Chapter 1,170 One-Sided Part 2
Chapter 1170 One-sided 2
"It doesn't matter, tell the Seydlitz that if he can still keep up with the fleet, then we can continue fighting together! If not, then retreat temporarily. We have now reached the most critical moment of hunting and there is no room for us. There was a slight mistake!" Hipper said, staring at the smoke screen in the distance.
When the light warships of both sides were fighting in a pot of porridge, Hipper led the fleet to turn two compass points southward and opened some distance, but he still blocked the British breakout line. Hipper was not worried about the British turning north. The reconnaissance planes in the air had dispersed and could control the situation on the battlefield. More importantly, the Scheer fleet was already here! They are just northwest of Thomas' fleet! Hammer and iron will soon collide! Break the Thomas fleet caught in the middle into pieces!
"It's over!" Through the gap in the smoke screen, Thomas saw the Hipper fleet waiting on the opposite side. For the first time, Thomas felt that death was so close to him! The situation is now relatively clear. Opposite are two German battleship squadrons, a total of 8 ships. The ship at the rear seemed to have some problems, with thick smoke billowing from the side of the hull, but it still maintained its formation tenaciously. They were like a big mountain blocking the way of Thomas' fleet!
The smoke screen is about to dissipate, and there is not much time left for me. I still have another light cruiser squadron and nearly half of the destroyers in my hands, which means I still have another chance! Although in the eyes of outsiders, they can go north and evacuate towards the Shetland Islands, and the Grand Fleet has received its own telegram for help, claiming that it will come to support soon, Thomas knows very well that the Grand Fleet is too late! And the north is definitely a trap! For such a big operation, Thomas didn't think that Germany would only send two battleship squadrons. It was very likely that the entire army would be dispatched! Then the other half of the fleet, which has never been revealed, may have sharpened its kitchen knife and is waiting for this fat sheep!
"I order the fleet to disband and break out separately!" After a while, Thomas finally issued this order that made more than 90% of his colleagues find it incredible!
"Your Excellency, Commander, are you sure you want to carry out this order?" Rear Admiral Moore, who has become the chief of staff of the fleet, said solemnly.
"I'm sure, I will execute it immediately and I will bear all the responsibilities." Thomas said without hesitation.
"This is not a question of who bears responsibility. Your order today determines the fate of two great powers, or even two war alliances. Taking responsibility cannot undo the losses that may be caused today. Your behavior is tantamount to abandoning the three battleships behind it. !" said another officer next to him.
"Believe in my judgment, we have run out of time. The smoke screen cannot cover us forever! Maybe the next moment, another German fleet will arrive!" After Thomas finished speaking, he took a deep breath and said loudly: "All destroyers launch westward Assault, the fleet disbands and breaks out!" The categorical order made it impossible for anyone to disobey it.
After all, this is the highest order of the fleet commander. When he decides to do this, others can only obey! And at this time, in the northwest direction of Thomas' fleet, Scheer's fleet finally appeared!
"We found them!" Scheer pointed to the British fleet in the distance with the smoke screen behind it. At this time, a few lights in the smoke screen well exposed the position of Thomas' fleet. After all, releasing the smoke screen only blocked one side. vision. The impact on the other side is limited, and the fire that has not been extinguished on the British warship has given the Scheer fleet a target!
"Okay, the overall situation has been decided! At least we won't return empty-handed this time." Seeing the Thomas fleet in the distance, the prince couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It may be difficult to completely annihilate this fleet. After all, the opponent still has a light cruiser detachment and two or more destroyer detachments, and the opponents are all fast battleships. Think of how much effort Thomas put into killing the Blücher! That's when the latter can't run. Therefore, it may be impossible to keep all five ships directly, especially now... When the British show signs of breaking out!
"I'll go, this decision is decisive enough!" The prince looked at the British fleet that suddenly dispersed in the distance and gave Thomas a decisive thumbs up! The appearance of the Scheer fleet was definitely the last "roof beam" that crushed the British! This makes the British no longer dare to report any hope of direct confrontation! When the British determined that this was another German fleet, Thomas's order was quickly executed. Four light cruisers and the remaining 12 destroyers launched a desperate assault, and the five Queen Elizabeth-class fast battleships behind them seemed to be attacked by the Lion. An attacking herd of wildebeest generally scatters in all directions!
Regarding the measures that the British may choose, the High Seas Fleet has designed a plan. If the British choose to disperse and retreat, the German fleet will adopt a dispersed pursuit method. Depending on the performance of the warships, three warships will form a hunting squadron to lead Attack with its light cruisers and destroyers. The current situation is like this. The Scheer fleet is northwest of the British fleet and is heading southeast, while the Hipper fleet is south of the British fleet and is heading northeast. Thomas's five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships turned northeast, because if they went directly west, the opponent could easily turn south, blocking the British fleet's retreat back to the Firth of Forth. Therefore, in this case, even though they knew that going east would only lead them away from the base, most British people still chose to evacuate eastward and then see if there was a chance to go north.
"Order all light cruisers and destroyers to attack north and delay the actions of the German fleet in the north!" Thomas issued the last order to the auxiliary battleships before the main fleet evacuated. Regardless of whether the queens had a chance to escape and ascend to heaven, these auxiliary battleships eventually Their fate is always misfortune. They will face an enemy with an absolute advantage, and their survival time can only be calculated in minutes and seconds!
But even so, no one hesitated. A group of British auxiliary warships, only the size of a prairie wolf, rushed towards the German fleet that looked like Jurassic beasts in the distance. They formed arc-shaped waves of attacks. , the four light cruisers took the lead in attracting firepower for their comrades behind them, while the remaining 12 destroyers were divided into two waves, one wave frontal assault, and the other wave rushed diagonally forward of the Scheer fleet, preparing to use torpedo attacks to force The opponent turns to dodge.
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