Bismarck

The communication antenna, which needs to transmit and receive communication information at 360 degrees, originally relied on the short wavelength, short communication distance and low communication power to ensure the concealment of communication. However, in the face of the electronic interference of the German ship crew, at this moment, not to mention guaranteeing concealment, the problem of low power and short distance is completely exposed - even the high-power radio station is no longer usable at this moment!

No one dared to turn on the radio, whether it was the pilots or the air observation controller (AIC) on the warship. Once the radio was turned on, it would definitely be either a strange song or a deafening gunfire. There was even a channel that was specially played with a rhythmic speech by a former Austrian volunteer corporal - someone who was curious about it identified it as the speech at the opening ceremony of the 36 Olympic Games.

From Tovey to the sailors, from the pilots to the mechanics, everyone had a sad face, and their grief and anger were inexplicably funny.

On the Pink Hamster minesweeper, a little hamster, who was about to go home and get snacks, no longer cared about the slight pain in his arm. He proudly put on a hamster cloak that he got from somewhere, and proudly crossed his legs, sitting in the hamster nest next to the command position on the bridge, with his feet dangling, wearing headphones and shaking the cute tuft of silly hair on his head.

Lindemann, who was beside her, temporarily handed over the command to the vice-captain, and was sweating as he kept flipping through records, and then hurriedly stuffed them into the seven or eight jukeboxes next to the hamster. The poor shit shoveler stuffed the records while looking at his pet rat irresponsibly making trouble here - perhaps, at the same time, he was also paying silent tribute to the dizzy British pilots in the sky? !

There was no radio navigation, the magnetic compass could not be used, and because of the mottled clouds, nothing could be seen clearly under the setting sun. Forty-five kilometers was only a ten-minute flight for the enemy planes in the sky, but at this moment, they had been circling in the sky for more than twenty minutes and still saw nothing - even if a few planes were lucky enough to find their targets by chance.

However, soon, these lucky or unlucky guys would inexplicably find that at least two FW-1000 fighters appeared 190 meters behind or above them. If the pilot was lucky enough, he would see "only one" BF-109 with the Edelweiss logo in his rearview mirror, and the black muzzle of the MG151-20mm machine gun in the propeller shaft was exposed...

In such an atmosphere, Tovey on the Duke of York could only look in despair at the Allied fighter planes that were already in chaos in the sky through the radar that had not been interfered with. Without their knowing, their number was decreasing!

"The radio station hasn't contacted the plane yet?!" Tovey gritted his teeth, but was helpless.

"Can't get in touch, sir..." In front of the fleet commander who was suppressing his anger like a volcano and could erupt at any time, the British communications director looked as if he had lost his parents.

Tovey's face changed from blue to white. He finally controlled his emotions and asked another question through his teeth: "How far are we from the Germans? Have we reached the 44,000-yard range?!"

Hearing this question, the navigator and the radar soldier looked at each other. In the end, the navigator smiled bitterly and reported, "General, the current distance is about 40 kilometers, but... our speed is no longer close to theirs..."

Tovey's expression changed: "No closer? What do you mean?"

"That is to say... the distance between us and them has begun to increase..." The navigator smiled bitterly and pointed at the distance reading scale on the radar screen: "It was 43,700 yards before, but... now it is 44,100 yards... No! It is now 44,200 yards... General?"

"retreat!"

Before the navigator finished speaking, he heard a word that was forced out from between his teeth with great reluctance. Then everyone in the command room saw that Tovey, who had been standing stiffly and stubbornly, had now collapsed like a deflated ball, slumped down on his seat, his face turning blue and red, and he was breathing heavily.

"General! Are you okay?..."

Seeing this scene, the officers and soldiers in the command room immediately became chaotic and surrounded him. Some called for the military doctor, and some pinched the Ren Zhong point. It was exactly the same as the scene more than two years ago when Admiral Pound was hospitalized because of Tovey's anger.

If Tovey is born, why is Lütjens born...

---

On June 18th, around 6 a.m., the sun was shining brightly.

The remnant of the North Atlantic Current in the Norwegian Sea makes this mild sea area very different from the cold Greenland Sea.

After a night of racing, their expeditionary fleet finally got rid of the last harassment from the Allied forces.

