In front of the tall bridge of the British battleship "Nelson", there are three large and solid main gun turrets arranged in a pyramid shape, with 9 thick and long gun barrels protruding from their front door-shaped gun profiles. The inherent configuration prevents them from launching salvos at the front of the battleship at the same time, but when the target appears on the left and right sides of the ship, they can deliver a fatal blow with what is known as the strongest salvo firepower in Europe.
In the command tower protected by the British battleship's heavy armor, Royal Navy Commodore Vickers Range was observing the two German warships on the sea ahead through a telescope. The fully loaded Bismarck-class battleship with a displacement of nearly 50,000 tons, its huge body It's so daunting. The scene of instantly killing the battlecruiser "Hood" was still vivid in Vickers Range's eyes.
After a brief daze, Commodore Vickers Range's eyes were full of anger, because the symbol of the Royal Navy for more than twenty years disappeared under his nose. Needless to say, the crew of the "HMS Hood" The entire army must have been wiped out. "Turn 15 degrees to the left and concentrate all the main gun fire on the enemy ship Bismarck!" Commodore Vickers Range issued this order without taking his eyes off the telescope. Commodore Vickers Range seemed to have been traumatized. The Bismarck battleship is undoubtedly easier to deal with.
"Yes, General!" The adjutant immediately conveyed instructions to the relevant departments through the ship's telephone.
The huge battleship slowly began to turn, and with it the three imposing main gun turrets on the ship. After all adjustments were completed in an orderly manner, all 16-inch cannons were pointed at the German Bismarck in front of the battleship's port side. The battleship, at this time, is pointing its bow at its own side - this posture has obvious advantages and disadvantages when avoiding the opponent's shells and attacking the opponent.
Accompanied by a loud rumbling sound. The black muzzle spurted out dazzling flames, and the shells with huge kinetic energy and destructive power roared towards the target 14,000 meters away. In the Battle of Jutland, the battlecruisers of both sides began to exchange fire at this distance. As a result, the Germans relied on precise artillery fire and effective armor-piercing shells to quickly sink the British battlecruisers "Indomitable" and "Queen Mary". " and severely damaged the "Lion". Today, the scale of this exchange of fire is much smaller, but it still has a significance that cannot be ignored for the strategies of both navies and even the entire country.
at this time. There was a huge noise in the distance, like thunder before a storm. Vickers and his deputy raised their binoculars in unison. On the distant sea, the 406mm shells previously fired by the nine main guns of the "Nelson" had just fallen. They stirred up white water columns up to tens of meters between the waves and formed a terrifying water wall. , the target warship disappeared for a while, but the experienced commander could roughly judge the effect of the bombardment through this sight.
Even though they had an inherent fear of large-caliber shells, the "Nelson"'s fairly solid armor still gave the British crew considerable confidence. Because all the big guns are located on the front side of the ship, it is jokingly called "the world's largest shallow-water heavy gunship" by some naval personnel. In fact, its navigation performance is not worse than those of ocean-going battleships, but after wearing heavy armor, it can With its main engine operating at full capacity, it can barely maintain a maximum speed of 23 knots. However, its opponent, one of the few battleships in the German Navy, has an obvious advantage in speed.
"Lohenkrahm!" Vice Admiral Lütjens said, "Now we cannot get out of the battle quickly. The 406MM main gun on the battleship Nelson poses a great threat to us. The Bismarck has been injured, although not seriously. It’s serious, but for the next stage of the battle, we still have to leave here quickly and head to the English Channel!”
"If the Bismarck is too damaged, it will definitely slow down the fleet, and then we will have to face the powerful Royal Navy!" Von Lohenkramm said, "I know how to do it! I also want to know, How powerful is the 406MM main gun on the USS Nelson! Do you want to encircle and annihilate us? Hum, dreaming!"
Royce Ram turned to look at his adjutant, who was wearing a dark blue navy uniform, and ordered, "Move the main gun target to the enemy ship Nelson, let them know how powerful our German navy is!"
Compared with the 406MM main gun on the Nelson battleship, the 380MM main gun on the German Bismarck-class battleship is obviously superior in shooting accuracy. Although there was a certain degree of luck involved in sinking the battlecruiser Hood, no one can deny that such an instant kill result can only occur if you can hit the opponent. If you cannot hit the enemy, No matter how powerful your main gun is, it won't help.
Even a battleship with unparalleled defense cannot withstand successive attacks. Although it is possible to kill the USS Hood battlecruiser instantly with a salvo, in ordinary naval battles, the opposing sides still follow the ancient According to the rules, the battle between battleships is like two heavy infantrymen covered in plate armor in the Middle Ages, hitting their opponents with hammers. Although a hit that hits the vital point is not ruled out, more often than not, the opponent's plate armor is smashed step by step.
The eight 380MM main guns of the battleship Tirpitz maintained a superb hit rate as always. This hit rate was both enviable and fearful to opponents. A high-explosive bomb hit the battleship Nelson again and was simply destroyed by the main armor. The belt was intercepted, but the huge dent left on the main armor belt still frightened the sailors nearby.
