Bismarck

"You see... this place is right in the middle of our homeland and the German-occupied Netherlands. The aircraft on both sides are at the limit of their range, and this is open water. The fleets of us and the Germans are not very large... In theory, I am ahead of them, but it is not so easy to intercept them in such a place. The sea is so vast that as long as they make no mistakes in changing direction, they may engage in an anti-navy battle or pursuit battle at any time! And now our air force airport has been bombed, but the Germans may still send aircraft to support us. If we don't have an aircraft carrier now..."

"We can't give that old devil Lütjens a chance to turn the tables. Let's just have a surprise exchange of fire and take whatever benefits we can get!"

Having made up his mind, Tovey turned around, called his female secretary, and told her to pass on the order: "Send the order, prepare for anti-naval warfare. The fleet will head to 210 degrees and be divided into three groups. Hood and Renown will lead the way and be responsible for bombarding and suppressing Tirpitz. Birmingham and Sheffield will each bring three destroyers, divided into two groups and follow the left rear of the battlecruiser group, forming a left echelon, ready to counter-attack with torpedoes at any time! - Do you understand?"

"Yes!" The gentle and intellectual female secretary wrote down the order, repeated it to confirm it was correct, saluted and left.

Seeing his secretary trotting off, Tovey actually smiled. It was a rare moment. He had been calculating too much and felt a little tired. He might as well take a break while there was still some time before the battle.

Thinking this in his mind, Tovey leaned back in his chair, picked up the black tea and took another sip. After drinking it, he smacked his lips and thought to himself: "The black tea brewed by this girl tastes pretty good."

Several sailors and junior officers nearby were unhappy but dared not say anything. Some of them secretly spat in their hearts: "This old pervert..."

ps: There are still four days, four days left! If I can hold on for another four days, I will be fully present... This month has been really painful, thank you for your help!!! Thank you for everyone's support, thank you and Yakumo for your monthly tickets.

ps: Is it time to exchange monthly tickets for women's clothing again? After evaluation, the new photos are feminine enough, hahahaha!

Chapter 239: Firefight

It was almost noon on the North Sea on August 1940, 8.

"What does the Air Force say?"

In the busy C3I command post, Lütjens asked Zeppelin.

Although he was still in a slightly low mood, when it came to serious matters, Zeppelin managed to calm himself down and began to perform his duties conscientiously.

She took out two telegrams and took a look at them: "Report to the Commander, um... the Second Air Force's fleet has bombed the Norwich airport this morning, but due to the weather and the flight range, the bombing effect is average."

"The effect is just so-so, at least it will have some impact on the deployment of the British Air Force." Lütjens waved his hand.

"Yes." Zeppelin nodded, agreeing with the commander's statement.

"As for the other news, keep going."

"Okay. In addition, although we are short of manpower, General Richtofen has dispatched a group of bombers to support us. They will take off in half an hour at the latest and are expected to arrive at the battlefield in an hour. However, the weather is starting to deteriorate, so the attack may not be very effective..."

Lütjens turned his head to look at the weather outside the porthole. The clouds were quite low. He frowned slightly, picked up a cigarette between his fingers, and took a deep puff.

"The British fleet has changed course and is changing its formation! Should we report this to the commander?" In the space between three people, Tirpitz was reporting the battlefield situation to Bismarck. Because she was closer to the British fleet than Zeppelin, she always got the first-hand information.

“…Huh?! How did it change?” Bismarck asked.

"Let me see... The course is 210 degrees south by west, the speed is 30 knots, and there are three groups in the right echelon. Hood and Renown are in the front, and the two groups behind are each a light cruiser and three destroyers. The distance between each group is about 5 kilometers, and the echelon angle is 45 degrees..."

Tirpitz reported a series of coordinates in one breath. She was becoming more and more skilled in acting as a megaphone. At this time, Lindemann also asked Tirpitz to help send a message to Bismarck and Lütjens, which made her sigh again.

