It was not an easy task for the fleet to go on an expedition, especially since it had to cross a distance of thousands of nautical miles, first through the Arabian Sea, then into the Indian Ocean, and finally through the Red Sea to Alexandria. There is no problem with their main battleship, the armored cruiser is not a big problem, and the light cruiser can make do with it, after all, a battleship with more than 800 tons of fuel oil is enough, but the problem is that this is not only a matter of driving the past, but also preparing to open the film after passing it, if the film is opened, a lot of ammunition and fuel and parts are needed, and where does Alexandria have these things in reserve? A large number of 14-inch shells and various battleship parts, these things are not much in Egypt.

So, in order to maintain his combat strength, Thomas also had to bring a bunch of supply ships. And in the case of a supply ship, this speed can only be described as miserable, can it reach a speed of 10 knots? It depends! And Thomas really didn't dare to leave these slow supply ships behind, God knows if the Douspé fleet would suddenly kill, so this transfer is more like a move in Thomas's eyes!

Such a cumbersome operation naturally cannot be kept secret. Not only the naval personnel were mobilized, but even the port personnel of the port of Mumbai were fully mobilized, and such an operation naturally could not be concealed from the spies who were working for Germany in India. Although Thomas had done his best to preserve the operation, the Germans and Turks soon discovered the strangeness of the operation. Rear Admiral Luknal was at this time in charge of the command and management of the entire German-Turkish fleet. As for the unusual movement of the British, Luknar quickly informed Count Spee, who was preparing to take over the Austro-Hungarian fleet in the Dardanelles. Meanwhile. Luckner also ordered the few light cruisers and camouflaged assault ships to slip out of the Persian Gulf to see how the British reacted.

"Dear Earl Spee, after your departure, the actions of the British in the port of Bombay are very puzzling. All the fast battleships and armored cruisers began to withdraw from their original cruising lines. Then it was as if the British were going to empty the entire port of Mumbai. Not only were large quantities of ammunition and fuel loaded onto the supply ships, but a number of other ships were also requisitioned. I wonder if these actions have anything to do with your sudden transfer to the Dardanelles. In a letter to Count Spee, Rear Admiral Luknall wrote. Luckner was also full of questions about the sudden transfer of Count Spee. And also made some speculation, and this time, the abnormal movement of the British fleet made him feel a hint of conspiracy from it.

And when Count Spee received the telegram from his subordinate and the students, he pondered it carefully. I was really shocked into a cold sweat! Because he suddenly felt that the British were coming at himself and the Italians nine times out of ten! Needless to say, India is important to the UK. Otherwise, the British Navy would not have deployed the most elite formation of fast battleships and one elite fleet of cruisers, as well as several light cruiser formations, in India to blockade the German and Turkish fleets. And now, the British are actually going to evacuate from Mumbai, and they are still dragging their families and mouths, then only one thing can be said. The British needed to protect a more important anti-land. This place can't be the North Sea, then it can only be the Mediterranean, after all, there are only three battlefields!

"Our plan for action has been leaked!" This is what the Count of Spee wrote in the first sentence of his telegram to the Italians. At this time, Count Spee couldn't help but feel a little confused in his heart. Now it is very difficult for the Italian-Austrian combined fleet to concentrate on fighting the French fleet, so if you add the Thomas fleet that came from the Indian Ocean, it will not be a matter of difficulty, but a backbite. Whether Thomas's fleet was based in Alexandria to see the Austro-Hungarian fleet, or to join the French fleet on the island of Malta, the Italian-Austrian fleet would be divided. There is no advantage when added together, and there is no advantage when it is separated! Then the Mediterranean battle plan was completely in vain. The Count of Spee even doubted that if the Italians had known about the matter, it was a question of whether they would have joined the Central Powers as agreed. And if Italy is neutral or hit hard. It's terrible!

Thomas's action has not yet officially started to make Count Spey break out in a cold sweat, and if it were according to Thomas's own thoughts, I'm afraid Count Spey wouldn't even have a chance to break out in a cold sweat! I have to say that in the dark, God helped the Germans, or rather, it was the miscalculation of the time and determination of Britain and France to enter the war that helped the Germans!

According to Thomas's plan, he suggested that if action was to be made, the fleet should strike immediately, and regardless of the attitude of Italy, the British and French fleets would be combined to make their own side invincible for the time being. And it will allow the French to thoroughly complete the mine blockade of the exit from the Adriatic Sea. But this opinion of his was rejected by Churchill's Admiralty. First of all, the British and French navies did not think that the Italians could enter the war immediately, and they could not even say whether they would enter the war or not. So there was no need for Thomas's fleet to act immediately. In addition, the shell propellants of the British and French fleets, as well as the specifications of various supplies, were obviously different, and it was simply too late in the Mediterranean unless they were transported from the British mainland.

