What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 584 Substitution
"Sir, you really don't need to take this risk!"

"The enemy is almost ashore; the Royal Navy should at least know who their enemy is."

Miles Bonavita was stationed at the position of the 3rd Marine Commando Brigade. As an army that had played an important role in leading Britain in its campaigns in the north and south, the 3rd Brigade was almost the first force to arrive in the north and completed the replacement of its air defense equipment at the fastest speed.

As for anti-landing? Dai Ying hadn't considered that.

The 3rd Brigade received mostly equipment from the National Guard, which was ready to use immediately. Deployed at key strategic locations, it served as the first line of defense against aircraft heading towards Eagle Vernes and Lossiemouth bases.

Not long after Miles arrived, the V1 missile group attacking Lossiemouth, accompanied by fighter jets, rushed over. Soon, the soldiers heard thunder from afar, stirring up the most primal fear hidden in the human heart.

As they closed the distance, the distinctive roar of the pulse jet engines became clearer, and these soldiers, born into a completely new generation, finally experienced the same thing their ancestors had gone through.

The only difference is that last time V1 flew from south to north, this time it flew from north to south!

More than 700 V1 missiles and fighter jets passed through their defense zone, and they all lowered their altitude to penetrate at low altitudes, rendering vehicle-mounted radar scanning completely ineffective!

And there was another problem: although the dispersed aircraft could not form an exaggerated resonant field, the roar of nearly a thousand engines almost covered everything. The soldiers spontaneously plugged their ears with various things and could only communicate through tacit understanding, sign language and lip movements.

In addition, they were not familiar with the new equipment and could only rely on their subjective initiative. When they discovered that friendly forces were firing, they would follow them, resulting in extremely poor organization.

In fact, a crucial aspect of ground-based air defense relies on traps. Experienced commanders will deploy them in tiers according to the characteristics of different air defense equipment, and cleverly form barriers of varying power to maximize damage.

But the British army is quite skilled in missile air defense command and cannon coordination... They have the equipment, but who would seriously think about such outdated stuff? Isn't the way to gain air superiority to call in their own air force?

Even though the 3rd Brigade was considered a seasoned veteran, they could only grit their teeth and go into battle in unfamiliar territory. However, the spectacular scene of various anti-aircraft missiles and machine guns firing at the same time made Miles, who was used to precision strikes, feel a little dazed.

The intense firepower was completely ineffective in stopping the massive formation of aircraft from roaring past. As the sky filled with V1s, their rapid, pulsating sounds that could trigger PTSD in the British, the minor losses were utterly insignificant.

Moreover, after Tang Wen took over command, all the V1s that were hit crashed to the ground units with their last bit of mobility, which brought disaster to them instead.

The Third Fleet initially envisioned equipping the aircraft with the V1 missile, which had a range of over 700 kilometers. However, this plan had to be abandoned due to the need for overly complex modifications to the aircraft. The advantage, however, was that the short-range missiles were extremely powerful, with each one equivalent to a heavy aerial bomb.

At 12:50, all four aircraft groups broke through the ground defenses and caused at least 30% of their equipment to be lost through incidental attacks, while their own interception rate was less than 25%.

This not only made the air force's containment tactics more difficult, but also directly led to the failure of the plan to drive the attack aircraft group to the inland center using ground firepower.

The coalition forces were once again on the defensive. Although Lossiemouth had learned its lesson this time and not only had air defenses but had also made preparations in advance to deal with air attacks, it was still an important base next to Eagle Vernes.

If Lossiemouth were to lose its fighting capacity, it would mean losing an air force stronghold from half of Sognon:
An air force base is not just about having runways; complete ground support and supply facilities are the most important, and these cannot be replaced by civilian airports in a short time.

At this moment, Johnson also clearly saw that the enemy planes were trying to destroy the important Suggernaut airport. After a brief thought, he ordered that Lossiemouth be protected first, and the three large civilian airports that had been temporarily requisitioned could be abandoned.

He had another intention he didn't express:
The V1's range is limited; attacking three large airfields is probably its limit, after which the remaining enemy aircraft will be within control.

Anyway, it was an airport with British influence that was bombed, so we can just rebuild it!
Upon receiving the order, a main force of 160 fighter jets was dispatched to defend Lossiemouth once again, 50 of which had just done the same thing an hour earlier. After emergency resupply, they were almost immediately back to defend the base.

More than 70% of the pilots had flown more than five sorties in the past 18 hours, and each one was a long-duration, large-scale combat mission, pushing them to their mental limits.

