Bismarck

"Tirpitz fought well - let's keep firing too! We must avenge General Lindemann!"

Seeing the Tirpitz killing two enemies with one shot in the fire net in the sky, the other German warships also realized the determination of the Tirpitz battleship. They also followed suit and raised their guns.

There is no need for any supervision team. Even though everyone is already covered in wounds, the warships and sailors in the fleet are still standing upright in their positions!

The dense and fierce anti-aircraft artillery fire network was once again intertwined with the already united air defense formation!

Several kilometers away on the other side, on the heavy cruiser that was positioned right in front of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, the soul of the battleship with its blond twin ponytails put away the sadness of watching her sister's captain sacrificed, and revealed the fortitude of a soldier.

Although he was also seriously injured, the will to avenge Lindemann was already flowing on the deep-sea Prince Eugen heavy cruiser, which served as the shield of the fleet.

Even her captain, Top, stood on the bridge with his arm wrapped in bandages. He held the handrail of the cruiser Prinz Eugen with his other intact arm, while personally directing the anti-aircraft fire of the entire ship, staring closely at the American dive bombers that were about to fly over his head in the sky!

"Altitude 3,100 meters, speed 440, lead time XXX, about to pass the top - maximum elevation angle of the port anti-aircraft gun, all gun ports firing - ready, fire!!"

Under the command of Captain Top, the heavy cruiser used its large and small guns to pour out its will to become the shield of the fleet and to protect everyone under the waning moon! Whether it was the 105mm anti-aircraft gun, the 57mm continuous anti-aircraft gun, or the 37mm anti-aircraft machine gun - except for the 30mm dense formation that did not fire because of insufficient firing height, all the firepower of the Prince Eugen had already rushed straight into the sky in the direction of the advance of the US aircraft group above the head!

The dense barrage of bullets, like rain, turned into a scattered steel jungle, immediately covering the group of five SBDs that had already aimed at their selected targets and were about to dive!

With a loud bang, the engine of the lead aircraft of this group of SBDs was cut right on the spot by the rod-shaped fragments that burst out from the chain explosions of the intensive and fierce anti-aircraft guns! It was like a machete!

Half of the wing was "cut" neatly on the spot by the high-speed rotating rod-shaped fragmentation ammunition like a machete!

With only the other half of the wing left, it was impossible to continue to generate enough lift! The dive bomber, which was close to the aircraft carrier target but also far away, kept rolling and spiraling, falling towards the deep and dark North Atlantic Ocean 3,000 meters away, making circles.

"Fleming, skydive, skydive!"

"Stop shouting, I've lost control. ... Don't worry about me, keep moving forward and attack the German aircraft carrier!"

The SBD had lost its speed and completely lost its chance of escape due to constant tumbling. Under the calm words of the ace dive bomber pilot, it gritted its teeth and controlled itself with all its strength. It used the tumbling and spiraling postures and the air force state to adjust its posture bit by bit, trying to aim at the culprit that shot it down - the Evil Spirit heavy cruiser under its feet - and die together in a kamikaze-style attack!

Even if it's impossible to aim and drop the bomb due to unstable flight, it will make no difference as long as it crashes into it with the bomb!

Unfortunately, at this moment, on the east side of the heavy cruiser, the guns of another huge Demon-class battleship were already aimed at this guy who was shot down but still tried his best to operate the plane and "might threaten Prince Eugen"...

It was heartbreaking enough that one's sister had lost her captain in such a brutal war!

As the eldest sister, I can't let tragedy happen again no matter what I say!

The 150mm twin secondary turret can also fire into the air!

After the fire, Fleming, who was still thinking about launching a wave of American ship-slashing swords at the time of the crash, was reduced to ashes!

However, the time left for this round of interception was only one minute, and it was impossible to destroy all the dive bombers!

What's even more cruel is that the anti-ship missiles launched by the last wave of US missile bombers have now flown to the front of the wheel formation!

Even though more than ten of the third batch of thirty-eight bombers were shot down by the desperate assault of GR-186 and JG-5 and even the Great German Cross before dropping their bombs, there were still twenty-six missiles hidden in the night wind and sneaking towards them!

