Bismarck

"In theory, he should be very clear about his situation. He looks so aggressive and fierce, but as soon as our planes arrive, most of his ships will be lost in the air raid... And his light fleet is separated from his battleships. Does he really not care about the air raid? Or has he called on the British Air Force to cover him? Or is he willing to leave Tirpitz and Zeppelin here even if they both perish?"

Looking at Tovey's fierce attack, Lutjans felt more and more that something was wrong...

On the other side, Hood's commander, Tariq Tovey, was also looking at the nautical chart with a stern expression.

It was true that they had the advantage, but facing his old rival Lütjens and the battleships under his command, he did not dare to relax at all.

Next to him, staff officers and communications officers coming and going were reporting battlefield information to him, and then conveying his instructions to the communications department and sending them out.

"Report! Observation found that there are three destroyers following behind the Tirpitz! The distance is 1300 yards behind the Tirpitz and 23500 yards away from our fleet!"

"Got it." Tovey nodded.

Without Tovey saying anything, one of the staff officers grabbed a red and blue pencil and made a mark behind the Tirpitz.

"Report! Our ship and Renown have suppressed the Tirpitz and have scored three hits! However, the combat effectiveness of the Tirpitz has not yet decreased, and it is still bombarding our ship!"

"Good, keep fighting!" Tovey's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to stare at the nautical chart and think.

"Report! The Air Force called! They have taken off twenty-four Hurricane fighters from the temporary runway and are expected to arrive at the battlefield in forty-five minutes!"

"Will it take so long? I'm afraid the German air raid will have been completed by then!" Tovey chuckled, but he also knew that his fellow Royal Air Force members had done their best.

After all, right now near the English Channel, nearly 3,000 aircraft from Britain and Germany are fighting a desperate battle under their respective flags for air supremacy over the channel - and the winner of this fight will most likely decide whether the British Isles can be preserved.

Aren't I, and the German fleet I'm chasing, cooperating in the first battle for air supremacy in human history?

He glanced at the chart, then at the wall clock, put down his pipe, and said, "Orders, Hood and Renown, continue to suppress the Tirpitz! The destroyers and cruisers approach the German fleet to 20,000 yards, and have Birmingham and Sheffield start shooting at the German destroyers. The destroyers are ready to strike with torpedoes at any time. Also, tell them to come over and meet up with the battleships immediately after the assault! By then, be prepared for air defense and evacuation!!"

"Yes!" A staff officer went down to pass on the order.

Tovey nodded as he sat in the chair, and turned his gaze to the various red and blue marking lines on the chart table. He picked up the tea in his hand and prepared to take a sip.

"boom!"

The sudden vibration caused him to lose control of the teacup in his hand, and the tea spilled all over the admiral's straight uniform.

The battle-hardened admiral remained unmoved. He wiped the messy water stains on his uniform with a towel, then turned to his followers who were thrown all over the place by the shock and asked, "Hit? Damage Control Team! Report the damage to me!!"

"Report to the general, the rear 4-inch secondary gun ammunition depot was hit!" Not long after, Tovey's female secretary ran over and saluted gracefully and reported: "However, after the major modification of this battleship, the horizontal protection has been greatly enhanced, and the original ammunition depot passage has been completely blocked. The damage control team reported that there was only a small-scale fire, and the fire has been brought under control. There is no big problem."

"Yeah." Tovey nodded. For some reason, he suddenly felt something relieved in his heart.

"You understand it very well." He smiled.

"Hey, you look a little uncomfortable." Tovey asked, "What's wrong?"

"General, I didn't stand firmly and bumped into something in the aisle." Elizabeth rubbed her knee embarrassedly, and sure enough, there was a bruise.

"I see." Tovey nodded. "Don't wear high heels at this time. Change them before coming to the bridge."

"Yes!"

After Elizabeth left he turned to his advisors.

"Since there's no serious problem, let the damage control team put out the fire and we'll continue the attack!"

"Yes!"

----------------

"The Zeppelin has turned 180 degrees to due south! The speed is 3 knots, and the aircraft can take off!" Bonte walked into Zeppelin's CI command post, saluted Lutjens, and reported.

"Everyone take off!"

"Yes!"

Following the order from the deck commander, seven JU500Cs carrying 87KG armor-piercing bombs took off. In the cockpit of one of the planes, Lieutenant Hans Rudel was swearing with gritted teeth.

