Bismarck

"Dad, do you know what they are doing out to sea?"

"Miss, I don't know about these things." Krupp replied immediately, "But I heard some other things when Bismarck was arguing with the general."

"what?"

"Bismarck said at the time that this was simply a way to commit suicide..."

"Okay, I understand." Lily nodded.

"Dad, please don't be in trouble..."

---------

"Prime Minister! Our people have sent a message from the German Admiralty!"

Churchill was resting when he was woken up. Usually, when he was woken up, it was always something very important. He did not dare to delay and quickly got out of bed and went to his desk in his pajamas.

A top secret telegram was placed in front of him.

Just a few short sentences.

"The Bismarck will launch an attack in the near future to attack the British sea routes. It will pass through the Denmark Strait and will be a single ship!"

"Is the damn Bismarck coming out again?" Churchill's mood immediately turned bad when he saw those words, but the rest...

"What? A single ship! Is Reger crazy?" Churchill gasped.

"Prime Minister, according to previous intelligence, Reger and Lütjens have fallen out. It is very likely that this will be an attack that will send Bismarck to his death," said the chief of staff.

"Reger is a politician." Fat Qiu said after taking another look at the telegram.

Although he himself is.

"But this is a good opportunity for us! This is a great opportunity to destroy Bismarck! As long as we can sink her, it will be a major blow to the German navy!"

"How is our Hood?" Churchill asked.

"It's okay, Prime Minister. The Hood has been repaired. Judging from the results of the last firefight with the Tirpitz, the Hood has a clear advantage over the Bismarck class!" The Chief of Staff was full of confidence.

"Is this news reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable."

"Well, I'll let Tovey lead the team! Flagship Hood! In addition to the necessary defense, take all the active home fleet to intercept the Bismarck near the Denmark Strait!"

"Yes!"

----

Bismarck sailed out of Wilhelm, passed through the North Sea, passed Kiel, and entered the Baltic Sea, but the order for support did not arrive.

She was a little disappointed, Kiel was Prince Eugen's home port.

Although she didn't want Prince Eugen to join the operation because of history, that was when Tirpitz was there...

Now...she just wants to beg for an Eugen Eugen Eugen.

However, Reger didn't seem to have this intention.

"The weather is really bad." Lütjens looked out the window. The dark clouds were still hanging low, and there was constant lightning above the clouds in the distance.

"It's good that the weather is bad." The navigator said with a smile, "In this kind of weather, reconnaissance planes basically don't have to think about reconnaissance. We are safe."

"Of course I know." Lütjens smiled. "Where are we heading now?"

"Go to Bergen and replenish supplies according to the plan." said the navigator.

"By the way, Captain, why don't we go through the Denmark Strait? It's obviously farther from the British mainland."

"You know that, how could the British not know that?" Lütjens asked back.

"But how would the British know?"

"You'll have to ask the Gestapo about this." Lütjens smiled slightly.

ps: It is really not easy to live to old age. Although you are young, you still have to take care of your body and don’t stay up late... Two people have passed away in one month, and I can’t describe my current mood.

Chapter 336: Separate Interception

Since he knew that Reger might be planning revenge, Lütjens would definitely have a trick up his sleeve. After all, he worked his way up from the grassroots to become the naval commander, and he was no fool. In addition, after the Gestapo incident, he certainly didn't trust the Germans much. Even if ninety-nine out of a hundred people were good, as long as there was a spy, his and Bismarck's whereabouts would be exposed.

Therefore, even if it was a little dangerous, he would not take the Denmark Strait.

Such weather gave Bismarck great convenience. Her mental power was basically not blocked by wind and rain, while the British detection methods were greatly affected. Under Bismarck's large-scale exploration, she avoided some sentinel destroyers and arrived in Bergen safely.

"We went out to sea without fully understanding the situation of the British this time. How bold of us." While Bismarck was resupplying at the oil tanker outside the port, Lütjens, the navigator and several staff officers hurried to discuss tactical countermeasures. One of the staff officers flipped through the intelligence given to him in annoyance and threw it on the chart table.

"It makes no difference whether you read the information above or not." The navigator swept it aside. "First of all, I want to make it clear that we gathered you together to formulate a strategy, not for fighting, but for escaping. Our mission this time is to choose a good route and return to Brest safely and slowly. Sinking enemy ships and acting as pirate ships are all empty talk. The first thing is to save ourselves."

"Are we not going to attack the transport fleet?" asked a junior staff officer who didn't understand what was going on.

"Stupid." The gunner laughed, "At this time, who cares about those things? If we really come to disrupt the trade, there won't be only one ship. We are here to deliver meat."

Lütjens nodded silently, thought for a moment, and then added, "No need to go slowly, just go as fast as you can."

"See, the captain has said it all."

"You guys discuss it and make sure you come up with a feasible strategy. I have a feeling that if we fail this time, we will stay in the Atlantic Ocean forever. So, this is for your own good."

Lütjens' voice had never been so solemn before, and the atmosphere in the entire operations room was stagnant.

"understand!"