And what if, after Thomas's fleet is gone, the German-Turkish fleet attacks the port of Bombay? Let those precious materials be burned? This is absolutely not a no! After Thomas's fleet entered the war in Italy, supplies for a considerable period of time would depend on material support from Bombay. If it were gone, Thomas's fleet would be without guns and bullets! It's not that it can't be transported from the British mainland, but that the cost of transportation from the mainland is too great, not to mention the distance, and the whole transportation process is also interfered with by submarines and camouflaged attack ships. So in order to prevent accidents, the British Admiralty asked Thomas to take away important supplies and supplies, which greatly affected the speed of Thomas's actions.

Thomas can't explicitly go against the Admiralty's intentions, but that doesn't mean he can't do something secretly. Thomas's fleet did operate with the convoy when it left Bombay, but after covering the convoy out of the usual range of the German fleet, he would leave some of the convoys to protect the convoy from camouflaged raiders, while directing the main fleet to go to Alexandria immediately. This saves some time.

When the telegram full of worry from the Count of Spee was sent to Italy, the Italians were also taken aback! They really couldn't imagine how their carefully planned plan could suddenly be leaked? However, it seems that Britain and France do not have exact information, especially the French troops on the Franco-Italian border have not been mobilized much. The Italians did not stop the operation this time, as Count Spee had hoped. The reason is simple, it's not that Italy doesn't want to do it, it's that it really can't be stopped now. The Italians have been in contact and communication with Germany and Austria for a long time, how will Germany and Austria react if Italy suspends the plan?

It's okay to fall to one side as a wall grass, but you can only choose it once, and there will only be one result of jumping back and forth on both sides, and that is to die worse! No matter who wins the Entente or the Central Powers, they will not let go of this Italy fishing in troubled waters! Whether it is Britain, France or Germany and Austria, they are all behemoths for Italy, and no one can afford to provoke Italy alone! And this time, since it has chosen to stand on the side of the Allies, no matter how difficult the situation is, Italy must persevere to the end! And this time, the naval operation, codenamed "Hell's Three-Headed Dog", naturally will not be suspended.

When the Italian Admiralty asked Lieutenant General Tycho, the commander-in-chief of the operation, Tycho's reply was unusually simple and forceful! "Act now!" Tycho's reasoning was simple, at least for the time being, the Italian-Austrian fleet had the upper hand, and if Thomas's fleet had acted immediately before it arrived, the Itological-Austrian navy would have at least seventy percent certainty that it would have won against the French fleet that had begun to prepare. As long as the battle is won, what can the Thomas fleet do? Planning to challenge the nearly a dozen dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts of the Italian-Austrian Navy with 4 fast battleships? Are you kidding?

This time the Germans also had to admit the decisiveness of the Italian Navy! In his letter to Count Spee, Tycho stressed that in four days, on September 28, 1914, both sides must assemble at the predetermined location in Crete, followed by an immediate offensive against the French navy, regardless of the conditions of preparation! Spee's fleet had suggested that the combined German-Turkish fleet in the Persian Gulf should be dispatched to contain the movements of Thomas's fleet. But this plan was also vetoed by Tycho, not that Tycho did not want to prevent the arrival of Thomas's fleet, but that he could not stop it at all!

Not to mention how the German fleet could have discovered the British fleet at such a long distance from the Persian Gulf to Bombay, and even if it did? The German-Turkish fleet is still fighting to the death with the Thomas fleet? The combat effectiveness of the main warships of both sides is equal, but the auxiliary warships of Thomas's fleet are enough to drown the opponent! The victory of Al Barsha does not mean that the secondary capital ships are useless when the main fleet is equal. As many as 6 patrols were mounted to sweep the decks one by one, which was also a big threat to the capital ships of the German-Turkish fleet with heavy protection. Once the capital ships are lost, it is not said whether the Mediterranean strategy can succeed, anyway, the Indian Ocean will definitely deteriorate! And once this fleet is dispatched, the British will certainly be able to perceive what the Germans have discovered, if the Thomas fleet abandons all the pots and jars, and the whole fleet sails at full speed, and first joins the French fleet, then the Italian-Austrian fleet will really be difficult to handle, and it is best described as stealing chickens and rice.

And even if the German-Turkish fleet were lucky, a big fight with Thomas's fleet in the Indian Ocean and a draw would not have been very good, because the French could still choose to leave the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean before the Italian and Austrian fleets converged. Tycho would not fight the main force of the French fleet alone, after all, the strength of the Italian fleet was slightly weaker than the French, and if the French wanted to leave, the Italians could not stop it, so after thinking about it, Tycho thought that the only breaking point in this battle was that the Italian and Austro-Hungarian fleets converged as soon as possible and then launched a battle before the French reacted, and only in this way was the only chance of victory for the Italian-Austrian fleet. It is not too much to say that this battle is related to the fortunes of the country, and if it is won, the Eastern Mediterranean will become the world of the Central Powers, and if it loses, Italy's most powerful force will be severely damaged, and Italy, which has lost its important cards, will lose its status among the Central Powers. Even the mainland will be under a direct threat from the Anglo-French forces!

The second is more ~~~. I hope you will support us a lot~~~. (To be continued......)