Chapter 1,467 The Unexpected Appearance of the French Fleet 1
Chapter 1467 The unexpected appearance of the French fleet 1
"In this case, we may be locked by the other party's radio positioning." said an officer in charge of technology.
"Sometimes exposure is also a strategy!" Earl Spey did not hesitate at all. Still sticking to the previous order. After the staff officer took the order to execute it, Count Spee read the telegram in his hand again, and then handed it to the deputy next to him.
The content of the telegram was very simple. A few minutes ago, the Farmer airship in the sky received a set of telegrams sent with the call sign of the French main fleet! According to radio direction and ranging, the location of this signal is located 15 nautical miles southwest of the location of Count Spee's fleet! This distance is already quite close, according to the current light intensity at the location of the Earl's fleet. (Mainly due to the light when artillery fires), this French fleet can start shooting at a distance of about 15 kilometers. If this is tricked, it will definitely be defeated (after all, you can’t expect to kill a super-dreadnought with semi-armor-piercing and high-explosive bombs!) and maybe even lose a capital ship!
It was precisely because of this unexpected telegram that Count Spee issued an order to stop the attack. If he waited until the fighting was over before leaving, the French artillery shells might hit him. Of course, despite receiving the alarm, the count still had doubts about the authenticity of the telegram. This is not to say that the count has no confidence in German radio technology. In fact, the count can be sure that there must be an Allied warship 15 nautical miles southwest of his fleet, and a telegram must have been sent. This is certain, but whether this is the French fleet really coming, or whether it is just a bait, I can't say for sure!
Who told you that only the flagship can use the call sign of the main fleet? Whether in this plane, when Ruprecht commanded the fleet to fight the Battle of Dogger Sandbank, or when Scheer fought the Battle of Jutland in history, he used the call sign of the main fleet to deceive. For example, when the fleet had left, yet still allowed radio stations in the port to use the flagship's call sign to deceive the enemy. Therefore, the German High Seas Fleet can use this method, and the French can also use it!
So, in a very short period of time, several possibilities appeared in Earl Spee's mind! The first possibility is that the French fleet is really coming! However, this possibility is inconsistent with intelligence support. According to the intelligence of the air force and navy reconnaissance, the possibility of dispatching the main fleet of the French Navy is not high. So what caused their appearance? And looking at the distance from Crete to here, it is impossible to rush here just after receiving the telegram, there is not enough time!
Even if the German fleet was discovered by a French submarine as soon as it left port, it would still be impossible. The reason is very simple. The most important reason is that there is too little time. It is only so far from the Great Neil Strait, and from Crete. How far is it to here? The distance is several times different! And if this possibility is ruled out, then the hidden truth is a bit scary! Did the French learn the news through other channels and then come to plot against the German fleet? !
However, after scaring myself a bit,
Count Spee believed that the possibility of this happening was equally low. If the French really got the news, then not to mention why the French fleet did not arrive until more than an hour after the battle started, at least after they got the news that the German fleet might attack. After that, the French will definitely have to evacuate ships and people in the port, right? At least they won't leave a transport ship full of munitions for the Allied fleet to light big firecrackers, right?
Therefore, the possibility of the French receiving the signal and ambushing themselves is not high! If the French main fleet really appears here, then it is only possible that it is temporarily performing a certain mission, and then happens to pass nearby, and then rushes to the battlefield after receiving the distress telegram.
Of course, this telegram sent with the call sign of the French main fleet may also be fake. For example, under the current circumstances, the French are obviously unable to prevent the attack of the German fleet, so well, just use a telegram to scare Germany. People, hope that the other party will retreat when faced with difficulties. (This kind of thing has also happened in history. In the Battle of Dogger Sandbank, Hipper's fleet was chased by the superior Betty fleet. Ingenoer, the commander of the German fleet at the time, knew that he could not leave the port to support, but still Send a clear message to Hipper that the fleet will arrive soon. I want to scare Betty off, but Betty is not scared...)
However, no matter what the situation was, with the enemy's situation unclear and most of the combat missions already completed, Count Spee prudently chose to retreat temporarily. Before leaving, he also ordered the fleet to use the original frequency to communicate with the Bavarian Second Air Force for a purpose. This time, the German fleet was not afraid of exposing the target, because now its position has been exposed, and using the British and French may already know The purpose of communication on the frequency band is to tell Britain and France that there is someone behind them! And sailing north is even more high-speed. The opponent wants to grab a handful and leave. If you have the ability, you can compare the speed with me and see if you can get ahead of me! Or are you planning to use warships to test the minefield at the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait? !
But what was Count Spey's choice? This also depends on the subsequent battlefield situation. The count now wants to know whether the French fleet is coming or not! Who is coming! Then at this time, about 15 nautical miles southwest of the port of Eressos, Vice Admiral Le Bris, commander-in-chief of the French main fleet, looked at the fire in the distance and couldn't help but feel angry! Even at such a distance, the fire in the port of Eressos is still so dazzling! The entire port was attacked by the German main fleet for about an hour. So one can imagine what happened to this port. The French vice-admiral also made the British jealous.
"Didn't the British brag about how successful their bombing was, destroying almost the entire Mediterranean fleet of the Allies? So what happened to the German battleships that appeared in the port now?!" Lieutenant General Le Bris was indignant. said.
Previously, he had just ordered the fleet to immediately send a signal to the British, requiring the British main fleet deployed in Athens to weigh anchor and set off immediately. It was precisely because of this telegram that it was intercepted by the Plowman airship flying in the air, exposing the position of the French fleet. .
"Your Excellency General, according to the latest intelligence from our telegraph station on the shore, the German Navy sent at least 4 battleships this time. An armored cruiser detachment and a destroyer detachment we patrolled outside the port were destroyed, and now , the German fleet has broken away from the battle and is withdrawing to the north." an officer reported.
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