In fact, after 10 o'clock last night, Bismarck had already stopped Tovey and started to evacuate. After the recent contact between the two fleets, he had no way to slow down their pace, and there was no other way. Tovey was also a rational commander, and he evacuated immediately when he knew he could not catch up.

When the news of Tovey's fleet's withdrawal was learned, the entire fleet cheered.

They are finally going home.

So, after a night's rest, the crew woke up early the next morning, ate the breakfast carefully prepared by the kitchen, and then looked forward to seeing the familiar flag appear before their eyes on the bridge or on the deck.

Because they were drifting on the sea, in order to maintain the food supply, the kitchens on the ships would tighten their belts. But today, Lütjen gave a special order that since they would soon meet the receiving fleet, the breakfast for the entire fleet was extremely rich and everyone enjoyed the meal very much.

There were even quite a few people who brought some leftovers to the bridge, which made Bismarck roll his eyes helplessly.

She knew the meal was good, but she didn't want to be like a beggar...

There were no combat alerts, no high winds and waves. The rare good weather seemed to be prepared for their meeting. The soldiers on the bridge were in a very good mood and were happily chatting about something. Lütjens rarely interrupted them, as he himself would occasionally look forward with a telescope.

Of course, Bismarck had the sharpest eyes.

"Captain! I see them!" She shouted before anyone else could see them with their own eyes.

On the bridge of the battleship Bismarck, the jubilant Bismarck was gesticulating and pointing at the sea ahead. On the sea and sky in the morning light, although the crew could not see clearly, she could clearly see that two tankers, escorted by three destroyers and four large torpedo boats, were slowly heading towards her under the bright sunshine in the east. At the same time, a brigade of BF-110 heavy fighters that came to provide air cover had already lined up in battle formation and appeared between the clouds above her head.

Bismarck, who saw this scene, happily ran to the bridge, jumped and waved at the fighter planes flying in the sky, leaving trails of clouds behind.

When they were about to fly over the fleet, the BF110s quickly changed their formation into a V shape, lowered their altitude, and whizzed past the heads of the battleships.

V, Victory!

Although this is the English meaning, the meaning of this word is universally used. The sailors on the deck were boiling with excitement, the cheers were deafening, and many people threw up their hats - and then were blown into the sea by the wind.

He would probably be scolded to death by his superior.

The fleet of aircraft used a formation to congratulate the battleship Bismarck - rather than Bismarck, it was all four battleships of the Greater German Navy's Eastern Expeditionary Fleet that had returned from the Long March. They used the numerous scars engraved on their steel bodies to write down their glorious military exploits!

The warships on both sides saw each other and began to slow down.

Bismarck saw that the opposing warships were already using light signals to congratulate and express their respect.

Lütjens smiled and asked the officers below to return the same signal, while he said to Bismarck.

"Pass the order down. The fleet will be divided into two parts. You and Tirpitz, Prince Eugen and Zeppelin, prepare to replenish fuel and other supplies."

"Understood!" Bismarck agreed, but then asked, "Captain, what is the order of replenishment?"

"Together." He said simply.

In order to prevent any accidents, Lütjens must reduce the time for refueling to a minimum. Although refueling at the same time is difficult, it is undoubtedly efficient.

"Got it." Bismarck happily told his sisters. To be honest, after the last sprint, their fuel tanks were almost empty. If they didn't refill it, they would run out of fuel soon. Only with fuel could they continue to move forward.

"Finally, there's oil." The hamster touched his belly, hummed, lifted up his clothes and showed his pity to the captain, "Lindman, look, my belly is flat."

"Bah, I think you ate too much this morning and you're full!" He smiled and rubbed the hamster's head. It was obviously bulging!

The crew members on the bridge couldn't help laughing. They saw clearly how much breakfast their big battleship had eaten this morning.

The oil tankers came closer and turned at the same time, starting to keep the same direction as the fleet.

Several new warships were on guard at the back. When they passed by Lütjens' fleet, they looked at these wounded steel behemoths with admiration. These behemoths were covered with bullet holes, marks of burnt flames, and twisted steel plates. But even so, they still came back with unparalleled military exploits.

Even if the news was not reliable, everyone knew how much damage Lütjens had caused to the Allied forces.

The whistle sounded in unison.

Bismarck and Tirpitz slowed down first and caught up with the oil tanker, sailing side by side with the oil tanker, one on the left and one on the right.

