Bismarck

Chapter 585: Super Fleet

In the Norwegian Sea in early February, the sun has already risen above the southern sea level.

Admiral Kumetz, commander of the German War Navy's Arctic Fleet, was wearing a thick military coat, standing by the porthole of the flagship battleship Hindenburg, silently looking out the window at the endless sea, thinking about the arrangement of this battle. According to Marshal Raeder's order, the purpose of their coming out this time was to find trouble with the Royal Navy.

The Hindenburg battleship under his feet was the latest to be commissioned not long ago, and it also represents the latest technology of Germany. This super ship has an extremely majestic and huge body, even larger than the so-called star battleship Bismarck. Moreover, its main gun has also been completely upgraded to 406 caliber, and its destructive power has increased exponentially compared to the Bismarck. It can be said that it is the new generation of war monster of the German Empire. Standing on it, it is as if the whole world is in your control. It is so tall, watching the waves on the sea roll over one after another, the battleship is still standing still, and the waves are still smashed on both sides of the ship. Even though the cold wind of the Norwegian Sea blows on his face like a knife, Kumetz's heart is still hot.

The fishy and salty sea breeze was so comfortable. The waves crushed by the bow were swept into the air by the wind, and then rushed towards the bridge, surrounding the casualties on it, making people feel comfortable - it would be even better if the temperature was higher and there were no annoying flies.

Kumets was not worried about the battle, even though the Hindenburg was a new ship with little combat experience. He knew that the elite British forces on the other side were basically damaged, although he was not the one who caused this.

The consequences of using this cutting-edge warship to attack the remnants of the British army are self-evident.

In the past two years, after various naval battles and bloodletting, the British Royal Navy has been seriously injured! Especially the high-speed warships and aircraft carriers in the main fleet, the number of which can be counted on one hand!

Excluding the four old R-class battleships that are old and dilapidated and can only cover the escort fleet, the two tanker-class battleships stationed in the Strait of Gibraltar and the two old light aircraft carriers, as well as the two Queen-class old battleships, the Warspite which is being overhauled in the United States and the Warrior which is stationed in Madagascar, the British Royal Navy's Home Fleet, which is still struggling in the British Isles under the command of Admiral John Tovey, now has only two King George V-class battleships, the Duke of York and Howe (named in memory of Admiral Richard Howe of the British Royal Navy in the 18th century), the battlecruiser HMS Renown, and the Vengeance-class aircraft carriers HMS Vengeance and HMS Indefatigable - a total of which can be counted on one hand.

As an ally of Britain, the US Navy still has six aircraft carriers, but they are all stationed in the Pacific. Japan's attack has occupied the Borneo oil fields and the Indonesian archipelago. Now the vanguard has occupied the Rabaul anchorage and the northwest of New Guinea Island, and has also established a naval and air force forward base in Rabaul. In the face of such rampant military forces, the main aircraft carriers of the US Navy cannot move easily! Although there are more than ten old warships in total, they are all old and outdated and can't keep up with the rhythm of modern naval warfare.

As for the German Navy, especially the fleet in his hands that assembled almost all the main forces under Admiral Raeder - the Hindenburg and Ludendorff battleships with 406mm main guns, and the two battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau with modified 380mm main guns! Behind these four battleships are the Europa and Bremen aircraft carriers, which were originally cruise ships and could carry 72 aircraft and sail at a speed of 25 knots after being modified and put into service - now their course is heading southwest, just sailing against the wind, even if the maximum speed is only knots, it is not enough, and the aircraft can be taken off and landed directly! In addition, there are the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, the pocket battleship Deutschland and the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer, as well as the escort fleet composed of ten destroyers - this is all the main forces that the Great German War Navy can dispatch now!

Looking around, the fleet's formation stretched for several kilometers and was magnificent. The closest to Kumetz was the Hindenburg's sister, the battleship Ludendorff. It was so beautiful, and its huge body kept breaking up the snow-white waves as it sailed steadily. Its huge gun barrels stretched forward, showing its wild power. In the middle were battlecruisers, and behind them were aircraft carriers, with pocket battleships and heavy cruisers surrounding them. The outermost ones were destroyers, serving as outposts. At the outermost circle, Kumetz could basically only see a small dot - of course, the outpost ships were completely invisible.