Whether it was the blazing warships or the flickering anti-aircraft gun muzzle flames, they all became perfect targets for the infrared seeker! In particular, many of the missiles were "directly controlled" by three American warship girls!

With the enemy at hand, all magnificent and gorgeous words are superfluous! Only the military's responsibility and obligation, as well as the determination to protect the aircraft carrier and maintain the overall situation, let all the warships in the fleet - whether they are injured or not, all try their best to fire at the air, driving away the dive bombers while attracting the sight of anti-ship missiles!

"Brothers, everything is for the protection of the aircraft carrier! Fight the Americans! Fight!!"

"Disruption bombs, drop as many as possible! Anti-aircraft guns, fire! Shoot!!"

"Revenge for General Lindemann! Revenge for the fallen pilots!"

Even the Hindenburg, with Kumets personally in command, ignored the panicked orders from his supreme commander on the bridge, took out all his anti-aircraft guns, and desperately fired at the dive bombers in the sky!

ps: If I say this is a happy ending, will anyone believe it?

Believe me, it’s really happy... It’s a pity that I, Lindeman, have died for the time being, alas.

Lindemann, you died miserably!

Chapter 858: Attack

"Are you trying to trick the missiles with electronic jamming and anti-aircraft firepower? If we hadn't come over here, these missiles might have been tricked by you."

Watching the German war naval fleet that was still resisting stubbornly and refusing to give up any hope, Saratoga was a little silent. However, after her sister's death, she had become increasingly dark and even evil. She raised her war-crazy eyes fiercely: "I am Lexington's sister - Saratoga! Don't underestimate me!"

Hearing the movement of Saratoga, Essex, who was usually quiet and had little presence, but had been supporting the fighters in the air battle, saw that the air battle was coming to an end, and said softly: "Sister Jia Jia, let me help you too - missiles, attack!"

"Okay, let's go together!"

Under the guidance of the two American warship girls, the erratic trajectory of the anti-ship missiles, which had ignored interference under the guidance of the warship girls, seemed to become even more bizarre! Even though the Gatling close-in defense guns fired desperately, the interception hit rate was significantly reduced!

"Eugen, Grape, they are guiding the missile to change its trajectory, everyone pay attention! - Grape, Lindemann has died, but we must hold on! Zeppelin is still behind us, we can't let the aircraft carrier suffer any damage!"

On the flagship of the Greater German War Navy's main fleet, the Evil Spirit-class battleship Deep Sea Bismarck, without waiting for Lütjens to speak, Bismarck, the commander-in-chief's secretary ship, had already taken the initiative to command her two sisters.

"Yeah, I got it!" The heavy cruiser Prince Eugen of the Deep Sea, the shield of the Iron Fleet that was standing in front of Zeppelin, glanced at Top, who had the same calm expression beside him, and nodded vigorously.

She was originally weak and docile, but after learning that her sister's captain had died, her expression became even more resolute!

A little rabbit with golden hair and twin ponytails, wielding the close-in defense gun firepower, as if with its arms outstretched, bravely stood across the anti-ship missile group that was rushing towards the aircraft carrier formation behind!

"If the close-in defense guns can't hold up, then I'll take over!"

With two loud bangs, two anti-ship missiles hit her front mainmast and rear bridge almost at the same time!

Eugen was in so much pain that tears came out of her eyes as if she had been hit hard twice on the head, but she was strong inside and still did not give up the control of the ship. Top, who had just stood up in the explosion, felt the ship tilt under his feet, and saw that in front of him, another anti-ship missile that seemed to be non-ship-girl-guided and should be tracking the fire that just exploded on the top of the front main mast was dragging a dim reflection. The heavy cruiser under his feet narrowly missed the left side of the front bridge with a completely natural grazing action, and easily dodged from the top of the main mast that had been blown shorter!

However, what no one noticed was that in the direct direction of the missile's advance was the bridge of the Hindenburg battleship that had previously squeezed into the wheel formation!

"Why are you still exposing your target! Don't commit suicide!... Wait! Is this... an anti-ship missile?! No——!"

In addition to the roar of the explosion, the desperate wail of a despicable soul resounded on the warship that Kumetz had forced to hide at the edge of the battlefield. However, after Admiral Kumetz was killed by an anti-ship missile, the anti-aircraft firepower of the warship did not stop - after the baptism of the explosion, her anti-aircraft firepower became even more intense!

