Bismarck

But with the speed and range of the Germans, if there was no one to cover their retreat, the consequences would be...

But there is no time to waste!

"Forget it...how about I go and cover their retreat!" After a quick thought, Li made the decision!

Although I still feel a little reluctant...

Willis Lee stretched out his finger and gently turned off the microphone in front of him.

but……

"General! General Somerville's Warrior and his destroyers have rushed forward! They have also sent a signal for us to retreat and he will cover our retreat!"

Before Li gave the order, the communications soldier on the other side of the microphone shouted.

"What?!" Li was shocked and rushed to the narrow observation port of the command tower. Under the night sky, not far in front of him, a battleship with blazing flames was hanging high with the British naval flag and admiral's flag full of holes. It rushed out of the formation crookedly and headed towards the direction of the flashing guns of the German fleet opposite. It fired back and rushed forward without hesitation, dragging thick smoke!

Even on the battleship's rear bridge, amid the billowing smoke, a searchlight emitting bright yellow light was still flashing, sending clear signals in Morse code:

"…Only your range can compete with theirs. We will cover your retreat. The Germans have few shells left. You must protect the transport fleet!…Those tankers are the key and hope of the entire Indian Ocean theater…"

Even though Major General Willis Lee was usually taciturn and never showed his emotions, he couldn't help but burst into tears at this moment...

"Order, everyone turn around! Meet up with the high-speed escort team, and make sure to defend the last transport ship with all your strength until the air force arrives at the battlefield tomorrow!"

Looking at the Warrior battleship that bravely rushed forward to fight desperately with the two German evil warships, Li choked up and issued a combat order, then saluted the Warrior that was getting farther and farther away, and the brave Admiral James Somerville on it...

(Admiral James Somerville was a top radar and radio expert in Britain. He presided over the development of various types of radars for the British Navy on the eve of World War II and also participated in the command of the Dunkirk evacuation. Due to his outstanding military exploits, he was awarded the rank of Admiral of the Navy in 1945, and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire and the Distinguished Service Order. After retiring, he was elected Sheriff of Somerset in 1946 with an honorary title. He died in his family estate in 1949 due to overwork.)

Chapter 636: Escape from Death/End of Battle

The new moon had already set below the horizon, and the last bit of dim moonlight on the sea surface disappeared. On the sea surface, which was slightly wavy due to the northeast wind blowing from the Indian subcontinent, several low-profile black shadows split the waves of the ocean with their bows equipped with anti-submarine net cutting saws...

These sea wolves, who originally came from the Atlantic Ocean and went through untold hardships to sneak through the Strait of Gibraltar and finally came here from afar, sailed at a speed of sixteen knots, like hidden but deadly assassins. With the cover of the dark night, they quietly moved towards the chaotic battlefield ahead with blazing flames and billowing smoke.

Although they had radars, the German submarines, who prioritized concealment, did not turn on their radars. Instead, they used passive radio signal receivers to receive surrounding radio signals. On the other hand, they relied on their small stature and the advantage of being in the dark, and with the fire in front of them burning half the sky as the background, they were searching for targets that were still worthy of their fangs. In the distance to their side, a flash of light would occasionally appear, and perhaps a faint "boom" would be heard. It seemed that this was some unlucky merchant ship that was in a panic when it was trying to break out, and ran into the torpedo tubes of these submarines.

"… As expected, if the main fleet destroyed their escort fleet and dispersed the merchant ships, it would be very easy to pick up the missing pieces."

Behind the breast wall of a submarine's command platform, several officers and sailors were looking around with binoculars, chatting in a relaxed manner. Even their captain was among the participants in the chat room.

Submarine soldiers are under great pressure. Not to mention the boring and monotonous life at sea, the heavily guarded and well-organized British and American escort fleets are no longer the poorly trained and panic-stricken rookies two years ago. Even if the submarine can theoretically get a good start by relying on its concealment, the first-hand advantage of ambush, and the preemptive torpedoes that fire before the enemy, it will definitely face the brutal encirclement and suppression of the destroyers of the escort fleet.

