Bismarck

Being with mom and dad, happy and joyful...

Everything seemed so real, like heaven.

Compared with the time of World War II, Bismarck's original era was truly a paradise.

Do you want to go back? a voice asked her.

Of course.

She wanted to go back, to her home. After fighting for so many years, she was tired and wanted to rest.

However, just as he agreed, the scene suddenly changed, and the pure white world disappeared, replaced by a scene of war.

Hyde's face appeared before her, and then Flensburg, and her own navigator in the Denmark Strait, and... all those various people she knew, those who died in the battle or did not, flashed through her memory one by one...

Zeppelin, Bontai…

Eugen, Top...

Tirpitz, Lindemann…

Lily, the housekeeper...

Etc., etc……

Finally, it was his own captain, Lütjens...

They were all looking at Bismarck, either with excitement or with pity.

"Wake up, Bismarck! We need you!"

"Sister! I'm Grape, wake up..."

"Bismarck! It's time to get up! When you found me in Gdynia, you promised to protect me."

"Bismarck... I don't care about you and dad, but you both must come back..."

"Sister Bismarck, I'm Eugen..."

Her captain, her sister, her comrades are still fighting, she can't leave yet! Can't leave, can't abandon them!

but……

Bismarck knew he was in a coma, how could he wake up from the dream? !

"Bismarck... please come out quickly... even if it's just to talk to me..."

A familiar whisper faintly reached Bismarck's ears...

This is... the captain's voice? !

captain!!

No! I have to get up! I don’t know what’s happening to the captain and the others now!

Just like waking up naturally from a dream, Bismarck felt a flash of white light before her eyes, and the dreamy scene faded away. She was now back on the battlefield of El Alamein, this hell.

But this hell is so familiar.

"Captain... I'm back..."

Although it was faint, it was the sound of reunion after a life-and-death separation, and it once again appeared in Lütjens' ears...

-

Lütjens, who was concentrating on conducting, suddenly heard a voice that made him think he was dreaming.

It was Bismarck's voice.

He couldn't believe it. Did he hear it wrong?

The captain's eyes widened instantly, and seeing his captain's rare stunned expression, the familiar laughter that he couldn't help but laugh sounded in Lütjens' ears like a silver bell.

Bismarck...she...is back.

Yes, she is back.

Even though her image had not yet appeared before his eyes, he did hear her voice, appearing again!

He didn't bother to wipe the moisture from the corners of his eyes, nor did he care that the cigarette butt fell on his leather shoes...Lütjens only knew that she was back!

"Bismarck... Bismarck, I knew it, I knew it, I... could save you!!"

"I know... Thank you, Captain..."

There is no need to say anything else, and there is no need to care about those things! After the separation of life and death on the cruel battlefield, being able to meet again is the greatest luck...

The happiness of reunion is so good...

----

The good news finally came. The water inflow had been almost under control, and other repairs were barely enough. The battleship Tirpitz had also sailed near the Bismarck. The sailors were lowered to the sea in a small boat. Their task was to hang a towline between the two large battleships.

The Bismarck battleship still had power, but the muddy seabed was relatively soft but had a certain viscosity. Pumping water alone was not enough to get the Bismarck out of the beached state.

The Bismarck was docked at the edge of the bottom of the cape beach. As long as it could be pulled up a little bit, it could get out of the mud on the seabed and sail freely on the sea! The only problem was that because of the tricky angle, the Tirpitz battleship was a little difficult to steer.

On the battleship Tirpitz, which was slowly turning, Lindemann was standing in front of the steering gear, holding the steering wheel with his big hands and carefully controlling the movement of the steering gear. Next to Lindemann, a pink-haired hamster was crying and laughing, dancing on the side.

"My sister is still alive! That's great, that's great!"

"Since that's great, then pay attention to the angle of the ship's sailing and turning, idiot! It's hard to turn the rudder at this speed!"

A slap landed on Grape's pink fur, and veins on Lindman's temples throbbed...

"It hurts! You bad bastard Lindemann!"

After being slapped fiercely, Tizi glared at Lindeman with tears in her eyes, but her body began to change course more smoothly and accurately.

The officers and soldiers on the bridge of the battleship Tirpitz turned a blind eye to this...

After all, isn’t Captain Lindemann’s daily routine just eating, sleeping, and photographing hamsters?

