"It can't be wrong!" Lieutenant General Holland's heart lit up. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 He paused, as if analyzing, as if subconsciously convincing himself, and spoke again: "Although the warships of Exeter, York, and Fury were unfortunately sunk, their brave fighting also caused heavy setbacks to the German warships; After a period of reluctance, several of the evil German warships were finally lost on the way back. The Germans, fearing the bravery of the Royal Navy officers and men, feared the same fate as their few remaining ships, fled home in panic - just as they had done in the second half of the Battle of Jutland. ”

"This wave is not a loss, it is not a loss......" Hearing the commander's words, the rest of the staff officers in the navigation bridge nodded to each other, and their faces also showed a mixture of relaxed and regretful complicated feelings. Since the beginning of the war, the British navy has suffered a series of heavy defeats, and the morale of the officers and men has plummeted; Although the main force of the German aircraft carrier could not be caught this time, if it can be confirmed that one of the aircraft carriers was sunk, it can be regarded as avenging the battleship that sank in Scarpa Bay before. Although the situation facing the British Navy is still extremely serious, it has finally recovered a little after bottoming out - at least the German aircraft carriers have withdrawn from the Atlantic, and the situation of merchant ships in an entire sea area has finally been waiting for a temporary improvement.

"But is it really good for us to speculate on the outcome of the battle based on fragmentary reconnaissance reports?" An untimely voice suddenly sounded in everyone's ears. In an instant, the atmosphere in the navigation command tower changed subtly, and the expressions of the officers led by Holland changed suddenly, as if they were embarrassed, ashamed, annoyed, and resentful. How could they not know that what he had just said was a rather far-fetched assumption? However, in the current situation where the main fleet of its own fleet could not catch up with the enemy, and the Germans sank 2 cutting-edge destroyers, the British fleet could only use this somewhat barely reliable inference to maintain that last bit of combat morale.

Now, with the exception of this fleet commanded by Holland, the entire British Navy and even Great Britain needed a victory to inspire, even if it was just a mirage. And at this moment when everyone subconsciously wants to bury their heads in the sand and be an ostrich, but there are still people who don't know the current affairs to wake everyone up loudly, isn't it that you can't get along with the big guys?

Seeing that Holland's complexion had a tendency to turn blue, Colonel Jerome glared at the reckless young staff officer fiercely, and shouted in a low voice: "Lieutenant, you have only been in the navy for a few years, what do you know?" If you don't focus on your job and want to question and interfere with the commander's decision, you don't have to keep going! The mouthy young staff officer was silent, and his eyes did not dare to look at the two senior officers again.

Holland took a deep breath, the look of annoyance on his face gradually subsided. After all, he is a lieutenant general, and he can't deal with a lieutenant in such an unseemly field. After a long silence, Holland slowly spoke: "We can't catch up with that German fleet anymore. The order was given to implement the B evacuation plan, and the fleet immediately slowed down and returned. Now Britain doesn't have much oil reserves, so let's use less if we can save some of our warships. ”

The sunset is slanting, and the sunset is like a maple leaf. The German fleet on the other side was galloping at full speed, and by evening it had reached the southernmost corner of the Norwegian peninsula. It was already within the radius of the German North Sea Fleet, and no British warship had set foot in these waters since the beginning of the war. The Wilhelmshaven base was 260 nautical miles to the south-east, and half a day was enough for the German fleet to sail into that familiar harbor.

"The order was given, and the fleet slowed down to 24 knots. At the same time, a report was sent to the Admiralty in Berlin that our side would return at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. Bome tried to speak in a calm voice, but a smile of joy was already written on his face. Now that the fleet has sailed into safe waters, it is time to report to the high command on the return date. In addition, Bo Mei also has a little thought in it: this time the ocean-going fleet has achieved a record that shocked the world, and a grand welcome ceremony will inevitably be held in China, and greeting the country in advance will undoubtedly be conducive to the development of various work. Although making a fortune in silence is the quintessential life experience, the appropriate high-profile behavior is also an absolutely necessary act for the German Navy to completely wash away the shame of the past years of self-sinking without a fight, and at the same time arouse a sense of honor in the hearts of officers and men.

