Standing on the spacious compass bridge of the heavy cruiser "York", the warm sea breeze of the North Atlantic summer gently blows on his face, Commodore Nicholson feels an indescribable comfort.

Sood Island, which half an hour ago was just a faint black dot on the horizon, has now been revealed to everyone in its entirety.

On the shore of the island facing the fleet, there are steep cliffs hundreds of meters high, and the dense vegetation covers the hard rocks with an emerald green tent.

Several mountain springs cascade down from the cracks in the cliffs, like white streamers hanging from the emerald green brocade tent, and the clear spring water is like strings of crystals flying into the blue waters of the North Atlantic.

Countless huge reefs stood menacingly above the sea beneath the cliffs, and these staunch guardians of the island silently warned the ships that wanted to approach them that any stupid provocation would end as badly as the waves crashing against the reef.

Behind Sood Island, under the afternoon sun, a series of large and small cyan island shadows were faintly revealed.

The Faroe Islands, the pearl of the North Atlantic, have made countless seafarers who have arrived here wonder what kind of great power can create such a paradise of paradise in the middle of this endless ocean.

Now Nicholson and his sailors couldn't help but sigh the same way, although they had been there dozens of times, but each time the Faroe Islands brought them a new feeling, a feeling that only sailors who have sailed on the uninhabited sea all year round.

"The fleet shifts into a line, Mr. Wilson."

Nicholson put down the binoculars in his hand and turned his head to the captain to order.

"Sir, obey, sir."

Wilson replied loudly.

"Send a signal, and the whole fleet will change to a straight formation."

"Sir, obey, sir! Change the formation! Sir! ”

Orders were handed down layer by layer.

"All turned, heading 360. The "Defender" and "Pleasant" were ordered to go out for reconnaissance. ”

Nicholson commanded solemnly.

"Sir, obey, sir! Signal, heading 360, all turning. Convey the commander's order to the destroyer. ”

Wilson meticulously relayed Nicholson's orders.

At this time, the Royal Navy's Nicholson Rangers showed the fruits of their usual rigorous training, and the fleet changed formation with very fluid movements, with four cruisers and two cargo ships lined up in a column.

The fleet then adjusted its course five thousand yards from Sood Island, as if pulled by an invisible tightrope, and the ships made a beautiful turn with a distance of a thousand yards, and headed due north along the steep shores of Sood Island.

"Very good!"

Nicholson nodded in satisfaction.

The quality of the fleet was evident in this perfect maneuver, and Nicholson was greatly pleased with the skillful cāo boat skills that the captains had just demonstrated.

"Your Excellency, how long are we going to be in the Faroe Islands?"

Captain Wilson picked up a cup of tea from the tray brought up by the orderlies and handed it to the fleet commander who was in high spirits.

"It depends on the speed of loading and unloading of people and cargo, and we can't stay here for too long. This mission is too difficult for you to imagine how much pressure we have on our shoulders, so I hope that this mission will be completed as soon as possible. ”

"Understood, Your Excellency, Commander."

Wilson picked up a small silver tweezer from the tray and picked up a sugar cube and put it in his teacup, then another one.

"Do you want it, sir?"

"Two pieces, thank you."

Nicholson leaned over the teaglass.

"In this way, we will have to stay in the Faroe Islands for at least one day, sir."

Wilson put two sugar cubes in Nicholson's cup, then waved the orderly back.

"Thank you."

Nicholson picked up his teacup and took a sip of the sweet black tea, then said with a smile: "Dear Wilson, my friend, it seems that this time I am going to disappoint you." We didn't have that much time, and we had to start loading and unloading as soon as we arrived at Tórshavn, and in any case we had to finish all the work before dinner and set sail after dinner. ”

"In such a hurry, sir?"

Wilson said in surprise.

"There's no way, we have to hurry, my captain."

Nicholson leaned against the railing of the bridge with his teacup and looked at a flock of seagulls flying not far away, and replied lightly.

Truth be told, Nicholson would rather give up the opportunity to stay here and go straight to the islands.

In Nicholson's eyes, the Faroe Islands were not a safe harbor, as they were within the hunting radius of German medium submarines.

Although there has never been a German submarine in this area, it does not mean that the Germans have forgotten about the archipelago.

Nicholson believed that the Germans would find out about their negligence, and that it would then become a battlefield as dangerous and bloody as the rest of the routes.

Nicholson now only hoped that the Germans had not discovered this loophole and that he would be able to leave the land sooner rather than later. From here, a day's journey to the northwest would allow the fleet to break away from the radius of activity of the German submarines, and only then could it be said to be truly safe.

