Chapter 2233 Storm 6
"It seems that a destroyer is approaching a battleship!" At this moment, the Sailfish attack aircraft squadron that had just arrived on the battlefield found a destroyer approaching the Indian Emperor Super Dreadnought. Thinking of the situation just now, Germany People can already tell that the battleship just sunk should be the British flagship Iron Duke! Because, if it were an ordinary battleship, the destroyer would definitely not have to transfer the people who fell into the water to another battleship after it sank.
The battle situation is already so difficult. How can the battleship have the time to receive ordinary personnel under intensive firepower? Therefore, the Sailfish fleet concluded that this destroyer must be transporting important personnel! And the battleship Britain is sailing towards is the new flagship of the British Navy! If that's the case, who will I hit if I don't hit you? !
A small group of aircraft tried to attack the destroyer moving at high speed on the sea, while the main force aimed at the Kaiser of India, which was resisting under fire from the battleship Hessen. Obviously, the accompanying destroyers of the Second Battleship Division would not let their new flagship be destroyed like this. Therefore, the German aviation force encountered the first relatively hard walnut in this naval battle!
A light cruiser and three destroyers spread out around the Emperor of India, and dense anti-aircraft artillery shells formed a fire net over the Emperor of India. This is the time to test the level of German naval aviation!
"The Peregrine Squadron will first suppress the destroyers to the north of the target, and then the torpedo bombers will enter the attack channel, targeting the Indian Emperor!" Major Stephen of the Swordfish Squadron ordered. In the battle just now, all the anti-aircraft weapons on the British battleships Nine out of ten have been lost, and the only ones with real air defense capabilities are the light cruisers and destroyers that have not gone to the front line.
Fighters swooped down from the sea quickly, and intensive machine gun fire swept across the deck of the British destroyer. The flying bullets left large and small holes in the hull, and bright red blood stains and stumps covered the entire deck. . Destroyers can rely on speed to dodge bombs and torpedoes, but they are unable to cope with the maggot-like machine gun firepower. It does not mean that 20MM guns and large-caliber machine guns can cause fundamental damage to destroyers, but for the crew on the hull and surface, Absolutely fatal. So much so that a British destroyer soldier once described it this way after the war: "When you face German fighters on the deck, you only have a few minutes left to live!"
The destroyer's anti-aircraft firepower was quickly dismantled, and the real trouble was the light cruiser. The Dublin light cruiser's performance in this battle was eye-catching, using the ship's dozens of 2-pound guns and machine guns, as well as 12-pound anti-aircraft guns. A light cruiser shot down at least three torpedo planes and dispersed several attacks. The record is so good that people even wonder if he is cheating...
However, this light cruiser, which was extremely brave in flying, did not survive until the end of the battle. A large-caliber shell that flew from nowhere hit the middle of the light cruiser's hull accurately! The shell carried a huge impact and easily tore through the side armor belt of no more than 4 inches, and almost traversed the entire boiler room. Although it did not explode, the penetrating damage was enough to turn the light cruiser into a salty one. Fish.
After the war, based on the experience in this naval battle, the German Navy believed that it was very necessary to design a light cruiser specifically for air defense. Perhaps an anti-aircraft destroyer of the same tonnage could obtain more anti-aircraft guns, but the stability of the destroyer was originally It is not as good as a light cruiser, and its resistance to attacks is also much worse. Even in the face of machine gun fire, its firepower will be greatly reduced. Therefore, this naval battle also gave birth to Germany’s first-generation anti-aircraft light cruiser in disguise. Of course, this is a story for later, let’s not mention it for now.
After the last anti-aircraft pillar was destroyed, the Emperor of India, which was also in a mess on the deck, also ushered in its end! The situation of the Emperor of India is similar to that of the Thor;
Although the hull was hit in many places and suffered a great loss in combat effectiveness, it was still far away from sinking, and a large number of torpedo planes came up to send the battleship on its final journey!
Ten torpedo planes entered the bombing route one after another. In less than 2 minutes, ten torpedoes entered the water one after another, and the white tracks drawn on the sea were like the scythe of death. After the Indian Emperor avoided 4 torpedoes with continuous maneuvers, its exhausted power made it difficult for it to turn at high speed again. The first hit torpedo bit hard on the tail of the hull! The violent explosion even removed the entire steering gear compartment from the hull! Then came the second, third and fourth shots! Three of the four torpedoes hit the left string, tearing two large holes more than ten meters long in the hull! Like a disemboweled whale! In a short period of time, the influx of thousands of tons of seawater made all the battleship's self-rescue efforts futile.
"Damn, damn the Germans!" On a destroyer not far from the Emperor of India, Vice Admiral Duff witnessed the scene of his second squadron flagship falling apart under a German torpedo attack. A bone-piercing pain surged up. This was already the fifth Dreadnought. He had never thought that as the most powerful sea power country in the world, as the essence of the Royal Navy, the British Dreadnought To be so vulnerable when facing the attack of the German High Seas Fleet, it was like killing a chicken but a dog! Half of the 10 first-generation super-dreadnoughts were destroyed in less than an hour after the battle began! How can we fight this battle? I'm afraid that if the battle continues for a while, the remaining battleships of the main fleet will only be in single digits, right? A feeling of despair instantly overwhelmed Lieutenant General Duff.
"Your Majesty General, what should we do?" An officer asked in panic as he looked at the Indian Emperor sinking to the bottom of the sea.
"Let's go to the Benbow. It is the last battleship in my squadron. Even if I die, I will die on my own battleship." Lieutenant General Duff said sadly and angrily.
Just when the main force of the British Grand Fleet was in despair, and even some people who had realized that they were about to die began to go crazy and were ready to bet on how long their battleships could survive, the main force of the German High Seas Fleet suddenly stopped. The attack on the Grand Fleet, or at least the Bavarian-class battleships that frightened the British the most, began to turn their guns in other directions.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, there seems to be some problems with the forward fleet. Thomas's actions surprised us." Admiral Scheer's eyes showed a rare solemnity.
"It seems that we still underestimated Thomas, so let's focus on the Thomas fleet first. Keep an eye on Revenge, other warships can no longer afford to make any trouble." Ruprecht said.
Two updates today~~~! Please subscribe and reward~~~! ! !
Recommended new book by urban master Lao Shi: