Bismarck

"Come on, wipe it off first, it's so wet."

Bismarck happily took it, took off his raincoat, tilted his head in the middle of the bridge and began to dry himself.

"The weather outside is very bad, and the visibility is so low that I can't even see Tirpitz with my naked eyes," said Bismarck.

The rain wasn't heavy, it was mainly foggy, not much different from the previous weather forecast.

"Sea state level 4, northwest wind, the weather continues to deteriorate..."

Lütjens was still very happy when reading the report. Anyway, he had Bismarck and others with him, so what if it was pitch dark?

Oh, but the pilots on the Zeppelin should pay attention and make sure nothing happens.

Thinking of this, Lütjens gave orders to Bismarck.

"By the way, Zeppelin should be recovering the reconnaissance planes and patrol fighters now. Bismarck, go ask Zeppelin if our reconnaissance planes and patrol fighters can guarantee a safe landing?"

"Yes, Captain."

In fact, Lütjens was too worried. According to Zeppelin's ability, as long as she could make her subordinates take off, everything would be under control.

Even in such severe sea conditions, her hull is still in a relatively stable state, providing pilots with a safe landing environment on the rough waves - but this is only limited to when the aircraft is taking off and landing. If the aircraft is in the air, she will not use her ability to control the hull.

Soon, Zeppelin gave Lütjens a reply, saying that he had no problem.

"Zeppelin said that with her ship's maneuverability, she can guarantee a safe landing in winds of level 400 and waves of level ! She also said that until the reconnaissance planes began to return at pm, no trace of Tovey's home fleet was found in the north, west, and southwest. It is estimated that Tovey and his men are at least kilometers away from our fleet!"

Bismarck told his captain this.

400 kilometers?

After losing the cutting-edge battleship Hood, Lütjens knew that the remaining warships of the Royal Navy were basically slow old ladies. The only ones that could sail at high speed might be Renown and Prince of Wales. These two battleships were no match for Bismarck and Tirpitz. In this case, perhaps there would be no need to worry about the danger of being surrounded.

However, we also have to consider the situation if the reconnaissance aircraft fails to find the target in this foggy day.

"Let Zeppelin continue to fly reconnaissance planes. It's best not to miss any place. This is very important." Lütjens said.

"Yes!"

As for Zeppelin, after receiving the order, she carried it out diligently, and even went up to the sky to investigate personally.

When they came back the second time, they confirmed the situation again.

"Very good." Lütjens stood up, walked to the chart table and supported himself on the table with his hands.

"Four hundred kilometers away, that's enough... Tovey's fleet can only travel at a speed of about thirty knots at best. Even if the breakthrough fails, we can still withdraw..."

“That way there’s no need to worry.”

After a short period of thinking, Lütjens formally issued the order to attack the Strait of Gibraltar.

The fleet began to accelerate across the board. The thick smoke was blown away by the sea breeze after leaving the chimney and disappeared into the clouds and mist.

The situation of racing in bad sea conditions is that Bismarck feels as if he is traveling in water mist. After the bow of the ship suddenly sinks, the waves that are split by the sea breeze fly from the bow to the front of the ship. Because the hull of Bismarck is wide, the rolling feeling is not very strong. However, the ups and downs are enough to make everyone feel comfortable...

"Tirpitz ahead, a telegram has been sent, a British destroyer has been spotted!"

By the time the communications officer delivered the message, Lütjens had actually already discussed the issue with Bismarck. Of course, the captain was kind enough to pretend to be unaware, making the communications officer feel that his presence was redundant - the last person to feel this way was the gunner.

"Very good, I understand!"

Lütjens and Bismarck smiled at each other.

"We encountered the British destroyer so soon. It seems that letting Tirpitz go ahead was not a wrong decision." Lütjens said.

It is said that the Tirpitz report first discovered the British radar signal and then locked the target. This little lazy guy does have some talent in electronics.

"It's confirmed to be the British destroyer W. This old-fashioned destroyer can only be regarded as cannon fodder. It is probably used as a sentry. Can we bypass it?"

"I don't think so. I think it will take a long time to go around it, and we may not be able to get around it. If there is another road over there, it will be troublesome. Let's make it quick and decisive." Lütjens said.