He believed himself to be invincible, and soon the failure of the British raids increased everyone's confidence.

Shore-based reconnaissance aircraft and shore-based bombers, etc., basically fought each other in this sea area. In fact, just now, a team of British Air Force twin-engine bombers came to bomb their fleet, but unfortunately, they were hit hard by the carrier-based aircraft and VT fuses of the two Europa-class aircraft carriers!

As for the four ship girls of Lütjens' Eastern Expeditionary Fleet, they had already been removed from the German Navy...

Although he always felt a little uneasy, perhaps it was because his record as a "general who always loses" was vaguely warning him. However, just now, after carefully calculating the strength of both sides, Kumets came to the conclusion that he had a big advantage but couldn't lose:

"Admiral Raeder said that according to accurate intelligence, now is the weakest time in the history of the British Royal Navy! And it is impossible for the Americans to reinforce Britain for a while... As long as I can defeat Tovey's main fleet, we will be able to seize control of the North Atlantic and avenge the Second Imperial Navy's Skagerrak Battle! By then, I will become a famous general in the revival of the German Navy! The country will also have more say in forcing Britain to surrender through negotiations.

Thinking that he was at the pinnacle of his life and could step on someone under his feet, Kumets couldn't help but get carried away:

"...Victory is just around the corner. By then, I'll be a famous general in history! As for Lütjens... this guy without a political brain, I'm afraid he doesn't even know that his monopoly of ship girls has aroused the vigilance of the top leaders! Not to mention the head of state, any government official with a brain would not tolerate several ship girls revolving around him alone - especially Eugen, who actually refused the captain appointed by the navy. This is simply a manifestation of warlordism! Hahahaha..."

But just when he was getting carried away with his YY, someone reported:

"Reporting to the commander, our shore-based reconnaissance aircraft has discovered the location of the British Home Fleet! They are located in the waters 450 kilometers behind the Faroe Islands and are moving directly in front of us at a speed of about knots. The staff estimates that they are about kilometers away from us and are expected to encounter them in five to six hours, that is, around to pm after nightfall in the waters near the Arctic!"

"Oh? Are they here? Let me see!" Upon hearing the news that the enemy had already set out, Kumets excitedly rushed to the chart table and drew a situation map: "This is the Norwegian Sea. We and their shore-based bombers are mutually restrained. In addition, it is now one o'clock in the afternoon. If it will be dark around three or four o'clock, then there is still enough time for a carrier-based aircraft attack from now until dark!... Pass my order! Four battleships and battlecruisers, as well as Hipper and six destroyers form the vanguard formation, led by me personally as an air defense formation and prepare for night battle! Deutschland and Scheer take the remaining four destroyers to protect the Europa and Bremen! In addition, order the aircraft carrier to launch a full-deck attack wave now; then prepare the anti-aircraft aircraft group for me! Their aircraft carrier is sailing and attacking with the wind, and the aircraft group will definitely be dispatched more than an hour later than us. In addition, we must be prepared for them to cover our group when our group evacuates..."

Even though he had great ambitions but little talent, he was a general trained for decades, so his basic skills were very solid. His subordinates did not raise any objections, and they just said "yes" and saluted, and left. Soon, in the eyes of Kumets, who was beginning to leave the aircraft carrier, a large fleet of nearly 100 aircraft took off from the two aircraft carriers behind him, and with the humming of propellers, they passed over his head, and in the strong wind of the North Atlantic warm current, they flew higher and higher towards the southern sun, and flew farther and farther...

"Today is a good day!" Looking at the fleet of planes rushing towards the British fleet in the south, Kumets couldn't help but reveal a complacent smile.

--------On the sea--

"I say, do we really want to cooperate with that spy chief named William?"

