The wind was howling, the waves were rolling, and on the endless sea, a large fleet was spewing soot and moving quickly towards the northwest. The cannon grows and the chimney is like a forest. The tall freeboard and solid triangular masts of the large warships undoubtedly indicate the camp to which the fleet belongs.

On the aft deck of the battlecruiser "Lion", Betty, who was in a straight uniform, silently stared at the fast-moving sea, with mixed emotions and remained silent for a long time. The sound of the wind blows in the face, blowing the general's uniform to hunt and fly; The brim of the hat was worn diagonally, but Betty had no intention of straightening it.

"General, we just let go of the prey that has been delivered to our mouths, and then fled in panic?" Colonel Colrenson, the captain of the Lion, had a flickering gaze, and finally couldn't help but say to Betty, who was a head shorter than him, "That German cruiser was directly hit by two torpedoes and twelve 13.5-inch shells, and the bow anchor chain has been buried in the water, and we can sink it completely in ten minutes!" It would be a shame to give up like this! ”

Betty said lightly: "Of course I know that this will be a waste of my previous efforts." However, I had no choice. In this raid on Helgoland Bay, the Royal Navy sent only 5 battle cruisers as the main support, while the German battle cruisers that appeared in the southeast at that time were 6; With the exception of the Lützov, which had just been completed and had not yet fully formed its combat effectiveness, Hipper had already brought out all his belongings. The most critical thing is that the battleship groups of the German High Seas Fleet are likely to follow closely behind! With the water level at the mouth of the Jed River already at high tide, the Germans would certainly not let the battle cruisers act alone. Do you think that with these 5 battle cruisers alone, you can go head-to-head with the entire German Navy? ”

Colenson's lips twitched. His eyes were full of unwillingness.

"Other than that. And don't forget the real mission of our trip. Plans for a raid on the Gulf of Helgoland at the Admiralty. It was only a military operation against the German perimeter patrol fleet, not a decisive battle between the main fleets. If it weren't for General Jericho's dispatch, you and I wouldn't even be on the list for this operation! Betty turned slowly and said to the admiral in front of her, who was ten years older than herself, "We have rushed into the perimeter of the German military harbor, and we have already run a great risk of being attacked by mines and submarines; The only hope was to rely on the superiority of firepower to fight a quick victory, destroy the German fleet and then quickly evacuate. However, with the main forces of the German Navy already rushing to support, our fleet was suddenly at a comprehensive disadvantage in terms of strength and situation. Completely disqualified from continuing the fight. If this sneak attack on the German perimeter patrol fleet turns out to be a disastrous loss of a valuable battlecruiser, then all of Britain will not forgive me! ”

Corenson was silent for a long time, and said, "But even so, we can't explain to the people in the country who are eagerly awaiting. In this battle, the Royal Navy lost a total of 2 armored cruisers and 8 destroyers, another 1 armored cruiser, 1 light cruiser and 4 destroyers were heavily damaged, while the Germans sank only 1 loader and 5 torpedo boats. Although we do not know the exact number of casualties of the Germans, it is almost impossible to see more than the more than 1,400 of our dead ships, given that they have sunk far fewer ships than we do. The poor Cressy was sunk in an instant. Except for two who survived, none of the remaining 758 officers and soldiers survived! ”

"The failure of this operation. The sin lies not with you and me, but with the recklessness of the front-line officers to annihilate the enemy, and in the shit-like idiot staff officers in the Admiralty. Next time, I will take all 9 battlecruisers with me, and there will definitely be no more humiliating situation of being driven out by the Germans like today! Betty clenched her fists and said hatefully.

"Bang." A series of crisp gunshots resounded through the sea, and white smoke curled up. All British ships whose crews were killed were now neatly lined up with sailors in white uniforms on the sides of the ships; They are holding rifles and shooting bullets into the sky as a send-off and mourning for the dead. The machine twisted, the bed board was raised, and a Royal Navy officer and soldier who had lost his life lying peacefully on it suddenly slipped into the water, splashed in the water, and was never seen again. This is the burial of warriors killed in battle in the British Navy, which has been passed down from the Viking era to the present day. Seeing this, Betty's heart was sour and sluggish; He took off his military hat, raised his right hand, and gave the most solemn military salute to the splashing waves.

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Under the same sky dome, in a total ocean, countless warships flying the black vulture cross battle flag also cleaved the waves and sailed straight towards their bases. In the middle of the fleet, a large battleship with a severe bow tilt and a deck less than a meter above the sea was staggering forward under the tow of four torpedo boats; The waves rolled and soaked its deck like a submarine. Its chimneys were broken, its towers had collapsed, the entire bridge had been reduced to cracked and rolled steel ruins, and even the hundred-ton front main gun turret had been detached from the bearings, and the two main guns were hanging limply towards the ground, a miserable scene of extreme despair.

