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Part One Twenty Years Chapter 9 The Decisive Battle of Orkney (2)

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    (When I scrolled back to the previous section, I found that the German Third Battle Fleet appeared inexplicably. It should be the Second Battle Fleet. I was stupid again; also, I am a bit rusty. Give me some time to find my state.)

    In the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, Betty was filled with emotions.

    The keen sense of smell of old friend and rival Heidi Sealem is still there.  Before the new American economic giant was about to be involved in the European war, the timing and method of the German Navy God of War choosing a last-ditch battle were undoubtedly amazing.

    The whole world knows that the Germans are fighting among themselves and the Americans are preparing for war.

    In the fourth year of the war, although the powerful German Army was exhausted, it still did not allow the Allied Powers' millions of troops to cross the threshold. The front was firmly controlled in Paris, the French capital, on the Western Front, and the Baltic Sea and Ukraine on the Eastern Front.  The hinterland line.  In the same year, the German Workers' Party became an ally of the Allied Powers but not an ally. It attacked cities in the hinterland of Germany, drove away Kaiser Wilhelm, and then targeted the fundamental imperial system that maintained the existence of the German Empire.

    The Allied Powers all stared with wide eyes, expecting with the most evil intentions that this German farce would continue forever. They hoped that the German tanks that had almost crippled Russia would go to destruction on their own, and that the Allied Powers could win without any effort.  In order to support the Workers' Party, Britain and France did not hesitate to promise a large number of benefits to maintain the determination and will of the Russian people to continue fighting, striving to hold back Germany on the Eastern Front, and forcibly launched a counterattack on Paris under the premise of inadequate armament, to contain Germany on the Western Front, and let Germany  Domestic riots can continue to ferment and deepen.

    Just like the Spanish-American War at the end of the last century, the American smuggling freighter Hadley, which was sunk by a mine deployed by the British, became the best excuse and reason for the militants to get rid of the Monroe Doctrine and lost the support of public opinion.  , the pacifist Wilson could no longer prevent Congress from leaning toward war.

    The Americans have a powerful fearless fleet. Once this fleet joins the North Sea battle, the balanced game that was originally slightly tilted towards Britain will undoubtedly become one-sided.  By then, the Germans' chances will become extremely slim.

    By this time, everyone thought that the Germans had lost the opportunity to fight for supremacy in the ocean. Even naval commentators who believed in Sealem's strategic vision would not believe that the war would break out in June: the British had a sure chance of victory, and the longer the battle, the longer the war would break out.  The later the better for them.  The struggle between the various political forces in Germany is still unclear. Sealem, the naval god of war, can only bear the pressure of domestic turmoil and estimate the time when the Americans will enter the war to force a decisive battle. However, so far, the Americans have not prepared for the war.  clue.

    After the Civil War, America¡¯s economic giants have not experienced the tempering of large-scale wars for too long.  The officers were extremely lacking and inexperienced. The logistics department was helpless in the face of empty arsenals and arms factories with arms orders lined up until 1919. Recruitment was progressing very slowly. It was impractical to enter the war in June.

    At this point in time, in addition to David Beatty, the commander-in-chief of the British Grand Fleet who knew Heidi Sillem.  No one would notice that the Wilhelmshaven Ocean Fleet in the hinterland of the storm was sharpening its daggers and baring its sharp fangs towards the large fleet on the other side of the North Sea.

    If it weren¡¯t for the intelligence advantage held by the British Empire.  Sealem's timing for launching the campaign was perfect.  The tactical deception before the war is even more amazing.

    Considering the maritime reinforcements from the United States and the unrest in Germany, most Royal Navy personnel are not "very enthusiastic" about a new round of maritime battles. Even if they launch a decisive naval battle, they believe that the longer it takes, the more beneficial it is to Britain.  In order to prevent the Germans from making another sneak attack on the coastline of the British Empire and forcing the Grand Fleet to take action, the British Admiralty accumulated a large number of old battleships and several 10,000-ton armored cruisers in the Channel Fleet, and transferred several new armored cruisers to the Harwich Fleet.  June 17th.  The Grand Fleet dispatched a fast fleet to check the authenticity of the intelligence, and then all the battle patrols except the three Ridland Widows of the Fourth Battle Patrol Division stayed in the Firth of Forth to prevent any accidents.

    However, the careful arrangements of the Admiralty did not prevent Sealem from "breaking out".

    Under the cover of the intensifying Schleswig Rebellion and the Second Reconnaissance Group, a decoy deliberately thrown out by the Germans, Sealem moved six old battleships of the Second Battle Fleet out of Wilhelmshaven in an unusually low-key manner, in Helgoland Bay.  After wandering around for a while, they were secretly sent to Cuxhaven.

    The Second Battle Fleet, which had not been taken seriously in the first place, disappeared from the sight of British and French intelligence personnel.  Around June 17th.  The space-based game between the Grand Fleet and the Ocean Fleet made the maritime powers on both sides of the ocean that were interested in the ocean hold their breath. The majestic dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts of the Ocean Fleet attracted the attention of the world, and no one noticed the same.  In the remote Cuxhaven, the Second Battle Fleet was ready to go, preparing to teach the British a lesson with naval guns.

    "Silem, you would never have thought that a bold Q-boat in the Royal Navy would directly capture the U-boat, andI guess I got your code book"

    Betty stood slightly reserved in front of the office window sill, looking at the huge North Sea chart hanging on the wall, and her eyes fell on the middle of the North Sea.