The battleship HMS Warspite, which had just been repaired in the United States, was carrying the new British First Sea Lord, Admiral Andrew Cunningham. On her way back, she inspected the British and American Allied naval and air force bases in Iceland and was now heading back to the British mainland.

Because destroyers and cruisers suffered heavy losses in the previous two years and German submarine activities were very rampant, Cunningham did not arrange other fleets to escort Warspite this time - Warspite did not need this anyway.

"What if you don't cooperate? They have taken the initiative to send you the information of your political enemies, so you have to show some appreciation." Looking at her own admiral who looked worried, Secretary Bailey spread her hands indifferently: "Don't worry, it's not that easy to bully your wife. Besides, it's an old ship now, and it can't keep up with the pace of naval warfare now, so it's better to use its remaining energy to help their research institutes process some precision products. You don't have to worry about your wife being taken to the battlefield by some young admiral and then being hit by shells and bombs, right?"

"Eh? This is not like your style? Did I find a fake wife?" Hearing his wife say this, Cunningham was quite happy in his heart - after all, his wife had served for a lifetime, and it was good to have a hope that she could have a good end and not have to go to the shipbreaking yard. However... the old man was so happy that he started to make moves with a lewd smile on his face: "It happens to be in my room, I'll check the goods first..."

He was saying dirty words and even reaching out his dirty hands with a frivolous smile on his face.

"Inspecting the goods, you big-headed ghost!" War-weary slapped the dirty hand away with a slap in the face, feeling angry and amused: "Be more restrained during work hours, you old pervert!"

"Working hours..." Cunningham looked depressed, his head hung low, and his shifty eyes began to steal glances at his wife, pretending to be pitiful: "When will you get off work..."

"You have to go home when you get off work!" Looking at the pitiful Cunningham, War-weary blushed a little, but still grabbed him hard: "Don't let your imagination run wild, just work hard!"

Then... there was a knock on the door...

"Report! Urgent intelligence! Just now, the reconnaissance plane discovered that the German Arctic Fleet has been dispatched in full force! ... A total of two battleships, two battlecruisers, two aircraft carriers, three cruisers and pocket battleships, and several destroyers are located 200 nautical miles north-east of the Faroe Islands... Now Admiral Tovey's main force of the home fleet is heading there..." An officer came in and handed over the urgent intelligence he had just detected. After reading it, Cunningham and War-weary looked at each other, and their faces were not very good...

"The Arctic Fleet has been dispatched in full force... Do you think Tovey can handle it?"

"It's hard to say. If Hood was still here and there were no other ship girls in the Arctic Fleet, there would be no problem. But..." As a ship girl, she knew very well how war-weary her deceased friend Hood was. She shook her head with a worried look on her face.

"So what should we do now? The rest of our ships are old battleships. There are no other ships that can reinforce Tovey. If Tovey can't hold on, the North Atlantic convoy will be in danger of suffering a devastating blow..." Even the usually cynical Cunningham felt heavy-hearted.

"No, dear, have you forgotten? We still have a boat!"

"Eh..." Cunningham looked at his lover beside him in astonishment. He saw Yan Zhan winking playfully and making a face, then putting on a ladylike manner and gently lifting the hem of her skirt...

"The Warspite is willing to serve you~"

Although, Cunningham actually wanted to go to bed...but he didn't dare to say it

Chapter 586: A fight to the death

Night has fallen, but a brutal battle is still going on on the Norwegian Sea!

Moreover, the British Royal Navy was being suppressed and put at a disadvantage by the German Navy!

Although the British, who were evenly matched with the German aircraft carriers in the daytime air battle, did not lose the upper hand. They even relied on the faster speed of the Vengeance class, although they were sailing with the wind - the attack of the windward aircraft group would result in the aircraft being dispatched later, the distance being farther, and the aircraft consuming more fuel and having a shorter range, but the time to launch the attack aircraft group was also before the German air raid!

