November 20, 1938, North Sea

At this time, it was the dark night when the fingers could not be seen, and the entire sea was covered by a thick fog, although the German and British lookouts were staring at their eyes to the maximum, but it was difficult to find the opponent from the telescope If it is now the First World War, it is estimated that the two fleets that have implemented light control will definitely pass by, if it were not for Luo Yaoguo, the evil "big butterfly" who conspires to destroy world peace, is fanning its wings, then the British and German navies will probably not move the radar to the warship so quickly, Then tonight in the North Sea will be a night of peace and quiet

However, now ...... "found the target commander, the radar found the target at a distance of 28 kilometers, 17 knots, course due east, at least 10 large ships"

On the bridge of the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, the flagship of the armored cruiser detachment of the German High Seas Fleet, the exclamation of the radar director suddenly remembered

"The British fleet, just ahead of us"

Commander of the armored cruiser detachment Rolf. Rear Admiral Kars took a deep breath, turned to the communications officer, and said: "Lift the radio silence and send a message to Bismarck: the armored cruiser detachment has discovered the British fleet"

"Sir, then the British will find out that we are white, so it is better to ...... first" Erich, the chief of staff of the detachment. Colonel Bey reminded

"The Brits also have radars, and I think they've spotted us?" Rolf. Kars smiled slightly, and suddenly raised his voice: "First level security, guns, prepare flares, assign the order of shelling of each ship, let's give them a taste of German shells"

At the same time, the British fleet, which was 28 kilometers away, found its long-awaited prey

"Sir, the radar has detected more than 10 large ships, just 28 kilometers ahead of us, estimated to be the vanguard of the German High Seas Fleet"

At the same time that the German armored cruiser detachment was detecting the British fleet with radar, the radar chief of the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the flagship of the British advance fleet, was also reporting to Commander Lancelot. Vice Admiral Holland reported the most discoveries.

Lieutenant General Holland raised his binoculars and looked at the dark sea, unable to see anything. Although the Hood was equipped with a search radar, it could not be used to correct the firing of the ship's guns, so although the opponent would soon be within the range of the Hood's main guns, there was no way to use the 14 15-inch main guns of the three battle cruisers, the Hood, the Prestige, and the Tiger, 8 Hood, 6 and 8 13.5-inch guns, the Tiger battlecruiser

"Sir, should we turn around?" The chief of staff on the side hesitated for a while, and then reminded: "The enemy has 6 'Zhenyuan' class ships, with a total of 54 15-inch naval guns, which is several times more powerful than our white spoon firepower, and it also has good protection and high degree, if we don't leave now, ......."

"Let's go?" Vice Admiral Holland put down the binoculars in his hand, shook his head, and said with a smile: "Those Hansians are not fools, and running away as soon as we meet will definitely arouse the vigilance of the other party, and they will think: When did the British Imperial Navy become so cowardly?" There must be a ghost in this" He paused, and then said, "It's still night, and we should sink at least one German cruiser if our White Spoon Night Combat Training works, so that we can anger those Hans, uh, and those yellow-skinned opium ghosts"

Speaking of this, the muscles on Vice Admiral Holland's face twitched unconsciously, less than 100 years ago, the British Empire's small expeditionary fleet could still rampage outside the coastline of that old empire, but now, 3 Chinese Navy-class battleships are at war with the British home fleet in the North Sea, how can the British Empire endure such humiliation? Lieutenant General Holland gritted his teeth and ordered loudly:

"Order the destroyer formation to approach the enemy fleet in full, fire torpedoes at a distance of 8000 meters, and then fire flares at the enemy fleet; The battle cruisers Hood, Prestige, and Tiger, and the USS Kent, Berwick, Cumberland, and Cornwall lined up in artillery formation; The light cruiser formations were responsible for the protection of the shelling formations ......"

As soon as Vice Admiral Holland gave the order, the voice of the radar chief sounded again, "Sir, the enemy fleet began to turn to the left, at a distance of 20,000 meters"

"Turn left, 22 degrees, 20 knots" Holland ordered: "Guns, order the guns to be in position, as soon as the flares of the destroyer formation come out, fire immediately, and fire 3 salvos at the first battleship of the enemy formation at the fastest degree"

"Yes, sir"

After Holland gave the order, he raised the binoculars in his hand and looked in the direction of the enemy ships, the battle order he had just given was almost like pulling teeth from the tiger's mouth, he was going to use three battle cruisers to sink their white spoon heavy cruiser under the noses of the enemy's six battleships, and then quickly retreat, luring the entire main force of the German High Seas Fleet to the designated position in the depths of the North Sea, where there would be as many as 14 battleships waiting for these damned Germans and opium ghosts...... "Commander's radar finds the target, About 10 or more small warships were approaching us, and at a distance of 15,000 meters, "the radar of the Admiral Hippel had detected the British destroyer formation. Rear Admiral Kars hurriedly gave the order "Guns, flares occur, direction to the right front, distance 15000, drive patrol formations to prepare, open fire immediately after discovering enemy destroyers"