13时，55架蚊蚋、17架隐身雨燕混在560枚V1中扑向了技术层次比自己高了几十年的对手。

However, the first to fire were the anti-aircraft guns lying in ambush on the ground. In order to target the V1, a large number of cannons and machine guns were even temporarily modified for anti-aircraft use. At the same time, the surrounding defenders collected as many shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles as possible.

Unlike during penetration, in order to attract the V1 medium-range missile array from two dimensions to three dimensions, most cruise missiles increased their altitude, greatly increasing the attack window for ground firepower.

Under the barrage of a variety of weapons, like a hedgehog, the V1s kept falling. The coalition forces, which adhered to avoiding close-range combat, also launched medium-range missiles as much as possible, leaving the attacking aircraft almost entirely on the defensive. Their size visibly shrank, and the spots on the radar gradually disappeared.

However, the pilots, who had experienced several major battles in just over ten hours, dared not relax at all. Only after all the AIM-120 missiles were used up did they send out 15 aircraft to probe and approach. When they got within 20 kilometers, several dazzling flashes of fire appeared in the sky. In the blink of an eye, the six stealth Swifts hidden in V1 missiles accelerated from 600 kilometers per hour to 2500 kilometers per hour. After quickly closing the distance, 36 AIM-9L missiles were launched, and four coalition aircraft were hit and crashed on the spot.

The remaining 11 fighter jets immediately broke away, then changed tactics to lure the enemy from multiple directions, playing a cat-and-mouse game of luring them out.

However, given how close Lossiemouth is, complete interception is virtually impossible. The base, which is closely monitoring the situation, has already cleared the runway to prevent any further secondary explosions.

However, the other three civilian airports that were requisitioned fared much worse. Of the three waves of attacks that were intercepted by ground fire, 70% hit their targets, with each airport suffering an average of more than 350 V1 missiles.

Although these three airports were not the main focus, they still stored a large amount of supplies and equipment, which were all destroyed by the overwhelming V1 attack, and the airports almost all required several months to rebuild.

As the news continued to reach Aldgrove, Johnson would only look up for a few seconds before looking down again.

Now he has an even bigger problem: the Third Fleet is really preparing to land!

As the great air battle of Sugnan unfolded once again, Blackbird once again flew over the Third Fleet and discovered four plumes of thick smoke deviating from their course at speeds of over 35 knots. Clearly, they were about to cross the eastern Sugnan Strait and head south, with the next step inevitably being to control the port and land!

He still has 48 aircraft with 120 anti-ship missiles available, but they can only be deployed after the Eagle Vernis air battle ends. For now, he can only watch helplessly as the enemy moves south.

Once the fast fleet crosses the northeastern island group, it will be only 100 kilometers from Lossiemouth on the coast; any closer and it will be able to fire its naval guns.

Based on the timeline, the fast fleet must be completely destroyed no later than 3:30 PM, or at the very least by 3:00 PM.
Otherwise, the range of the 380mm naval guns would be enough to directly target all the major cities in the north and south of Sugo, as well as the Lossiemouth base!
But at that moment, the early warning aircraft delivered another piece of bad news:

The Third Fleet has dispatched a group of no fewer than 150 aircraft, with speeds exceeding 1000 kilometers per hour. These are most likely the troublesome Fireflies, heading straight for the Hawk Furness! "Firefly" is the nickname given to the Super Swift by the Allied Forces, implying that it is extremely dazzling like a firefly in the night sky when it launches its solid rockets. On the other hand, it also carries a natural derogatory connotation.

The nickname "gnat" is actually its real name; V1 hasn't had a chance to use it yet.

However, it was the endless fireflies and gnats that kept the huge allied forces running around in circles!
If this batch of fireflies reaches Eagle Furnis, they will probably have to consider abandoning the situation in the north and south of Sugo!
Abandoning the north means the fast fleet will occupy it, and the slow fleet might even arrive tonight to carry out the landing...bullshit!

Not only did Johnson's face turn pale, but Bender and Tren, who had rushed over, also clutched their foreheads in anguish.

"How about... we use the B61? Just one F-15 will be enough to break through."

Johnson made this statement as if he had made a difficult decision, and all eyes immediately turned to him.

However, a closer look reveals that the eyes of the representatives of the lotus pond and Norwegian are filled with trepidation, unease, and a hidden hope for an early end to the war, while the eyes of Pierre, represented by the rooster, gleam with cunning.
A nuclear explosion in Britain, that would be amazing!
Not only can it end the battle immediately, but it can also make Dai Ying lose face internationally, forcing him to use the Mushroom Egg on his own turf!
Pierre even considered that if they did that, the chickens could provide mushroom-headed cruise missiles, but he only dared to think about it.

