Bismarck

In fact, the repair of the ship's body is actually done by mobilizing "material reserves" from the tens of thousands of tons of steel on the ship's body, moving a little from here and there. The total amount of material remains unchanged. If one place is better, there will always be a worse place.

However... Bismarck is now in a state of near-death coma.

And...what we lack most right now is time!

The weather in the desert changes rapidly, including sandstorms! No one knows when this seemingly overwhelming force of nature will suddenly pass away in the blink of an eye along with the moody desert weather...

The British bombers were still watching closely. Once the sandstorm disappeared, the immobile Bismarck would be a sitting duck and would go straight to hell.

Under Lütjens' expressionless face, he was actually extremely anxious...

---

It would take time to repair the Bismarck as it was stranded on the seashore. Similarly, no one could guarantee that the British army on the opposite side would not take advantage of the bad weather to launch an attack on this side, so Rommel, who rushed into Alexandria in a hurry, took on the task of defending it.

In a barracks in Sihanoukville, Rommel found a relatively sturdy house. He ordered several guards to reinforce it with simple materials and used it as his command post.

"Report to the Corps Commander. The tank units of the 15th and 21st Armored Divisions and the assigned artillery have been deployed in Virag Town and the Westport Canal. The bunkers have also been repaired, but the backup positions, barbed wire and minefields are still being laid out..."

A senior officer reported from the temporary command post.

"Tell them to hurry up! We can't say we are safe until the position is repaired!" Desert Fox ordered without looking back: "God knows when the British will attack - by the way, the infrastructure facilities here in the barracks are good, with high-standard cement roads. Go and order the engineering corps to quickly rebuild a temporary airport for me!"

"Yes!" The officer saluted and turned around to go down, but his face changed drastically when he heard the sound of the raging sand outside, and it seemed that there was a large-scale whistling noise coming from afar...

"Captain! British artillery fire! They are about to attack!"

"What?!" Rommel was also shocked: "Are you planning to attack me while I am still unstable?"

Rommel walked out of the command post and took a look outside with his goggles! The yellow dust was blown up into the sky by the fierce wind, and the originally blue sky was now like a riot of demons! After assessing the wind, Rommel retreated behind the door and returned to the command post. With a hoarse voice caused by the scorching heat of the desert and the smoke of war, he explained the combat order to the senior officer:

"If the Bismarck battleship is paralyzed and the other battleships don't have many shells... tell everyone! This time we have to rely on ourselves! We must hold on!" At this point, the Desert Fox's expression suddenly became fierce! Gnashing his teeth, he shouted: "Tell everyone, the terrain here is favorable. The British only have the coastal highway and the embankment of Lake Mareotis, and the front of the canal across the Alexandria city to attack here - as long as we can hold on to these first few rounds of attacks, we will win!"

If they can't hold on, it would be funny if the battleships were captured by the army.

"Understood!" Seeing his own army commander's stern voice, the officer who understood the power of the army also gritted his teeth and saluted, then walked down and began to mobilize the troops...

With bloodshot eyes, Rommel watched the officer walk away. He wiped his forehead. The sweat, sand, and smoke mixed together, making him feel uncomfortable...

"Whether we can win depends on whether we can hold on for three days..."

-----

Off the coast of the Gulf of El Alamein…

The battleship Tirpitz and two Italian light cruisers evacuated the waters near the beach and reunited with the aircraft carrier Zeppelin in the open sea.

"Lindmann, how many shells do you have left?"

On the bridge of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier, Bonte grabbed the radio and asked the battleship Tirpitz.

"Except for more than 20 rounds of armor-piercing shells for the main guns, the rest have basically been fired. The two Italian light cruisers commanded by Haye only have the last % of their ammunition..." Lindemann replied with a wry smile: "Speaking of which, if it weren't for the desperate shelling of the Italian allies' cruisers, our firepower would have been cut off long ago..."

"My situation is exactly the opposite of yours. We have ammunition, but not enough fuel. Besides, there are only two squadrons of Zeppelin fighters left..." Bonte briefly reported the situation of the Zeppelin. After that, he couldn't help but sigh: "We really have to thank General Dazzara and the Italian Royal Navy for the success of this battle..."

