Chapter 1123： lost heavily

Everything has its first time. As the first air battle in the true sense of human history, the British paid an expensive tuition with their strength.

Refueling tactics are only suitable for specific occasions. Playing like this in air combat is obviously giving people away.

Unfortunately, Britain has never had air combat experience. After the attack, the British government's first response was to dispatch the air force to intercept it, and did not consider the issue of assembly at all.

Because of the different distances and different reaction speeds, British fighter planes taking off from various airports finally arrived at the front in batches.

The air battle is still going on. After paying a heavy price, the British Air Force on the field finally assembled three-digit fighters. Although still at a disadvantage, the battle is no longer one-sided.

The Shenluo Air Force participating in the battle has already changed a wave. Because of the limited flight time, the previous batch of fighters has returned to the air for rest after completing the mission.

Unlike the first wave that was dominated by bombers, almost all the Shenra fighters in the sky are fighters.

If it is left in the future, everyone will know at a glance that today’s bombing is over, and now it is directed at the main force of the British Air Force.

Anyway, now I can't fight a head-on decisive battle, and the most important thing now is to preserve the vitality. Even if you really have to work hard, you have to change a battlefield that is more beneficial to you.

Below is London. Every time a plane crashes, it is a huge bomb, which is more lethal than any bomb in the world today.

To put it bluntly, the damage caused by the bombing to London was less than one-tenth of the damage caused by a plane crash in air combat.

Obviously, the British government caught in it couldn't think of so much. At this moment, they only have one idea, that is, to assemble more fighters, leave the enemy behind, and wash away today's shame.

As for the resulting "losses", the heads are full of anger, but they can't take care of that much.

The anxious battle makes people feel irritable. The air battle does not stop for a moment, and everyone can only stay in the air-raid shelter.

The order in London is out of control. Although the cabinet government has repeatedly ordered to reassure the people, it is still too difficult for the bureaucrats to work under the enemy's fire.

Someone is always responsible for such a big thing. The battle in the sky is not over yet, and the top British government has begun to think about the aftermath.

"Your Excellency, the big business is not good!"

The secretary's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. Prime Minister Campbell frowned, hurriedly asked: "Our air force was defeated?"

The flames of war have reached London, and major events have long since gone bad. If there is worse news, it must be that the Air Force was defeated in the air battle.

The enemy is the world's largest air force power, and as a qualified politician, it is natural to plan for the worst in advance.

The defeat of the Air Force is the worst result that everyone expects right now, not one of them.

"No!"

After habitually answering, the secretary quickly explained: "The battle in the sky is still going on. Although the losses are a bit large, our fighters are coming in a steady stream. It is only a matter of time before the enemy is driven out.

The news just came from the Port of Liverpool that there was also an enemy air attack there, and the defenders requested to send fighters to support. "

Hearing "the air battle is still going on", Prime Minister Campbell's nervousness eased slightly, and then he became nervous again.

In the context of the dominance of the Royal Navy, the British Air Force is only insignificantly better than the Army. The British government, which has not experienced air combat, did not expect this scene to happen at all.

If it weren’t for the Holy Roman Empire’s bloodshed on the air force, "in line with the thinking that the enemy has, I also want to have", there would be no air force at all.

Originally started late, but the domestic manufacturing industry fell behind in the second industrial revolution. The air force that followed the trend is naturally not comparable to the Shinra Air Force.

If it were not for the advantages of local operations, air combat would have long been a failure. The current situation is not much better. The fighters participating in the war did not escape, because they simply couldn't escape.

The overall performance of the aircraft can't keep up. After close contact, it can't get rid of the enemy at all, and can only bite the bullet.

It just so happened that the military department issued another death order, and the people below didn't understand the situation in the sky at all, but thought that the air force was fighting bravely.

These issues do not affect Campbell's decision now. London and Liverpool were attacked at the same time, and the British Air Force was unable to take care of both battlefields at the same time.

After a little more thought, Prime Minister Campbell said in an artistic tone: "Tell the Liverpool defenders to organize air defense by themselves. The reinforcements will arrive in the shortest time."

