Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 140

The first batch of T-class submarines were equipped with four external ("e-type") 21-inch torpedo tubes in addition to internal torpedo tubes.

External tubes are used to avoid excessive openings that would compromise the structural integrity of the pressure enclosure.

These tubes cannot be reloaded from inside the submarine, and once a torpedo is loaded into an external tube, it cannot be maintained or withdrawn.

With the exception of the Triton, these tubes are slanted downward at an angle of 5° from the horizontal to facilitate handling.

Two of these external tubes are located at the bow of the ship, and the other two are located at the bottom of the conning tower in the middle of the hull.

Unlike the inner tube, the hood of the outer tube must be opened manually, which requires considerable effort.

These external tubes also proved to be easily damaged.

"Thunderbolt" and "Triumph" canceled the external tube on the bow during the transformation.

Prior to the outbreak of war, there had been much debate over the installation of stern torpedo tubes on British submarines.

The effectiveness of the bow and stern torpedo salvoes has always been questionable, as these torpedo tubes would take up valuable space on the submarine.

War experience soon led to complaints from British submarine commanders, such as the commander of HMS Torbay, Anthony Miles, who complained about the lack of torpedo tubes on the stern of the ship.

Thus, 8 first batch submarines, "Taku", "Perak", "Tigris", "Torbay", "Tribune", "Trident", "Escaper" An external torpedo tube was added to the "Tuna" and installed on the stern of the ship, which became the standard configuration of the second batch of submarines.

On the second batch of submarines, the torpedo tubes in the middle of the ship were also moved to the rear of the conning tower and towards the stern of the ship.

The original angle was 10° off centerline, but this created a flat casing area that made maintaining depth difficult, as was the case for the last two second batch submarines, Voyager and Trooper and all For the third batch of submarines, the angle was reduced to 7°.

The torpedoes used by T-class submarines are mainly 21-inch Mark VIII torpedoes, mainly the Mark VIII. The torpedo weighs 1 kg (566 lb), has a 3 kg (452 lb) torpedo warhead, uses a "Brotherhood" cycle engine, and can travel at a speed of 365 knots (805 km/h; 45.5 mph). Range: 84.3 meters (52.4 yards) or 4 meters (570 yards) at 5 knots (000 km/h; 41 mph).

It had greater propulsive efficiency than any similarly sized contemporaneous torpedo, but there was a shortage of Mark VIII torpedoes, and some submarines still used the older Mark IV torpedoes early in the war.

The Mark VIII torpedo is equipped with a contact fuze, which is used to detonate the torpedo explosion.

A non-contact magnetic fuze called a CCR (Compensating Coil Rod) was also developed and used during the war.

Like the magnetic fuses developed by many other countries, the CCR fuse caused endless trouble and was eventually withdrawn.

Due to post-war torpedo development issues in Britain, the Mark VIII would serve as the standard torpedo used by the T-class (and all Royal Navy submarines) until the introduction of the Mark 1971 wire-guided torpedo in 23.

All T-class submarines built were equipped with a 4-inch (102 mm) deck gun as a weapon of surprise and self-defense.

The S1 submarine is also equipped with a 4-inch QF Mark XII or XXII naval gun (the two are interchangeable).

The installation is located above a small platform extending in front of the superstructure and in front of the command tower. It has a platform that can rotate with the artillery to provide space for the gun crew to operate the artillery.

Due to weight restrictions, the 4-inch guns were built without armor or roof protection, except for the Tarbad, Tarrant, and Tredo.

Many other T-class boats received temporary gun shields constructed from Far East supply ships, which provided a degree of protection.

The gun was operated by a crew of five, and the T-class submarines were initially equipped with 5 rounds of ammunition for the 4-inch gun.

This proved insufficient, and ammunition reserves were quickly increased; by the end of the war, T-boats generally did not carry torpedoes for reloading, preferring to carry more shells.

The standard anti-aircraft weapon of the T-class submarine is three 7.7mm machine guns.

These were originally Lewis machine guns, but from 1941 onwards were replaced by the better gas-operated Vickers machine guns.

The Vickers machine gun was sometimes replaced by the Bren gun if the army wanted to save supplies.