On November 20, at 0:38 a.m., three bright and dazzling light clusters suddenly appeared in front of the 12 high-moving British destroyers, and then six flares were raised again on the left and right sides of their white spoons, and almost at the same time, 5 "Königsberg-class" light cruisers and 10 destroyers also fired a round of intensive bullet rain The North Sea naval battle officially began

...... "near miss", I don't know who roared in the bridge of the battlecruiser Hood

Vice Admiral Holland's heart also beats, and at this time, the sea around the Hood seemed to be boiling, and with the rounds of salvos, there were constantly water columns rising high, especially the water column that had just risen was only 50 meters away from the Hood, judging from the momentum of the water column, it should be the 280mm main guns of the five "Polish Legion" class armored ships of the German High Seas Fleet firing a salvo

Germany's 5 "Polish Regiments" have a total of 30 280mm guns, although the power is not as good as the 380mm guns of the Hood, but the three battlecruisers of the British advance fleet really have to take a few shots, and they have to peel off their skin if they don't die

"......Boom" The German fleet fired another salvo, the water column was raised high next to the Hood, and the distance was closer than just now, Vice Admiral Holland's face became more and more ugly, he was not really afraid that his three battle cruisers capsized in the gutter, and were sunk by the Germans' 15,000-ton armored ships The firepower of those German armored ships looks very fierce, but the defense is not very good, Bi Jing is a 15,000-ton warship as long as it is hit by a 15-inch shell, there is a chance that it will be sunk, and his three battle cruisers, As long as it wasn't particularly unlucky, it should be able to carry a few 280mm shells

However, behind these five armored ships, there are also 6 40,000-ton "Zhenyuan" class battleships are all coming, and they have a total of 54 380mm main guns, which is not a joke...... If you are entangled by the 5 armored ships in front of you, it will not be so easy to get out later, but if you leave now, is it a little early? Can it play a role in luring the enemy? Just as Holland hesitated, a deafening loud bang was heard, and a huge ball of fire rose up behind the Hood

"The General Tiger was damaged by two 280mm armor-piercing shells hitting a turret......" the communications officer shouted, bringing bad news to Holland and helping him to make up his mind to retreat

"Turn the rudder, we retreat ......"

As soon as the order was spoken, another shocking roar came from behind, such a loud noise is not something that a 280mm shell can hit, the muscles on Holland's face twitched, and he hurriedly turned around, only to see a huge ball of fire appear on the sea in the distance

"Oh no, it's the Cornwall, the Cornwall was hit by them, this poor 'white elephant' is finished," I don't know who exclaimed

With a standard displacement of only 10,000 tons, the heavy cruiser Cornwall was a product of the Washington Naval Treaty, with eight 8-inch guns, which was not weak in firepower, but the armor was really thin, and as a result, it received the nicknames "White Elephant", "White Grave" and "Thin Skin".

In the decoy fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Holland, there are a total of 4 "Kent"-class heavy cruisers, and their white spoon opponents are 4 German Admiral-Hipper-class heavy cruisers, although they are all called heavy cruisers, but the Admiral Hipper-class is a big guy with a standard displacement of more than 14,200 tons, and his body is wrapped in solid armor, and his protective ability is far from being comparable to that of the "Kent" class

As a result, four British heavy cruisers and four German heavy cruisers fought for only ten minutes, and a 203mm German shell broke through the defense of the top of the No. 2 turret in the bow of the "Cornwall" The fire in the bow of the ship, which burned like a torch in the night battle, was undoubtedly the best target for the enemy, and the 32 203mm main guns of the four German heavy cruisers were aimed at the "Cornwall" shells almost simultaneously and rained down on the burning warship, and the "Cornwall" only lasted a few minutes before receiving five more 203mm shells, one of which easily made a hole in the waterline armor of the amidships, and tons of seawater swarmed in, and the hull began to tilt slowly

"Commander Captain Cornwall asks to abandon ship"

The news that Holland wanted to hear finally sounded in his ears, the Cornwall was about to sink, and the battle had just begun, and he had lost a heavy cruiser...... "Agree with the Cornwall to abandon the ship and arrange for the destroyer to rescue the drowning" Holland gritted his teeth and said the order

The officers and men of the British advance fleet all saw this scene, and no one thought that they with 3 battle cruisers would actually be bullied by the Germans' armored ships and heavy cruisers for only 18 minutes, and the slender hull of a 10,000-ton heavy cruiser of the 1st heavy cruiser detachment was like a dead fish, showing its belly and sinking a little The defeatist pessimism suddenly enveloped the entire fleet, thinking of the 6 "Zhenyuan" class battleships that were about to rush to the battlefield, no one had any intention of fighting, After receiving orders from Lieutenant General Holland, they turned around and fled westward