Terren and Bender, already furious, gritted their teeth at Johnson: "Why are you acting so difficult? It's not like we're bombing your territory, what are you pretending for!"

"No... Even if we use B61, the impact of the mushroom bombs on the warships will be very limited. Prism Building knows this better than we do."

Bander had no choice but to step forward and refuse, offering an excellent reason:
Unless it's a direct hit, warships, with their iron hulls, are very strong against nuclear explosions, especially battleships.

According to actual tests conducted by the Empire in the 40s, as long as the protective doors are closed, the main body will hardly be seriously affected; at most, electronic equipment will be destroyed and communications will be blocked.

If the B61 fast fleet were actually used, it would most likely not be destroyed, but the air force would definitely be hampered.

"Then we may have no choice but to consider... luring the enemy deep into our territory."

Johnson finally managed to come up with a word that made giving up sound so refreshing and unconventional.

"This is impossible!"

Bander blurted out, but then the words caught in his throat:
If they don't give up, are they capable of holding out to the death?

With the Royal Navy in severe decline and the Army once considered unnecessary, how could they possibly withstand a high-intensity anti-landing operation, especially under the threat of naval guns and V1s?

Amidst the uncertainty surrounding the landing operation, the outcome of the Battle of Lossiemouth has also been determined:
最终依然有超过50枚V1和3架雨燕冲进了基地，哪怕不足10%的残余也将洛西茅斯炸的一片狼藉。紧急抢修预计需要12个小时才能恢复基本起降能力。

Of the 160 fighters that participated in the battle, only 32 were lost, which was much less than before. This was mainly due to the effectiveness of the containment strategy and the desperate interception by ground fire. However, the damage after the battle also meant that the ground defenses were almost completely destroyed.

Upon receiving the battle report, the command center fell silent. Everything pointed towards abandoning the northern and southern parts of Suge—or resorting to devastating weapons.

At 13:40, 160 stealth Swifts easily crossed the 300-kilometer distance and arrived at the skies dominated by the Eagle Furniture, which had experienced several major battles. The coalition warplanes had already retreated to the south and north Ireland to preserve their strength.

At 14 p.m., as 40 stealth Swifts launched a kamikaze attack on Lossiemouth, the base finally sent out a final telegram declaring that repairs were impossible and all personnel should evacuate.

……

[Flagship Story Battle: Breakthrough]

[Summary: Achieve an unprecedented feat by conquering Y-system ports]

[Task Difficulty: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

[Mission: If the warship remains unattacked for 30 minutes within a 20-kilometer radius of Lossiemouth base within 8 hours, it will be considered captured.]

[Mission Rewards: 8 Super Supply Crates, 200 million Silver, British Tier IX Battleship "Crimson Thunder", British Special Commander "Anton Grant"]

You can select up to 4 capital warships (battleships and aircraft carriers) (Tier V or higher) and complete the mission.

100 kilometers from the coast, Tang Wen saw the mission notification again, then glanced at the reward with disdain:
Aside from the super supply crate, this is really lacking in sincerity; he already has almost a dozen battleships!
"Crimson Thunder" sounds special, but in reality, the WG development team just reskinned the British G3 battlecruiser to make money. They gave it a retro-futuristic sci-fi shell similar to the spaceships of the 60s and 70s from the US, and dared to put it out to sell for in-game currency!
However... given that it's an extremely difficult mission, it seems a bit illogical to only give a Tier IX ship.

Tang Wen thought about it carefully, and suddenly had a bold guess:
The Crimson Thunder has a futuristic appearance; will its performance also become futuristic in reality?

To highlight its retro-futurism, this ship is a significant departure from the G3 battleship. Its turrets look like laser cannons and electromagnetic cannons; the hull also has a dozen jet engine-like structures, making it resemble a Caspian Sea Monster, and it even has drones.

These extra decorations in the game are purely decorative, but they might be different in reality, right?
If it's really science fiction, then we'll make a fortune! Doesn't that mean that once the Star Trek co-branded warship paint scheme is released, it can actually fly?

After careful consideration, Tang Wen decided to accept the mission. When selecting warships, he naturally had to fill in the four battleships of the fast fleet. But then he suddenly thought of something and tried replacing Scharnhorst and Gneisenau with Malta and Mumenag.

The successful replacement and the appearance of a warship selection mission are among the few situations where you can call upon warships from other places midway through a battle. Another situation is that you can buy a gold ship on the spot and immediately deploy it to your current location.

Later, the Bismarck and Tirpitz were replaced by the St. Vincent and the Hood.

It is perfectly reasonable for the Royal Navy to dock at Royal Port.

(End of this chapter)