The oil pipe was pulled onto their deck, and then flowed into the oil tank through the hole in the deck.

When refueling, the crews of both sides waved to each other from a very close distance. At this moment, this sea of ​​joy has even spread to the entire sea, telling the atmosphere of joy. On the warships, everyone was cheering and jumping for joy, and military caps were flying everywhere. Whether it was the sailors, officers, or even the warships themselves, they were all cheering and encouraging for their triumphant expedition.

On the bridges of the four warships, Fleet Commander Lütjens, Major General Bonte, Major General Lindemann, and Colonel Top, although each of them was trying their best to maintain the dignity of the captains, just stood there, quietly looking at their warships and cheering with the sailors on their warships.

Amidst the excitement, some sailors shed tears, expressing their excitement for returning safely and mourning for their brothers who died in battle.

They finally returned home, but some remained in the ocean forever.

However, those who are alive must continue to fight.

It has been a full year and a month since the fleet was ordered to enter the Mediterranean in May 41. During this period, this fleet with great military achievements defeated the Gibraltar Fortress, covered the airborne troops in the capture of Malta, fought side by side with the African Corps to capture Tobruk, and won the battle of El Alamein with bloody battles. Even in the Battle of Alexandria and the Crusades, the carrier-based aviation soldiers assigned to the Eastern Fleet fought hard.

Or it could be the loneliness of the girl in the Arctic Ocean, the anguish of taking the blame for contributing to the Battle of Bear Island, the clown with ulterior motives in the vice-captain's room, or the treatment of exile under the name of "single-ship commerce disruption", and of course, the excitement and joy of the reunion of sisters.

After leaving North Africa and guarding the Indian Ocean, whether it was the "eye-opening" things he saw and heard when visiting the occupied Ceylon, or the Indian Ocean interception (Operation Support) that killed Admiral Somerville, and the sudden change in the war situation that followed, he had to embark on this breakout battle that lasted more than two months, breaking through numerous obstacles, defeating the two fortress garrisons at the Cape of Good Hope and Bermuda, and breaking through thousands of miles to return home... All these hardships, great sacrifices, and heavy losses, weren't they all for the two words "go home"?

Fortunately, this lonely fleet that had drifted in a foreign land has finally returned. It has overcome all the difficulties and obstacles along the way and returned safely to its own country.

At this time, on the deck and in the cabin, someone took the lead, and the sailors even hummed a tune that they didn't know where it came from, and the lyrics were obviously changed:

We are the German Eastern Fleet (We are the German Eastern Fleet)

Des Führers verwegene Truppen (Fighting for the leader with all his heart)

Like terrible lightning in a rainstorm (Like a terrible lightning in a rainstorm)

Versalzen dem Tommy die Suppen (Make even bread taste bitter and salty for the British)

We are not afraid of the heat and the desert (We are not afraid of the heat and the desert)

We despise thirst and the sun (We despise thirst and the sun)

Marshals march to the beat of the military song

Vorw"arts, vorw"arts (forward, forward)

Let's move on to Lütjens! (Let's move on to Lütjens!)

The Brits see us as a disaster (The British see us as a disaster)

Sie sitzen auf glühenden Kohlen (sitting on the ground and trembling)

Your territory stretches from east to west (Your territory stretches from east to west)

He is a fraud (but he is a deceitful person)

Sind Churchhill and Roosevelt auch Wut entbrannt (Churchill and Roosevelt roared one after another)

But sooner or later we will kick you out.

……

I don't know why, although the tune is very simple and rhymes, the more I listened to it, the more I felt it became more and more awkward.

It's like...something that belongs to my friend was brought to my house for no apparent reason...

(PS: This song was originally the military song of the African Corps: "Our Rommel")

---

At the same time, on the distant Eastern Front, Rommel, who was inspecting the front, suddenly felt that his hat was a little green...

Shaking his head and spitting, the fox cursed inwardly, "It was obviously me first... What the hell is this feeling!"

However, at this moment, he was no longer in the mood to think about these trivial things.

Even for a veteran who had fought hundreds of battles and could be said to have crawled out of a pile of dead bodies, the cruelty of the Eastern Front was still far beyond his imagination. Right in front of him, in the basement of a factory workshop - this was the last Soviet stronghold in Orel that had just been cleared by the commandos. Now Rommel, who came to inspect the battle situation in person, saw the cruelty of this war.