But now Nicholson had to stop in the Faroe Islands, which could not help but make the fleet commander feel a little annoyed, but more helpless.

The fleet had to stop in the Faroe Islands, because, in addition to transporting those valuable cargoes, the Admiralty gave them a passing task.

Logically, such an important covert operation was not allowed to have some ancillary missions, but the Admiralty really couldn't send other ships, and the archipelago happened to be on the route of the fleet, so it was bold enough to send this ancillary mission to Nicholson.

The Naval Staff also came up with a very high-sounding reason, saying that this would better confuse the German Navy.

So, Nicholson had to stay in the archipelago that was supposed to be just a shipping marker, and complete the task that he shouldn't have done at all. He was to send a company of Marines and a set of naval radar station equipment to the Faroe Islands.

Less than two weeks after Denmark was occupied by Germany, the British took over the Faroe Islands. The archipelago consists of eighteen large and small islands, seventeen of which are inhabited.

Its inhabitants are all of Scandinavian descent, with a total population of less than 10,000. There are no specialties on the island, but there is an abundance of fishing in the nearby sea.

There are not many flat areas on the island, and the topography is a bit like the Norwegian coast, full of steep cliffs and long fjords, and hills like the Scottish Highlands.

The locals depend on fishing and animal husbandry for their livelihood, and except for the food they are able to sufficien, all other daily necessities are imported from outside the island. The local people are relatively simple, so the life of the island residents is quite comfortable.

Due to its geographical location, the Faroe Islands were not affected by any war, at most the Danish flag fluttering on Tórshavn, the largest port in the archipelago, was replaced by a rice flag, and some soldiers wearing khaki military uniforms suddenly appeared on the narrow streets of the fishing village.

War was too far away for them in the eyes of these inhabitants, and what was happening on that distant continent had nothing to do with them.

This time, the British Navy decided to set up a radar station on the Faroe Islands, which was used to monitor the actions of German submarines and German long-range reconnaissance aircraft in the nearby seas.

The British Admiralty also did not believe that this would always be a pure land, and that it would be a matter of time before German submarines appeared in this area.

"Your Excellency, Commander, we have contacted the garrison on Upper Faroe Island, they are ready to unload the supplies, and the supplies we want are also ready. The commander of the garrison, Second Lieutenant Walker, and his men were waiting for our arrival on the docks. ”

Wilson said happily with a telegram.

"yes, we've got our supplies ready, that's good! That saves us a lot of time. ”

Due to the increasing scarcity of supplies in Britain, especially food, the glorious Royal Navy reduced the quantity and level of food supplies for ships for the first time.

Many ships now go to sea with half the amount of meat and eggs they used to have, and the missing portions are replaced by potatoes and oats.

Overseas duty had become a scarf for all captains, especially on the Asia and American routes, and though it was a great danger, the threat of German submarines was nothing in the eyes of the sailors who had not seen the meat in March compared to the abundant and abundant supplies available at their destinations.

Since the fleet happened to be in the Faroe Islands this time, it would be a waste not to replenish the fleet's empty meat freezers in a place famous for its fish products and lamb.

So Nicholson contacted the Faroe Islands garrison early in the morning and asked them to prepare a batch of supplies urgently needed by the fleet, and he originally wanted to collect these foods, which might take a lot of time, but he didn't expect the island to be ready so quickly, which made him feel a lot of favor for the commander of the army stationed on the island that he had never met.

"Course 360, speed 20 knots, captain, everything is fine."

The second officer reported loudly.

"Good."

Wilson leaned out from the lookout on the compass bridge and looked towards the stern, where the fleet was now in a neat queue following closely behind the flagship.

The sharp bow of the ship split the waves, the splashing waves scattered in all directions, and the majestic momentum displayed by the cruiser formation was awe-inspiring.

"The fleet is in normal condition now, Your Excellency Commander."

Wilson said aloud.

"Very well, Captain."

Nicholson nodded, then continued to pick up his binoculars and look at the island in the distance.

Now the fleet has gone beyond Sood Island and is beginning to cross the Sood Strait between Sood Island and Mulberry Island.

It is more vivid to say that it is a strait than a piece of water sandwiched between two islands.

The Sood Strait is twenty kilometers wide, and in the middle of the strait are three small islands parallel to the strait, which are also part of the eighteen islands of the Faroe Islands, and the outermost of them is the smallest of the entire archipelago, the small Dem Island, and the only one without inhabitation.

It's so small that it looks like a small dirt hill jutting out of the sea, and the island is densely covered with dense bushes, and the striking emerald green is very pleasing to the eye against the blue water.