In the face of such an opponent, any possibility of being exposed would result in them suffering heavy casualties.

Therefore, the submarine soldiers' favorite thing to do is to find something to chat about whenever they have the chance, to talk about their psychological pressure and relieve their tension.

But this time...emmmmmm...

The escort fleet had been directly destroyed by the main battleships of the Indian Ocean Fleet, and the originally well-organized escort fleet had been completely broken up, and the entire sea was in complete chaos. If there were no escort fleet and no formation ready for battle, all he had to do now was a happy holiday cruise, nothing more.

This submarine had sunk a munitions ship that was supposedly fully loaded with ammunition twenty minutes ago. Ten kilometers behind them, a thick black smoke column was extremely conspicuous even in the dark night. But the merchant ship that was the source of the smoke column had already been blown into two pieces in a violent explosion.

And now, it seems that another dark shadow appeared before the captain's eyes...

It should be a cruiser, and her guns were firing continuously into the distance. Although the enemy's return fire was fierce, it could not do anything to her who was walking leisurely in the hail of bullets. Unfortunately, because of the bizarre scene of the night battle, the fierce muzzle flames like flash bombs and the water columns that came and went, the captain, who only had a pair of binoculars in his hand, could not see clearly what type of cruiser this was that was still seven or eight kilometers away.

After all, even if you look seven or eight kilometers away with this kind of binoculars, you can only see a hazy black shadow between the rising and falling water columns and the constantly flashing gun muzzles.

According to the submarine regulations...

Because it is difficult for surface ships to detect submarines, and it is difficult for the submarine's periscope and sonar to hear what kind of ship it is - even the voiceprint comparison in the computer database has a high possibility of error, not to mention the sailors who rely entirely on their ears and eyes.

Therefore, in order to prevent accidental injuries, submarines generally do not operate with surface fleets. Furthermore, submarines and surface fleets, and even anti-submarine aircraft, often have strict activity areas divided between them - submarines can enter and exit these ambush sea areas, but they must surface to identify themselves, to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the situation.

For the same reason, the navies of all countries have a rule: as long as the surface fleet discovers a submarine sailing underwater, or a submarine discovers a ship on the water, they will all be regarded as enemies and will be killed without mercy.

"Very good, it looks like we can open again today." The submarine captain put down his telescope and began to command his submarine to adjust its course under the instruments on the command platform under the night light. Once the course was adjusted, the four 533 torpedoes on the bow would fire a direct salvo at the cruiser, which was in a gun battle with someone unknown.

As an elite of the German Navy, the captain was very confident - he discovered the enemy first, and was behind the enemy's artillery fire. With his command ability, the salvo of four torpedoes could definitely catch the enemy off guard. However, the hull strength and defense of the cruiser could not withstand the attack of 533 torpedoes - one torpedo would cause serious damage, and two torpedoes would definitely kill it.

but……

"Captain, do you think that is a light signal?"

The sailor's voice startled the captain, who had already put down his telescope. He was startled and immediately picked up the telescope again. At some point, the cruiser on the opposite side suddenly stopped firing. Although the water column was still rising and falling, the captain could still see the general idea of ​​the flashing and repeated light signals:

"…Hello, submarine on the other side. This is the German Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen."

"This..." Seeing this scene, the captain couldn't help but be a little shocked - at such a long distance, and the other side was still sailing at full speed and fighting the enemy. Sonar is absolutely unusable in this environment. So the question is: how did they find me...

unless……

"Torpedo launch canceled. Let's turn around and search in another direction."

The captain, who had figured out the problem quickly, put down his telescope, smiled, and gave the order to turn the rudder. The sailors beside him were a little stunned, but soon, they all changed their expressions to understanding, smiled at each other, turned their heads, and began to search for the target on the sea again.

After all, being able to discover myself from such a long distance, knowing that I am one of my own, and greeting me, this can only be the legendary...

As for “evil spirits”?