    The situation has become clear.  The Second Battle Fleet, as a raiding fleet, had secretly set out to sea a few hours before "The Great Power of the Sea: Chapter 9: The Decisive Battle of Orkney (2)". The drama of the "combat readiness cancellation" of the first reconnaissance group in Wilhelmshaven ruled out Sealem's attempt to copy  The possibility of a naval battle on Dogger Sandbank allows the large fleet to have a big fight!

    "Old friend, you have no trump cards anymore, the fun has just begun!"

    Brock, the commander of the Scapa Flow Naval Base, could not suppress his inner joy. He put his fist on Betty's desk and couldn't wait to sound the battle horn.  Betty turned around and faced the faint sea breeze of Scapa Flow pouring in through the window. She closed her eyes and estimated the relative time and range of the German Second Battle Fleet and the fast fleet stationed in the Firth of Forth. She gently shook her head and rejected Brock.  General's comments:

    "No, wait a little longer, let the fast fleet go out to sea at night with a light load, join up with the supply ships that have gone to sea in advance, and carry out night sea supplies in the Firth of Forth. Sealem is a cunning fox, so he would rather let the fast fleet sacrifice a little time.  Tell him to see something is wrong!"

    Although the Firth of Forth is not the focus of German investigation, Betty is not willing to take risks in this regard.  Commander-in-Chief of the Ocean Fleet Sealem and Chief of the German Naval General Staff Raeder are both masters of intelligence. Once the whereabouts of the fast fleet are exposed, their intelligence advantage will be gone:

    The fast fleet was unable to capture the German Second Battle Fleet, forcing the German main fleet to reinforce. The Grand Fleet was also unable to go to sea early the next morning to join the secret reinforcements of the American fleet to launch the decisive battle!

    (Gorgeous dividing line)

    On June 20, 1917, the night in the North Sea was getting dark, and the east coast of the British Empire was already in a state of turmoil.

    "Sea Spirit of a Great Country" Although the small-tonnage ships flying the Union Jack flying in shallow waters are still sailing as usual, the shallow-water sea trials of Newcastle's newly launched warships have not been cancelled, and industrial production is in full swing along the coast and inland ports near the sea.  The lookout militiamen did not send out any valuable information, but the fishermen who returned from fishing in the dangerous British offshore waters still discovered many clues.

    In this dimension, German submarines have made unprecedented achievements, and the unsuccessful naval battle of the Dardanelles and the landing battle on the Gallipoli Peninsula also left British submarines without their last place of use.  Except for the brazen bombardment of Helgoland Island in the Battle of Helgoland Bay in 1914, which made the British Empire an epic and eternal success, British submarines could not find a strong sense of presence in the long maritime wars of the European War.  On June 20, 1917, British submariners swarmed out like hamsters feeding in groups, wandering around the east coast of Britain.

    Since the Union Jack submarine can see the sun again under the bright light of its German counterpart, the surface ships of the British Empire are naturally not to be left behind.  The sailors who were used to staying up all night long in bars in Portsmouth, Harwich, and Newcastle all disappeared, and there were more destroyers and torpedo boats patrolling the coast than usual.

    The fishermen had a premonition that a new war was about to break out, and the facts were just as they expected.

    At 7:46 p.m., the Grand Fleet Command called the Admiralty in London to inquire about the latest developments of the Ocean Fleet stationed in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The answer Captain Jackson received from "Room 40" was still "Jasper Anchorage."

    The so-called "Jasper Anchorage" is actually the code name for "The Ocean Fleet still remains in the port."  Since the situation in Wilhelmshaven was calm and the spies lurking in the harbor did not hear the roar of any high-horsepower ships leaving the harbor in the night, the Grand Fleet Headquarters canceled the second-level combat readiness status of the Grand Fleet and reported to Emirates.  Siwan sent a telegram saying "everything is normal".

    The fast fleet that was ready to go finally raised its flag.  In the Firth of Forth in central Scotland, the night is as dark as ink. Under the tow of a high-horsepower tugboat, four Queen Elizabeth-class modified battle cruisers of the First Battle Patrol of the Fast Fleet (Barham, Elizabeth, Warrior, Malay  Asia), the Second Battle Patrol has three Prestige-class battle cruisers (Reputation, Counterattack, and Warspite), the Third Battle Patrol has one Lion-class battle cruiser, and two King Kong-class battle cruisers (Lion, King Kong, and Leopard).  Sneak out of the bay and join the supply fleet guarding the deep waters of the bay.

    ? ? Supplementing at night is dangerous and is extremely prone to ship collisions.  Under the cool moonlight, the Royal Navy had to follow each other's light signal instructions, be careful and careful, try to get close to the opponent's hull, and transport supplies through cranes or hoses to the battlecruisers of the fast fleet and the attached light ships.  Cruiser cabin.

    The supply process was inevitably bumpy. The Hull supply ship had a slight collision with the Malaya battle cruiser. The supply ship's hull was damaged and three crew members were slightly injured; the Lakeside transport shipWhen the ship was lifting supplies to the USS King Kong battle cruiser, a mechanical boom broke, damaging some less important upper structures at the stern of the USS King Kong battle cruiser, causing the death of one sailor and serious injury to four sailors.

    At 9:11 pm, the fast fleet finally completed the supply work. The three battle patrol detachments, led by the flagship Barham, formed a three-row cruise formation and sailed towards the depths of the vast North Sea at a speed of 18 knots.  (To be continued.).
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