Chapter 1111 Contact
Chapter 1111 Contact
The six light cruisers commanded by Commodore Goodnow formed an arc-shaped cordon in front of the three battlecruisers. Half an hour ago, they received a telegram from a reconnaissance aircraft, confirming the approximate position of the German fleet, and 15 Minutes later, two J-1S seaplanes appeared in his sight, and shot down a British seaplane in front of him.
"Turn left 4 compass points, we need to get closer." The commodore ordered, and then six 5,000-ton light cruisers drew arcs on the sea and headed in the general direction of Hipper's fleet. At this time, the Hipper fleet also received a telegram from the seaplane. While notifying the Scheer fleet, three battlecruisers quickly rushed forward.
If someone turned on God's perspective at this time, they would have discovered that at this time the two fleets were approaching each other at a relatively high speed of more than 50 knots. The Germans were trying to kill the British light cruiser squadron, while the British were trying to pass through the Germans. Battlecruiser interception, see what's behind.
"The other party is very experienced." Looking at the British light cruiser coming back from its own route at a wide angle. Hipper couldn't help but praise the other party. The British light cruiser squadron did not charge directly at the German battlecruisers, which would be seeking death. Instead, they chose an angle of 70 degrees to the German fleet route to charge. From this angle In the case of a charge, the speed change rate between the two sides is very large, so the long-range firepower advantage of the German battlecruisers is limited. However, Major General Goodnow's abilities didn't stop there. When the two sides approached 15 kilometers, a sudden change occurred!
The British flagship Southampton quickly turned around in the hail of bullets from the German fleet and released a smoke screen at the same time. Before the smoke screen obscured the entire British fleet, the Birmingham and Nottingham following behind also followed and headed toward the counterattack under the cover of the smoke screen. direction to escape. At this time, they were only 12 kilometers away from the Hipper fleet. They were not hit at this time. In addition to poor shooting conditions, luck was also an important factor. Of course, the British could not count on their own Good luck all the time!
The three German battlecruisers did not give up. Under the guidance of two seaplanes, Seydlitz and von der Tann continued to fire at the departing British light cruisers. The Derflinger, which was at the end of the queue, quietly left the fleet. The German light cruisers that originally followed the battlecruisers also adjusted their routes.
"Interesting. Are you playing tricks on me?" Hipper sneered as he looked at the smoke screen behind him that was gradually blown away by the thick smoke.
When the smoke gradually dissipated, three figures suddenly rushed out from under the cover of the smoke! Goodnow had a total of six light cruisers, three of which turned in, but the other three had been lingering under the cover of the smoke screen. Led by Dublin, the three light cruisers Fearless and Champion suddenly rushed over after the German fleet passed in front of them!
Goodnow's idea is very good. He definitely won't be able to get through by himself.
Even if three battlecruisers cannot defeat 6 light cruisers at the same time, the Germans are followed by a light cruiser detachment. Based on the experience and lessons of the last naval battle, the 175MM turret gun equipped by the German light cruisers is more powerful than the British light cruisers. It is said to be very fatal, so there is no future in charging hard. He could only use a few cruisers to attract the opponent's attention, and at the same time release smoke to cover the other three cruisers and wait for an opportunity to pass through the opponent's interception. Unfortunately, his idea was discovered. At this moment, the K-1S seaplane, which was always hovering in the sky of the British fleet, first discovered something was wrong. After informing Jericho of this situation, the tragedy of the British was doomed!
The smoke screen not only blocks the opponent's view, but also blocks our own. The Derflinger and the other four German light cruisers have already laid out a pocket waiting for the British to rush out!
The Dublin was surrounded by dense water jets as soon as it emerged from the smoke! He was very unlucky. He hit the muzzle of the Derflinger as soon as he came out. The light cruiser was only 8 kilometers away from the Derflinger at this time! The eight 350MM heavy guns lying flat didn't even use corrective fire. They hit the target in the first round, and in the second round, two 350MM shells hit the slender hull of the Dublin!
The first shot hit the bow part of the ship, blowing a 6-inch gun directly into the air, and also chipped a piece of the front of the hull! It's like being bitten by a shark! The violent explosion tore a hole several meters wide in the bow of the ship, and hundreds of tons of seawater poured in within minutes. And another shell hit the bridge of the cruiser! This shot directly cut half of the bridge off the hull, and most of the command team was almost wiped out by this shot. By now, the fate of the light cruiser had been determined.
The Fearless was the second one to be killed. As soon as it came out, it was targeted by 3 German light cruisers! In an instant, more than 10 175MM artillery pieces delivered more than 1 ton of shells to this poor British cruiser in less than 2 minutes! Huge fireballs shot out one after another from the hull of the Fearless. The flames and debris impacted the already very fragile hull, blowing the cabins to pieces. The mere 3-inch armor belt was like paper in front of the 175MM armor-piercing projectile.
The entire battle lasted for more than ten minutes. After losing its ability to move, the Fearless was finally completely sent to the bottom of the sea by two torpedoes. Then the light cruiser Champion was very lucky. He was just stared at by a German light cruiser. After realizing that the situation was not good, he immediately turned around and fled. He received a few shells and the loss was not great. Finally, he escaped before other German warships could react. This is just a small-scale test between the two parties. While Derflinger and the subsequent light cruisers were dealing with the British, Seydlitz and Blücher encountered Hood's battlecruisers.
"It's a German battle cruiser!" an officer said, pointing to the German battle cruiser appearing on the sea level in the distance.
"Two ships, it's a bit troublesome." Hood looked at his opponents in the distance, and then looked back at his three battlecruisers. I felt really unsure. The other party's price was 350MM for 8 doors and 305MM for 9 doors. In terms of defense, it is several levels higher than mine. In theory, there are 24 305MM artillery pieces on our side. In fact, due to the poor turret layout, only 18 main guns can be used.
"Commodore Goodnow sent a telegram that the Germans and a battlecruiser will arrive soon," an officer said.
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