Bismarck

Chapter 702: Target, Kumets

The British, who clearly had all the advantages, actually chose to evacuate simply because of the disadvantage of night fighting? How could such a good thing happen in the world!

Lütjens never believed in pie falling from the sky, and even if pie fell from the sky, he would think it was a trap. With a lot of doubts, he led the fleet to move while he had a reconnaissance plane on the flight deck of Zeppelin hang up radar to search everywhere...

After all, Lütjens is a very cautious LYB.

However, after a whole night of anxiety, Zeppelin set out in person the next morning and confirmed that the enemy could not even find any reconnaissance aircraft, and then he truly confirmed that the British fleet had indeed left the area. However, after receiving the final confirmed reconnaissance report that "no trace of the enemy was found within 500 kilometers", Lütjens, Lindemann, Bonte, Bismarck, Zeppelin, and even the hamster who was too lazy to take care of things and the well-behaved and quiet Eugen, all had question marks on their faces.

(?_? )???……

"Why didn't they catch up with us..." Bismarck expressed everyone's question.

A lot of people were puzzled.

"Will they be waiting for us ahead?" Top asked - his opinion was quickly transmitted to the Persian Cat receiver via WIFI via Eugen's Rabbit brand transmitter, and finally reported to Lütjens' ears.

"That shouldn't be the case... Even if they lost us at night, they shouldn't have sent a reconnaissance plane, right?" Lindman, who was also standing at the Hamster real-time WIFI network terminal, said. He even turned back to look at Grapes who was lazily leaning behind him. "Come to think of it, Grapes hasn't found any trace of War-weariness on the WIFI yet."

The pink-haired hamster leaning on Lindeman's back looked at the empty snack bag in his hand for several days with a look of despair, and rubbed his head against Lindeman's body with a bit of grievance...

"No more?" Tirpitz felt like he was about to break down and urgently needed snacks to replenish his energy!

Drinks with a heavy oil flavor really don’t taste very good, and aluminum blocks are not her cup of tea!

"Well, now it's really gone..." Lindman could only shrug and spread his hands with a bitter smile, and then his pet rat rolled his eyes in disdain, and then lost his head... She still went to find Sister Bismarck. Sister was said to have developed something called rice crust, which was the most suitable for grinding teeth. Moreover, this thing would not go bad, and was the most suitable for long-term storage at sea. The chef on her ship must learn this and make it for her when she has nothing to do.

Ah, days without snacks are so sad, she thought painfully, wishing she could pull out her ahoge hair.

The hamster was wondering when she would arrive in Berlin, so she dragged her sister to the street to do some shopping. She wanted everything, from buttered bread to ice cream!

Amid Lindemann's depression and helplessness, the "video conference" between the captain and the ship girls continued as they racked their brains over the movements of Tovey's fleet.

Especially on the cruiser Prinz Eugen, although it has experienced a lot of actual combat, most of the time it is still a little silly and cute. A little rabbit has begun to use his imagination...

In fact, she has the least combat experience among these shipgirls: not to mention that the eldest sister of the entire fleet, Bismarck, is the flagship of Commander Lütjens, and has experienced many battles and is knowledgeable. Not to mention the aircraft carrier Zeppelin, which is a pioneer in aviation tactics. If it weren't for her being a shipgirl, Goering, her biological father, would definitely give her the position of Air Force General. Even Tirpitz, who stays at home all day, is now a hamster who has only traveled around for many years, slippery, and has an extra talent for electronic warfare ripples!

Eugen herself was the only youngest sister left. No matter her age, the combat capability of the ship, or her cute personality, she was the most pampered by her sisters and captains in the entire fleet. Although because of this, her experience was a little immature compared to her sisters...

As my imagination kept opening up, it gradually became boundless. I even thought about it until I felt dizzy. I felt dizzier and dizzier, and even my eyes gradually opened up into circles of mosquito coils...

"Hey... Top Top, will they be waiting for us out front?" Pulling at his captain's sleeve, little Eugen, whose imagination was so wild that he couldn't even control it, asked a little embarrassedly.

"That shouldn't be the case..." Seeing that his little rabbit was a little confused, Top couldn't help but stretched out his sinful hand, gently smoothing her twin ponytails while explaining the basics of the navy: "The Atlantic Ocean is too big, and the search range of aircraft carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft is limited after all. If you lose the opponent in the sea, it will be very difficult to find the opponent again."

