Chapter 1376 Battle in the Gulf of Riga 2

Chapter 1376 Battle in the Gulf of Riga 2

"At this moment, we never thought that we would encounter such a fierce bombardment, and I couldn't imagine that this kind of bombardment was fired by a light cruiser. We simply couldn't count how many shells hit us. We tried to fight back, But the entire battleship was shrouded in thick smoke and flames. Before the smoke canister could even be opened, our battleship was about to lose its combat effectiveness. This is not a battle, but a massacre!" The Russians commented after the war. A naval battle in the Gulf of Riga.

In fact, it is normal to think about it. The design standard of any German warship is to suppress British warships of the same level and the same period. In a naval battle, four German light cruisers can at least guarantee a slight advantage against six British light cruisers. But now, 4 ships are fighting against 2 Russian ships, this can only be said.

Otherwise, the Russian fleet is still in ruins. There is obviously too little actual combat experience. After being attacked by overwhelming firepower, the Russians' fragile response system reached the edge of kneeling without even being able to evade or smoke...

The situation of the Admiral Makanov behind was even worse. In the first three minutes after the battle, the stern part of the 6,000-ton cruiser was hit by at least 5 shots. Not only was the entire steering gear room hit Crush. Even a drive shaft was destroyed. A large amount of seawater poured into the stern along the hole-filled stern. In just a few minutes, the entire stern deck was less than 0.5 meters from the waterline!

At this time, the Admiral Makanov was like a hyena whose brain stem had been interrupted, unable to even maintain the most basic balance. In this case, his final result was to drift with the waves, and then be killed by torpedoes by the approaching German destroyers.

"Strasbourg and Danzig continue to deal with the Russian cruisers, and the remaining two battleships will help the destroyer squadron. Move quickly, the Russian transport fleet has not gone far yet!" Rear Admiral Hopman said, putting down the telescope in his hand. .

Compared with light cruisers, the quality difference between the two destroyers is very small. After all, they are both small guys of several hundred tons, with similar firepower. The Germans have a slight advantage in speed, but what about defense? Everyone is a layer of iron, what's the difference? It’s all one shot and one hole….

Relatively speaking, the combat effectiveness of the Russian destroyer squadron is still good. After all, they often perform minelaying missions and have fought several times with the German destroyer squadron before. Although the same number may not be overwhelming, at least they will not lose so badly. However, this time, it was different when the German light cruiser squadron decisively joined the destroyer battle after severely damaging two Russian cruisers in ten minutes.

The leveled 175MM main gun and 105MM secondary gun made a deafening roar. A series of shells intertwined into a dense fire net on the sea. When the primary school students on both sides were fighting together, the sudden side fire instantly broke the balance.

First of all, the unlucky Rider of the Russian Fourth Destroyer Squadron,

The destroyer had just dodged a torpedo and was turning hard. When it was about to use the 120MM gun on the bow to aim at the German destroyer V-150 in the distance, a 175MM gun shot directly from the back of the head, leaving a mark on the slender hull. A huge notch was made, and the 75KG high-explosive bomb easily tore through the outer shell plate of only a dozen millimeters. Then something big happened in the boiler room inside!

After a series of explosions, covered in flames and water vapor, the Russian destroyer turned into a salted fish. Another destroyer, the Amur, was equally unlucky. Although it was not hit by a single shot from the main gun, the four 105MM secondary battery shells that hit it in succession still turned the ship into a sea of ​​flames. However, just as the Russians above were trying to put out the fire. The German destroyer S-75 next to it went up and fired a torpedo at a distance of 1,200 meters without mercy! One minute later, along with a column of water rising into the sky, the destroyer was blown to pieces.

The ensuing battle could easily have become one-sided. With the long-range fire support of the light cruisers, the German destroyer squadron became more and more courageous as they fought. Using intensive artillery shells and torpedoes, the remaining Russian destroyers were killed one by one. In the end, except for 2 that escaped by chance, all the remaining 10 destroyers were sunk in the sea. Only one of the German destroyer units was sunk and the other two were damaged. After calling three destroyers to deal with the two disabled Russian cruisers, Rear Admiral Hopman led the main fleet towards the Russian transport fleet that had not yet completely evacuated!

"Aground immediately, let the Army people leave the ship quickly!" When the entire Russian fleet rushed up at a speed of more than 25 knots, the smarter Russian captain decided to take the ship to the beach. In this case, at least the German torpedoes would not easily blow a ship and the soldiers on it into pieces. As for shelling? There is no way to defend against this, I can only say let it happen...

However, some ships tried to escape destruction by relying on their high speed. However, a series of 105MM and 150MM shells soon taught the other party to start anew, and the three transport ships were torched and then capsized in the sea. The other four were killed by torpedoes from German destroyers. There were also two ships that rushed into their own minefields in a panic and were blown up and sunk. Except for the five Russian transport ships that successfully seized the beach. The German fleet also captured four other ships.

"There are artillery and food on it. Send some people up there, and then we will take these ships back." After thinking about it, Hopman was still a little reluctant to part with these four Russian transport ships with a total displacement of 30,000 tons and full of weapons and food. . After sending soldiers to take over the ships, preparations were made to bring the ships back.

"It's still early today, and we can still do a lot of things. Let everyone enjoy a hearty lunch, and then we go for a walk in the Gulf of Riga!" Major General Hopman ordered.

After about an hour and a half of sailing, Rear Admiral Hopman's fleet finally arrived at the outskirts of the mine array in the Port of Riga. At this time, through the telescope, Hopman could clearly see the rise of the Russian cruiser Bayan, which had been severely damaged by the air force. The flames and thick smoke started, and the fire caused by the bombing two and a half hours ago has not been extinguished yet. When the German fleet arrived, not even a Russian destroyer came out. If you don't consider that the thick smoke raised by the Russians in the port interferes with the sighting, this is completely attacking an undefended port.

And the rest of the process is very simple. All light cruisers were required to ensure that 25% of their ammunition was left behind, and all the remaining shells were thrown into the Port of Riga 12 kilometers away under the guidance of the red team. Along with bursts of explosions, fire continued to shine in the distant port. Pillars of smoke rose into the sky. After more than an hour of shelling. Hopman left the port of Riga with an almost complete fleet. The entire battle can be described as smooth or even uneventful...

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