Three Hundred and Fifty Nine Raids

A brand new British destroyer is breaking the waves. This I-class destroyer is the latest heavy torpedo destroyer of the British Navy. It is very powerful in terms of speed and firepower.

This I-class destroyer is the latest generation of "thunder strike ship" in the British Navy that uses torpedoes as the main means of attack. It is equipped with two torpedo tubes that can launch 5 torpedoes at the same time.

However, although this type of destroyer is a relatively distinctive new type of destroyer with a speed exceeding 30 knots, due to its inherent deficiencies in design, this type of destroyer can only be forced to curl up in the fleet and cannot fight alone.

The main reason is that the elevation angle of the destroyer's main gun is only 40 degrees. In other words, the air defense capability of this destroyer is more than a little weaker than that of its "peers" at the same time-the German destroyer's large and small artillery are capable of air defense operations. In terms of anti-aircraft firepower density, it is almost three times that of British destroyers.

However, this destroyer is expensive to build, and its anti-submarine capabilities can only be said to be average. Although it is equipped with the first British sonar detection system, its actual combat effect is not satisfactory. So taking it out for anti-submarine is not more suitable than old-fashioned American destroyers and other British destroyers, so I have to be a fleet destroyer and hang out with some large battleships.

But the good days finally came, and such a seemingly wasteful destroyer ushered in its most suitable mission. This task is to follow the main fleet to the south and attack the German High Seas Fleet at night.

For this plan, the United Kingdom used all the power they could in one go, including the two battlecruisers HMS Prestige and HMS Hood (although the third Repulse HMS is also in the UK mainland, it is undergoing air defense modification), the King of England HMS George V and HMS Howe were the two fastest battleships.

In another time and space, the original British King George V-class battleships were all commissioned after 1940. The reason for the slight advance here is that the Royal Navy accelerated the construction of some warships in response to the war with Germany. Except for the King George V and HMS Howe, which were the first to serve, the remaining three warships of the same level were temporarily out of service due to the enhanced anti-aircraft firepower modification.

If you count the three cruisers and seven destroyers in the same group, the British Royal Navy can be said to have taken out all the possessions it could find this time in order to attack the German Navy's aircraft carrier fleet at night.

In order to cooperate with the actions of this fleet, the remaining two old battleships, the pitiful Revenge and the Determination, took the aircraft carrier Hundred-Eyed Giant and the Glorious-class Glorious Rage, a total of three aircraft carriers to the north to Norway as suspects. for. The most elite Ark Royal aircraft carrier and the relatively new Hermes aircraft carrier led some cruisers and destroyers as a supporting force, and rushed to the battle site to clean up the mess during the daytime of the next day.

So just for this battle, the British Royal Navy took out the 4 fastest and most cutting-edge ships and the 2 slower old-fashioned battleships.

All the aircraft carriers and a large number of cruisers and destroyers can be used to describe this naval battle as determining the future ownership of sea power.

And this time, the Battle of the English Channel between the British and German navies, which was called the "Battle of Destiny" by later historians, is opening its curtain bit by bit. The battle to determine the supremacy of the North Atlantic Ocean has begun!

In the captain's lounge of this I-class destroyer, two officers were standing and sitting quietly without speaking. A major officer in his 40s who was sitting was reading a book in his hand without looking up. The content of this book is not special, it is a not well-known suspense novel.

And standing opposite the officer in his 40s was a burly man in his 30s. Judging by the rank on his shoulder, he should be the deputy of the colonel who was reading a book. It took him a long while before he opened his mouth sullenly, and asked, "Could it be that we just sit and wait for death?"

"Sit and wait? I think if this matter doesn't call us, then it's really just sitting and waiting." The colonel officer who was reading the book still didn't look up, and sneered: "This is war! You are only allowed to punch people, and they are not allowed to hit you backhand ? If the mighty Royal Navy of the British Empire didn’t even have the courage to fight a war, wouldn’t it be a waste of 17 years for you and me to be fooled here?”

"Then what should we do? Break the radio silence? Send a clear message to warn the High Seas Fleet?" The adjutant gritted his teeth and said, as if he had put his own life and death aside.

"Then what? The British fleet nodded and went back. Everyone on this ship will be checked. It's not easy for us to put so many people together. Can each one be seamless? Are you really taking the British intelligence agency for a fool?" As the captain, the major officer closed the book and stood up: "We are almost there, let's go to the bridge. It is not impossible for us to sacrifice, but the sacrifice must be a meaningful sacrifice. I don't know what you think, I His life has long belonged to the Führer."

