Located in the eastern middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores is a group of volcanic islands and reefs, located 1,600 kilometers from Europe and 3,200 kilometers from North America, and is an important supply point for the Atlantic route. Since its discovery by Portuguese navigators in the 15th century, it has been a battleground for soldiers, and the British, Spanish, and Portuguese navies have fought many naval battles here, staining the sea with blood several times.

It was the Portuguese who first established settlements on the Azores, but by the end of the 16th century, rising Spaniards occupied the area, which was not recaptured by the Portuguese until the middle of the 17th century. The Azores, now owned by the Portuguese government, has a population of 120,000 and is divided into three districts, with the ports of Delgada, Hero and Horta as their respective capitals. The Portuguese navy built small forts on the islands of Saint-Germere, Terceira, and Faar, and stationed a patrol fleet in Port Delgad. During the war that broke out in 1914, Portugal maintained its neutrality and the Azores remained a relatively calm non-belligerent zone around the Azores. Under the Neutrality Act, the Portuguese authorities allowed merchant ships, cruise ships, and warships of belligerent and non-belligerent countries to enter the port for shelter at short notice, to repair and replenish fuel, as well as other non-military supplies.

By the middle and late stages of the war, the Anglo-German maritime situation had reversed, and German merchant ships and freighters were once again active on the Atlantic routes, so it was not uncommon for British and German ships to enter the ports of the Azores at the same time to replenish and shelter from the storm. The hatred and taunts between the crews of both sides never stopped, but there was a brief period of harmony in the Azores. Gradually, ships from the Entente side became accustomed to anchoring at Puerto Horta on the island of Faar, while Allied ships anchored at Porto Sangra de Marsíríno, on the island of Trassay, and at Delgada, another major port, mainly American ships.

However, in the latter stages of the war, the Portuguese government began to face another major problem, that is, the German government's Lend-Lease claim to the Azores. As an important supply point in the middle of the Atlantic, the Germans were well aware of the significance of establishing a naval and air base here, which could not only provide protection for German merchant ships. More importantly, it can easily stifle the activities of hostile countries in the Atlantic Ocean in wartime. If it weren't for the Portuguese government's strict policy of neutrality and the strong intervention of the U.S. government, the Azores would have become an important stronghold of the Germans in the Atlantic. (Hitler also wanted to occupy the archipelago in World War II, and the German navy fought a major battle with the Allied fleet nearby, and finally the British succeeded in co-opting the Portuguese government, stationing troops and establishing naval and air bases on the island.)

Although the dispute over the Azores is still only at the level of diplomatic rhetoric for the time being. However, all countries still attach great importance to this strategic point, and this archipelago with a total area of just over 2,000 square kilometers has become a place for spy personnel of various countries to fight openly and covertly, and Britain, the United States, Germany, and other countries have successively set up secret liaison and monitoring stations and spy points here, and as soon as the other side's ships enter the port, these spy personnel will transmit information back to China as soon as possible. It is said that in Port-In-Heroxia, the customary anchorage of German ships, there were as many as 100 British, American, German, and other spy personnel lurking, and mysterious wireless telegraphy was frequently sent from certain parts of the island. The Portuguese government could not offend anyone in this situation, and the police and garrison on the island also turned a blind eye.

Of course, the situation is very similar in the ports of Horta and Delgada.

On the evening of 20 April, the Portuguese port authority in Angra Sansírdi was asked to enter the port by a German fleet. Look at the stormy scene outside Hong Kong – the authorities quickly agreed to the request.

It was a German ocean-going fleet of 12 large freighters and 3 protective cruisers, with fleet number G516. The cargo ship is loaded with heavy cargo such as machine tool parts, seamless steel pipes, steel plates, etc., which continues the consistent import and export style of Germany, an industrial powerhouse, - importing raw materials and exporting industrial finished products.

After acquiring a large number of colonies through war. The resumption and expansion of production in the African colonies enabled German industry to obtain far and continuous access to high-quality, cheap raw materials, so that Germany's foreign trade surplus maintained a good growth momentum after the war, and successfully replaced Britain as the largest importer and exporter of raw materials in Europe.

Only 1 hour later, the news of the entry of the German G516 flotilla into Angra Herosmanjímli reached the British cruiser "Churchill", which was heading for the Azores.

"General, are we still going to Horta to take shelter as originally planned?"

At first, the vice-captain, Colonel Setz, was not very much in favor of going to the Azores for shelter, as it would most likely allow the Germans to discover their tracks. However, the new ship was clearly not well equipped with equipment, and it had a slight water leak not long after it was bumped in the wind and waves, although this did not seriously affect its continued sailing. But Colonel Setz agreed to take the ship to the Azores to take shelter from the storm, and took the opportunity to repair the holes in the ship's ground.

In this regard, Captain Fox's confidence was very high, "Don't worry, the Germans have no way to act in the storm!" After replenishing fresh food and fresh water, and when the rain is a little lighter, we will leave, so that the Germans will not be able to follow us! Besides, our chances of finding suitable prey near the Azores will be much higher, as long as we sink those two or three German ships. Make sure the shipowners get into a fight when they hear our name! ”

"We must let our spies keep an eye on those three German cruisers in Anmarísmo Sangra, we won't get any advantage with one enemy and three enemies!" Setz said as he shifted his gaze to the two main turrets on the front deck, where the sailors had covered the barrels of the guns with tarpaulin, and the six 152mm guns on them were being challenged by the storm.

