Chapter 663 Huacai Ten Minutes

Beihai, May 16, 3:55 p.m.

The British armored cruisers Defense and Samurai arrived in the war zone just now. They bypassed a British destroyer burning on the sea, stared at 5,000 yards away, floating on the sea, revealing their bellies, and the light cruiser Wiesbaden, which was crowded with German sailors waiting to be rescued.

Then, the captain ordered to fire!

This is a contemptuous behavior, because the enemy has no power to fight back, but the British knights who killed their eyes have already thrown all their demeanor and chivalry out of the sky.

The soldiers in the German main fleet in the distance clenched their fists. They looked at their comrades-in-arms die in the gunfire with red eyes, but they could only watch because they were not close to the artillery distance. Sharp and cold eyes, like a volcano that was about to erupt, contained the destruction of heaven and earth. All German soldiers were provoked. Angry!

In the distance, on the nearly 30,000 tons of battleship Lamy, Jellico did not like this kind of behavior, but he did not stop it, because he needed to provoke Germany and let them fight a decisive battle instead of escaping.

Around the back and forth, 19 fleets of all new battleships were running and waiting to attack. Four intercepted Tiger-class battlecruisers and three St. Vincent-class battleships took a detour and did not directly insert the formation, but clung to their left flanked cover formation.

16 miles away, 23 steel beasts were also gathered around the battleship Bavaria, and the flashing lights were as complicated and bright as the stars on Christmas Eve.

All the seaplanes carried by the capital ships have been launched. The wooden fuselage cannot withstand the impact of the cannon. It will only become a fire in the artillery battle, but when the pilots look down from the sky, the adrenaline in each of their bodies begins to soar.

Nearly 50 steel monsters began to rush to a certain point in the middle. Hundreds of small warships surrounded them like loyal guard hounds. The entanglement of the previous war patrol made it impossible for the British mainland fleet and the German high seas and ocean fleet at this moment to turn away, because it took time for the warship to turn around. It is undoubtedly extremely stupid to make the battleship formation turn in front of the slow enemy's main battle.

The only thing they can do now is to kill a bloody road with artillery fire!

Time is passing by minute by, and the distance between the two fleets can be narrowed by 3,000 feet per minute, and the bows begin to deflect coincidentally. In fact, with such a huge formation with equal speed, it is impossible for anyone to grab the vital T position at the beginning, so they all began to head to the Danish coast. The direction of the line is like two long dragons that attract each other, waiting for the arrival of the moment side by side.

Everyone who saw this scene was numb. The crazy sea competition before the war contributed to this duel. Over the years, the competition of economic strength, industrial level and technical level, countless spying and planning by intelligence personnel and commanders, the training of thousands of sailors, the fate and honor of the two countries, everything The ruling will be made in just a few hours.

All kinds of flags and flags began to rise from the mast of each ship. Large, small, triangular, square, silk, and linen. It seems that everyone is dressed to celebrate that depression is finally coming to an end. More than 400 heavy guns, nearly 800 secondary guns are cold to each other, and both sides have no scruples. He pointed to the other party, counting the time, and waiting to reach the invisible but important line.

Wu Yingke took a deep breath. This was an unimaginably big bet. Both Britain and Germany have taken out everything they can take out at present. In the case of being unable to retreat, voluntarily or not being dragged into the decisive battle, in fact, it is not just two confrontations. Countries, even the agreements and alliances that are being strangled all over the world are involved.

Just like this, the fog and smoke over the North Sea, no one can know whose arms the goddess of victory will fall in the next second, but there is no doubt that whoever wins will change the direction of war in Europe!

"26,000 yards!"

The captain's shouting interrupted Wu Yingke's thoughts. The metric system is less than 24,000 meters. In the calm Pacific Ocean, this distance can be fired, but in the North Sea, it will take 15 minutes.

Scheer gave the first order: "Start to calculate the order of shelling, and the ships follow the flagship movement." He glanced at Wu Yingke. The naval battles in the Far East have proved the importance of this lifeline: "You must not leave the battle line without authorization."

Wu Yingke saw the eyes and smiled.