2333.

Lütjens sat back on the bridge and began to listen to his men's reports.

Now Lütjens was not in a hurry at all. Although, the chief engineer standing on the side felt a little confused when he saw the captain, who had dark circles under his eyes and gnashed his teeth before, suddenly became calm and composed.

But...it's a good thing that the captain has gotten over his previous depression...

"Captain, the towline is ready."

"Give the order to Lindemann and let them start moving forward! Let's shift the gears and move forward!" Lütjens gave the order with a slight smile on his face.

The tide is now at its highest point and it is time to leave.

The power supply of the entire ship has been restored, but it is still pitch black outside. Not a ray of light can penetrate the darkness. The Bismarck is like a statue in the dark.

Suddenly, there was a vibration inside the battleship, then the hull began to tremble slightly, and a column of green smoke came out of the chimney.

The sound was not very loud, and even in such a quiet night, it did not travel far against the background sound of the waves.

"Start sailing! Forward one!"

There was no time to delay any longer. At Lütjens's command, the gearbox and main shaft were connected, and the propeller started moving.

The battleship began to move backwards, pulling itself out of the mud bit by bit. When the buoyancy of the battleship and the pull of the grapes completely freed the Bismarck battleship from the stickiness of the mud on the seabed, everyone felt that the battleship seemed to jump slightly, as if it was completely resurrected! And in the next second, the power of the Bismarck battleship began to propel its hull!

The unsinkable battleship has awakened from its slumber!

Chapter 480: Auchinleck is captured

In the night, the Alexandria Port was bombarded with gunfire and the fighting was fierce. In the tent of the British temporary headquarters in the Middle East and North Africa theater, a group of generals were also arguing fiercely.

"... I think we should change the direction of attack! The German fleet has already retreated with the Bismarck - the additional attack on them is the responsibility of General Arthur Tedder - the road on the side of Weigel Village is too narrow, and the divided outer line cannot be coordinated. The traffic conditions on the side of Alexandria are the best, and the urban buildings can provide cover for large troops to enter the starting position..."

A pointer was pointing at the map, and a general was eloquently explaining his battle ideas.

"Well, although the New Zealand Second Division has lost more than 4,000 people and suffered heavy casualties, the 51st Division can now take the lead." Another general nodded with his chin in his hand, but he was still a little worried. "The only problem is that this is the estuary of the old Alexandria Canal. Although the canal is not wide, it is 50 meters wide and the water depth is not very shallow. It is also an obstacle for us... How about this, Freiberg, you are the commander of the New Zealand troops, can you introduce the situation?"

"As the commander of the New Zealand troops, let me also say something..."

The commander of the New Zealand troops, Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg, nodded, stood up and said, "During the sandstorm this afternoon, we were unable to attack this side due to the obstruction of the old canal estuary, and we were unable to test Rommel's defense deployment... In addition, the opposite side was a former military camp, and the building was relatively solid... I don't think it is a cost-effective choice to rashly launch a main attack when the situation is not clear."

"Or should we launch an exploratory attack first to find out the Germans' tactics? After all, aren't we fighting now?" another senior officer suggested.

"But time is running out. According to the Navy's interception data, which is said to be from Lütjens's communication, a cruiser fleet of reinforcements from Italy will arrive by 12: tonight at the latest." A general looked at his watch: "It's already half past eight..."

"I have asked the General Staff to make an enemy situation assessment based on the latest battle reports. And the Prime Minister is also urging us, asking when we can recapture Alexandria!" A general who seemed to be the chief of staff spoke, and as he spoke he glanced at Auchinleck covertly.

The other officers around him all looked at Auchinleck at the same time, all with unfriendly eyes.

Just then, a staff officer came in, and it was obviously not good news.

"Report! According to the battle report from the front, the General Staff has made the latest enemy situation assessment report!"

"Bring it in!" The chief of staff waved his hand. Soon, a stack of hastily prepared intelligence analysis reports with grease marks from the mimeograph machine were brought up. Each general present had a copy...

"What? This...?!"

"This bastard! The Germans used the wreckage of our tanks to build simple bunkers and roadblocks on the seawall road near the town of Viger and the Mareotis Lake embankment. With the addition of booby traps and anti-tank trenches, both roads were completely blocked, making it impossible to launch an offensive..."