After all, the Vengeance class was an armored aircraft carrier, and its defense was much stronger than the Europa class, which was converted from a cruise ship. Even in the face of the long-planned assault of more than 70 large aircraft groups from two German aircraft carriers, it was only partially damaged. On the other side, the German Europa and Bremen, even though they had more fighters for air defense interception, were also severely damaged and partially damaged in the face of the counterattack of more than 60 British aircraft carriers.

Both aircraft carriers suffered losses, and the British suffered even less. However, after entering the night battle, the aircraft carriers could not be deployed, so they could only rely on battleships...

This can be said to have become part of the Germans' BGM. After all, compared to the British's few battleships, the Germans' two giant battleships had just been commissioned. With such superior forces, they were bound to overwhelm the others.

The British fleet was in crisis. Facing the powerful 406 firepower of Ludendorff and Hindenburg, everyone was afraid.

"Damn it! Hold on!"

On the British flagship battleship Duke of York, Tovey stared at the four German warships that were so rampant on the opposite side. He gritted his teeth and tried his best to organize his men to resist, but there was no better way...

After being equipped with 380mm main guns, the two Scharnhorst-class battlecruisers, relying on their extremely strong side defense structure consisting of 350mm thick main armor and 105mm dome armor, and a speed of knots, rushed to the front. These two super strong fortresses that attracted firepower were simply wandering in the rain of bullets.

Not far behind Scharnhorst were two Hindenburg-class battleships that were slightly slower in speed but had 406mm main guns, 300mm main armor and 200mm dome armor!

Moreover, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have already begun to turn towards the bow of the British fleet with their speed advantage! Once this turn is completed, not only can they grab the head of the British fleet, but they can also, together with the two Hindenburgs, bombard the British fleet with the most dangerous crossfire in the artillery battle - whether the British turn or not, the crossfire in the two directions will always have a T advantage! Not to mention that the British Dreyer fire control system has excellent performance, but it has a fatal weakness, that is, the analog calculation of trigonometric functions cannot calculate the shooting parameters directly in front!

Among the British battleships, the only one that could compete with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in terms of speed and firepower was the old Renown. Even though the firepower and speed could compete, the main armor of the Renown was only 227mm! If Scharnhorst and Gneisenau still had 280mm main guns, they would not be afraid at all. But now Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have replaced their SKC34/380mm main guns with the Bismarck, and in a two-on-one situation, the Renown could not stand it! The head maid now relied on her firepower, which was still enough to fight, and gritted her teeth to fight desperately...

The combat effectiveness of Tovey's two King George V-class battleships is not at the same level as the two Hindenburg-class battleships on the opposite side! And the most important thing is that the German fire control system is more automated, and it is very friendly even for novices. Even if Kumets is not a handsome man, the accuracy of the German battleships' artillery fire is not much worse than that of the British! The 356mm main gun poses no threat to the Hindenburg-class battleships on the opposite side! On the contrary, in front of the opponent's 406mm main gun, although the paper thickness of the armor is 350-374mm, the structural strength of the support behind is completely insufficient, but now there is no way, and it can only rely on the thickness of the armor to hold on...

---

Tovey was honest and had already broken into a cold sweat.

They could still barely gain the upper hand when it came to aircraft carriers, but when it came to the battle between giant warships and artillery, they were completely at a disadvantage.

The Duke of York had been hit three times by the German 406. Although the main armor withstood a shell on the waterline, the structural strength of the hull had been damaged! After all, it was a battleship that cost a few cents less than the German heavy cruiser Hipper. Although the data on paper was acceptable, the other parts...

"…Damn it, which idiot in the parliament was in charge of approving military spending? Just to save a few dollars on military spending, but ended up coming up with this useless centralized defense system!"

Tovey angrily punched the windowsill, complaining about the last generation of guardians of the British Empire.

There were still a few light cruisers and destroyers in the British fleet. And now, seeing that the main fleet was not doing well in the battle, the primary school students also began to take action to protect their main battleships! The brave British destroyers, under the control of the Royal Navy's naval officers and soldiers who would fight every enemy, were dragging smoke, releasing electronic interference, and doing everything possible to protect their already scarred main battleships, while forming a torpedo attack echelon and bravely rushed towards the German fleet opposite!