Later, most T-class submarines were equipped with 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, which were installed behind the submarine's control tower.

But most T-class submarines are equipped with only one. The "Speed" has two 20mm cannons installed side by side on the base, while the "Indefatigable" is equipped with twin Oerlikon Mark 12A 20mm cannons. Cannon.

The crew of the Turtle managed to acquire a 15mm Browning air-cooled machine gun, but the weapon required too much strength from the brass structure of the conning tower and was ultimately discarded.

On November 1938, 11, the first boat of this class, the USS Triton, entered service.

It will join 14 other T-class submarines ordered under the pre-war 1936-1938 program.

On June 1939, 6, the "Thetis" had an unfortunate accident during its trial voyage. 1 crew members were martyred, which led the Royal Navy to modify the submarine escape procedures.

"Triton" is the only submarine of this class that has undergone a full trial, because the outbreak of war meant that the Royal Navy was in urgent need of modern submarines and they could not afford to wait.

When war broke out on September 1939, 9, only three T-class submarines were in service: Triton, Triumph, and Thistle.

As the Royal Navy's standard cruise submarine, T-class submarines participated heavily during World War II, operating from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, and later to the Far East.

In the early days of the war, the nature of Britain's submarine warfare against Germany was very different from Germany's submarine warfare in the Atlantic and later U.S. submarine warfare in the Pacific.

Germany was not as dependent on extensive overseas trade as Britain was, and therefore had no unprotected fleets or lines of commercial traffic for British submarines to disrupt.

Most German merchant ships were confined to the mine-ridden North Sea.

As a result, British submarines were forced to patrol these narrow and dangerous waters for long periods of time, often without finding anything.

On September 1939, 9, nine days after the war began, the "Triton" discovered another submarine while patrolling the coast of Norway.

When the other submarine failed to react in time, it fired two torpedoes from its external bow torpedo tubes, one of which hit the submarine and sank it.

Unfortunately, the submarine turned out to be the HMS Oxley, the first British submarine to be lost in the war, with only two crew members surviving the attack.

In the ensuing investigation, the crew of the "Triton" was exonerated, but it was an ominous start for the T-class submarine fleet.

On December 1939, 12, the "Triumph" unfortunately encountered a mine and part of the bow was blown off, but miraculously survived and returned to Rosyth for extensive repairs.

With the start of the Norwegian campaign in April 1940, increased German naval traffic in support of the German Army invasion resulted in increased action for the T-class submarines stationed in the North Sea.

On April 1940, 4, the "Triton" encountered the German cruisers "Blücher" and "Lützow", and fired 8 torpedoes without hitting the target.

Two days later, she had greater success after reloading her torpedoes, sinking three ships of a German convoy with six torpedoes.

The Escaper also had notable successes, torpedoing and damaging the cruiser Karlsruhe, which had to be escorted back to port by a torpedo boat.

两艘T级潜艇在挪威战役中沉没：“蓟”号于1940年4月10日被U-4发射的鱼雷击沉，“大海鲢”号于1940年4月14日被Q舰 40/“舒尔贝克”号击沉。

In July 1940, after the fall of France and the German occupation of France's Atlantic ports, Britain began sending submarine patrols in the strategic Bay of Biscay (known as the "Iron Ring").

For the German Navy's surface ships, the winter of 1943 was definitely the coldest season experienced in the war. As the year was coming to an end, the German Navy suffered consecutive disastrous defeats, and its strength and morale were severely damaged.

On Christmas Day 1943, the German battleship Scharnhorst, the only operational battleship at the time, sank in the Battle of North Cape.

Just two days later, in the Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast of France, a German fleet consisting of 5 destroyers and 6 large torpedo boats suffered another defeat in a battle with 2 British light cruisers. They were beaten 3:0 by their opponents, and hundreds of officers and soldiers died.

This was the most tragic defeat suffered by the German naval destroyer force since the Battle of Narvik in 1940, and it composed a winter tragedy in the combat records of the late Battle of the Atlantic.