Scheer's choice is the right. Using better fire control and protection to gather the devastated main guns one by one to sweep them, is the best choice to give full play to the advantages of German artillery. However, in the eyes of Wu Yingke and the Xinhua Navy, this ambitious, capable, diligent and determined commander has a The innate disadvantage is that he wants to defeat Britain and lead the German navy to break through, but he can't accept a victory that is likely to pay a heavy price, because he knows that Britain has better strategic resources and reserves than Germany.

Scheer chose to concentrate on gunfire, so what about Jelico? He has the advantage of the number and caliber of naval guns. The disadvantage is the ammunition and the protection ability of warships. How to choose?

When Wu Yingke had an impulse to fly into the Lamai, Jericho had taken out a thick manual from the drawer of the chart table, and the words "Local Fleet Combat Regulations" on the brown and yellow cover were eye-catching.

Jelic's artillery officer, like John Fisher, another British artillery genius, is convinced that concentrated artillery is the decisive factor in all naval battles; so after he took office, he compiled this 70-page "Local Fleet Combat Regulations" to require all battleships to be arranged in separate rows and occupy a favorable position. He believes that only in this way can the mainland large fleet exert its maximum power.

He once thought that this was his only way to fight! Because he previously thought that "the home fleet is the only pillar of the empire at present", so the safety of his own fleet occupies the first priority in his mind. Even if he gives up the fighter, he will have to ensure the safety of the fleet. In his opinion, it is absolutely intolerable to disperse the main force into several clusters to quickly intersperse, which is equivalent to mentioning Opportunities for each other to break through.

But now, I have to make a choice.

Centralized or scattered? That's the problem.

Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers are waiting for the order. Nearly a hundred enemy ships are approaching quickly. The pressure on Jellico is unimaginable. A hundred years ago, Sir Nelson spent 2 hours in the Battle of Trafalgar to decide the final deployment, leaving him only 10 minutes!

Jelko stood quietly in front of the compass, his eyes wandering between the compass and the chart, and the choice of the weather-beaten face wandered.

A single column can concentrate artillery fire to the greatest extent, but the initiative of fighting under this formation is in the hands of Germany. Whether it is maneuvering or chasing, it must follow the movement trajectory of the German fleet. However, at this moment, the fog and smoke on the sea make the party who holds the right of mobility more dominant. That is to say, once Scheer doesn't want to fight. He can take the smoke and dusk as cover.

In the past, Scheer didn't try his best to intercept if he wanted to leave. Now, the British Empire needs to make sacrifices.

"Grouping."

Jerco's language is fast. Two Avenger-class battleships and four Queen-class are organized into the first team. These six big guys with 15-inch cannons will become the core of his hands. Three Orion and three St. Vincent's Second Team, four George V's Third Team, and four Iron Duke's Fourth Team, 2 Giant and 4 Tiger-Class Battle Patrol Fifth Team.

In the command tower, everyone quietly listened to the order, and their hearts had set off storms. They were all familiar with Jellico. He was a firm supporter of centralized artillery tactics, but now he has dispersed the formation, which means that it will be a fierce battle.

Jelko's fingers slid on the five teams. Once the fleet dispersed the assault, the Germans on the opposite side had every opportunity to break it, so he needed a magnet before it was broken!

A cannonball magnet that is likely to be completely destroyed in a few minutes!

"Team 4!"

While the four short words popped out of Jelico's mouth, it means that the four Iron Duke-class battleships have less than 30% chance of returning to Scarpa Bay. In the eyes of outsiders, they may be able to use the weakest first team or the fast fifth team at this time, but only those who are familiar with the naval battle understand that if there is no strong Protection and artillery fire, the magnet is just a door-to-door gift package, and the Iron Duke-class battleship has always been the flagship of the fleet because of the earliest installation of a new communication and fire control system, and is currently second only to the first team!

But they will face at least 160 heavy guns until the remaining four teams complete the division assault in 10 minutes!

"20000 yards!"

"Let's go."

As soon as the report was over, Jellico withdrew his finger. At that moment, Colonel Pitt, the captain of the voyage, even saw the trembling.

"Attack!"