At this time, on the radar screen of the battlecruiser Hood, dozens of small green dots were jumping out of the edge of the screen

The main forces of the German High Seas Fleet finally arrived

"Boom, boom......, boom" A thunderous explosion made Rear Admiral Holland's face pale, he no longer knew how many shells exploded next to the precious battlecruiser Hood, and the battleship was constantly rising on both sides of the columns of water, although the Hood was not shot, but many years of experience in the Navy told Holland that Lady Luck would not always stand with the British Empire, because the shooting skills of those Hans and their white spoon Chinese allies were not bad, and now they did not hit just because of the distance

However, the distance between the two sides is getting closer little by little, and Holland has cursed in his heart more than once for the despicable and shameless entry of Germany and China, and the voyage of the six "Zhenyuan" class battleships is 28 knots that has been publicly announced, and it is clear that they have all sailed to about 31 knots, almost as fast as the battlecruiser Hood

Well, if the Hood can drive to 31 knots, it won't be afraid, but it can't run so fast now, because it can't leave behind the 28-knot Prestige and the 27.5-knot, otherwise those two thin-skinned battle cruisers will be torn to pieces by six "Zhenyuan" class ships that look like 40,000 tons in less than 30 minutes

If this happened, Holland believed that the German High Seas Fleet, which had taken advantage of the big deal, would probably not pursue the Hood anymore, and would have become the greatest fool in the history of the British Navy

...... "These damn Brits aren't running slowly" In the command tower of the Bismarck, Vice Admiral Lütjans, commander of the battleship detachment of the German High Seas Fleet, smiled faintly and said to Qiao Ghua, the Chinese liaison officer next to him, that he was already anxious at the moment, of course he knew that the other party was a decoy, but it was indeed a very attractive bait 3 battlecruisers and 3 heavy cruisers, which is an important force for the navy of any country, even the British Empire, the overlord of the sea

"Order the heavy cruiser detachment and the armored ship detachment to rush forward and entangle the Tiger"

"Order all the main guns of the 1st and 2nd battleship detachments to fire at the Tiger"

Faced with the situation that three British battlecruisers flew away and the main force of the British Home Fleet did not know where to ambush, Lütjans came to the next best place, temporarily letting go of the faster Hood and the Prestige, and taking the weakest Tiger as the main target, but this order achieved some unexpected results, so that the defeat of the sea further fell to the fascist camp...... And the German Hipper-class heavy cruisers were undoubtedly the stars in this naval battle, and after receiving the order of Lütjans, four Hipper-class heavy cruisers were defeated in Rolf. Under the command of Rear Admiral Kars, like four wild horses on the loose, they sailed through the waves on the sea at an extreme speed of 32.5 knots, and at the same time, the 16 203mm main guns in the bow of the four heavy cruisers and the 20 280mm main guns in the bow of the five "Polish Regiment" class armored ships also kept spitting shells and flares, enveloping the Tiger battlecruiser in a cloud of fire and smoke

At this time, Vice Admiral Holland, the commander of the British advance fleet, once again ignored the damage that these powerful German heavy cruisers could cause, and only ordered three British Kent-class heavy cruisers to try to delay the other side, while the 10 powerful 15-inch main guns in the stern of the three British battlecruisers were aimed at the battleship Titipis of the 1st Battleship Detachment of the German High Seas Fleet and bombarded fiercely on the 1st

1:22 a.m

The indiscriminate bombardment of the 72 large-caliber naval guns of the German High Seas Fleet, including 36 380mm naval guns, 20 280mm naval guns, and 16 203mm naval guns, finally achieved results, and a German shell that I don't know whether it was 280mm or 203mm accurately hit the middle of the first and second chimneys of the Tiger battlecruiser at a distance of 12,000 meters from the British fleet. Flames and smoke burst out of the hull of the old battlecruiser, which had been launched before World War I

Although it is not a fatal injury, but every sailor on the entire battlefield knows that this battlecruiser is finished, because it is now a dark night that is difficult to see five fingers, both sides are relying on radar to guide the general direction, and then use flares to illuminate the way to fight, under this visibility, it is difficult to hit the opponent at a slightly farther distance, but once a battleship is hit by a bullet and catches fire, becoming a burning floating target, then waiting for it is naturally a dead end, only 2 minutes later, The 380mm main guns of the Bismarck and Zhenyuan hit it almost simultaneously, and two 380mm armor-piercing shells pierced through the aft turret and the deck of the astand respectively, and only 7 armor was no different from the paper paste under the power of the 380mm shells, one shot drilled directly into the next door of the ammunition compartment, and the other broke through all the way to the power room, and after two loud noises almost at the same time, the Tiger battlecruiser with a standard displacement of 28,340 tons broke in two, All 1,145 officers and men who sank into the icy North Sea ship in unimaginable degrees were killed, and none of them survived......

To be continued