At the end of December 1943, the 12th Destroyer Detachment of the German Navy stationed in Gironde, a port in southwestern France, received a mission to pick up and protect two German cargo ships returning from the Far East and arriving in German-occupied Europe. They were carrying Germany's eastern allies. Important strategic materials provided by RB include tungsten ore and natural rubber.

In order to strengthen the escort force, the 4th Torpedo Boat Detachment stationed in the port of Brest will also participate in this operation, and the operation is codenamed "Bernau".

The first cargo ship "Osorno" arrived outside the Port of Gironde on December 12, but was attacked and damaged by British aircraft at the mouth of the Gironde River. It was able to avoid sinking by running aground on the beach, which also made the Germans There is an opportunity to salvage valuable cargo ashore.

At the same time, the second cargo ship "Alstruffel" is still en route to the French coast and is expected to arrive at its destination two days later.

12月27日上午，第8驱逐舰支队的5艘驱逐舰Z23、Z24、Z27、Z32、Z37在支队司令汉斯·埃德门格海军上校指挥下从吉伦特港出航，伴随出击的还有属于第4鱼雷艇支队的T25和T27号鱼雷艇。

At the same time, the main force of the 4th torpedo boat detachment, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Franz Krauf, also set sail from the port of Brest and headed for the scheduled rendezvous point. The force of this detachment was composed of torpedo boats No. T22, T23, T24 and T26.

第8驱逐舰支队出动的5艘驱逐舰全部属于1936A型，也就是著名的纳尔维克级驱逐舰，均为1940年至1943年间建造的新舰。

The Type 1936A destroyer is a main fleet destroyer designed and improved by the German Navy based on the experience of the Battle of Narvik. Its ship type is larger than the British Navy destroyers of the same period.

The standard displacement reaches 2600 tons, the full load displacement reaches 3600 tons, the speed is 37 knots, and the firepower is greatly enhanced. It is equipped with 4 to 5 150 mm naval guns. It is the destroyer with the largest artillery caliber during World War II. In addition, it is equipped with 2 quadruple 533 mm torpedoes. launch tube, but the actual combat effectiveness of this type of destroyer is not as powerful as it appears on the surface.

The six torpedo boats participating in the war were all Type 6, also known as the Elpin class, with a standard displacement of 1939 tons, a full load displacement of 1300 tons, a speed of 1700 knots, and were equipped with 32.5 4 mm naval guns and 105 triple 2 mm torpedo launchers. .

The two German commanders who led the attack were by no means ordinary people. They were both experienced and highly decorated senior officers.

Captain Edmenger joined the Weimar Navy in 1922, participated in the Spanish Civil War and the Battle of Narvik, and was awarded the Knight's Cross in November 1940.

Lieutenant Commander Krauf is a legendary hero of the torpedo boat unit. Just two months before this battle, he commanded five torpedo boats of the 4th detachment and successfully sank the British army in an encounter on the night of October 5. The light cruiser "Charybdis" and the escort destroyer "Lynburn", for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross.

The Germans thought they were secretive and unknown, but they did not expect that their movements had already been grasped by their opponents.

A group of mathematical geniuses and intelligence experts at Bletchley Manor outside London gained insight into the core secrets of the German army by deciphering the "Enigma" code. The accurate information called "super secret" sent here became the basis for the Allies The supreme magic weapon for victory, and in this upcoming naval confrontation, "super secret" once again plays a key role.

The British Admiralty discovered the whereabouts of the German cargo ship through "super secret" and other intelligence channels, and formulated an interception plan code-named "Stonewall" in December 1943.

A number of warships were deployed in the ocean west of Gibraltar, the Azores and the Bay of Biscay. With the cooperation of shore-based aviation, they carried out patrols and searches to intercept any German ships attempting to enter or exit the Bay of Biscay, and were ready to engage the German forces at any time. Escort forces engage in battle.

After learning that the "Alstrufl" was approaching the Bay of Biscay, the British Navy immediately mobilized forces to intercept it. At that time, the closest British warship to the sea area where the German forces were scheduled to rendezvous was the light cruiser "Glasgow". It has been cruising in the waters north of the Azores since March 12th. After receiving the order, it immediately rushed to the Bay of Biscay and met with the light cruiser "Enterprise" who came for reinforcements.

