Bismarck

"A W destroyer spotted the Atlantic Fleet, and intelligence shows they are heading towards us." A staff officer handed the telegram to Somerville while narrating it.

"Very good. According to Bismarck's speed, it will take another six hours to arrive here." With the help of the bright light, Somerville quickly browsed through the contents of the telegram, with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Gentlemen." He placed the telegram on the table, then smiled and said to the staff, "Intelligence is very important. We have been waiting for this moment. Are all the things ready?"

"I want to give Lütjens a great gift."

"Yes!"

The telegram that conveyed the important news was thrown on the table, trembling slightly in the breeze caused by the soldiers walking around.

It has completed its mission and as a piece of paper it has no value.

This news was so important that Somerville even forgot to ask about the destroyer's situation, so he didn't know that this telegram was actually stained with the blood of brave soldiers. He immediately ordered all the surrounding destroyers to rush to the Bismarck's path at full speed.

However, he was not overjoyed by the news of Bismarck's appearance, knowing that a few destroyers could not block Bismarck's way forward. While sending a telegram to the Home Fleet, he ordered the destroyers to track the Atlantic Fleet without attacking.

"Are all the radars on?"

"Report to the commander, all are open!"

"Then wait! Wait for it to come!"

--------

An hour later, the high-speed ship ahead suddenly spotted a newly appeared destroyer at one o'clock on the left front of the fleet.

He was coming at an angle, and his speed was also as high as thirty-six knots!

Tirpitz had nowhere to hide, and there was no need to hide. After reporting the situation, Lütjens gave a direct order - keep heading, don't worry about it!

Almost immediately after Tirpitz discovered the destroyer, the destroyer also discovered them.

He did not rush forward, but kept his distance and wandered outside Tirpitz's effective range. After firing several rounds of covering fire without achieving any cross-fire results, Lindemann gave up the idea of ​​letting her continue shooting. Let her follow if she wants, it doesn't matter anyway.

It was like a pack of wolves seeing their prey on the African savannah. With one arrow piercing the clouds, thousands of troops came to meet them. The British, who were not sure whether they were hunters or prey, surrounded them.

Another destroyer, it seems, was originally near the previous destroyer, and the sentry at another alert position began to rush back towards Gibraltar after receiving the alarm telegram sent by his comrade at the cost of his life.

However, judging from its course, Bismarck discovered that it seemed to be heading back while approaching him at the same time? It seemed that it wanted to continue to follow him closely for the sake of its sacrificed comrades and continue to inform the main force of the Gibraltar Fortress of its position and distance.

"Captain, the British seem to be calling in code?"

Bismarck was surprised by the sudden increase in radio waves in the air. There were no confidentiality measures at all and all the content could be easily read.

In the dark rainy night and the gradually thickening sea fog, even the Tirpitz and Zeppelin two kilometers away were difficult to see clearly even with the large-diameter telescope of the lookout. Not to mention a British destroyer twenty miles away! Even in Bismarck's perception, the destroyer was just a small black dot on the top of the bridge and the tip of the mast, hidden by the distant sea and sky.

But the German fleet's radio direction finders once again received traces of electromagnetic waves in the sky. Even Bismarck, who had learned English in his previous life and had dealt with the British a lot in this life, could tell that the accent of the radio operator on the other side of the radio station did not seem to be a native British accent...

"This is the destroyer HMS Vampire of the Royal Australian Navy (participating in the war as a British dependency)! The German fleet has been spotted! It is approximately 40 kilometers south of Albufeira, Spain! Course 105 degrees, speed 36 knots! Our ship will continue to track..."

Soon, Bismarck, who had put his ears into the electromagnetic field with the help of the ship's electronic receiving equipment, heard the reply from other British warships. Although due to the long distance, it was not clear which warship was exactly where, at most, he only knew that the signals all came from the starboard direction...

"Eskimo/Cossack/Punjabi/Tatar, read it! We will rendezvous right away!"

Very good, four people playing mahjong at one table, and there can also be a referee, Bismarck thought with some evil taste.

She briefly described the situation opposite.

"Four tribal-class ships with a maximum speed of 36 knots?" Lütjens said with a smile, not taking the British actions seriously at all.

