Bismarck

The water depth in this coastal area of ​​North Africa is relatively shallow, and it is very dangerous for large warships to operate in this area. Therefore, if they want to use large warships to bombard British positions, even because of the distance, the dispersion will easily hit their own people - not to mention that the British army also has six 234mm fortress guns, which will need to be repaired if they are hit by a shell!

However, it would be no problem for the British destroyers and cruisers to drive into the artillery positions controlled by their own people to bombard the German army!

Judging from the current size and deployment rate of the air forces of both sides, the impact is probably about the same! In addition, the total logistics volume of the German army must be controlled! If the British army resists until dark, they will most likely be able to counterattack under the suppression of naval guns!

Even if General Rommel could fully mobilize the Italians, the best result would be to see if he could capture the Tobruk Fortress at night after suffering heavy casualties. Even with this "ideal" result, since the newly occupied city could not organize defense, if it was washed away by the British cruiser fleet at this time...

The firepower coverage of 152 mm naval guns should be a warning to the Secretary Cat at home! If it weren't for the Secretary Cat at home being special, even if it was a battleship, the equipment on the superstructure with weak armor protection would be severely damaged by such firepower, and even cause a large-scale fire and lose most of its combat effectiveness! And the thickness of the tank armor of the army... seems to be not as thick as the deck of the Persian cat at home?

Even the 120mm gun of a destroyer is an absolute heavy artillery for the army!

If we take it a step further, now we have to worry about the British aircraft carriers, the last group of Zeppelins cannot be deployed, and we have to move forward to the vicinity of Tobruk at night to prevent the British fleet from bombarding us. Then, Cunningham's move may be...

It looks like there might be a fierce battle at night!

"Order, the Zeppelin's aircraft group in the direction of Tobruk should not return for the time being, and the command is temporarily handed over to the Galaza Airport. In addition, the Bismarck and Tirpitz, prepare for a night battle!" After thinking clearly, Lütjens' eyes condensed and he said without raising his head.

"Night battle?" Confused, Bismarck blinked and looked at the clock on the wall...

It’s so early in the morning, it doesn’t seem to be seven o’clock yet…?

----

The subsequent battle situation did not go beyond Lütjens' expectations.

By noon, after a bloody battle, the African Corps, after suffering heavy casualties, did suppress the support of the British artillery and repel the counterattack of the British armored brigade with the high-density air support of 13 to fighter planes every half an hour, and occupied the Sidi Mahmoud intersection as expected. However, at this time, the African Corps had lost more than half of its few remaining tanks, and the infantry suffered heavy casualties. It had to hand over the main attack force to the Areet Blackshirt Armored Division following from the rear - although the Italian division had only six battalions, and had been bombed before, and two were used in the frontal feint attack... But now Rommel could only count on them, Italian soldiers and more than thin-skinned and large-stuffed M "medium" tanks...

On the slope of Gibral below the cliff, and in the city of Tobruk below the slope, an artillery regiment of the Commonwealth Army, an infantry brigade, an armored brigade with heavy casualties but still combat-capable, and other various British scattered soldiers were still resisting stubbornly and even trying to launch a counterattack! On the other side of the battlefield, the two Australian brigades, which were firmly pinned down by several Italian divisions, also bombarded the Sidi Mahmoud fork from time to time with artillery - including two 25-pound artillery regiments with 234 guns, and even six mm fortress guns from the three forts of Pilasterino, Solano and Ellent, which were not suitable for ground attacks because of their low firing rate and small firing angle!

For a time, even a brave general like the Desert Fox Rommel was firmly suppressed in the ruins of the British position in Sidi Mahmoud.

However, the Desert Fox was indeed a fierce general. In such an unfavorable situation, he actually thought of turning the tables and letting the main force of the German army defend the Sidi Mahmoud intersection. At the same time, he quickly adjusted the tactics and let the Air Force planes directly support the Italian army positions that were originally a feint attack. At the same time, he let the Italian army, which was originally a feint attack, switch to the main attack, and Sidi Mahmoud, which was originally the main attack, switch to contain the flanks of the Australian army on the periphery!