In addition, the light cruiser "Mauritius" located in Gibraltar, the light cruiser "Penelope" located off the coast of Lisbon, and the New Zealand Navy light cruiser "Gambia" cruising in the western Atlantic served as backup for this operation, but they are far away from each other. The war zone is far away, and the only two ships that will really compete with the German fleet are the "Glasgow" and the "Enterprise".

The "Glasgow" light cruiser commanded by Captain Charles Clark belongs to the Southampton class. It was built and put into service in 1937. It has a standard displacement of 9100 tons, a full load displacement of 11350 tons, a speed of 32 knots, and is equipped with 12 152 mm naval guns and 2 triple mounts. 533mm torpedo tube.

The Southampton class is a treaty-type light cruiser built by the British Navy between the two wars. Its design is quite successful, its performance is balanced, and it is very suitable for long-range patrols and surface engagements.

The "Enterprise" light cruiser commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Harold Grant is an old ship that has been in service for more than ten years. It belongs to the Emerald class and was built in 1926. It has a standard displacement of 7580 tons and a full load displacement of 9435 tons. 33 knots, equipped with 7 152mm naval guns and 2 quadruple 533mm torpedo tubes.

Compared with the more modern "Glasgow", the "Enterprise" has become outdated, but it still has considerable combat effectiveness. This old and new pair will bleed blood for the Germans in the Bay of Biscay.

It was the "Alstrufl" that was first hit with a bloody head in front of the British "Stone Wall". This unlucky cargo ship was captured by British aircraft before rendezvousing with its own escort ship. On the afternoon of December 12, it was attacked by a B-27 bomber from the 311th Squadron of the Royal Air Force. The goal is completely over.

After the sinking of the "Alstrufl", the "Glasgow" and the "Enterprise" temporarily lifted their interception missions and cruised due east along the 45th parallel north latitude to search for possible enemy targets.

The "Alstruffel" failed to send any message before it sank, so the Germans knew nothing about its misfortune. The two fleets still sailed toward the rendezvous sea area day and night.

At 12:28 a.m. on December 9, Allied aircraft discovered the German fleet and tracked it. Its position information was transmitted to "Glasgow" and "Enterprise". Colonel Clark immediately led his team north to fight.

Just after noon, the 8th detachment and the 4th detachment met at sea. T-25 and T-27 returned to the ship. Six torpedo boats sailed on the port side of the destroyer formation. Colonel Edmenger ordered the ships to launch a reconnaissance formation and head toward the destroyer formation. Search forward in the direction where the "Alstruffel" might appear, but of course the latter will never appear.

At the same time, the two British cruisers had already circled back to the north of the German fleet, and then turned to the southeast. Clark's combat strategy was simple: insert between the German fleet and its base, cut off its retreat, and force it to engage.

At 12:24 a.m., the British formation was attacked by German aircraft, which also meant that the whereabouts of the British troops were exposed. However, due to poor communication between the German navy and air force, this important information was not transmitted to Egypt until after the naval battle broke out. In the hands of Colonel Demenge, it was in sharp contrast to the speed with which the British army reported enemy information.

Colonel Edmenger first learned of the presence of the British cruiser at 12:58. This information may have come from a visual report from one of his ships. He immediately ordered to sail at full speed and turn to the southeast, hoping to stay away from the British fleet.

Soon, Z24 confirmed the position of the British cruiser. At 13:04, Edmenger ordered the destroyer to cover the torpedo boat to conduct a torpedo attack. However, the harsh sea conditions and target location made it difficult to execute this order.

At that time, the strong east wind on the sea stirred up layers of whitecaps, and the wind force was gradually increasing. It was very difficult for the German destroyers with poor seaworthiness to sail, and it was even more difficult for the smaller torpedo boats.

To make matters worse, several ships of the 8th detachment are in poor condition. Z23's bow is leaking, Z24 has a problem with its power system and can only maintain a maximum speed of 27 knots, and the flagship Z27's front main turret is also faulty.

In contrast, British cruisers with excellent seaworthiness could maintain high speeds even in high sea conditions, which virtually offset the paper speed advantage of German destroyers.

At 13:40, Z23 could already see the British cruiser far behind on the port side. Edmenger ordered the five destroyers to close in formation and ordered the torpedo launch again, but only Z5 and Z23, which were closest to the British ship, were launching. position, and the six torpedo boats of the 27th detachment could not even see the target due to the relatively low superstructure.

On the other hand, the "Glasgow" discovered the German fleet at a distance of 13 meters ahead of the starboard side at 32:25700. Clark ordered to increase to the highest speed and engage the enemy at full speed.

At 13:46, the A and B turrets of the "Glasgow" fired at Z273 and Z19600 23 meters away under the guidance of the Type 27 radar. Two minutes later, the following "Enterprise" also launched a bombardment. A fierce battle The battle unfolded deep in the Atlantic Ocean. The British cruiser showed strong firepower at the beginning of the naval battle. From 13:46 to 14:18, the "Glasgow" fired 100 rounds, and the impact point of the shells deviated from the target by only 150 to meters.

Between 13:55 and 14:200, a German Fw 23 patrol aircraft launched an attack on the British ship and was driven away by anti-aircraft fire. It did not cause much interference to the British battle rhythm. Despite the good accuracy of the British ship's bombardment, both Z27 and Z were unscathed at the beginning of the battle.

When the engagement distance was shortened to 17000 meters, Z23 launched 6 torpedoes in accordance with the previous order, but failed to hit.

At 13:58, the German destroyer began to fire back with 150mm naval guns. Although the bad sea conditions seriously hindered the work of the German ship's optical rangefinder, the German artillery fire was still quite threatening. In the first round of firing, the shells flew over "Glasgow" The top of the head fell only 200 meters to the port side of the stern of the ship.

At 14:05, the Germans scored the first hit. A shell hit the starboard side of the "Glasgow" near the boiler room A. The shell fragments killed two anti-aircraft gunners.

At the same time, the German ship's fire continued to form straddle fire on the "Enterprise".

In the first half hour of the naval battle, the British and German fleets maintained roughly parallel routes and moved south-southeast, shelling each other across 10,000-meter waves.

The six torpedo boats of the 4th Torpedo Boat Detachment repeatedly tried to approach the target and launch torpedo attacks, but they failed because of the difficulty of maneuvering in the wind and waves.

The violent sea caused more trouble to these light ships than the artillery fire of the British ships. The waves on all the torpedo boats were so serious that the front main guns could not be used at all, and seawater even poured into the bridge.

Krauf could only give up the attack and command the ships to move closer to the destroyer.

Z32和Z37在13时56分按照埃德门格的命令向左转向，准备实施鱼雷攻击，在接近至12800米时Z32发射了4枚鱼雷，Z37发射了6枚鱼雷。

After firing the torpedoes, the two ships fired back fire, fired smoke screens, and turned back to their own ranks.

This torpedo attack was extremely threatening, forcing the "Glasgow" to turn sharply to the left. One torpedo passed just 30 meters away from the port stern, and two other torpedoes passed close to the port side of the ship.

After avoiding the torpedoes, the "Glasgow" returned to its previous course and continued to pour shells on the target.

The "Enterprise", which was following up from the rear, broke away from the formation and turned to the southwest at about 14:20. The two British ships began to fight independently. This change may be to avoid German torpedoes.

战至14时18分，德军各舰均已加入交火，按照Z32、Z24、Z37、T23、T24、T27、T26、T22、T25、Z27、Z23的顺序排成一条长长的单纵队。

此时，埃德门格突然下令舰队分为南北两群各自为战：Z23、Z27、T26、T22和T25调头向北，由埃德门格亲自指挥；

Z32、Z24、Z37、T23、T24和T27则向东南航进，继续交火，由Z32号舰长冯·贝格尔海军少校指挥。

Since Edmenger was later killed in action, his motives for issuing this order are unknown. He may have wanted to distract his pursuers, or he may have attempted a pincer attack on the British cruisers, but Krauf believed this was a wrong decision.

The German division of forces threw the formation into chaos from the beginning.

