Five days ago, at 3 p.m. on June 18, 1941, in Goldenafen.

At this time, the harbor was very lively, and the battleship Bismarck, a symbol of the glory of the German navy, was docked to replenish his supplies, and various logisticians tried to saturate all his supply and ammunition holds.

On the left side of the ship were several transports parked with compartments filled with huge 380-mm shells.

The crane staggered and hoisted more than 800 kilograms of shells into the air, and then slowly lowered through the layers of decks to finally reach the ammunition depot deep below the waterline.

Looking at the Prince Eugen Heavy Cruiser and the three destroyers Z10, Z16, and Z23 in the distance, Lu Shuai, who was worth 175,000 coal, sighed helplessly.

"To be honest, I really don't want to leave tomorrow. We have only two ships in the North Atlantic, which is the main area of activity of the enemy. ”

"I had proposed to Marshal Raeder that he wait until the Tirpitz had completed its training and the two sisters, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, had fully recovered."

"If it weren't for the current tension, I would even like to wait for the Zeppelin aircraft carrier."

"It's a pity, the marshal can't wait, and the Führer is even more unwilling to wait. The strength of this battle is very different, and I am afraid that you and I will both have to take our own lives. ”

Four months ago, Lütjans led two warships, Shane and Gnay, to brilliantly complete the task of breaking the diplomatic relationship.

Under his command, the two sisters gave full play to their advantages and made the enemy realize what it means that a battleship can't catch up and a cruiser can't beat it.

During that time, the enemy, who was several times his size, was played around by the German navy.

The British home fleet not only lost face, but was also completely disrupted by the Atlantic route.

In a situation where the radar and carrier-based aircraft are inferior to the other side in various technologies, such results can be achieved because of the outstanding command ability of the fleet commander.

Now that the battleship Bismarck was about to carry out its first mission, Lütjans, who had a wealth of experience and outstanding achievements, was the obvious choice for commander-in-chief.

Hearing the words of his immediate superior, Lindemann, the captain of the battleship Bismarck, immediately nodded in agreement.

An excellent commander and former head of the Empire's Naval Training Department, he was well aware of the strength of his rivals, the Royal Navy.

Judging from the current stage of the disparity in hard power between the enemy and us, even the stud master Yamamoto Isoroku commanded the fleet, and he did not dare to say the crazy thing that a single battleship and a heavy cruiser could compete with the entire Royal Navy.

After all, as long as Britain concentrated its forces in the Atlantic, Bismarck and Eugen would face a siege of two aircraft carriers, more than five battleships, and more than a dozen destroyers.

If the other side is willing to pay a certain price, it is definitely capable of sinking their entire fleet.

"yes, it would be nice if the superiors were willing to wait."

"Although the enemy has a large number of ships, the overall deployment is very scattered. Huge fleets are forced to defend around the world, including Scapa Bay, the Mediterranean, and even Asia and Australia. ”

"If we can concentrate two battleships and two battlecruisers, a total of four capital ships to strike together. Combined with a certain number of destroyers and U-boats, there may be a real chance to dominate the Atlantic. ”

"Good luck to us, and hopefully we can get home safely."

The pessimism of the two is not unreasonable, compared with the British Royal Navy, the biggest problem is the lack of confidence.

The enemy has a strong foundation, and even if you lose one or two battleships in battle, it will be painful at most, and it will definitely not reach the point of breaking your muscles and bones.

Kede San is different, for Lu Shuai, any ship is the meat of his heart. Every time he performs a mission, he has to make various contingency plans in advance to minimize risks.

This is the sorrow of the weak navy, who let them barely make up four destroyers per year for their production capacity.

After the word U-boat was mentioned, the two people in the captain's room suddenly fell into a brief silence.

As senior admirals in the Navy, they certainly knew about the precarious relationship between Raeder and Dönitz. If the two sides had not been so saber-rattling, perhaps there would have been no dangerous Rhine exercises.

At the beginning of last month, his own marshal was scolded by the Führer for a bloody dog.

Despite the fact that the surface fleet made the sea supply lines with Britain bleed, and even knocked out an aircraft carrier. But compared to the record of the submarine forces, their gains are more like a drop in the bucket.

