Chapter 1,164 Night Is Coming
Chapter 1164 Night is coming
As a result, the most absurd scene since the war began appeared on the waves of the North Sea. The two largest fleets in the world, the British and German fleets, with a total tonnage of more than 2 million tons, looked at each other from a distance about 25 kilometers apart! The fleets on both sides seem to have an invisible line, and neither side dares to cross it easily. The British fleet is not in good condition, so they don't want to take the initiative to fight, and the German fleet also has ulterior motives. Delaying time is their first task!
In this way, apart from the light warships approaching and firing two shots, both sides did not do anything else. Until the sun gradually set and darkness began to slowly cover the North Sea, the German fleet turned and left.
"The Germans are gone, and it's time for us to go home. We have consumed thousands of tons of fuel but have achieved nothing. This fact itself reveals a trace of weirdness." Lieutenant General Charles Madden watched as he was gradually The German fleet shrouded in darkness said uneasily.
"They won't go out and then turn around and come back. Will they choose to fight at night?" Lieutenant General Jerram said with some worry.
"No, they do have slow warships. Our reconnaissance planes identified most of the opponent's warships. This time the number of German battleships is between 18 and 20. We saw Germany's earliest Nassau class Battleships, but without pre-dreadnoughts. In this case, their speed will only be about 20 knots. And if they get rid of those slow battleships, there will only be 16 fast battleships, and these 16 battleships will have to fight against our 25 main ships. As well as armored cruisers, light cruisers and destroyers that far outnumber them, they will always suffer more in a night battle. No rational commander would choose this way. And there is not enough time." Jericho shook He shook his head and said.
Jericho's analysis of this point is correct. The current situation is that the Grand Fleet is not far from its anchorage. Although the Grand Fleet has deliberately lowered its speed in order to save fuel, if the German fleet wants to do so before the Grand Fleet enters the warning area, It is still very difficult to catch up with the large fleet and have a decisive battle, and the slow battleships must be abandoned. In this way, the German fleet's numerical disadvantage will be amplified. If it approaches the Shetland Islands, the British fleet can also obtain seaplanes in the port. If the Germans did this, they would be more likely to lose money, so after seeing the German fleet returning, Jericho was completely relieved.
"The German fleet is sending a telegram. Judging from the call sign characteristics, this should be their flagship." An officer said after a moment. The British still cannot decipher the German telegrams, but just as everyone has fingerprints, some of the characteristics of radio transmitters are also their telegram fingerprints! Therefore, the British can determine the identity of the other party from the difference in the smile of the sender!
"Where are they? Where's our radio direction finding?!" Jericho asked.
"It's 40 nautical miles south of where we last saw them, and if calculated at a speed of 16 to 18 knots,
Then after the fleets of both sides left, they kept going south. "The officer thought for a moment and said.
"That's good. It seems that the Germans have really left this time." Jericho then ordered: "Send a message to General Thomas and tell them that they can leave." After confirming that the German fleet has embarked on its way back and is unlikely to return, After catching up with him, Jericho finally felt relieved and let Thomas take the remaining fleet back to the Firth of Forth with peace of mind.
At this time, if someone takes a look at the chart, they can find that the route taken by the Thomas Fleet is first to the northwest, and then turn to the southwest of the Firth of Forth! He was actually walking on both sides of the triangle! Thomas's fleet has an even longer way home, and if it sails at normal speed, Thomas will not be able to see the lighthouse in the Firth of Forth before noon tomorrow!
"Now, the action has just begun!" The prince said confidently while looking at the chart showing the movement trajectories of the fleets on both sides. And the long-simmering Fire Thief-Prometheus battle has finally begun! Just an hour ago, the three battleships brought out were on their way home with some light cruisers and destroyers, and on the way they contacted Wilhelmshaven in the name of the German High Seas Fleet flagship Bavaria! As expected, this telegram was intercepted by the British!
The three old-fashioned dreadnoughts of the Fifth Battleship Group are definitely not just for show, but are really performing a very important and special mission! They will contact the headquarters with the call sign of the High Seas Fleet, and have been evacuating to the south. The purpose is to convince the British that the High Seas Fleet has returned to port at this time!
Of course, simple radio contact is not guaranteed to deceive the British. After all, any warship can communicate with this call sign, and the British still deploy some submarines in the German offshore waters. If there are only two or three kittens, if someone discovers it and sends a report to the large fleet, things may change. Therefore, this feint fleet must be able to deceive the eyes of the British!
So the Germans made some improvements to these battleships. For example, after nightfall, they erected a few wooden boards and added some light sources. In this way, if you look at a light cruiser from a distance, then this one The external outline of the ship is very close to that of a battleship! In this way, the three battleships in the feint fleet may become double-digit battleships! It is impossible for British submarines to see the entire fleet at night. After all, the distance is very large. They only need to make sure that a huge main fleet passes in front of them. As for determining what kind of ship it is? Go to sleep, this is impossible!
In fact, this set of camouflage was practical after World War II. For example, the American Hummer. At night, if a Hummer turns on the inner headlights, it will give the opponent the impression of a small Jeep. And if you turn on the outer headlights, then the light alone is somewhat close to the width of armored vehicles such as the M113. When the Americans originally designed the Hummer, they also considered the confusing effect of lights on the enemy!
As for what the main fleet is doing? Naturally, we are preparing to start filming! At this time, the remaining main force of the German High Seas Fleet was sailing rapidly towards the Firth of Forth to the west! Among them, the first and second battleship squadrons commanded by Lieutenant General Yi Scheer led a squadron composed of two light cruiser squadrons, and their heading was almost due north! Pointing straight towards the Firth of Forth. The Third Battleship Division and the Battlecruiser Division commanded by Lieutenant General Hipper first headed northwest for a period, and then waited for an opportunity! An hour ago, the prince's long-planned Fire Stealer-Prometheus operation was finally launched!
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