Ten minutes later, several military vehicles drove out of the monastery. Two kilometers away from the monastery, there was a "Spitfire" fighter squadron, with twelve "Spitfire" fighter jets parked there.
The "Dynamic Plan" for the Allied forces to evacuate Dunkirk will be implemented in the next few days. By then, more than 300,000 British and French troops will have crossed the English Channel. By then, German fighter jets and bombers will definitely appear over the strait to attack madly, so The task of air defense for the Dunkirk evacuation fell on the shoulders of the 11th Combat Group.
The 11th Group is stationed in southeastern England, closest to Dunkirk. The commander of the group, Major General Keith Pike, received instructions from the British Cabinet to do everything possible to provide an air protection umbrella for the evacuation teams and ships without weakening the homeland. air defense force, so the pressure on Major General Parker's shoulders was heavier than at any time in his life.
In view of the absolute importance of this mission, General Hugh Dowding decided to personally command all the fighter units protecting the Dunkirk evacuation. At this moment, the Messerschmitt Bf109E was like an insurmountable mountain, crushing it. The Royal Air Force and Admiral Hugh Dowding were breathless.
The site of a full-scale evacuation of more than 300,000 people will be very large. If a strong protective umbrella cannot be provided in the air for the ground and sea areas, once more than 300,000 people become chaotic and disorderly, the consequences will be disastrous.
Therefore, Churchill's order to the Royal Air Force was that the Royal Air Force must organize an effective defensive air corridor over Dunkirk to cover the Allied retreat. This is related to the trend of the entire war.
When Zhou Zhihan said that he could fly a Spitfire to find the maneuvering weaknesses of the Messerschmitt Bf109E, Admiral Hugh Dowding, who was tortured by Messerschmitt to the point of being uncomfortable in his dormitory, immediately agreed.
Although General Hugh Dowding also doubted the results of the Chinese Air Force Chief Instructor's claim of shooting down fifty enemy planes, he still wanted to try his luck. Maybe this young Chinese colonel really had a way to find Mei. The Achilles' heel of the Seschmidt Bf109E.
One of the reasons why General Hugh Dowding was willing to give Zhou Zhihan a chance was that when almost everyone did not believe his record of shooting down fifty enemy planes, the young Chinese Air Force Chief Instructor's face remained unchanged. There was no trace of panic or anxiety after the lie was exposed. Instead, there was a trace of helplessness and arrogance inadvertently revealed from the corner of his mouth.
It's like a person grasping at a straw when drowning. It's better to have hope than no hope.
General Hugh Dowding chose the monastery as his headquarters because the monastery had white walls and black tiles, and a circular building on the roof similar to that of a church. It was very conspicuous from the air. In the early days of the war, there were few The enemy will take the initiative to attack the monastery, because every pilot knows that if you want to survive in an air battle, the performance of the fighter and the skill of the pilot are on the one hand, and luck is also very important on the other hand, so no one wants to attack a sacred place such as the monastery church. Buildings bring bad luck to themselves.
And among all arms, European air force pilots have always maintained a spirit of chivalry. Their main goal is to destroy each other's military bases, airports and aircraft, not pilots, civilians and church beliefs.
Not far from the monastery, I saw many cars carrying blocking balloons practicing back and forth on the road, and constantly releasing and recovering blocking balloons in the air.
These barrage balloons can rise hundreds of meters into the air.
During the war, blocking balloons can effectively defend against low-altitude plundering by enemy fighter planes. There are several layers of steel baskets connected between the balloons, which can shrink up and down. As the car carrying the balloon moves, the interception effect is sometimes better than that of fighter jets. To be effective, it must be extremely stealthy and can cause great damage to enemy planes raiding at low altitudes. It is also easy to move and can be used repeatedly. It is a very good weapon to prevent enemy planes from plundering at low altitudes.
If someone hadn't pointed it out, Zhou Zhihan wouldn't have believed that the farm-like building in the distance was the airport.
Approaching the airport, Zhou Zhihan saw well-concealed anti-aircraft artillery deployed around the airport. Troops were already on alert around the airport. This showed that the war was really getting closer. The British high-level officials had already sensed that the German army was about to attack Britain. The smell of imperial gunpowder.