Of course, it was impossible for Commodore Vickers Range not to hear such a huge explosion. While being shocked by the German shooting accuracy, Commodore Vickers Range looked at the two German super battleships in front of him and couldn't help but feel in his heart. A moment of anxiety. As far as he knew, the Germans had not designed a battleship for twenty years. The huge chronological impact would definitely increase the difficulty of German battleship design. Even if they could barely design a new type of battleship, they would not be able to possess such terrifying power.
What Brigadier General Vickers Lange did not expect was that when a country is surrounded by powerful enemies and is determined to avenge its humiliation, it will often burst out with great strength. Germany's current scientific and technological strength in the world is no longer as good as before the First World War. Now when it comes to the application of new technologies, people often think of the United States, rather than the coexistence of Germany and the United States before the First World War.
What do people remember about Germany during World War II? A powerful army? Superb technological strength? Or the superb art of war command? Needless to say, the German Army has been very powerful since the German-French War. In terms of technological strength, although Germany is still strong, it is far behind the United States. As for the command of the war, while Guderian proposed blitzkrieg, France's De Gaulle and Marshal Tukhachevsky of the Soviet Union also proposed war theories adapted to their own countries. No matter which aspect, Germany has no absolute advantage over other opponents, and there are so many German opponents.
In fact, during the entire World War II, most of Germany's scientific and technological achievements were not put to use. After all, the tight time prevented Germany from using the theory of doomsday technology to arm its own army. The German army only used mature technologies, such as the Bismarck battleship. A first-generation product created with this mature technology.
"We can't go on like this. We must get closer to the German battleships, and then use our powerful artillery to inflict greater trauma on them!" Commodore Vickers Range did as he said and immediately ordered the Nelson to speed up and approach Tire. USS Pitts. The Nelson's abnormal behavior was immediately discovered by Vice Admiral Lütjens, who had been observing the movements of the British fleet. "They are approaching us and using powerful firepower to engage us in close combat? It's not that easy, Lohenkram, pull away and The distance between the enemy ships and at the same time maintain a certain degree of coordination with the battleship Bismarck!"
In this case, Lohengramm chose to listen to Vice Admiral Lütjens's opinion without hesitation and immediately ordered the battleship to retreat.
When the distance reached 20,000 meters, Major General Royce Ram ordered the artillery fire. Brigadier General Vickers Range immediately fired back. In an instant, artillery shells were flying across the sea, and the sound of artillery was deafening. Cannonballs exploded around the British ship, setting off huge jets of water. Although the power of Germany's 380mm caliber is not as powerful as the British 406mm cannon, the range technology of the German Navy greatly exceeds that of the British Navy. Commodore Vickers Range's battleship Nelson was repeatedly hit by shells from the battleship Tirpitz.
As time went by, Commodore Vickers Range became increasingly depressed. The shooting accuracy of the battleship Tirpitz had always been a thorn in Commodore Vickers Range's heart, and Tirpitz The strong defensive capabilities of the Ci also left Brigadier General Vickers Lange helpless. At this time, Brigadier General Vickers Lange could only hope for a miracle. A miracle did occur, and a 406 mm high-explosive shell hit the battleship Tirpitz.
Indeed, this shot directly hit the "Tirpitz", but the situation was far from as bad as the British imagined. The 406mm shell hit the main armor shell in the middle of the port side of the German battleship. The combined 150mm secondary gun turret and a 105mm twin anti-aircraft gun were blown up on the spot. Several cabins at the root of the main bridge suffered devastating blows. Almost all the communication lines on the ship were damaged. Not only the radar could not Even the radio communication was interrupted, and the violent shock also caused the 10.5-meter rangefinder on the front of the ship to malfunction. Even so, the blow was not fatal.
The battle between the battleship Bismarck and the battlecruiser Repulse also reached a fever pitch. Although the battleship Bismarck had been injured and looked very serious, it actually did not cause much damage. With the advantage in all aspects, Bismarck The battleship HMS Repulse has always had the upper hand. Every time the battlecruiser Repulse takes a hit, the British crew on the warship wonder whether the battlecruiser Repulse can block the main gun attack of the battleship Bismarck next time.
The crew's suspicions were immediately proven justified. A few minutes later, a shell penetrated the middle of the "Repulse" turret, causing a violent explosion. Except for the commander, Major Harvey, all personnel on the turret were killed on the spot. The explosion set the powder bag on fire and would soon blow up the entire warship. At this critical moment, Harvey, whose legs had been blown off, heard a weak voice through the sound tube at the last moment of his death: "Put water into the ammunition depot quickly, quickly..." "Put water into the ammunition depot immediately..." !" Under the captain's loud order. The fire was extinguished and a terrible explosion was ruled out. But the Repulse has reached its last moment at this time. If nothing else happens, the battleship Bismarck, which is all intact, only needs one more salvo to send the battlecruiser Repulse to the bottom of the sea.
