Chapter 880 Fierce Battle 4
"Is this the third wave today?" The prince said helplessly as he looked at the figure approaching quickly on the sea in the distance.
"Yes, this will waste a lot of our time, and what we are short of now is time. The British main fleet is coming soon." Scheer glanced at the clock on the wall, and then looked at the huge chart on the table. That dark black curve is the presumed route of the British Grand Fleet. As of now, it seems that there are less than 2 hours left!
"Get a handful and leave! Send a telegram to the Württemberg and the Hesse and ask them to concentrate their firepower on the Indefatigable. After killing them, we will go home!" the prince said decisively. Without any hesitation or melancholy, in the final stage of this battle, the commanders of both sides made an almost unanimous choice! The only difference is that the British just wanted to vent their anger and cover the retreat of the fleet, while the Germans were thinking about how to get a handful at the last moment and leave!
Less than a minute after this telegram was sent, the Bavaria was enveloped by a rain of shells. The British fleet was gradually enveloped by the released smoke screen. In the meantime, two British battleships faced the German ship The navy's flagship struck an angry blow!
"I'm going!" A huge fireball almost passed by the prince's eyes, and then directly hit the armored command tower of the Bavaria. The 400MM thick command tower is absolutely reliable, and the huge shells formed a deep hole on the shell. There was a 6-inch radioactive bullet hole, and the bullet hole was surrounded by traces of liquefied metal. Then the whole floor seemed to jump, and the entire command tower shook. A cup hit Scheer's head, and then his head Scheer, who had a hole in his upper body, didn't bother to wipe the blood on his head and helped up the fallen prince.
The British's last round of attacks before leaving was surprisingly good. A shell hit the Bavaria's flue. The debris generated after the explosion directly shattered part of the flue armor, and billowing black smoke poured into the boiler room, causing Several boilers were temporarily out of service. Another shell hit the command tower, and the flying shrapnel also exploded the communication antenna above and the cabin behind where the signal flags were stored. In other words, from now on, Bavaria is no longer suitable as a flagship.
As for the ineffective shelling on the main armor belt and turret, let’s not forget it for the time being. Another more troublesome attack was hit near the steering gear cabin. Although the steering gear cabin was not destroyed, the explosion of the huge shell caused The vibration still caused some damage to the steering gear, so the Bavaria's legs and feet were not very neat. If it needs to be repaired, it will take about half an hour.
This is the hustle and bustle before the war is about to end! After receiving the order, Württemberg, Hesse, and the battleship Baden, which did not receive the order, immediately aimed their artillery at the No. 4 ship Elling of the George V-class battleship that was trying to withdraw into the smoke screen!
Yes, you read that right, it was the Erin. Hood's fleet was too slippery. After receiving the order to retreat, the three battleships immediately turned to 10 compass points and hid in the smoke screen released by the destroyer. This requires not only speed, but also luck... Tons of artillery shells almost followed the footsteps of Hood's fleet and fell into the smoke screen. Apart from exploding a few water columns, they had no other effect.
Naturally, the German battleships would not give up when they saw the meat they had obtained running away like this. The British fleet's tactical turn was not that everyone lined up in a battle line and then followed the flagship. When the leader left, the other battleships turned one by one. It’s almost crazy, so naturally the faster you run, the better! So, almost at the same moment,
All British battleships turned on their own!
However, at this time, the battleship Centurion that the Baden was originally aiming at had gradually lost its trace. The rangefinder on the mast rotated to the next target in order, firmly targeting the Aelin, which was still outside the smoke screen. is locked in the center of the field of view!
If the target to be hit is lost, then the Württemberg can only aim its muzzle at the original target again. Then came the battleship Hessen, and the two battleships behind it also lost their attack targets. However, due to the angle, it seemed a little difficult to exert firepower...
What a scene it would be like for three battleships to concentrate their firepower and cover the target with salvos every 20 to 25 seconds! It can be described as devastating! The barrage after the battleship's main gun shells hit the water even completely covered the appearance of the target battleship! Groups of fireballs continued to rise from the hull of the battleship Erin! Although the intensive shooting hindered observation, the three German battleships could easily determine the target's location just by relying on the moving smoke columns!
"As the shooting continued, we could not distinguish our impact points at all. Although we equipped different warships with different dyes, the impact points of these shells were so close that several water columns even formed a water curtain. ! We can’t even be sure which battleship hit the opponent. We only need to know that the opponent is constantly hitting. Almost everyone realizes that this battle has reached the final moment, and it’s time for us to leave, so before we leave In addition, we will not hesitate to tilt all the ammunition at the target! Don't leave here with extra shells! My captain told me so." Württemberg's gunnery chief wrote in his diary road.
"The Erin is over. After this battle, it will be difficult for us to face the German Bavarians again!" When the battleship George V finally retreated into the smoke screen, Lieutenant General Jerram took one last look at the water and the As the Erin struggled between the fires, Lieutenant General Jerram knew that no warship would be spared from such a horrific attack. In less than 45 minutes of fighting, Jerram and Hood also abandoned three battleships. The struggling battleships and the blood-stained sea were so thrilling. What was the last time the Royal Navy conducted such a large-scale battle? when? Jerram could not remember that after standing at the top of the world for more than a hundred years, this generation of officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy finally tasted the cruelty and bloodshed of war again!
The opponent's power, cunning and ferocity left a profound impact on Jerram and others. In a few hours of fighting, the Royal Navy had lost as many as 6 battleships and double-digit light cruisers and destroyers. Lead the ship! As for the destroyers, there are probably more than a dozen, right?
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