The German Battle Group North made mistakes when changing course. Z23, T26, T22 and T25 all turned to starboard, but the flagship Z27 turned to port. In fact, Battle Group North never formed a complete formation again.

During the turning process, Z23 fired 1 torpedo and Z27 fired 4 torpedoes, but none of them hit.

The "Glasgow" noticed that the German fleet had been divided into two groups, so it made a 14-degree turn to the left at 35:180, and then turned northwest to pursue the German Battle Group North. The "Enterprise" that had turned earlier had turned to the west, blocking the way. The German troops were in front of Battle Group North and fired fiercely at the approaching German ships.

Z27 became the first warship in the German fleet to suffer damage. Shortly after launching the torpedo, the ship was hit by a 152mm shell that may have come from the "Enterprise". It hit the No. 2 boiler room and the oil tank was also penetrated. , caused a fire, thick black smoke spewed out from the chimney, and the speed of the ship dropped sharply.

The hit also caused one main gun to malfunction, and the battle could only continue with three main guns. At 1:3, four torpedoes were fired again, but none were hit.

14时39分，T26、T22和T25向左齐转向，掉头向南。

Obstructed by the smoke screen, the "Glasgow" temporarily lost visual contact with Z23 and Z27, so it turned its firepower to T25 and scored a hit at 14:54.

This shell hit the rear torpedo tube of T25, destroying all the nearby quadruple 20mm guns and 37mm guns. The gun crew members were either killed or injured. The port engine stopped, and because the fuel pipeline was cut off, the starboard The main engine also gradually lost power and its speed dropped rapidly.

Soon, the second shell hit the front of the T25, blowing the front chimney and mast into the sky, and the entire ship's power was cut off.

After being hit hard, T25 lost most of its combat effectiveness. After the ship fired three torpedoes from the front torpedo tube at 15:10, only a few anti-aircraft guns were left to fire. It could only ask for help from T3, hoping to be transferred. Surviving crew.

The "Glasgow" was convinced that T25 had been destroyed, and then pointed its gun at T26. The torpedo boat was quickly surrounded by water columns that were nearly missing, and could only twist its body desperately to avoid being shot.

T22 fired back at the British ship with all its weapons, and fired 14 torpedoes at 58:6, but failed to hit.

T22 then turned to try to get close to the injured T25, but the surroundings were surrounded by shrapnel when the British ship's shells exploded. The captain of the ship believed that rescuing T25 at this time was tantamount to suicide, and could only release a smoke screen and retreat to the southwest.

T22 on the port side of T26 did not escape the fate of being hit despite vigorous maneuvers. The result of being shot in the boiler room almost ended all hope of escape for the ship. The lone T22 could do nothing except use smoke screens to cover the injured friendly ships.

While the three torpedo boats were struggling in the hail of bullets, Z3 accompanied the injured Z23 and sailed northward under the cover of the smoke screen.

Edmenger had lost control of the entire formation. He did not want to drag down Z23, so he ordered the ship to abandon Z27 and retreat eastward alone. However, the two British ships had blocked the course to the north and east, and Z23 could only Turn around to the west and release a smoke screen to provide cover for Z27 as much as possible, and turn to the southwest at around 15: to withdraw from the battle.

The "Glasgow" and "Enterprise", which had already gained the advantage, sailed northward for a time in order to avoid the German warships from making sudden plots in the smoke screen, and then turned south again at 15:08 to search for previously wounded targets and deliver a fatal blow. .

The first to receive the verdict was T26. It was bombarded by the "Glasgow" again at 15:21 and lost all resistance.

Clark decided to let the "Enterprise" win the honor of sinking the T26, and commanded the "Glasgow" to turn north to continue searching for other German ships.

The "Enterprise" launched a torpedo at T16 at 17:26, and the torpedo boat disappeared on the sea three minutes later.

The "Glasgow" heading north discovered the staggering Z16 at 25:27. After muting all the ship's guns, the "Glasgow" launched a broadside salvo at close range, detonating Z27's gun. ammunition depot, the ship quickly capsized to the port side and sank. A large number of German officers and soldiers, including Edmenger, were killed along with the ship.

