"It was a lengthy battle, and since August 10, 1918, when the British government issued an ultimatum to the Norwegian government, the two sides fought for nearly two months, including exchanges between light cruisers, duels between former dreadnoughts, and aircraft support. Of course, the most important and, at the same time, the most decisive engagement between the main fleets was indispensable. It was the longest naval battle in which the Anglo-American fleet fought directly with the German fleet. At the same time, it was also the battle that finally changed the course of the war. —Scheer.

The Germans moved faster than the British thought, and shortly after a British formation of armored cruisers successfully attacked the port of Bergen, the German High Seas Fleet appeared near the Skagerrak Strait. German naval aviation was also stationed in Norway in the name of defending its allies, and along with it the German Army, dressed in Marine Corps uniforms. Of course, in order to prevent a backlash from the Norwegian government, and to avoid unnecessary conflicts, the German ground forces were still small, and their role was only to protect the security of the area near the port and airport. At the same time, in order to appease the Norwegian government, the Germans also provided it with gold and silver worth 40 million marks (1914 price level).

At the same time, because it was relatively close to the British Grand Fleet's headquarters in the Shetland Islands, Schell also specially stationed some submarines to be responsible for guarding, so the submarine cordon of the British and Germans overlapped, and the submarines of both sides soon began to attack each other with deck guns, forcing the other to dive or move. Subsequently, destroyers and light cruisers from both sides also appeared frequently in the nearby waters, and the skirmishes between them never stopped.

Scheer has chosen a suitable forward base for the Grand Fleet, which is the Norwegian port of Stavanger. This is the fourth largest city in Norway. Moreover, it is not far from the British mainland, and a temporary airfield can be built nearby, so if the British Grand Fleet makes any moves, Schell can take action as soon as possible. "Even if we want to tell the British, if they want to destroy our base in Norway, then we must use the Grand Fleet to fight a decisive battle with us!" Scheer's words were filled with the smell of gunpowder. The High Seas Fleet had already put its sword against the opponent's throat and forced it out.

August 15, 1918. The Hesse and Deutsche of the German Fourth Battleship Formation met the British armored cruiser in the waters near Lyconge, in which a British armored cruiser was hit four times by an 11-inch main gun and flooded more than 800 tons. Barely back to the Shetland Islands.

On August 17, 1918, the British and German naval light cruiser formations met in the waters near Bergen, and four British light cruisers damaged one German light cruiser and sank one destroyer. Then retreated safely.

August 21, 1918. The British armored cruiser Shannon took advantage of the night to attack the German submarine anchorage in Ascorwall. A German submarine and a supply ship were destroyed, but the next day's evacuation was met by the German fast battleship Goeben, and after only 20 minutes of firefighting, the last British cruiser was eventually sunk. The accompanying 1 destroyer was also sunk by a German light cruiser.

"It's not okay to go on like this, we win less and lose more!" Betty looked at the recent battle damage table and said very depressedly, not counting the battleships below the light cruiser, by the end of August, the British Royal Navy had lost nearly 35,000 tons of warships and auxiliary ships. The Germans had a geographical advantage. The German High Seas Fleet, entrenched in Stavanger, could easily bring the whole of southern Norway under its own protection, and the British had no fast warships. It was impossible to disperse the capital ships, but the German Bismarck-class battleships and the Goeben fast battleships had the advantage of speed and distance, and could fully maneuver under the reconnaissance of land-based aircraft to ensure the security of the southern part of Norway. As Jericho had said, if the Grand Fleet had not been dispatched, the British Former Dreadnought Fleet would have no advantage at all with the High Seas Fleet.

Why, one might ask, is it that the Norwegian port of Stavanger can be stationed at any time for the High Seas Fleet, while the Portuguese port cannot be stationed for the Allied fleet at any time. There is only one reason, and that is that the German High Seas Fleet simply needs an anchorage, and a large amount of supplies and ammunition and other supplies can be transported from the German mainland at any time (very closely. And Portugal itself could not produce all the key accessories needed for capital ships, and the port at the southern tip of Portugal (the port reserved by the Entente for the blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar was the Portuguese port of Faro) was far from France. If you don't stock up on some supplies in advance, it's not enough for a large fleet to consume.

