On the east side of Limerick's "Forest Palace", there is a large underground fortification, which is known to the outside world. It is called the "Dragon's Nest" within the Irish military. It is not that it stores a large amount of gold treasures, but because it is hidden underground, with hidden entrances, explosion-proof, fire-proof and anti-virus facilities. In addition, information about this fortification is listed as a high-level secret, so it has obtained this special title.

In the summer of 1933, the "Dragon's Lair" was still the first choice for the members of the Irish royal family. It also took on the task of protecting the German-Irish joint combat command center. His Majesty Joachim, the King of Ireland, personally took charge of this place, nominally controlling all coalition forces attacking Britain from the direction of Ireland. In fact, the German special forces stationed in Ireland were still directly under the command of the German General Staff, and the Irish army was commanded by the Joint Staff of the Irish Three Army. The so-called joint combat command was mainly used to coordinate the combat affairs of the two armies and to provide opinions and suggestions on tactical strategies.

"What? The British bomber fleet has crossed the St. George's Strait!"

The retired Irish Field Marshal, former Army Secretary Aymo Pereff, and lifelong military adviser to the Irish royal family, seemed very surprised when he learned the news. You should know that the German team deployed nearly 20,000 combat aircraft in France and Ireland, and the 3,000 fighter jets invested by Ireland, the coalition aviation forces are currently suppressing the British Air Force with huge advantages. Judging from the battle reports on the frontline, the coalition has initially grasped the air supremacy in southern England, northern Wales, and western Scotland. Groups of German bombers are bombing fiercely on various strategic areas of Britain. Under such circumstances, the British did not counterattack at the German airport in northern France, but sent a group of bombers to Ireland. Is this really going to use Ireland to attack?

Xia Shu has been paying close attention to the war ahead since the early morning. He looked at Tirpitz, who had been expressionless. A long time ago, the old marshal who had been away from Germany's power class for a long time reminded himself that the enemy would probably regard Ireland as a "chicken" to kill chickens and scare monkeys after the war broke out. Now it seems that his understanding of British strategic thinking is indeed extraordinary.

"I guess, their target is Limerick." When Xia Shu said this, the generals present turned their eyes to the sand table. The bright incandescent lamps provided sufficient light for the hall below the ground. The staff assistants had just placed a model marking the British bomber group in the report location. It needed to cross southern Ireland to reach Limerick. Although it seemed far, it was actually only 150 kilometers away. The light bomber known for its speed could reach only ten or twenty minutes.

Although Peref was born and raised in German and only joined Irish nationality in 1915, he had deep feelings for this country he had served for more than ten years and had achieved success here. He hurriedly said, "Then let the air defense forces around Limerick enter combat, your majesty, otherwise it will be too late."

Xia Shu nodded with a steady expression: "The air defense alarm sounded, and all Limerick personnel were evacuated; the Royal 1st Air Wing, the 9th Air Wing, and the 9th Air Wing were dispatched immediately to gather east of Limerick to fight; the Royal 2nd Air Wing, and the 10th Air Wing, and ready to attack at any time; the Royal Garrison all air defense battalions entered level one combat readiness, waiting for the order to open fire."

Hearing this, Peref asked with great concern: "Your Majesty, is it enough to send only two fighter wings to fight? The war has just begun, and we cannot let British bombers appear over Limerick."

The tactical organization of the Irish Air Force basically follows the practice of the Luftwaffe, with squadrons as the basic tactical unit, and the above are the battalions, wings, aviation divisions, aviation corps and aviation corps. Usually each air wing is equipped with 110-140 aircraft, and the size of the air wings given the royal title is more than 20% larger than that of ordinary wings. For example, the Royal Ireland 1 and 2nd Air Wings each arranged 166 fighter jets, which may also receive additional supplements during wartime, and the 9th and 10th Air Wings deployed in Watford and Kilgeny respectively, have a standard arrangement of 124.

In addition to the different sizes, the elite Royal Fighter Wing also enjoys priority in personnel and equipment. When the war broke out, three fighter squadrons of the 1st Royal Fighter Wing replaced the me-50, two in the 2nd Royal Fighter Wing, and the rest of the squadrons were mainly ir-30 biplane fighters. The 9th and 10th Wings have not yet equipped the me-50, and some fighter squadrons are still using the ir-29.