A few months ago, I was watching them on the beach wearing sexy swimsuits and having beach barbecues with me. The British call them evil spirits...

The reason for the turn was quickly known to everyone on the submarine. At that moment, everyone on the submarine, from the captain to the sailors, and even the part-time priests on board, all made the sign of the inverse cross in unison:

Your Majesty Satan, please give me one of these "evil spirits".

I heard...they want a little girl?

-

One in the morning...

The Warrior, which was already seriously injured, but flew the Royal Navy flag and the Admiral's flag high, rushed out of the formation and took the initiative to cut off the rear. The crooked and broken body, with thick smoke and flames all over, slowly tilted and sank into the Indian Ocean. And until the last moment, the Warrior, flying the British Empire Royal Navy Admiral's battle flag high, was still like a real warrior, using the remaining secondary guns to carry out a symbolic counterattack in its direction - until the deck was completely submerged in the water...

Before sinking, the brave battleship Warrior used the deterrent range of its 30-kilometer artillery fire to push the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz a full 20 kilometers to the north.

Looking at the fire in the distance at night, and thinking of Zeppelin's report that the British high-speed convoy had concentrated its forces and adjusted its defense deployment, Lütjens, Bismarck, Lindemann and others on the two battleships all saluted from a distance in the direction where the Warrior sank.

Although they are mortal enemies, the sacrificial spirit of Admiral Somerville and the battleship Warrior is a military spirit that all upright soldiers will admire...

It was said that a hamster who was standing there in a daze and saluting with sleepy eyes was just woken up by Lindemann, and then forced to salute the enemy who deserved respect...

Although strictly speaking this amount of time was not enough for Bismarck and Tirpitz to sail at full speed for 20 minutes, but according to Zeppelin's observation, during this time, the remaining several Allied battleships had now reunited with the high-speed escort fleet which had returned to a speed of 16 knots.

Even the old rival, Warspite, had given up the pursuit and instead stayed not far ahead of the high-speed convoy with two new American battleships, performing tasks such as front-line surveillance and mobile reinforcement.

In other words, Somerville's sacrifice of himself and the Warrior bought the British precious time to adjust their defense deployment. Now if they want to attack the high-speed escort team, they have to attack hard.

During this period of time, the Allied fleet, which had been thrown into chaos by himself and Eugen's large-scale maneuvers and scattered attacks, had all gathered around the high-speed escort team and was defending it with all their might.

Of the nine battleships, at least six of them have a range that can reach him. As long as Warspite is there, their range can be fully utilized. In this case, even if he fights hard, there will be no good result.

and……

"How many shells do we have left?" After saluting, Lütjens' first question was about the remaining ammunition.

After all, the high-intensity battle lasted for so long, and the ammunition consumption was very heavy. So far, with the achievements of Eugen and Zeppelin, we have now sunk the battleships Warrior and Oklahoma, and severely damaged seven battleships including Warspite, Sovereign (R-class battleship), Ramirez (also R-class), Nevada, Tennessee, Maryland, Colorado, and the aircraft carrier Indefatigable. In addition, at least four escort aircraft carriers, three anti-aircraft cruisers, and nine destroyers were sunk and damaged. It can be said that he has made great achievements in the war.

But ammunition consumption...

Lütjens's expression couldn't help but look a little solemn.

Sure enough, the British and American forces were too powerful, so powerful that even if the girls under his command fought hard with all their might until their ammunition ran out, they could only defeat half of them?

As expected, the Persian cat gently turned its ears, counted on its fingers, and then its ears and emotions drooped in an instant: "Captain, each of our main guns only has ten shells, and there are only so many grapes left..."

"Where are Eugen and Zeppelin?" Lütjens glanced at the confused Persian cat. After all, as a commander, he needed to get more comprehensive data to formulate the next battle plan.

"I just used the code to contact them, but they haven't replied yet..." Bismarck shrank back when he was glanced at, but he seemed to have heard something and nodded twice above his head: "Captain, Zeppelin said that she still has more than 80% of her torpedoes and bombs, but there are not many planes left. Not counting those that need repair, there are only two squadrons of fighters and two squadrons of Stukas that can go into battle now."