With the sudden sound of diesel engines, a small transport boat slowly leaned next to the battlecruiser "Dfringer". Rear Admiral Maas, whose head was wrapped like a dumpling with white gauze, slowly boarded the largest capital ship in the German High Seas Fleet. On the floating foredeck, two majestic giant 350mm twin turrets stand tall like prehistoric behemoths; Rao is Maas has served in the navy for many years, and at this moment he still can't help but roll his Adam's apple and swallow a mouthful of envy. Before he could think about it, a middle-aged major walked up to him, saluted him, and said, "General Maas, please come with me, General Hipper has been waiting for you for a long time." ”

The bridge of the capital ship during World War I was much simpler than that during World War II; After a short time, Maas stepped into the conning tower, which was more than 6 meters high from the deck. Seeing a general with a shiny head and a goatee under his chin, Maas's expression was solemn, and he immediately stood up and saluted: "Commander of the Helgoland Island Defense Fleet, Gelman? Maas, thank you very much for the rescue of Your Excellency Lieutenant General! ”

Hippert smiled slightly and said, "Gelman, you and I are both soldiers of the German Imperial Navy, and if we are in trouble, how can I not do my best to save them?" In fact, when the patrol reported the appearance of a large number of British destroyers led by light cruisers, I had already guessed that there would probably be big guys behind the British, and immediately ordered the battle cruisers to light fire and prepare to go out of port to meet the enemy. At this, Hipper's eyes were slightly gloomy, and he continued: "However, due to the limitation of the water level at the mouth of the Jed, after I received your telegram, I could only stay in the harbor until it was close to 10 o'clock. Otherwise, the York would not have been lost. ”

"Your Excellency, Vice Admiral, is the main force of the High Seas Fleet also dispatched?" Marston paused, then asked.

Hipper nodded: "After discovering the British battle cruisers, His Excellency Admiral Ingnorr (the first commander of the High Seas Fleet in history) was worried that Jericho would also appear near Helgoland Bay, so he immediately took control of the 'Frederick the Great' and led all 21 dreadnoughts to reinforce him. However, subsequent airship reconnaissance revealed that only Betty's fleet was in the area. It's a pity that Betty is even more cunning than a fox, and as soon as my 6 battle cruisers appeared, he decisively chose to retreat. If he stayed where he was for another hour, none of his battle cruisers would be able to escape the battlefield. Hipper pursed his lips, as if sorry.

"But we don't need to be frustrated at all. In the naval battle of the Gulf of Helgoland, which broke out in the fog, our Germany was the undoubted victor, and the British sank more than twice as many battleships as ours! Hipper, after a little regret, regained his original smile on his face. He patted Maas on the shoulder and said, "We'll be able to meet the High Seas Fleet in no time." For your bravery under the siege of 5 British War Cruisers, Lord Ingnorr and Deutsche will be rewarded! ”

Hearing Hipper's words, the corners of Maas's mouth finally showed a smile of joy. He paused, as if he suddenly thought of something, and said, "Your Excellency, I still have important things to tell. In fact, the Prince Heinrich was able to support the arrival of your reinforcements because of the inferior armor-piercing shells of the British! Immediately, Maas gave Hippel a detailed account of what he had observed in previous battles, including the distance at which the British rangers had fired their guns, the course angle to their own ships, and the damaging effect of the armor-piercing shells.

For a moment, the entire command tower was silent, only Maas's narration echoed in it.

“…… In addition to this, there are serious risks to the security of our ammunition depots. In order to increase the rate of fire, the blast door from the turret to the ammunition depot is always open, and if a fire breaks out in the main turret or gun mount, the door is too late to close! In this battle, the front main gun mount of the Prince Heinrich was pierced by British armor-piercing shells, which caused a large fire; If it weren't for Sergeant Cornell's desperate efforts to open the valve and fill the ammunition depot with water, I would not have been able to appear in front of you again. "Therefore, it is not only necessary to strictly order the sailors to close the blast doors as soon as they have finished lifting the bombs, but it is also necessary to improve the current structure to prevent the detonation of the ammunition depot caused by the hit turret." ”

Hipper nodded slowly and said, "I understand." Upon your return to Hong Kong, you will immediately write a detailed report on the subject and submit it to the Imperial Admiralty for review. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the reward of the book friend zhouyu1976 and February 30 precept book~~~ Anyway, yesterday's subscription hit a record low, and the author's heart is like falling into an ice cellar (╯_╰)