Entering the Spitfire squadron, the twelve Spitfires are parked in a carefully camouflaged hangar. They are not parked in the open like in many World War II movies, allowing the enemy's air force to attack them one by one.
This squadron is equipped with "Spitfire IA" fighter jets, equipped with a 1,030-horsepower "Merlin 3" engine, a height of 12 feet 7.75 inches, a build of 29 feet 11 inches, and angel wings of 36 feet 10 inches. The entire body of the "Spitfire" has perfect streamlines, with a tan fuselage, a black "Havilland" three-blade propeller, the Royal Air Force logo on the middle and rear of the fuselage shining brightly in the sun, and the movement of its flaps. The angle has also expanded from 57 degrees to 90 degrees, and the top speed has reached 470 miles. The entire shape is very comfortable and elegant, making it look like a sleeping swordsman in the air.
As early as two years ago, Zhou Zhihan had flown the top-of-the-line Spitfire fighter jet. When he saw the Spitfire IA, he felt the same way.
The calm expression of the chief instructor of the Chinese Air Force made the generals and colonels of the Royal Air Force feel a little uncomfortable.
Seeing such a high-quality fighter jet, how come you, an air force instructor from a backward Eastern country, don't feel excited and surprised at all? !
You should act like a country bumpkin coming to town. Only those of us in the city will find it happy. Your well-informed look is no fun at all.
Of course, no one asked about this. Even if someone asked, Zhou Zhihan would not say. The reason why I didn't feel excited and surprised was because I had flown a better Spitfire fighter jet than this one.
"Colonel Zhou!" Major General Marino got out of the car and stood next to a Spitfire fighter jet. "Although you have flown many types of aircraft, I can guarantee that none of them are as good as this aircraft, so in your Before you can fly this plane, you must first pass my test before you can get on the plane for a test flight."
The generals and officers present at the meeting all followed and gathered around the Spitfire fighter jet. They all wanted to see how the Air Force chief instructor from the East flew this excellent swordsman into the sky.
Two ground staff brought two boarding escalators.
At Major General Parker's invitation, Zhou Zhihan sat in the cockpit of the Spitfire.
"Colonel Zhou!" Major General Parker stood on the escalator on the other side of the fighter jet. "This is a Spitfire IA fighter. There are a total of 63 control handles and instruments in this cockpit. It takes a rookie pilot about an hour to complete it. Only then can I barely remember where the dashboards and joysticks are.
Since you are a chief instructor of the Air Force and have flown many types of aircraft, I will give you 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, if you can remember more than 50 instruments and control handles, you will be qualified to fly this aircraft. A plane flies into the sky.
If you cannot memorize more than 50 instruments and joysticks within 15 minutes, you will not be able to fly this aircraft, and we will send you back to the Air Force Headquarters. "
Major General Parker's meaning is obvious. You are a chief instructor of the Air Force, so you are naturally different from a rookie pilot. Moreover, most of the instruments and joysticks in the cockpit of the aircraft are similar. If you can't pass the test within 15 minutes, then I'm sorry. , where you come from.
Zhou Zhihan nodded.
"Then let's start now!" Major General Paike looked at his watch. "It is now 10.05 am, and the time is 15 minutes. I wish you good luck. Colonel Zhou!" As he said that, he went down the escalator to the ground.
When they got down to the ground, Major General Pike had just taken out his pipe from his pocket when he heard someone above say: "General Pike! I have memorized everything."
Everyone on the ground was surprised almost at the same time. They all looked up and looked at the cabin of the Spitfire fighter jet.
Major General Parker stayed for a few seconds, raised his wrist, 10:07. He thought his ears had heard wrongly, and asked with a frown and doubtful expression: "Colonel Zhou, do you have any questions?"
The answer came from above: "I have memorized all the instrument panels and control levers in the cabin. Mr. Major General!"
Major General Parker "..."
——
Thank you book friends
Bright moon and clear breeze
It was too fast and I didn’t see clearly
of rewards.
Thanks!