"Then...what if they're waiting in Biscay Bay?" The cute little Eugen thought for a moment and continued to ask in confusion.

"Guarding us in the Bay of Biscay? They can't defend that place!" Top smiled nonchalantly and continued to explain to his heavy cruiser, "The Bay of Biscay is the doorstep of both us and them, but Kumetz is in the Bay of Biscay right now, and he has the advantage of being well-rested and in the interior, not to mention that he has the French base to rely on! If Tovey wants to get in position there, he will probably be beaten up by Kumetz!"

As Top was talking, he also laughed out loud - if Tovi wanted to block a position, he wouldn't do it in front of Kumets, this is common sense... Forget it, although it's a battleship, it's cruel enough for girls to participate in the war, the pressure of decision-making will be borne by us as captains, she just needs to be happy.

However, Eugen, whose imagination still could not be stopped, pursed his lips and continued to think, and then reached out his hand to pull Top: "Hey... Top Top, tell me, if the British directly raid Kumetz, can Kumetz withstand it..."

Top, who was being pulled, looked at little Eugen who was still imagining, smiled helplessly, and continued to explain: "Torvi went to raid Kumets? Hey, don't I know Kumets' character? This old guy is either too timid to go out, or if he wants to go out, he will probably rush in recklessly..."

Top, who was originally answering nonchalantly, was instantly frightened by this possibility and broke out in a cold sweat!

After finally coming to his senses, Top ignored Eugen's surprise and directly picked up the tactical radio and called out - just over a minute later, after hearing Top's bold hypothesis, Lütjens, Lindemann, Bismarck, Zeppelin... all looked serious, and some even looked at each other in bewilderment...

"Zeppelin, do you think this possibility is...high?"

"If Tovey really wants to do this, with the wind direction in the Bay of Biscay, Tovey will attack against the wind, and the carrier-based aircraft will have the advantage of preemptive strike! Moreover, the Bay of Biscay is too close to the UK, and Kumets' movements can be closely monitored by British reconnaissance aircraft... The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, and the wind direction is also a disadvantage. If bombers from the UK come to attack from both sides, Kumets might really be in trouble!"

"In this case...what if Kumets retreats back to the offshore air defense zone and doesn't come out?"

"That's perfect for Tovey, isn't it? He can just rush back to the Irish Sea and go home! Not only will he succeed in breaking through, but he will also have the advantage in the interior!"

"I think we should not put too much hope on Kumets! No matter whether he can withstand the surprise attack or not - even if he can, as long as Tovey can suppress him, the British will take the initiative!"

"What Lindemann said is right! I worked under Kumets, and this guy has a bad mentality - he rushes forward when he doesn't see a threat, and panics when something goes wrong!... It seems that their forces are about the same, but Zeppelin just said that the British have an absolute advantage in terms of wind direction and intelligence... Just to tell you a joke, with Kumets' ability, if I were Raeder, I would only hope that he doesn't squander the Arctic Fleet's wealth!" Top also said.

"In that case... Captain, how about we do this: we first send a telegram to alert Kumets, and at the same time we can chase them and cut off their retreat, or take the opportunity to break out?"

"Not right... Although this possibility is indeed very high, war is a big deal, and we can't just blindly draw conclusions based on speculation - what if Tovey and his men are just feinting or something? What if Tovey takes advantage of the time difference to defeat them one by one?"

Lütjens didn't even think about it, he just shook his head slowly. "You know, after all, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. And you know the situation here. Zeppelin was seriously injured and just recovered his ability to fly. The planes, anti-aircraft shells, and fuel are mostly exhausted... It's not optimistic at all..."

"what……"

Upon hearing this, Bismarck knew that his captain would be "cautious" again, and his mouth pouted a little.

But even though she was a little emotional, she also knew that her sisters were running out of fuel, ammunition, and even planes, and Zeppelin was also badly damaged. She really couldn't afford any risk...

"Then...Captain, what should we do now?"

"We don't have enough fuel. Even at cruising speed, we can't reach 2,700 nautical miles. And this is just under ideal conditions. Who knows whether we will have to fight by then..."

As Lütjens spoke, he grabbed a ruler and pencil and began to draw on the chart table, mumbling to himself. It was unclear whether he was talking to himself or trying to teach his secretary cat how to analyze the battle situation.

"…According to their speed, if they want to get in front of us and intercept us, it is possible…but this will require a front line at least hundreds of kilometers wide. If we change our route, their interception rate will be lost…So while we have Zeppelin continue to conduct focused reconnaissance on the several sectors of their hypothetical interception positions, we have to consider whether they are trying to threaten us by "long-range exclusion" to always be on the outside…"

"Forehead……"

Although he had been exposed to these things for a long time, the Persian cat, who was still somewhat confused, still felt a little confused, and was a little depressed because he could not help the captain. However, soon, after muttering a few words about battlefield speculation, Lütjens changed the topic and directly gave a very direct task, which instantly made the originally drooping ears stand up again...

"... In addition, we are running low on fuel... Bismarck, didn't we rescue a submarine crew from the Cape of Good Hope last time? Give them a radio and ask them to help us contact General Dönitz to find out the current situation of the British and American convoys in the North Atlantic. Let's see if we should rob fuel again - by the way, send our analysis of Tovey's movements to Raeder and Kumets!"

"Yeah! Okay! I'll do it right away!"

After hearing the captain's instructions, the Persian cat's ears quickly stood up and she happily swung her tail - although she could not make more judgments on the battle situation and give more advice to her captain, she could at least help her captain do some work, even if it might be a little insignificant...

Lütjens, who was holding a pencil and a drawing board and writing furiously on the nautical chart, smiled bitterly and shook his head slightly, then continued to work on his plan of deduction based on the chart.

The words "C4ISR Center" nailed on the doorplate of the combat command center are being interpreted by Lütjens as the spirit of these abbreviations...

(The letters mean: command, control, communication, intelligence, computer, surveillance, reconnaissance... The only difference is that they use KanColle brand computers instead of electronic computers...)

The hands of the clock slowly turn, showing the passage of time...

--

A few hours later, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean...

The Duke of York and Howe were being refueled by four South Dakota-class battleships that had a lot of fuel left. Five aircraft carriers were on the other side of the fleet, nervously waiting for something.

In the command room of the Duke of York, the sound of telegraphs beeped and busy officers and soldiers came in and out.

Another telegram was sent to the Duke of York's confidential room. Not long after, a communications staff officer walked out of the confidential room and into the command post, and began to report the just received communication to Admiral Tovey and the aristocratic "Admiralty Special Commissioner Ms. Bailey" standing next to Tovey:

"Report to the commander. The air traffic control navigation system of the aircraft carrier Vengeance has contacted the reinforcement aircraft from Gibraltar! A total of 32 aircraft have arrived! Twelve Barracudas and twenty SBDs! They are now 120 kilometers away from us and will arrive at about 12 o'clock..."

Listening to the report from the communications staff below, Tovey and War-weary looked at each other, both with delight on their faces.

"How many planes do we have that can go into battle now?" Tovey looked at the battle log in War-weary's hand, which recorded the fleet's combat situation.

"In addition to the anti-submarine Swordfish, including the repaired aircraft, we now have eleven Barracudas, eighteen SBDs, twenty Fulmars, sixteen F4F Eurofighters, and twenty-four Spitfires, a total of twenty-nine bombers and sixty fighters!" War-weary flipped through the battle log in his hand and added in a calm tone: "And according to the summary of the aircraft carrier repair department, if it's noon tomorrow, they can repair about one squadron of bombers and one squadron of fighters for us!"

"With these planes, we will be able to gather at least 70 bombers and 70 fighters before noon tomorrow! In this way, we will have no fewer planes than Kumetz!" Tovey waved his fist excitedly. "And according to the latest intelligence, the Royal Air Force bombed the port of Brest several times last night and this morning. The German supply ship has just put out to sea. It is estimated that Kumetz will not be able to meet up with the supply ship until at least four o'clock in the afternoon!"

“Even if they just need to refuel, the resupply work will have to be delayed until tonight at least!” War-weary continued to nod, with a sneer on his face: “As long as he doesn’t leave Biscay Bay, our latest high-speed Mosquito reconnaissance aircraft can lock onto his position! And if he leaves Biscay Bay, it’s tantamount to giving up his inside advantage - without the inside advantage, even if he has the upper hand in position, he still can’t find us... I want to know how Kumetz wins this battle!!”

"Besides, Gibraltar is not far from the Bay of Biscay. How big is Spain? Even if he leaves the Bay of Biscay, he will be found by the reconnaissance planes of the Gibraltar Fortress!!" Tovey was so happy that he crossed his arms: "The airports in mainland China and Gibraltar sandwich the Bay of Biscay in the middle, and they are conducting shuttle reconnaissance! He Kumets has the advantage of being inside, but what's the use if he can't find us?!"

