In the port of Las Palmas, anti-aircraft guns in the harbor spew tongues of fire in an attempt to stop the Grim Reaper from the sky. [ads:This site has a new URL,Shorthand method:,.]

On ships of all sizes, British sailors stumbled to the deck, picked up the anti-aircraft guns on the deck to join the battle group, and the dense artillery fire weaved a fire net in the sky, blocking between the German fighters and the warships.

The stubborn resistance of the British was completely useless, and long before the net of fire was successfully weaved, the bombers of the German naval aviation had already broken through their lines and completed the first round of attacks.

The first to suffer doom was the USS Ark Royal.

Keeping in mind the teachings of their commanders, the pilots of the German Navy placed the first target of attack on the enemy's aircraft carriers.

The Ark Royal has an 800-foot-long, 112-foot-wide flight deck.

From the sky, the shape of the Ark Royal was so different, so dazzling, so charming, that the German pilots easily locked on to the target without much effort.

Facing the hellfire from the ground, a four-plane formation of Ju-88 bombers flew over the harbor, the belly hatch wide open, and eighty 50-kilogram bombs rained down on the stationary flotilla.

Flames and smoke filled the harbor, and the British gunners and crews on the decks of the ships were instantly covered in blood.

The German pilots did not see the enemy's tragic situation, but faithfully carried out their mission, and then launched a deadly dive bombardment.

Four Ju-88 bombers dived one after another, and eight 500-kilogram semi-armor-piercing bombs smashed into the Ark Royal with a terrifying wind.

A series of metal crashes resounded on the deck, and six more large holes appeared in the wide deck of the Ark Royal.

Moments later, firelight and smoke erupted from the deck and soared into the sky.

The huge hull of the Ark Royal trembled violently as if it had an epilepsy, and the British crew on the deck fell in an instant.

With two loud rumbles, two near-misses exploded on the starboard side of the Ark Royal, and a thick column of water rose into the air, splashing countless cold droplets onto the deck, and the flames flying on the deck performed a song of ice and fire.

The damage management team members and the surviving crew members got up and bravely rushed forward to treat their wounded comrades. Salvage battered ships.

In the dark sky beyond the range of the flare, the real killer has quietly descended.

Two Ju-88 bombers swept at an altitude of more than 20 meters above the sea surface, and when the distance was reduced to more than 600 meters, they dropped a torpedo hanging on the belly of the plane, and then one made a sharp turn on the right side. Dodge the raindrops of tracer bullets and fly off the battlefield.

Two torpedoes slammed into the starboard side of the Ark Royal with a silver trajectory, hitting the amidships and tail of the Ark Royal.

The massive body of the Ark Royal shuddered violently again, and the crew on deck and in the cabin staggered.

Compared to the heavily armored battleship, the smoke cleared, and two huge wounds appeared on the starboard side of the Ark Royal. The sea rushed in, and the huge hull quickly tilted to the right, and soon fell to the surface.

The crew and anti-aircraft gunners who were too evasive on the deck slipped from the deck and fell into the water like dumplings.

As they emerge from the water, they see a monster of steel fall head-on, mercilessly smashing over their heads and plunging them into the icy depths of the sea.

In less than thirty minutes, the Ark Royal was left with nothing but a huge whirlpool.

The Ark Royal was fatally hit by German naval aviation, and other ships of the H Flotilla were not spared.

The battleship Gangyong was heavily damaged by four 500-kilogram semi-armor-piercing shells and two torpedoes.

Two 500-kilogram bombs hit the bow turret, leaving only two deep dents in the solid turret armor.

Two more 500-kilogram bombs, one hit the rear of the stern turret. One hits the chimney.

Billowing black smoke rose from the deck of the Brave, and the hull tilted slightly towards the port side, which had been torpedoed, but did not sink, and the thick and sturdy armor and torpedo-resistant compartments saved the Brave.

The Counterattack, parked in the port of Santa Cruz to the west, did not have the armor of the Resolute and did not have the good fortune of the Resolute.

After the battle began, the 32 40-mm and 20-mm anti-aircraft guns on the battlecruiser Counterattack opened fire wildly, and the ship also lifted anchor under the urgent order of the captain and slowly moved out of the harbor.

No sooner had the huge steel anchor come out of the water than a 1,000-kilogram and a half-kilogram armor-piercing bomb hit the aft deck of the Counterattack, almost tearing apart the fragile stern.

