Chapter 2234 Thomas’ Counterattack 1
The main force of the British Grand Fleet suffered heavy losses in the battle just now. 5 super-dreadnoughts and 2 dreadnoughts were sunk, accounting for one-third of all battleships! The other battleships were all injured. At this point in the battle, it is actually on the verge of collapse. It can even be said that up to now, it is very rare that the Grand Fleet can still guarantee an organized fight against the enemy. Although the resistance of the main force of the Grand Fleet is now in front of the German fleet, it is very rare. It just causes some trouble.
However, if you say that the entire fleet is really doomed, it is still too early! Don’t forget, the most elite part of the British fleet is not in the Grand Fleet itself! And when Ruprecht beat Jericho violently, Thomas also beat Hipper badly!
Let us return the clock to half an hour ago, that is to say, when the main force of the German High Seas Fleet and the naval aviation concentrated their forces to launch a general attack on the British Grand Fleet, Thomas also launched an attack, and this attack was to some extent Said to be very successful, it can be called the biggest highlight of the British Grand Fleet at the operational level in this battle!
"Your Excellency, Commander, it seems that the Germans are about to launch a general attack. Their planes are about to arrive." An officer said to Thomas.
"Very good, now it's time for us to take action! Order the destroyer squadron to immediately implement offensive smoke screen operations, turn the battle 3 compass points to the left, and rush towards Hipper's fleet under the cover of the smoke screen at maximum combat speed! Give this! Rear Admiral Hood sends a message, asking him to follow us!" Thomas issued this most radical and even extreme attack order for the British Royal Navy in the naval battle of World War I!
"General, then we will directly hit the T-shaped head of the German fleet! This is the 20th century, it is no longer the Battle of Lisa or the Battle of Trafalgar." An officer exclaimed, Thomas's obvious It is to quickly close the distance and engage in close combat through large-angle steering! This is definitely against the rules. In fact, since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, once the battle lines of the two sides have been opened, very few fleets will choose this kind of entry-in tactics similar to the Sail War period! Because, as the artillery strike range increases, fleets that adopt cut-in tactics will be destroyed by the opponent's concentrated fire, just like the Japanese fleet dealt with the Russian fleet in the historical Battle of Tsushima!
Is Thomas crazy? Absolutely not! To outsiders, Thomas was actually a tactic that almost led to death. After fully studying the fighting situation between the enemy and ourselves, he came up with a method that seemed risky, but was the only chance for the British fleet!
Thomas didn't know whether he could succeed, but he knew that if he still set up a battle line to fight, the British fleet would definitely lose!
Thomas had to admit that the Crown Prince Ruprecht opposite him was indeed the most awesome naval admiral of this era! It can even be described as an exhaustive plan. The Germans have already understood more than 80% of the British fleet's plan! and made targeted deployments,
Thomas knew very well that the Hipper fleet opposite him could not have eight battlecruisers. If the Germans had this kind of wealth, they could really eat the Grand Fleet head-on, and they would not let Count Spey kill him from the Mediterranean. to the Norwegian Sea. According to his understanding of the German fleet, these battleships can only be mixed with armored cruisers. Judging from the speed, they can only be Mainz-class armored cruisers. This guy made himself disgraced in the night battle in the Strait of Dover!
Well, to put it bluntly, the Hipper fleet opposite is actually 4 battlecruisers and 4 armored cruisers. If they open up a battle line, they will definitely be suppressed by the 11 battleships of themselves and Rear Admiral Hood. However, it may take some time to completely eliminate them. After all, the camouflage used by the opponent for the first time is still very effective. Hipper The fleet doesn't have to hold out for too long;
In at most an hour, the main force of the High Seas Fleet can wipe out the main fleet of the Grand Fleet. By then, what if Thomas wipes out the Hipper fleet? The large fleet is almost taken care of, let Thomas and the 12 Bavarias face off? What are you thinking about?
Therefore, Thomas' only breaking point is to quickly cause a large number of attrition of the German fleet. Specifically, he is to kill or expel the Hipper fleet in a short period of time, allowing the latter to temporarily leave the battlefield, and then fight with the four Revenge-class ships of the First Battleship Squadron. The battleships attacked the High Seas Fleet together. Thomas keenly discovered that the four battleships leading the German High Seas Fleet were Helgoland-class battleships, which were weak ships in the High Seas Fleet. As long as the Hipper fleet could be driven back, then In only 20 minutes, under the concentrated attack of Thomas Fleet, Hood Fleet and Revenge class, the Helgoland class battleship is not that strong!
Of course, if you want to ask whether there are potential risks, there must be. For example, other battleships in the Grand Fleet failed to hold on, and then before Thomas launched an attack on the Helgoland-class battleship, the Bavarians turned their guns over! That would be an awkward situation….
So the only way now is to rush forward quickly, use naval guns, the carrier-based aircraft given by Betty, and the torpedoes of light cruisers and destroyers to crush the Hipper fleet as quickly as possible! Anyway, there are only 4 battlecruisers in Hipper's fleet, so even if they resist head-on!
In order to take into account the efficiency of bombardment, the German fleet will not sail too fast, nor will they easily change their formations on a large scale. For the safety of the main fleet, Hipper must stand in front of Thomas. If the former chooses to evade, then for the British fleet Even better, directly attack the Helgoland-class battleship, more than a dozen battleships attack 4 battleships at the same time, Thomas can't think of a reason why the other party can hold on! When the Hipper Fleet and the German Fourth Battleship Squadron are temporarily eliminated from the battle sequence, the entire battlefield will be revitalized! As for what will happen next? That is what will happen in the future. After all, the 12 Bavarian-class battleships, the core of the German Navy, are fine, and the battleships temporarily removed from the battlefield still have combat effectiveness and can return to the battlefield after repairs!
"It's a British destroyer, they broke out of the battle line!" On the flagship Seydlitz, a German officer reported the situation to Admiral Hipper.
"It's finally here." Hipper sighed inwardly. The most critical moment of the entire battle has finally arrived. It is impossible for Hipper to say that he is not afraid of the 11 battleships of the Thomas Fleet. But now, in a short period of time, Hipper can only rely on himself!
Here comes the second update~~~! Please subscribe and reward~~~! ! !
Recommended new book by urban master Lao Shi: