The gushing soot, the turbulent sea, and the boiling water that exploded one after another, seemed to bring people to the Battle of Tsushima more than eight years ago. In that battle, which lasted less than two days, the Japanese Combined Fleet achieved miraculous results by relying on rapid-fire firepower to effectively suppress ships lacking waterline protection, and in one fell swoop established its unshakable supremacy in the western Pacific.

Although the experience of the Russo-Japanese naval war once again proves that running naked on the side without protection in the face of rapid-fire artillery fire is an act of seeking death; However, perhaps because of the cost savings due to the control of tonnage, or the lack of thorough understanding of actual combat, the British designers still stayed in the trap of the third-class protected cruiser of the last century after entering the era of dreadnoughts, and did not have the slightest idea of upgrading it to an "armored cruiser". It wasn't until 1911 that they reluctantly laid a 50 mm armor line at the waterline of the new Chatham class. The consequence of this was that the survivability of British light cruisers in actual combat was far less strong than previously expected.

After more than 10 minutes of fierce fighting, the light patrol of the British "Falmouth" with a standing displacement of 5,250 tons was tilted nearly 13 degrees under the repeated bombardment of German 150-mm high-explosive bombs, and its speed also dropped below 20 knots. The flames burned fiercely on its amidships and foredeck, like the tongue of fire of the golden serpent, burning the broadside guardrails bright yellow, and the poisonous smoke filled the air. The other three ships of the same class, "Dartmouth", "Wilmouth" and "Yarmouth", which were not protected by the water line, were also traumatized by Yanzhòng, and a large number of hulls were flooded. All kinds of pipelines and cabins were destroyed; Officers and men suffered heavy casualties, and the ship's hospital was already overcrowded. In the face of the bloodied seriously injured who were constantly being carried in, doctors who lacked treatment conditions could only give them a shot of analgesics; Now it depends on God's mood whether the boat will return alive or not. Where can we take care of these people's lives?

In contrast, although the German cruiser also suffered a considerable number of casualties under the baptism of British semi-armor-piercing shells with large charges, the damage to the battleship itself was much better than that of the other side. Many of the shells were blocked by the German cruiser's wide main armor, and no damage was done except for a burst of seemingly brilliant fuchsia light and a charred patch on the armor. With intact generators and pumps, water dragons erupted from rubber hoses in the hands of the German soldiers. The flutter was poured on the flames, and the raging fire demon was suddenly effectively contained. And even the bow and tail waterlines of the German light cruisers were penetrated, due to the fact that a 30-mm anti-fragmentation armor was laid here. The shell left only a hole in the hull of the ship, which the German damage management forces were able to easily plug.

As of now, Rear Admiral Burdick is satisfied with the state of his fleet. Under the tactical command of their own deliberate distancing, the five 102-mm rapid-fire guns on the side of the four British Brestol-class cruisers achieved little success. In fact, only the two 152-mm guns at the head and tail worked effectively; And on this caliber. On the other hand, with 44 broadsides, the British fleet did not lose fire at all. With the superiority in defense, the balance of victory was constantly tilting in favor of the German fleet at every moment!

"Boom!" The flames exploded, and the side of the Falmouth, which was located in the middle of the British column, was hit again by a 150mm high-explosive shell. The huge power generated by the instant explosion of nearly 4kg of high explosives directly broke a huge crack in the steel plate and scorched black at its waterline; Flying shrapnel pierced through the thin layer of shipbuilding steel, leaving the leaky area out of control. Seeing that the battleship's rightward tilt would have a tendency to capsize, the British captain hurriedly ordered the water to be injected in the opposite direction. In order to restore the balance. The rushing waters were placed in a watertight compartment on the port side, and the right tilt of the Falmouth weakened. However. This was originally a textbook treatment, but it became a direct incentive to bury the battleship.

Since the Falmouth had been flooded with too much seawater, the main deck connected to the dome was almost flush with the sea; When the battleship was reversed, the right tilt of the hull was eliminated, but the draft of the battleship was further intensified, so that the main deck suddenly sank below sea level. As a result, it is no longer possible for the sloping dome armor to be inherently waterproof. The sea began to rush across the main deck, flooding one aisle cabin after another; And the few effective pumps on the cruiser alone were a drop in the bucket for the massive amount of seawater pouring in from the colander-like hole below the waterline.

In less than five minutes, the Falmouth's water intake was out of control. Seeing that the sea water had reached the aft deck, the captain was forced to give the order to abandon the ship. After evacuating the nearly 300 surviving officers and men on board, the Wiymouth fired a 533-mm torpedo at it, ending the battleship's short life with an explosion that resounded through the battlefield. The faces of the British sailors who were up and down on the life raft in Cali were full of unwillingness and sorrow, and although they had done their best, the result was so painful and cruel!

"Well, Well done boys from Mainz!" Seeing a British cruiser disappear into the sea in a huge burst of explosive fireworks, Berdick couldn't help but wave his fist excitedly. The sinking of a cutting-edge British cruiser armed with eight 152-mm guns was already enough for him to praise. After a slight sweep of the battlefield, Berdick immediately said to the adjutant, "Let the Mainz attack the previous British cruiser." The boat is running out, so we're going to take it away with kindness! ”

"General, the Augsburg at the end of the fleet has raised the flag, they have already hit 15 shells, and all 5 main guns that can be used for port firing cannot fire, ask the flagship for permission to withdraw from the battle." Just as Berdick was looking forward to a further victory, the news from an adjutant instantly poured cold water on him. Although the British shells had a low penetration depth, the amount of explosives they contained was considerable; As long as it hits an unprotected part of your ship's armor box, it will inevitably cause serious damage to various facilities and machinery. If the enemy's shells fall near the gun position, not only the lives of the crew members will not be guaranteed, but the artillery will also be very likely to be damaged in front of the flying shrapnel and various malfunctions will occur. The British gunners were already in a much better hit rate than their German counterparts, and the four Bresto-class cruisers in the rear, which had been ignored, fired at the German battleships incessantly; And the Augsburg, which was at the very end, was the target of the British people's most important attention!

Berdick took a deep breath and said, "Let the Augsburg release the smoke screen and retreat." In addition, a report was sent to General Hipper that the 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron had sunk a Weymouth-class cruiser, and that there was still no trace of the British battle cruiser. ”

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The morning sun is dazzling, the sea breeze is blowing, and a biplane with a wingspan of more than ten meters is flying through the white clouds. Two huge pontoons hang under the landing gear, and the black gold Iron Cross logo is painted on the sides of the fuselage. Powered by a 120 hp gasoline engine, the Seahawk I seaplane reached a design speed of 110 kilometers per hour; From a distance, its wide plan and pure white painted body look like a stupid bird gliding along the coastal area.

"Reinhardt, we'll have to go back in ten minutes." The communications soldier sitting in the back driver's seat knocked on the fuselage next to him and said loudly to the pilot in front of him, "We have been flying for an hour and a half since we set off, and we are about to reach the farthest area of the reconnaissance radius; I don't want to run out of fuel again and run out of fuel again like last time and wait all afternoon to be rescued! ”

The pilot, known as Reinhardt, nodded slightly, in response to the request of the rear communications corps. He turned the joystick slightly, and the plane flew up a wide cloud in front of him, and roared forward.

At 5:45 a.m., the Derlinger, the flagship of the reconnaissance fleet, gave the order for seaplanes to sort. The "American Eagle" mothership, which was subordinate to it, immediately released a wave of three Seahawk reconnaissance planes to conduct a large-scale search and reconnaissance in the nearby waters. Reinhardt and his 065 Seahawk were part of the search. As the 2nd Reconnaissance Detachment engaged the enemy, Reinhardt also changed the search route after receiving the order, and began to pay attention to the movements south of the engaged sea area.

Although compared with traditional surface ships, aircraft flying at an altitude of 1 kilometer are much better in terms of visual range and maneuverability; But it is undoubtedly still extremely difficult to find the intended target on the vast sea. Due to technical limitations, the time spent in the air by this reconnaissance plane is only a pitiful 2 hours and 15 minutes, and in addition to the slow flight speed, it is impossible for it to carry out very effective reconnaissance over a large area. So far, the 065 Seahawk has still found nothing, and it will not be long before it will be forced to return due to fuel restrictions.

The sun is shining and the sea of clouds is cloudy. In this vast blue void, Reinhardt's mood also became cheerful and cheerful; The warm morning breeze on the face is soft like a lover's hand. For a moment, he felt that he was not in the middle of a war, but in the sky above the farmstead of his hometown in Bavaria, soaring through the sky with his girl, welcoming the brilliant light of the rising sun. However, when he turned his head, he saw his partner's pomp-covered face, and Reinhardt couldn't help but pout. Just as he was about to speak, the person in front of him suddenly looked at the airspace below the right with a shocked face, and exclaimed: "Fleet, this is the fleet of the British!" (To be continued......)

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