However, with a great advantage at the beginning, even the German light fleet, which has always performed poorly, began to show some morale! After all, combat effectiveness can be multiplied in BGM. Not to mention, as early as two years ago after the submarine-destroyer exercise, Bonte, who was the commander of the destroyer fleet at the time, began to set more stringent training standards for destroyers! Besides, there is now the cover of the Hipper heavy cruiser and the twenty-four 150 secondary guns of four German battleships! The German primary school students are also much bolder.

Even though the quality of the German destroyer fleet is still inferior to that of the British, if it is just to stop the British elementary school students and prevent them from threatening their own warships, it is more than enough for the German destroyers whose morale has been boosted!

Under the interception and torpedo threat of six German destroyers led by the grinning heavy cruiser Hipper, as well as the crossfire of twenty-four 150mm guns from four German battleships, the attacking British destroyers and light cruisers ultimately failed. Several attempts to approach the German battleships for torpedo attacks were beaten back, and they instead lost three destroyers and a light cruiser!

Although the elementary school students had tried their best, they even caused the Germans to lose three destroyers and damaged the heavy cruiser Hipper.

but……

The four German battleships are still there showing off their might!

More than half an hour later, the elementary school students on both sides were injured. But the big battleship was not affected at all!

The duel between battleships is the key to this battle!

The sky was already lit up by a steady stream of flashes, and in the dim white light, both sides entered into an intense bombardment.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau fired continuously, suppressing their already declining reputation while gradually turning to the direction of the British fleet's T-head! Although the maid had been hit by five or six main gun shells in succession, she still dragged her seriously injured body to insist on the battle line! Her counterattack, which symbolized the last glory of the Royal Navy, still hung brilliant and fierce fireballs on the bodies of the two battlecruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, from time to time! But everyone on both sides knew that in front of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sisters, the defeat of the perfect and chic maid, who was fighting one against two, was only a matter of time...

"Damn it!" Tovey almost gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do! And his two battleships, the Duke of York and the Howe, were no better than reputation in front of Hindenburg and Ludendorff! The two German battleships were like insurmountable mountains, pressing closer and closer to them. If they succeeded, Tovey would probably die in battle.

There was a violent shaking accompanied by a deafening bang, and before she knew it, the Duke of York was hit by another 406mm shell!

"Report... Report! The rear main turret of the Duke of York was hit and jammed, causing a fire. All four guns are no longer usable! The damage control team is now putting out the fire..."

Soon, the damage control team's panting report came through the megaphone, and with this report, everyone's faces became even uglier...

The Duke of York only has six main guns left...

What should I do?

Everyone looked towards the windowsill at the same time, at the figure wearing an admiral's uniform, holding a telescope and observing the battlefield intently without saying a word.

"...Can someone ask me what's going on with Hao?"

Tovey didn't move or turn his head. He just gently placed the telescope in his hand on the windowsill and said something without any emotion.

On the battlefield, the boss often asks his subordinates about their situation in order to determine the next command decision. The subordinates did not dare to neglect it, and the communications staff immediately rushed to the telegraph. Soon, the report from the battleship Howe came over, which was equally not optimistic: "... Our ship was hit by four bullets, the bridge caught fire, the reserve command post on the rear bridge and the B turret were damaged, the main armor belt structure was damaged and caused water to enter the boiler room, and the speed could only be maintained at less than 28 knots... Our ship can still continue to fight! Request the flagship to let our ship continue to fight! Long live the British Empire..."

boom!

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud bang was heard outside the window, and the bow of the Duke of York was hit by another bullet!

After the huge flash of fire, there was a powerful shock wave. Not only was the bow torn apart instantly, but even the glass in the bridge was shattered into pieces by the shock wave brought by the fire in a uniform "bang!" sound! Some people standing close to the window were hit by the broken glass!

