Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 18: Special fleet
"Captain Wilson, come and see this."
Nicholson smiled and passed the newspaper in his hand to him.
"Oh? The German naval battleship disappeared without a trace, and the Nazis invented new weapons. It seems that it is another mythical story compiled by some low-powered newspaper editors, Commander."
Captain Wilson glanced at the newspaper headline and then smiled.
"According to reliable sources... the Nazis have invented the technology to make warships invisible, and large-scale landings may occur within two weeks? Ha, these things are completely nonsense, sir. They really made up, I really admire the imagination of those reporters.
Sir, the reporter who wrote this should be recruited into the Royal Naval Intelligence Service. He can easily obtain this kind of highly classified information. It seems that our highly trained intelligence agents should resign and go home. Go farming and raising cattle. Haha, which newspaper is this? "
Wilson turned the newspaper page.
"Daily Telegraph! Why are they starting to publish this kind of trash."
Captain said in surprise.
"Well, they are quite cautious. The Times made this article headline."
Nicholson took a sip of tea, then put down the cup and stood up.
"These are the newspapers delivered yesterday. I think the people on the streets of London must all be talking about this mythology, Mr. Wilson."
"Maybe, Your Excellency Commander. But I don’t think any savvy person would believe this. I didn’t expect that the always rigorous Times would have fallen to the point of publishing this kind of gossip, which made me feel a little bit Frustrated."
Wilson threw the newspaper in his hand on the chart table, then took off his military cap and said with a wry smile while stroking the hair on his forehead.
Nicholson straightened the hem of the uniform, then straightened his sleeves. Which wide golden ribbon and a narrow golden concentric circle on the cuffs of the military uniform look more golden under the sunlight coming in from the porthole.
"Mr. Wilson, one thing they said was right, the German naval fleet did disappear from Wilhelmshaven. But their whereabouts are now under our control, but they can’t be announced to the public. London agrees There is a reason why the newspaper publishes this kind of thing. It is the easiest way we use to confuse the enemy, and it has always been very effective.
"I understand this very well, Commander. But this aroused my curiosity. Where did the German fleet go, sir." Wilson asked respectfully.
"Although this is confidential, I can tell you, Colonel. We have obtained definite information. Two days ago the entire German fleet secretly crossed the Swedish waters. Those warships are now all gathered in Kiel, Germany Repair, it seems that the damage to their ships in the early battle was also great."
"Oh, that's the case. It seems that the German Navy will not have any major actions in the near future. Thank you for telling me this secret, sir."
"Just don't tell others, Colonel." Nicholson said with a smile.
"Of course, sir." Wilson nodded and answered.
"Okay, the weather is good today, can you accompany me to the deck? Wilson." Nicholson took the cap from the adjutant and said to Wilson with a smile.
"Leave it to them here, accompany me out for a walk, our road is still a long way."
"Yes, sir."
"Mr. Kester!" Wilson called to the first officer.
"Yes, Captain."
"I'll leave it to you here. Send someone to notify me immediately when I get to Sude."
"Sir, yes, sir!" the first officer replied respectfully.
Captain nodded, then put on his military cap and followed Nicholson down the bridge.
Brigadier General Nicholson likes to walk on the flat deck of the battleship very much, and watching the sailors work in an orderly manner in their respective posts gives him a sense of accomplishment.
The Navy is like a sophisticated machine, and he is now close to the core of this machine.
Nicholson felt the harmonious rhythm when the machine was running, and felt the huge power hidden behind this harmony. He enjoys this feeling very much, holding this huge power in his own hands, and every time he can't help shaking with excitement.
Nicholson is an experienced old navy, and he has been in the position of commander of the destroyer squadron before. Someone once joked that if one day the Royal Navy wanted to organize all the destroyers into a fleet, Nicholson would be the commander-in-chief of the fleet, because he worked in all the destroyer squadrons of the Royal Navy. Over.
Although it is just a joke, it is also a fact. This fifty-four-year-old naval officer is indeed one of the best destroyer commanders in the Royal Navy.
Nicholson certainly does not want to stay in the position of commander of the destroyer fleet. As an excellent Royal Navy officer, he has his own ambitions. However, because the Royal Navy always pays attention to seniority, and there are many naval officers who have more seniority than him, his dream of commanding a higher-level fleet has never been realized after 20 years in the rank of colonel.
However, as the gunfire of the Battle of Dunkirk ceased, Nicholson's destiny received a turning point.
The Germans used large-caliber train artillery to help the Royal Navy commander clear all obstacles on the road to promotion. His powerful competitors have not sunk deep with those huge and majestic warships. The strait entered the German prisoner of war camp with complete facilities.
Then Colonel Nicholson found himself one of the few remaining senior commanders in the Royal Navy overnight. In particular, he also has a very rich experience in combat command, making him the hottest figure in the British Admiralty.
A week after the end of the Battle of Dunkirk, Nicholson received his first promotion and became a second-level brigadier general of the Royal Navy.
