"On the morning of 15 November, the German surface fleet was spotted 210 nautical miles west of Ireland, with battle cruisers and a large number of fast torpedo boats, and seaplanes providing a wide reconnaissance field. Each transport fleet should avoid the existing routes nearby as much as possible and choose the southern port for unloading; Once discovered by German reconnaissance planes, the fleet was immediately disbanded and fled separately, and it was absolutely impossible to gather in one place and be completely wiped out by the Germans. ”

Shortly after the German fleet had finished feasting on the SK-17 fleet, a telegram was sent across the ocean to the commanders of every British convoy. Before the sinking of the Herax, the Guò had already radioed to its home port the situation of the German fleet it had encountered, and the British Admiralty immediately issued a full warning to the convoys in the Atlantic. The frightened British commanders were busy drastically changing the course of the flotilla for fear of colliding head-on with the wolf-like German battle cruisers: no British ship could withstand the thunderous blows of these high-speed heavy artillery ships without the home fleet!

"Suck his MD, are all the idiots of the home fleet mentally retarded children who grew up drinking Thames water? Why did you just let the German fleet come to this Atlantic route? ”

In a British convoy of British transports in the middle of the Atlantic, the fiery first mate of the merchant navy could not help but curse loudly after learning the reason for the fleet's drastic shift to another route, "Before the outbreak of war, we invested hundreds of millions of pounds in the construction of the navy, and we only hoped that they would keep the glory of the Royal Navy; However, these idiots not only could not prevent German submarines from wreaking havoc in the Atlantic, but now even the blatant hunting of German surface ships is open to welcome guests! God is merciful, and now we are escorted only by an old cruiser HMS Terrible. It was already a miracle that she could survive 5 minutes under the guns of the German war patrol! ”

I heard the first mate's roar. The surrounding British seafarers also had resentful expressions on their faces. I only feel that the boss has poured out his long-suppressed heart to the fullest. Due to the large-scale pollution brought about by the country's industrialization, the Thames River that runs through England has become a dead river with extinct fish and shrimp and sewage flowing everywhere since a hundred years ago; During the summer heat, the banks of the river are stinking and the citizens of nearby London have to close their windows tightly to ease the stench. The British first mate took this as a metaphor, and his heart was really angry. For the Royal Navy that suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of the North Sea, these British nationals were shocked and lost, and they no longer had the reverence and pride in their hearts: unconsciously, the Royal Navy and the sharp soul contained in this nation. All of them have come to an end on the road of decline and decline.

"The only German submarines in the Atlantic had buried countless merchant sailors at the bottom of the ocean: every time I went to the seamen's pub in Blackpool, I got the news that some people would never return." An English sailor took over, his voice full of bitterness, "Now that the German battle cruisers have joined us in the hunt, where is our safe place on this Atlantic route?" Mr. Hunt, after this trip, I decided that I would be silent in Blackpool for a while, and then consider starting work after the threat of the German surface fleet was lifted. Compared to being a German prisoner of war, who was worse than a slave, he even became a sacrifice for Poseidon. I will still choose to keep my freedom and my life. ”

"Your Excellency the Captain has crossed the Atlantic several times in a row with a full load of cargo for the little transport subsidy given by the government. It's a bit too risky. Although the Red Coral is flying the American flag, she is not an American merchant ship after all, and it is impossible for her to be as free and comfortable as the real Americans! The first mate, known as Hunter, sighed and glanced at the sea not far away. A huge 10,000-ton freighter is breaking through the waves, with a huge Star-Spangled flag flying on its mast - this is a real American freighter. Unconsciously, there was a hint of envy in Hunter's eyes.

Although the US Government has adopted a "cash and carry" strategy for both sides of the war, driven by the huge interests of transoceanic shipping, a large number of US merchant ships still take on private work and join this action of "making a lot of money in silence." In contrast to the British ships, which spent their days in the Atlantic, with their heads pinned to their belts, these genuine lighthouse ships were under no pressure: German submarines could not attack them on their own initiative, they could simply load them with all their might, and then sail to the ports of England or France to make a fortune. The bigger the ship, the more things you can carry and the more profit you make. If it weren't for the fact that German submarines would have surfaced for inspection intervention, they would not have even joined the British convoy!

