, the subordinate bombers had already dived at a steep angle toward their targets, and the strange whistling of the wind-driven sirens gradually turned from dull to bright, finally emitting a sharp sound similar to an air raid siren.

(The device circled in red in the image above is the Stuka's wind-driven whistle, commonly known as the "Jericho horn." It emitted a piercing noise during the Stuka's high-speed dive to intimidate the enemy. This device was later removed because it affected the bomber's speed and was transferred to the bombs.)

Before the roar faded, the bombers dropped bombs on their target.

"Boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

……

Explosions rang out, flames and smoke rose, and debris from the factory flew everywhere in the sky.

Hotmann, who had been circling at low altitude, frowned.

"No, this isn't right," he muttered to himself.

Years of experience told him that this did not look like a mud-brick building that had been destroyed; it looked more like a temporary structure made of wooden planks.

Harper, sitting in the back seat, looked at the major with a puzzled expression.

He believed what he saw, but he also trusted the major's judgment, because he had never been wrong.

At this point, a conflict arose between the two.

Holtman's eyes scanned the surroundings, and when he saw another chimney surrounded by bamboo frames, he suddenly understood something.

He lowered his altitude, and the Stuka flew almost close to the ground.

"Observe carefully, Harper," Holtman ordered, turning to him. "Tell me what you see!"

Harper was confused: "But Major, what am I supposed to observe? There's nothing here..."

Before he could finish speaking, he cried out, "My God, the ground is moving! It's shaking!"

"No, that's not the ground," Hottman shouted. "That's a tarpaulin used to cover the building; that's the real target. We've been tricked!"

Then Hottman shouted the order: "Everyone, retreat immediately! This is a trap!"

As he gave the order, he pulled the bomber up at almost a 90-degree angle and glanced back at the camouflaged smokestack.

Harper immediately understood the major's intention: he wanted to blow up the real chimney before evacuating.