Not far away, Fang Yan also showed a relaxed expression: this aircraft carrier fleet has condensed his massive efforts, and now it has been able to return smoothly, which can be regarded as an ideal ending for this sea operation. Although Fang Yan did not want this fleet to return to its home port so early in his heart, so that all the pressure of breaking diplomatic relations was lost to the pocket patrol and submarine forces with limited strength, it was very necessary for him to be in Germany during this time period, so as to carry out the next layout operation more favorably. In addition, Fang Yan really misses his wife and daughter's family a little. They were all Fang Yan's most cherished fetters and sustenance in this world line, and only when he was with them could Fang Yan truly feel that he was a true member of the current plane.

"Jonas, how long do you think we will fight this war with England and France?" After a while, Bo Mei suddenly turned his head and asked Fang Yan. In Bomei's mind, the young man in front of him was never an ordinary lieutenant colonel officer; His illustrious family connections destined him to have unique considerations for the political and strategic picture. Seeing Fang Yan's slightly surprised face, Bo Mei smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "Indeed, this should not be a concern of my admiral, but since the day Britain and France declared war on Germany, I can't help but worry about where the fate train of the motherland will go. ”

"At present, although we have won victory on the Polish battlefield, we are always in a state of confrontation with France on the Western Front; If there were any more protracted attrition like the last one, it would be a complete disaster for Germany. "And if Berlin can take advantage of this victory of the naval fleet to conclude a peace treaty with Britain and France that is favorable to Germany on the scene, then Germany will be able to avoid a tragedy of millions of deaths, and establish a Greater Germany belonging to the Germanic people in Central Europe." ”

Hearing these words, Fang Yan's heart couldn't help but feel a little heavy. Although Bermay's view is short-sighted, it represents the hope and long-cherished wish of the German people: because the "Treaty of Versailles" devastated Germany so violently, although the German people did not share the same heaven with the entente bandits led by France, but in this pain, they also planted in their hearts the unspeakable fear of the ferocious robbers and gangsters. This fear is so great after 20 years of fermentation that even though the German army and navy have won great victories, they still want to avoid a full-scale conflict with Britain and France as much as possible.

The idea of the German people is very simple: now that Poland has been wiped out, the Danzig Corridor and the Silesian Province that had been cut off by Poland have returned to German hands, and now the three thousand miles of rivers and mountains where the Germans lived have been unified, and there are no more territorial claims. In that case, then what else to fight with Britain and France? Hurry up and end the war and keep this gain!

"General, I can't make up my mind exactly what you said. However, we should trust the Führer's judgment of the situation. Six years ago, Germany was a diplomatically isolated country, but in just a few years, the Führer completely rewrote the German strategic situation and reshaped the entire European order with his genius. I am confident that at this critical juncture, the Führer will make wise decisions, and we will only need to follow his direction. After pondering for a moment, Fang Yan replied half-prevaricatingly and half-seriously. In this day and age, Hitler was definitely the best statesman and strategist, and at this time he had not yet fallen into the Parkinson's syndrome of the late World War II, and he must have the most accurate grasp of the current situation.

Hearing this reply, Bermay could not help but be a little disappointed, but Hitler's brilliant successes in the past few years seemed convincing enough that he did not pursue it further. Faintly, there was a strange light in Bo Mei's eyes that flashed quietly, looking at Fang Yan's figure reflected in the glass window, his heart was filled with a little unspeakable worry.

The mist is shrouded, and the night is miserable. Fang Yan did not choose to rest in the evening, but walked into the library located at the front of the aircraft carrier and began to summarize the shortcomings and lessons of this combat cruise. Fang Yan deeply knew that this war would last for at least 4 years, and he could not relax his support for the German Navy. Before he knew it, the lights out time on the boat had arrived, and Fang Yan, who was able to finish the summary, returned to his pocket living room, put away some personal belongings, and prepared to take them off the ship after going ashore tomorrow. Among them were the pocket watch and the cross of peace that Sylvia gave him, and the contract for the arms deal he signed with the Soviets in Murmansk.

At 4 a.m., the ocean-going fleet met one of its own destroyers that had come to join it. Under the leadership of the latter, the ocean-going fleet passed through the mine arrays laid by the German Navy in front and really sailed into German territorial waters. At 6:30 a.m., the Zeppelin, which had just sounded the bed bell, received a telegram from the Navy Headquarters: The Führer and Field Marshal Raeder had arrived in Wilhelmshaven and would officially attend the welcoming ceremony in two hours. In an instant, the German sailors on the entire battleship were jubilant, and the two commanders they admired the most on weekdays finally came to cheer for their success in person! (To be continued.) )