Chapter 904 The Quarrel Between the British Admiralty Part 2

"Okay, now I want to ask General Betty, why did you lead four battlecruisers to pursue the enemy when the enemy's situation was unknown? Isn't this a very irresponsible thing?" Betty and others re-entered the meeting venue. After describing the entire war process, Fisher issued the first wave of questioning after confirming that the other party's testimony would not change.

"According to the information provided by the Navy Department, the enemy fleet is Hipper's battlecruiser detachment. They only have 5 ships, of which only 3 are super-dreadnoughts. And I have 4 battlecruisers. I think there is not much difference in strength between them. Under the circumstances, it is the right choice to take the initiative to bite the opponent. Of course, regarding the issue of intelligence errors, I think this responsibility cannot be borne by me." Betty said without changing his face.

"Even if the information provided by the Navy Department is wrong, when the two sides meet, can't you count how many battleships the other side has?!" Fisher knocked on the table and said.

"Look at this photo, tell me, how many battleships are there in this fleet?" Betty took out a black-and-white photo taken on the battlefield. Under a "black cloud", huge ships The figures were vague, and because they were huddled together, it was really difficult to judge the number.

"This, this is at least not 5 ships, right? You can only judge based on intelligence, and cannot add your own analysis. What is the use of such an officer? A fool can do it well by following the rules!" Fisher took a look first. Photo, and then said angrily, because he really didn't know how many battleships there were. The battleships in World War I were all coal-fired. The soot emitted by the battleships when they sailed at high speeds can act as a shield. Moreover, the distance between the two sides was nearly 20 kilometers, and the opponent's formation was relatively close. If you wanted to use visual It is indeed not easy to judge the size and organization of the opponent's fleet.

And another problem is that Germany started with Helgeland-class battleships. Whether it is Helgeland-class battleships, Moltke-class battlecruisers, or Bavaria-class fast battleships, they all have the same appearance, the same triangular mast, the same There are 4 turrets, and the spacing between the turrets is almost the same. The superstructure has the same number of chimneys…. The only difference is the length. However, the difference between a ship and a ship is more than 20 meters. Can this be seen from a distance of 20 kilometers? For those who can see it, their eyes are better than a rangefinder!

"Actually, there is not a single battleship here. Surrounded by destroyers, the one in the middle is a German light cruiser." Betty's eyes showed a trace of ridicule!

"Hold the grass~~~~!" Fisher was really depressed this time. He didn't expect that Betty would dare to tease him on such an occasion! He looked carefully again, and it seemed that it was indeed not a battleship, because German battleships usually had 4 turrets, but this one seemed to have 3 turrets... The figure also seems to be a little thinner, and it is really hard to see under the smoke screen and blurry photos.

In fact, even in a real combat situation, even if there is a large gap between the two warships, it may be wrong. After all, in history, it is not the case that the German fleet regarded the reputation as Nelson in World War II.

And then the scene where a Prestige chases two Scharnhorsts? You know, Nelson has three turrets in the front, and his reputation is two in front and one in back!

If you look at the length, it is also difficult to identify. The length of the German light cruiser equipped with artillery is about 165 meters, and the length of the Bavaria is 195 meters, which is only 30 meters short. The Helgeland-class battleship is shorter, so it stands out against the blurred background. It's really impossible to tell just by looking at an outline. These are all objective reasons. In fact, it is forgivable for the fleet to admit the wrong target. But Betty just messed with Fisher, which was unforgivable from the latter's point of view...

Under normal circumstances, Betty would never dare to make fun of the First Sea Lord, but after this battle, it was basically determined that Betty's naval future was almost over... No matter how you explain it, no matter what the objective reasons are, the responsibility of throwing away three super-dreadnought battlecruisers in one battle is too great. Even if they are not fought to the end, they may be thrown into an idle fleet to get a pension, right? As for Betty, whose reputation is everything, at this time, he naturally has to risk his life and reputation.

"However, the Harwich Fleet had previously mentioned that the size of the German fleet's escort warships was larger than expected, and mentioned in the telegram that at least two light cruiser squadrons were dispatched this time. This situation has never happened before. Yes, doesn’t such an obvious phenomenon arouse your vigilance? How could the Hipper fleet bring more than 4 light cruisers every time it sorties out? "

Unlike First Lord of the Admiralty Churchill, who had never been on a ship, the First Lord of the Sea came from the fleet. If Betty could really ask a few words, then this would not only be Fisher's own sorrow. , it is even more sad for the Royal Navy... Fisher, who has been a fleet commander, still has this quality!

"Okay, let's change the topic. It's common for things to be indistinguishable due to various reasons on the battlefield. Let's not dwell on this matter. The Harwich fleet also failed to understand the opponent's fleet organization." Churchill came out to smooth things over. . This debate is inconsistent with the theme of the meeting. The purpose is to discuss issues, not to accuse each other. There will be no result if we continue arguing like this. As for the issue of responsibility, we will discuss it later.

"Generally speaking, General Betty rushed to the battlefield with part of the fleet first. From a subjective point of view, it is positive. In fact, from a time point of view, General Moore's fleet arrived in time. The only thing that makes us feel helpless is What I understand is that the combat effectiveness of the German light cruisers and battleships is too strong. The light cruisers accompanying Betty's fleet were defeated within ten minutes, and from the beginning of the fight between the two sides to the arrival of General Moore, it took only half an hour. , we sank two super-dreadnought battlecruisers. This can no longer be explained by the quality of the officers and soldiers and the command of the chief officer. The opponent's combat effectiveness was too strong. Our battleships were too weak."

"I can responsibly say that there are problems with our battleship design ideas. Compared with German battleships of the same level, all battleships are parallel imports! If we have to discuss the failure of this battle, I think the performance of the battleship itself is a An unavoidable question. Even the main question." Jericho said unceremoniously. Because in his opinion, Betty did make a mistake, but the handling of Lieutenant General Jerram and Major General Hood was classic. However, this had no effect. It should be lost or lost...

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