In less than three hours, the 20th Australian Brigade on the southern front, which had been broken through during the first attack in April, was attacked from both sides and front and back, and was penetrated by the elite Italian Blackshirts, the Littrio Armored Division, amid the roar of dive bombers! The Desert Fox, which had received strong reinforcements, took advantage of the situation and dispatched the remaining tanks of the African Corps to join forces with the Italian fresh troops. Under strong air suppression, they did the same thing and destroyed the Pilasterino Battery and the Sorano Battery, which were also attacked from both sides! After destroying or blowing up all four 234mm fortress guns by the British army themselves, more than 25 officers and soldiers of the two British infantry brigades and two -pound artillery regiments on the periphery either died on the battlefield or became prisoners!

Although the British air force bases were still desperately dispatching bomber groups, the huge distance disadvantage of hundreds of kilometers forced the British to either send out small-scale groups that had little assault capability and could only play a harassing role, or spend four or five hours to piece together a large-scale group. But now the Galaza base still has a strong combat capability even though the dispatch intensity is amazing! A total of 190 FW-109Ts, 2 BF-109T110s, BF-Es, and BF-Gs, fighters, relying on the distance advantage and home advantage, almost all the British fleets were defeated in the desert of North Africa!

In one day, even including the 42 aircraft lost at the beginning, the number of losses between the German and British forces reached 76 to 118!

But this tragic air battle effectively ensured the smooth assault of the African Corps and the Italian Army! When the sun set at 25pm, the remaining British troops - the th Australian Infantry Brigade and some other defeated troops, less than infantrymen, the only guns left in the two -pound artillery regiments, the last few reinforced concrete permanent turrets on the back of the Ellent Battery, and the temporary shelters where the bodies were thrown out of the graves dug in the cemetery on the Gibbel Slope, looked with horror at the machine gun muzzles and anti-tank gun muzzles of the German firepower points set up on the cliff in front of them under the last rays of the setting sun, trembling and waiting for the arrival of the savior...

Thirty kilometers away in the Mediterranean Sea, a large Persian cat and an equally large grumbling hamster were forming a horizontal formation, the most suitable for searching under such circumstances, and they left the Zeppelin aircraft carrier and headed due east, which was expected to be the most likely direction for the British fleet to attack, and headed towards the gradually rising full moon...

Chapter 439: Zawiyat Zanzur

Under the cover of night, the German Mediterranean Fleet, except for the Zeppelin which had already retreated to the rear due to its inability to effectively organize its carrier-based aircraft to launch an air attack in a night battle, the remaining two large battleships were heading towards Zawiyat Zanzur, less than 80 kilometers away from Tripoli, at a speed of 36.

Of course, it was night time after all, and the sea area nearby was not very large. With the enemy situation unclear, Zeppelin did not dare to be too far away from the Persian cat and Tirpitz, fearing that they would be surrounded or ambushed and no one could rescue them. The flat-deck penalty aircraft carrier followed far behind the cat's house 20 kilometers away. Even if something happened, this distance was completely within the artillery cover of Bismarck and Tirpitz.

After all, even the mediocre 150mm secondary guns on the Mao Zhai have a maximum range of up to 23000 meters.

"...So we will start patrolling around Tobruk now, with a focus on the Zawiyat Zanzur area! To save fuel, maintain a speed of 6800 knots - it's 5700pm now, and we've been at sea for exactly hours. Of the tons of fuel before sailing, only tons are left!"

Lütjens gave the order while looking at the wall clock which showed the standard time of seven o'clock in the evening.

Because there are large shoals on the coast of North Africa, battleships cannot approach the shore to shoot at the other side - the shoals near Tobruk are more than 40 kilometers away from the shore! You know, the maximum range of Bismarck's main guns is only 36 kilometers, and for cruisers and destroyers with relatively small volumes and sizes, the effective range is much shorter than the maximum range! ! But cruisers and destroyers with shallow drafts can swagger to the shore and pour out firepower. And if the shoals they approach are relatively large, even Bismarck and Tirpitz cannot guarantee that they can pose a threat to them.

