(I originally had time to update on May 1st, but it turned out that the broadband at home was changed to China Mobile, which was a tragedy. I passed by the school dormitory today and logged in using the school¡¯s telecommunications broadband. Sure enough, I was able to log in. Alas I went to work in Tongling today. , updates have to stop again.)
The fast fleet left the port, and the British battlecruisers hung high the Union Jack flag, which represented honor and symbol of pride, dragging a long line of soot on the North Sea where the cold moonlight penetrated the night chill. gallop.
The attack of the fast fleet made the British Admiralty and the limited insiders of the Scapa Flow Fleet tense their nerves.
The last large-scale maritime war can be traced back to the maritime encirclement and counter-encirclement and suppression games launched around the USS South Africa battleship at Armstrong Shipyard. At that time, the Ocean Fleet was in full swing. Even though the Royal Navy rationally avoided its edge, it still lost a 10,000-ton armored cruiser. This time, the Royal Navy, which had been practicing in seclusion, came back and made a comeback, vowing to use the indifference of the Grand Fleet to interfere with the German judgment, cover the fast fleet, intercept and kill six old battleships of the German Second Battle Fleet, and force the Ocean Fleet to leave the coast. Wilhelmshaven, covered by guns, mines and destroyers, reinforced the old-fashioned battle fleet used for decoration.
"The Royal Navy is not afraid of any form of decisive battle. As long as the Germans leave Wilhelmshaven, victory will be in our hands!"
This is the view of Rudy, captain of the battlecruiser USS Reputation. Before the decisive battle, most of the Royal Navy captains held a similar view to Captain Rudy, that is, the Royal Navy had gained absolute initiative.
Of course, the so-called "absolute initiative" is based on intelligence superiority. The commanders and captains' desire for victory has turned into endless pressure, all falling on the London Naval Intelligence Department and "Room 40".
The Grand Fleet needs accurate intelligence to understand the dynamics of the Germans and take further actions, so the Grand Fleet Headquarters sends reports to the Admiralty in London almost every ten minutes. Ask for the location of the Ocean Fleet.
The answer Scapa Flow received was the same: "The German flagship's call code is still at Jasper Anchorage!"
The news was quickly fed back to the fast fleet, so not only captains like Rudy have relaxed their vigilance, but even Lampard, the commander-in-chief of the fast fleet, who is known for his rationality, has become optimistic.
"There are indeed many German ships in the waters from Helgoland Bay to our coastline. We will go there for a short walk and beat up the daring old battle fleet to make them realize what they are. Who is the master of this sea area? If the gang of reckless men guarding Wilhelmshaven dare to come over for reinforcements, we will give them a surprise and send them all to the bottom of the sea. Don't worry about the German submarines, they are all in the vast Atlantic Ocean . Well, thereis their hunting ground!"
The majestic battlecruisers of the fast fleet and the large and small supply ships of the supply fleet left the Forth Bay one after another, and the noisy bay suddenly became quiet. The bright moonlight shines on the sea, creating a sparkling brilliance, creating a beautiful night scene. It was then destroyed by a steel monster that emerged from the sea.
A German U-shaped submarine slowly emerged from the sea and sailed at low speed in the Firth of Forth. The roof of the command module was opened. The famous German submarine king Otto Wiedigan poked his head out. First, he took a greedy breath of fresh air outside the cabin, and then took out his pocket watch to check the time.
"Everything is as expected by Commander Silem!" The navigator leaned in front of the fence on the roof of the command cabin. Although he spoke slowly, his clenched fists revealed his inner agitation.
"This is nothing. At the beginning of the war in 1914, everyone in Germany believed that the Ocean Fleet was no match for the British. The navy should stay quietly in Wilhelmshaven and wait for the army to save the world. At that time, he was still the defense commander of Helgoland Bay However, General Seeley scoffed at this and ordered the submarine detachment belonging to the Helium Command to ambush the British patrol fleet on the British patrol line. Then he induced the Harwich fleet to attack Helgoland Bay and win the German navy. The first win"
The Navigator¡¯s admiration for Silim brought back long-standing memories of the Submarine King Widigan. Mr. Widigan leaned in front of the fence, squinting his eyes and recalling the past events that seemed to others to be extremely splendid and splendid, but to the submariners who had heard them countless times, they seemed boring.
All submariners in the empire knew that their leader Otto Widigan was a talker. Before Lord Widigan could speak at length, the navigator interjected bravely and tried to change the topic.
"Perhaps we should first report the intelligence of the fast fleet heading south to the headquarters"
"Of course!" Once it comes to professional issues, the cheerful Otto Wiedigan loses all his arrogance. The king of submarines, who had changed the attitude of the Allied nations, raised his head and said seriously: "And I'm wondering whether our submarine soldiers are going to do a big job in the North Sea.?, Ambush the fast fleet! "
Although there is no permission from the Naval Staff, the German submariners are a group of brave and skilled men. The navigator had no intention of dissuading Widigan, and started to calculate how many submarines could be used on the North Sea. .
"The target of the Ocean Fleet is not the British fast fleet, so our ambush of the fast fleet will not affect General Sealem's overall plan. We have deployed seven submarines in the northern part of the North Sea. If there is enough time, we can summon at least four more from other directions. Five submarines, as long as you make up your mind, we dare to risk it!"
"Then" This didn't seem to be a question worth thinking about. Otto Wiedigan did not hesitate at all. He stood up holding on to the fence, straightened his smelly leather jacket, and raised his hand to tinker with the Army Cavalry Regiment. With his riding whip, he held up the knight's whip on the North Sea, and said with full arrogance: "Then do it!"