"Captain of the Wing, Captain of the Squadron, Staufen, Soren... Damn British, just wait for me! I will avenge you!!!"

ps: The new book "Starry Sky" has just been published ~ here are the comments.

Asking for rewards and monthly tickets~

Chapter 242: Competition

The Zeppelin, which had just launched its aircraft, was turning back to its original course. Due to the need to launch the aircraft, the Zeppelin made a full circle. Her huge hull had lagged slightly behind the formation.

In fact, the distance between the Zeppelin aircraft carrier and the British battleships has now approached 27000 yards, and because the British fleet is in a T-shaped charge posture, the distance is still rapidly closing.

However, because Tirpitz was still fighting back desperately, the British battleships had no time to take care of the Zeppelin...

"Captain, the British destroyers and cruisers are approaching Tirpitz and his men!"

"Hmm? Are they approaching?" Lütjens held his chin up, frowned, and after thinking for a moment, he gave an order: "Order Hipper to go to the gap between Tirpitz and the destroyers, form a single column with Lindemann and others, and use the 203 main guns to make those British destroyers less annoying.

In addition, the Zeppelin will turn west and change its course to due north, and try to keep as far away as possible. Also, the destroyer should be ready to drop smoke at any time, and Top should be careful to save himself. "

"Okay!" The increasingly skilled secretary copied the order and walked towards the telegraph room.

Under orders sent by the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, the German fleet's formation was readjusted.

Although he was seriously injured in the previous battle, after receiving the order, Colonel Heyer still commanded the Admiral Hipper heavy cruiser to turn the bow and start heading towards the 1500-yard gap between Lindemann and Top...

Although there was no help from the ship girl, the six remaining 203 guns of the Hipper also turned towards the direction of the British light fleet and raised them high, ready to launch their strongest attack at their enemies at any time.

Seeing this scene from the porthole, Lütjens even had the illusion of traveling through time and space, as if he had returned to the Battle of Skagerrak 5 years ago, when he was on the flagship A torpedo boat (a small destroyer) of the Frandern Torpedo Boat Division and witnessed the scene: in order to carve out a bloody path for the German High Seas Fleet that was surrounded by the British fleet, Admiral Hipper led the four remaining battlecruisers and launched a desperate charge towards the super-dreadnought battleships of the entire British Grand Fleet, which were the main force of the British fleet...

As the captain and sailors of the heavy cruiser who inherited the name of the brave and fearless World War I general Admiral Franz Hipper, Colonel Heyer and the officers and men of Hipper, their fighting spirit is definitely not inferior to anyone else!

短短五分钟后，在两万码的距离上，希佩尔号的6门203主炮以及提尔比茨号右舷残存的4门150副炮，就和试图用24门6英寸炮的绝对火力优势血洗托普编队的两条英国轻巡洋舰打到了一起…

Although the firepower was inferior, in order to cover the destroyers behind it, the seriously injured Admiral Hipper gritted its teeth and insisted on staying in position. Even though the combat power of the two British heavy light cruisers on the opposite side could fully compete with the heavy cruisers, the Hipper and Tirpitz's secondary guns fought back against the powerful enemy...

Top's destroyers also raised a smoke screen, and continued to follow closely behind Lindemann and Heyer under the fierce and dense rain of bullets. Although his three destroyers were so fragile, and his total firepower was only twelve 127mm guns and twenty-four 533MM torpedoes with a range of less than seven kilometers, they were all fragile. But now the firepower of the two large battleships was fighting against the British large battleships one against two, and the British still had six destroyers that could attack their large battleships at any time! And the seemingly pitiful combat power in his hands was the last escort force for the two large battleships! !

but…

…………………………Don’t try to guess what’s on Tovey’s mind……………………

"Report! A group of German planes are spotted taking off!"

On the bridge of the Hood, a staff officer reported to Tovey, who was also staring at the chart and judging the battle situation. Tovey turned his head suddenly after hearing his subordinate's report, and stared at the staff officer with a cold and lightning-like gaze: "Where is the location? How many planes are there? Tell me quickly!!"

"Yes! ... Probably right in front of us, 26000 yards away! The optical observation device seems to have released a total of five planes..."

"The Zeppelin! It must be the Zeppelin!"

"They really only have these few planes left!!"

Tovey excitedly slammed the chart table and stood up: "Finally found the Zeppelin! Come! Pass on my order!!"

