Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 513 Ending the Era of Battleships

Under the cover of smoke and Hipper, the Atlantic Fleet was once again out of danger.When the last batch of ships rushed out from the chaotic army, the "Lützow", which had made many military exploits, was riddled with holes, unable to continue sailing, and was forced to abandon the ship and sink.The battlecruiser "Moltke" hoisted the command flag of Vice Admiral Hipper.

At 20:[-], the sky was gradually getting dark. Jericho was worried about being attacked by German torpedoes and mines, so he did not pursue. He planned to block the Scheer fleet from the route back to his home base, and wait until dawn. annihilate.In his words, "It's going to be a fantastic day for the Royal Navy"

Scheer also knew that if his fleet failed to break out of the encirclement by night, it would be impossible for him to have any hope after daylight.After careful analysis and calculation, Scheer decided to turn to the southeast, charge from the tail of the main fleet at night, and then return to the base via the Horn Reef waterway.For this reason, Scheer sent all available destroyers to intercept the main British fleet and cover the Atlantic Fleet to break through.

According to Scheer's order, the German destroyers fought desperately, like a pack of wolves, attacking the British main fleet from different directions, causing confusion and misjudgment to the British army, and Jellicoe couldn't figure out which direction the German fleet was in.

At 23:30, the Atlantic Fleet encountered the destroyer serving as the rearguard of the British Army, thus performing the final scene of the Battle of Jutland.

The two sides used flares, searchlights, and the flames of the ship's bullets to conduct aimless shooting and collision.During the night battle, the British battlecruiser "Black Prince" mistakenly thought that several huge black shadows approaching it were friendly ships, and sent a contact signal. As a result, four German battleships fired a salvo, and "Black Prince" immediately into a ball of fire.The old German battleship "Pomaen", light cruiser "Fraunlob" and "Rostock" were torpedoed and sunk by the British destroyer, and a light cruiser "Elibin" was torpedoed by the battleship "Elibin". Posen accidentally collided and sank.In this night battle, the losses of both combat destroyers were: 4 British and 1 German.This close fight also cut off the route between the German fleet and the home base.

At 6 o'clock in the morning on June 1, the German fleet finally broke through the British blockade and rushed towards the waters of Horn Reef.The Horn Reef waters are the only way to enter and leave Wilhelmshaven, the base of the German Ocean Fleet.At the beginning, after the outbreak of World War II, the German Navy laid countless sea mines here in order to defend against the sea attack of the British fleet.The mine array is extremely irregular, like a maze.So far, many British warships that attempted to attack Wilhelmshaven have never returned and were buried in minefields.To pass through the minefield, only a senior German naval officer knows the only narrow waterway in between.

At 3:30, it was the darkest moment before dawn. Scheer checked the compass position, found the entrance of the waterway, and commanded his fleet to line up in a column. One followed by the other passed through the minefield safely, heading towards Wilhelmshaven sails.At this point, the Atlantic Fleet finally got rid of the British main fleet!
Outside the minefield, the main British fleet that came after them could only roar and fire their guns, but did not dare to cross the minefield.

The light gray morning mist gradually dissipated, and Jellicoe returned to the bridge of the Iron Duke.Today looks like a fine day.The destroyers began to reassemble their formation, and the battleship resumed its daytime cruising formation. The gray bow crushed the oil stains on the sea surface, and floating wood, waste paper, and the bodies of sailors on both sides were everywhere. At 3:29, the Admiralty sent a telegram with unfortunate but certain news: As early as an hour ago, the German fleet was already 30 miles southeast, and even if the home fleet went directly through the minefield regardless of the consequences, it would not be able to catch up with Scheer. steps.

Jellicoe came to the deck and watched the bodies of the war dead wrapped in their hammocks and slowly slid into the sea. This is the tradition after the pirate Drake defeated the Spanish Armada 300 years ago. The day became one of the saddest for the Royal Navy.Betty sat in the corner, holding her face in her hands and lost in thought; Hipper looked back at the sea and was speechless, where his flagship had found a permanent bed; Scheer ordered the flagship to slow down and watched the Jasper River lock slowly open One after another, warships re-entered the Kiel Canal; the emperor was rushing in with medals and speeches; the Sea Lord was reviewing the battle report; Germany was cheering, Britain was reviewing, and the United States was watching coldly on the other side of the ocean.

There are also survivors rushing into the telegraph room to comfort their wives and family members, port workers indifferently watching the scarred warships scurrying into the berth, worried family members outside the railing of the Admiralty, women with sad faces and dry eyes. His eyes tried to understand the reality brought by the death notice.Thousands more, who used to be fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons, are now buried in the shallow sand beds of the North Sea, becoming witnesses of that great era.Warring parties could not have foreseen.