"...Sister, Lindemann is bullying me. I am a wounded soldier..."

I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I always feel that the battleship outside the porthole has not changed in appearance, but the feeling it gives people has instantly changed from a majestic battleship to a lazy big pink mouse…

Listening to Grape's complaints and grumblings on the WIFI (acting cute?), Bismarck couldn't help but find it a little funny, but he still had to resolutely get rid of this lazy thought!

"Why should I bully you? This is your job!" she said seriously.

Of course, this resulted in an even more unhappy nasal tone from Tirpitz.

=======================================

The enemy situation was serious, so Bismarck quickly reported the news to the captain.

"...That's about it. In addition, Lindemann said that he and Tizi would do their best to cover our breakout... and I just saw that Top's destroyer fleet and Heyer's Hipper were also sending us signals, requesting to go out and cover the breakout." Bismarck carefully observed the actions of the surrounding warships through WIFI and in his consciousness, and reported to his captain.

However, she seemed to notice that the more she spoke, the more the captain's frown began to relax? And there was even a hint of a sneer on the corner of his mouth as he held the cigarette?

"Want a fight? Hey! This is the last attack of that old guy Tovey. As long as we don't make any mistakes, he will retreat after this wave!" Lütjens, who was beginning to relax, took a final deep puff of air, then pressed the remaining half of the cigarette into the ashtray, and blew out a smoke ring with a sneer.

"?!"

Bismarck was stunned by the nonsensical words he gave to his own admiral, and Bonte, Zeppelin and other staff officers beside him were also confused.

"What? You can't figure it out?" Looking at the confused expressions around him, Lütjens was amused. He grabbed a pen and a ruler and walked to the chart table to draw a few strokes. Then he called Bonte, Bismarck, Zeppelin and other staff officers to come over:

"Look, we are both within the maximum combat radius of shore-based aviation, and the remaining air defenses on both sides are not very strong. At the same time, I estimate that both sides should be able to guide their aviation to attack each other, but..." The captain looked around at his subordinates with sharp eyes, and his fighting spirit seemed to be ignited by something. He slapped the pencil and ruler on the table: "The air force just attacked the British air base, so our air force support will probably reach the battlefield before them. And the most important thing is that Zeppelin still has six fighters that can go into battle, but they don't have a single aircraft carrier now!"

"..."

No one reacted at first and just stared at each other for more than ten seconds.

In the end, it was Zeppelin who reacted first and asked tentatively, "Commander, are you saying that if our air force can be dispatched earlier than them, then Tovey's remaining resources may not be able to withstand it?"

"That's right! The Air Force bombed their airport this morning. According to the telegram sent by the Air Force, the planes will be able to take off in half an hour at the latest and arrive at the battlefield in an hour. The British Air Force will most likely arrive at the battlefield later than ours."

Lütjens looked at Zeppelin with admiration, and at the same time, he glared at his own secretary ship who was still in a daze - because she still looked confused.

As for this kind of tactical stuff... Bismarck can be said to be a hopeless case.

"Moreover, even if their planes arrive earlier than us, their dispatch rate will be affected to some extent after being bombed. And now there are at least six fighters on the Zeppelin aircraft carrier that can be used, so our chances of resisting air strikes are much greater than theirs!"

Bismarck, who was glared at by his captain, also reacted at this time: "Captain... Commander, you mean that Tovey's current idea is to make a final attack and then prepare to retreat before our planes arrive?"

"Right, that is it!"

This time, Lütjens finally looked at his secretary ship with admiration. He was not too stupid to realize it after being reminded.

However, the main business still needs to be explained clearly. Lütjens stood in front of the chart table, mobilizing the staff and subordinates around him: "Everyone listen up! Although there is a high probability that our air force will arrive at the battlefield earlier, the weather is not very good now, and the clouds are very thick. We cannot relax! Moreover, they are two battlecruisers and two teams of light battleships, especially the Hood. After the major modification, its performance is not much worse than that of the Bismarck class. We must treat it as a battleship!"