The corpses of sailors, parts of ships and shattered steel plates. Wrapped in flames and waves, it flew through the sky, and then fell to the ship and the sea.

A torpedo, attracted by the pomp and circumstance of the Counterattack, rushed to the stern of the Counterattack without mercy.

With a deafening explosion, the huge propeller at the stern of the Counterattack flew out against the water. Split a waterway on the surface of the water.

Sea water poured into the stern of the Counterattack through the torpedo's rupture.

The stern of the ship quickly sank into the water, and the bow was raised high.

With the tooth-aching sound of metal cracking, the narrow hull of the Counterattack broke in two from the middle, and the upper half of the hull hit the surface of the water heavily, causing huge ripples and waves.

Less than two minutes after the sinking of the Ark Royal, the Counterattack followed in its footsteps.

Two batches of 80 Ju-88 bombers arrived. In less than an hour and a half, 74 departed.

At the same time as the loss of six participating aircraft, German naval aviation also left a devastation in the Canary Islands.

The water was filled with shipwrecks and the corpses of British sailors, as well as large expanses of black oil.

In the harbor, the destroyed oil depot was on fire, and black smoke drifted in the wind over the port of Las Palmas, filling the air with a pungent smell.

Somerville strolled along the docks, watching the huge body of the battleship Gangyong leaning in the water, looking like it might sink at any moment, and couldn't help but cry.

After the main forces of the Mediterranean Fleet suffered heavy losses, the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Cunningham, once summed up a reflection report on the defeat in the naval battle.

In his report, Cunningham repeatedly stressed that the role of aircraft carriers and air forces in naval warfare will gradually replace battleships, and that in the future, when encountering the navies of the Axis powers, they must closely guard against air attacks by the other side, and at the same time give full play to the role of their own aircraft carriers.

Somerville had read the report and had personally visited Cunningham to learn about naval warfare.

Fooled, themselves, no, not only themselves, but the British Empire were fiercely deceived by the Germans.

The bomber attack radius of the German naval aviation was much more than five hundred kilometers. In order to carry out strategic deception against the Royal Navy, they deliberately limited the bombing range to a range of 500 kilometers, creating an illusion for the world.

Somerville was filled with remorse, but to no avail. Remorse can't let the sunken warship return to him.

He forced himself to calm down and returned to his unharmed headquarters, Somerville's face unusually serious.

He told the staff officers: "Order all ships in the harbor to immediately lift anchor and evacuate in case of another air attack by German bombers."

Immediately count the losses and send them to London. ”

Two hours later. There was a gloomy fog in 10 Downing Street, London.

Churchill's right hand pounded on the telegram on the table and shouted at Admiral Beckhausen: "In one morning, an aircraft carrier, a battlecruiser, two cruisers and two logistics ships were sunk, a battleship and two destroyers were damaged, and the oil depot was destroyed, and this is how the Royal Navy behaved?" Fortunately, the Prestige was not in the harbor at the time, otherwise the enemy would have had one more victory. ”

War Minister Aiden saw that Beckhausen was full of shame and hurriedly diverted the topic.

"Now is not the time to talk about this, which route should our fleet send to East Africa take? Somerville's telegram said that the bombers of the Germans had a combat radius of much more than five hundred kilometers. The OB-297 convoy would be very dangerous to take the route of the west coast of Africa. ”

"Take a detour, cross the Atlantic, and then pass through the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and it's better to be farther and safer, and there must be no slip-ups in the supplies sent to East Africa."

"But in that case, I'm afraid it will be too late." Aiden sighed.

"There's no other way. You inform General Montgomery and Ochinlake that they must hold out until supplies arrive. I will contact India and South Africa to allocate a shipment of military supplies to East Africa, although the quality is not comparable to that of the OB-297 fleet. But it's better than nothing. Churchill said categorically.

Admiral Beckhausen said cautiously: "Mr. Prime Minister, at the end of the telegram, General Somerville once again stressed the need to abandon the Canary Islands, otherwise the H Fleet was in danger of total annihilation. What are your instructions? ”

Churchill instantly stared at Beckhausen with round eyes.

"It is possible to give up, but not now, there are still five thousand army troops on the island, and we must send a fleet to pick them up before we can give up the archipelago."

"I immediately organized a fleet to go to the Canary Islands to ensure that they evacuated as soon as possible. There are not enough maintenance facilities in the Canary Islands. The injured ship had to be towed back home for repairs and needed to leave as soon as possible. Beckhausen said.