The honor of the battleship is like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, shedding its filth and gaining a new life in the baptism of blood and fire!

However, even so, under the attack of anti-ship missiles, the losses of the German fleet this time were no longer the same as before, where a large amount of interference could deceive those missiles that had no intelligence at all!

"Gneisenau was hit by three hits; Tirpitz was hit by two hits, a near miss; Lützow and Scheer (who had been hit by two hits and were seriously injured) were each hit by two hits, both in serious condition; Eugen was hit by two hits; Europa was hit by one hit; Bremen was hit by two hits; Hindenburg was hit by one hit; Ludendorff was hit by two hits; in addition, the two destroyers covering the aircraft carrier were each hit by one hit and lost their combat effectiveness... In other words, the two missiles originally attacking Zeppelin were blocked by Eugen, and Zeppelin was not injured."

The command room of the battleship Bismarck was in a mess! As the flagship of the evil spirit fleet, she was "specially entertained" by the American warship girls under the second round of anti-ship missile attacks! In addition to the three huge wounds on her body after the first round of missile attacks, now there are four more tragic scars on her steel body! Even so, she still insisted on her position, gritting her teeth and dutifully reporting to her commander on the battlefield - and beside her, Lütjens, with a bandaged head and blood-stained uniform, still stood straight in the middle of the command tower, as if he would never fall down!

However, the anxiety and worry in their hearts could not be suppressed...

----------

The situation is very bad now. The hit rate of this round of anti-ship missiles is almost 100%! Even Europa and Bremen were hit and injured. For these two merchant ships, which were converted into aircraft carriers with only very simple defensive capabilities, such serious injuries are enough to break their bones!

"The ocean-going tugboats from the French port have already set out an hour ago, but they will have to wait until dawn to reach the battlefield. They will most likely launch another round of attacks later. Our fleet has been collectively severely injured and has little ability to maneuver and occupy positions. For now, we can only delay time temporarily... Bismarck, ask Hindenburg and Tirpitz how many anti-ship missiles they can still launch. As long as they can still launch, follow the coordinates reported by the pilot who died when Zeppelin transferred them earlier, leave some lead time, and fire them all!"

"Understood!" The Persian cat bared its teeth viciously, gnashing them so hard that the answer came out almost in words.

However, even with such a blow, the fleet's anti-aircraft firepower circle was still firing at full speed!

After all, the strikes of anti-ship missiles were followed by dives of enemy dive bombers!

"McCampbell has completed his covering mission and can disengage after the dive bombers drop their bombs."

Gufulin, who had been watching the Sage Squadron and McCampbell covering each other and resisting the crazy Zeppelin and GR-186 Squadron, and was so nervous that she dared not breathe, and had to guide the anti-ship missile attack, finally breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and patted her chest, finally feeling relieved for the bald eagle she raised.

"Hey? Jiaozi, you finally spoke? This is rare!" Seeing Jiaozi finally speak and even smile, the enterprise on the other side also smiled teasingly.

Although she had nothing to do with the previous missile attack, she was the one who had been commanding those dive bombers that had suffered heavy losses but continued to attack!

Now is the time to show off your dignity and pride as a famous ship inherited from the United States Navy!

He glanced at Saratoga, who was smiling brightly and even madly because of the great success of the anti-ship missile attack:

"You are such a playful old buddy... But after the missile attack, it's my turn now!"

Under Enterprise's watch, although only nine dive bombers led by McCluskey and Best were left in their own - and the entire United States Navy aircraft carrier formation's - first wave of dive bomber group, they had now insisted on arriving at the dive position despite the spider-web-like anti-aircraft firepower of the German fleet's wheel-shaped formation!

There was even no need to drop flares. At this moment, the five or six warships on the sea were burning fiercely but still fighting to the death. Although their courage was commendable, their fire also provided illumination for these dive bombers!

"This is McCluskey, we have arrived over the target - dive! All hands on deck!"

"Bester Team, three planes remaining - target the enemy aircraft carrier, dive with me!"

McCluskey took the lead, followed by Best, leading the remaining - or even the only - dozen dive bombers, each aiming at their own target! The roar of propellers and the whistling of bombs cut through the strong wind under the waning moon of the North Atlantic in the sky over Biscay Bay!