Seeing several staff officers and clerks standing over, Tovey gave the order on the spot: "Order! First, Hood and Renown turn on the spot, change the formation from right echelon to column, and change the course from 300 to 240 degrees! Renown continues to suppress Tirpitz, and Hood changes its target to Zeppelin aircraft carrier!!

Second, all destroyers, immediately launch a torpedo attack on the Tirpitz! Light cruisers provide fire support! After the attack, turn 240 degrees and move towards the battlecruiser squadron! !

Third, all ships should be prepared for air defense..."

Before he finished speaking, a radar officer ran in: "Report to the general! The radar has detected a large-scale German aircraft group at 135 degrees southeast, 165 kilometers away, and it is expected to engage in battle in 40 minutes!"

"Hmm? I see!" Tovey turned his head and looked at the clock on the wall. While checking the time, he asked his men, "Did someone just report that the Air Force's Hurricane fighters will arrive in 45 minutes?"

"Yes, General, this telegram was shown to you a few minutes ago." An officer flipped through his folder, pulled out a telegram and reported to Tovey.

"That's good. The speed of the Air Force is not too late... Order the destroyers and light cruisers to complete the torpedo strike within 20 minutes!"

"clear!!"

Under Tovey's command, the ten British warships dispersed and carried out tactical operations in an orderly manner towards their own predetermined courses and predetermined targets.

Especially the Hood and Renown squadron, which only had two ships and was well-trained, and their tactical operations were quite fast. The one-minute steering time quickly became a thing of the past with the last two rounds of shelling at the Tirpitz. As the Hood began to turn sharply, the muzzles of the eight black guns pointed directly at the Zeppelin in the distance...

"Report! 284 fire control radar has found the target! Distance 25000 yards!!"

"Report! All gun ports have been loaded!"

"Great! Target Zeppelin, shoot!"

"FIRE!!"

The violent eruption of fireballs was accompanied by a deafening roar, and eight 15-inch main gun shells with blue tracers rushed into the sky with the British's revenge for the Battle of Newcastle! Although Zeppelin and Persian cats soon discovered that the British had begun to transfer firepower, the huge and bulky aircraft carrier had no way to effectively avoid the shells that traveled hundreds of meters per second...

"Everyone take cover! Artillery fire!"

But it was too late...

There was a loud bang, and Zeppelin, who was in the sky, felt a sharp pain on his back, and then his eyes went black, and he almost couldn't control the plane and fell headfirst...

In Bismarck's vision, a pale blue tracer bullet came straight from the clouds to the middle elevator of the flight deck. The 45mm elevator armor was almost no different from a piece of paper in front of the powerful CRH8 armor-piercing blasting bomb. The 27.5kg Sheldon high explosive instantly tore a huge gap three meters wide and five meters long in the flight deck. The violent explosion completely destroyed the middle elevator and almost all the hangar facilities in the area. Some huge fragments even smashed the 40mm dome armor plate under the hangar deck...

With a loud "hiss!~~~" sound, hundreds of degrees of high-temperature steam gushed out under a strong pressure of several atmospheres. The hundreds of degrees of high temperature blew several officers and soldiers into steamed meat on the spot, and the power of the broken copper and rotten iron blown everywhere by the high-pressure steam from the broken steam pipe was no less than the impact of shrapnel...

"The steam pipe of turbine No. 4 is broken! Steam pressure is dropping!"

"Damage Control Team! Mechanical and Electrical Compartment, quickly seal off this section of the pipeline!!"

"Speed ​​drops to 27 knots! The battleship is yawing to the left!"

"Damn it! I just turned the rudder and now the speed hasn't been restored yet..."

"Zeppelin, are you okay? The damage control team has been asked to repair you immediately, just hold on!" Seeing that the fighter plane piloted by Zeppelin himself was also shaking in the sky, Bismarck helped Bonte command the damage control team while anxiously calling Zeppelin on the WIFI.

"Zeppelin!!" Tizi, who was also fighting with injuries, called out on the WIFI.

Moreover, compared to the fragile Zeppelin, Tirpitz is at least a battleship, and its defense and ability to persist are inherently much stronger - in other words, it is thick-skinned and durable.

"…I'm fine…it's just that my heart seems to be a little uncomfortable…huh…huh…" Zeppelin gritted his teeth in the sky and panted heavily, answering in his usual cold tone. Although there was an obvious tremor in the coldness - it was true that this shot did cause serious damage...

"Sister! Be careful! The British battleships are firing again!!"

