The moon was cold, the stars were shining, the night wind over the North Atlantic was blowing, the waves were swaying, and there was no longer the roaring and raging scene of the early morning. The 186-meter-long battlecruiser D-Verblinger cruised quietly like a prehistoric beast, and when viewed in the blur of night, it was more terrifying to reverie. The surrounding ships are like islands, the masts are like jungles, and a faint coal smoke comes out of the chimneys, and it doesn't take long to blend into the main theme of this pitch-black.

"Millau did a good job. He not only solved the convoy of the British, but also dug up a lot of intelligence useful to us from the mouths of the captives. In the spacious nautical room, Hipper, who had no sleep, held a cigarette curling with a cigarette in his mouth, and looked at the long telegram sent back by the Blucher with a happy face. In this telegram, Millau not only gave Hipper a detailed list of the type, tonnage, and cargo capacity of the British merchant ships that were sunk during the day, but also attached a large number of confessions from British Lieutenant Commander Ekman: including the hydrological and climatic changes in the Atlantic Ocean, the busy situation of British cargo ports, the daily communication habits between the various convoys, and even the routes they often choose, all of which were presented in front of Hipper's eyes!

For Hipper, this is undoubtedly valuable information. Although he had done his homework on the ocean before he set off, he had rarely served in the Atlantic Ocean for decades, but it was still difficult for him to see the situation here in a fog, and it was difficult for him to get a glimpse of the real picture. Now with the help of this veteran sailor, who had served in the British Navy for forty years, the experience and knowledge he lacked were no longer the key factors hindering his actions. Then it's time for him to show off his skills!

"Erich. What do you think we're going to do next? Hipper handed the telegram to Major Raeder, who was beside him. He said with a comfortable face. In the previous naval battles in the North Sea, this well-known writer in the German Navy showed a commendable professional quality, and his accurate judgment of the battlefield situation was even better than that of some generals; Hipper had already made up his mind to train his chief staff officer in the direction of a general in charge of his own affairs, or even a commander in charge of the whole army.

"The British have long maintained dozens of convoys in the Atlantic, and even in the waters close to the British mainland, their longitudinal span is more than a thousand nautical miles; And the escort force attached to each of their fleets is quite weak, and can only deal with our submarines and camouflaged assault ships that have surfaced. As soon as the main ships of the Reich appeared, the British convoy would not have any chance to resist. After a long silence. Raeder finally spoke slowly, "Today, General, you sent some troops to destroy the enemy, and maybe it can become the core of our next operation." Rather than using the entire Scout fleet each time, and then executing rats with the Great Berta cannon after discovering the target, we might be able to spread out the fleet and attack the enemy in different places. In this way, the scattered reconnaissance fleet would be able to accommodate a larger British fleet, and each detachment would be able to maintain an overwhelming superiority over the convoys. ”

Hipper looked at the square, dignified face of the man in front of him, and did not speak immediately, the slightly dim incandescent bulb above his head. But the look of appreciation in his eyes was quietly hidden in the shadows.

Reddell paused, and said again in his steady, steady voice, "Present." There are only 3 battle cruisers in the British fast fleet, of which the Tiger has just been completed for less than a month, and the run-in between the crew and equipment is far from complete, and only the Royal Princess and the Australian ship have combat effectiveness. Considering the superiority of the Imperial ships in armor-piercing shells and defense, it is reasonable to assume that even if the fast fleet is divided into three detachments with 2 battle cruisers, it will be enough to resist the invasion of the British fast fleet. As for the main force of the British Home Fleet, it is not something that our reconnaissance fleet can resist, if they do appear on the battlefield, the battle cruisers can escape and evacuate with the advantage of speed. As long as the commander of our detachment acted carefully in the dark and in bad weather, and gave full play to the reconnaissance advantage of our seaplanes, the British Home Fleet would not have any chance. ”

Sparks flickered and smoke filled their noses. After a long silence, Hipper, who was smoking a refreshing cigar, said, "Erich, there is another key factor that you have not explained. In fact, by dispersing the reconnaissance fleet, we were also trying to give the High Seas Fleet a chance for a second decisive battle with the British Navy. ”

"If the reconnaissance fleet had always acted in a group, the British would have realized that behind us there would be the main forces of the High Seas Fleet hiding and following us; And out of fear of our 22 dreadnoughts, the British Home Fleet, which has only 16 ships of the same type, will most likely not attack them, but will continue to choose to live deep in the harbor -- this is the last thing our German navy wants to see. As the strength of the British fleet still exists, our hopes of complete control of the seas have come to naught; And even if we share the sea with them, it will be difficult for us in Germany to achieve it because of the inherent disadvantage of geographical location! ”