Li Mo, who is in the Far East, rarely praises his opponents, but the British navy is the only exception. When he later knew Jellico's choice, he couldn't help thinking of Nelson's demeanor, because he brought Britain not only a hundred years of maritime hegemony, but also a brave and fearless naval spirit!

Like the German army in World War I, the British Royal Navy in World War I was also a real elite!

Today, the elite finally set out. The four Iron Duke-class battleships that received the order turned on the mast lamp. They did not hide their pride, ignored death, and made a signal that "glory belongs to the Duke" over and over again. They shifted the bow, broke away from the main force and killed the steel dragon in the distance.

"Mt. Gen., four Iron Dukes, have left the battle and are rushing towards us."

No one knows. In fact, Scheer was a little stunned at that moment. He has carefully studied Jericho since he took office. He knows that the British lieutenant general, nicknamed "Silent Jack", is not an adventurer. Now he has sacrificed the most adventurous scattered assault, obviously to drag him into the most tragic decisive battle.

At that moment, Scheer raised the idea of giving up entanglement for the first time.

"18,000 yards, Iron Duke!"

No one knows that when the gun chief roared, their commander raised the idea of retreating for the first time, but even if he knew it, it was okay, because if he wanted to leave at this time, he had to use cannons to open the way.

More than 200 heavy artillery shells, and roars broke out at the same time. Four Iron Duke-class battleships, who served as avant-garde, also launched a counterattack in the flickering of the gunfire. The smoke and wind emitted from the muzzle even disturbed the clouds in the sky.

At the same time, the British mainland fleet was once again dispersed into four teams. When the German fleet shelled the fourth team with all its strength, it accelerated the deflection of the bow and attacked the opponent.

The four Tiger-class battlecruisers led by Betty rushed to the front.

At 4:07, Delan entered the decisive battle!

Perhaps it was affected by the British cruiser's bombardment of the Wiesbaden, which had been overturned just now. After more than ten years of hard training, the German gunners who waited for this day played a very high level. In the second round, the second ship of the fourth team of the Iron Duke's fourth team, Malburo was on fire.

The first hit was the German King-class battleship Great Candidate. According to the lookout, an armor-piercing shell from its bow A turret hit the main armor belt of the rear bridge of the Marlboro. Later, it was confirmed that the armor-piercing bullet did not cause much damage, although the overall protection of the British capital ship was It is not as strong as Germany, especially the interior of the almost open turret, but the main armor belt designed to defend against 13-inch shells still resisted the attack.

But this shell provides an important coordinate. As the bullet points are captured by fire control rangefinders one after another, the main force of the German high seas and ocean fleet has completed the calibration of naval guns, opening a series of destruction.

At 4:11, more than 200 heavy guns roaring again made the Iron Duke's team taste what bullets were like rain. All four Iron Duke battleships were reported to have been hit. Among them, the fourth ship Queen of India was the most damaged. Because of the distance, it was aimed at the four most powerful Bavarias in Germany. Class, 5 of the 32 380mm armor-piercing shells hit its deck.

In an instant, the two turrets A and B at the bow of the ship seemed to have been lifted. The 700 kg armor-piercing shell forcibly penetrated through the front of the sloping 11-inch turret. The explosion occurred inside the turret. The swept shrapnel not only killed everyone, but also lifted two hundreds of tons of turrets, four 13 The .5-inch thick barrel has lost its effectiveness after shooting only 20 shells.

The only consolation is that the fire door of the underground ammunition compartment was actually closed at that time, so the explosion did not cause the explosion of the ammunition depot. With timely water injection, the Marlborough was able to continue for a few minutes.

Perhaps he knew that he would die, and the Iron Duke team also broke out with the strongest combat effectiveness. In the case that the Indian Queen lost two turrets in 4 minutes, Major General Anderson in the flagship Iron Duke showed British cunning at the most critical time. From the beginning, he ordered the rest to pour all the firepower to the most distance. On the nearby Kaiser-class battleship Louis-Paul Regent.

Although Britain once again destroyed the excessive ** cannonball fuse, a total of 16 tons of steel and explosives per minute were thrown from 17,000 yards away at a speed of 780 mm per second. The power is still extremely amazing.