"…Have we already lost so much combat power?" Lütjens was silent after hearing the report from his own ship cat. But he immediately asked, "What about Eugen?"

"Well... the initial report also says that more than half of the shells have been destroyed, but torpedoes have not been used yet. In addition, Eugen just said that the British and American escort fleet has been disbanded. But now they have sent three old American battleships to block Eugen. Then they took the remaining cruisers and destroyers of the escort fleet and picked up some merchant ships, and are continuing to sail east... In addition, several submarines from the submarine group we called from the Arabian Sea have arrived at the battlefield, and Eugen has also made contact with them..."

Hearing Bismarck's report, Lütjens frowned and nodded lightly. After a brief thought, he said, "I see... Bismarck, call Eugen back. Their presence will only make the submarines afraid to go after the merchant ships."

"Captain, what about us?" Persian Cat asked worriedly. After all, there was no ammunition left.

And...this place is only three hundred nautical miles away from the Indian mainland.

Although according to communications from Japan, Japanese bombers bombed several British ports in India, and there were minefields from both sides of the sea during the war.

But this distance is too close...

"We? Let's go and meet up with Zeppelin first. Her main body has no cover now. It's completely Bonte who's in command. It's still very dangerous." Lütjens pinched his nose tiredly, picked up the cold coffee, took a big gulp, and then walked towards the lounge: "The Japanese fleet will be here around five o'clock. Let's gather the team first, and then go and harass the British. Bismarck, you command first, I'll take a rest. If there's nothing else, call me after you meet up with Eugen. By the way, remember to contact the Japanese first."

"Yeah..." Bismarck nodded obediently, watching the captain, whose face was tired and eyes were bloodshot, walk towards the lounge. Then he turned around and walked towards the radio station with his tail drooping...

Although, I don’t like Japanese people from the bottom of my heart…

........................

Everything that happened next was so natural...

After receiving the Zeppelin, Bismarck and Tirpitz circled the sea and reunited with the Prinz Eugen. After the reunion, the three warships except the Zeppelin began to harass the escort fleet in turn, relying on their speed far exceeding that of the Allied escort warships.

After receiving the tragic news of Somerville's death, Cunningham and Warspite suppressed their grief and anger and forced themselves to calm down and command the escort fleet to defend. However, it was inevitable that the defense focus of the nine battleships of the escort fleet had been unknowingly dragged to the left wing of the high-speed transport fleet by the harassing Bismarck. Although both Cunningham and Warspite knew very well that the fleet sent by Japan was now very close to the battlefield...

Although everyone knew that the Bismarck battleship had run out of ammunition, the Allied fleet had also consumed a lot of ammunition after a series of fierce battles. As for the deterrent power of a battleship, as long as the Bismarck's main guns could still fire, no one would dare to risk ignoring her threat.

After all, Bismarck and Tirpitz are both powerful battleships...

In this sparrow war-like harassment, more than a dozen sneaky shadows flying the Rising Sun flag have quietly entered the battle area - the four heavy cruisers of the 6th Squadron of Rear Admiral Goto Aritomo, the light cruiser Naka-chan of the 4th Torpedo Squadron of Rear Admiral Nishimura Shoji, and the five destroyers Harusame, Yudachi, Satsukisame, Arashi, and Nobaki.

All of this has fallen into the eyes of Zeppelin who was monitoring the battlefield from high in the sky...

"Commander, the Japanese are here. They are south of the British, less than 45 kilometers away from the convoy...." Zeppelin's voice came from the radio in the Bismarck's command room.

"Got it. Now... is it almost five o'clock?" Lütjens, who had taken a rest, looked back at the wall clock, then measured the distance from his position to the Indian mainland on the nautical chart, and quickly issued a combat order: "If we want to meet the escort team, the British bombers and the reinforcement fleet in India should be here now - Bismarck, pass on my order: Let Bonte release all fighters, Tirpitz cover Zeppelin, and Eugen and I will harass them one last time, and then withdraw after the battle."