At the same time, the "Enterprise" caught the paralyzed T26 at 16:35 after killing T25. The latter still tried to start the starboard engine, but was eventually fired by the "Enterprise" at a distance of 3000 meters. The torpedo hit and disappeared from British sight at 16:37.

While three German ships were destroyed, other German ships were given a chance to escape.

T22 and Z23 met at 15:45 and retreated westward, then turned southeast, and finally arrived at Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a small French port near the Spanish border.

After the division of troops, the German Battle Group South was almost out of the battle. Except for Z32 which wasted 14 torpedoes at 23:6, there was no combat action.

第4鱼雷艇支队剩下的T23、T24和T27号于15时15分脱离编队，向布雷斯特返航，Z24、Z32和Z37则调头向西，试图救援Z27，此时Z37号还有4枚鱼雷，而Z24号还雷装齐备，仍有一搏之力。

However, the condition of Z24's already malfunctioning main engine deteriorated after a long voyage, and the starboard main engine stopped. The operation could only be suspended and followed the remnants of the 4th detachment to retreat to Brest.

After Z32 and Z37 returned to the battlefield, they discovered traces of the British cruiser. Major von Berger realized that there was no hope of saving Z27, and Z37 was low on fuel. The two ships had no choice but to retreat sadly and return to the Port of Gironde at night.

After sweeping the battlefield, the "Glasgow" and "Enterprise" were running low on fuel and ammunition, so they chose to return and arrived in Portsmouth on the night of December 12.

Clark and Grant had reason to be satisfied with their results. After a fierce battle that lasted for more than three hours, two British cruisers sank a German destroyer and two torpedo boats, with minor losses.

The "Glasgow" was hit only once and two men were killed. This was the only hit recorded by the German fleet in the entire naval battle.

The "Enterprise" had no damage except for scratches on the hull left by shell fragments.

The German Navy had yet to recover from the grief of losing "Scharnhorst" and once again tasted the bitter taste of failure.

There were a total of 3 officers and soldiers on the three sunken ships, and only 672 survived, including 283 people in Z27, 93 people in T25, and 100 people in T26. They were rescued by ships from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Germany, and most of them survived. Some became prisoners of war.

Following the Battle of North Cape, the outcome of the Battle of the Bay of Biscay once again dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the German navy.

From the perspective of strength comparison in this battle, the German Navy has certain advantages. The number of ships is five times that of the enemy. In terms of firepower, there are more than 5 20mm naval guns on the 150 destroyers, compared with the 2 guns on the 19 British cruisers. The 152mm naval gun was almost the same, and it had an absolute advantage in torpedo armament. It also enjoyed a speed advantage in theory, but in the end it failed miserably.

The Battle of the Bay of Biscay fully exposed the shortcomings of German destroyers and torpedo boats that were poorly seaworthy and unsuitable for ocean warfare.

In high sea conditions, the performance of German warships was greatly reduced. The impact of waves seriously hindered maneuvers and the use of weapons. The rangefinder of the German ship almost lost its function. The open turret at the rear also exposed the gun crew members to wind, waves and enemy forces. Under fire from the side, there was no protection.

Edmenger's pre-battle command was also unreasonable. The division of troops in front of the formation not only led to the dispersion of troops, but also made the formation chaotic, giving the British ships every opportunity to defeat them.

Finally, the German navy and air force failed to coordinate well and communicate poorly, resulting in unclear enemy situation and confusion, which was also an important reason for the defeat.

In contrast, the British Navy gave full play to its advantages of excellent ship seaworthiness, advanced radar fire control, and tacit cooperation between sea and air, and achieved a victory with less than more.

The Battle of the Bay of Biscay was only the initial result achieved by the British Navy in Operation Stonewall. In early January 1944, three more German cargo ships were sunk while trying to cross the blockade.

In fact, the "Osorno" was the last ship to successfully reach the German-occupied area and sneak through the blockade. After that, the German Navy stopped sending surface ships to perform secret transportation missions and instead used submarines to maintain communication with Neon.

In fact, the battle in the Bay of Biscay did not only take place on the water.