Lütjens walked out of the command tower. There was a figure standing at the end of his ear, the only bright spot at the end of the dark sea and sky. He walked over.

"I left a letter for Lily." Bismarck said lazily while leaning on the railing. The weather before the heavy rain was very wet and cold, which would definitely be uncomfortable for ordinary people, but Bismarck just liked this cool feeling, with his hair blowing in the wind.

"Oh? What did you say?" Lütjens also walked over.

"I explained some things." Bismarck turned his head and smiled, "I told Lily that if we can go back, if she doesn't forgive me, Captain, you and I will have to separate."

Lütjens was stunned for a moment and then laughed.

"Do you really think so?" His hand naturally put around Bismarck's shoulders.

"There's nothing I can do. After all, Lily is your daughter and my friend. If we do this, wouldn't it be too selfish?" Bismarck lowered his head and curled his hair, absent-mindedly.

"Just do your job well. You don't have to intervene in this matter. I will handle it." Lütjens straightened Bismarck to face him.

"Yeah." Bismarck responded softly.

"Why don't you have confidence in this battle?" Lütjens suddenly thought of something. It seemed that since he heard about this plan, Bismarck had shown a very resistant mentality and had been opposing this matter. Although he himself was very disgusted with this combat plan, he could feel that Bismarck was considering other aspects, even fear?

"this···"

"Why? You can't tell me?"

"There's nothing I can't say. I'm just worried about Hood." Bismarck said. Of course, only he knew the real reason, and this was all he could say.

"The Hood is too strong. The last time Tirpitz fought it, he was completely overwhelmed. What about the other ships? I remember that Rodney and Nelson have been repaired. If they come out again, what will I do alone?"

"How do you know Hood will appear?" Lütjens asked in confusion. In fact, he didn't know what warships the British would dispatch, and he didn't even know whether the British knew about it.

"Uh... you'll know if you think about it." Bismarck smiled awkwardly. He accidentally gained the ability to predict the future. "The only ship in the British fleet that can keep up with my speed is the Hood, not counting aircraft carriers. If my whereabouts are known, it will definitely be their Home Fleet that will come out to intercept me, and the Hood belongs to the Home Fleet, plus Rodney and Nelson. But the latter two are definitely used for surveillance. They can't keep up with our speed."

"Your analysis is correct, but I have asked them to develop a strategy and will try their best to get you back safely." Lütjens said with a smile.

"Our mission this time is not to disrupt the trade, but to return home."

--------

"Elizabeth, is my favorite black tea ready for me?" Tovey, dressed in a navy blue navy uniform, walked up the gangway in high spirits, followed by an orderly who brought him a box.

"Don't worry, General, everything is prepared for you. It's in your room." Elizabeth greeted him on the deck.

"Have the staff officers come on board?"

"Everyone is in the war room, and the room is ready."

Tovey followed Elizabeth to the bridge. The commander had arrived and the fleet was ready to set sail. This fleet could be said to be a gathering of the entire Navy's home fleet. The flagship was the Hood, and it included two Nelson-class ships, a number of cruiser destroyers, and a light aircraft carrier for reconnaissance and finishing off the enemy.

During this period, a staff officer raised the question of what would happen if Bismarck did not go to the Denmark Strait. Tovey finally thought about it and announced.

"Although there is intelligence that Bismarck will go through the Denmark Strait, just in case, let Nelson and Rodney stay in the Faroe Channel, and I will take Hood to the Denmark Strait. With this configuration, even if Bismarck breaks out from below, Hood will be able to provide support in time. If she really goes through the Denmark Strait, that will be perfect!"

ps: I'm sorry, the novel may be discontinued for a few days. As everyone knows, this novel was written by Big Sister and I. She is responsible for combat knowledge. The Rhine exercise had been completed, but now there is a little accident - Big Sister is in the hospital, so the progress has been affected a little.

Chapter 337: Exposing the whereabouts

After replenishing supplies in Bergen, Bismarck set off again secretly under the cover of night. After eating and drinking her fill, she finally felt a little more confident, at least she no longer had to worry about running out of oil.

The weather was as bad as usual. The wind was strong and the waves were rough while sailing on the North Sea. The bow of the ship kept passing through the wave crests and the hull was swaying from side to side under the push of the side waves. Fortunately, the Bismarck's hull was large and the crew felt a little better. If it were the Iowa's hull, they would have vomited in such weather.

"The Iceland-Faroe Waterway is ahead. It will take about 24 hours to sail there. It will be quick." The navigator replied after looking at the nautical chart.

Looking at the map, the distance from Bergen to the Faroe Islands is no more than one thousand kilometers. However, since there is a British island in the middle, for the sake of his own concealment, Lütjens decided to take a long detour and stay as far away from the British naval base as possible. In this way, the distance becomes one thousand two hundred kilometers. In fact, if you go through the Faroe Islands, the distance is even shorter, only five hundred kilometers, but that would be courting death, and no one has the courage to do that.

"So far everything is going well and hopefully it will remain that way," Lütjens said.

"Bismarck, be alert, we have entered the range of the British Navy."

"clear."

