The sound of the waves was faint, the machinery was whispering, and Thomas looked at the detailed chart in front of him, and his mind had already begun to calculate carefully.

A week earlier, British intelligence agents deployed in North America had sent back to London that a large convoy of convoys was about to depart from Boston Harbor in the United States, and that their final destination would be Wilhelmshaven on the German mainland. As a result of the successive defeats of the Royal Navy in previous battles, the German fleet also began to cross the North Atlantic under the main escort of its own fleet; For the British Home Fleet, which lacked a rear general and a crippled lineup, this had been a bitter and humiliating but accustomed situation for the past six months. This time, however, the British Navy was no longer prepared to remain silent; On behalf of the government, the Minister of Balfour issued a stern order to the military that the Home Fleet must start a great campaign of operations and deal a severe blow to the Germans!

Regarding Balfour's high-profile move, which was completely inconsistent with his usual sophisticated style, Thomas, who had a close personal relationship with Jericho, also learned some rumors from his old friends. The London government was already seeking to end the present war with Germany in a dignified manner, and the Royal Navy's prideful rise and sound would be the most important confidence for the Foreign Secretary, Sir Grey, at the negotiating table.

Although the Grand Fleet was barely halfway back to its peak with the completion of the battleships Canada and Agincourt at the beginning of this year, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the core of the operation had been completely pressed on the head of the fast fleet. There was no other reason: none of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, which had been working hard since the outbreak of the war and had captured the eyes of the entire Royal Navy, were now not assigned to the Grand Fleet, but were all handed over to Commander Thomas. The standard displacement of ships of this class is 27,500 tons. The maximum speed is 24 knots. The ship is equipped with 4 twin 381 mm L42 main guns and 14 single 152 mm L45 secondary guns. Both the main and secondary guns were a qualitative leap over any previous British battleship. In terms of protection, this class of ships is also a great improvement over the previous British battleships; In the British fast fleet, which is dominated by thin-skinned battle cruisers, the defense of the 3 ships Queen Elizabeth, war-weary, and brave is completely fantastic!

Because of this, even Betty, who is now at home, is very jealous of the gift that Thomas, the once unknown little brother, has received. He complained in his diary more than once that if he could have the three queens of the current Fast Fleet in the decisive battle in the North Sea last August, then even if there were only six capital ships as he did now, he would have at least sixty percent certainty that he would be able to win that naval battle. And the dignitaries of London. They all had high hopes for Thomas, who commanded the queens, and they were all eagerly awaiting a victory that truly belonged to the Royal Navy to restore the current decline at the negotiating table. This political factor reacted on the front-line generals, making Thomas increasingly unable to dominate the battlefield according to his own wishes.

According to previous estimates by the Admiralty, there were only 4 battle cruisers left in the German fast fleet; If the newly built seaplane carrier "Engedin" could clear the fog of the battlefield, then a battle and escape from the battlefield before the main forces of the German High Seas Fleet arrived, of course, would be the perfect ending. However, now the opponent has two more new battleships with unknown performance, which undoubtedly greatly increases the variables after the engagement. In the past, Thomas might have been thinking long out of prudence, but now. With all the hopes of the London bigwigs, he obviously can't hold back any longer!

"Immediately send another aircraft to conduct an all-round search of the waters near the German reconnaissance fleet. Most likely, the main forces of the High Seas Fleet are not far from them. We have to get these guys in their place first. After a moment of silence, Thomas ordered. Although its fleet is now 60 nautical miles behind it, its crippled lineup is no longer enough to rely on as before; In a large way, I have to play the whole game alone this time, so I can't make the slightest mistake in any link.

With Thomas's order, two more seaplanes took off in quick succession within half an hour; Watching these little things disappear into the sea and the sky, even Thomas, who has a firm belief in the cannon giant, can't help but feel a sense of relief. This feeling of striking light from the dark was undoubtedly the dream of every naval commander, and unconsciously, his anxiety about the German fleet was also somewhat reduced. However, after a short time, a report completely shattered his relaxed mood that he had finally settled down: a German reconnaissance plane had flown over the fleet, hovering like a paparazzi to peep into all the secrets of his fleet!

"Damn, how did the Germans find us?" Thomas slammed his fist against the wall of the sailing room, his words full of disbelief. When he saw the reconnaissance plane that had crashed down on the sea, his mind flashed and he immediately understood the key to it. Thinking that the opposing commander could make such an insightful and correct response in this new mode of combat, Thomas was both angry and admired; Now that your own position is also exposed, the original plan to fight an ambush battle is no longer appropriate!