He finally realized his dream, leading the H Fleet consisting of two light cruisers in the North Atlantic to search for German disguised assault ships. Although it was only two light cruisers, Nicholson was very satisfied.
Unexpectedly, after conducting two combat patrols, he received a second promotion order from the Navy Department.
Royal Navy Brigadier General, Nicholson finally bid farewell to the ranks of school-level officers, stepped into the gate of general-level officers, and became one of the fastest-promoted officers of the Royal Navy.
Becoming a general officer meant that he began to move towards the top navy leadership and gained the opportunity to become a core member of the Royal Navy.
In the eyes of others, the fifty-four-year-old brigadier general is now at the peak of his physical strength and wisdom, and his future is truly limitless.
Brigadier General Nicholson is now standing on the broad first-floor deck of the Royal Navy's heavy cruiser "York" and looking at his majestic fleet with pride, at least in his eyes.
Four light and heavy cruisers, five destroyers, although not how powerful they are, they are also a force that cannot be underestimated.
At his feet is the flagship of the fleet "York", a heavy cruiser with a displacement of more than 10,000, with six 203mm cannons and a top speed of more than 30 knots. Although it is always old, it is huge. The hull and turret can also make people who see it feel the pride and pride of the Royal Navy.
On the left flank of "York" is the "Enthusiastic"-class light cruiser "Emerald". This light cruiser built at the end of World War I had an astonishing speed at the time.
Thirty-one quarters, this is still a very good result so far. This old ship with seven 150mm guns still possesses considerable combat effectiveness and vitality due to the careful maintenance of the sailors.
On the right flank of the "York" is the light cruiser "Orion". This "Leander" class light cruiser was still part of the Mediterranean fleet two weeks ago. With eight 150mm guns, the overall performance can only be said to be remarkable.
Behind the "York" is the light cruiser "Sheffield", the second capital ship of the fleet.
"Southampton" class light cruiser is a very excellent warship of first-class design, with fierce firepower, ideal speed, balanced protection, everything is almost perfect.
Its composite index has even surpassed the flagship "York". If it hadn’t been because she was a light cruiser and had not installed the flagship facilities of the squadron, Nicholson would definitely choose "Sheffield" without hesitation. As the flagship of the fleet.
Behind the "Sheffield" are two high-speed ocean freighters. They keep a distance from each other and follow closely behind the "Sheffield", reminiscent of the maids who follow the court ladies. .
The one on the left is the "Scottish Gem", which is a large cargo ship of seven thousand five hundred tons. On the black hull stands a beautiful white bridge and two conspicuous loading and unloading cranes.
The other is the Fleet Fuel Supply Ship "Pink Bird", which is a modified 4,000-ton ocean-going oil tanker. Due to her relatively shallow draft, her actual tonnage is much smaller than the "Scottish Gem". It looks almost the same size as the former.
Four cruisers and two ocean-going freighters are arranged in a box formation, and the ships are kept at a distance of seven hundred yards.
Guarding the outer line of defense of the fleet is a circular formation of five destroyers.
Three D-class destroyers, "Defender", "Elegant", and "Happy" guard the front of the fleet, while two V-class high-speed air defense destroyers act as the guards of the fleet.
Nicholson looked at this fleet with immense pride. Although this fleet is not the most powerful, it is definitely the most elite of all the Royal Navy fleets. He is very helpful in completing this important task. Full of confidence.
Indeed, he doesn't have the slightest doubt about whether he can complete the task. In his opinion, this is nothing suspenseful.
These four cruisers alone are enough to counter an attack by a dozen German disguised assault ships. Let alone whether there are so many disguised assault ships operating at sea by the Germans now, even if there are, those assault ships will definitely not have the guts to attack their own fleet, unless the German captain is a lunatic who wants to commit suicide.
And this route I sailed is a secret route carefully selected by the Navy Department, far away from the ordinary merchant shipping lines. Although the overall distance of this route is much longer than those of commercial shipping routes, it also means that it is also far away from the threat of submarines.
German submarines are now Britain’s number one enemy. Unfortunately, the Navy is now extremely short of long-range **** patrol ships, and can only allow Britain’s precious overseas routes to be naked in front of these fierce German submarine captains.
After the Battle of Dunkirk, the German submarines suddenly became unusually arrogant, and they began to swarm like wolves to the transport fleet to and from Britain.
German submarines have used facts to prove that those old-fashioned escorts that have not been modified are just a pile of waste in front of them.
They often sneak close to the fleet of armed escorts in the dark night, first easily kill the old escorts in that fleet, and then sneak into the center of the fleet to slaughter the unarmed merchant ships.
The loss of those cargo ships sailing alone on the route is even more immeasurable.
British maritime transport is in fact half paralyzed, and the tonnage of lost ships is showing a straight upward trend.
But the Royal Navy was helpless. The heavy losses of the transport fleet have led to a shortage of supplies in the UK, and the lack of supplies has caused the navy to be unable to transform and manufacture escorts that can effectively counter submarines. This has become a vicious circle.