Therefore, the Zawiyat Zanzur area, where the width of the shoal is only 18 to 28 kilometers from the shore and the narrowest part of the entire shoal area, became a place that must be defended.

The Mediterranean Sea is neither wide nor narrow. The German fleet is currently located in the inner line (the distance of the position maneuver is much shorter than that of the outer line), and the British fleet is still at an absolute disadvantage in terms of speed. Whether the British fleet is trying to block its return route to Greece in the deep Mediterranean or trying to outflank Tobruk from the deep Mediterranean, it has no chance of winning!

After all, the three large battleships of the German Mediterranean Fleet all have shipgirls. With the reinforcement and adjustment of the shipgirls' power systems, the speed of 36 knots can be said to be shockingly high! As for the British, except for destroyers, cruisers generally only have a speed of 32 to 33 knots, and the three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were designed during World War I, and the maximum speed is only 23 or 24 knots...

Faced with the dual advantages of absolute superior speed and actually much closer inner maneuvering distance, the result of the British taking a detour was that they were beaten from beginning to end by the two battleships of the German Atlantic Fleet with their absolute advantage in mobile warfare!

It seems that the only way for Cunningham to ensure victory is to stay near the shallow sea area, use battleships to provide cover from the outside, and let the cruisers and destroyers follow up from the shallow sea area that cannot be outflanked by the battleships, until they reach the large shallow area near Tobruk and completely get out of the gunfire range of the two large battleships...

Lütjens couldn't help but think of the Renown... Compared with the old and strong 29-knot Nelson, the Queen Elizabeth class, which was considered a high-speed ship when it was in service, is really incomparable now...

Although we don't know what happened to Warspite now, after all, she became famous in the Battle of Jutland, and she is still fighting in the east and west. She is a meritorious battleship that has made great achievements for the British Empire's control of the sea and national interests...

For a meritorious battleship like this, I’m afraid its combat effectiveness cannot be simply calculated based on theoretical performance... ?

Next to the thoughtful Lütjens, a waist-length blond Persian cat couldn't suppress its curiosity and secretly glanced at its captain's face.

As expected, his face was full of solemnity. Bismarck, who had been with Lütjens through life and death many times, knew exactly how solemn he was! Even during the Rhine exercise, when his rudder blade was blown up and he was intercepted by Rodney, Nelson, Reputation, and the Prince of Wales, the captain did not show such a solemn expression...

Until... I met Hood.

In fact, Lütjens knew very well what the consequences would be if the two ship girls fighting for their respective camps met each other.

KanColle seem to be beautiful things, but if two KanColle start fighting each other, the consequences will definitely be a fight to the death. Because of their well-known repair capabilities and combat power, the battle between them will inevitably be brutal, and the intensity of the battle cannot be compared to that of ordinary battles.

He began to worry about the Bismarck, even though the Warspite looked like just an old ship from World War I.

And Bismarck, for some reason, suddenly thought of this destined opponent with whom he had only fought twice, and the two of them had only faced each other for a short hour...

If the two countries were not destined to be mortal enemies... maybe I would really become good friends with Hood, right?

She was a good girl, introverted, quiet, and gentle, and she followed her commander silently, not asking for anything, and not showing anything...

It seems that her character, she herself said that until the last moment before the battle, she had not yet revealed her identity to her commander...

Although it can be said that the fight between Hood and I was a draw, and I had been injured before, so in the end it was Hood who almost sank me...

Looking at the chart plotter, Lütjens, who was frowning and thinking about the battle situation, seemed to sense something. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the secretary who was distracted beside him.

It’s just… right now, I don’t know how strong War-weariness is, and what his relationship with Cunningham is like…

If they were as active as the three ship girls in his family, it might be a tough battle... He thought about it, but didn't say anything. He turned his head and continued to stare at the nautical chart intently.