"Yes, General Dazara, thank you and your fleet so much this time..." Haye also sighed on the cruiser Prince Eugen.

“I’m not worthy of your thanks… Actually, it’s an honor for me and our Royal Italian Navy to take part in this great battle with the legendary German main fleet!” Alberto Da Zara, commander of the Italian Navy’s Seventh Squadron on the Duke of Abruzzi, was rarely humble – although, for the Italian Navy, this is actually a certain degree of pride!

Although Dazara is still very confident in his abilities...

Historically, on June 1942, 6, during the "Julius-Majestic" operation launched by the British Army to transport supplies to the Malta Fortress, General Dazzara led the 15th Squadron, the cruisers Montecuccoli and Prinz Eugen, and five destroyers to intercept the convoy of 9 merchant ships covered by the anti-aircraft cruiser Cairo and 6 destroyers in the waters near Pantelleria Island. Although the British Army had always had air superiority in the naval battle, they were defeated by Dazzara's Italian 2th Squadron! The Cairo cruiser was severely damaged by the Italian cruiser, and the destroyer sank 3 times and was seriously injured 6 times. Only one of the merchant ships reached Malta, and the supplies transported were completely inadequate... The Italian casualties were only one destroyer that was severely damaged, and two cruisers lost some paint...

After some pleasantries...

"What should we do now? The commander and the Bismarck are still on the beach..." Haye asked.

Lindman said he didn't know what to do.

"We can only wait for the Bismarck to be repaired."

He also knew that the situation was very serious, even Bismarck was in a coma.

And where Heyer couldn't see, on the bridges of the battleship Tirpitz and the aircraft carrier Zeppelin, a large battleship and an aircraft carrier were listening attentively with their ears pricked up...

"There is a sandstorm on the coast now. The commander and the Bismarck should be fine for now - although I don't know when this sandstorm will stop..." Bonte said with a worried look on his face, "And Zeppelin told me that the British have several airports deep in the Nile Delta that are not affected by the sandstorm. Although they can't bomb the African Corps and Bismarck in the face of the sandstorm, they can bypass the sandstorm area and bomb us..."

"But if we retreat, what will happen to the Afrika Korps?" Haye said:

"The average width of Lake Mareotis is only five kilometers, but their 6-inch howitzers have a range of 15 kilometers. The African Corps' 150-mm howitzers are only left with seven or eight guns, but the British howitzers have an absolute advantage in numbers... If something happens on the beach, we can't guarantee that we can respond."

"It's not just this problem... I've served with Zeppelin for the past two years, and now I know a little bit about the tactics of aircraft carriers." Lindemann smiled bitterly: "The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is much shorter than that of a land airport, so the aircraft must be launched at full speed against the wind. If it is sailing with the wind, the aircraft carrier must turn to the wind and maintain full speed if it wants to land the aircraft. But in this case, the distance that was covered with great effort before will be lost again after launching a plane once!"

"Lindmann, what you mean is..." Haye and Dazara were a little uncertain. After all, they were not soldiers who had ever come into contact with an aircraft carrier.

"You can calculate it yourself. The full speed of the Zeppelin is 36 knots... Assuming you can cover 36 nautical miles in one hour with a tailwind, but now you have to launch a plane, and to launch a plane and receive the previously taken-off plane, you have to sail against the wind for an hour - and then the 36 nautical miles you ran before will be returned again..." Lindemann continued with a bitter smile, "Don't forget, the current wind direction is southwest by south. If we retreat, we will have to retreat with the wind!"

"Lindman is right..." Bangtai's complicated voice followed Lindman's explanation and sounded on the radio.

"It means we can't withdraw... This..." Haiye and Dazara were a little confused...

Of course, abandoning Bismarck is certainly unthinkable. Bismarck is the super combat power of the Mediterranean Fleet. Without it, what else can they fight for?

"I think this is the way to go. We can't run away anyway, so why not send a telegram to contact Commander Lütjens first. If possible, as long as Bismarck can guarantee to float, let Tirpitz tow her back - along with our Duke of Aosta and Prince Eugen - anyway, the Fourth Fleet of Dodecanese will arrive tonight, and then General Haye, you can take the ground liaison team to the Dodecanese Squadron. As for the rest, we will hold on here until Bismarck is repaired and can barely sail! At worst, I will let the Duke of Abruzzi and four destroyers to organize an air defense circle! Anyway, our shells are not used much, so it is enough for one or two air strikes!"