At 4:13, the Iron Duke's team also gave Germany a slap. Two of the five 305mm turrets on the Regent Louis de Boulder were also flattened. If it hadn't been for Germany's excellent fire compartment and protection ability, the damage might have been even greater.

In just one minute, the German high seas and ocean fleet, which were bombarded by 23 capital ships, finally got the first harvest. The first hit, the Marlboro, suffered the most shells because of the distance of the projectile point. Even if most of them were 280 and 305 mm shells, it was not able to stop them. Of.

No one would have thought that the fatal damage did not come from the rainstorm sweeping the upper layer, but from a series of nearly lost bullets!

The Iron Duke class was improved from the George V class, mainly to strengthen the secondary gun to deal with the serious threat of destroyers and torpedoes, and to strengthen the defense of key parts. But when these defenses were strengthened, the designer found that it was overweight, so in order to reduce the structural weight, the previous British battleships were abandoned during construction. The installation of the vertical partition of the water-tight compartment makes underwater protection a big problem.

Perhaps the British designer didn't expect that when he was most worried about the torpedo, it was a near-lost.

The shells landed not far from the hull of the USS Malburo. Some of them sank to the seabed and exploded, while others were blocked by the sea and changed direction and crashed into the ship's underwater torpedo compartment. The 4-inch protective armor plate could not defend these big guys. When the shells drilled into the water meter tank or defense under the ship's body When the torpedo hatch exploded, the sea followed and submerged the bottom cabin.

A large amount of water eventually made the hull structure no longer burdensome. After a squeak, the deck of the Marlboro began to lean to the right. Although the captain immediately ordered to pour water into the port, this only accelerated the seawater into the hull, and finally had to order the abandonment of the ship.

2 minutes later, a larger explosion made Germany cheer. The Indian Queen finally couldn't hold on under the 380mm heavy artillery. The turret in the middle was continuously penetrated. The deadly protective hatch was designed to become the heel of the British Athixos. The bad habit of the sailors not closing the door casually during training led to the Queen of India. The ammunition depot was detonated again, and the body of 25,820 tons was broken into two from the middle. Only three minutes later, all 995 officers and soldiers of the ship disappeared into the sea, and no one escaped.

Just as the fourth team of the British Navy's home fleet was about to be destroyed, the gunfire on the sea suddenly intensified, and the four teams completed the rudder assault almost at the same time, approaching a distance of 13,000 yards!

Jelko took the lead in completing the split assault tactics with an almost cold loss.

In desperation, Scheer had to cancel the unified formation, because if it continues like this, even if more British [***] ships can be sunk, it will be robbed of the T position by the other party, which will be a disaster.

The fastest running is still Betty. The four Tiger-class battlecruisers of the fifth team cut in front of the four German Helgoland-class battleships, forcing them to transfer their firepower, showing the important surnames of the speed of the battlecruisers. With the two British Giant-class battleships and the last two battlecruisers joined in, 6 to 6, they began to catch To fight. .

The second team bit four King-class battleships, the third team against the five Caesar-class battleships heavily hit by Regent Louis-e-e-Paul, and the remaining two Iron Duke-class of the fourth team against the weakest four German-class battleships.

The first team led by Jellico himself rushed straight to Scheer's four Bavarian-class battleships.

Scheer used 10 minutes to equalize the number of disadvantages with a sinking and a heavy blow, but Jelko exchanged sacrifice for tactical initiative, so that the opponent had to fight with all his strength!

In a short time, both commanders showed their respective command styles, Britain showed Nelson's fearlessness, and Germany showed Prussia's rigor and strength with precise artillery fire.

Later critics once said, "This is a 10 minutes that gathers all the wisdom of Europe."

But when everyone is looking forward to more wonderful, both sides are clumsy!

First of all, the armored cruiser Defense, which swam beside the two Iron Dukes of the Fourth Team to protect and prepare for leak detection, ordered the defense armored cruiser to fire on the powerless Wisbaden, was attacked by several heavy shells.

The shells are from 4 Tiger-class battlecruisers 17,000 yards away!

This was not expected by Jellico and Scheer. Lan Jianshu's prediction in the classroom on the other side of the earth finally happened, a big scuffle.

Outbreak!

(to be continued)