But after all, they have three of them here, so there is no need to worry about the number, and they are confident in their combat capability, so the only decision depends on their own command ability.

But soon...

"Sister! Found the British fleet! Twenty nautical miles away! Right in front of us!!!"

Tizi's hasty shout on the WIFI brought Bismarck back to his senses...

While hurriedly investigating the enemy situation ahead and reporting to his captain, the Persian cat glanced at the wall clock...

1941, August 8, evening, just after 12:!

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"Report to the commander! The German fleet has been spotted 20 nautical miles in front of our fleet! Speed ​​090 knots, heading due east 2.5, formation horizontal, approximately kilometers apart! Please issue combat instructions!"

On the bridge of the Warspite, Cunningham's most trusted and most trusted female secretary was reporting a very detailed and professional enemy situation report to her commander.

Led by the Warspite, three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were deployed in a left echelon formation with a distance of 1 km and a -degree angle, sailing at a speed of knots to the northeast of Cape Zawiyat Zanzur. The three ships were like a moving fortress, not fast, but with an imposing manner as immovable as a mountain!

And to their left rear, fifteen kilometers outside the extension line of the battleship formation's thirty-degree left echelon, were two 1.5-ton heavily armed light cruisers, Belfast and Edinburgh, which were also sailing at a speed of twenty-four knots, arranged in a single column with a distance of 4 kilometers between them (both belong to the Edinburgh class, with four triple-mounted 152 main guns with a maximum range of 23300 meters, three twin-mounted 3mm anti-aircraft guns on each side, ten twin to eight-mounted 102mm ping-pong guns, main armor of 10mm, and a speed of 40 knots), as well as five destroyers following closely behind the two cruisers, three kilometers away on the right, in a sixty-degree right echelon!

"Have you found it? Then let's push it over according to the predetermined plan." Compared with Lütjens who was in a state of panic, Cunningham, who was leaning on the windowsill, was not nervous at all.

"According to the planned plan, three battleships will engage the two Bismarck-class ships, and the cruisers will head southwest and attack Tobruk from the shallow waters. As for the destroyers, they will temporarily follow behind the cruisers and be on standby at any time... This will be enough. ... After all, Lütjens' biggest weakness is that he only has large battleships, but no light battleships to cooperate with the large battleships..."

"As long as we can keep an eye on those two battleships and prevent them from blocking our cruisers from bombarding Tobruk, we will basically win."

War-weary said nothing, but just stared into the eyes of his own admiral.

Looking at War-weary's expression, how could Cunningham, who had been married for many years, not know what War-weary was feeling?

"Well, we have to keep an eye on Bismarck and Tirpitz anyway." Cunningham raised his eyebrows and smiled at War-weary, straightened his military cap, and walked to the fleet commander's command position: "...If you want to find Bismarck to avenge Hood or something, then go ahead and fight."

"Speaking of which, you were the one who organized the tactical and gunnery training for fighting against the Bismarck-class battleships, so go ahead and do it."

War-weary still didn't say anything, but his originally serious and eager expression suddenly smiled...

ps: Fortunately, in the game it’s KanColle versus Deep Sea, if it’s KanColle versus KanColle…

Chapter 440: Hello on behalf of Hood

Almost at the same time when Tirpitz discovered Warspite, Warspite also discovered the cat and the house outside the sea...

Both sides discovered each other almost at the same time.

"Captain, the British fleet has been spotted!"

The communication between the ship girls was seamless, so Bismarck told Lütjens the news almost at the same time.

"Level 1 battle preparation!"

As the shrill battle bells rang, the German fleet immediately entered a state of war.

Under the action of hydraulic pressure, the huge guns of the two battleships slowly turned towards the direction of the British fleet and raised to the maximum elevation angle.

A powerful aura immediately emerged.

However, the British reacted just as quickly!

In Bismarck's field of vision, the three Queen-class battleships that had just entered the field of vision quickly turned right, turning the original left echelon into a single column!

Change of formation!