"Order Lindemann to get rid of that old World War I destroyer immediately, and then the entire fleet will advance at 36 knots with boiler boost! Target - the Strait of Gibraltar!"

-

In the rain and fog, the low clouds were suddenly illuminated by strong flames, and then huge sound waves spread through the rain curtain.

That was Tirpitz, already firing.

Although the British destroyers were equipped with radar, they were not the latest type of radar. In addition, the destroyers were short in size and their detection range could not be compared with Tirpitz's mental power, so they were in a passive position at the beginning.

The several destroyers serving as sentinels were very diligent and conscientious. The radar operators kept staring at the green screen, observing whether there were any unusual targets appearing.

The radar looks normal, but that doesn't mean it's safe.

When a huge explosion came from the side of the ship and the waves stirred up by the explosion even pushed the ship to sway from side to side, everyone was stunned.

Even though many people were prepared to fight and even sacrifice, the sudden attack still left them at a loss.

The shells flashed by so quickly that they didn't even know where the enemy came from.

It's all this damn weather!

The captain can only pin his hopes on things like radar.

He trudged over to the radar operator who was also on the bridge, his boots making a dull sound on the steel floor.

"Haibo, who is hitting us?"

In fact, the radar operator also wanted to find the target, but unfortunately, his vision was limited to the performance of the radar.

"No one, I didn't see anyone."

The captain has called out.

"Were those shells fired from outside the radar range?"

"Yes, Captain, I think so."

While they were talking, the second round of shells came over. This round of shells was a few inches closer than the first one. One of them even grazed the destroyer's head, breaking her mast and throwing it into the sea.

"What's going on?!" The captain rushed out and just in time saw a crew member running to the side of the ship.

"Captain, the mast is broken!"

"Where did it fall?"

"here."

The crew member pointed in a direction, and the captain knew where the shell came from.

"It's definitely a German battleship that can attack from such a long distance. Send a telegram to the Gibraltar Fortress! The German Atlantic Fleet has appeared!"

"Yes!"

"Also, cancel the alert patrol deployment and leave the battlefield at full speed!" the captain immediately ordered.

He had no intention of confronting the German Atlantic Fleet; it was enough for him to know their whereabouts.

But it's too late.

Just as the order from the engine bell reached the engine room and the main engine began to accelerate, two shells hit her.

One penetrated the bridge and almost razed the entire superstructure to the ground, and one hit the middle of the hull. The huge kinetic energy and explosion tore this old destroyer into two pieces.

A ball of blazing fire appeared on the dim sea. It was the W destroyer that was sinking rapidly. No one knew how many crew members could escape, maybe a few, maybe none. But the final cry of this sentinel was like a flare that illuminated the Atlantic Fleet that was originally hidden in the darkness and exposed these demons in broad daylight.

Radio waves travel at the speed of light in the air. When the command center in Gibraltar received the signal, the operation later known as the Gibraltar Assault officially began. It was the first time that electronic interference appeared on the battlefield in an actual combat manner.

"Hit!" Tirpitz cheered softly.

There were no lookouts who could observe so far outside now, so when it came to reporting the results of the battle, only Tizi could whisper to Lindman, otherwise he would really be regarded as a monster.

"Lindemann, I hit it!" Tizi pulled his sleeve and happily took credit.

"Okay, okay, I will definitely give you what I promised, don't worry."

Lindeman was in a good mood and touched Tizi's head. It seemed that the special training he gave the girl before sailing was effective and she was not a hopeless case.

As for what the secret is?

That must be some reward, like food or something...

This was also what he had promised Tizi. This time they were going to the port in Italy and would take her to eat authentic Italian when they had time.

Tirpitz is still easy to raise, Lindemann thought naively.

"Captain, Tirpitz has sunk the British destroyer."

When the British destroyer W completely disappeared on the sea, Bismarck here also reported the news.

Lütjens nodded, not seeming to be happy about the victory. In fact, if Tirpitz could not sink this old destroyer, then she would definitely not have an easy time after returning to the port. This kind of patrol ship was obviously a gift to the enemy.