Even if they surrounded us, what would happen? Would the British dare to get close?

Bismarck's reputation as a destroyer killer was not earned for nothing.

"But this is a good decision, it's not bad." Lütjens said to himself.

"What do you mean it's okay? Are you talking about the British?" Bismarck was speechless. Captain, we are fighting the British now...

"Look." Lütjens was very interested in telling Bismarck, "The tribal destroyer has a very fast speed and the ability to withstand bad weather. With eight 120 guns, it won't necessarily be at a disadvantage even against a light cruiser. Isn't it a great choice to track it?"

"That's true, but what does it have to do with the present?" Bismarck asked.

"I'm just explaining what I said just now. Summerville's decision was correct. If they were planning an ambush and lightning strike, those expelled people would definitely be sacrificed. Now at such a long distance, even you may not be able to hit them."

"There is absolutely no way." Bismarck shook his head.

"So, let's just watch and pay attention to their distance. If they get too close, we'll attack them." Lütjens smiled and took a sip of coffee.

Well, the coffee is good and fragrant.

"Hyde, the bombardment of the expellees later will be left to you." Hyde, who was at a loss as to what to do when watching the awkward interaction between the two, was suddenly picked out by Lütjens.

"what?"

Hyde was stunned, then pointed at Bismarck.

It means "Isn't there Bismarck?"

"You haven't had sex in a while, practice it later, don't forget everything."

"That's right." Bismarck said helpfully, "You are the most idle person on our ship."

Hyde, who didn't know why he was suddenly targeted, could only agree with a bitter face.

But——20 nautical miles of expulsion, are you really kidding me? How can we hit it?

----

Although it was a joke, as time went by, the night became darker, and the wind, rain and sea fog became stronger and thicker...

In contrast to the storm outside the porthole, Lutjens had a stern look on his face. He was concentrating on drawing the track over and over again with a pencil, ruler and compass in front of the chart table, betraying the captain's mood and pressure.

Of course, Bismarck was not idle either. She also simulated in her mind the positions of the enemy and us as well as what to do after entering the strait.

In the distance in the haze in the south, the figure of a second British destroyer finally appeared vaguely.

In Bismarck's perception range, two destroyers were far to the south and southwest of him. Relying on advanced radar, the two destroyers were chasing him at full speed and monitoring him with radar, while constantly reporting their positions and moving towards each other. According to the call signs monitored before, the British would have at least three tribal-class destroyers coming...

"Flies are the most annoying." Ti Zi muttered hatefully in the space. Bismarck wanted to pinch her face when he saw her angry look.

Zeppelin also burst out laughing. She was actually the most relaxed at this time. The carrier-based aircraft no longer needed to be deployed, and all the worries were left to Bismarck. She was happy and relaxed.

"There's nothing I can do. The fly swatter isn't long enough," Zeppelin laughed.

"Sister, when will we arrive? It's so boring." Tirpitz yawned silently, then looked at the dark bridge. The crew members standing inside looked like statues in the darkness, and no one spoke.

"You have such a bad temper... Wait a minute, it will be here soon." Bismarck comforted.

"Wait a minute, the commander has an order, please pay attention."

"The current time is 105:36 pm, the wind is northwest by north, the wind speed is force 2500, and the wave height is three meters. My fleet is heading , the speed is knots, and the formation with Tirpitz and Zeppelin is still maintained, with a distance of meters, in a triangle formation!"

"Continue to maintain the formation, and pay attention to the stable course. Ask the Tirpitz and Zeppelin to keep the course stable as well - especially the Zeppelin, which has a high center of gravity, so be careful."

After all, the fleet is now sailing with the wind and the current. Although the speed can be aided by wind speed and current speed, it will also cause a serious decrease in the efficiency of the steering gear and cause unexpected yaw or even tilt!

Especially now there are British destroyers and even torpedo boats waiting in the wings...

However, there is a saying that goes, "What you fear will come true..."

"Sister! A British destroyer was spotted at 60 degrees to the starboard side of the vine! It's 35 kilometers away, and the speed is about or knots, heading straight in front of us!!"

"What?! Starboard?!" Bismarck was stunned.

