Chapter 12 The Fall of the Star-Spangled Banner (5)
(The last part of the battle in the Orkney Islands...)
“(The King of the North Atlantic, Section 7, The Doomsday of the Rice Flag[8])
The battle between the Third Battleship Fleet and the Fast Fleet ended with a certain first move.
At 14:10, the front team of the fast fleet, the First Battlecruiser, three magically modified Queen-class battlecruisers, opened fire in total, and the shells hit the third battleship like thunder hammers, splashing large balls of water on the dark ocean, adding more ferociousness to the boiling North Sea. Occasionally, one or two armor-piercing shells formed a near-blasting effect. The splashed water column violently washed the deck of the steel giant ship like a waterfall, and washed away the deck of the gun smoke mark caused by the main gun fire.
When the Second Battle Cruise fleet, which was mainly composed of three prestige battle patrols, joined the battle group, the Germans also played the horn of counterattack. The majestic main gun of the Bavaria looked up proudly, and pointed directly at the Battle Cruise of the Baalam less than 12,000 meters away with a muzzle with a cold light and aura of death.
At the watchtower of the British main battleship branded with the Rice Flag, the rookies widened their eyes and couldn't help but hold their breath. The prehistoric monster who looked at the Germans in horror suddenly burst out with a terrible death light. Then, the only 20 seconds of shells were flying in a blatant way, and the planes were flying for more than 20 centuries, until the large-caliber shells splashed near the fast fleet, causing a stunning storm.
The decisive battles of the two dreadnoughtsman fleets moving towards each other are completely different from the traditional combat mode of Jutland naval combat. Because the fleets moving towards each other are relatively fast, it is difficult for the artillery department to accurately observe and aim the target ships, calculate the azimuth and range, and judge the landing point of the shells. The single ship is not only not efficient in bombing, but also prone to losing the target ships, because of the missed attack, which leads to poor firepower distribution. The battles on the battle lines have evolved into disorderly melee.
To avoid this, the fleet commander usually chooses to concentrate the fire opponents, concentrate all the fleet's firepower, and project as much firepower as possible to a rough area in a short period of time until the next round of shooting orientation is adjusted. This firepower area usually covers a certain fleet of the opponent or is on the opponent's route.
At the southernmost end of the naval battle battlefield, the two sides of the warring parties chose to concentrate fire at the same time, but the effects were completely different.
The British shells fell sparsely near the Third Battleship Fleet. For the British who had a large number of 15-inch main guns, this weak shelling was simply a waste of resources, while their opponents, the large-sleeved Bavarian-class, King-class and Caesar-class battleships, were alive in the baptism of the British bombardment.
Compared with the British, the German Third Battleship Fleet, which had rich combat experience, strong fighting will and extremely high degree of human-ship running-in, ended the first few rounds of inefficient shooting, and the subsequent rounds of artillery began to improve.
The first target of the Third Battleship Fleet is the First Battleship Fleet, which is the front team of the fast fleet composed of three magic-modified Queen-class battleships. Although the Third Battleship Fleet has a record of hitting opponents, the Magic-modified Queen-class battleship is thick and thick enough, so in the fight with the Bavarian and King-class German men of the Seventh Team, the Queen-class who dismantled a main turret to add boilers and armor was not at all inferior. Even before the German Fifth Team joined the battle group, the King battleship was seriously injured.
The Germans spent several rounds of fire concentrations in a time-consuming and laborious manner. Except for the Malaya, the first battleship fleet, which was a little difficult to retreat, all the other ships passed the test successfully. When the Germans were so angry that they aimed at the second battleship fleet, the time for harvest was reached.
In the decisive battle of the battle line facing each other, the main artillery hit rate of both sides was so low. Even so, the third battle fleet still severely damaged the British Second Battlecruising Fleet for a period of time.
During the second round of concentrated fire of the target ship, the Reputation Battle Patrol was hit by a 350mm armor-piercing bomb, which caused the ship to be directly penetrated from the upper armor to the underwater shipbuilding steel, forming a **-type water bomb. So the ship underwent three magic modifications and the expensive main ship instantly tilted right by 4 degrees. The speed dropped to 18 knots.
The performance of the War Resistance Battle Patrol was even worse. In the third round of concentrated fire, the waterline belt of the War Resistance Battle, which was hit by two 305mm armor-piercing bombs and the only turret at the stern of the ship were respectively chiseled out of large holes. The only thing that is thankful is that the second 305mm armor-piercing bomb did not do much after tearing the sky cover of the x-turret, which made the War Resistance Battle Patrol last for nearly twenty minutes on the northern ocean.
Since the Germans tasted the sweetness, the Third Battleship Fleet, commanded by Heidi Silem himself, did not have the truth to wash hands, but just chased the Second Battlecruising Fleet indomitable manner and shouted to fight and kill.