Churchill nodded sullenly, picked up the cigar from the ashtray and was about to light it when he heard a knock at the door.

"Urgent telegram from the H fleet."

Churchill dodged the telegram in the secretary's hand, glanced at it a few times, and handed it to Beckhausen.

When Aiden saw Churchill throw away the cigar in his hand, a sense of foreboding immediately swelled up in his heart.

Sure enough, after reading the telegram from Beckhausen, Aiden's face instantly became as gloomy as Churchill's.

The main force of the Italian Navy is heading towards the Canary Islands and is expected to arrive in a day's time.

The Imperial Japanese Navy's European Task Force 1 is also approaching the Canary Islands for an unknown purpose.

"Withdraw, let the H-Fleet retreat at once, and leave those land forces alone. Inform Somerville that we must find a way to keep the Prestige and the Brave, we don't have many capital ships left, and we can't afford to lose them anymore," Churchill said gloomily.

After receiving a telegram from London, Somerville immediately organized all the intact ships on the Canary Islands and dragged the wounded Gangyong and other injured ships out of port one after another.

Black smoke also rose from the chimneys of the H Fleet headquarters in the harbor, and the staff officers hurriedly threw telegrams into the brazier and watched them burn to ashes.

Somerville stood in front of the window and stared at the rice-shaped flag on the flagpole in the square outside the window, full of shame in his heart.

Although it was an order given by the Prime Minister himself, his actions would definitely be recorded in the history of the Royal Navy for criticism by countless later generations.

The next time he returns to London, maybe he will be taken court-martial by the Admiralty gendarmes to be tried, just like Cunningham as a scapegoat for the defeat in the war.

Half an hour later, Somerville stepped aboard the battlecruiser Prestige, which had returned to the harbor shortly after returning to the harbor, and sailed south with the large force.

A day later, the advance flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet of the Italian Navy arrived in the Canary Islands, where two heavy cruisers and four destroyers did not stop at all, but simply passed on the eastern side of the archipelago.

An hour later, the main force of the Atlantic Fleet arrived in the Canary Islands, still passing through the islands and galloping south.

Only the battleship Duirio, with two heavy cruisers and five destroyers, was stationed outside the port of Las Palmas on a mission to recover the Canary Islands.

The British Army on the island quickly contacted the fleeing Somerville and informed them of their dangerous situation.

Somerville received the telegram with a wry smile.

First, the H Fleet was outnumbered and could not help the army on the island; Second, the H Fleet is now in danger of being completely annihilated at any time.

"That pesky guy is still there?" Somerville asked Captain Thatch, who was beside him.

"It's still there, we've been targeted by it." Captain Thatch replied.

Somerville looked up at the hovering reconnaissance plane in the sky, his face full of worry.

The battleship Gangyong was seriously damaged and was only able to sail at a speed of eight knots, dragging down the advance of the entire fleet.

Mr. Prime Minister had already ordered himself to save the wounded Brave, and he had fled the Canary Islands in advance, thinking that he could escape from the pursuit of the Italian Navy, but he was bitten by the Axis reconnaissance planes.

There must be Japanese aircraft carriers behind them, and it is shameless that they should use such scoundrel means against themselves.

What to do? Do you want to leave the Brave and run away alone? Otherwise, it is likely that they will be caught up and annihilated.

Somerville had a headache for a while.

More than one hundred and ninety nautical miles north of the H Fleet, the Italian Atlantic Fleet was pursuing the H Fleet at a speed of twenty-four knots.

About five nautical miles west of the Atlantic Fleet, the battleship Kongo, two cruisers, and four destroyers surrounded the aircraft carrier Akagi, advancing alongside the Italian allies.

That reconnaissance plane was none other than the aircraft carrier USS Akagi.

When another morning came, the Italian and Japanese naval fleets sent six reconnaissance planes in search of the H flotilla.

The reconnaissance plane soon sent a telegram that about fifty nautical miles to the south was a British Royal Navy fleet, with one battleship and two destroyers in it.

Farther south, about one hundred and twenty nautical miles, an even larger fleet is moving away.

After reading the telegram sent by the reconnaissance plane, Campioni immediately remembered his former adversary, the Ramillis.

It seems that these three battleships wanted to stop their own fleet and do a Ramiris-style feat.

Since they want to be warriors, they have to fulfill them and return with honor. (To be continued.) )xh118