However, the situation was extremely urgent, and the secretary, who was devoted to his duties, hurriedly reported the sudden appearance of the enemy to the fleet commander, while picking up a pencil and ruler to quickly plot the newly appeared target on the nautical chart. The captain, without even raising his head, estimated the battlefield situation while issuing orders:

"Orders, all warships of the Atlantic Fleet, load high-explosive bombs, and detonate them instantly! Maintain formation and prepare for battle!"

"Yes!"

ps: Actually there is nothing to PS, it is just a habitual action...

Are you the enemy? How boring...

The one rushing over was a British destroyer squadron that had previously maintained radio silence and had not even turned on its radar, relying entirely on a mixed formation: four G/H-class destroyers.

They were built almost at the same time, with similar performance and tonnage. They were basically equipped with 4 120MM guns, 2 quadruple 533 torpedo tubes, and a speed of knots.

The speed of thirty-four knots is not even as fast as the Bismarck and her companions, and the firepower is even lower.

Lütjens couldn't figure out what they wanted to do? Want to get very close and then mine him? The question was, would Bismarck give them this opportunity?

The Atlantic Fleet was advancing at high speed as usual, and the distance between the two sides was closing at a terrifying speed.

Those destroyers that suddenly appeared were originally here to replace the destroyer squadron that was patrolling on the warning line before, but when they were halfway through the voyage, they received the enemy situation report that their comrades had paid for with their lives...The Atlantic Fleet appeared.

Somerville immediately gave them orders, requiring the destroyers not to attack the Germans without authorization, and to protect their own survival while monitoring.

However, the commander of the destroyer squadron did not intend to turn around and run away. After consulting Somerville, the commander of the destroyer division regrouped his small fleet and then hid the destroyers in a row behind Cape Faro on the coast of Spain, thirty or forty kilometers west of Albufeira where the Vampire had discovered Bismarck and her men. They waited for the opportunity.

According to the destroyer squadron captain's plan, while the Vampire and several other tribal-class ships were attracting attention, this small destroyer squadron would suddenly rush out from another ship and ambush Lütjens with the new MK35 torpedoes they carried, which had a range of 15000 yards (13750 meters) at 9 knots and had just been put into service!

The range of a thirteen-kilometer torpedo is already very long. Generally speaking, it is very difficult to hit a destroyer at this distance, not to mention the hindrance of bad weather.

As for why Somerville agreed to this plan...it all comes down to information asymmetry.

Because although he knew that the shipgirls were terrible, he had no shipgirls under his command, so he didn't know how terrible their abilities were. Everything he knew came from his friend Tovey, but Tovey himself was a half-baked person. He only knew Hood's identity at the end, so how could he deeply understand the abilities of the shipgirls?

Although we have some understanding of Zeppelin's terrible aviation combat power in the Battle of the Mid-Atlantic, in the current stormy weather, Zeppelin cannot take off its planes, so we have to estimate the combat power of two Bismarck-class ships...

However, judging from past data, there is still no clear idea about the specific observation range... Including the CE15 convoy battle and the Battle of Dunkirk, what can be determined is that under poor visibility at night, the Bismarck-class's attack range against destroyers is about 15-20 kilometers, and for large warships above cruisers it may be around 25 kilometers, or perhaps even farther?

In fact, based on the radar performance at the time, this distance was basically the working distance of the radar at the time, so no one doubted it at the time.

But I still have no idea whether this is a radar or a ship girl...

What would happen if it was radar? What would happen if it was that so-called ship girl?

Somerville had been trying to overestimate the capabilities of those warships, but in the end he realized that perhaps he had underestimated them.

Therefore, Somerville also told the destroyer squadron commander that in addition to the camera sneak attack, he should also pay attention to the German fleet's search range for them - especially within 20 kilometers! If attacked by the Bismarck class, retreat immediately!

However, the captain of the destroyer squadron, who didn't know KanColle, didn't take this order seriously at first...

The destroyer was originally a small target, and its radar was only in standby mode, with basically no radio waves, while the radar signal of the German fleet was still in a sweeping search mode (rather than a fire control tracking mode that kept staring at itself). Coupled with the cover of darkness and wind and rain, under normal circumstances, it should have been foolproof!

