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Part One Twenty Years Chapter 12 The Fall of the Star-Spangled Banner (6)

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    (Another little **, and thanks to ly4230 for the tip)

    "("King of the North Atlantic" Section 8, American Tragedy[1])

    The smoke-filled battlefield suddenly calmed down. The British First Battle Fleet and the German Third and First Battle Fleets were entangled with each other and headed towards the depths of the Firth of Forth.  The assembled eight battle cruisers of the First Reconnaissance Group changed course and pursued the British fast fleet in the direction where it left. As a result, the two steel fleets left one after another on the battlefield.  The high-speed flagship Bavaria, the Prinzregent Louistbold whose power compartment was hit, and the two Nassau-class battleships of the first squadron were severely damaged and unable to continue fighting.

    The roar of cannons that hung over the North Sea gradually faded away, replaced by an eerie silence.

    The Commander-in-Chief of the Ocean Fleet, Heidi Silem, moved his headquarters to the battleship Grosser Kurf¨¹rst early. The four severely damaged battleships remaining on the battlefield slowly turned around under the command of the old flagship Bavaria.  Head, sail due east, and rush towards the meeting point of the Ocean Fleet designated by Heidi-Silem in advance.

    The departure of the last few battleships does not mean that this corner of the North Sea will be lonely. The hospital ships and destroyers flying the Red Cross flag were left behind. The priest sang the pastoral of death, the band played the mass of the deceased, and the sailors laid down or  Steam-powered boats or human-driven sampans shuttled back and forth on the messy battlefield filled with broken boards, burning oil, soldiers' clothes, and corpses of fallen soldiers, searching for the lucky ones who survived and collecting them with wooden poles.  The bodies of the deceased and the belongings of the soldiers were sorted out.

    Neither the British, who suffered a disastrous defeat, nor the Germans, who achieved a glorious victory, would rise up at this moment and continue their unforgettable hatred.  Although a sense of honor and shame are essential qualities of the navy, they are better than these qualities.  What is even more noble is the respect for life. Even though the two nations of Germany and Britain have forged an undying hatred of steel during the three-year war, unhindered battlefield rescue is still based on the basics of humanitarianism.  Humanistic care is also an ancient naval etiquette.

    On the southwest and northeast sides of the battlefield, the atmosphere is completely different.

    In the face of national survival, David Beatty, who had never abandoned his own people, pragmatically abandoned three battleships of the Second Battle Fleet and two battleships of the Third Squadron, and also buried the last sense of honor of the M-Z flagship fleet.  .  Now that the Royal Navy no longer has the sense of shame as a naval man, the remaining fighting will and determination of the naval officers and soldiers will inevitably collapse, and they will go into self-exile mentally and physically.

    On the way to escape, military discipline and respect for superiors and subordinates disappeared.  The officers could not command the sailors, and the sailors ignored the officers. No one noticed the formation of the fleet, and no one paid attention to the survival of friendly ships. There was only the captain huddled in the command tower and sighing.  The wounded soldiers were rolling and wailing holding their wounds, and the gunners were kneeling on the deck and wailing.  There are also boiler soldiers who can barely lift their arms.

    Maybe there are still stubborn soldiers in the main fleet of the Grand Fleet.  But the cowardly and despicable people could not find anything on the warships to commemorate their heroic souls, so the only six remaining battleships of the British First Battle Fleet were driven around by the Germans in a chaotic attitude like chasing ducks.

    On the way north, the giant steel ships flying the German naval flag and the Z-shaped battle flag were still pursuing the fast fleet fleeing towards Scapa Flow at high speed.

    The majestic German battleship was bumping up and down on the waves of the North Sea. Sometimes huge waves rolled up the side of the battleship and ran rampant on the flat deck. There would also be battleships with their upright bows splitting the waves.  A magnificent scene of countless broken white flowers.

    The hull of the giant ship was trembling and making creaking sounds from time to time. The sailors were performing sea operations staggeringly amid violent rolling and pitching, allowing the warship to reach higher speeds.  On the tall watchtower.  The sailors grabbed their binoculars and tried hard to find the silhouette of the fast fleet. On the trestle behind the command tower, the excited officers and sailors covered their military caps that were about to be blown away. Their ears were filled with the sound of the roaring sea wind, facing the magnificent  The sea makes a terrible sound:

    ¡®This is Germany¡¯s sea, this is our sea!  ¡¯

    German naval officers and soldiers said this after the Battle of Jutland.  At that time, both sides of the North Atlantic took this seriously, and most people would not have thought that the Royal Navy, which had suffered heavy losses, could survive the difficult times and rebuild the Grand Fleet at the cost of emptying the treasury.  On this day, the German navy officers and soldiers once again shouted these words. Some countries may still be embarrassed in their hearts, but no one would imagine that the Royal Navy, which lost more than 20 battleships in one go, could do it again.  Stand up and be stronger than before the crushing defeat!