"They will most likely launch an attack on us, even a torpedo attack! And we must be prepared for the British Air Force to arrive at the battlefield, or for our Air Force to fail in the attack! In addition, there are submarines. Although we are much faster than submarines, I don't think that old fox Tovey would be so kind as not to mobilize a few submarines to set up an ambush here. So, now give the order -"

The captain waved his hand and gave the order, and all the people standing around stood at attention. Bismarck took out a recording board with a small clip and prepared to record his admiral's order.

"…Orders! First, the entire fleet changes its formation to two columns, with a distance of 5000 meters between the two columns. The left column (in the southwest direction) is Tirpitz and the destroyers - let Top follow behind Lindemann, and the command is under Lindemann; the right column (in the northeast direction) is Zeppelin and Hipper, let Heyer follow behind us.

Second, after changing its formation, the fleet's course was set at 30 degrees north by east, with a speed of knots - ready to break out, and also to be prepared for a possible melee with the British fleet.

Third, the task distribution of the two columns: Lindemann and the destroyers were to delay time as much as possible, at least for an hour; all the aircraft that could still fly on the Zeppelin were put on deck, ready to take off at any time; Hipper followed behind the Zeppelin, with two tasks, the first was to cover the Zeppelin with anti-aircraft firepower if the British sent bombers, the second was that if there were any problems on the Tirpitz side, Hipper would participate in the battle as a reserve force.

Fourth, be careful of submarines. Lindemann and my secretary Bismarck will be responsible for submarine observation! (Bismarck nodded vigorously below, indicating that he already knew what to do)

Fifth, the Zeppelin aircraft carrier is responsible for commanding the remaining carrier-based aircraft and contacting the Air Force, and must guide the strike aircraft sent by the Air Force!

Sixth, although the northeast-east course we are taking now is getting closer to Port William, and the farther we are from the British mainland, the more advantageous it is for us, and our fuel should be able to at least maintain full speed until dark. But! …”

At this point, the captain paused, and with a stern look he cast at his subordinates, including the two ship girls, who were gathered around him: "Tovie is not that easy to deal with! Not to mention that our fleet is much weaker than theirs! Air force raids may also fail! Therefore, there is a possibility that Toovie is determined to fight to the death, or even take the risk of fighting us to the death! Although our strategy is mainly to retreat, if necessary, we must also be prepared to fight the British to the death! This is the most important thing! --- Did everyone understand?!"

After Lütjens' explanation, everyone understood the severity of the situation. Although they were in a relatively favorable position for the time being, they were far from being sure of victory and could not be careless.

With a uniform shout of "Got it!!", everyone saluted Lütjens, turned around, and began to busy themselves with the tasks they were responsible for at their own posts.

============================

Orders were issued one after another in an orderly manner, and soon the other ships responded in an orderly manner. The six remaining warships of the German fleet also turned in unison under the unified deployment of the staff, and soon formed a double column formation heading 30 degrees north by east.

At the same time, Zeppelin led the pilots who still had the strength to climb onto the neatly arranged planes on the flight deck with the help of ground crew members, and took advantage of the last time of sailing against the wind before turning, and six fighter planes with auxiliary fuel tanks were launched under the leadership of Zeppelin.

After all, it is wartime, and efficiency is the priority.

Surrounding the aircraft carriers, battleships and heavy cruisers that were the most difficult to turn, the relatively more flexible destroyers began to increase their horsepower and adjust their positions during high-speed navigation. Bidding farewell to the slow and sluggish style of following the rules in peacetime, the various special trainings before finally enabled the fleet officers and soldiers to exert the minimum efficiency that a fleet should have.

On the vast surface of the North Sea, the three destroyers commanded by Top began to disband their formation from the original formation surrounding the Zeppelin, and sailed and assembled in the direction of the wake of Tirpitz.