At 8 p.m., the Portuguese port authority in Porto Sansírdi Sanstomo received another request for a German convoy to enter the port, and by this time the storm had begun to rage on the sea, so that despite the identity and number of their warships, the port authorities allowed all of them to enter the harbor and sent pilot ships to pick up the counterparty, and subsequently reported the situation to the mainland.

In this way, the "D'Vellinger", which was drenched in water, sailed into Sangra Sangra and docked at the north pier.

At the same time, the "Churchill", which was swaying left and right in the wind and waves, also came to a distance of 50 nautical miles from Port Horta. The storm in the Atlantic really took a toll on the crew, the cabin shook like a big canned box on a swing, there was nothing fixed to slide back and forth on the floor, the new sailors had already vomited their lunch, but there was no way to make a fire in the kitchen to make dinner, and everyone had to eat cold cans at night. Right now. Everyone from top to bottom wanted to get into the haven early, and the people who weren't sent to the bilge to pump water were even more miserable.

The storm not only affected the normal navigation of the ships, but also caused the spies on the island to relax their vigilance a little. The spies working for the British government-in-exile either slept with their heads covered or wandered to the pubs near the port to find out the news, but the crew brought boring jokes and outdated news. It wasn't until the pilots of the local port department came to the bar to have fun that a British intelligence agent of Portuguese nationality stumbled upon the news that a German fleet had entered the port. In order to find out the news, he warmly invited the pilot to drink with him.

After taking a sip of whiskey, the Portuguese squinted his eyes and said:

"Wow. I promise God that it was the biggest warship I've ever seen! It is at least 300 meters long and 10 meters high! I estimated that it would probably have a displacement of 4 or 50,000 tons! ”

Even if there is an element of exaggeration, the British intelligence agent knows that the other party is not small.

"Our ship swayed mightily in the fairway, but the German ship moved as smoothly as a mountain! The light wasn't very good, but I could see the cannons on their deck, so thick and so thick! The Portuguese stood up and drew a huge circle in the air with his arm.

"The Germans are good on ships! There's nothing to say about it! The agent was full of praise as he motioned for the waiter to refill the old man's drink.

"Do you see its ship number?"

"This doesn't need to be asked, of course it has to report the name of the ship when it enters the port!" The Portuguese unceremoniously drained the wine he had just refilled, "it screams...... Got ......."

"De Frilinger? O God of the earth! ”

Hear the name of the battleship. Fawkes suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. His ship was only 10 nautical miles away from Horta, and the crew was exhausted, but the intelligence department only sent a telegram at this time to report that the German Navy's "D'Öhringer" and several cruisers had recently entered Angra Sansmo to take shelter from the storm!

"Against the De Fllinger. We have no chance of winning, not even one percent! "I don't think we have any advantage in speed!" If it had been carrying a seaplane, our situation would have been even worse? ”

"It's a mess!" Commodore Fox was also depressed, his new warship had a water leak during the sea trial, but before it was completely overhauled, the Admiralty couldn't wait to let it sail to carry out the mission, saying that "the whole country needs a big victory to boost morale." As a result, after 3 hours in the storm, several tons of water had already entered the bilge, so much so that the crew had to pump water there in shifts. However, the roof leak happened to rain for several days. One hour ago, another pumping machine broke down on the ship, and the pumping speed gradually couldn't keep up with the speed of the water.

"For now, the only way to do this is to quietly enter the harbor and repair the leaky bilge as soon as possible, no matter whether the storm stops or not, we will leave as soon as we repair the ship!"

Setz nodded, "That's all!" ”

At 11 p.m., the USS Churchill lowered the British flag, raised the American flag, and then asked to enter Port Horta under the false identity of the USS Dallas. In the midst of a violent storm, the Portuguese authorities did not have time to carefully verify the identity of the visitor before allowing the other party to enter the port. This seemingly inadvertent evacuation allowed the Churchill to gain valuable time.

After docking at the dock in the port, Fox ordered to intensify the overhaul, and at the same time strictly ordered the crew not to disembark without permission, and with the assistance of local British intelligence officers, he urgently replenished 300 tons of heavy oil and a batch of fresh water and fresh vegetables.

It was not until 4 o'clock in the morning of the next day that German spies lurking in Horta Harbor discovered this abnormal "American warship", and while they were still speculating about the identity of the warship, the overhauled "Churchill" quietly slipped out of the harbor without knowing it.

After daybreak, the storm stopped, the clouds quickly dissipated, and the seagulls began to fly over the nearby sea again.

After learning that the "Churchill" took advantage of the storm to enter the port of Horta and slipped away before dawn, Commodore Zeber scolded the British for their cunning, and immediately sent the seaplanes of the "Luna" to search the surrounding waters, and at the same time led the "De Fllinger" and three light cruisers out of the port in pursuit.

