Chapter 1617: Rebuilding the Blockade 2

Chapter 1617 Recasting the Blockade 2

However, at this point, the British Royal Navy has actually lost in terms of grand strategy. Neither the British nor the German navy can deal with the opponent's main fleet protected by land-based forts and aviation. The Germans can continuously obtain supplies through sea routes. That is equivalent to having the right to use the ocean, and if the British cannot block it, then the large fleet can only be used as an existing fleet. Stay at home and go out for a walk occasionally. Don’t dare to get too close to the German coastline. This is not just because you are afraid of the German Air Force. After all, you can choose when the weather is bad.

But even the most optimistic officers in the Royal Navy were unwilling to engage in battle with the German Navy when the situation could be reduced, because the performance of the opponent's warships was too good, and a little carelessness would cause heavy losses. If they accidentally lose the war in a few hours, they will be Britain's biggest sinners!

Although there are many difficulties, if you think that the Royal Navy will give up like this, then the plan is broken! This era is not the era of the Royal Navy in later generations. I wonder how much you can worry about it. It is just like the era of 45 and six goals. Defeat the enemy if conditions permit, and defeat the enemy even if conditions are not created. After all, the heritage and pride of the British Empire are still there! As a result, after several months of recovery, the Royal Navy gradually became active again.

"In order to ensure the safety of the homeland and the English Channel transportation line, the main force of the Grand Fleet must still be stationed in the Firth of Forth. All warships above the battleship level are not allowed to leave the fleet and act privately. Only in this way can we ensure that we will face the main force of the German High Seas Fleet. Have some advantages.”

Jericho first said that just a month ago, the power of the German High Seas Fleet reached its peak! With the commissioning of the last Bavaria-class battleship, a total of 12 Bavaria-class battleships with eight 15-inch guns have become an indelible shadow in the Royal Navy's mind. Strong, agile and incredibly sturdy. Jericho, who has historically tended to be conservative, really didn't dare to let the main fleet divide its forces. Even when evaluating his opponents, he only dared to say that the Royal Navy currently has a slight advantage.

"But we can dedicate some destroyers and pre-dreadnoughts to re-establish the North Sea blockade. Regarding the tactics commonly used by the Germans, Sir John Salmond and I have also made corresponding plans, although there is no guarantee that the Germans will be completely cut off. sea ​​transportation line, but it is still possible to reduce its transportation volume to less than 50%." Jericho said.

"This level is still acceptable." Churchill nodded and signaled the other party to continue.

"We need to establish a large aviation base in the Shetland Islands. We will deploy large aircraft such as V1500, O-400 and FB27 here. They will become our eyes and sharp arrows. Our cruise range will be expanded to The Norwegian Sea and even the Denmark Strait. Use large aircraft and seaplanes to guide surface ships to inspect transport ships. Of course, we will still face troubles such as submarines, but as long as we have aircraft in the sky, these submarines can only Choose submersible, and their speed will be very low in the submersible state, almost losing their maneuverability.

"Sir John Salmond said.

"If the Germans send their main battleships, we can at least rely on aerial reconnaissance to get early warning. If we are lucky, we can even inflict some fatal injuries to the opponent." Jericho added.

"But the weather in the North Sea will be a key factor affecting this strategy. This impact is not only at sea, but also on land. The wind and waves in the Shetland Islands are very strong. For today's wooden aircraft, this impact is even It can be called fatal." Churchill thought for a moment and said.

“Bad weather is indeed a huge factor, which is why we set the first phase goal to reduce Germany’s imports by 50%. However, bad weather is generally within a certain range. We rely on aircraft with huge ranges such as V1500 and FB27. , we can completely cover parts of the Norwegian Sea. If a transport ship has been protected from bad weather and darkness after entering our patrol area, and can avoid our auxiliary cruisers, then I can only Gave up," Sir Salmond said.

Historically, during World War I, the British widely used seaplanes and aviation power to suppress submarines. They did not seek to sink the submarines, but sought to suppress their water navigation time. In fact, whether it was World War I or World War II, the period when submarines were most prosperous was Because there is no aviation suppression, submarines can sail on the water for a long time to ensure maneuverability. When conditions are good, submarines even float on the water for more than 95% of the time... And if you are unlucky, you will spend 90% of the time underwater. At this time, the submarine's combat effectiveness will really not be that good. Therefore, after adding a large number of patrol aircraft, the "fishing law enforcement" tactics of submarines will also be suppressed. After all, submarines moving with bait on the water will be discovered by aircraft, and if the submarine is underwater, the cruising speed is only a pitiful 4 to 4 5 sections..., and the time is still limited. Well, you know this.

As for the journey, it takes several days for a ship to cross the entire Norwegian Sea and the North Sea into Europe. After all, the cruising speed of ordinary merchant ships is only about 8 knots. Considering that the sea conditions also affect the speed of the merchant ships themselves, so if you want to go all the way It was quite difficult to sneak in under the cover of weather and darkness.

Of course, if it is a fast merchant ship, there is still a chance, but the number of these high-quality merchant ships is very limited. If you really can't catch it, forget it... In fact, the tactic of running single gangs on high-speed merchant ships was very effective in World War 2. For example, the famous cruise ship Queen Mary in history used crazy single gangs in World War 2, but it was fine...

"As for the weather conditions in the Shetland Islands, I can only say that it is really not good for bombers such as the V1500 and FB27 to be directly exposed to sea breeze and heavy rain. Close to the coast, there is a large amount of salt in the water vapor that will corrode the aircraft body and engine. . And storms can even directly destroy aircraft stored in the open air, so we need to establish a large aviation base in the Shetland Islands." Sir John Salmond said.

"This project is very large, isn't it?" Churchill hesitated. After all, Britain in this dimension cannot get help from the Americans. The British Royal Navy has very large material deficiencies, so every penny All must be used on the edge of the knife. Now, the British Royal Navy has recruited 150 various anti-submarine warships, but with little effect. (In history, Britain and the United States alone have more than 400 military anti-submarine warships...)

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