Bismarck, who had been paying attention to the situation since the discovery, took action immediately and marked the situation of the British army on the nautical chart. Then he suddenly found a problem. He could not see anything in real time, but it was clear at a glance on the plane - it could be seen at a glance from the nautical chart: combined with the large shoal not far to the right of the Bismarck, the British fleet in this situation seemed to have turned into a bloody mouth, ready to swallow Bismarck and Tirpitz!

Moreover, up to now, no British light ships such as cruisers and destroyers have been seen!

"Didn't you see the cruiser?" Lütjens asked, looking at the nautical chart.

The distance between the two sides is now getting closer, so they don’t have much time left.

"Not only cruisers, but also destroyers were not seen." Bismarck replied.

Could it be that the British are preparing to use battleships directly to fight the Germans?

Although they have the advantage in numbers, don't forget that the Queen-class is just an old ship from World War I, and the Bismarck has the advantage of high speed. Even if the opponent has the War Spite, it is just one ship.

Wanting to fight is obviously crazy.

Lütjens judged that the cruisers and destroyers would not go far. It was conceivable that they would either follow behind Warspite or prepare to slip past his interception in the shallows and bombard the African Corps that was now in Tobruk!

But now the question is: where are they?

The location here is not very good. Not only are there large shoals nearby, but it is also less than 80 kilometers away from Tobruk. In one and a half to two hours at most, Tobruk will be within the maximum range of the British light warships' guns!

You know, under normal circumstances, if engineering machinery is not used, even engineers can only dig a single-person trench barely big enough for a person to stand in an hour, or dig an anti-artillery hole in the trench barely big enough for a person to squat in.

However, this simple fortification, in front of the naval guns...

You know, the firepower of naval guns is so fierce! ! Even if the British battleships cannot enter the shallows, it is effortless for destroyers and cruisers to bombard infantry with only simple shelters!

(A tribute to the PLA 50th Army, which defended the Han River estuary for a full half month under the fire of New Jersey and Missouri during the four battles of the Korean War...)

"Captain, should we alert the African Corps?" Bismarck looked at his captain.

If these Africans were hit by naval guns like this, they would definitely be in great pain.

"Well, send the alarm to General Rommel first. The more preparations the better!" Lütjens continued to look at the nautical chart intently and just responded softly.

Soon, a communications staff officer received the order to send a telegram to the African Corps.

But this situation is still difficult to deal with...

but…

Before Bismarck and Lütjens could come up with a plan, Tirpitz's panicked shout on the WIFI brought Bismarck back to his senses:

"Sister!! The British are firing!!"

"What?" Bismarck was shocked! The instinct she had developed from fighting on the battlefield allowed her to sweep her mind in the direction of the British battleships. Within her scanning range, 32 kilometers away, 16 shells had already shot up into the sky! The four main turrets of the last battleship also erupted with eight balls of intense flames!

"Tirpitz, be careful to avoid it!" While calling for Tirpitz to turn on the WIFI, he also turned the rudder. At the same time, in the command post of the Bismarck battleship, a loud shout rang out:

"Bombardment! Everyone, pay attention!!"

A group of staff officers were instantly puzzled...

"What? They're firing now?" Lütjens, who was still thinking about the problem, was instantly shocked back to his senses by the shouting of the secretary ship and the movement of his flagship's hull. He turned around and asked. However, Lütjens did not doubt Bismarck's warning, but just felt that...

“…How many kilometers away now?”

"Well!! They fired! The distance is thirty-two kilometers! The shells have fifty seconds, no, forty-five seconds..." Bismarck did not turn his head, but stared at the incoming shells through the "bridge porthole" of his own body!

She knew that Warspite had a ship girl, so... it was probably her who guided the other two battleships to fire! Although the dispersion at this distance was very large,... at least these were twenty-four 381 main gun shells!

24 artillery shells were fired in a dense mass.

What is this? A show of strength?!

"Oh? Pretty quick reaction." A chuckle suddenly sounded in Bismarck's mind.

“…War-weariness!?”