And even when there were German war cruisers in the Atlantic, these Americans were also sitting on the Diaoyutai by themselves, regardless of the wind and waves. What if you meet the Germans? For them, the neutral civilians, the Germans could neither detain nor kill, and even if they found contraband such as ore weapons, at most they would detain the ship and the goods, and eventually they had to release them. And with the current gross profit of their export of materials to Britain and France, it is at least 300%, and they can even earn back the ship's money after a few runs!

In the days that followed, the convoy of 23 British merchant ships and four American freighters changed its course to the south under the guidance of British escort warships. In order to shorten the stay in the Atlantic and thus increase the chances of surviving the attack and hunt of German submarines, the commander of the British convoy also ordered the fleet to speed up in the dark and sail at full speed towards the west coast of England.

British sailors have long been accustomed to this decision. Due to the extremely low visibility at night, it was difficult for both the German submarines underwater and the German fleet on the surface to find their targets, and unless the moon was shining that night, British merchant ships that maintained strict lighting control were almost immune from attack. However, the Americans who were traveling with them were furious about this, because the change of destination would undoubtedly increase the range of the voyage significantly compared to the previous plan, and the high speed of the night would also make the coal consumption at least twice the rate at the normal speed. By any measure, following the British would have greatly increased their sailing costs and reduced the huge profits they would have made. "We need to get the British to pay us an extra coal surcharge and a lost time fee." An American captain wrote in his diary in an indignant voice, "If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to take the Iceland route and accept a transport to Hamburg, Germany." ”

Amid the curses of the American captain, the flotilla also welcomed a wave of German submarine groups in the afternoon two days later. Seeing that the speeding white line began to appear on the water, the frightened Americans, while trying their best to steer to avoid accidental injury, hurriedly hung a huge white flag that had been prepared at the bow and tail of the freighter and the mast, in order to show their identity and save their lives.

Thankfully, the German submarines did not attack the self-preservation, Stars and Stripes, and white cloth Orthodox American freighters, but only against the British merchant ships with obvious appearances. After a few hours of chaotic fighting, three British ships were hit by torpedoes flying in all directions. The seemingly thick steel side of the ship suddenly exploded like a watermelon, and the hull began to tilt irretrievably. The British sailors scrambled to the water like dumplings, and then swam away away from the ship with all their sufficiency. In a short time, the torpedoed ships sank into the sea with a great deal of fire and smoke, and there was no evidence of their existence except for the remnants of debris and oil that floated on the surface of the sea!

After this movement that will go every day on the Atlantic, Rao is the Americans have long been mentally prepared, but they are still deeply shocked by this bloody and cruel war after half a century of singing and dancing. The Germans were by no means easy to match, and the British simply could not achieve the absolute control of the Atlantic that they claimed to have when they hired themselves. Although they are still able to survive the attack of German submarines, with the appearance of the German fleet mentioned in the previous intelligence, the risk of losing both their ships and money will also increase dramatically! In the process of comparing the shipment to England and Germany, the American captains were given a very different answer for the first time.

The waves were rolling and the wind was howling, and the British fleet, which had finished cleaning up the pieces, was back on its way in the fading sunset. After a dark night that passed quickly, the dawn that the British fleet least wanted to see had fallen again. After a short time, a sudden neighing of the engine suddenly sounded in the sky: the British and American seamen looked in amazement, only to see a large triplane waddling from the sky, and the large pontoons under the fuselage were impressively visible. Flying closer, they finally saw the huge iron cross under its wings, and after a short moment of stunned silence, a burst of exclamation and screams erupted from almost all the British merchant ships!

"Mr. Hunt, the Germans are coming!" On the deck of the Red Coral, the British sailors panicked and just looked at the experienced first mate Hunt; And the burly Welshman was also pale at the moment, and his mind was completely confused. Their own fleet had obviously changed course, so why did the German fleet still follow with them? German planes appeared, and where were the demon war-cruisers who had destroyed the native fast fleet? Can you escape the Germans if you flee separately? (To be continued......)

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