Chapter 2088: The Demolition of the Strait of Dover II
After the British removed the signal indicator light on the top, it was time to disassemble the entire anti-submarine net. A typical anti-submarine net length is 120 feet, and the width varies depending on the model. The width is 30 feet and 60 feet. , 80 feet and 120 feet, the mesh diameter of these anti-submarine nets is between 10 and 12 inches, and the weight of an anti-submarine net is between pounds. As an anti-submarine network that is often several kilometers long, it is naturally impossible for the British to cast one by one when they are launched, and the efficiency is too low.
Therefore, the British approach is to generally weave a group of 10 nets, the tops are connected with steel pipes, and fixed with floating bodies. It is naturally impossible for the British to pull a 1,200-foot-long anti-submarine net directly out of the water when dismantling it, so what the Germans have to do is to dismantle the steel beams of these anti-submarine nets little by little, and then spread out The anti-submarine nets were taken away one by one.
If this is the case, the matter is not too complicated, but in fact, the British set up some special anti-submarine nets in order to deal with the all-pervasive German submarines, which were called anti-submarine nets with mines in the British Navy. , is to hang mines on the lower part of the anti-submarine net. Once a German submarine hits it, sorry, it will be directly destroyed by the mines under the anti-submarine net!
But now, when the British only cared about the layout, they had a good time. They didn't expect that it would be so troublesome when it was time to dismantle it.... And the most terrible thing is that some anti-submarine nets are still underwater and cannot be seen on the surface of the water. The British naturally have the layout of the anti-submarine nets, but it is a pity that after a long period of seawater washing, the position of the anti-submarine nets is not clear. There will definitely be some offset.... Ever since, this is troublesome!
As a result, the British, who were short on time, could only use some rough methods. They used depth charges and explosive mine sweepers to clear the entire sea area. Just off the coast of Dunkirk, there were bursts of continuous explosions from time to time. It was the explosion caused by the British using the Groft depth bomb launcher and the depth charge rail to release the depth bomb to detonate the minefield.
And when the British were very busy, an accident occurred that cast a shadow over the entire "demolition" operation. When a destroyer used an anti-submarine launcher to clear a minefield, because the density of the mine deployment was a bit high, it caused a domino effect. After a deep bomb fell into the water, it detonated more than a dozen mines around it, and one of the mines There was an accident of anchoring, which happened to be close to the destroyer, and under the chain explosion, the unlucky British destroyer was also sunk.
In fact, this kind of thing happened often in history. At this time, the fuze of the MK6 torpedo, which was the most widely used by the British, was very unreliable. Sometimes it failed to explode, but sometimes it exploded with a torpedo It will detonate a sea mine around it.... This is not only a design problem, but also the product quality is difficult to control due to the participation of a large number of private factories. In history, there was an event that embarrassed the British and surprised the Germans. On June 8, 1918, the U107 submarine recorded a total of 167 suspected mine explosions while passing through the minefield, but these None of the explosions had anything to do with the submarine....
But even so, one thing that needs to be confirmed is that the anti-submarine nets and minefields deployed in the English Channel still played a very important role. Although they did not sink a few German submarines, but because of the too dangerous environment and the British navy patrolling day and night , The risk of letting the Germans pass here has become very high. In the memories of the German submarine personnel, there are descriptions of the submarine navigating underwater and colliding with mines or anti-submarine network anchor chains. Although everyone knows that the British mines are very unreliable, they are not afraid of 10,000 but just in case. Therefore, the final result is that more than 80% of German submarines would rather choose to go 500 nautical miles longer than being bypassed by the North Sea.
Nor is it willing to pass through the English Channel.
When the British were making final preparations for their withdrawal, the Luftwaffe did not relax. After breaking through the port of Calais, more and more planes of the Luftwaffe appeared over the port of Dunkirk, and the actions of the British were natural. Did not escape the eyes of the Germans.
The daytime in Dunkirk is more dangerous than the night, so these mine clearance and obstacle demolition tasks are generally carried out at night or when the weather is bad during the day, but even so, whether it is the demolition operation at sea or in Dunkirk The temporary piers built in the nearby coastal areas have attracted the attention of the Luftwaffe.
"The British are going to flee. They have dismantled the anti-submarine nets and minefields in the four southern blocks. The original barrier that traverses the east section of the English Channel has also been dealt with by more than 40%. It seems that the British navy is going to start from East into the English Channel," Admiral Harrell wrote in a letter to Crown Prince Ruprecht.
Some people may ask, why can't the British retain the barriers to the east exit and then go around a circle and enter from the west entrance of the English Channel? The reason is simple. The British also deployed a large number of mines and obstacles at the entrance of the western section. Now, the French have betrayed. If the British appear near the French port at this time, what do you think the French will think? The same is dismantled, one is to be dismantled in Dunkirk, which is under the control of both sides of the strait, and the other is to be dismantled under the eyes of the coastal artillery and torpedo boats on the northern coast of the French, which one do you choose? What's more, the British fleet is now short of fuel, and the cruising speed of light cruisers is limited to 14 knots. Destroyers are also limited to 18 knots, and it is not a short journey to go around the whole of England!
At this time, Ruprecht also returned from the front line to the German Western Front Base Camp in Brussels. Admiral Scheer, commander of the German High Seas Fleet, and Admiral Hipper, commander of the Fast Fleet, also came to Brussels. Now that the war on land can be handed over to Xiao Moqi and others, Ruprecht needs to have a good discussion on how to fight the last battle at sea.
What surprised Ruprecht was that this time the U.S. Navy delegation headed by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Admiral Benson strongly urged Germany to allow Americans to participate in the next few battles in their personal capacity. I also want to use the last period of time to catch up on the actual combat experience of the navy. This is the truth of the so-called learning on paper. As for the request of the Americans, the prince was also happy to agree. Accompanied by another gathering of the top German navy. The final battle of the First World War finally kicked off, and in the next month, the British Royal Navy also suffered the worst loss since its formation!
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