Xia Shu signaled the staff officer to convey his order immediately, and then explained slowly: "If the British had the idea to bomb Limerick, even if all fighters and air defense artillery of the Irish Air Force were transferred to defend the capital, they would not be able to do what the Earl said would not allow British bombers to appear over Limerick. Wars will inevitably suffer losses, and holding dignity will only cause trouble, and then suffer more losses. Look, even if Berlin is closely protected, it will inevitably be attacked by enemy planes during the war, let alone Ireland, which is not strong enough in military strength? I think this British bomber group is probably just an advance force of the British Air Force. If we send all our combat power from the beginning and the next batch of British bombers follow, can our fighter troops still ensure that they will face it in a neat formation?"

Peref seemed to have been persuaded, but the German chief staff member of the coalition command, the veteran German infantry general Walter von Bergmann, did not agree with the Irish king's argument. He said: "Your Majesty may not know that Berlin is protected by four air defense lines and three ground defense lines. There will be no less than 150 squadrons deployed in Germany at any time. British bombers cannot break through the numerous defenses to attack Berlin."

General Bergman may be a good at land warfare, but he obviously lacks profound research on the development of aviation technology. Taking care of the emotions of this old colleague, Natsuki said euphemism: "I also hope that Berlin will not be violated by the enemy during the war, but mechanical technology is subverting the traditional war model. Even if the Luftwaffe can build an unbreakable line of defense in the sun, what about the evening? Experience of many military exercises shows that the success rate of night air defense is much lower than that of day air defense. The straight-line distance from London to Berlin is 900 kilometers. British bombers are able to carry bombs and fly 900 kilometers at night, drop bombs and then return to the base. There will always be several of the 100 aircraft to find the right target. The hundreds of kilograms of bombs they drop may not pose a great threat to Berlin, but the impact on spiritual morale is more destructive than these bombs themselves."

General von Bergmann said silently. Now is not the time to argue about strategic issues. Soon, the staff officer came back and reported that the Royal 1st Air Wing and the 9th Air Wing had received and executed combat orders. According to the results of daily training, the Royal 1st Air Wing stationed at 4 airports can dispatch four-fifths of fighter jets within 10 minutes, and the 9th Air Wing stationed at 3 airports can dispatch all its personnel within 15 minutes. Although the data is first-class, the British bomber group that deals with the unexpected attack is still unavailable. In the final analysis, Ireland is too close to Britain. This is not only a weapon for offense and a shortcoming of defense. Moreover, like most island countries, Ireland has severely lacks strategic depth. If it loses air supremacy, no matter how elite navy and army troops are, it will be difficult to play a role.

In Lilemuric, south of Limerick, 16 me-50s belonging to the 3rd Fighter Brigade of the Royal 1st Air Wing took the lead in launching. In the gorgeous afternoon sun, these monoplane fighters quickly climbed to an altitude of 8,000 meters. Superchargers gave them a ceiling that ordinary biplane did not have, allowing them to easily gain a height advantage in front of most opponents. In addition to a series of advanced designs of the fighter itself, they are also equipped with a compact Fu-30 radio transceiver, which allows pilots to maintain close contact within 20 kilometers and have certain anti-interference capabilities.

"Note, gentlemen of the Bull Squadron, this is the first battle we participated in, and it may become the most important battle in our life... Our mission is to block British bombers flying to the capital Limerick. The information we have received is that there are more than 200 enemy aircraft, which are divided into two groups of fast and slow aircraft. The aircraft models are American Boeing 9, British Handley-Pedi 38 and Blenheim 3, which we have seen pictures and models. I don't need to repeat their characteristics to you. My plan is that if we are the first batch to arrive on the battlefield, whether there are British fighter escorts or not, we will do so.

Osprey water-grabbing tactics launch a snatch attack. Blenheim, the fastest speed, should have reached the forefront of the aircraft fleet. Pay attention to the machine gun tower on the back of this aircraft. It is their most effective defensive firepower point. We dive to the same height as them, pierce dive from the head of the aircraft, and go to the bottom of the enemy aircraft fleet, pull up and launch a second attack, then break away from contact, and continue to look for a third attack. At this time, we may be entangled by British fighters. Remember that British bombers are our first target. Use your speed to get rid of British fighters as much as possible. If possible, let them attack their own people..."

The voice of talking in the headphones was suddenly interrupted.

"Sir, look at the direction of 1 o'clock! I think that's definitely not a group of geese!"

"Wow, it's such a big group! Gentlemen, look at the bottom of your left and right sides, and the good players of each squadron will fight side by side with us, remember the fighting skills you learned in the training exercises, and remember the instructions given to us by Your Majesty: be calm, brave, calm and wise. History will definitely remember this battle today, remember every warrior who has made efforts to successfully protect Limerick! Fight for Ireland, for His Majesty the King, and for immortal honor!"
Chapter completed!