What is the "shortest time" is another unsolved mystery in human history. No one at home or abroad has ever figured it out.

But it happens to apply to the current situation in Britain. If you don't give enough confidence to the people below, chances are that the group of panicked guys have forgotten to organize resistance.

Although it is difficult to resist with limited air defense firepower, it is better to do it than not. Even if it only shoots down an enemy fighter, that is a record.

After sending the secretary to leave, Prime Minister Campbell came over. The Prime Minister personally directs the military battle, and it seems that he has gone astray.

Not every British Prime Minister is Mr. Churchill, who is keen to participate in military command, at least Campbell has no interest in commanding military operations.

Unlike any previous war, the current war requires the joint coordinated operations of the land, sea and air forces.

Anything encountered for the first time is synonymous with trouble. This time is no exception. In addition to considering military command, we must also consider political balance.

It can be said that in addition to letting Edward VII personally come, anyone who serves as a commander of the army, navy and air force will attract criticism.

The problem is that as King Edward VII, even if he is a real power king, he will at best put a name on him, and it is impossible to coordinate the joint operations of the three armies himself.

If it is a tailwind, it is enough to be able to reap political achievements. It is estimated that Edward VII has already jumped out and took over the command of the three armies.

It is a pity that the war has just begun, and Britain has ushered in its darkest day, which has deeply damaged everyone's confidence in winning the war.

Without certainty, the shrewd Edward VII would naturally not appear. Anyway, the daily work is presided over by the cabinet, and now the problem is also the cabinet’s pot, or the kind that can’t be shaken off.

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Chief Campbell decided to speed up the construction of the command system. After all, the war is better left to professionals.

...

The Port of Liverpool, when the order of the London government arrived, the bombing from the sky was over.

Major General Winston, who looked at the telegram, was heartbroken. Perhaps because of conscience, or to shirk responsibility, the news of air defense early warning finally came.

It came later than the London government’s order to organize resistance on the spot. Except for greeting all the relatives of the relevant bureaucrats from the bottom of my heart, Major General Winston can't do it now.

People's reaction speed is already very fast. According to normal procedures, it will take at least one week to go through the process alone, and it may be possible to delay the first half of the year.

Acting in accordance with the procedures, this is the consistent code of conduct for British civil servants, free from any moral and legal criticism.

Although the bombing was over, the big shots of Liverpool Port still did not appear. Perhaps it was because the work was too busy, or because it was too selfless, the military and political leaders all signaled their subordinates to report to Major General Winston.

Major General Winston, who had not yet reacted, became the top commander of Liverpool in a daze.

Not only commanding the army, but also restoring the order of the city, organizing personnel to save themselves...all the things to clean up the mess became his job.

Don't think this is a good thing. If nothing else, the anger of the citizens and the first person responsible for the air raid on Liverpool is also his unlucky major on duty.

At this point, it is too late to refuse. From the time the first self-help order was issued, Major General Winston became the scapegoat for everyone to recommend.

No way, Liverpool is not only a commercial port, but also one of Britain's most important military ports. As a martial arts hall on duty, Major General Winston himself had an inescapable responsibility for this air attack.

If you have too much debt, don't press your body, anyway, your career will be over, and there is nothing to do for everyone.

In essence, everyone is unlucky. There are so many cities in Britain that the Shenluo Air Force does not go, but Liverpool is chosen. Where can everyone go to reason?

Fortunately, London was accompanied. London, where all the soldiers gathered, suffered heavy losses. The weak Liverpool suffered heavy losses, which was justified in the military.

If it is really to be held accountable, the British government will bear the brunt. In this context, the final result is mostly "lift up high and fall gently."

Major General Winston dutifully asked: "Has the loss been counted?"

The officer in charge of the summary replied: "Currently, the losses of personnel, warships, shipyards, and port buildings are only preliminary counted. Other losses are still being counted.

If all goes well, the statistics will be completed in two days. The specific loss data are as follows:

The death toll totaled 1,287, including 49 officers and 757 soldiers in the army; the injured totaled 5,176, including 276 officers and 1,186 soldiers.

