Chapter 10: The German Luftwaffe in the Era of the Triumvirate

On the early morning of July 30, 1940, at 5 o'clock, in over 40 airfields spread across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, there was a thunderous roar of engines and great anticipation. In less than 20 minutes, over 718 Messerschmitt Bf-109s, Messerschmitt Bf-110s, and Stuka dive bombers formed massive formations and flew over the English Channel. Meanwhile, the German forces set up five radar jamming stations along the coast, intensively disrupting the radar warning system hastily established by Britain.

At 5:35, British fighters took to the skies above Dover to confront the incoming German aircraft. After over a month of preparation and two weeks of probing skirmishes with casualties on both sides, the grand saga of the British skies finally commenced.

As pilots from both sides engaged in brutal combat for the survival of their nations, their people, and the honor of their military, commanders in the rear echelon were strategizing with similar determination. On the British side, Air Marshal Edward Bil(l)l (Douglas was the commander of the fighter forces) and his air defense command remained in London, the nerve center of the entire British air defense system. This system, critical for the safety of Britain's homeland, consisted of over 900 fighters and 4000 anti-aircraft guns. However, a significant portion of the artillery units lacked sufficient weaponry or had just received American-made AA guns hastily shipped in, so their combat effectiveness was far from ideal. Therefore, the primary defense against the German Luftwaffe came from the 56 fighter squadrons meticulously preserved from the Western Front campaign, with the superior Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires accounting for about two-thirds of them!

On the German side, due to Hermann Göring being critically injured and still comatose from the shocking "roadside bomb incident" that rocked Germany, a week and a half ago, the newly promoted field marshals Kesselring, Milch, and Speer became the "triumvirate" at the top of the German Luftwaffe command. According to the division of labor arranged by the Führer, Kesselring was responsible for operational command, Milch remained in charge of Luftwaffe production and logistics, while Speer took charge of all Luftwaffe engineering construction.

Kesselring was a man of decisive action. He took command and immediately moved the Luftwaffe's operational headquarters from the romanticized Paris to the closer Lille. Under his command assembled a massive air fleet of over 1200 fighters and 1300 bombers. In terms of the number of combat aircraft, they far outnumbered the British Royal Air Force!

Under the leadership of the "triumvirate," the formidable German Luftwaffe filled the hearts with hope for the war. However, as long as Hermann Göring remained alive, the position of this newly minted Field Marshal and Luftwaffe Commander-in-Chief remained unassailable. Even Göring publicly instructed that Kesselring was only temporarily assuming his duties as the Luftwaffe commander, and once Göring regained consciousness, everyone would return to their positions and duties.

Of course, there were far more people who hoped Göring would remain comatose than those who wished for his awakening. Logan was one of the most resolute among them. To this unique perspective of an Air Force lieutenant colonel, if the French had not missed the timing to detonate, if their explosives had sufficient potency, if the specially made Mercedes armored car were not so sturdy, the name Hermann Göring would likely have become history.

Fortunately, once the vast war machine started rolling, it wouldn't stop because of one person. Especially when someone whispered in the little mustached one's ear, alleging that the British had incited the French underground resistance to carry out the horrendous roadside bomb incident, the Führer gnashed his teeth and decided to proceed with the "Sealion Plan" according to the schedule.

The first phase of Operation Sealion was for the German Luftwaffe to seize control of the English Channel and the airspace over England to clear the way for the subsequent amphibious landing operation.

At 6 o'clock, the crimson sun appeared on the horizon, and a vast formation of 822 fighters and bombers flew over the English Channel like locusts. At this point, most of the British fighters who had engaged the German fighter formations had returned to base to rearm and refuel. Due to the strong interference from the German forces, the rearward British air defense command failed to promptly relay this information to the forward bases. It wasn't until the German bomber formations appeared over Britain that the air raid sirens resounded once more.

Based on their experiences in Poland and France, the German bomber pilots knew their way well and struck at various British airfields in the southeast and south. In the first hour of bombing, the German air fleet dropped over 900 tons of bombs. Notably, with General Wolfram von Richthofen commanding, 170 Stukas were divided into 12 aerial assault groups to attack nine British radar stations identified from previous aerial reconnaissance missions. With precise bombing, two radar stations were completely destroyed, five were severely damaged, and the remaining two were rendered inoperative for hours.

In the initial bombing, the German bomber formations that targeted British forward airfields also achieved significant success. Large numbers of Heinkel He-111s and Junkers Ju-88s concentrated their attacks on seven major airfields in southeastern and southern England, destroying 24 aircraft on the ground and damaging numerous runway facilities. However, due to the concentrated British anti-aircraft firepower around these airfields, the Germans lost 31 bombers. On their return journey, they faced pursuit from British fighters, resulting in the loss of an additional 17 bombers!

The true demonstration of Kesselring's prowess, especially in tactical command, far surpassed that of the "Ace of Aces" Hermann Göring, came with the third wave of aircraft flying over the English Channel: an unexpected onslaught by 156 Bf-109Es against the returning British fighter formations. These ten squadrons were the most experienced and distinguished teams in the German Luftwaffe, including the 1st Squadron of JG2 and the 2nd Squadron of JG77, the elite flying units of the Western Front (the famous JG52 squadron had mediocre performance before the Battle of Britain). Despite not having numerical superiority, these veteran pilots, unencumbered by their own bombers, eagerly engaged their prey like hungry wolves. In the 37-minute battle, the German pilots employed double and quadruple tactics refined during the Spanish Civil War to great effect, downing 59 British fighters at the cost of 32 losses, with more than half of them being the celebrated "Spitfires" of the Royal Air Force!

As the vast formations of British and German fighters engaged in fierce combat over the northern side of the English Channel, the instigator of the "roadside bomb incident," the "sinister" Imperial Air Force Colonel Logan, was at the Messerschmitt factory in the Bavarian town of Lappham, watching the inaugural test flight of the "Warsaw South" prototype.

Amidst the deafening roar, the four engines of the Junkers-90 transport aircraft were already operating at high speed. The fuselage slowly moved forward as the "Warsaw South No. 1," loaded with 4 tons of cargo, was towed by long steel cables. However, the heavy glider seemed to be reluctant to leave its mother earth. As the speed continued to climb, the towing aircraft lifted off the ground, but there was no sign of the glider leaving the ground. When the military generals and senior executives of Messerschmitt were almost too afraid to watch, they heard a burst of cheering, "God bless," as the cumbersome bird finally wobbled off the ground.

At that moment, Logan's eyes were filled with hope. He knew that with Hermann Göring in a coma and the "Warsaw South" taking flight, his plan had gained the most precious breathing space!