The battle continued, with the battleship Tirpitz fighting and retreating. Although the battleship Nelson was hit and suffered heavy losses, with smoke billowing from the entire battleship, there was no serious damage but it still pursued closely. The results achieved by the battleship Bismarck made all the German crew members feel excited. Especially after the Repulse was severely damaged and its speed dropped, everyone could see that in just a few minutes, the outcome of this naval battle would be It ended with the complete victory of the German Navy. After the Battle of Narvik, the German Navy once again severely trampled the British Royal Navy under its feet.
Before all the German officers and soldiers could be happy, two battleships appeared in the distance and told them to come. The German officers and soldiers who were preparing to kill the battleship Nelson and the battlecruiser Repulse in one fell swoop had a ladle of cold water poured on their heads. .
"Royal Power and Rodney!" Vice Admiral Lütjens said to himself, looking at the deeply damaged Repulse and the very slow battleship Nelson! After making a painful decision, Vice Admiral Lütjens gritted his teeth and said, "Release the smoke and retreat!"
"General!" Major General Royce Ram wanted to persuade him.
"Stop talking, the German navy cannot afford any losses, and after reaching the English Channel, we can continue fighting!" Vice Admiral Lütjens said decisively, "Listen to my order and retreat!"
At this time, on the battleship "King Power" led by Lieutenant General Nelty Ramsey, Lieutenant General Nelty Ramsey looked at the four battleships that had been fighting for a long time. It was obvious that the British fleet was at a disadvantage, and the German Navy was at a disadvantage. The latest results, the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, although they have received some blows, can be compared with the British battleships that billowed with smoke and occasionally burst into flames. The situation of superiority and inferiority immediately emerged. The most important thing was that he did not see the battlecruiser Hood, and an ominous premonition rushed into Lieutenant General Nelty Ramsey's mind.
Seeing this situation, Lieutenant General Nelty Ramsey immediately ordered the battleship "Emperor Power" led by him to speed up. However, although the "Emperor Power" battleship, which is part of the Sovereign class battleship, has the consistent characteristics of British warships, that is Great firepower. But the shortcomings are also obvious. The speed of the Sovereign-class battleship is only a pitiful 22 knots, which is not even as fast as Nelson and the battleship, so it cannot quickly enter the fighting area.
At this time, the Bismarck and the Tirpitz had received orders from Vice Admiral Lütjens. Looking at the two British battleships that were about to enter the theater, Rear Admiral Ernst Lindemann weighed the pros and cons. After that, he reluctantly ordered, "Let out the smoke and retreat at full speed from the battlefield!" He no longer dared to look at the battlecruiser Repulse, which had lost its combat effectiveness, for fear that he would regret it.
Limited by the speed, Lieutenant General Nelty Ramsey watched the German battleship leave the battlefield and disappear gracefully from his sight. The angry Lieutenant General Nelty Ramsey suddenly The fist hit the wall inside the command tower.
After more than ten minutes of the naval battle, following the radio signal, Vice Admiral Lütjens reported the complete battle report of the naval battle to Hitt who was still at the base camp? Le.
Hit at this time? Le, is also waiting for the final result of this naval battle. After learning that the battlecruiser Hood had been sunk, was the happy Hitt? Le almost immediately wanted to send the news to Goebbels in Berlin, but Hitt? Le still suppressed his inner thoughts, because the final result of this naval battle has not yet been determined. If the final result of the naval battle is not conducive to the German navy, it will undoubtedly be a farce. Although Hitt ? Le tried his best to show an indifferent attitude, but the slightly white knuckles proved how nervous the master was at this time.
After an anxious wait, the radioman handed the battle report to Hit? Le time, Hit? Le almost couldn't wait to grab the battle report from the radio operator's hand, and then read it hurriedly.
Hit after reading the battle report? Le, look at the generals who have been waiting, and see that these generals have been respectfully preparing to listen to his lectures, Hit? Le was very satisfied with this effect and said in his usual arrogant tone, "I have said before that the British are not scary at all, even the so-called Royal Navy they have boasted about for hundreds of years, our warships are in the Denmark Strait It was intercepted by three British battleships, as well as the battlecruiser HMS Hood, which has been known as the symbol of the British Royal Navy for more than 20 years. But the result was that in just three salvos, our battleship Bismarck destroyed this Royal Navy. The symbol was sent to the bottom of the sea!”
"Long live victory!" Maybe these Wehrmacht generals did not really compliment the head of state in front of them, but they were really happy for the German Navy, if the German Navy could smash the British Royal Navy's blockade of Germany. This is undoubtedly a huge good thing. You know, the reason why Germany failed in World War I was because it was blocked by the British and its domestic resources were eventually exhausted, which led to its defeat. Of course, Germany did not admit defeat.
Hit? Le was very satisfied with the attitude of these generals. He believed that his long-term victory had made the generals of the Wehrmacht sincerely obey his leadership. He turned around and ordered happily, "Send this battle report to Berlin immediately and ask Goebbels to I will publicize it well and I hope all Germans can know this good news!"