Chapter 19: VIP in the Ace
"Hey, Major, how come you're here in person?" Logan greeted cheerfully.
Major Garland, as he walked, took off his gloves (it was quite a hassle to wear gloves in this heat) and reached out to shake hands with Logan. It's funny how friendships work out sometimes. For instance, while Logan and Göring had become enemies without even meeting, these two young air force commanders were total strangers until the "Fortress Operation" was confirmed. Logan had seen this remarkably skilled air commander in some documentary before, and his 26th Fighter Squadron happened to join the "Fortress" operation at the last moment. Their encounter took place just four days ago at General Richtofen's headquarters. Their personalities, qualifications, and even their love for cigars were surprisingly similar, and they quickly became good friends, both privately and officially.
"Our supreme commander is personally on the front line, how can I stay behind and watch?" Garland replied with his characteristic dry humor, to which Logan, who had a similar tone, chuckled in agreement.
"Haha, Major, I see what you're up to. You want to shoot down 20 British bombers all by yourself, don't you?" Logan laughed heartily, but without any hint of challenge. Before the operation began, Garland had bet that his squadron could shoot down at least a hundred British aircraft during their operation. The wager? A crate (small wooden box) of top-grade Brazilian cigars!
"I'd rather the whole squadron shoot down two hundred British bombers!" Garland replied with a smile.
After the banter, they quickly got down to business and exchanged information about the anti-aircraft defenses on the Isle of Wight. Less than ten minutes later, a red signal flare rose from the north, signaling the warning from the lookout post of the approaching British aircraft.
"The Royal Air Force is here, right on time!" Logan said calmly.
"Let's hope so! I must be off!" Garland glanced at the runway. The seven Bf-109E fighters that had accompanied him had all landed. There was no doubt that as long as the unsinkable aircraft carrier Isle of Wight was operational, the German fighters' stay near the British coast could be significantly prolonged. According to the plan, the second batch of Ju-52s arriving at Newport Airfield would bring aviation fuel, ammunition for the fighters, and experienced ground crew for maintenance!
Indeed, Logan's predictions about the situation were quite accurate. Just forty minutes after the capture of Newport Airfield, with the first batch of German transport planes not yet completely evacuated, a large number of Royal Air Force fighters and bombers decisively launched a counterattack. To support the "Fortress" landing operation, the Luftwaffe had carried out a comprehensive air raid on the southeast and south of England using the rare good weather conditions. The number of combat aircraft deployed was second only to July 30th, and the jamming stations deployed on the French coast were operating at full capacity. At Logan's strong recommendation, the Luftwaffe had also deployed an unseen "secret weapon" this time: metal jamming strips!
Being able to mobilize hundreds of combat aircraft from various defense zones in such a critical situation showed that the British command had realized that the Isle of Wight was the key point for the German cross-sea landing operation. However, as they say, fortune favors the bold. The Luftwaffe had deployed the entire 26th Fighter Squadron, along with elite fighter squadrons drawn from other units, to the line facing the Isle of Wight across the sea, aiming to provide as much cover as possible for the airborne troops!
Having relocated his temporary command post from the narrow and shallow drainage ditch to the damaged airport control tower, Logan gained a bird's-eye view of the situation. After a brief rest, the attack force, consisting of two Panzer IV tanks and several hundred paratroopers, had begun to move towards Newport Harbor. To avoid British air raids, they temporarily left the main road and dispersed into nearby villages and fields. Especially the precious Panzer IV tanks, they were promptly concealed with camouflage nets left by the British.
Around the runway, 27 British anti-aircraft guns had already been manned by soldiers of General Göring's regiment. Combined with the anti-aircraft machine guns left by the British and the ones brought by the Luftwaffe, there were about forty machine guns to deal with the low-altitude raids by British aircraft. Of course, the most eye-catching sight was in the air: the eight Bf-109s commanded by Major Garland had urgently taken off and, instead of immediately rushing toward the British aircraft, they cleverly circled around, gaining altitude advantage and disrupting the formation of the enemy aircraft. The British escort fighters had to temporarily turn towards the left wing to fend off these German fighters' attacks, while the dozens of Blenheim bombers, Wellingtons, and Warwicks, which had performed poorly in the French campaign, continued to descend in altitude. They quickly split into several smaller formations, apparently preparing for low-altitude precision bombing of the targets at Newport Airfield!
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect the Brits to still stick to their V-shaped formation. Looks like they haven't learned much from the lessons on the French battlefield!" This frank comment came from Renth Steinfelberg, the lucky unfortunate who had fractured his left arm during Operation "Stiletto" due to a failed landing. Fortunately, German medical care was good, and with a not-so-serious fracture, he had the cast removed in just over a month. Although not fully recovered, boarding a glider for a parachute drop was no longer a problem for him. The resilient German officer successfully passed his psychological barrier and once again stood on the battlefield as an elite paratrooper!