Chapter 18: The Decisive Battle I
With the roar of 800-kilogram armor-piercing shells under the impetus of gunpowder, nearly a ton of shells drew a chilling parabola in the air, accompanied by the low-frequency whistling sound characteristic of heavy shells, the sixth salvo of the battleship Bismarck flew towards the position of the Prince of Wales.
"Captain, do you want to maneuver and evade immediately" The Prince of Wales' first mate Alan hurriedly asked Captain Richie.
Judging from the current situation of the Prince of Wales, once it is set on fire by German ships again, this cutting-edge battleship that has just been commissioned may really ......
"Concentrate all your firepower, aim at the Bismarck and open fire immediately!" When the roar of the ammunition faded from his ears, Richie explained to the adjutant, "Alan, how long do you think we can hold out in the hands of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen?" ”
Without waiting for Allen to answer, Rich said bitterly, "Since the death of the Hood, our end has been doomed, either flee or fight!" ”
Escape, even if we can escape the pursuit of the German ships, but can you guarantee that there are no German submarines in the nearby waters?
Can you guarantee that even if we can be safe and John. After Tovey rendezvous, won't we be court-martialed for not continuing the battle after the explosion of the Hood?
"So, we only have to fight......" For Alan, Rich didn't have any thoughts to hide, and told Eren about the current predicament that the Prince of Wales was going to face.
A ray of light suddenly flashed in Allen's eyes, but he thought of something, his eyes became dim, Allen frowned, and thought quickly, he just closed his lips tightly at this time. Pondering intently every word Richie said......
As the supreme commander of all the British forces present, Richie of course also had his own considerations, if a behemoth like the Bismarck was allowed to enter the Atlantic, the already fragile maritime lifeline would be fatally hit.
This would be fatal for an island nation as the British Empire, which was heavily dependent on colonies as its resources were increasingly scarce......
At present, due to the lack of food in the UK, many people can only eat bread and jam, and they are completely unable to eat a balanced diet. The British military and civilians were severely deficient in vitamins, protein and iron......
All food and cloth supplies were officially rationed, and there were limits to the quantities, even for members of the royal family. The most important thing is that my sister, who is only 14 years old, is also in London......
Thinking of his younger sister, who was getting thinner, Richie sighed, "This time, I'm afraid my brother will ......"
"Captain, why don't we fight the Germans for the T-shaped advantage," Alan asked Richie after a moment's consideration.
"Do you think that at this distance, we are turning again, how many chances do we have to hit the Bismarck? Steering again, re-ranging...... During this period, how many rounds of concentrated fire from German ships will we be? Richie looked indifferent and calmly replied to Allen.
Alan sighed, nodded, and didn't speak again, it is true that instead of fleeing in fear, it is better to do your best to damage the German ships here, and the closest main fleet here will take a day to reach the Danish Strait at the earliest, and during this time, the Prince of Wales will be the only existence that can fight against Bismarck!
Since it is the idea of damaging Bismarck to death, it is no longer so important to dodge or something, rather than measuring the range again after dodging, it is better to take advantage of the moment when the target has been locked, fire a few more shots, if you can sink the Bismarck here......
Just as Richie and Allen were pondering, several huge explosions suddenly sounded in their ears, and two armor-piercing shells directly pierced the armor on the side of the Prince of Wales, and after tearing through the thick armor, a huge explosion occurred in the boiler room, and the smoke soon spread on the Prince of Wales, and a large amount of seawater also poured into the hull of the Prince of Wales along the huge hole.
Although the crew of the Prince of Wales continued to pump the water out with all their might, the Prince of Wales began to tilt, "What are the casualties so far?" Richie's flat voice came from the microphone, and an officer inspecting the hull hurriedly reported that "both shells have hit the boiler room, captain, and we have begun to slow down......
"Really...... Try to stabilize the hull and fire as soon as the main gun is filled! ”
At the same time, although the Bismarck had tried its best to avoid the attack, a shell from the Prince of Wales still hit Bismarck's bow impartially, directly penetrating the No. 2 fuel tank, and the repair was ineffective, and the spilled fuel floated on the sea, forming a black sea.
"Is history inertia, what are you kidding......" Cheng Hao stared at the Prince of Wales in the distance, Cheng Hao knew in his heart that although the Bismarck used comprehensive protection, there were major design flaws in the structure of the stern and bow of all kinds of German warships.
Because the watertight compartment is not connected to this area, and there is obvious structural overabundance, and there is fatigue in the metal welding, it is easy for a heavy shell or torpedo to form a penetrating ......
And the bow of the Bismarck was pierced by the 14-inch shells of the Prince of Wales, which happened to be the fatigue part of the bow!
"The Bismarck has now awakened the martial spirit, and the ship's body has been gradually synchronized to form a special kind of steel with a certain memory ability, as long as there is enough soul steel, we can repair the Bismarck now, but unfortunately the fleet does not carry this precious metal...... Now we can only pray that the supply ships Tirpitz and Altmark will join us as soon as possible."
Lütjens and Chief Engineer Heinrich. After some discussion, Kuhn came to the conclusion that this meant that the Bismarck's fuel would continue to leak until the Altmark arrived, which was undoubtedly the best guiding light on the blue water...... Like breadcrumbs in a fairy tale, Bismarck's whereabouts are marked.
"Wait, Soul Steel ......"
Looking at the steel in the warehouse showing the words 13794/50500, Cheng Hao hesitated, but still didn't take out the steel in front of the three of them, because he had no way to explain the origin of these things, it seems that he can only secretly hand it over to Bismarck after the battle is explained......
Looking at Bismarck, who was pale but still standing strongly, Cheng Hao was a little distressed, "Hold on...... Bismarck"
A little cold hand suddenly held Cheng Hao tightly, Bismarck nodded to Cheng Hao, indicating that he was fine.
"Bismarck......
"Don't worry, Captain, I'll sink the Prince of Wales!" Despite the sore arm, Bismarck stared at the Prince of Wales in the distance, both sides were seizing every time to refill ammunition, and here time was of the essence!