Chapter 2094: Opening
"Therefore, the pros and cons of this plan are obvious. We need to think about it. The evacuation has not yet started, and the probability of warships above the Dreadnought class on both sides is not high. It will depend on the situation at that time. However, the aircraft carrier detachment also needs to prepare. Still training in the Baltic," said Ruprecht.
In the next two days, after Crown Prince Ruprecht and the high-level officials of the German High Seas Fleet finalized other relevant content, the plan surrounding the Battle of the Dover Strait has gradually begun. In addition to the aircraft carrier, the entire High Seas Fleet The main force plus the former dreadnought fleet originally assigned to the Baltic Sea were all moved to Kaiser Wilhelm Harbor! At the same time, the port of Zeebrugge, which originally only docked submarines, also ushered in a new team of warships. Under the leadership of the former dreadnought Kaiser of the German High Seas Fleet and the armored cruiser Mainz of the pre-dreadnought era, a complete German destroyer The brigade is stationed here. And all of this undoubtedly shows that the German fleet is preparing to attack the British fleet in the Strait of Dover!
As for the situation of the port of Zeebrugge, which is almost blocked at the entrance of the Strait of Dover, the British are naturally very concerned. Not long after the German fleet entered, the British Grand Fleet obtained the entry of the new German fleet through aerial reconnaissance and spies. The situation in the port, of course, in order to verify this information, the British Royal Naval Air Force lost 11 aircraft of various types. So much so that Jericho called this information almost written in blood!
But now Jericho has no time to be emotional about this matter. The German High Seas Fleet, which has been dormant like a dragon for a year, once again showed its deadly claws. But this time, the Germans aimed at the retreat channel of the British Expeditionary Force.
"The German Navy has also dispatched destroyers to attack our trawlers and destroyers in the Strait of Dover through night raids before. The most successful one sank our 1 trawler and 7 drifting nets. Fishing boats, and another 8 ships were damaged, and according to our investigation afterwards, the German fleet involved in the battle was only 6 large destroyers. But this time, the Germans sent all the former dreadnoughts, which made me feel pressure Big," said Commodore Keyes, who is in charge of anti-submarine and anti-lightning strikes in the Dover Strait.
In fact, German destroyer squadrons have also attacked British ships in the English Channel in history, and sometimes they have achieved good results. The Germans are relatively familiar with the British blockades and minefields, or they are not very familiar with them. It doesn't matter, anyway, in this plane, the quality of British mines is still relatively serious. In this plane, German destroyers launched more than a dozen attacks on the English Channel, some of which were sunk by British surface warships, and some returned due to malfunctions, but so far, only one was destroyed by a mine. So much so that both the British and the Germans sneered at the British minefields. Expensive capital ships are just in case, but for large destroyers and old warships, the risk is worth it!
However, now, with the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force, the situation has changed. The two navies are destined to start a fierce battle in the waters near the Strait of Dover. This time, before the British retreat, the Germans have made it clear Horse cannons, not only those terrifying dreadnoughts and super dreadnoughts of the High Seas Fleet, but also the former dreadnoughts have all pulled over, which is obviously a decisive battle posture. Jericho felt a little cold when he thought that he might have to compete with the German High Seas Fleet under the threat of German bombers in the future!
Of course, Jericho also knew that the High Seas Fleet would not be so brainless and directly rush to the Strait of Dover. Even if you look down on the British mines, at least, in this narrow waters, you have to pay enough respect to the British submarines...
"The Germans seem to be planning to send a fleet of destroyers headed by old-fashioned pre-dreadnought ships, supplemented by light cruisers, and a large number of destroyers to attack the Strait of Dover.
Judging from the current situation, our former dreadnought fleet has suffered heavy losses, most of which were either sunk or injured. The older ones have no combat effectiveness due to maintenance issues, so we may have to use dreadnought-class warships to suppress our opponents. Lieutenant General Thomas said, putting down the document in his hand.
"Look at the situation first. In the first few days, our transportation volume is not high, and we will choose to sail northwest as far as possible away from the Germans. The navy and army have also set up shore artillery positions near the port. We also deploy underwater Without submarines, it is impossible for the Germans to use pre-Dreadnought warships from the very beginning." Jericho said after a moment of thought.
Thomas is right, if the Germans' former dreadnought fleet enters the strait, then the British can only send dreadnought-class warships to resist, and this is undoubtedly a very painful thing for the British fleet. The large fleet has a rich family background, and the total number of warships of Dreadnought and above is only about 2 dozen. It is possible to send out a 4-ship detachment, but if you want to send out 2, Jericho would not dare to kill him! On this point, the German Navy's guess about Jericho was correct.
In Jericho's view, it is now a game. The Germans have German scruples, and the number of capital ships in the German fleet is relatively small, so they must also hesitate. Before they can figure out the situation in the Dover Strait, the British fleet Before transporting personnel on a large scale, the German fleet will not invest in the cards prematurely. Otherwise, what if it goes in and hits a mine or is ambushed by a submarine? Initial pathfinding is a must.
As for your saying that pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers are useless? Jericho does not fully agree with this statement. The Germans' former dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers are indeed old, but compared with the British fleet that is wandering around the world, the attendance rate of German battleships is still not high, and the situation of the battleships is also not high. Not bad, and the speed of the armored cruiser was already around 23 knots when it was built. It is said that part of the power system was changed before the war, plus the eight 10-inch guns on the Mainz-class battleship. To be honest, this is already Miniaturized battlecruiser. It may be worse than dreadnoughts, but it is a good hand against light cruisers, and it doesn't slow down the speed very much. This is definitely a very important force for the German Navy, which is relatively short of auxiliary warships.
Jericho also guessed right on this point. Within the German Navy, there is still no conclusion as to whether the slower pre-dreadnought ships will participate in the decisive battle. The Inz-class armored cruisers are definitely going to be on board, and the German Navy counts on them to block the charge of British light cruisers and destroyers!
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