But it was still a step slow.

The radio detected radio waves that were suspected to be telegrams sent by the other side, and there was basically no need to guess what the content was.

"Oh no." Hyde, who had just been promoted to trainee captain, said anxiously. As a trainee captain, he had the power to participate in decision-making, but he was still a little nervous as it was his first time to make suggestions.

"Captain, we are still six hours away from Gibraltar. Britain has plenty of time to prepare."

"Won't Somerville be prepared if we aren't discovered?" Lütjens asked back with a calm expression.

"Don't worry, Hyde. Our trump card doesn't rely on this anyway."

Lütjens' words woke him up, and he scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Well, that's right..."

Lütjens shook his head, smiled, walked back to the chart table, and bent down to calculate something.

The assault operation has officially begun, so there can't be the slightest mistake. Lütjens is responsible for the lives of more than 3,000 sailors. He has a huge responsibility and is also the one under the most pressure.

"We have to move forward at full speed. The British must have sent more than one destroyer out for surveillance. The speed of the destroyer will not be much slower than ours. At their speed, the other destroyers will arrive in an hour at the earliest and two or three hours at the latest, so we have to hurry! - I order the Atlantic Fleet to enter a level one alert state! In addition, order: the entire fleet to switch to an inverted triangle formation: Bismarck in the front left, Tirpitz in the front right, Zeppelin towing, with each ship 2500 meters apart! The entire fleet is heading 105 degrees southeast by east, with the target being the Strait of Gibraltar! The formation speed is knots! Keep moving forward!"

"Yes!"

ps: Ahhh, I feel so decadent today

Chapter 385: Hunter or prey?

After six o'clock in the afternoon, it quickly got dark.

The Spanish coast was covered with dark clouds, with strong winds and rough waves. Heavy rain came suddenly, and visibility seemed to be getting even lower... In this sea area that was gradually falling into darkness and storm, three battleships of the German Kriegsmarine's Atlantic Fleet were moving forward like ghosts.

In order to maintain his concealment, Lütjens ordered a blackout. The three warships were lined up in a column, stretching for several kilometers, and began to rush into the strait against the increasingly worsening sea conditions.

It was pitch black all around, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. The eyes had completely lost sight of what was around. If it were not for things like radar or mental power, the warships would definitely think that they were the only ones in the world, galloping alone on the vast ocean.

Fortunately, the Atlantic Fleet has a target.

Even though its presence had been exposed, Tirpitz in front had not found any trace of the second enemy ship so far, proving that the distance between the patrol ships was also very large.

Perhaps Somerville had no intention of intercepting him from the sea, but placed all his hopes in the strait, Lütjens thought so. However, if this was the case, it would be very difficult to attack the strait.

It is true. The combat effectiveness of his three warships is obvious to all. Who would be stupid enough to come out in the vast ocean to engage in a head-on battle with him? If someone wants to come, I guess Somerville will only send people to follow them.

Lütjens's guess was correct, and Bismarck also thought so, but wouldn't it sound like an imperial decree if we said so?

Because after a while, a new situation appeared in front of us...

--------

The British did react quickly and were well prepared, and their destroyers were much better than the Germans' before.

Under the self-sacrificial warning of the old British destroyer that bravely sent a telegram before its death, enemies from all directions soon began to swarm towards this triangular formation.

Even in Gibraltar, which was far away, emergency combat preparations were begun, shells were loaded, radars were turned on, and various torpedo boats and other ships began to rush onto the channel of the Strait.

All the searchlights on the two hills were turned on, but due to the interference of clouds and fog, all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white.

In fact, the fortress has always been in a state of first-level alert, and this feeling of waiting for the enemy to appear is the most energy-consuming. Being in a tense environment for a long time has made the officers and soldiers of the fortress exhausted, and even Somerville has become irritable.

But now, it's all over.

When the news of Bismarck's appearance came, all emotions disappeared, only the adrenaline kept rising.

Just for this moment.

"Where is Bismarck now?!" The excited Somerville didn't even bother to put on his hat and hurried to the conference room, where the staff had been waiting for a long time. The constant beeping of the telegram indicated that this had become a temporary command center.