The Zeppelin aircraft carrier, which had just launched its fighter jets, began to turn, but a destroyer was in the Zeppelin's turning range by chance. Just as others were thinking about how this destroyer could quickly bypass the Zeppelin's obstruction, this destroyer cleverly turned around on the spot and drove out of the turning area from behind the Zeppelin. Then it began to chase after the other destroyer sisters.

The captain and Bangtai stood in front of the porthole, watching the destroyers under Top's command changing their formations and tracks smoothly and flexibly. The two excellent commanders, who also came from the destroyer fleet, nodded repeatedly.

"The destroyer fleet has finally been trained." Lütjens looked at his old subordinates with satisfaction. In fact, just over a month ago, this group of people was still under the command of Bonte.

"It looks like we only need another five minutes to complete the formation change..." Bangtai was quite satisfied with the smooth operation of his former subordinates. After all, from the submarine exercise at the beginning of the year to the Battle of Narvik, and until his transfer, the training of destroyers had never been relaxed. Now it seems that the results of the training are still satisfactory.

"If nothing unexpected happens..."

But... there's a saying that goes, accidents are meant to happen.

Speak of the devil, and he will appear - almost every bad news comes from this guy Tirpitz.

Just then, Bismarck's WIFI heard Ti Zi's anxious voice: "Sister, I saw those troublesome guys! They are at 29000:26535 in the direction of our fleet! The distance is yards ( meters)!"

"What?! So close!"

This distance was beyond Bismarck's imagination; he did not expect it to be so fast.

"Oh no! The formation change hasn't been completed yet!"

Bismarck quickly turned around and reported the news to the captain and Bonte.

The captain's eyes became sharp after hearing the report, and he gave an order directly: "They are coming so fast... But it doesn't matter, the current distance should not be within the effective range of the main guns. Let's maintain the distance first, and make the next plan after changing the formation... Bismarck, you immediately give the order, everyone turn left 15 degrees, that is, the fleet's formation heading will be changed from 30 degrees north by east to 15 degrees north by east! Other orders issued before remain unchanged!"

"Yes!" Bismarck saluted and ran straight to the confidential room.

ps: Oh~ please give me a monthly ticket

Chapter 240: Situation

On the Hood opposite the German fleet, the radar officer and staff also discovered the actions of the German fleet.

From their reports, Tovey quickly learned that the German fleet, 26500 meters away, was beginning to turn left. With his rich combat experience, he could roughly determine what was going on without even looking at the nautical chart.

"… Turned? About 15 degrees north by east? Seems to be changing formation? So… This change in course clearly shows that he is either trying to escape or stall for time with me!… Lütjens, that old devil, actually guessed my intention so quickly."

"It's really difficult to deal with... Never mind, I'll come and take a look myself."

The old gentleman in the general's uniform took a sip of the freshly brewed black tea by his beautiful secretary. Tovey stood up from his chair, walked to the main observation station in the command tower, called the observer down, and then sat down on the main observation station himself.

While looking at the various parameters displayed on the instrument panel, he also stared closely at a small black dot under the thin black smoke on the opposite sea and sky line through the optical instrument - that was the top of the bridge of the battleship Tirpitz.

However, although the optical observation device could only see a small black dot on the sea-sky line, Tovey didn't care and said to the staff around him: "Hehe, in the past, I'm afraid we really couldn't do anything to him at this distance, but now that the Hood has been overhauled, it is equipped with the latest MKVII radar-illuminated integrated fire control system! Now while they are still changing formations, we can catch Tirpitz and try our luck!"

The experienced admiral jumped down from the observation position and ordered: "Send the data of our observation instrument to Renown through the shooting clock, and use the formation shooting tactics. Now I order: First, both the light cruiser and destroyer squadrons turn around, turn to 25000 degrees north by east, maintain a distance of 300 yards, and keep an eye on the German fleet; second, Hood and Renown turn to degrees west by north; third, after turning, Hood and Renown immediately attack Tirpitz! For the glory of the Royal Navy! Attack!!"

