Slide 1251

"Okay, guys, we're home, the last section is steady, let the damaged plane and the medium bomber land first." At this time, Colonel Schott who saw the airport was also very excited, no matter what, he experienced up to 12 After hours of fighting, they finally came back alive. This feeling of death for a lifetime made the pilot who had at least 1,200 flying hours feel embarrassed. (Including airship and balloon) But even so, he still did not forget to do the last thing before landing.

Just as Colonel Schott finished speaking and the order was not fully conveyed, he saw a scarred FB27 twin-engine bomber out of formation, but this was obviously not a normal landing. The aircraft's engine had gradually It stopped, and the pilot seemed too late to readjust his direction! Rushed straight to the sand next to the flight runway!

"Damn it, no gas!" Colonel Short shook his head involuntarily. As a veteran, Colonel Short knew that many of the aircraft in the formation were already in semi-gliding state. The ability to fly back was entirely dependent on the pilot's breath. On the last stretch of the road, two O-400 bombers had already made a forced landing on the sea. on. And now, the plane that saw home can't hold on.

"The crew members who are not sure about landing can choose to parachute." Finally, Colonel Short issued the last order of the operation.

"One, two, three..." Lieutenant General Trentchard stared at the bomber that landed from the air. When the number finally reached 19, Lieutenant General Trenthard felt My heart is broken! In the end, the number of British bombers returned was less than 30% of the total! The Lieutenant General felt a sweet smell of liquid pouring up, and the Lieutenant General realized that in the past year of the war, no, not a year, it was the hard work and personnel accumulation of the Royal Air Force in the past few years that were lost in this battle. heavy.

"Deliver my order, all bombers must not be launched into the air without my consent! Tell Churchill the old fox! We have done our best! We have exchanged the future for today's victory! From now on, I refuse to start soon. In the Dardanelles battle, a large number of bomber operations will be provided." At this time, the anger of Lieutenant General Trentchard was beyond words!

When a British bomber landed on the ground, the damage of these aircraft was shocking to the airport staff. They were beaten into a briquette-like rear-fire machine gun tower. The blood left from the cockpit was missing half of the tail and missing. A third of the aircraft under the wing, and large traces of flames left behind. There was also the original quota of 9 people, but in the end there were only 2 lightly injured crew members who helped a seriously injured person to get off the plane. These scars and blood undoubtedly tell everyone present how painful their experience was in the previous ten hours!

When the four British pilots walked tremblingly from an FB27 bomber, the moment they touched the ground with their feet. A pilot finally couldn't control his mood, knelt on the ground and grabbed the dirt under him and howled. The nerves that had been strained for more than ten hours finally relaxed at this moment. The fear and blood of the battle made these originally strong people extremely vulnerable. Too many companions failed to survive this sudden disaster. The colleague next to him immediately walked over, comforting them while helping them to the car not far away.

Half an hour later, in the huge restaurant, the restaurant that could serve more than 500 people was only scattered with no more than 100 people. It also includes some high-level bases and naval personnel. An empty and lonely atmosphere made everyone here breathless.

"I am proud of the Royal Air Force's action. You and your subordinates have done enough to be remembered by all the subjects of the empire." Lieutenant Admiral Stetti, who represents the Navy, said with an embarrassed expression. Now he knows why Trenchard The Lieutenant General was reluctant to send too many bombers to attack Port Ereli because the risks involved were too great. And he and the Admiralty behind him saw the results of a fluke, and did not consider how heavy the Royal Air Force would have to pay if they lose.

"I hope you will be aware of the price and blood donation that the Royal Air Force needs to pay in each operation next time. Then, leave the professional things to professional people to do." Lieutenant General Trentchard said with a grim look. "I'm becoming more determined now. The Royal Navy can take care of things on the surface. The Royal Air Force should become an independent service. Well, that's it!"

The entire dinner party was held in a sunken and sad atmosphere. It is most appropriate to describe it as being unhappy. Whether it is the personnel of the base or the pilot who has just returned from the brink of death, he hastily filled his stomach. After that, he fell headlessly on the clean bed. But Lieutenant General Trenchard did not allow himself to relax, nor did he allow himself to be immersed in grief, he still had a lot to do.

"Group A lost a total of 54 bombers, including 12 V1500 bombers, 28 FB27 bombers, and 14 O-400 bombers, permanently losing 330 crew members."

"Group B lost a total of 12 bombers. Including 8 O-400 bombers, 4 FB27 bombers, and a permanent loss of 75 people."

"The total number of bombers lost in the C group is 22, the O-400 bombers and the FB27 bombers each accounted for half, and the permanent loss of 130 people ~ lightnovelpub.net~ After this battle, we have permanently lost a total of 88 bombers! More than 60% of the total! The remaining aircraft need to be overhauled, and there may be new aircraft scrapped by visual inspection. (The maintenance cost is too high, so it was abandoned.) The personnel loss was 535, accounting for the same proportion of all combatants. It is more than 60%. In fact, the 7 bomber squadrons we participated in this time have been maimed. If you want to regain combat effectiveness, you have to wait at least one year, or disband these bomber units directly, and then put them into other Squadron." Early the next morning, the staff officers submitted the aggregated war damage information.

"This, the loss is simply unbearable. I think that our attack is not worth the loss." Even though I have a rough estimate in my mind, when I see these verified data, Trenchard's mood at this time is completely OK. Describe it as shocking!

"As for disbanding troops, I think this is absolutely impossible. They paid such a tragic price for the empire. We can't let these warriors go to other squadrons with both physical and spiritual trauma. These troops must be rebuilt!" Lieutenant Trenchard said decisively.

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(End of this chapter)