Chapter 1125: Response 2

Chapter 1125 Response 2

"Damn, I didn't expect that the first hit was actually scored by the Germans." Major General Moore cursed, but he was not worried that with the huge advantage, the Germans would eventually fall into the sand. And sure enough, as he expected, when the Moltke fired the second shell accurately at the bow of the New Zealand, a 15-inch shell also hit the bow of the Moltke! A big hole was opened in the 4-inch-thick bow armor belt!

Then, the British fleet's hit rate began to rise sharply after completing the firepower coordination. In less than 3 minutes, three more artillery shells fell on the target. In addition to a 12-inch artillery shell that bounced off the armor, another artillery shell pushed an armored belt back about 8 inches! A crack more than 2 meters long was left. The last shell landed on Moltke's No. 3 turret, blowing a 350MM gun barrel into two pieces.

The Repulse and Australia alternately fired shells at the Moltke. As for the Tiger? In the history of this thing, from Dogger Sand Bank to the Battle of Jutland, there were almost no hits other than killing fish, and this is still the case in this plane. This cannot be blamed on the equipment. It can only be said that the personnel on the Tiger are really Too cowardly…. As for the New Zealand, it temporarily withdrew from the battle to put out the fire. In Moore's view, three warships are enough to defeat the opponent anyway, so why take the risk?

"Release the smoke screen, let's take shelter first." Looking at the flames rising on his rear deck, Lefetsov ordered. He can be said to be very relaxed now. Hipper's fleet is only 50 kilometers away from the battlefield at most, excluding the 20 kilometers of fighting distance. There are at most about 20 kilometers left. At this time, the warships on both sides are heading east. Although the rendezvous time will be extended, as long as they can persist for another 45 minutes, the Hipper fleet will definitely return! Judging from the current situation, my own smoke can can be used for another 30 minutes... At this time, unless there is a British submarine under the water, and then directly hits more than 3 mines, otherwise, Moltke is basically guaranteed to go home...

However, the current situation is that there is more than enough to defend and not enough to go in. It may be more difficult to keep a British battleship at this time. On the one hand, the British are very careful. Once the two first-generation battlecruisers behind them are beaten, they will immediately retreat. Unless a shot hits the ammunition depot, Moltke has no chance. Another reason is that the other two Queen-class battleships are also rushing here quickly. Maybe in an hour, the two sides will be in a 5 vs. 6 situation. On paper, the German fleet definitely has the advantage, but if the British want to leave, Hipper probably won't pursue them...

However, what Lefetzov didn't expect was that his return home time was actually earlier! It's not that Hipper's speed really soared to more than 28 knots, shortening the rendezvous time, but because the seaplane carrier carried by the Moore fleet discovered the Hipper fleet approaching in the distance!

"God, what did I see?!" Lieutenant Herbert, who was driving a Havilland seaplane, said in surprise when he looked at the four huge warships in the distance! "Damn it! Aren't all the German battleships in the military port? How come 4 of them came out at once! Oh my God! That's Bavaria! 3 Bavaria-class battleships! We are going to be finished!" The radio operator sitting in the back seat Somewhat tremblingly, he sent the news to Major General Moore.

"I XXX! What did Jericho do?! Let the German fleet slip out?!" Rear Admiral Moore cursed, if he had felt a bit crazy before. So now he feels a bit like being a dog (Japanese). He really couldn't imagine why the battle in front of him, which had some twists and turns but would eventually be won, would turn out like this. If he hadn't used a seaplane to provide reconnaissance, it would have been very possible for the opponent to fight back!

"Your Excellency, Commander, could it be that the Germans used merchant ships to disguise themselves?" an officer said reluctantly.

"Absolutely impossible!" Major General Moore said decisively. If the information is correct, the other party's speed is around 26 knots. Even today's cruise ships cannot reach this speed, and three of them were taken out at once! Does Germany have three cruise ships that are similar in size to Bavaria and can run at a high speed of 26 knots? Definitely not! Moreover, the so-called camouflage ship can at most only use the superstructure to fool it at a long distance. After the seaplane approaches, the authenticity can be judged quickly based on the shape of the ship and the speed of the ship. Therefore, Major General Moore's judgment is that there may be disguised Xibei cargo in the port, but here, these three ships must be real!

"Damn it! Evacuate quickly, get beaten up, we will join the Warrior and the Renown!" After witnessing the massacre of the British fleet by the Bavarians in the Battle of Thunder-Serbrus, Major General Moore still had a lower limit on the issue of retreat. Very low. In his opinion, it's still too late to leave now. After all, the distance between the two sides is still 40 kilometers. Although the other side's average speed is faster, it will take 8 hours to even out this distance, and 8 hours is enough. When it gets dark, the German fleet will definitely not be able to find itself.

"I'm sending a telegram to Jericho and asking him what's going on!" Major General Moore said directly without even using the honorific. What Rear Admiral Moore did was the safest way. After joining the two queens, he would definitely be more confident. If luck is better, if the other four queens can come, they can fight back. Of course, if Hipper chooses to evacuate after this, then today's battle will really be over.

"Colonel Lefetsov said in the telegram that the damage to their warships was not serious, and asked us if we want to continue fighting." A staff officer asked, holding a telegram from the Moltke.

"Forget it, our mission is just to take the Moltke home, let's go!" After taking a look at the general direction of the British fleet, Hipper suppressed the urge to catch up and ordered the fleet to rendezvous with the Moltke immediately. , and then retreated to the German mainland through the Skagerrak.

The current situation is that both sides have concerns. The Moore fleet in front of them will definitely not be able to defeat the Hipper fleet. Plus the two Queens are probably not too big. 6V5? Three Bavaria-class ships are one level stronger than three Queens. It is also very easy for Moltke and Seydlitz to fight New Zealand and Australia. What? You mean Tiger? This thing can't produce output, so don't worry about it for now.

But Hipper doesn't know the location of the other four queens. They are also fast battleships. If you want to catch up, prepare to run a marathon. If four more queens come, Hipper will not be able to afford it. Moreover, the large fleet is still in the North Sea. It is hard to say how they will react after receiving this news. So after weighing it, Hipper decided to call it quits...

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