Looking at the bodies of several Soviet soldiers in the stronghold, holding rifles that had run out of bullets but had bayonets installed, and pulling the grenades that had been pulled but not thrown out in time, Rommel always felt a little silent.

Fox had seen this scene many times in the past few months. Obviously, this was another stronghold that resisted to the last soldier. Although, this should also be the last organized Soviet army in Oryol.

Although, even at this moment, there are still a few sporadic gunshots coming from the city...

In Rommel's view, the resistance will and weapons of these Russians were completely different from those of the British in North Africa! The British were more steel than courage, and would even surrender when surrounded or thought there was no hope. Both sides could still maintain some "chivalry". But here, the cruelty of war was fully demonstrated!

The soldiers who resisted to the end, the will to never surrender, and even the civilians took up arms and fought desperately with the Soviet army. In order to put an end to the resistance, and at the same time, according to the order of the Führer, the Russian civilians here had to be killed to "make room for living" for the German nation.

If North Africa represents a kind of chivalry, here it is a life-and-death feud!

In other words, according to the words of a Soviet political commissar who was captured and still looked down upon and begged for death, Rommel himself said: "You and the British are just internal conflicts of the same class, so you look so gentle and elegant. As for our Soviets, there is no point in talking to you, the French running dogs of Japan!"

Is that really the case?

Rommel was a little confused. But deep down, he still felt that his leader was right. Whether it was the historical ethnic hatred or the "irrational" factors, the Soviet Union and Germany were now at the point of a fight to the death, and one of them had to die!

The road from here to Moscow is still long. The Soviets ahead of them have deployed more complete positions ahead of them, using the cover of Orel, which is fighting to the death. According to the judgment of the headquarters "Wolf's Lair", the German army must completely occupy Moscow before the winter comes at the end of the year and the heavy snow blocks the road! Otherwise, in the future of 1943, the situation will become more dangerous as the United States completes its wartime mobilization and the US troops across the Atlantic officially join the war!

but……

The Soviets were united as one. Even the scattered troops and civilians transformed themselves into guerrillas and continued to resist behind the front lines - and Rommel had never even heard of such a war before!

The war has sunk into the quagmire of Russia. Although the German army still seems invincible, it has indeed begun to show a trace of fatigue. Even though the Soviets still suffered heavy losses, their reinforcements from the rear are still endless. Not to mention, behind Germany, Britain is still struggling to survive, and on the other side of the Atlantic, there is an old Sam who claims to be free but is actually shameless and picks up bargains...

The next war will obviously be even more dangerous. By then, what will happen to me and the country I am loyal to...

The eyes of the "Desert Fox", a veteran German general in North Africa, were filled with worry about the war situation and confusion about the future...

Will they win?

Rommel once believed it firmly, but now he was a little shaken.

But no matter what, as long as he is still here, the battle must go on!

(End of this chapter)

ps: 10,000 words...

Chapter 738: Lütjens' New Job

The bombing of Berlin last night caused huge damage to the city. When he woke up this morning, he saw columns of smoke rising everywhere in Berlin. Hitler was so angry that he didn't even have breakfast. He came over early in the morning and scolded the Berlin air defense commander.

When Raeder came in, the air defense commander was just coming out of the room with a face uglier than crying.

"What's the matter?" Hitler asked loudly, with extreme impatience in his tone.

"Führer, Lütjens and his men are back. They have arrived in Norway and sent a report on the situation."

In the office of the mustache, Raeder handed him a report with an expressionless face: a telegram from the Norwegian Theater Command of the German Navy, which said that their destroyers and supply ships had received the Lütjens fleet. The telegram also came with a detailed combat situation report. It was so detailed that even through the submarine cable from Berlin to Norway, which was connected to an automatic decoder and could not be leaked by radio, it took an hour to receive it.

"Oh? Lütjens finally broke through and came back? This is good news! Where is the stuff they sent? Let me see it."

After hearing Raeder's report, the mustache finally showed interest, and all the anger he had suffered before was swept away. He almost forgot that no matter how much he suffered at home and how difficult the battle on the Eastern Front was, he still had a fleet that was invincible! This fleet caused incomparable losses to the Allied forces!