"Ok."

"Damn it, they'll never stop!"

Under the seemingly endless harassment, War-weary was almost going crazy. But if the speed was not enough, she would be helpless.

and…

This time it was Bismarck who came, and Prince Eugen, who looked similar but was obviously smaller. Where was Tirpitz? Where did she go?

"Commander, it is Bismarck and Eugen who are here this time. Tirpitz is nowhere to be seen." War-weary gritted his teeth and reported to Cunningham who was sitting in the chair next to him.

Beside her, Cunningham was so tired that he could hardly open his eyelids. Now he was leaning back in a chair with dark circles under his eyes like a giant panda, his eyes drooping and bloodshot. He endured the fatigue and pressure of the battlefield, smoking one cigarette after another, and forcing himself to drink cup after cup of coffee to stay awake.

Hearing War-weary's words, Cunningham raised his head with great effort, and said weakly but unwillingly: "It's not just Tirpitz... Look at the time... The Japanese should be here too..."

"You mean, they are planning to attack from both sides this time?" Upon hearing Cunningham's words, War-weary was stunned.

"Yes... but... the support fleet and bombers will arrive at dawn... so this should be the last time... Let Li's three ships continue to be alert to prevent Tirpitz from taking advantage of the situation. Let's go and meet our old enemy... Speaking of which, now I'm worried about whether the three R-class battleships on the right can withstand the Japanese surprise attack..."

Cunningham became more and more sleepy as he talked. He took a long puff of his cigarette, grabbed the cup, and drank all the coffee in it. Then he leaned back heavily on the chair and took two deep breaths, which seemed to relieve him a little.

Seeing this, Cunningham, who was tired of war, felt uncomfortable, and at the same time, he hated Bismarck and the others even more...

Meanwhile, Bismarck and Eugen were only thirty kilometers away from her. In her sight, the abominable evil warship had once again raised its guns high...

Seeing this scene, War-weary, who was already furious, could no longer hold back.

"…30 kilometers away, left front at 10 o'clock, trapezoidal formation! Target Bismarck—fire!"

Warspite opened fire first, using her remaining four main guns to pound the Bismarck with shells. The two North Carolina-class battleships that followed her also raised the muzzles of their eighteen sixteen-inch MK6 heavy mortars to an angle of almost forty degrees, and began to fire at full force according to the firing parameters sent by Warspite.

By the way, this is the first time that the two have fired their main guns.

Dense rain of bullets hit Bismarck thirty kilometers away.

"Haha, War-weary, you can't hit me, you can't hit me."

The distance was too far, and with just a slight turn, the experienced Bismarck easily dodged this round of bombardment - even on the WIFI, War-weary seemed to see this hateful Persian cat turning and lightly (wan) and provocatively (pi) shaking her cat tail at him.

The American MK6 main gun uses a super-heavy shell weighing 1227 kilograms. Because the aerodynamic shape of the MOD5 shell is very bad, the elevation angle must be very high. The loading angle of the loader is not very large because the shell is too heavy. As a result, the firing rate of these powerful new battleships is nearly two minutes to fire one round at this distance.

Although this time difference was basically enough for the American battleships to observe and correct the artillery bombardment, it was a pity that the density of the bombardment could be directly ignored by the battle-hardened Bismarck.

"You bastard! Bismarck, don't run if you can!"

"You're not going to run? That's what you said." Bismarck on the opposite side didn't care. He chuckled and dodged a round of artillery fire as gracefully as a cat. He even made a face deliberately when he looked at Warspite who was already full of anger.

"Damn you sailors...what?" The furious Warspite was about to start cursing, but the main gun of the Bismarck on the opposite side, which had not spoken for a long time, fired rounds of salvos directly in the direction of Warspite.

This is... bad!

She was so angry that she subconsciously ignored the firing of her main gun...