The destroyer squadron captain also thought so.

However... he never expected that he would receive a clear message from the Vampire just after he had hidden himself - this damn German fleet, the battleships actually have 36 knots! And his destroyer can only have 34 knots!

It seems that the positions and attack times must be calculated in advance...

Looking at the position again, the Vampire had previously discovered that the distance from Albufeira, where Bismarck and her team were, to the back of Cape Faro was only 40 kilometers, and the closest distance from their position to the opponent's expected route was only 36 kilometers!

If you don’t get out now, you won’t be able to get to the critical side angle!

The only way is to rush out! If the speed is not as fast as the opponent, the only way is to start early!

Even though rushing out like this was actually the most dangerous side, facing the direction of the westerly wind and waves, the British destroyers still rushed out resolutely against the wind and waves, determined the new course with the critical side angle of Bismarck relative to the course of the British fleet, and also turned the stern of the warship obliquely to face the direction of the wind and waves, while holding the rudder with difficulty and setting the clock to five forward, just like the Royal Navy predecessors who fought against the sky and people hundreds of years ago, and moved forward without hesitation!

The radio did not receive any radar signals from the Germans. Hopefully, under the cover of darkness and storms, we can get close to the German fleet and release torpedoes!

But... what both sides didn't know was that the German Navy's Atlantic Fleet's Bismarck-class battleships, which had a radar and a ship girl, had a range of not 20 kilometers for destroyers, but a full 20 nautical miles...

The maximum speed of the four G/H-class destroyers is 34 knots, equivalent to 63 kilometers per hour, while the speed of the German Navy's Atlantic Fleet is a faster 36 knots (66.6 kilometers per hour).

As time passed, the two sides approached each other rapidly in the dark and stormy weather...

The clock hands had pointed to half past seven in the evening, and on the bridge of the Tirpitz, Lindemann and his combat staff were nervously holding slide rules, calculating various tactical parameters with sweat on their foreheads.

Well... except for a hamster who was sitting in a warm and cozy corner with a few cushions and pillows, wearing headphones and staring out the window...

Although many people thought that Secretary Grape was listening to the radio, only Lindemann, who was heartbroken, knew that the girl was actually listening to the songs on the record player (which she secretly installed under her seat)...

The only thing that doesn't hurt is that this girl can at least complete her work tasks, such as communications and fire control...

"Captain, the commander said that we have to deal with the ones over here, and he also wants us to shoot them closer, use more secondary guns, and take it easy..." Ti Zi received another order from his sister via WIFI, and shouted lazily without even raising his head.

"Got it. Tizi, what are the parameters of the fire control director?!"

"Range change rate (distance reduction in approach state) -915.03 meters/minute, lateral displacement rate (relative rearward movement) -24.7 meters/second, position change rate (port side or counterclockwise) -1.82 degrees/minute, distance 21 kilometers." After casually glancing at the fire control director, Ti Zi replied lazily.

"Have you calculated the possible parameters of the enemy's lightning strike?" Knowing that his hamster was lazy and a homebody, Lindmann was worried and had to ask for help from the staff officers around him.

"It's been calculated! The enemy's critical side angle is about 70 degrees. According to that angle, they will turn and release torpedoes when the straight-line distance from my fleet is 9000 meters, to ensure that the maximum range of their torpedoes can cover the front of my fleet!"

"9000 meters?" Lindemann looked at the time. Another minute had passed. The distance now was probably about 20 kilometers?

Looking at himself and other officers who were busy spinning like gyroscopes, and looking at Grape, who was leaning on the hamster nest next to the control seat in the corner, looking out the window at the dark and stormy weather, and was in a daze, Lindman couldn't help feeling a little depressed...

Why don't you learn from your sister and Zeppelin... Also, what the hell is going on with your hair spinning so fast and being in a daze at the same time? Are you trying to do two things at once?

"Order Tirpitz! Forward main turret and 150 secondary guns on the starboard side, high-explosive shells with instantaneous fuses, target the British destroyer fleet on the right, fire!"

Lindemann yelled in anger. Although he was yelling at the gunner on the fire control director, a hamster knew that he was yelling at himself to start work.