Environmentally, the German High Seas Fleet in Stavanger was hardly threatened by the Allied air or land forces. The British torpedo aircraft did not have enough range, and the army was even more nonsense. Portugal, however, had to face attacks from the Spanish Army and the Allied Air Force. In order to ensure the safety of the fleet, the necessary defense facilities must be built, and it is really inconceivable for the fleet to be stationed in a military port where there is no air defense alert and no aircraft to provide cover. The bomb is not very accurate, but what if a battleship wins the jackpot? Portugal does not have the ability to repair large capital ships, so this unlucky battleship will have to run back to France! So because of the different port requirements, the German fleet could be stationed in Stavanger, while the Entente fleet could not be stationed in the port of Faro!

"How about we mobilize Thomas's fleet back to the North Sea? Immediately requisition, then action, if swift, I am afraid that by the time the Italians react, we and the Germans will have already finished fighting. "Betty made a rather tempting suggestion, that is, to move troops in a flash and engage in battle at once, and when the battle was over, the Germans would go back! Concentrate superior forces to defeat the Germans first. After all, now Thomas's fleet is in Lisbon. If there is an immediate pullback, it will not take long to converge with the main fleet.

"You may not know it, but the fleet of Tycho and Count Spee has arrived in Gibraltar. How could the Germans, with such a big operation, not be wary of us pumping troops? Just 3 days ago, the Allied Mediterranean Fleet had been stationed in Gibraltar, and not only Spee's fast fleet, but even four Italian battleships appeared, and they may not have been completely repaired. Most of the American battleships were on the slipway, and if Thomas's fleet left, the Allied Mediterranean Fleet might go straight to France! Isn't the lesson of Saint-Nazaire still deep? A capital ship was killed on the slipway in a daze! Jericho smiled wryly.

"Now the situation is very unfavorable for us, and the naval forces of the Entente cannot be called absolutely superior in the North Sea and the Atlantic. If we can drag it out until the second half of 1919, then the natural situation will change, but the Germans will not give us a chance, they put their sword in our throat, and we have to break with them. Looking at Betty, whose face was a little gray, Jericho couldn't help but have mixed feelings.

Betty was once regarded as the future commander of the British Grand Fleet and was hailed as the brightest new star in the Royal Navy, if it were not for her seniority and combat experience, Betty might have become the commander of the Grand Fleet as early as 1914. "The first and second in command are always enemies!" When Jericho heard this, he just smiled, he didn't like to fight for power. Although he was dissatisfied with Betty's impatience, he believed that if Betty could improve it, Jericho was still optimistic about Betty's future, and he was not much hostile to the so-called "successor" himself.

However, Jericho is tolerant, but it does not mean that Betty is tolerant, and the differences between Betty and Jericho are getting bigger and bigger, extending from the initial strategic and tactical branch to personnel appointments and all kinds of trivial things. Jericho can sit on the throne of the Grand Fleet, and naturally he can't be the commander of the light pole. He also has a bunch of younger brothers! There is no party emperor ideology outside the party, and there are no factions in the party. No matter how good-tempered Jericho is, he has to think about his younger brother. Or who's going to follow you? As a result, the dispute between the two sides became more and more serious.

What happened later was that Betty was in control of the Grand Fleet's fast fleet, but in actual combat, this man who could only fight with the wind won less and lost more, and Betty, who was once known as the living Nelson, the embodiment of the determination and perseverance of the Royal Navy, was eventually criticized in one defeat after another. Even some of those who touted him once attacked him in turn, saying that he had ruined the entire Royal Navy Fast Fleet! Later, he was beaten into the cold palace. And Thomas has become the future heir to the Grand Fleet, and it stands to reason that Jericho should be happy, but he is not at all happy when he looks at Betty, who is frustrated and discouraged and wants to prove himself.

"Betty was laughed at and killed, and the actions of certain people fueled his pride and conceit, and if he weren't so proud, he would have been a very good fleet commander. He has a sharp mind and a strong fighting spirit. But pride and other people's praise made this qiē synonymous with stubbornness and paranoia, and he couldn't listen to anything, so he failed. Jericho said of Betty in his diary. And deeply regret it.

Although Jericho felt that Betty's idea was difficult to realize, a glimmer of hope in his heart still made him send this plan to the Admiralty, after all, if it was really possible to mobilize the fast fleet to the north, and if the Germans did not know about it, then the British fleet would gain a great advantage! It doesn't matter if you lose a transport ship of more than 100,000 tons because of this! In exchange for a transport ship of more than 100,000 tons for the German high seas fleet, this deal is too worthwhile!

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