(It¡¯s better to reduce production. One update will have more than two thousand words. Each chapter will give you at least five or six hundred words for free. This is also compensation. Now I feel that coding is a burden. Since the end of the climax chapter in my mind, I have no more words. passion)
"("King of the North Atlantic" Section 7, The End of the Union Flag[6])
¡°While David Betty and Lampard were hesitant, the Germans took the lead and took the initiative in the Orkney Islands naval battle firmly in their own hands.
The nine battleships of the Third Battle Fleet turned left forcibly, cutting across the T-shaped head of the fast fleet. Except for the four modified Queen Elizabeth-class battlecruisers, the Royal Navy does not have the problem of battlecruisers having better performance than battleships. Therefore, the Third Battle Fleet can cope with a fast fleet that cannot increase speed due to the large angle turn of the battleships for a long period of time.
As for the main fleet, the First Battle Fleet, which had been supplemented by three Mackensen-class battle cruisers, was not in a hurry to fill the position of the Third Battle Fleet. Instead, it reduced its speed to avoid a head-on encounter with the British's terrifying 15-inch main gun group. , the Joint First Reconnaissance Group continued to suppress the half-disabled British battle rear selection team.
Using seven battleships and six battle cruisers to deal with the British's two Iron Duke-class battleships and three remnants of the Second Battle Fleet is undoubtedly an anti-aircraft artillery attack. The Germans unscrupulously showed off their extremely rich firepower, and in the first world At the beginning of the war, the British, who had an absolute advantage in the number of battleships, were unable to take countermeasures.
To save the battle line squadron, Betty could only order the fleet to slow down, but it was easy for the fleet to slow down, but it was not so easy to speed up again to get rid of the Germans. Losing speed due to fighting on the battle line, just look at the miserable situation of the British First Battle Fleet.
The command towers of the battleships Revenge and Barham were in chaos. In Betty's view, the Royal Navy's defeat was inevitable. The outcome is nothing more than whether the Royal Navy will die on its knees or standing.
The so-called standing death means that the fleet turns left quickly and merges with the main fleet battle line as much as possible, allowing the Royal Navy, which has added nine battleships, to fight the Germans in an upright manner, and wither in this gorgeous scene in a magnificent way. North Sea.
If it were two years ago, the high-spirited David Beatty would definitely choose to die standing. Even if the Royal Navy could not defeat the Germans, he would still try his best to bite off one or two combat units of the Ocean Fleet, shouting "The British Navy never This generation of Royal Navy people can die if they are too timid to take responsibility, but before they become heroic, they must leave behind a fighting spirit that is enough to support the next generation of people to stand on the ruins and rebuild the Royal Navy! ¡¯, leading the ancient and young fleet to rush over and fight to the death.
It¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s 1917. David Beatty, the British Empire's "Sea Cavalry", is no longer young, no longer as brave as he was when he bombarded Alexandria and participated in the Punitive War in the Far East in 1900. As a front-line maritime commander, David Betty, who was burdened by his youthful fame and pampering by the older generation, did not have the experience of Heidi Sealem who had been drifting overseas for more than ten years, but he was still tempered by the flames of war again and again. Growing up in China, abandoning unrealistic idealism. Become a potential naval king Arthur.
Around 14:00, the entire British Empire collectively lost its voice on the use of fast fleets. No one dared to give the final order. He did not dare to take responsibility for the total destruction of the Imperial Navy, and he was even less willing to become a sinner of the country and the nation. Therefore, the ball was kicked back and forth between the main fleet of the Grand Fleet, the fast fleet, the Navy Ministry and the National Defense Committee. In the end, Dai Wei-Betty took it.
Yes, King Arthur Balfour of the British Navy chose to share the responsibility for Betty. This clever old man did not inform the veteran of the Admiralty - First Sea Lord Gough Calthorpe. The fast fleet was ordered to cover the retreat of the main fleet as much as possible while preserving itself. But just before Balfour summoned his secretary to draft a telegram, David Beatty, the British Empire's "sea cavalry", had already sent an almost tragic farewell telegram. Inhumanely choosing to die on his knees.
