Chapter 1,120 Receiving the Fleet
Chapter 1120 Receiving the Fleet
"Yes, it's time for us to take action. Are the three camouflage ships in place?" the prince asked after reading the telegram.
"Already in place. Lieutenant General Hipper wants to personally lead the team to pick up his men." Lieutenant General Scheer said.
"Hipper? Let him go on the Seydlitz, but don't go with the other battlecruisers. Let him go with the third battleship squadron." The prince had no intention of holding another meeting to discuss anything. Directly ordered.
"Third Battleship Squadron? Those three new Bavarias? Well, they belong to the High Seas Fleet Headquarters." Scheer said with some surprise, asking Hipper to take the battleships that did not originally belong to him to carry out the mission. This, Is it really good?
"If you don't let them go, who will let them go? Don't forget that two of our three camouflaged ships are imitations of the Bavaria-class appearance, and one is a reference to the battlecruiser. If the British discover that we are in the port If there are 11 Bavaria ships, they will definitely find something fishy in them. So since the fakes are coming, the real ones will naturally go out. And I always feel that the Bavaria class is more stable," the prince said.
The prince's idea is very simple. Three camouflage ships are used to fill the main fleet, and then the real ships are replaced to perform the response mission. This response task is not easy to accomplish. The size of the attacking fleet cannot be too large, otherwise the main fleet will be empty. The British planes can fly to the vicinity of Wilhelmshaven. If you find that there are too few battleships, you will definitely think of one. A German fleet moved out of the other exit. So with three camouflages coming, the number of warships that will go out is only 3 to 4, not more.
It is possible to encounter the Thomas fleet when going out to meet them, and the Thomas fleet has 10 fast battleships. It is uncertain how many ships the Blücher can attract, so the receiving fleet needs to be ready for a fight at all times. In terms of combat effectiveness, The Moltke-class battlecruiser is lower than the Helgeland-class, and the Helgeland-class is lower than the Bavaria-class. If there are three Bavaria-class battlecruisers, plus Seydlitz and Moltke, the British will have 3 queens and 4 ships. The prince is not worried about battlecruisers. Even if more warships come, there is a high probability that they will evacuate. But it is not possible to change to other types of battleships. Therefore, in order to ensure that this operation can proceed smoothly, the prince decided to dispatch the three Bavarian-class battleships that were newly commissioned and in the best condition!
"So is the High Seas Fleet going to attack?" Scheer then asked.
"It depends on the situation. We first need to know the situation of the British fleet. If they are very close, then don't go out." The prince said hesitantly. In fact, the main warships of the High Seas Fleet can enter and exit Yarde Bay only during high tide. At low tide, the water depth is not enough... If the other party really blocks the door and the fleet cannot return home, the problem will be a bit serious...
"Or in other words,
If British airships and planes can fly over our ports, then we will not need to go to sea, because the purpose of our existence is to tell the British that we are all in the port and no main warships will enter the North Sea. "The prince said with a smile.
"A British plane flew over our port? This is a very bad experience!" Lieutenant General Scheer said with a slight embarrassment. Although the German Navy attaches great importance to the role of the air force, due to the limited size of the German air force and the need to resist the powerful air forces of Britain and France on the Western Front, the German Navy does not yet have an independent aviation force. There are a few planes, but they are not large enough.
In the private meeting after returning this time, Hipper once told Scheer very worriedly that in the future, in addition to dealing with the large fleet at sea, the German fleet would also have to beware of British bombers in the port that would come at any time. , they can bomb the army, and naturally they can also bomb the aircraft parked in the port. After this naval confrontation, Scheer no longer paid attention to the air defense issues of the High Seas Fleet, but became worried!
"Yes, V1500 came out too early." The prince also sighed and said. Historically, the V1500 four-engine heavy bomber, which was the highest achievement of World War I aircraft, did not have any impressive record. The fundamental reason was that it came out too late. The war was almost over when it entered service, so it naturally did not need too much. The number is limited, and the effect is naturally limited, but in this plane, the appearance of this behemoth caught Germany a little off guard. Fortunately, the Bavarian Air Force's Tracer twin-engine interceptors are already in large-scale service. After killing the Russian Ilya bombers, these idle hunters might as well take on the air defense mission of the German Navy first!
Of course, simply supporting an air defense network in his own home is not the prince's ultimate goal. He has more plans. But now, for the High Seas Fleet, the most urgent task is how to get the Moltke back to the homeland!
"Act tonight. Our fleet movements are strictly confidential only at night. Your fleet will first arrive at the Baltic Sea through the Kiel Canal, where there is a seaplane carrier, a light cruiser squadron and 2 destroyer squadrons waiting for you. , take them through the Skagerrak, and then meet our warriors in the distance. Note, be sure to keep the radio silent. Do not actively send signals before the other party finds you. After the British fleet arrives near the German coast, we will send you signals at any time. Pay attention to your opponents and tell you relevant information. As for how to make a decision, it’s up to you.”
Later, when explaining the task to Hipper, the prince said this. It is impossible for a prince to do everything himself, and he must always let the commanders below him have some responsibility and decision-making ability. The overall layout has been completed, it depends on how well the people below do it.
So that night, after returning to the port and having just two hot meals, the British fleet went out again. From Jericho to ordinary soldiers, they gnawed on the burgers in their hands, drank hot coffee and went to their posts again. . At the same time, the high seas fleet's replacement work was also in progress. In the Kiel Canal after martial law, Hipper took his four warships to pass through as quickly as possible. After they arrived, the three ships looked majestic in appearance, but in fact The camouflaged ship, which was a civilian ship, arrived in Wilhelmshaven through the Kiel Canal.
On this night, far away in the vast Norwegian Sea, Blücher was leading the cruiser Wiesbaden into the North Sea at a speed of 20 knots. Although it has been used as a bait, Colonel Hullhouse still hopes that a miracle can happen. In about 8 hours a night, at a speed of 20 knots, the fleet can run 160 nautical miles, which is more than 300 kilometers! This speed cannot be said to be slow, but for the Royal Navy, which has formed an encirclement situation and is equipped with powerful air and sea reconnaissance forces, it is not too difficult to find them. More importantly, the British fleet has already blocked With two channels to return home, the Blücher can only wander around the sea!
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