What's more, the battle in the Atlantic and Mediterranean has reached a critical moment, and the Navy must take the initiative to balance the forces of the enemy in the Mediterranean and North Africa.

In order to prove that he is not a waste, Raeder is forced to come up with a very risky battle plan.

Just as the two were silent, nearly a hundred people walked along the dock in an organized manner.

It was a detachment of young officers, mostly newly promoted cadets of the Military Academy, who had been ordered to reinforce the crew of the battleship Bismarck.

Watching the young men climb the gangway to the warship with a neat pace, Lindemann gently slapped his head officer with his elbow.

"Let's go, we should go down and meet the children."

"I really don't know what Marshal Raeder thinks, and what else does he say to let the students spread the victory of the Navy for the entire fleet as witnesses?"

"Isn't that a net mess? When did the battleship Bismarck become a kindergarten? ”

Lutejens glared at Lindemann and motioned for the other party not to talk nonsense.

Although he himself was pessimistic about this mission, it was not a good thing to spread his emotions to the troops who had not yet gone out.

When the two arrived on the aft deck, the students were already in formation ready to be inspected by the commander. Looking at the young faces, Lu Shuai said the opening remarks that had been prepared a long time ago.

"Ladies and gentlemen! You have now boarded the most powerful new battleship in all of Europe! Please cherish every second in the future, everyone will get the most valuable combat experience after returning home! ”

"No battleship in the British Navy dared to engage him head-on, and no large warship could survive from his eight 380-mm guns."

"Doesn't the enemy claim to have an escort fleet all over the Atlantic? Then we will turn the entire Atlantic upside down! With the help of the Prinz Eugen's Heavy Cruise, we will effortlessly take out all the enemies that stand in our way! ”

The sound of "steadfastness" was transmitted throughout the ship through the amplification device, and the naval soldiers on the deck immediately fell into a collective climax.

In the past, the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary relied on speed and dared to cross the Atlantic again and again without any cover.

Feng Shui takes turns, and now the Bismarck is faster and stronger than them.

In the eyes of the young students and soldiers, the current situation was very good, as if victory in the naval battle was just around the corner.

It is a pity that under the continuous harassment of the British Air Force, the training progress of the battleship Tirbitz has been delayed again and again, otherwise this Rhine exercise would have been a formation composed of two capital ships.

"Victory belongs to Germany!"

"We will definitely take out the enemy's navy with our own hands!"

Looking at the fanatical people on deck, Lütjens and Lindemann secretly smiled bitterly in their hearts.

······

Eleven hours later, the two capital ships, which had completed their replenishment, officially set sail.

Escorted by three Z-drive and minesweepers, the entire fleet quickly crossed the Baltic. It took them a day to travel north along the Norwegian coast via the Katagat and Skagerrak Straits.

According to Lütjans's plan, the fleet would sail to Greenland after successfully crossing the Norwegian Sea. It is the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean, and as long as you can pass through the Danish Strait, the sky is high and the birds can fly.

"Lindeman, I have good news."

"According to intelligence officers, all capital ships with the British are now anchored in Scapa Flow, and there is no indication that the other side is about to leave port."

"It seems that we have done a good job of secrecy, and it is a perfect start."

During the Rhine exercise, the top brass of the German and three navies reached a consensus on tactics, and there were two points that must be taken seriously.

The first point must be secrecy, no matter how strong the Bismarck battleship is, there is only one, once the intelligence is leaked and the enemy surrounds and annihilated, there is a high probability that the outcome will end with hatred.

The second point is to avoid war as much as possible, the main target of the fleet is the enemy's transport ships, and large-scale naval battles are not a necessary option.

As it turns out, there are some things that cannot be said too soon.

Just as the two of them felt that they were lucky, a hurried warning sounded in the captain's room. At the same time, the director of Guantong and the chief of radar reported on the communication channel at the same time:

"Commander! Captain! Something happened! ”

"An unknown target has been spotted in the left front of the Bismarck, most likely a Swedish cruiser! There was also a water reconnaissance plane flying just now, and our whereabouts must have been exposed! ”

Although the incident happened suddenly, Ruetjens and Lindemann did not panic. The two quickly adjusted their emotions and entered a state of combat readiness when they came to the nautical chart as soon as possible.

