Chapter 218 Naval Battle (1)

9:00 a.m.

The shrill battle alarm sounded over the German High Seas Fleet in the Norwegian Sea. The High Seas Fleet that sailed this time was still the same size as last time, with an Essex-class aircraft carrier, the battlecruiser Scharnhorst, the battlecruiser Gneisenau, the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, and several cruisers and destroyers.

According to the plan, they were going to intercept the British fleet heading to Iceland and destroy it. The intelligence they received was that this British fleet consisted of several battlecruisers, heavy cruisers and several destroyers, and they were still confident in dealing with it.

"Report! The reconnaissance plane discovered the British fleet 220 kilometers southwest."

On the bridge of the aircraft carrier named "Count Zeppelin", Lütjens looked at the position of the British fleet marked on the nautical chart, calculating his own speed and the opponent's position and speed in his mind; he could send aircraft to attack the British fleet 20 minutes later.

But the staff report was not over yet. "Uh, the British fleet has another battleship."

"What?!" Everyone in the bridge was shocked. They said there were only a few battlecruisers and heavy cruisers, so how could there be an extra battleship? !

Lütjens asked hurriedly. "Did the reconnaissance plane make a mistake? Let him confirm it again!"

"Yes!"

Seeing the staff officer hurriedly running out, everyone in the bridge was in an uproar.

"What's going on?!"

"How did the British fleet have an extra battleship?!"

Someone was even more terrified. "Is this a trap set by the British for us? Have we been surrounded by the British Navy?!"

"!!" Lütjens hammered the command desk with the sea chart, and the bridge suddenly became quiet. "Send all the reconnaissance planes to search the sea area around the fleet, and don't miss any corner."

Although he seemed calm, he was in a dilemma. This time they set sail with a desperate intention. If they return empty-handed again, the navy's surface ships may really become a fleet in the future. Well, it is very likely that they will not even need to exist.

But now the British fleet has more battleships. Just thinking about the terrible combat power of battleships makes him shudder. If something goes wrong, their fleet may be wiped out.

"Captain, Captain!" Just when Lütjens was at a loss, the staff officer ran back again.

Lütjens asked hurriedly as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. "Did the reconnaissance plane see it wrong?!" He hoped from the bottom of his heart that it was just a false alarm.

"No." The staff officer hurriedly shook his head and stammered in reply. "Yes, His Highness is coming!!"

"What?!" Everyone was shocked again. Why would His Highness come? !

The staff officer said very confidently. "Your Highness's reconnaissance plane is already 100 kilometers away."

"The fleet stops advancing!" Although he was a little dizzy, Lütjens still gave the order. "Immediately launch a team of fighters to escort."

Yannick was riding a naval reconnaissance plane that was improved from the Mosquito bomber.

He had to come here in person.

This morning he received intelligence that the British Mediterranean Fleet's HMS Warspite was transferred to the Home Fleet and joined the British fleet heading to Iceland last night. Yannick didn't care how strong Britain's determination to take Iceland was. He thought that the German High Seas Fleet would be scared back again.

This was not possible.

Yannick was really worried that the German surface fleet would be scared away again and again, and would completely lose the courage to challenge the British fleet!

At that time, all his efforts so far would be in vain.

Without the surface fleet, no matter how powerful the underwater submarines were, they would not be able to jump for long, and landing in Britain was just empty talk. The British mainland will become a springboard for the British and American counterattack on the European continent in the future, and the German army is once again caught in the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.

In order to avoid a bullet in the head while hiding in a dark basement in the future, Yannick decided to come in person.

Soon, the Mosquito reconnaissance plane came over the High Seas Fleet. Looking at the long aircraft carrier below, Yannick couldn't help but mutter. "Why is there no angled deck?" Then he remembered that there was no angled deck on the aircraft carrier during World War II, and the experimental ship with an angled deck would not appear until ten years later.

"I didn't expect this." After thinking about it carefully, there were also "Fresnel" lens optical landing aid system, catapult, arresting cable, arresting net, etc., which were not used.

Yannick couldn't help but slap his forehead and sighed that he had wasted an aircraft carrier; it seems that even if a person has a lot of knowledge in the future, he can't be comprehensive.

The Mosquito reconnaissance plane landed on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Lütjens led a group of people to greet him on the deck. "Your Highness, why are you here?"

Yannick cursed in his heart. If you guys weren't so cowardly, would I have to come here in person?

Everyone returned to the bridge, and Yannick asked. "General Lütjens, have you found the British fleet?"

"Yes. We just found it not long ago. But the British fleet..." Lütjens was interrupted by Yannick before he finished speaking. "The British fleet has more battleships, right? So you are afraid again?"

Lütjens explained with a shameful look. "Your Highness, if it was a cruiser fleet, we can ensure that this fleet is completely wiped out; but now they have an extra battleship, our advantage is not so obvious, what if..."

Yannick interrupted him rudely and said angrily. "Nothing will happen! You are soldiers of the Empire! The mission of a soldier is to fight the enemy! Now the Empire's army is charging on land, and the air force is fighting bravely in the sky; but your navy can only run away like a coward!"

Everyone bowed their heads in shame after being reprimanded by Yannick.

Seeing this, Yannick softened his tone and continued. "23 years ago, our ancestors challenged Britain's maritime hegemony. They used their bravery to achieve a tactical victory and proved that the British Navy was not invincible."

From the loss ratio of the Battle of Jutland, Germany destroyed three British battlecruisers, three armored cruisers and eight destroyers at the cost of a pre-dreadnought battleship, a battlecruiser, several light cruisers and destroyers. Germany made a fortune and also achieved a tactical victory.

However, they did not achieve the strategic goal of destroying David Beatty's battlecruiser force, lifting the British fleet's naval blockade of Germany, and ensuring the development of Germany's war potential; therefore, they lost strategically.

"Later, due to the mischief of some conspirators, we could only accept the defeat agreement; and our ancestors would rather sink their most beloved battleships to the bottom of the sea than leave them to the enemy."

Some young staff officers sobbed softly.

"In order to take revenge, we have been sleeping on straw and eating bitter food for 20 years! And I also understand that even if we have twice as many battleships as them, we can't defeat them by relying on naval guns. Only with new weapons and new fighting methods can we have a chance."

"I gave you the most powerful weapons that the empire can make, and why are you so timid? Don't you trust me? Don't you believe that you can win with the weapons in your hands?"

At this point, Yannick shouted. "Do you believe me?"

"Believe!" Everyone answered loudly in unison, and Lütjens was even more excited. "Your Highness, you are the hope of the empire and the beacon that guides us!"