What Jutland left for future generations is not regret, but only the infinite imagination of that great era!
"Just as the Romans crossed the ocean and ended Carthage, a new era has begun." The Times could only say this in a comforting way.

After the naval battle, both warring parties declared themselves the winners, so that how to judge it became a famous public case in the history of world naval warfare.In this battle, the British fleet lost 3 battlecruisers, 3 light cruisers and 8 destroyers, with a combat tonnage of 11.5 tons and 6945 casualties; the German fleet lost 1 old battleship, 1 battlecruiser, 4 The light cruiser and 5 destroyers had a combat tonnage of 6.1 tons and 3058 casualties.Britain and Germany lost nearly 2 to 1.

In terms of tactics, the Germans were indeed the victors of this naval battle. The Atlantic Fleet launched a brave challenge to the powerful British main fleet. The Hipper fleet severely damaged the Betty fleet. It made him successfully get rid of the pursuit of Jellicoe, who had a great advantage.

However, in terms of strategy, the German Navy failed to break the British naval blockade. The Atlantic Ocean was still dominated by the British Navy. The German Atlantic Fleet was useless in the port and was still a nominal fleet.As the US "New York Times" commented: "The German fleet attacked its prison guards, but they remained in prison."

On June 6, Guan Xuqing personally inspected the Imperial Navy Department, and said to the senior military officials present with piercing eyes: "Through this British-German naval battle, we have passed on a lot of valuable information. For several years, the Germans have been hiding their own The strength of the British Royal Navy is stronger than we expected. The pace of development of the Imperial Navy has to be accelerated."

"Your Majesty is wise. After a few days of research, we have found that this naval battle is full of chance, and a small mistake may change the entire battle situation. In particular, Britain has lagged behind Germany in maritime intelligence. A two-hour error made them It was the first to suffer heavy losses." Lin Jianzhang calmly made his own analysis.

"Yes, there are also many inconveniences of fighting at night, which caused British and German warships to accidentally injure their own friendly ships. This is also a problem often encountered in naval battles all over the world." Liu Buchan also said.

Guan Xuqing nodded, thought for a while before saying: "From the perspective of the Jutland naval battle, the development of the world's maritime power today requires breakthroughs in information technology. I ask you to vigorously develop maritime radio communication technology and establish a stable environment. A reliable notification network, especially the establishment of a ground communication command center, is fully responsible for the navigation of warships, the arrangement of combat deployment and other matters. Scientists such as Kony, Gurton, Watson-Watt, Hertz, etc., are stepping up the development of warship radar technology, which is also the most effective way to overcome nighttime naval operations."

"twitter!"

Guan Xuqing raised his voice and said: "Battleships once had an irreplaceable important position in military history. In the original naval battles, battleships have always played the leading roles. Unrivaled thick armor, large ammunition capacity, large-caliber artillery and other warships Unmatched artillery groups, the firepower and heavy armor of the battleship once became the backbone of naval warfare. Fighting against ships, supporting landings, and suppressing firepower all show the essence of a battleship's sea fortress. But from the perspective of modern naval warfare, in today's battlefield Under these conditions, battleships have huge hulls, poor maneuverability, and poor stealth performance, making them unsuitable for diverse operations. This battle shows that battleship group operations are no longer suitable for future wars, and the whole world is burning money to build large-tonnage warships. , a battleship with high firepower, but everyone knows that such a battleship has too large a target in a war, lacks concealment, and its maneuverability and flexibility are getting worse and worse, and the cost is also very high. Therefore, we need to change our thinking and focus on No matter how difficult it is for the combat group with the aircraft carrier as the core, the second batch of aircraft carrier construction projects will be launched this year, and submarines, frigates, destroyers, and cruisers will also be launched. At the end of this year, I want to see the empire's first aircraft carrier battle group sailing on the empire's seas!"

"twitter!"

Kuala Lumpur, Tiger Might Army Command.

"Everyone, everyone knows that the Ministry of the Army has issued an order to us to attack Singapore. At present, Yuan Shikai has sent the Singapore fleet to swim in the Johor Strait. It is very difficult for us to attack Singapore now. We must wait until the main force of the Nanyang Fleet arrives. Only the Johor Strait can attack again. Everyone knows that the main force of the Nanyang Fleet is now fighting in the Padang area. I am afraid that it will not appear in the Johor Strait for a while. After all, the opponent has two battleships and cruisers. It is impossible for us to fight the Strait now. Go." Cai E first put forward his own views. "Commander, when will we be able to cross the sea and attack Singapore?" Liu Cunhou, commander of the 20th Army, asked.

"On this matter, I have already contacted the Nanyang Fleet by telegram. Their main naval force will arrive at the sea of ​​Johor in three days. We are now preparing to actively prepare for the battle. As soon as the main naval force arrives, we can cross the sea and attack Singapore." Cai E said.

(End of this chapter)