A voice on the radio spoke up—General Dazzara’s translator…

After hearing Dazara's determination to take the lead, Bonte, Lindemann, and Haye fell silent...

"…Well, that's all we can do now…Thank you! General Dazara!!"

Three warships flying the German naval flag simultaneously sounded their whistles in salute in the direction of Dazzara's flagship, the Duke of Abruzzi.

----

Meanwhile, on the narrow roads and even narrower causeways near Alexandria’s western harbor…

After leaving behind several wreckages of British tanks that blocked the road, the British army's first attack was finally repelled.

"Brothers! Hold on! First we have to hold on until dark!"

"We have no way out!"

The hoarse shouts of the Desert Fox were heard from several loudspeakers on the German positions, but were soon drowned out by the whistling wind.

The British also knew that the Germans were protecting the stranded battleship, so they fought to the death.

Rommel gritted his teeth and looked back, speed up, Lütjens!

Chapter 479: The Unsinkable Battleship

The endless yellow sandstorm did not dissipate for a long time during the day. The dust that covered the sky and the sun reduced visibility to a very low level. In the worst times, you couldn’t see your hand in front of you, and even breathing was quite difficult!

Not to mention defense...

In such bad weather, the enemy might pass by you without even noticing you.

However, in addition to the air force's inability to bomb, the British army's artillery bombardment and ground attacks almost never stopped!

After all, the terrain near the port of Alexandria is narrow, and it is almost impossible to break into the German positions without taking advantage of the cover of natural sandstorms.

However, under the cover of the sandstorm, the British army used infantry and tanks to launch a surprise attack, which caused great trouble to Rommel...

"Damn it... Every time, they are discovered only after they are dozens or even just a few meters away!"

Rommel spat out a mouthful of sand viciously, then came out of the bunker and wanted to check the situation around him, but found that there was nowhere to look, only yellow.

"Artillery and snipers are no longer effective... Damn it!"

"It's okay. We couldn't see their surprise attack, and they couldn't see our positions so we couldn't launch air strikes, and their artillery fire wasn't accurate... In this aspect of being blind, both sides are the same..." The staff officer on one side shook his head with a wry smile. In this blind situation, it was difficult to observe even with a map.

"That's true, but they still have tanks to cover the infantry's charge, so we can only engage in hand-to-hand combat with their tanks... Fortunately, we ordered all positions to have double guards in advance, and sent out reconnaissance posts and laid anti-tank mines. In addition, the terrain here is narrow, so they can only deploy one tank platoon at a time. Otherwise... oh..."

Sighing, Rommel looked at the stranded Bismarck from the observation window. The huge body had completely disappeared from his sight. Rommel did not forget the tasks he had set for himself: one was to defend the port of Alexandria West, and the other was to protect the battleship.

After all, if Lütjens hadn't ignored his serious injuries and commanded the battleships to provide him with artillery cover, he would never have been able to charge into Alexander's artillery alone...

If the British were allowed to rush in, Lütjens would probably shoot himself first...

Amid the heat of the sandstorm and artillery fire, the Desert Fox inexplicably broke out in a cold sweat...

"By the way, how's the situation over at Nelin?"

The fox then remembered that he had been busy all day and almost forgot that his chief of staff, General Nehring, was defending Alamein with the 90th Light Division and two Italian Infantry Divisions!

"There was also a sandstorm over there, but the British had laid out a large minefield that we added to stop them. And that was our starting position, with fortifications to rely on, and a group of military dogs. The British's several attacks in the afternoon all failed. The chief of staff said that although it seemed that the British had sent another armored division, he could guarantee to hold the position..."

"Well... but it's getting late now. We are all very tired but the British have a fresh force... Order, all troops should not let down their guard and stay alert! Double posts, anti-tank mines, and forward reconnaissance teams cannot stop for a moment! Don't let the British have time to sneak in! Oh, and if possible, have them use explosives to blast a big hole in the road surface to serve as an anti-tank trench to stop their tanks!"

"Also, move the anti-aircraft guns to the cape! Cover the navy to tow away the Bismarck!"

"Yes!"