    Britain is finished. In addition to a few battleships and battlecruisers that escaped, there are also a large number of 10,000-ton cruisers that are only equipped with 6-inch main guns. The empire that rules the ocean and the sun never sets has almost no navy.Now that the empire that has never set on the sun has lost the magic weapon that it relied on to rise, it is time for the empire that has never set on the sun for more than two hundred years to do so!

    On the way north to pursue, the commander of the First Reconnaissance Group, Lieutenant General Bihanik, believed that the high-speed capital ship in his hand could only travel at an overload speed of 27 knots for a period of time.  The command was handed over to the deputy commander, and he returned to his cabin and began to write a letter to his wife:

    'The British lost their throne as maritime hegemons, the French were completely defeated in the Battle of Ustica, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are our allies, Japan is far away in the Pacific, and we are already the only ruler of the vast North Atlantic. As for the ranking  The third-ranked American in the world, no, he is not qualified to challenge us before he completes his transformation from a rookie to a master!  ¡¯

    But in fact, the speed of the fast fleet was not as fast as Major General Hanik imagined, and the escape distance was not as far as he imagined.

    Every capital ship in the fast fleet that maintains high speed for a long time has more or less power problems. In addition, the battle cruiser Warrior was severely damaged at the end of the fleet and lost its speed. Therefore, General Lampard can only keep the fast fleet at 14  A low speed of around knots.

    Lampard has realized that the Royal Navy's defeat is inevitable. Therefore, in the possible defense war of the British mainland, every battleship of the Grand Fleet is particularly important. As a senior officer of the British Navy, he must reserve more resources for the Empire on which the sun never sets.  Lampard has a lot of energy and is duty-bound!

    Since the fast fleet cannot increase speed, General Lampard, who guessed that Sealyme would send out the first reconnaissance group to pursue it to a certain extent, naturally did not dare to let the fast fleet swagger across the diameter and directly explore the southern coastline of the peninsula in the Scottish part of Britain.  Returning to Scapa Flow, the fast fleet headed eastward and made a wide circle along the sea off the peninsula. It was estimated that the first reconnaissance group would give up the pursuit before it re-adjusted its course and headed north.

    It's a pity that God's calculations are not as good as those of God. Rear Admiral Bihanik, who wasted a lot of time to gather the formation and turn the formation, had no intention of catching up with the fast fleet. He just drew a straight line on the chart, and it happened to be across the route of the fast fleet.  .

    ¡®Lieutenant Roddick, the North Sea is too quiet. Is there any new news from the British?  ¡¯

    In the command tower of the USS Nevada, Rear Admiral Rodman, the only naval commander the Americans could use, finally began to become anxious.

    'The latest telegram was half an hour ago. The British Admiralty reported that they had sunk two German Nassau-class battleships at the cost of losing one battleship and two old battlecruisers, and severely damaged the other two.  Perform complex steering and adjustment maneuvers.  ¡¯

    Lieutenant Roddick, who was in charge of intelligence work, pointed to the battlefield position marked on the chart and speculated:

    ¡®General, based on the experience of the Battle of Jutland, the battle has only passed half an hour, and the battlefield situation should not have changed much.  ¡¯

    ¡®The British did a good job.  ¡¯ Regarding the sinking of the American battleship Hong Kong, Rear Admiral Rodman felt a little regretful, but he also had to admit that the British did a good job in exchanging two old-fashioned battle cruisers and an export battleship for Germany¡¯s two sinkings and two serious injuries.  The major general smacked his lips, looked at the rough chart, and said calmly: 'Considering the direction of the battle between the British and German fleets, we, traveling south at a speed of 18 knots, are likely to join the battlefield in half an hour.  Chief of Staff, remember to break the fleet's radio silence after fifteen minutes and ask the British for the specific battlefield situation. I need to evaluate the angle and timing of entering the battlefield.  ¡¯

    It wasn¡¯t until the squadron chief of staff nodded that Major General Rodman turned around and encouraged his colleagues in the headquarters:

    'Everyone, this is the first dreadnought battle of the American Navy. It is of great significance to the Stars and Stripes Flagship Fleet. For this reason, we are even accused of undeclared war. Therefore, we must win the victory with the greatest determination and use the strength of the winner.  The right to erase this disgraceful history!  ¡¯¡± (To be continued.)
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