The anti-aircraft guns exploded one after another, thumping and muffled, and in the clumsy firing of primitive small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, Thomas's thoughts surged: it was obviously impossible to avoid war now. Balfour gave him the latest capital ship to win at this moment; Although the current lineup of the German reconnaissance fleet is somewhat different from what was expected, it is still far from the point where it is impossible to do anything. Although the main lineup of the German High Seas Fleet is luxurious, it is useless to be unable to catch up with their own fast warships, not to mention that the other party is now in the middle of the ocean, every ton of coal is very precious, and it is unlikely that they will carry out too deep and full speed pursuit due to fuel limitations.

As long as the main force of the German High Seas Fleet does not arrive, then he can choose to make two moves with the opponent's reconnaissance fleet first. You must know that in the past nearly half a year, the British Rapid Fleet staying in the harbor has definitely not been sitting still: in addition to comprehensively improving the blast doors of the gun shafts and avoiding the explosion of the ammunition depot due to the penetration of the turrets, the inclined dome armor of the three battle cruisers has been affixed to a thickness of one inch, so that with the assistance of the coal seam, it is quite possible to block the large-caliber shells that penetrate the main armor from here. The entire refit was done in absolute secrecy, and the German fleet was unaware of a gap in the strength of the British Rapid Fleet for almost three months. Although this came at the cost of an increase of 400 to 600 tons in the ship's weight, the speed and position of the waterline were affected by a certain distance; However, for the already powerful British War Patrol, only a partial reduction in fuel loading was needed to offset the adverse effects of this change.

"The order was given, and the fleet turned to the right at a compass point, and the speed was raised to 14 knots. The telegram reported to the Trafalgar that we were heading towards the sea where the German reconnaissance fleet was located, preparing to engage the enemy. Thomas took a deep breath and said slowly, "The cruisers and destroyers are deployed according to the regulations of the 14th fleet, and are ready to obey orders. ”

"Four twin knapsack guns, twin chimneys with almost no black smoke coming out; The British really put new battleships into the fast fleet, and there were 3 more! After receiving the telegram sent back by the reconnaissance plane, Hipper, who was shiny on his head, could not hide his shock. Due to the British Navy's fanfare about the service of the Tiger after the decisive defeat in the North Sea, the German intelligence service was able to obtain information about the main guns of the British cutting-edge ships: the main guns were upgraded to 15 inches, which was almost indistinguishable from the caliber of the King-class. Judging from the current situation, the British's strategic design ideas coincide with their own: the only difference is that the King-class still carries 70% of the coal, and the British, who are not short of heavy oil, are estimated to use all-oil-fired boilers, otherwise it is impossible to be so smoke-free and environmentally friendly at low speed cruising!

"General, do we need to wait for support from the High Seas Fleet? With a distance of about 60 nautical miles between the two fleets, it will not be long before they will be able to join us. A staff officer asked.

Hipper was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said, "No." At present, we are not sure whether the British fleet is only this one or has another backup, and if the location of the main fleet is revealed first, it will undoubtedly give them the initiative on the battlefield. Now that the British are also using aircraft, the main fleet, which is approaching us, will inevitably be detected by them. What's more, the number of warships on the other side is not very large, and we are completely able to fight with one of them, and through this, we can obtain more battlefield intelligence: this is also the mission of the reconnaissance fleet. ”

"The order was given that the USS American Eagle mothership immediately broke away from the formation and shifted the focus of reconnaissance to south-southwest; I don't want a British battlefleet to suddenly come in from the flanks or from behind after the battle has begun! Each ship confirmed that the coal storage capacity was sufficient for the battle, and all the boilers were activated. The fleet turned two compass points to the left and entered the second level of combat readiness. In addition, report the situation here to Frederick the Great, and the reconnaissance fleet is about to meet the British fast fleet that has taken the initiative. Hipper's words were like beads, and he quickly gave his orders. The herald next to him finished his silent memorization, then turned around and ran out in stride.

"I really didn't expect that we would have another battle with this old rival with such unpredictable results. Your Highness, I hope that the new ship designed by you will continue to be a miracle. Hippert whispered in his heart as he looked down at the two majestic and wide main turrets on the foredeck of the battleship. (To be continued......)

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