The losses of officers and soldiers are mostly concentrated in the navy, mainly because warships are the center of gravity of enemy attacks. Although we have left the port in time, the damage caused by the previous attack is still huge.

The sunken warships included 2 cruisers, 3 destroyers, 4 torpedo boats, and 7 auxiliary warships; even more were damaged. Including the two dreadnoughts, more than half of the warships suffered to varying degrees.

The shipyard’s losses were even greater. Several docks were hit hard. Three dreadnought ships under construction in the docks were completely destroyed, and various infrastructure losses were countless.

Most of the civilian casualties occurred in shipyards. When the bombing broke out, the shipyard was just under construction, and many people were buried by the collapsed factory building before they could even react.

..."

Rao had been mentally prepared, but after hearing the specific loss figures, Major General Winston remained silent.

The loss of the Royal Navy has all caught up with a major battle. Don't look at the number of sunken warships, but there are so many warships that can't stand the wounded!

Repairing warships takes time, especially in the context of severe damage to the shipyard, and repairs have to go to other areas.

Relying on his professionalism, Major General Winston made a judgment that the Royal Navy fleet staying in Liverpool would take at least half a year to recover.

Not to mention the shipyard, warships can still run away, but they stay in place and let the enemy bully them. It may take months to clean up the ruins.

In contrast, the loss of other infrastructure is not large. It can be seen that the enemy had already prepared for this, and even selected the target of attack in advance.

After calming down, Major General Winston said indifferently: "As soon as possible, sort out the losses and send them to the London government. By the way, do we have an air defense early warning system?"

Back to the top, but you still have to do things that can reduce your responsibility.

The best excuse for shirking responsibility is to encounter an enemy's air attack without warning.

Despite the early warning, the final result cannot be changed. But this does not prevent Major General Winston from coming out to say something.

...

Liverpool was lonely after the war. The damage caused by the war is far from a few cold numbers on paper, it can be summarized simply.

What's more, bureaucrats have always had a tradition of artistic processing. How can the total loss be accurately counted when the bombing ends within a few hours?

In addition to the warships and shipyards that have been focused on, the station flyovers, platforms, and railroad tracks were blown to pieces, and the ground was full of charred and mutilated bodies.

On the pier, Tom, who was lucky enough to escape, wiped the nervous sweat on his forehead with his sleeves. He looked up at the red sun shining on the red earth, his eyes dazzling too much.

What the war leaves behind is blood, loneliness, homes destroyed once, and pains that can never be remedied.

The workers who were still talking about the earth just now are left with broken walls and limbs all over the floor, and painful groans are heard from time to time.

Tom didn't pay attention to it, not without sympathy, but because of his limited ability, he couldn't help.

I have to admit that people are really divided into three, six or nine. The big people are precious, even if they just scratch their skin, a large group of medical staff will follow; while the lives of the people at the bottom are like grass, even if they are seriously injured and dying, no one cares.

Don't ask why, the question is: We have tried our best, and medical resources are insufficient, and it is difficult for clever women to cook without rice.

After making sure that he was safe, Tom got up from the ground and looked at it with his voice. The one who shouted in pain was the John who had just chatted with him.

At this moment, John had lost his previous style, and he was heavily hit by the collapsed cargo on his lower body, and the ground was already bloody.

After hesitating for a while, Tom still withdrew his steps and hurried home.

It's not that Tom is indifferent and ruthless, but that he can't take care of him, where there is nosy capital.

Regardless of John's injury to his lower limbs, as long as he was rescued in time and sent to a doctor for treatment, it seemed easy to save his life.

But for the bottom dockers, the usual colds and fevers can make life difficult, not to mention the physical injuries.

Expensive medical expenses are enough to crush an ordinary family. John can't afford it, and Tom can't afford it either.

If someone is saved, it may not be a good thing for the John family. Either break the family, or witness the ugliness of human nature.

For the people at the bottom, it is better to have a good time when encountering such things.

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