The two walked onto the bridge, and through the wide glass windows around them, they could see one after another large warships on the sea not far away. These warships were sailing close to the sea. British fighter jets were cruising not far away, Watch out for German carrier-based aircraft that attempt to approach for reconnaissance.

The sun is about to set, and the round bottom has already leaned against the distant mountains. Once it sinks, the world will be shrouded in darkness, and this extremely important naval battle will begin. Countless people are looking forward to it, looking forward to it. Looking forward to the outcome of this peerless decisive battle, looking forward to an uneasy result.

"Order our people, start changing shifts! Change those British people back to the lounge and pick them up closely." The captain gave the order, and an officer on duty on the bridge nodded silently, opened the door and walked out, while others As if he didn't hear anything, he continued to be busy with his work.

"Really don't send a telegram to remind me?" The adjutant still seemed a little worried.

"I only do what I can be responsible for! As for the High Seas Fleet, if Lütjens is really such a fool, the head of state will not give him all the power of the empire's sea!"

"Then we now...?" the first officer asked softly.

The captain picked up the binoculars, glanced at the huge battleship not far away, and replied: "Do what we should do, and let fate!"

...

On the bridge of the aircraft carrier Reich, the command ship of the German High Seas Fleet, Lütjens and the combat staff were staring at the map and contemplating. According to the reliable information provided by the reconnaissance aircraft force in the afternoon, they desperately entered the offshore area of ​​Britain. Before being chased away by the opponent's fighter jets, they found a British destroyer and a battleship heading south rapidly.

But when Lütjens sent fighter jets to confirm again, he was intercepted by the Royal Air Force at all costs. An air battle broke out between the two sides in the suspicious airspace. Two German fighter jets were shot down and the British lost four new Hurricanes.

This is not good news for Lütjens. The British hid the fleet so impenetrably, which brought him an unprecedented sense of terror and crisis. He suspected more than once that this fleet going south was a huge battle fleet, and the purpose of this fleet going south was to deal with his high seas fleet.

After comparing the pictures, the pilot on the reconnaissance plane confirmed that what he saw should be the latest British battleship HMS Howe. This huge battleship can be said to be one of the most advanced battleships in the world at this stage, and this battleship is also German. The most dangerous opponent on the fleet list.

Howe's super high speed simply made Lütjens extremely afraid. After all, if it was the nasty speed of an old-fashioned battleship, his fleet could get rid of the opponent by relying on radar, but the newcomers Hood and Howe Capital ships are different. Once they find an opportunity, they may chase down the German fleet in one go.

"Did the last batch of reconnaissance planes return in the afternoon?" Lütjens asked the aviation liaison officer on the side.

"Report, they have returned. They brought back the exact test news. It started from the first time our army's reconnaissance plane was driven away by the opponent's air force at 10 o'clock in the morning." The aviation liaison officer clicked a few points on the chart. A location: "The second time was driven away here, the third air battle took place here, the last reconnaissance plane was found here, the enemy fighter planes came, and our plane was forced to return."

"No matter how many British warships are in this air defense circle, there is no doubt that these warships are heading south!" Lütjens knocked on the table covered with charts and said again: "The planes that attacked the ships on the Dunkirk sea have returned. Is it?"

"They are attacking each other's surface ships. The news just came that this batch of planes has sunk about 7 ships. Counting the previous ones, today we have sunk 71 ships of various sizes, including fishing boats and some Warship," the aviation liaison officer replied.

"Order them not to delay any longer! Return immediately." Lütjens gave the order without hesitation: "All fleets turn around, and after the last plane lands on the deck, the whole army speeds up towards the Dutch waters."

"Yes!" Several officers immediately took action and began to give orders to the ships to turn. In an instant, the entire High Seas Fleet immediately became busy.

"Report! A telegram sent to the UK was intercepted. The encrypted file was analyzed and it was sent from within our fleet. The person was on a destroyer. I have ordered the internal martial law of that destroyer to investigate suspicious persons." The first mate Reporting after Lütjens.

"Great British intelligence agency, it's only now that we've planted a nail to stab people!" Lütjens looked at the sealed telegram: "As expected, our current position, speed and course have been exposed."

"Then what should we do?" asked the first mate, frowning.

"It's business as usual! Now the two sides are comparing the speed of the fleet and the determination to fight! Coincidentally, I am not weak in this regard!" Lütjens said fiercely.

...

"All ships in the fleet, start to accelerate the assault!" On the bridge of the British battlecruiser Hood, Lieutenant General Holland loudly issued an attack order.

Ten minutes later, on the bridge of the aircraft carrier Reich of the German High Seas Fleet, he saw the last Stuka landed on the deck. Lütjens looked away and gave his own order: "All ships in the fleet, start to speed up and return to the voyage. !"