Hipper snuffed out the cigar in his hand, and there was a bit more solemn expression in his calm eyes: "At present, our German Navy is indeed at an unprecedented century of extremes. We defeated the once formidable Royal Navy and held the entire North Sea and the Baltic Sea firmly in our hands - but out of this puddle of ponds? Those rivers and rivers in the outside world, Senmiao lakes and seas, still belong to the back garden of the Anglo-Saxons! They arbitrarily used the manpower and materials of large colonies and various neutral countries to provide a steady stream of blood transfusions for their war planes; And we, who have no strength, are blocked by the English Channel and the main island of England, and have almost no impact on this vital outer ocean! ”

Raeder's pupils constricted, and his eyes were full of astonishment. Tirpitz, who had been at the helm of the German Navy for 15 years and had almost forged a new German sea power in the ruins of a white field, was now like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge needed to grow.

"The gunboats of the British still dominate the Atlantic. In contrast to our hunters, who can only lurk underwater, these surface warships are capable of a complete blockade of the seas: they are able to inspect the passing merchant ships without any qualification, and to intercept and seize the merchant ships that our Germans and even other neutral countries carry goods for us. And although our High Seas Fleet can also use guò to enter the Atlantic Ocean to contain the movements of British warships a little, it is impossible for us to stay here indefinitely, we who have come from afar; Once we are forced to return to the sea because of the bottom of our fuel supply, Germany will still not be able to breathe deeply into the world. In addition, in order to deal with the still strong British Home Fleet, the High Seas Fleet had to be assembled as a whole; It also greatly reduced our ability to actually grasp the sea, making it impossible for us to realize even our desire to use it with the British. Hipper said in a solemn tone.

Therefore, the only way for the German navy to achieve real victory was to completely annihilate the remaining main forces of the British Grand Fleet. At that time, we will be able to scatter the current 28 capital ships into the Atlantic Ocean one by one, cutting off the British mainland from the outside world, so that the British warplanes will collapse in less than two months! There is a saying in the East that calls the snake out of the hole. The core intention of the dispersal of the reconnaissance fleet this time is not to sink how many British merchant ships, but to take the opportunity to lure out the British fleet living deep in the harbor, and wait for the opportunity to let the main force of the high seas fleet have a second decisive battle with the other side! "Hipper finally put his whole idea into account.

Raeder's eyes flashed, and he said softly: "When the reconnaissance fleet is divided into three groups and attacks separately, even if the British feel the pressure of the main force of the high seas fleet, they will still feel that there is an opportunity; After all, they have more targets to choose from, and the probability of being caught by our main force has plummeted by more than 6%. And if we can stir up a storm in the Atlantic and mess up the British sea lines, it will prompt the British fleet to take action. This is the opportunity for our main fleet. ”

Hippert nodded slightly, a smile on his grim face. Looking up, the glass window of the navigation room was gray and black, and the two majestic 350 mm twin turrets in the front were faintly visible like giant beasts crouching, and the thick and long heavy guns pierced the void, indescribably excited. He lifted the somewhat crooked military hat on his head, and said lightly: "Order, the fleet will immediately start to reorganize." The Sedlitz, the Von der Tenn, the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, the 6th Torpedo Boat Squadron, led 2 coal carriers to form the 1st Battle Group; HMS Balfos returned to the squadron and formed the 2nd Battle Group with the De Verblinger, the 4th Cruiser Detachment, and the 7th Torpedo Boat Squadron leading 2 coal carriers; Lützov led one coal carrier out of the squadron and formed the 3rd battle group with Blucher and the 5th and 8th torpedo boat squadrons. The target combat area of each detachment will be given in a later order. In addition, the change of deployment was reported in detail to Frederick the Great, stating the intentions. I think Your Excellency the Marshal will make the wisest way to deal with it. ”

Raeder said yes. Hipper's dispatch almost balanced the strength of the three fleets, so that any one of them would have the confidence to engage the British fast fleet. After a short time, the signal lights on the De Fringel suddenly shone several dazzling golden rays, breaking the nighttime lighting control; Signalmen holding thin planks of wood swung up and down in front of them, artificially cutting the light into fragments of special meaning. The surrounding ships responded with a signal of understanding, and for a time the sea was brightly lit, becoming the only light in the entire North Atlantic. (To be continued......)

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