Following the rumbling of the cannon, just over a minute later, accompanied by the whistling sound, eight tall water columns accurately exploded around the Tirpitz! And just thirty seconds later, six more water columns exploded around the Tirpitz - a cross-fire at a distance of 30,000 yards!

And the British fleet is actually at a disadvantage in this situation! !

(PS: 3W code T inferior cross-fire is the historical performance of Hood and POW in the Denmark Strait)

Although due to the distance, the spread is slightly larger.

However, the dispersion radius of several hundred meters posed a fatal threat to the Z18 Hans Luedmann destroyer, Top's flagship, which was following closely behind!

One shell deflected a little too much, so it was hopeless to hit the grapes, but this shell landed directly in front of the Z18 Hans Lüdemann, less than 15 meters away! The 8 kg of Sheldon explosives loaded in the 27.5-inch CRH new armor-piercing shell exploded into a water column that reached hundreds of meters high!

A terrifying column of water rose towards him.

Not only was the destroyer Hans Luedermann drenched by the water column on the spot, but the destroyer, which had already turned the rudder to the right but had no time to change course, even drove straight through the water column that had not yet completely dissipated!

Faced with the sudden attack, Z18 was forced to change course, but the other two German destroyers that were still in formation and had not yet taken their positions saw the flagship turn and followed Z18.

The destroyer fleet's formation, which had not yet been fully arranged, suddenly began to become somewhat disorganized!

A few kilometers behind Tirpitz, in front of the Zeppelin's porthole, Lütjens also had a serious and shocked look on his face: "How can such an accurate cross-fire be achieved at a distance of 29,000 yards? How is this possible? It's not..."

Lütjens looked at Bismarck beside him. Only she could hit the target with such accuracy.

Looking at the destroyers following behind the Tirpitz, who were still trying their best to eliminate interference and continue to reorganize their formation, Lütjens immediately gave the order.

"Bismarck, use the radio to call Top directly. The formation must not be relaxed! Any changes in formation must be based on maintaining the formation! So, even if it's a little later, tell him to get the destroyers into formation as soon as possible!

"Also ask Tirpitz if he can counterattack at this distance!"

"Yes!" Bismarck, who was standing aside, wrote down the order in full and ran quickly towards the radio room. Her expression was unexpectedly incredible.

This first round of cross-fire at a distance of 29,000 yards... brought the expected time of contact with the enemy much earlier.

Lütjens did not look back, but looked in the direction of the destroyer and Tirpitz with his slightly frowned blue-gray eyes without blinking.

...............The dividing line of Tirpitz who is doing a small range Z-shaped evasion..............

In the command tower of the Tirpitz, Lindemann, who was sitting on the gun sight and staring at the camera, held the handle of the eyepiece tightly and asked his lazy and lazy warship with gritted teeth: "Tizi, are you sure about this distance?"

In the observation mirror, the point of fire flashing in the distance can only be seen as a mast.

"29000 yards is too far... It's possible that I can hit it, but I'm not sure..." Ti Zi, with his head drooping, was pointing his fingers with a worried look on his face. Even his ahoge hair was drooping. This round of cross-fire from the sky not only disrupted the deployment, but also scared the battleship.

"I know you can hit it, but what's the use if you can't hit it accurately?" Lindman sighed.

Tizi lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly. Speaking of which, although she had some experience in shooting at 25000 meters (27500 yards) with her sister during the Battle of Determination, it was basically her sister Bismarck who shot. As for herself... It seems that except for a few times when Lindemann forcibly dragged her out for a few shooting trainings, she basically stayed in her little nest drawing books, right?

And the imagination in those notebooks is so great...it seems like they can be further developed...?

Ahhh! I can’t think about it anymore! We are still being bombarded by the British! ! Tizi shook his impure little head fiercely, as if he wanted to shake those messy books out of his mind.

This damn girl, according to the battlefield situation, it is obvious that their side is the T-advantage... Lindeman wanted to hold his forehead again.

I really shouldn't have spoiled this naughty kid like this...