"Besides, we are not necessarily afraid of him! Besides, the bombers at the domestic airport are not just for show!" War-weary also smiled coldly, and her beautiful face was full of contempt for the hardships of fighting.

"Once we get the plane from Gibraltar, we'll head north! Speaking of which, I haven't had enough of the fight with Kumets last time!" Tovey looked at the wall clock with a look of contempt. As long as we wait until twelve o'clock, the reinforcement plane will arrive! Then we'll see how Kumets will behave. Once we defeat Kumets, it'll be time to find Lütjens to avenge Hood!

Tovey had a smile on his face and his fists were clenched tighter and tighter.

"Yes, me too!" Looking at Tovey like this, he also nodded vigorously as he thought of his best friend who died tragically and felt the same way.

Chapter 703: Battle of Cape Fistra

The sea area heading west from the Atlantic coast of France is the Bay of Biscay, and further west from the Bay of Biscay is the Celtic Sea.

And now on the Celtic Sea, two Hindenburg-class battleships, a Gneisenau battlecruiser that has been modified with 380mm main guns, and two Europa-class aircraft carriers with more than aircraft each, along with a lineup of two Deutschland-class pocket battleships escorting the aircraft carriers, are slowly moving towards the Bay of Biscay on this sea area.

The nearby land country is Ireland in the British Isles. Although it belongs to the Commonwealth, it has been oppressed by the British for three hundred years since the Cromwell era. In addition, the northern part of Ireland was still occupied by the British after a small-scale civil war caused by a manipulated election. Although the country's military is very weak and still unable to do anything to the British Empire, which is so close and can still be called a lean camel that is bigger than a horse, at least they will never allow any British soldiers to pass through their homeland, even if it is just a plane passing by.

So, this is a place where we don't need to worry about British planes for the time being.

At this time, at the main seat of the Hindenburg battleship's command center...

"You said that Lütjens' telegram said that Tovey might be coming for us?"

Kumets looked at the communications staff below, with an expression on his face that read (O_o?).

"Yes, that's what General Lütjens said in the telegram." The communications staff officer answered meticulously as he looked through a piece of telegram manuscript.

"Although they have no way to confirm the movements of Tovey's fleet, the possibility is very high! So..." Kumets was still sitting upright while looking at the telegram, but there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes: "And they also sent a copy to the 'old man'... Wait, is our supply ship coming now?"

"Report to the general, the supply ship will be able to meet us at about four o'clock in the afternoon." The subordinate lowered his head, still with the German-style rigid expressionless and meticulousness.

In front of his serious and meticulous subordinates, Kumets' mind was already lively - in fact, there was nothing much to say, the mission given to him by Marshal Reder was actually to lure Tovey away...

Now Tovey has left - and you said this yourself, Lütjens.

Besides, even if Tovey wanted to attack me, I didn't need to do anything else. I just had to stay in Biscay Bay.

This place can not only block Tovey's advantage in returning home, but also get support from the nearby German base on the Atlantic coast of the European continent. It can attack or defend, isn't it inherently invincible, and you can win without any injuries? !

"Our mission is just to pull Tovey away from Lütjens. If they give up Lütjens now, our mission is accomplished. As for a surprise attack on us? They are more than 1600 kilometers away from the Bay of Biscay. It will take at least another whole day for them to launch a surprise attack on us, so we have enough time!" Kumets waved his hand calmly, looking like a general. "Since we have enough time and the geographical location is also our advantage, we should not be too anxious. It won't be too late for us to make plans after we meet up with the supply ship and fill up the fuel. By the way, send a telegram to the country and ask His Excellency the Marshal if he has any instructions."

"Yes! Sir!" The subordinate saluted and left.

Only Kumets was left sitting in the main seat, stroking his beardless chin with his fingers, considering the battle situation from his own perspective and in his own way...

"A surprise attack on me? This possibility is something we really need to guard against..."

"Forget it. I'll ask the 'old man' to send the destroyer squadron from the Brest base to provide cover. Once the refueling is complete, we'll send planes to take turns guarding the exit of the Bay of Biscay..."

At the same time, in another command room in the Atlantic Ocean...

A Persian cat quietly slid into the combat command room with a C4ISR sign on the door, tucked its tail, and stood obediently beside Lütjens:

"Captain, (Captain of the U-108 submarine rescued at the Cape of Good Hope) Heisenitz and his men have already contacted the submarine command. But the news is not good..."

