Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Bet Wins

At the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, the tsarist government decided to transfer ships from the Baltic Fleet (and later the Black Sea Fleet) to form the "2nd Pacific Fleet" and send reinforcements to the Far East. This mixed fleet of www.biquge.info had 38 main warships of various types, about 20 auxiliary ships, and two groups (later one was added), under the unified command of Vice Admiral Rozhdestwinsky.

This hastily cobbled together fleet, some of which went to sea before it was fully built, was installed as it sailed. The tactical and technical level of the officers and men is low, and some even lack basic training, and they rely on German-built radio stations for communication and liaison. The contradictions between the officers and men are very deep, and the morale is low, especially the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet have been influenced by revolutionary ideas and have a spirit of resistance.

The 2nd Pacific Fleet was originally scheduled to depart in mid-July 1904, but was postponed to mid-October due to inability to keep up with preparations. The route was scheduled to run from the Baltic Sea to Vladivostok via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa (the fleet was later split in two at Tangier: Rozhdestwinsky continued to sail along the Cape of Good Hope with newer and larger ships, and the others were led by Fawksam and entered the Indian Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal, and the two forces later met off the coast of Madagascar), a distance of 30,000 kilometers, without a single base on the way.

According to international law, warships of belligerent countries are not allowed to berth in the ports of neutral countries, and this provision creates great difficulties for the fleet. Of course, we know it's all just an excuse. For the great powers, rules were made to allow them to better deal with their enemies and potential enemies, not to limit their own.

If they make rules that hurt their own interests, they can find an excuse to repeal them at any time.

When the fleet departed, due to a series of victories of the Japanese army, there was a serious fear of Japan among the Russian army, and it was even rumored that Japan's secret fleet had reached the waters of Northern Europe. In this atmosphere, the officers and men were nervous, and in the early days of the fleet's voyage, many big jokes were made that were rare in the history of the navy. Sometimes when they saw a foreign ship, they thought it was the Japanese fleet and blindly opened fire, and even the Russian ships that were far away misunderstood and opened fire on each other.

The incident of sinking and damaging a British fishing boat in the North Sea on the night of October 21~22 caused an international storm (an international tribunal was held in Paris), and the British government used this to pressure neutral countries not to provide convenience to the Russian fleet. In order to solve the fuel problem, the Russian fleet had to refuel coal at sea, and installed as much as possible when it had the opportunity, so that all open spaces such as decks, engine rooms, baths, and officers' bedrooms were piled up with coal, which not only reduced the speed (overweight), but also affected work and hygiene, especially after passing through the equatorial seas, the soldiers were miserable, and the non-combat attrition was serious, while at this time the Russian supply ships sent thousands of sets of winter clothes (only the "statue" to the army could be compared).

At the end of December 1904, Rozhdestvinsky reached the coast of Madagascar, and only after rendezvous with Faulksam did he continue his voyage to the Far East in mid-March 1905. At this time, the bottom of the boat is covered with seaweed, and the speed decreases. Rozhdestwinsky is recovering from a serious illness (his resignation is not allowed), and his deputy, Foksam, is critically ill. Morale was extremely low, suicides among soldiers were constant, and even "mutinies" broke out several times.

On 8 April 1905, Rozhdestwinsky arrived in Singapore. The Admiralty ordered him to go to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, where he waited for the 3rd Pacific Fleet under Nebogatov to rendezvous, then go north, defeat the Japanese fleet, and reach Vladivostok. The entry of the Rozhdestwinsky fleet into Cam Ranh Bay caused a strong protest from the Japanese government. The French naval authorities were forced to order the Russian ship to leave the country.

It was not so much the Japanese protests that caused the French to shrink, but the British Grand Fleet that forced the French to abandon their traditional allies, the Russians. It was already 1905, and the Germans were growing in strength. Perhaps a new war between Germany and France would break out at any time.

The British, though not very reliable, were a thigh that the French could not give up no matter what. Without the support of the British, even if the French had an alliance with the Russians, they would only be flattened by the Germans. The French, who had been cast a shadow in the Battle of Sedan on this point, were very conscious.

A few days later, on May 9, 1905, the 2nd and 3rd Pacific fleets rendezvoused at sea, with Rozhdestwinsky as commander and Fawkesum as deputy commander.

In the course of the eastward transfer of the Russian fleet, the Japanese Togo fleet made full preparations for the battle. First of all, the ship was repaired and maintained, and the sailors were given leave to recuperate. In February, all the officers returned to the team for an intense training exercise.

Togo judged that the Russian fleet was most likely to pass through the Korean Strait and take the shortest route to Vladivostok. Therefore, the main forces of the Japanese fleet were assembled near the Tsushima Strait and off the coast of Japan. At the same time, mines were laid in some of the sea lanes through which the Russian fleet might pass, and surveillance was organized, forming a huge forecasting network with a depth of more than 225 kilometers.

On May 25, the Russian fleet refueled for the last time, the amount of which was enough to reach Vladivostok, causing an overload. During this period, the deputy commander Folksam died of illness, but Rozhdestvinsky kept it a secret, even from the ex officio deputy commander successor Nebogatov, and the flagship continued to fly the Fox flag.

On May 27, the fleet entered the Tsushima Strait, and the famous Battle of Tsushima broke out. Each side has 12 armored capital ships, but the Japanese ships have fast speed (18~20 knots: 15.5~18 knots) and their firepower is also superior (Japanese ships can fire 360 shells per minute with a total weight of 21,949 kg, while Russian ships can fire 134 rounds and 8,190 kg). In addition, the number of Japanese and Russian cruisers was 16: 8, and the number of torpedo boats was 69: 9, and the Japanese side had the advantage.

To make matters worse, the Russian fleet was exhausted after 220 days of sailing; At the same time, they do not pay attention to reconnaissance and do not know anything about the enemy; There was no operational plan, and the captains only knew to concentrate their firepower on the enemy's flagship and flee in the direction of Vladivostok. Dongxiang led the main force of the fleet (4 capital ships, 8 heavy cruisers) to wait in concealment near Jinhae, North Korea. In order to give his fleet enough room to maneuver, he was determined to let the Russian fleet pass through the Tsushima Strait before dispatching.

If Arthur had remained in the hands of the Russians, the expeditionary fleet would not have to venture through the Tsushima Strait, but would have been able to rest in the harbor for a while, and wait until the fleet and sailors were back in top condition before coming out to fight the Japanese. There was no need for a decisive battle, as long as a fleet was sent to cut off the supply lines of the Japanese, the Japanese army that came ashore would be starved to death.

It's just that there aren't so many ifs in this world, the Japanese....... After all, the bet was won.