At the same time, when the Bismarck reached the farthest point from the British mainland, the British Home Fleet departing from Scapa Flow had completed its final deployment. Just like Tovey's deployment, two Nelson-class battleships were sent to the Faroe Channel in Iceland first because of their speed, and two heavy cruisers and three destroyers also went there. Hood, with a speed of more than 30 knots, led the remaining fleet and a light carrier to the Denmark Strait at high speed, trying their best to intercept the Bismarck.

His deployment made sense. This was not the first time that Nelson and Rodney had fought against Bismarck. In terms of the performance of a single ship, the Nelson class was not as good as the Bismarck. However, in the last Battle of Iceland, the two Nelson-class ships joined forces. Their powerful firepower almost made Bismarck unable to take care of itself. In the end, it was only by relying on its high speed that it escaped.

Therefore, even if Bismarck really went to the Faroe Channel, as long as Bismarck could be stopped and Hood could be given time to fight back from the Denmark Strait, Lütjens could be trapped in the end. The entire British Navy regarded this ship as a serious threat.

Tovey was not worried that Lütjens would go to the Faroe Islands, because not only were there intensive destroyer patrols there, but it was also within the air strike range of British bombers. It would be impossible for a battleship alone to accomplish such a mission.

"Lütjens, we also need to come to an end." Tovey sat in the spacious Hood bridge, drinking the black tea brewed by Elizabeth himself. The rich tea aroma made him squint his eyes.

The sailors in the bridge chatted leisurely, and Tovey did not stop them. Everyone knew that the purpose of their trip was to intercept the most powerful German battleship, Bismarck, but no one was worried - because Hood was an unsinkable battleship and the pride of the Royal Navy. The officers and soldiers on Hood believed that the reason why the sailors on other battleships panicked when they heard about the Bismarck class was that Hood was still in the shipyard at that time, and the Royal Navy had no reliable battleships. Now that Hood has come out, the so-called demon battleship should disappear.

"Elizabeth, how do you feel?" Tovey looked at the pretty figure standing beside him and asked. Today, Elizabeth wore a navy blue uniform long-sleeved top, a blue short skirt, and a pair of long white sock boots covering her white thighs. Maybe because it was cold, she also added a white cape with gold edges, which made her look particularly beautiful.

Tovey noticed that when Elizabeth appeared on the bridge, all the boys' eyes were attracted to her. No wonder, even he couldn't help but look at her.

"Hmm? How does it feel?" Elizabeth pushed up her glasses.

"Is this your first time encountering such bad sea conditions? Aren't you seasick?" Tovey asked curiously.

"No." She shook her head innocently.

"It seems that you are born to be on the sea." Tovey said with emotion, "I was surprised when you insisted on going on board the ship. Later, I was right about you. You are more knowledgeable than ordinary staff officers."

“Can you tell me where you learned that?”

"I told you that last time, Commander," said Elizabeth. "You forgot."

"Oh, it seems so." Tovey laughed. Elizabeth said that she learned it from her sailor father.

But Tovey didn't quite believe it. Maybe he could ask him after he returned from the sea.

"Aren't you cold?" Tovey asked, trying not to look at Elizabeth's exposed white thighs. Even the soldiers with the best physiques were wearing thick coats in the cold and wet weather on the Atlantic Ocean.

"It doesn't seem cold..." She shook her head again.

"It's amazing." Tovey also shook his head.

--

Because it would take seven or eight hours to get back through the Denmark Strait, even at Hood's high speed, the Faroe Squadron needed to discover the situation inside the waterway in advance. To deal with the situation, the squadron needed to go deep, at least one hundred kilometers ahead - this was only the case with two battleships. With a faster speed, more destroyers would be needed as sentinels. This was also thanks to Bismarck's short rest in Bergen, otherwise the British would not have encountered her after the deployment was completed.

In the storm, three destroyers set out separately. They were each more than 70 kilometers away and began to provide vision protection for their fleets. The search range also covered the entire waterway.

To a large extent, one of these three destroyers is a victim. Bismarck now has the reputation of being an elementary school student killer. If a destroyer encounters her, it is basically a matter of life and death. Everyone knows this. However, as long as the whereabouts of Bismarck can be told to the rear, its mission will be accomplished.

When these destroyers set out, there was a sense of righteousness.

At this time, Bismarck bypassed the farthest point from the British mainland and began to turn south towards the center line of the Faroe Islands.

"Captain, they haven't shown up yet. Is it possible that the British don't know about it?" Bismarck knew that the possibility was very small, but he still had a little fantasy. How great it would be if he could sneak through this waterway and return to Brest.

"Even if they don't know, we have to deal with it as if they know." Lütjens did not relax at all. He knew clearly that this was not the beginning of relaxing vigilance, but the most dangerous time. If he were Tovey, if he got this news, then these two waterways would definitely be blocked.

These two choke points will definitely not be easy to pass.

"There is no movement ahead. The sea is calm. This is the most worrying thing." He said, "Stay alert."

"Yes."

Not long after Bismarck and the captain were communicating, a figure appeared at the end of Bismarck's perception, and it became more and more obvious.