If a solution cannot be found in a short period of time, the British maritime transport line may completely collapse, which is absolutely devastating for the UK.
If the Germans succeed in cutting off British ties overseas, it will only be a matter of time before the British nation collapses.
Those German submarines can now destroy almost any target they can find. Although the Royal Navy fought back bravely, it had little effect.
Although the newspapers kept publishing how many German submarines the Royal Navy had sunk, Nicholson knew exactly how much water the reports contained.
Because as far as he knows, so far, only two German submarines have evidence that they were sunk, and the others are just the results claimed by the patrol captains.
And just a week before his departure, something happened that made the Royal Navy lose face.
A German ocean-going submarine unexpectedly surfaced in daylight in the anti-submarine zone designated by the Royal Navy and launched a gun battle with a lightly armed **** ship.
What made Nicholson feel even more depressed is that the submarine even relied on its superiority in artillery caliber to win.
This is not enough. The captain of the submarine may be determined to get another slap in the face of the British Royal Navy's shameless face.
After sinking the armed ocean-going anti-submarine trawler, he actually commanded the submarine to float on the surface of such a large scale, and chase the submarine's slow speed of 17 knots to catch up with the slower one than her. The merchant fleet then used torpedoes and artillery to kill half of the ships in that fleet like a target.
This is a shame that the Royal Navy has never had since the establishment of the British Royal Navy. The commander of the Royal Navy's offshore patrol fleet was kicked back home by Churchill, who almost burst his blood vessel on the spot. In the evening, Churchill issued an order to the Secretary of the Navy to start the "continuation" operation.
As the commander of this operation, Nicholson was not informed of the essence of this classified operation until the day before departure.
Only then did he understand the weight of the burden on his shoulders, because this action was actually related to the national fortune of the British Empire.
The destruction of British transportation routes by German submarines and the increasing lack of domestic resources made the British cabinet deeply worried about whether the empire could withstand future German invasions. For this reason, the British cabinet formulated a national emergency plan.
Once Germany invades the British mainland and the British army fails to resist, the British cabinet will move to Canada together with the royal family.
They will establish the British Empire’s government in exile there, and then lead all the Commonwealth countries and colonial governments to continue the battle with Germany, until the British won the final victory.
They have no doubt that the British Empire will win the final victory, and Nicholson has the same view on this.
But the operation of a country and government requires a lot of money to back up, especially in wars, even the smallest combat power needs money to support.
In order to ensure the normal operation of the British government during the exile period and the continued battle with Germany, the British cabinet decided to transfer most of the domestic funds to Canada.
Cash is backed by a country’s gold reserves. If the German invasion succeeds, then Britain’s gold reserves will be plundered, and the hardest pound in the world will become a pile of waste. paper.
So the funds that an exile government can use must be something harder than banknotes.
So, the British cabinet decided to ship most of the British national reserve gold to Canada, and besides that gold, a large amount of royal jewellery, antiques, artworks and hundreds of millions of foreign securities need to be transferred.
The British Cabinet decided to ship these materials to Canada in batches. The entire delivery plan was codenamed "Crusades".
Before Nicholson accepted the order, the United Kingdom had launched several transport operations, but they were all small-scale, with small amounts of transport as a test.
The results were mixed. Half of the supplies were transported to the seabed by German submarines, while the other half arrived safely in the Canadian Port of Halifax.
After several tentative transportation, the British Admiralty finally determined that the current route is safe, because German submarines have been attracted to ordinary transportation routes, and there is no sea area that this route passes through. There was once a sign of a German submarine infestation.
So the last, largest and most critical delivery in the "Crusade" plan began. The British Admiralty’s codename for this operation was "Continuation."
Nicholson felt a little flattered that he was given such an important mission~IndoMTL.com~ and felt a little proud.
He was confident in the completion of this operation, because after the British Admiralty's plan so carefully planned, it is impossible to fail anyway.
The only thing that made him feel that it was a fly in the ointment was that the strength of the fleet was slightly weaker this time. If there could be a battleship in town, it would be perfect.
Of course, Nicholson knew clearly that this was just his wishful thinking. These warships are already the limit that the Royal Navy can extract. After all, the British mainland is still under threat from the Germans.
"Captain, I saw Sude Island."
the watchman shouted loudly on the bridge.
Nicholson and the captain quickly turned around and looked towards the bow of the ship, only to see a small black spot faintly appearing on the sea horizon in the distance.
"It is Sude Island, we finally reached the first stop safely, Commander."
Wilson put down the telescope in his hand and smiled and said to Nicholson.
"Yes, Captain Wilson. I hope our journey will be the same smoothly."
"I hope so too, Commander Commander."
This naval fleet full of treasures just sailed slowly towards the distant islands. No one knew what they were about to encounter~ IndoMTL.com~ Book friends are welcome to visit and read, the latest and fastest , The hottest serial works are all at ~IndoMTL.com~