'Order. The fast fleet turned to the right and freely attacked the German battle line. After getting rid of the German battle line, it paid attention to contact the American battleship squadron and headed towards Scapa Flow at full speed. The main fleet is heading towards the Firth of Forth at full speed. Except for the ships of the First Battle Fleet, other warships are granted the right to move freely. I wish you all good luck! 14:04, Grand Fleet Headquarters, David Beatty. ¡¯
Betty's order was cruel. He rejected the enthusiasm of the fast fleet and handed over the painless task of protecting the battle line to General Lampard. He was determined to keep a force for the Royal Navy that could be used at any time. used combat detachment and a promising naval commander.
The fast fleet was freed, but the large fleet fell into eternal hell, especially the Second Battle Fleet, which was granted the right to move freely.
Although Betty didn¡¯t say it explicitly, everyone could understand his subtext. While the Germans detached a fleet to intercept and kill the battle patrol and the right wing,It is certainly a good idea to allow the remaining battleships of the main fleet to speed up and leave the battlefield with more than ten minutes of cover time for the battle patrol in the opposite direction. The problem is that the disabled second battle fleet cannot run at all. In other words, The Second Battle Fleet became the tactical abandonment of the Grand Fleet, covering the main fleet's safe retreat. The so-called right of free movement was nothing but a futile psychological comfort.
Perhaps not only the three battleships of the Second Battle Fleet, but also the battleship Marlborough of the Third Division of the Fourth Battle Fleet also lost speed and gradually fell behind Benbow and Indian Emperor.
In the command tower of the battleship Bayern, Betty¡¯s unexpected choice caught Silam off guard and shocked him so much that Heidi Silam wrote this in his memoirs:
¡®He died on his knees! Betty finally threw away the pretense of the Royal Navy being invincible, woke up from the dream that lasted for more than three hundred years, and made a pragmatic choice. This kind of David Betty is terrifying. Fortunately, everything was settled when the Ocean Fleet obtained the T-shaped head for the first time. Even if Betty and I will have another confrontation, I believe that by then, As we age, we are no longer the protagonists of this gorgeous sea'
When naval warfare experts interpreted David Beatty¡¯s order, they commented that it was not a good move but a good move. This sentence can barely be called a compliment, because it does cause trouble for the next move of the Ocean Fleet - the German Third Battle Fleet has been turning left for five or six minutes. However, facing the fast fleet turning right, the third The action of the battle fleet to seize the T-shaped crosshead became worthless.
It¡¯s not that the Third Battle Fleet cannot seize the T-shaped head. After all, the Third Battle Fleet turns first, and the turning radius of the battleship is usually smaller than that of the longer battlecruiser. But the problem is that the turning space left for the two dreadnought fleets with a total of nineteen capital ships is extremely limited. When the third battle fleet ends, it may only have two or three minutes of T-shaped head to complete at least a 180-degree turn. Even if the British The battle patrol adjusted their course to the southeast very cooperatively, and the combat distance between the two fleets running side by side on the North Sea would not exceed 10 kilometers.
At a combat distance of 10 kilometers, German battleships and British battle cruisers can ensure that the upper armor belts destroy each other. For the Ocean Fleet, which has an absolute advantage in protection, this is not worth the gain.
It is also inappropriate to let the First Battle Fleet or the First Reconnaissance Group intercept and kill the British fast fleet. The fact that the two seriously injured Nassau-class battleships of the First Battle Fleet were able to hold on in the battle line did not mean that they could withstand the ravages of large-angle turns. The three Mackensen-class battlecruisers temporarily mobilized and the First Battle Fleet There is also a lack of break-in.
As for the First Reconnaissance Group, its forces are extremely scattered at the moment - in addition to the three Mackensen-class battle cruisers, Seydlitz and Moltke are intercepting the battle cruiser Indomitable that is rushing towards the coastline and trying to beach itself. , only three Derflinger-class battle cruisers can be mobilized at any time.
Betty¡¯s magical strokes saved a lot of situations for the Grand Fleet, but it could not completely change the passive situation of the Royal Navy. As Heidi Sealem said:
'Let the third battle fleet adjust its course. There is no need to rush back to the main fleet battle line. Let's have a hearty battle line battle with the fast fleet. The fight will be whatever it is. We are no worse than the fast fleet. A scummy ship' (To be continued.)