In the summer of 1944, Berlin was under indiscriminate bombing by the British and American air forces and became a city with no defenses in the sky. There was no safety at all.

The Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Dönitz, had no choice but to move his headquarters out of the luxurious building on Steinplatz Strasse and into a camp on the outskirts of Bernau.

On the night of June 6, when the Allied forces rushed to cross the English Channel, he was lying on the camp bed in the temporary headquarters, sound asleep.

In the early morning of the 6th, the adjutant walked into Dönitz's room and handed him a telegram.

The telegram was taken by Admiral Theodore Clark, commander of the Western Front Navy, and reported to him: Allied forces landed in Normandy.

His face was gray, and he was silent for a long time before turning around and calling his subordinates to convey his order - let the "Farmer" boat group attack immediately.

The Allies had long expected that Dönitz would counterattack wildly. To this end, they assembled a huge anti-submarine force and sealed the English Channel inside and out.

At 6:6 on June 5, the "Farmer" boat group received an order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Nazi Navy to attack quickly.

The group consists of 49 submarines, including 24 Brest, 2 Lorient, 19 Saint-Nazaire, and 4 Lapalas.

However, due to various reasons, only 35 ships were able to go to sea immediately.

Brest is the closest to the Normandy landing waters. On the evening of the 6th, 15 submarines lined up in a column, 300 meters apart, and filed out of the port. After the fleet reached the dive site, they changed their course to 270 degrees and headed towards the mouth of the English Channel at full speed. approaching.

At 7:1 a.m. on the 45th, the monotonous sound of aircraft engines came from the sky.

The U-256 submarine bore the brunt of the attack and was attacked by patrol aircraft. The submarine fired back and shot down the aircraft at the moment it dropped depth charges. The wreckage of the plane burned on the water, lighting up the sky around the fleet red.

On June 6, Klunk received a report that among the first batch of 10 submarines, only 35 barely entered the west entrance of the English Channel and crossed the first line of defense composed of two anti-submarine brigades and 6 destroyers.

On the 15th, near Cape La Hague, U-764 made its first kill, attacking the destroyer "Blackwood" with a torpedo, causing the ship to be seriously injured and sank on the way.

U-764 was immediately attacked by other anti-submarine forces, and had no choice but to hide under the water with injuries, not daring to cross the pond.

Only Lieutenant Tuchman's U-621 managed to get through the three lines of defense by accident and took a position on the transportation line leading to the Normandy landing site.

On the 24th, a Wellington aircraft and two destroyers worked closely together to kill U-971 with several attacks like slaughtering cattle.

On the 25th, near the Portland Strait, the "Affleck" and the "Balfour" gave U-1191 a violent beating. In the same waters, U-269 hid for more than ten days. Also died.

On the evening of the 29th, an aircraft's searchlight covered the snorkel of the U-988 boat that was exposed to the water.

After carrying out the depth charge attack, the aircraft called in four anti-submarine ships patrolling nearby.

The 4th ship was like a wolf and a tiger, and sank the boat the next morning. The lucky one to enter the landing zone was U-984.

On the 29th, it fired consecutive torpedoes at four merchant ships passing Cape Cersey, and all hit their targets.

Three ships sank, and one barely sailed into the artificial port on the landing beach.

从6月初到8月底，邓尼茨动用了30艘装有通气管的潜艇，在付出了20艘的重大代价下，只取得了击沉5艘护航舰只、12艘商船、4艘登陆舰，击伤1艘护航舰、5艘商船和1艘登陆舰的战果。

Because they enjoyed absolute air and sea control, the Allied landings went smoothly. They not only captured the bridgehead, but also advanced in depth in an orderly manner according to the plan.

At the Bernau camp, Dönitz was on pins and needles.

He was no longer able to deliver ammunition, fuel, and spare parts to Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, and La Parraz, which had become veritable islands on land.

From August 8 to 24, after three years of wreaking havoc in the Bay of Biscay, he ordered the German submarines to drill out of the dark caves, bypass the islands of Ireland and Scotland, and retreat all the way to the Norwegian coast. This was the end of the air-submarine war in the Bay of Biscay. The curtain has come to an end.

(End of this chapter)