Nicholson casually glanced at the tiny island with his binoculars and turned his gaze to Mulberry Island, which was about the size of Sood Island, directly in front of the fleet.

After crossing the Strait of Scoplan, the Mulberry fleet reached its first destination, Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands on the island of Vigel.

Judging by the current speed of the fleet, there is still half an hour left at most, and Nicholson is now in an extremely relaxed mood, and it is a pleasant thing to be able to set foot on solid ground immediately.

However, Nicholson could not have imagined now that in the dense bushes of that inconspicuous island not far away, a few pairs of keen eyes were closely watching his fleet's every move.

"Prepare to send a report to the fleet, the British fleet has passed the second marker."

A German naval corporal gently lowered his hand from the bushes, withdrew the lens of the high-powered telescope, and turned back to the messenger who was crouching in a natural ditch behind him.

"How about ranging, report parameters."

The corporal whispered to the two soldiers lying next to him, who were holding a three-meter rangefinder to measure the distance parameters of the British warships.

A soldier looked up at the readings on the rangefinder wheel and reported: "The azimuth is three three two, the distance is five thousand three hundred, and the speed is about 20 knots." ”

"Okay, keep observing."

The corporal took off the M35 steel helmet from his head and put it aside, then took out a notebook from the document bag on his waist.

He raised his wrist to look at his watch, then pulled out his pen and recorded his observations in a notebook.

"Report this to the fleet."

The corporal handed the notebook to the messenger, who took it and immediately pressed the electric button and began to send the report.

"Keep watching."

The corporal turned around and coldly ordered the two rangefinders.

"This is the data reported from the second post."

Major Leinster took the telegram from the communications corps, read it carefully, and handed it to a cadet of the Navy who was waiting at the chart table, and four cadets of the same rank were holding pencils and slide rules to mark the direction of the target on the chart.

"Your Excellency, the data from Sentry No. 2 has been reported."

Leinster walked behind the fleet commander who was looking out of the window of the bridge and looked out at the sea, and reported respectfully.

"Oh, have you calculated the enemy's position?"

Commander of the German Navy's Ocean Fleet, Günther. Vice Admiral Ruetjens withdrew his gaze from the porthole, and he turned around and asked slowly.

"It was calculated right away, and we're now putting together all the data. Your Excellency, General. ”

"It's good, immediately communicate the data to all warships. Ordered them to wait for the order. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Rear Admiral Leinster, the staff officer of the fleet, gave a respectful salute, then turned and walked out of the bridge.

"It seems that everything is under the control of His Excellency the Führer."

Lutyans muttered softly to himself, a faint smile on his thin face.

"Those brave lads must have been waiting for them now, Captain."

Lutejens turned his face and said aloud to the captain who was discussing something with the first mate in front of the ship's clock.

"Huh? I'm sorry, General, I didn't hear your question clearly. ”

Admiral Klein, the captain of the German pocket battleship "Admiral Schell", replied loudly.

"Forget it, Captain, get on with your business."

Ruttejens waved his hand, then turned and continued to look out the porthole.

Outside the porthole, all the best of the German Navy were moored in the sea, and almost all the main warships of the German Navy were located here.

Rütjens was now trying to restrain his agitation, and the thought of the Führer entrusting him with the honor and right to command the First Sortie of the Third Reich Navy after the Battle of Jutland, Lütjens could not help but feel grateful and reverent for the young new Führer.

Lütjens had only been commander of the destroyer fleet for a time before, and he never imagined that he would one day become the commander of the German naval fleet.

Now that the Führer had put the entire Imperial fleet in his hands, Lütjans was a little flattered.

Before leaving, he secretly vowed to do everything he could this time, even if it was to sacrifice his life, and to complete the task assigned to him by the Führer, so as to repay the Führer's trust and expectation of him.

"General, all the data has been calculated and has been communicated to all ships."

Leinster walked briskly into the bridge and reported loudly to Lütjans.

"How long do it take for the enemy to reach the final marker?"

Lu Teyans asked coldly.

"And ...... Fifteen minutes. Leinster replied by looking at his watch.

"So ......"

Lütjens lowered his head and groaned for a moment, then raised his head sharply and said loudly: "Relay my order, fifteen minutes later, it will be German time."

Lütjans took out his pocket watch and looked at it: "At 12:42 German time, the attack began." Now the ships began to act according to the original plan. I now issue the First Battle Order of the Ocean Fleet in the name of the Commander of the Fleet. ”

Lu Teyan paused, and then coldly spit out two words: "Do it!" ”

;