So amid the violent explosion, the reputation wars were sunk.
In fact, the second battle cruiser fleet lost it was not unfair. The reputation level can also be called the magical reform and revenge level, but the magical modification of the British magician part-time shipbuilding designers "turning decay and turning magical" has completely different effects. The battle cruise, transformed from the high-speed battleship magic of the oil-fired boiler, is equipped with three double 15-inch main turrets, maintaining a maximum speed of 28 knots, and also has a 13-inch waterline belt main armor. The upper armor belt that used to cut corners was not vague. It can be discussed with the battle cruise transformed from the traditional battleship magic of the coal-fired boiler, under the same three 15-inch main guns and 28 knots of maximum speed data, it only has a 7-inch waterline belt main armor. Even after David Betty took office as the Third Secretary of the United Kingdom, his waterline belt main armor was still only 9 inches.
The angry British people were not willing to be outdone and began to gather the German Fifth Team. However, although the firepower output of the four Caesar-class battleships of the Fifth Team were not enough, they were more than enough to withstand the unreliable gathering of the British. So when the two fleets completed the process of passing by, the British lost their reputation, and the Resistance dragged the thick smoke covering the sky and the sun, and it looked shaky. The Warriors battle patrol, which had been seriously injured, barely remained in the battle sequence of the battle line, but was in a bad state.
The distance between the two fleets was constantly being widened, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to accurately hit the opponent. Although Heidi Sileme did not expect the third battle fleet to achieve a record, it was still a sin to let go of the two battle patrols that were surviving. So the senior officers of the Ocean Fleet heard the vicissitudes of Heidi Sileme who had just maintained a "gentlemanly demeanor" before.
On this side of the battle line of the main fleet, the German wolves on the water harvested two remaining main ships of the British Second Battleship Fleet like chopping melons and vegetables.
It is precisely because of the delays of the battleships of Marboro and Benbao and the deep affection for the battleships of Joe V and Hercules that the Ocean Fleet accidentally distanced itself from the British First Battleship.
At 14:30, the rumbling cannons over the North Sea finally stopped.
On this side of the battle line of the main fleet, the British destroyers inserted into the battlefield at high speed, used to intimidate the Germans outside the range, and released smoke to cover the retreat of their main battleships. On the battlefield of the battleship vs. the battle patrol, the fast fleet strode away from the entanglement of the third battleship and was running towards the north at high speed.
‘The Third Battleship Fleet and the First Battleship Fleet symbolically pursued the large fleet fleeing deep into the Furth Bay. The First Reconnaissance Cluster gave up the pursuit of the Indomitable Battle Patrol and searched northward for the fast fleet, allowing a return of half an hour.’
After a few hurried explanations, Heidi Silem, who asked the deputy commander of the fleet to take over command, walked out of the sultry commander tower and came to the pier where the smoke and blood had not yet dissipated.
‘General, did we win?’
The victory in front of us is like the collective intention of the German nation. Even the most craziest and most perverse dreams have never had such a brilliant victory: Determination, Marborough, Benbao, Joe V, Orion, Hercules, Giant, Centurion, Collingwood, Neptune, Royal Oak, Canada, Borolo, Magnificent, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Unrelief, Reputation, the young German Navy sank a total of twenty main battleships in the Royal Navy at the doorstep of the British. The price paid was only the sinking of three main battleships, and the six main battleships suffered a heavy blow.
The young German man with a bandage on his head stood timidly behind the commander tower, looking at the naval warrior who took off his military cap and blew the sea breeze with a cigarette in his arms, and asked pitifully.
‘General, did we really win?’
Heidi Silem held the pier and looked up at the sky with his hands on his hands, holding a cigarette shrouded in smoke in one hand, and with the other hand, he took out a small bottle of rum that he had secretly brought on the boat as if no one was around.
Silem skillfully bit off the soft plug of the bottle and swallowed a few sips before the fleet's staff officer Major General Lewinterzo stopped him. Until the rum that was sobbing in his heart relieved his tense nerves for more than three hours, he turned around and replied:
‘Little Brandeis, I'm sure!’
When Silame said this, he didn't know that behind the smoke created by the British destroyer, the flagship Revenge of the Fleet, which lost its speed, gradually landed at the end of the battle line, so that David Betty had to move the headquarters to the Battleship of the King of the Crown in advance; he didn't know that the four Stars and Stripes were still on the way south, and the British Admiralty, which failed to command due to a crushing defeat, gave the Americans the advice to the Americans was to go south at high speed; he didn't know that the rapid fleet left the sight of the Oden battle patrol, and soon after, it broke and sank due to uneven hull stress.
At this time, there was no greedy seabird in the North Sea. The dark ocean was covered with scars. Xilem clenched his fists and repeated it hard:
Chapter completed!