It is true that Sweden is a neutral country, but it has spy networks from several countries.

Even if their own people don't intend to provide intelligence to the Allies, the agents who are hiding with the British are not dry.

Once the enemy sent a home fleet to intercept it, Bismarck and Eugen would have little chance of entering the Atlantic, and even returning by the same route would be interfered with.

"Pass my orders! The fleet is moving at full speed! Aim for the Colesfjord in Bergen! ”

"Let's rest in the Norwegian fjords first, and by the way, we will change the livery of the two ships. As long as it evades the enemy's subsequent detection, the fleet can continue its mission. ”

"Anti-aircraft gunners on full alert! Be prepared to respond to detections at any time! ”

Norway is known as the Land of the Fjords, and it's a great place to hide warships. Their fleet is not large, and as long as they are well camouflaged, they have a high probability of evading enemy detection.

······

This time, the German navy lost to the British in terms of intelligence, and the whereabouts of the battleship Bismarck were targeted by British spies as early as the time of Goldenafen.

In light of the previous actions of the Shane and Gnay sisters, the Royal Navy had long suspected that the enemy would re-enter the Atlantic, and the intelligence they intercepted confirmed their inference.

Lu Shuai's opponent this time was Admiral John Tovey, the commander of the home fleet. He was a steady soldier, and it was his code of practice to plan and then act.

"The Bismarck is out and is heading north. Prince Eugen was with her, along with three destroyers. ”

"Your Excellency, the stakes are high, and we must do something! The Germans must not be allowed to enter the Atlantic Ocean to the point of approaching the course of our transport ships. ”

Hearing the report of the major general's staff officer, John Tovey frowned slightly.

At this time, there were eleven convoys in the North Atlantic, including the WS8B flotilla, which also carried 20,000 troops supporting the Mediterranean, and the enemy's large pipes could easily send the infantry to feed the fish.

If the enemy is allowed to succeed, even if he is a general, he will have to be court-martialed.

After a few moments, John Tovey slowly pointed from one point to another on the chart with a pencil, trying to analyze the possible path chosen by the German III naval fleet.

"She trained in the Baltic Sea for four months, and now she's finally willing to go out on a mission."

"We didn't catch Scharnhorst and Gneisenau before, and we can't let Bismarck and Eugen go this time!"

"She definitely wants to break through to the Atlantic, so which route will the enemy take? Is it Pentland Bay? Or Fair Island? It is also possible to the east of the Faroe Islands, or the Danish Strait? ”

After talking to himself for a while, John Tovey simply gave up thinking.

At present, there are thousands of miles of sea area to be guarded, and it is simply unrealistic to guess the enemy's route.

At this moment, the heritage of the old sea power power has played a role. If you can't figure out from which direction the enemy will enter the Atlantic, send troops to cover the sea.

"Pass my orders! Two heavy cruisers, the Suffolk and Norfolk, continue to monitor the Danish Strait! ”

"Let Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland set out at once and lead Hood and the Prince of Wales to the Danish Channel for reinforcements! Send three more light cruisers, Arisius, Birmingham and Manchester, to blockade the waters between the Faroe Islands and Iceland! ”

"Inform the USS Victory and the Counter Patrol to abandon their escort and return to Scapa Bay to rendezvous with the home fleet. It's too much to be beaten passively, we have to take the initiative! ”

"Prepare the Rodney, the Ramey, and the Vengeance, ready to encircle Bismarck! Then contact Gibraltar's H Fleet to see if Ark Royal and the Prestige can come to the Atlantic to support. ”

The above order made the rear admiral's staff officer gasp, the last time the Royal Navy made a big move was the Battle of Jutland, and it seems that his own commander is really ready to kill the Germans at once.

As if thinking of something important, John Tovey slapped the table heavily, and then he continued to order to the communications soldier beside him:

"Whatever the outcome, the Coastal Defense Command will have to move me and have them send planes to conduct aerial reconnaissance and photography of the Norwegian coast."

"The information just now is already eight hours ago that the enemy may be somewhere south of Bergen. Bergen, the Oslo Fjord, and any suspicious targets further south of it must not be spared. ”

"I'm going to let Bismarck sink on the maiden voyage!"

This chapter is difficult to write, and there is so much to look up.

(End of chapter)