"The destroyers moved closer to me, lined up and prepared to fight! "Icarus" led three destroyers to block the German destroyer fleet in Lombards Bay, preventing them from coming out to join the German Navy's battleships!" Vice Admiral Whitworth of the USS battleship was very surprised when he saw the sudden appearance of the German battleship, but he still had to calm down because of his duty and issued a series of orders.
Vice Admiral Whitworth now regrets his mistake. If after rendezvous with the home fleet, he comes to Narvik Port to cause trouble for the German destroyer fleet, even if all the large German warships come together, Whitworth The Vice Admiral wouldn't care either.
What makes Vice Admiral Whitworth depressed is that the damn weather is also on the side of the Germans. The rainy weather has greatly reduced the efficiency of the British Air Force's reconnaissance aircraft, and they have not discovered the three German naval ships in front of them at all. The giant battleship has resulted in its current passive position.
"Boom..." The roar of the eight twin-mounted 380MM main guns on the Bismarck battleship forced Vice Admiral Whitworth to return to reality from deep thinking. At the same time, it also saved the British Air Force and prevented Whitworth from letting go. Vice Admiral Sri Lanka scolded the British Air Force again.
The German destroyer fleet, which was already in trouble and retreated into Lombards Bay, would be wiped out by the British Navy if nothing else happened, because the destroyers could not pose a threat to Warspite at all. However, with the battleship Bismarck and Scharnhorst With the emergence of the battlecruiser Gneisenno, this problem no longer exists. The German destroyer fleet, which had lost its fighting spirit, under the leadership of Major General Bondi and Colonel Bey, seems to have regained its fighting spirit, and is constantly preparing to try to escape from the battle. Lombards Bay juts out.
However, the German destroyer fleet that had retreated into Lombacks Bay would not be so easy to come out again. Under the order of Vice Admiral Whitworth, the British Navy's "Icarus" led three destroyers to Lombucks Bay. The exit of the Gulf of Slovenia is tightly blocked. The small dead port prevents the German Navy's destroyer fleet from exerting its numerical advantage. On the contrary, the naval battle at Narvik Port just made Rear Admiral Bondi's destroyer fleet unable to exert its numerical advantage. , almost all the ammunition has been used up. The nine destroyers now only have ammunition, "Wilhelm Heidkamp", "Arnim", "Lüdemann", and "Zenkel". The remaining ships The only weapons left now are the torpedoes on the destroyer.
The four British destroyers had the advantage of the terrain and had sufficient ammunition, while the German destroyer fleet was outnumbered and used more to defeat the smaller ones. The two sides continued to bombard the exit of Lombards Bay. Although the sound was very loud, both sides understood that what really decided the fate of the two sides was the duel between the battleship Bismarck and the battleship Warspite.
The battleship Bismarck and the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau formed a diagonal line. The main guns of the three giant battleships emitted a dark, metallic luster, exuding a dangerous atmosphere.
It seems that naval warfare has been the subject of study since humans were able to drift freely on the sea. In medieval Europe, naval battles mainly involved using the mainmast to ram enemy ships, and then the captains would fight in single combat or in hand-to-hand combat! Once you have artillery, you will first bombard, then close the ship with musket fire, and finally fight with bayonets! As for formations and tactics, they are available, but they are not yet mature. However, since the advent of ironclad ships in modern times, the concept of naval warfare has changed! Since the beginning of World War I, formations and tactics in naval battles have become the focus of attention from all countries! Among them, vertical, horizontal and diagonal formations are the most commonly used formations in naval battles.
The vertical formation is the earliest and most monotonous formation, and its advantage lies in the concentration of firepower on the sides. The disadvantages are in the front and rear. Once the opponent attacks from the front and back, let alone the formation, it is good to save your life! Usually they will be surrounded and then defeated one by one! Moreover, it is difficult to safely evacuate a damaged ship! However, this formation is very cruising because it can quickly transform into other formations! Therefore, contemporary fleets from various countries generally use this formation when cruising! But the fish resistance is poor. The early British naval battles are a typical example. If this formation is arranged in two consecutive rows and inserted into the air, its attack effect will be significantly enhanced, but the enemy's hit rate will also be significantly improved, because due to the high density, it is easy for the enemy to hit indiscriminately, so a captain is needed Consider carefully!
The horizontal formation can be said to be the worst formation. It has no maneuverability or tactics. Once attacked, it is very difficult to change the formation and the firepower cannot be used. It is relatively good at avoiding torpedoes because the two ships in the middle can be on friendly ships. escape with help, but will lose the outer ship. However, at least it won’t be all bad! There is also mission escort or escorting injured friendly ships. This is the best formation!