"The Soul of the Great Country Chapter 9 The Decisive Battle of Orkney (3)" (Gorgeous dividing line)
At night, the residents of Port Wilhelm slept soundly, but in this quiet night there was never a shortage of people who were accustomed to activities in the dark.
There is an inconspicuous house in the old city near the bay. The British spies lurking here will lift the white curtain every few minutes, widening their eyes and trying to detect the dark bay. The windows eliminate the sound of waves lapping against the embankment, and listen carefully for any roaring sounds in the depths of the bay.
"It should be a warship!" The faint roar of the engine came from the depths of Jade Bay. Across the vast sea, the sound was intermittently hard to hear clearly, but the experienced intelligence team leader could still see the strong power of the ship. Determine their general attributes.
The room was not spacious and felt suffocating. Although the intelligence team did not have access to high-level secrets of the Navy, they were engaged in intelligence work after all. Judging from the confirmation telegrams sent one after another from the Naval Intelligence Department, the Grand Fleet is bound to make big moves tonight!
The British secret service leader closed the curtain, asked for the intelligence manual from his assistant, and read it carefully. After a while, the team leader raised his head and glanced at the subordinates who didn't even dare to express their anger. After pondering for a moment, he laughed to himself and said with British humor: "Don't worry, gentlemen, then It is the Fourth Reconnaissance Fleet on routine patrols at sea."
The head of the British intelligence team vowed that the fleet leaving port was the "Fourth Reconnaissance Fleet" that "routinely went to sea". And the Orkney Islands naval battle that shocked the world on June 21, 1917 will give the intelligence chief a resounding slap: the fleet now lying on the main channel of Wilhelmshaven is not the "Fourth Reconnaissance Fleet" at all, but It was the nineteen battleships of the Ocean Fleet that filed out!
"Commander, can these little tricks really help us hide from the British?"
Rear Admiral Levantezo, who was transferred to the Chief of Staff of the "Great Power Sea Spirit" Ocean Fleet, looked at the shadow of the ship in the night and said hesitantly:
"Unlike any previous naval battle, the advance departure of the Second Battle Fleet fully exposed our strategic intentions. It is impossible for the British not to strengthen their intelligence reconnaissance of Wilhelmshaven to prevent us from launching a decisive battle in advance."
??In Leventzo¡¯s opinion. General Sealem's plan was stunning. The second reconnaissance group remaining in the northern waters of Helgoland Bay to block the west coast of Schleswig was just a bait in the open. The second battle fleet that attacked from Cuxhaven was Silem's real killer move.
The secret deployment of the Second Battle Fleet, the inactivity of the Ocean Fleet, and the deliberate leakage of secret codes by the Naval Intelligence Office will obviously interfere with the British judgment, making them think that the Second Battle Fleet's sneak attack across the North Sea on the British Empire is nothing more than an in-depth attack on the British Empire. A lone army can be ravaged at will. No one can resist the temptation to annihilate a battle fleet without risk, even if this fleet is just a pre-dreadnought fleet, and this sluggish pre-dreadnought fleet may still push the Ocean Fleet from a well-defended position. Wilhelmshaven was attracted out, and the gong was sounded in the North Sea to stage a decisive battle that the British only dreamed of.
Using the 2nd Battle Fleet as the real decoy is indeed a wonderful idea. But this move also exposed the strategic intention of the Ocean Fleet to eagerly seek war.
David Beattie was not the Jackson who made repeated mistakes in the Battle of Portsmouth. The "Sea Cavalry" was the "veteran" with the most experience in dreadnought battles in the British Navy. It was impossible for him to be unaware of Sealem's plan. He was definitely Intelligence reconnaissance of Wilhelmshaven will be strengthened. Once the Ocean Fleet's plan to secretly go to sea is exposed. The German navy was likely to lose its only decisive window before the Americans entered the war.
General Silem has taken many measures for this dark night voyage. The two super-equipped battleships of the Ocean Fleet, with a total of nineteen battleships as the first echelon, slipped out of William's Gate during the departure time of the fourth reconnaissance fleet to implement "light" control and radio silence. In order to prevent the battleship itselfThe noise of the steam engine attracted the attention of British agents, and Sealem ordered the battleship to be towed out of the port by a tugboat. Although the whole process was extremely slow and complicated, it could minimize the noise.
In terms of formation, Xi Lime also made careful designs. The Ocean Fleet, which has practiced many times, arranged a two-row cruising formation. The distance between the two battleships in the same line was only 250 meters, so that the officers and soldiers of the battleship K?nig recalled that "when they were closest, they even The heavy breathing of the officers and men on the stern of the battleship Bayern can be heard."
But even so, Levantezo still felt uneasy in his heart.
"Don't worry, Levantezo. Even if the British feel that something is wrong, they will still subconsciously excuse our abnormal behavior after obtaining the code book." Compared with Levantezo's worries, Wang Hai Di looked indifferent, clapped his hands and said relaxedly: "The only thing worth noting is the time when the first reconnaissance group 'attacks'!"
On the night of June 20, 1917, the German Ocean Fleet and the First Reconnaissance Group slipped out of Wilhelmshaven, but the Allied agents lurking in Wilhelmshaven were unaware of this.
At three o'clock in the morning on the 21st, the radio signal in Wilhelmshaven suddenly increased. The intercepted intelligence was fed back to the London headquarters. After being translated by the telegraph expert in Room 40, the content of the telegram surprised the British:
"At three forty in the morning on the 21st, the first reconnaissance group will go to sea to intercept and kill the British fast fleet!"
"Did the secretly sailing fast fleet be exposed, or is the Second Battle Fleet just a decoy, and the Germans' goal is simply the fast fleet?" Captain Jackson, an orthodox intelligence officer who extremely despised the civilian experts in Room 40, grabbed the deciphered The telegram broke out in a cold sweat instantly. (To be continued.).