"I know... but the Zeppelin's servo hasn't been completely repaired yet, so it can't make large-scale turns!... Damn, there's still yaw?" Bismarck said in annoyance. Although she was different from ordinary people, she still had to follow the laws of physics in matters like this!

"Sister, be careful - ah..." Tirpitz's warning had not yet ended when she herself cried out in pain - a fired shell hit her again.

“Ouch!! It hurts!!…The British are all bad guys! Ouch…”

"I dodged it...Tizi, how are you?!"

"…I was hit on the upper deck…It's not a vital part, but it hurts so much…Will my face be disfigured…Damn it…"

Bismarck had a dark face...Don't pay attention to such unimportant issues at this time!

Apparently she had forgotten that she was also troubled when she was shot. I can only say that face is really important to girls, no matter if they are human or not...

While comforting his two sisters, he manipulated the Zeppelin's main body to turn with difficulty. At the same time, he saw in his mind that the British destroyers on the opposite side had approached a distance of 12000 meters... The sailors of the Grape and the Hipper had begun to use 150 secondary guns and 105 anti-aircraft guns to shoot at the British destroyers, and even Top had begun to send signals requesting permission to go into battle... Anxious Bismarck glanced at the captain's position and saw that Lütjens was firm, steady, and commanding in an orderly manner.

Although Bismarck could see from the captain's eyes that the captain's anxiety and pressure were actually no less than everyone else's combined...

"Let Top attack. Also, let him pay attention to his position and try to move towards the north. The wind direction is south now. Use his own smoke to cover himself! Don't let the British attack from both sides!"

"Where is the air force? It's still a hundred kilometers away... The Stuka is moving very slowly with ammunition. Will it take thirty minutes? Can it be faster..."

"Call the carrier-based aircraft in the sky and ask them to fly southeast as far as possible. Also, ask the air force pilots and ground crew members still on the Zeppelin to prepare first. These people represent the common experience and wealth of the cross-service cooperation between the German Navy and the German Air Force! If they can't hold on later, they will be transferred first!"

"Call Lindemann, Heyer and Top, tell them this is the British's final attack! If we can hold on for another half an hour, we will win!!"

"Broadcast to the entire fleet! There are no cowards in Germany! We have destroyed, sunk and severely damaged two of their battleships and four aircraft carriers! We have caused them heavy losses! We deserve the glory of the Greater German Empire War Navy!"

"This is the last madness of the British! Air Force reinforcements will arrive in half an hour! Even if we have to die in battle, we must peel off a layer of their skin before we die!!"

Orders were passed down quickly.

This is my captain... He always maintains the dignity of a soldier no matter how critical the situation is. It is admirable.

Bismarck thought so as he looked at Lütjens who remained calm.

----------------

The whistling shells once again blasted columns of water around the Zeppelin aircraft carrier. A near miss tore a large hole in the right torpedo compartment of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier. The speed of the warship had dropped to 29 knots, and the distance was gradually closing again.

Seven dive bombers had already attacked under the fierce anti-aircraft firepower of the two British battlecruisers, but without the cover of altitude, the dive bombers using low-altitude water-floating bomb attack mode had no advantage in front of the two well-prepared British battlecruisers...

A plane was hit and caught fire. The dying pilot tried to hit the Renown, but ultimately failed to fly over the Renown. The pilot could no longer hold on until he was more than a hundred meters away from the Renown. He turned into a column of water and dissipated among the waves of the North Sea...

Another plane, also seriously injured, tried to attack the Hood, but was hit by a group of "fireworks" sprayed by the British large-caliber anti-aircraft guns during the charge, and turned into a bunch of burning parts that fell into the sea, like the scattered stars on the sea seen in heaven...

Although the other planes were frantically facing the anti-aircraft fire net of the two British warships and desperately trying to get in through various gaps, their course was disturbed and they lost their accuracy, and the bombs they dropped passed by the two British warships one after another... until the last plane...

"Damn you British! Look at me! My name is Hans Ulrich Rudel!!!"

With a loud roar and several splashes on the sea, the bomb bounced off the water several times. Finally, the last time it bounced off, it bounced to a height of more than ten meters and hit the rear bridge of the Hood. However, this position actually had no effect on the Hood...

"Rudel...you guys go guide STG2...their frequency is XXX.XX...their call sign is Black Falcon..." The seriously injured Zeppelin gritted his teeth and used the clearest possible tone to explain the next task to Rudel.

"You were originally a reconnaissance plane... The clouds are too thick... Guiding the attack requires very high skills, and you are the most suitable one right now..."