The staff officer hurried over and began issuing orders via the radio...

----

On the seawall road and lakeside embankment around Lake Mareotis near the western port of Alexandria, intensive and brutal gunfire, artillery fire, and various explosions resounded throughout the day...

Finally, in the final round of attack, when the last retreating British soldier was killed by a German sniper at the swamp border of the coastal road, the sandstorm that had been raging in the sky for a long time began to gradually dissipate.

After the gradually fading dust on the bloody Shura Field, only the last trace of the bloody setting sun could be seen on the horizon...

In a sandstorm, the sky always gets dark very quickly. When it should be sunset, it is already completely dark inside.

Almost all the German officers and soldiers of the entire African Corps, starting with Rommel, sat down on the sand at the bottom of the trench...

"Huh...Huh...I finally survived..."

The air was still filled with the smell of dust, and there was sand everywhere, including inside the headquarters. A pile of sand had accumulated around a military vehicle parked not far away. The German soldiers were busy cleaning the sand from their equipment or tanks, while guarding against a sudden attack from the British.

The full moon began to rise gradually...

On the battleship Bismarck, emergency repair work is still in full swing... By checking the hydrological records, Lütjens learned that the high tide today should be after nightfall.

In other words, if you want to escape, you can only make good use of the last few hours.

If we fail to escape tonight, we will never have another chance to escape!

The British have night flights, and even at night they are a huge threat!

Not to mention that tomorrow morning, the British would definitely send out all their fighter planes to launch an overwhelming attack! With Bismarck now seemingly a fixed target, there was no chance of evasion.

Therefore, they have to hurry up and repair the leak, at least to prevent the water from entering than from draining out, and then get the main engine running, so that they can leave.

"Chief Engineer! What's the situation now?!" Lütjens asked loudly in his voice. He asked this question every ten minutes.

In fact, he didn't need to ask at all. If there was any progress, the chief engineer would definitely come to report it first. He was also very anxious.

But there is no use being anxious. Emergency repairs still have to be done step by step. The crew members are already very tired. They are really repairing non-stop from morning to night. With such high-intensity work, they would have been exhausted long ago. Now everyone is in strong spirits.

Even Lütjens himself now had dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot eyes. He was gritting his teeth and holding on by drinking cup after cup of coffee and smoking...

"...We have contacted the battleship Tirpitz, they are on their way...Minor damages on the entire ship have been controlled, but the most serious damages are now being repaired and reinforced...and it will take at least two hours to pump out the water...Captain, why don't you go get some sleep?" The chief engineer looked at Lütjens, whose eyes were red from staying up all night, and couldn't help but persuade him.

Normally, Bismarck's secretary would always be with Lütjens at this time, but now, she had never appeared.

"Did Bismarck's secretary die?" the chief engineer thought to himself.

"I don't need to sleep, you go and do your work. Tell me if anything happens." Lütjens rubbed his eyes, took a sip of coffee and said.

"Yes."

Not long after the chief engineer left, Lütjens walked out of the command center. He came to the corridor outside, lit a cigarette facing the sea, put it in his mouth, and took a deep breath...

It was pitch black outside. For concealment, all lights were turned off. The port not far away was also completely plunged into darkness. Some cannon sounds could be heard faintly, but were quickly washed away by the sound of the waves.

There was sand all over the railings and the floor. Lütjens blew away the dust on the railings.

He didn't know how to wake Bismarck up again. Looking at the sea, his calm face was filled with anxious eyes...

After the sandstorm passed, the sky was full of moon and stars, which was the most suitable weather for night raids...

"Bismarck, the damage control team has repaired you. Lindemann and your sister will be here soon to take you home...but...you'd better come out quickly...even if it's just to tell me..."

Although the tears had already been shed, he absolutely could not worry about emotional matters in the current situation. As a cold-faced and ruthless fleet commander, he had to put aside his emotions and focus on the overall situation, but Lütjens was indeed sad in his heart.

From another perspective, the saying that men don't shed tears easily is that they have to swallow their anger and endure the consequences.

------

It was like a very long dream. In the dream, Bismarck didn't know where he was, but he felt as if he had returned to the past.

A peaceful era without war, without gunpowder, and without killing.

Amidst laughter and joy, his parents surrounded him.