"Have you started diving? It looks like everything is over... My luck will be with your attack, may God bless America..."

Watching the last remaining guys in his carrier-based aircraft squadron lower their planes, the Gray Ghost of LuckEX gently sent out his blessing as a glorious battleship.

This is her ability and also her honor!

A few breaths later, the two already damaged Europa-class aircraft carriers were once again filled with smoke and flames!

ps: I am really fed up with Shuke's sensitive words. I can hardly update. Why is it so long? It's because of this stupid sensitive word. Haha, writing a novel is like exchanging intelligence between underground parties? What is this? This is the first time I encounter such a thing. It is really getting more and more crazy. The next book will be published at 7 o'clock... Damn, there are no such crazy sensitive words at 7 o'clock.

Chapter 859: The Black "Bride"

The sea surface had returned to silence during the interval between battles, with only the dim cold moon setting in the west, silently watching the devastated scene.

Even through the vast red light and billowing black smoke on the ship, you can still vaguely see the dazzling swaying fire on the sea a few kilometers away, which is sending the black smoke clouds into the sky.

The American bombers took advantage of their high speed to escape from the battlefield. After the fierce battle, all that was left were the scarred warships.

The Lutzow-class pocket battleship was on fire, the sisters Europa and Bremen were dying, the seriously injured Admiral Scheer pocket battleship limped forward while putting out the fire and saving herself, the Hindenburg and Ludendorff sisters, who were seriously injured but could continue to support themselves because of their high HP, high defense, and thick skin, plus the battlecruiser Gneisenau, three ships pulled long towlines one by one to support the pocket battleships and aircraft carriers that had lost power, were smoky and dying, and were slowly moving towards the Brest Fortress, which was close at hand but seemed out of reach. The three battleships Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Prinz Eugen, which were also seriously injured, still held their remaining guns high and looked around solemnly. In addition, the last four surviving destroyers were also busy moving around on the sea illuminated by the burning wreckage of the warship and the reflection of the floating oil - whether it was assisting in firefighting or transferring the crew of several other warships that could not be saved.

"What is the situation now? Can Lützow, Europa and Bremen be dragged back?"

Standing in front of the window and looking at the devastation, Lütjens was speechless. He finally opened his mouth to ask about the battle situation, but deep down in his heart he just wanted to feel at ease...

Hearing Lütjens's question, an adjutant stepped forward and reported battlefield statistics while flipping through a memo: "Reporting to the commander, the current situation is as follows: Hindenburg and Ludendorff have replied, saying that their last anti-ship missiles have just been launched according to the positions reported by the reconnaissance pilots; at present, it is impossible to predict whether Lützow and the two aircraft carriers can hold on until returning to the port. In addition to these three ships, the injuries of other warships are also very serious... In addition, as for fighter planes, Captain Bonte reported that only six planes returned, and it is estimated that the next wave of planes that can barely attack can only be gathered into two squadrons..."

This adjutant was not Bismarck. As soon as the battle was over, Bismarck, who was worried about his sister, teleported directly to the battleship Tirpitz, helping Bismarck to take care of Lindemann's funeral while comforting his emotionally unstable "sister-in-law". Now the only person left by his side was an official human officer serving as his adjutant.

"Got it... So, tell Bonte to be ready for battle. This wave of American air strikes is over, and we don't know when the next wave will come. Now the entire fleet only has this one aircraft carrier... Also, tell the Gneisenau and the two Hindenburgs that are still towing the Lützow and the two Europas. They are the foundation of our fleet. We must not give up the warships unless it is absolutely necessary!"

Listening to the adjutant reading the report, Lütjens nodded expressionlessly. But when no one else was paying attention, he turned his eyes away silently and looked at the other side of the battlefield, in the direction of the battleship Tirpitz, with an inexplicable and complicated look.

There was a lot to consider about the warship that was also burning in the distant sea...

Lindemann's death in battle not only seriously hurt Grape's heart, but it might also bring about a series of problems.

Tizi's temper is not very good, and she is obviously emotionally unstable. But a country cannot be without a king, and a ship cannot be without a captain. After returning, the Navy Department will definitely choose a new captain for Tizi - but with Tizi's temper and personality, will she make a fuss?

