Free 1945 by William R. Forstchen, Newt Gingrich, Albert S. Hanser Page B

nothing when the so-terrible Americans come? Why? We ceased production of the current generation of fighters so that you could have your verdammt carriers!"
    This was not precisely true. Hitler himself had concluded that after England had stood down there would be no need for prop-driven fighters before they were made obsolete by jets, which were scheduled to be in full production by 1946. Better the financial resources go to weapons that would still be useful well into the 1950s, when it might be time to deal with the Americans. Besides, the folk needed butter as well as guns. Or so he had thought before the Manhattan Project. Now — "If it weren't for your pointless demands we would have twenty thousand fighters and fighter bombers! The American fleet would be sailing into a—into a furnace!"
    "We won't need his carriers," Göring interjected. "Sinking that fleet is a job for the Luftwaffe. And, trust me mein Führer, even with only one thousand jet aircraft, we have the means to accomplish that mission."
    In one of his volatile mood shifts, Hitler nodded calmly to Göring. "Go on, explain it to them."
    The rotund head of the Luftwaffe stood up and went over to the map.
    "For one thing, this time their fleet won't be facing pilots drunk on saki, and flying bamboo planes." He laughed expansively. After glancing at Hitler, the group joined in.
    "For another," Göring continued, "the Americans must drive straight for the Channel, since by this stage the invasion will already be in progress and their only hope for saving England will be to defeat us immediately. Our third Air Fleet, which will have just completed its task of destroying the RAF, will now turn to face the Americans as they move into the channel. The American carriers will have some of their new Phantom jet fighters, perhaps a hundred of them. They will be overwhelmed by our thousand Gotha 229s. The rest will be prop planes, Bearcats and Corsairs. Our Me-262s will annihilate them.
    "As for the carriers themselves, we will have over one thousand of the new television-guided Henschel 300 rocket bombs, which have double the range of our preliminary 294 version and can strike from a maximum range of nearly forty kilometers." Hitler nodded appreciatively. He was thoroughly briefed on this particular superweapon, and approved of it heartily.
    Beaming with delight, Göring continued. "They will be air launched from specially equipped Ju-288s that will move under fighter protection to within thirty kilometers of the carriers before doing so. Six or seven hits from these bombs, diving vertically, each loaded with half a ton of high explosives, will sink even their newest "Midway class carriers. Simultaneous torpedo strikes will be carried out on carriers and other war vessels using Arado 234s. Transports and lighter ships will receive the attentions of rocket-firing Me-510s. As soon as the fighting vessels have been disposed of, any transports that have survived will be invited to surrender. If they do not—well, they cannot be allowed to reach England, of course."
    Göring paused for breath and triumph, then continued. "When my boys are done with them, your precious carriers will be safe enough, Doenitz. Maybe even the French fleet will finally sortie out to do battle with the American lifeboats that will cover the sea."
    Hitler too looked around the room triumphantly, as if Göring's promises had already guaranteed victory for the Reich.
    "With England denied to them as a forward base and their fleet smashed, the Americans will have no means of striking at us for a year or more. By then two things will have happened. First, we will be within months of developing our own atomic bomb. Second, yet another generation of wonder weapons will be in the hands of our military. New York and Washington will be at our mercy, and if they continue to fight they will soon be facing atomic bombs delivered by rocket. That will destroy their will to resist. If it does not, they will