Although the Churchill headed northwest at top speed as soon as it left port, it was no faster than an airplane. At 9:17 a.m., they were spotted 120 nautical miles from Horta by the No. 4 maritime reconnaissance aircraft sent by the "Luna". After driving the enemy away with the ship's anti-aircraft guns, Commodore Fawkes ordered the battleship to turn 10 degrees east-north to avoid being tracked by the Germans. However at 12:25 three hours later. "Churchill" was still discovered by 6 German "Exocet DV" seaplanes flying in formation, these German planes then launched an air attack on the "Churchill", although the aerial bomb did not bring any damage to the 7,500-ton cruiser, but in order to avoid the air attack, the "Churchill" had to tell again and again to turn, the extra fuel consumption made Fox worried, and from this moment on, everyone on board began to pray to God.

2 p.m. on the 21st. The German Task Force 1, which had been ordered to set out from the direction of the Gulf of Mexico, arrived 150 nautical miles east of the Bahamas and formed a 60-nautical-mile interception line with two light cruisers, two destroyers, and five submarines from the 3rd Atlantic Submarine Detachment to block the "Churchill's" westward escape route.

Subsequently, nine Exocet DVDs launched a second wave of air strikes on the fleeing "Churchill", this time luck was on the side of the Germans, a 25kg aerial bomb hit the rear deck of the British cruiser, damaging two 75-mm secondary guns and damaging its No. 2 chimney, and after half an hour, the speed of the "Churchill" was reduced to 23 knots, far lower than the 28 knots of the German battle cruiser "De Friinger".

Furthermore. The loss of 2 secondary guns also significantly reduced the anti-aircraft firepower of the "Churchill". Just before dusk. German seaplanes launched a third wave of air strikes on the British cruiser, and one bomb hit its rear again, this time damaging its No. 3 turret and consuming extremely valuable fuel.

After the end of the third wave of air strikes. The distance between the German fleet and the "Churchill" was reduced to 50 nautical miles.

After nightfall, Commodore Fox commanded the "Churchill" to make two consecutive turns, after which the "Churchill" sailed 20 degrees west-north. However, it was expected that the "Churchill" intended to escape back to Canada, and Brigadier General Deszeber led the "De Fllinger" and "Boum" to cross the "Churchill's" return route in a straight line at the highest speed, and the "Rowitz", "Reno" and the seaplane carrier "Luna" were used as interception fleets to subsequently move westward.

On the 22nd, fine. At 11 a.m., German maritime reconnaissance planes spotted the "Churchill" at a distance of 90 nautical miles from the fleet, and two hours later, the "Churchill" was found for the first time by the shells of the "De Ringer".

The Churchill had no intention of fighting, and then fled to the southwest in an attempt to escape attack in the British Bamaha Islands. After being torpedoed by U317 and U329. Captain Fox and the officers and men on board became noisy.

In fact, Zeber's fleet, which was following the "Churchill", pursued and telegraphed the location of the "Churchill" to the detachment and the 3rd submarine detachment in the Atlantic, which were responsible for interception. At 5 p.m., the shells of the "Lützov" also found the "Churchill", and the British cruiser, in a panic, turned to the east coast of the United States.

After nightfall, the British finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fox sent a telegram to the base, asking for the first time that the government negotiate with the Americans so that the "Churchill" could take refuge in American ports.

That night, the Americans replied: they agreed that the "Churchill" would take refuge in American ports in accordance with the Neutrality Act. But all officers and men of the ship had to be disarmed, and the "Churchill" had to be detained by the U.S. government until the end of the war.

After much deliberation, in order to avoid greater losses, Commodore Fox decided to lead the "Churchill" into the American port of Charleston.

At 6 a.m. on the 23rd, the German battle cruisers "Lützov" and "De Fllinger" rendezvoused outside the port of Charleston, and the two task forces then jointly blockaded the American port.

In the afternoon, the U.S. fleet and the German fleet from Norfolk confronted each other outside the harbor, and the two fleets were tense and refused to give in to each other, while the two governments used fierce and-for-tat rhetoric at the negotiating table. Germany demanded that the Americans deport the "Churchill" after 24 hours in accordance with the Neutrality Act, while the Americans insisted on detaining the "Churchill" in accordance with the Neutrality Act.

After the work of receiving the expatriates was completed, the German battleships "Catherine" and "Osterfrisland" also rushed to the port of Charleston from the Gulf of Mexico, and the strength of the German fleet suddenly formed an overwhelming advantage over the American fleet outside the port.

In the end, Germany and the United States broke up at the negotiating table, and the Americans finally detained the "Churchill" under the pretext of the Neutrality Act, and repatriated the 396 officers and men and 12 wounded on board, while the 10 sailors who died due to ineffective medical treatment were buried there in the specifications of non-commissioned officers of the US Navy.

Although this incident did not lead to an armed conflict between Germany and the United States, the rift between Germany and the United States grew wider after the Mexican diaspora incident and the "Churchill" incident. Six months later, the German fleet shelled a Canadian port on the North American continent for the first time, which led the United States to declare that it had joined the North American Common Defense Organization, which was initiated by Canada and composed of Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua and other North American countries. (Full Text)