Moreover, even if she really wanted to find a captain who was as talented and virtuous as Lindemann and who could appease Grapes, there would be a certain period of adjustment. But the problem was... even if she and Raeder improved their relationship, as far as she knew, in the German Navy, even if we didn't consider their character and attitude, in terms of level, how many people were as good as Lindemann?

Although, it’s not that there aren’t such people - for example, Helmut Heyer (historical captain of Hipper, who sent a telegram to Britain to posthumously award the captain of the Firefly the Victoria Cross after being hit by the Firefly in the Norwegian campaign), Helmut Brinkmann (historical first captain of Prince Eugen, a veteran of three German naval dynasties, famous for his luck. German superstition believes that the first captain of a warship determines the military fortune of the warship, so this is the source of Prince Eugen’s good luck), Theodor Krank (captain of Deutschland/Lützow, the attack results of a single ship on a single sea cruise reached 23 tons)...

but……

These people are basically of the same generation as Lindmann, and most of them have been promoted to more important positions. It is impossible for them to step down from important positions such as the garrison headquarters or the representative of the Navy Ministry at the headquarters and go back to being captains.

And in the entire navy, apart from this group of people who can be called the "last golden generation of the German Navy", then among the more "new generation" group after them, if you want to find a few more talents...

Forgive my poor eyesight! Apart from the many ace captains in the submarine force, I have not found any other worthy figures in the surface fleet of the navy in the past few years!

As for the remaining misfits... Let's not talk about letting such a person be the captain. Given Ti Zi's personality, he might have a problem or something. Even if I really try to make Ti Zi agree reluctantly for the sake of the overall situation, there is not one among this bunch of guys who can even barely serve as the captain of a large battleship!

Without mentioning anything else, just look at who are the captains of Hindenburg, Ludendorff, Gneisenau, Europa and Bremen? They are all passers-by who have never been heard of before and whose abilities are really hard to tell!

This is not counting another factor - the fleet suffered such heavy losses. Although Europa and Bremen were towed by battleships, no one knew whether they could be rescued now that Britain and the United States were eyeing them covetously! In addition, with Kumetz's death, the German surface fleet suffered a heavy blow, and it was no exaggeration to say that it was back to the pre-liberation era overnight!

With such a huge loss, we must find someone responsible so that we can give an explanation to the head of state.

and……

Although before this battle, this guy Redel had shown goodwill to me once in order to "unite against foreign enemies", but in the current situation, I don't dare to bet that he will just find a scapegoat to take the blame!

Somehow, a sentence suddenly popped up in Lütjens' mind, and it was something his own ship cat often said:

I would never believe you. Everyone knows that you are a very bad old man.JPG!

Even though he was sad and depressed and the situation was seriously disadvantageous, Lütjens couldn't help but laugh a little. However, the worry between his brows was not eliminated by a simple joke.

Even now, the threat on the battlefield has not been eliminated!

After all, it was clear that Britain and the United States had already made their wishful thinking for this naval battle. The main forces of the two navies, together with the Royal Air Force, were fully deployed to directly defeat the German Navy's surface fleet. How could they not "pursue the remaining enemy"?

"Report to the commander! There is another group of aircraft coming from the British mainland in the north, about 150 to , kilometers away..."

The radar soldier's shouts rang out in the headquarters, and the already somewhat depressed C4ISR center was instantly in an uproar.

"What? Still coming?... Damn it, where are the fighter jets from the Air Force? Hurry up and call Brest Airport for reinforcements..."

"The Air Force said that they also had a large-scale air strike... Now all they can mobilize are the night combat troops!"

"What? Night combat units? Aren't all the night combat units of the Air Force equipped with those clumsy twin-engine heavy fighters or even modified bombers?"

"Yes, that kind of plane... They have also been attacked several times, and now they can only send less than 20 planes..."

Seeing his men panicking, Lütjens frowned and shouted in a low voice: "Alright, why are you panicking! What happened to the night combat unit? There are at least 20 planes left, which is better than nothing! Besides, there are still a few planes on the Zeppelin - keep the formation, even if the aircraft carrier is blown up like this, protect it as much as possible!"