"...You're the best. You damn Rommel, you stuffed more than a dozen tanks and six anti-tank guns into a kilometer-wide area at the mouth of the old canal. You even used 88 anti-aircraft guns - is there anyone so cruel?!"

"The Air Force reported that the enemy had already established positions. In addition, it was night time, so the attack efficiency of light attack aircraft, including the Hurricane, was greatly affected. The twin-engine bombers equipped with radar were mainly engaged in anti-ship bombing and could not accurately destroy the enemy's fortifications. In addition, the losses in daytime air combat were heavy..."

I have something to say, MMP, but I don’t know whether I should say it or not.

Looking at the German position deployment assessment report analyzed in the battle report, everyone's face turned green.

This damn fox, his ability to dig fox holes is really - first-rate!

The fox's defense level is actually as strong as his attack power, although it is not as obvious.

"I think we should withdraw and rest for a while."

A slow, decadent, helpless voice came from the main seat in the conference room.

Everyone turned around and saw it was Auchinleck!

Everyone fell silent.

Although his prestige is gone, he is still my boss after all...

"Let me tell you what I think..." Looking at the complicated looks of the people below, Auchinleck didn't seem to care. He smiled half helplessly and half carefreely. He didn't stand up from his seat. He just sat on the chair and said lazily: "Everyone here knows that it is difficult to get in, but if they want to land here, they will be within the range of our artillery fire - our 234mm railway gun has been transferred - although this thing requires additional air force cover. Besides, even if they can land here, with the surrounding terrain... It won't be easy for the Germans to fight out of Alexandria, right?"

"Is not this nonsensical?"

The generals below all looked at Auchinleck as if he were a piece of trash.

They are all generals with decades of military service, so there is no need to talk nonsense like this!

It was just out of politeness, so no one made any sarcastic remarks for the time being - although in fact everyone had an expression of "Look at what kind of fake medicine you are selling"...

Auchinleck saw it, but he didn't take it seriously. The British general, who had always been in a positive mood, smiled self-deprecatingly and continued, "Don't look at me like that... Since it's difficult for them to land here, and even if they succeed in landing, it's hard to make any progress - do you think that fox wearing a black African coat all day will do something?"

All the British generals suddenly felt a tightness in their hearts!

The slight contempt and disdain in his eyes towards Auchinleck also disappeared without a trace in an instant.

but···

"Commander, I understand what you mean, but... the Prime Minister and the government require us to retake the port of Alexandria. What should we do?"

"Don't look at me, I'm desperate too..." Auchinleck could only smile bitterly.

Actually, because he was a member of the British colonial garrison in India, Auchinleck was always looked down upon by those fat-headed lords and politicians who only knew how to talk big in the British upper class.

Even if his opinions were correct, in the eyes of the core members of the wartime cabinet, his political achievements were the most important - even if they were achieved at the cost of countless soldiers' corpses, they were still achievements!

As for the opinion of a mere general? Hehe...

Not to mention, a large group of people have long disliked me!

Not only Churchill, but also a large number of people who were powerful veterans in the wartime cabinet and the Privy Council, the initiator of the Commonwealth, the direct promoter of the African strategy, the South African military politician Marshal Smuts, etc.

Looking at the current battle report, the Indian 4th Division was completely defeated. Even if it regroups and reorganizes, it will not have much combat effectiveness for quite some time! The British 7th Armored Division and the New Zealand 2nd Division suffered more than one-third of casualties! The Australian 6th Division and the British 1st Armored Division suffered more than 40% casualties!

In particular, the tank loss rate of the British 7th Armored Division and the British 1st Armored Division exceeded 50%! The two armored divisions were rated to have 400 tanks, but now there are less than 200 left! !

Although the Afrika Korps had suffered heavy losses so far, with only 3,500 men left in El Alamein and less than 2,700 in Alexandria, no one could deny that the Germans were the winners...

Although he still had the British 51st Mechanized Infantry Division, the South African 1st Mechanized Infantry Division and the Free French 1st Armored Division, three complete units with 42,000 officers and soldiers and 400 tanks, but... this was already the last mobile force in the entire Middle East-North Africa theater!

Although he had been informed before that more than 40,000 reinforcements were on their way in the Indian Ocean, Auchinleck could easily estimate that it would take at least half a month for these reinforcements to land in Suez...