The Bismarck and other three battleships are now arranged in a diagonal formation. This formation can be said to be the most popular naval battle formation in modern times. Its advantages are: strong maneuverability, relatively concentrated firepower, good fish protection, easy conversion of formations, and balanced front and rear firepower. Moderate, can attack the enemy with flank fire almost all the time. The flaw is that the firepower on the flanks is not strong enough because the shooting range is limited. In addition, the technical requirements are very high, and it is difficult to maintain the distance between the front and rear.
When the German navy lined up its formation, Vice Admiral Whitworth already understood that the British navy's twenty-year effort to contain the German navy had completely failed. The German naval fleet in front of it was simply not in line with Whitworth's behavior. According to the judgment of Vice Admiral Sri Lanka and most of the British naval admirals, the German Navy was just a group of rookies on land, driving warships. In fact, when the Anglo-German Naval Agreement relaxed restrictions on the German Navy, the British Navy still I look down on these Germans because the German navy does not have a long naval tradition, but they seem to have forgotten the Battle of Jutland in the last war.
Although the Battle of Jutland ended with the British Navy's strategic victory, it clearly told the British Navy the fact that the Germans who grew up on the mainland could defeat the British Navy under the same conditions. .
Now, the German navy's strength here is three battleships, and the British navy they face only has one old battleship from the First World War - the battleship Warspite.
As long as there is no miracle, the German Navy will definitely win this naval battle. After arranging the diagonal formation, the German naval formation immediately began to insert diagonally into the British Navy's formation. The two battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenno were The combined 283MM main guns began to bombard the British Navy destroyers around the battleship Warspite. The battleship Bismarck has been silent, but its eight twin 380MM main guns have been aimed at the battleship Warspite, ready to fire at any time. A fatal blow.
In order to prevent his destroyer from being damaged, Vice Admiral Whitworth decided to bombard first. He also knew that this naval battle was very dangerous. The home fleet was still far away from here, and the thick clouds made it difficult for the aircraft to fly. Unable to take off, it is impossible for the powerful local fleet to give them any assistance. They can only rely on themselves. The fearless offensive spirit that has permeated the British Navy since the Nelson era also gave Vice Admiral Whitworth a firm belief that he must not let the centuries-old glory of the Royal Navy be destroyed in his own hands.
Since Nelson's time, the British Navy has been driven by a constant thought - offense - for its proud honors and long-term victories. In the history of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years, we have rarely seen British naval ships retreat when encountering superior enemies. On the contrary, no matter how weak the force is, the first decision of its commander is to attack!
Of course, Vice Admiral Whitworth was no exception: "Attack, the Royal Navy has no word for retreat. Victory will definitely belong to the Royal Navy!" Vice Admiral Whitworth roared concisely.
The eight 380MM main guns on the battleship Warspite first began to exert their power, bombarding the German navy from a distance of 15,000 yards. The 380MM shell fell on the sea, causing a huge splash.
Seeing this situation, Admiral William Marshall ordered, "The seniors in the Battle of Jutland are watching us, let the British warship opposite us, which should have been sunk in the Battle of Jutland, Completely disappear from the order of the British Royal Navy!" Following the order of Admiral William Machar, the eight 380MM main guns on the battleship Bismarck also began to show their power. This also heralded the beginning of the decisive battle of the second naval battle of Narvik.
Under the cover of the battleship Warspite, the British destroyers rushed towards the German navy, because at that distance, the destroyer's guns could not reach the German fleet at all.
"Whoosh..." On the British Navy destroyer, the torpedo launcher began to fire. Under the water, the torpedoes rushed towards the German fleet with their usual white traces.
"Report! The British destroyer fired a torpedo at us!" The staff immediately reported the news to Admiral William Machar.
"Calculate the torpedo parameters and take evasive action immediately! Fully fire the secondary guns to prevent the torpedo from approaching!" Admiral William Marshall ordered.
"Carry out evasive actions immediately..." the staff conveyed the order.
The German Navy's diagonal formation had a higher probability of evasion. Although the thirty-two torpedoes launched by the British Navy's destroyers broke through the waves and came at high speed, the fleet was overwhelmed. At such a critical moment, We still had to concentrate on avoiding torpedoes, but it didn't matter. The distance of 15,000 yards gave the German navy a chance to react, and most of the torpedoes were evaded without any danger.