Chapter 1,471 Night Flight
Chapter 1471 Night Flight
"Your Excellency, Commander, His Royal Highness the Prince has sent a telegram. He agreed to our plan and said that the Air Force will provide us with cover and we can continue to act according to the original plan." When an officer sent Ruprecht When the incoming telegram was handed to Count Spey, the latter finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he acted in advance, if it was not easy for Prince Ruprecht, then Count Spee could only cancel the plan and return to the port with the fleet. Fortunately, not only did the prince agree to his plan, but also let him The Air Force's full cooperation really surprised him.
The main fleet was ordered to immediately implement light control and sail in the direction of Chios Island according to the scheduled route. However, during the voyage, the radio experts in the Spey fleet discovered some clues from the electromagnetic waves propagating in the dark night.
"The French have begun large-scale operations, as well as the British. I don't know what their purpose is. Almost all bases stationed with squadrons have begun operations. Radio communications are increasing explosively. We seem to be a ship caught in a storm now. Average." An officer said with lingering fear as he looked at the radio transmission records compiled one by one.
"Moreover, the French and British have activated many new frequency bands for communication. According to convention, some frequency bands are confidential frequency bands reserved for use during war. Under normal circumstances, they will never be easily exposed. If they start to use a large number of new frequency bands, If there is a new password for the frequency band, it means that the French may have to take some action! And the basis for the action is that they may find some clues!" Another officer said in a somewhat cryptic way, but what he said made almost everyone excited. Feeling cold all over!
Is the whereabouts of the German fleet necessarily hidden? Not necessarily! After all, the German fleet also sent a telegram, and the telegram was long enough for the other party to complete ranging and direction finding when prepared. Although Count Spee had been very careful and did not use long-distance radio communications after the fleet moved south again, But don’t forget that in addition to radios, there are not only German submarines hidden deep underwater, but also British and French submarines!
Although it is easy for the fleet to hide its presence under the cover of night, don't forget that even if a blackout is used between the fleets, there will still be lights. And in addition to visible light, although submarines in this era did not have sonar, they were equipped with hydrophones. A large fleet sailed at a speed of about 20 knots, and the noise was not small! No one can guarantee that the Spey fleet will not be discovered by Britain and France. And if it is discovered, then this matter will become a big deal!
"Your Excellency, Commander, the British main fleet in Athens has also moved! If our radio analysis is correct, then their current position is about 10 nautical miles away from before!" When the specialized technical staff reported the news , the atmosphere in the entire command tower instantly dropped to freezing point, because such a situation was already very detrimental to the Germans.
If Britain and France believed that the German fleet was sailing north back to Constantinople, then their fleets should not be activated at the same time. Because the German fleet has returned,
This is already considered a last resort. What's the point of the Allied fleet dispatching in large numbers? There was no way they could capture the German fleet. So according to this idea, there is only one reason that can lead to the massive mobilization of the Allied fleet. Britain and France concluded that the Spey fleet did not go home, but continued to operate in the Aegean Sea!
Sometimes, war is all about magic... In other words, by analyzing the character of the opponent's officer to speculate on the actions the opponent may take, this is something that can be called psychology... Count Spee can be said to be the most reckless and adventurous among the senior German naval admirals. Therefore, in the eyes of the Germans, this time the British and French navies either learned through some means that the German fleet was still wandering in the Aegean Sea. , or rely on speculation to determine the actions he may take by analyzing the count's character.
"To be honest, under this series of changes, I also have some doubts and uneasiness about my previous judgment. Maybe, I am not taking my fleet to sneak attack the opponent, but to send us all into a trap." !" Afterwards, Earl Spee once said this when recalling the original situation.
"We are like walking a tightrope at this time. Whether we are going forward or backward, we are very tangled, and if we are not careful, we will fall into the abyss. We have been hoping to have a definite answer, whether the French discovered us, or whether Even if you don’t find anything, it’s okay!” This feeling of waiting makes many people feel very uncomfortable. Sometimes, what people desperately need is a result!
After experiencing a series of absolutely not good news, some good news finally came. The most important one was that the speed of the British fleet leaving Athens was not high. Another hour passed, but The displacement of the British fleet is only about 12 nautical miles. In other words, the opponent is sailing at cruising speed, not extreme speed. This not only means that their rendezvous with the French fleet will not be very fast, but also means that the British and French have not yet arrived. There is no information on the actions of the Spey fleet. Otherwise, Britain and France will definitely converge at top speed and then consider other things!
"Everyone, we are now only half an hour away from the target. Soon, our naval guns will be able to tilt hundreds of tons of ammunition into the French port. We will not delay this short period of time. Let the situation change fundamentally. The British are coming from Greece. They are far away and will not join the French fleet in time. After we complete the attack, we can also get cover from the air force. Believe me, we are about to enter a world dominated by aircraft. This is the age of the ocean, and with the intimidation of the Bavarian Air Force, our safety can be guaranteed," said Count Spee.
In the end, the earl asked the fleet to continue sailing according to the original plan. After all, they had traveled a long distance south and were about to arrive. How could there be any reason to give up? However, considering that his two super-dreadnoughts consumed a certain amount of artillery shells in the last attack, this time Count Luckner will lead the fleet to use high-explosive bombs and incendiary bombs to attack the port, and the two ships commanded by the count Battleships provided additional security.
After a brief exchange, before finally approaching the target, the Allied Mediterranean Fleet made a final change. A detachment of destroyers fanned out in front of the fleet, followed by two Turkish super-dreadnoughts directly under Count Spee, and behind it were temporary The former dreadnought fleet and two Austro-Hungarian super-dreadnoughts were assigned to Count Luckner, while the remaining three destroyer squadrons were distributed around the fleet. After the formation change was completed, the officers and soldiers of the Allied Mediterranean Fleet could already see clearly The lighthouse located on the island of Chios in the distance!
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