Hearing this, Lütjens turned around and looked at Bismarck: "Hmm? What did Dönitz say?"

"The intelligence they sent back is that the British have ordered five or six convoys in the North Atlantic to find a place to dock as quickly as possible - especially since Kumets' Arctic Fleet severely damaged an convoy yesterday. Now they are determined to defend their positions and clear the countryside..."

The Persian cat's voice became more and more helpless, and she drooped her pointed ears and secretly glanced at her captain's face. However, the Lütjens she saw had a calm face:

"Pass the order, everyone stop and repair it temporarily. Especially those who were damaged by torpedoes under the waterline, find something to weld the breach now."

"No way?!" The Persian cat was really frightened - on this battlefield, in the ocean, they actually stopped the ship for major repairs?

Even though the German Navy is very experienced in this, the captain is too careless...

A sinful hand slapped the dazed Persian cat on the head again with a "slap" sound:

"What? You don't understand?" Looking at the confused ship cat, Lütjens smiled and said, "So, since we haven't encountered them yet, it means we are safe. But we are running low on fuel, and the damage to the hull will create extra resistance and increase fuel consumption. So let's repair it first and then leave. It doesn't matter."

"Then...what about Kumetz?" Bismarck asked.

"Kumetz... We are too far away now, and the losses are so great that we have no way to help him - but Kumetz is backed by the French coast, and he has received an early warning. As long as he is not confused, at least he can protect himself." As he spoke, Lütjens took another look at the sea chart: "My only worry now is that we are on the outer line. As long as Tovika is inside, he will most likely be able to organize an interception. Moreover, we are running low on fuel now. On the one hand, we have to find a way to get some fuel, and on the other hand, we have to reduce fuel consumption - otherwise why do you think I asked Captain Heisenitz to contact Dönitz? And why did I order the ship to stop for repairs now?"

As he said this, he rubbed it gently with his hands.

"Uh... Hey! Captain! Stop rubbing my head!" The Persian cat, who was still confused, suddenly got angry.

Looking at the Persian cat with its fur standing on end, Lütjens, who had an expressionless face, couldn't help but chuckle and was finally amused.

June 8, 6 a.m.

The rising sun, which cannot be obscured by the Iberian Peninsula, shines on the high waves and clouds of the North Atlantic.

The "End of the World" of the European Continent - Cabo Fisterra in La Coruña, the most northwestern region of Spain, was once considered the westernmost end of the entire European continent and also the "pilgrimage route" of Christianity...

Standing on the cliff here and looking west, you can see the vast Atlantic Ocean.

The powerful centrifugal force of the earth's rotation has thrown out strong North Atlantic westerly winds and ocean currents on the turbulent but thick and deep North Atlantic. The roaring westerly winds were blocked by the continent in the Bay of Biscay on the European continent and formed a backwater bay. On the northern coast of Spain at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay, they formed a westward circulation, and mixed with the Canary cold current that was affected by the air pressure and moved southward at Cape Fistra, and then moved towards the African continent at the southern end. Regardless of the wind direction or the ocean current! Such intertwined wind direction and ocean currents make the weather at Cape Fistra often erratic. Although there is occasional sunshine, there are more winds and clouds!

On the day of June 8th, the "End of the World" was both windy and cloudy, and the sun was shining brightly!

For the British aircraft carrier not far from Cape Feistra, this weather was undoubtedly the best possible weather.

The sun slowly rose from behind the Iberian Peninsula, revealing the deep blue of the North Atlantic Ocean from the dark night sky. The howling northwest wind, with the cool and fishy smell of the sea, blew past the ancient lighthouse on Cape Fisterra, which was built in the Roman Empire and has been working diligently ever since.

The five aircraft carriers and six battleships sailing against the wind, protected by nearly twenty cruisers and destroyers, left long white wakes on the sapphire-like sea surface. When viewed as a whole, these wakes formed two wheel-shaped formations, one on the left and one on the right, and sailed towards the north of Biscay Bay at a speed of 25 knots...

"According to the reconnaissance report of the 'Fulmar' fighter jets we sent out earlier, we have confirmed the current location of Kumets. They are in the XX sea area, less than 400 kilometers away from us - that is to say, they have entered the flight range of our aircraft and can attack!" War-weary, who had been holding the headphones to contact the local reconnaissance aircraft personally, put down the headphones and said to Tovey.