Chapter 1375 Battle in the Gulf of Riga 1

Chapter 1375 Battle in the Gulf of Riga 1

"It seems that our operation this time will be very pleasant." Under the guidance of the minesweeper, Rear Admiral Hopman's light cruiser squadron successfully crossed the Ilbe Strait with a large group of destroyers. And when he was about to enter the bay, he saw black smoke rising high in the distance, and that was exactly the direction of Fort No. 43. Well, very good, very powerful!

However, not only the No. 43 turret, the German major general was surprised to find that the other two turrets also had no information. One of them is easy to understand. You can understand it when you see the blazing flames on the turret through the telescope, and the last No. 39 turret Why no response? Aren't you scared?

However, no matter what, today's mission must still be carried out. According to his plan, the major general decided to intercept the Russian transport fleet entering the bay from the north before lunch, and then go south. Under the guidance of the aircraft, he used artillery shells to intercept the Russian transport fleet entering the bay from the north. Explode the Gulf of Riga.

"In this case, the Russians shouldn't be able to sit still, right?" Major General Hopman said in his heart.

Rear Admiral Hopmann's Fourth Light Cruiser Division had a total of four ships, namely Kolburg, Strasbourg, Augsburg and Danzig. They are all light cruisers equipped with six 175MM turret guns and a displacement of about 7,000 tons. The side string armor belt and weapon defense can fully resist the attack of the 6-inch gun. The maximum speed is generally above 26 knots. Under the warning of aircraft, even if it encounters the Russian Borodino-class fast battleship, it can completely run away.

"Our mission today is to kill the Russian transport fleet and throw all the remaining artillery shells into the Port of Riga. Well, that's it, we must hurt the Russians!" Just when Major General Hopman gave this order Soon after, the red team responsible for aviation alert sent intelligence on the Russian transport fleet entering the Gulf of Riga from the north.

"Two obsolete light armored cruisers, and 12 destroyers, covering 23 transport ships. Well, very good, very delicious food." After Rear Admiral Hopman calculated the strength in his hands, he quickly led the fleet to the Russian fleet. heading in the direction.

At this time, Lieutenant General Bashilev, commander of the Russian Gulf of Riga Defense Fleet, who was covering the transport ship, was commanding the armored cruisers Luna and Admiral Makanov and 3 detachments, a total of 12 destroyers, heading from north to south. Just half an hour ago, he received a telegram from the Luftwaffe to bomb No. 43 Fort and the Port of Riga, which made him feel that a crisis was coming. So, he decided to send a telegram to the superiors, hoping that they could strengthen the defense force of the Gulf of Riga.

However, it is a pity that before the telegram was sent, the shadow of the ship appearing from the southwest gave the Russian general a chill to his bones! Even if you can’t see the flag clearly. Bashilev also knew that this was definitely the German fleet! Because there have never been more than three Russian light cruiser-class battleships in the entire port! As for the dreadnought? That was even more impossible. All the battleships were concentrated under General Essen.

(Although the Russian Baltic Fleet in this plane has very strong dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts, it has almost no pre-dreadnoughts. The pre-dreadnoughts and quasi-dreadnoughts after the Russo-Japanese War were either deployed elsewhere or retired to save money. So it’s glorious. There is no such thing as Prince and others. Historically, armored cruisers like Bayan were also lightweight versions. Their firepower was close to the British CL. Their defense was better, but their speed was worse.)

"They are German light cruisers, four in total! The fleet is ready to meet the enemy! The transport fleet returns along the same route!" After a moment's hesitation, Lieutenant General Bashilev issued the order! In his opinion, this battle was doomed to be a disaster. Although the number of battleships on both sides is the same, their light cruisers have an absolute advantage in terms of quantity and quality. The light cruisers are 4 to 2, and the destroyers are 10 to 12... No matter how you look at it, why do you feel that your chances of winning here are too small!

However, looking at the slow transport ship behind, Bashilev still had the courage to get on board! Taking the entire fleet on the road of no return...

"Your Excellency Major General, the Russian transport ships began to turn around and return. Their fleet rushed up." An officer reported.

"No matter what, let's take out this Russian fleet first. As for the transport ship force, we can attack it as much as we can, but remember, we must not enter the Moon Strait. There are minefields and forts there." Rear Admiral Hopman thought for a moment. said. "The fleet is preparing to meet the enemy. Let's kill the two Russian cruisers first. Leave the destroyers to the destroyers."

15 kilometers! Four German light cruisers formed a battle line headed by Kolburg. The German destroyers deployed on the engagement side of the light cruiser detachment, forming a wide defensive array, preparing to deal with Russian torpedo attacks.

12 kilometers! The four German light cruisers were grouped in twos and successfully locked the two Russian light cruisers in the distance. A total of 12 twin 175MM turrets rotated slowly, and the slender barrels pointed at the target in the distance. When the data reported by the rangefinder is finally settled through the central fire control system and transmitted to each gun position, the battle finally begins!

"Fire!" As the attack order was issued, a series of flames instantly appeared in the German light cruiser fleet in the distance. Fireballs erupted from the muzzle. The armor-piercing projectile weighing 75KG roared towards the Russian cruiser in the distance. You must know that at this distance, the Russian 6-inch gun cannot effectively attack at all!

boom! Pillars of water enveloped the two Russian cruisers. At this distance, the first attack clamped the target, and then, four German light cruisers turned to attack in turn. At this moment, the advantage of German artillery's high rate of fire was once again fully demonstrated. When Strasbourg and Danzig were the fastest, the maximum rate of fire of the main guns reached 8 rounds per minute!

"Our last round of shells has not yet fallen into the water, and the next round of shells has already flown out of the muzzle!" After the war, the gunnery officer on the Strasbourg showed off to his colleagues.

Such dense artillery shells indeed achieved a very good result when facing the Russians who fought against the German light cruiser squadron for the first time. Even before the Russians could react, a series of artillery shells fell on the Russian warships. superior.

In one minute, the Moon Goddess was hit at least 8 times! The two single-mounted 6-inch guns at the front of the hull were easily destroyed like cardboard boxes. The dense shells broke the chimney, penetrated the gun gallery, and opened at least three large holes at the waterline. Bashilev felt as if he was trapped in a flaming hell, and the sounds of explosions kept coming. In just a few minutes, the entire superstructure was in flames. The artillery array on the side strings lost more than 70% of its firepower under the intensive attacks.

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