Even Tovey's head was bruised by a piece of broken glass - if this wasn't bulletproof glass, and there weren't too many sharp edges after it was broken, I'm afraid some people's faces would have been stabbed into a hornet's nest by the broken glass...

Although the two battleships Hindenburg and Ludendorff on the opposite side were also hit by several shells, the power of the 356mm shells was completely insufficient to deal with the Hindenburg-class battleships with mm thick dome armor behind the mm main armor!

Unilateral killing!

Everyone's faces became even uglier...

---

Could it be that the British Empire's Royal Navy, which had dominated the ocean for three hundred years, would be defeated by the navy of a continental country that it had always looked down upon, and give up control of the North Atlantic seas even if it tried its best? !

The British Empire did have a lot of newly built warships - three Lion-class battleships equipped with 406 main guns, follow-up orders for four Vengeance-class aircraft carriers, and four redesigned Royal Ark II-class heavy aircraft carriers with a full load displacement of 54000 tons - it was said that the hulls of the third and fourth ships would be modified to reach a terrifying tonnage of tons!

But… these new ships are now on the slipway of the shipyard, and even the improved designs of the last two ships of the Royal Ark II are still on the drawing board! Even among these ships under construction, it will take 43 years for the earliest to be completed!

This is not just about distant water quenching immediate thirst; it is not an exaggeration to say that this is a Ponzi scheme of quenching thirst with empty promises!

but now……

The six main American aircraft carriers were all in the Pacific, and if the two newly built North Carolina-class battleships couldn't even defeat the "Black Storm", no one would believe that they could be a match for the terrifying Hindenburg-class battleships! And everyone here knew that these two American battleships, which had a speed of only 27 knots, were not near the battle area at all. Expecting them to arrive at the battlefield in time when they couldn't run was simply praying for God to show his power...

Even the Pope of the Vatican has never heard of summoning God to appear, but Satan seems to have really appeared as a spirit - aren't those evil warships that crisscross the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean?

Listening to his subordinates' reports and looking at the bloody warship, Tovey remained silent, but lowered his head a little. If someone stood close, they would be able to see Tovey's lips, which were dry and anxious due to the unfavorable situation, moving slightly, as if he was gently missing something...

"Hood..."

Tovey thought of his secretary again, the girl named Elizabeth.

Yes... If Hood were here now, with her combat power, how could the British Empire Royal Navy be afraid of these "ordinary" German warships? !

Tovey, who had fought directly against the Bismarck, knew very well that if the Germans on the opposite side still had evil spirits, with the Hindenburg's overwhelming firepower advantage, he would have been defeated long ago and would not have been able to hold on until now.

According to intelligence, he knew that all the evil spirits of the Germans had gone to the Indian Ocean, and only ordinary warships were left here.

But even so, they were just "ordinary" British Royal Navy warships, no match for the other side! If they were defeated, it would mean that the British Empire's sea control would be completely controlled by the Germans, and it would take at least a year, or even up to a year and a half!

If that were the case, he would be the eternal sinner of the entire British Empire.

Can we find a way to break through?

Tovey immediately thought of this solution. At least he had to preserve the last bloodline of the Royal Navy and prevent it from being sunk here. If the entire Royal Navy was burned down because of his own reasons, he would be blamed even if he died.

But...the Germans on the opposite side were too fast.

Chapter 587: The Head Maid's Farewell

He soon discovered sadly.

The two Scharnhorst-class ships can sail at a speed of 32 knots! Even the Hindenburg-class ships powered by diesel engines can sail at a speed of 30 knots! The fastest ship on our side, the Renown, can only sail at 31 knots, and the Duke of York and the Howe, after being seriously injured in the battle, have also dropped to a speed of only 26 or 27 knots! In front of the German battle fleet with an almost absolute advantage in speed, there is no hope of breaking through!

Just when the British fleet was beginning to panic, the situation on the battlefield changed again!

Suddenly, a loud roar came from outside the window of the Duke of York, which had been shattered into pieces!

Tovey felt a chill on his back and turned his head sharply to look out the window.