Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 21: Prince Eugen (Part 1)

　　

　　 Now it's York's turn to teach you the kind of horror that Orion encountered ten seconds ago.

　　The screams of the first officer had not disappeared from the ears of the officers and soldiers who were panicked on the bridge, and a thunderous roar had already echoed around them.

　　 Two huge water jets suddenly appeared in the horrified eyes of the British naval officers and soldiers. They were so large that people could not believe their eyes.

　　 The huge water column roared into the sky, and the edge of the water column was only less than ten meters from the ship's side of the York, which stood tall like an iceberg.

　　No one can keep calm in the face of such a miraculous scene full of violence. Some people standing on the open-air bridge screamed and looked for shelters that they thought were safe. Some people grabbed everything he could grab and prayed loudly to God, while more people were just as shocked by the sight as Nicholson, they just stood in their original posts. He stared blankly at the spectacular scene in front of him.

　　 No one can tell how high the water columns were at that time, because they were so close to the York that they seemed to be able to be touched with one hand. They were so huge, so huge People can't help being in awe.

　　 The tremendous power shown by those water jets and the threat of death behind them exerted a strong psychological pressure on witnesses that no one dared to raise their heads in front of them.

　　 The water column just towers abruptly around the battleship, and people can't help but have the illusion that they may stand like this forever.

　　 There is no sign of being hit by the 　　 York, but the hull seems to be slightly tilted to the right, but the sailors on the deck already felt the huge energy, the hull made a terrible moan, and the deck was full. A sailor who was unsteady due to the violent shaking.

　　 It wasn't until the water column began to fall slowly that the officers and soldiers reacted from the extreme horror. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts, and it seemed that everything had passed.

　　 But two seconds later, the British officers and soldiers knew they were wrong, and the nightmare had just begun.

　　 Hundreds of tons of water rushed back to the sea. The force produced is immeasurable. When the water began to slam into the water around the York, the huge surge almost destroyed the hull of the York. Out of the sea.

　　 The battleship leaned quickly to the port side, and the speed made people feel that she was about to turn over like this, which made the sailors on the battleship let out a desperate scream again.

　　 Just when everyone looked at their warship incredibly tilted and helpless, the warship's rapid leftward tilt miraculously stopped.

　　The frightened sailors did not have time to thank God for this before they found themselves in another nightmare.

　　It was not God that prevented the York from tilting, but the same huge surge on the left side of the battleship.

　　 The waves slammed into the hard port side hull of the York, and the splashed waves formed a water wall tens of meters high and stood in front of the British sailors, and then slammed on the port deck.

　　 The sailors on the port deck did not have time to fix themselves. They were rolled up by the waves and slammed into the hard bulkhead behind them. There were even a few poor guys who were thrown high by the waves and then wailed into the sea.

　　The huge force pushed the York to starboard. The huge hull of the USS York screamed in protest under this terrifying torsion force. The warship swayed back and forth, and the sour metal distortion echoed over the entire warship.

　　From the time the first shell fell into the water next to the battleship until York stopped the terrible swing dance, it lasted only half a minute before and after, but this half-minute was really more than half a minute in the hearts of those British naval officers. A century will be tough.

　　 Brigadier General Nicholson finally recovered from the shock. For a while, he felt a sense of time and space disorder in his mind. The sight of deja vu before him evoked the painful memories in his heart that he could never forget. The scene that Duan had appeared in his nightmare countless times appeared in front of him again, and the shock that all this brought to his soul was beyond the comprehension of others.

　　 He will never forget the last scene he saw in the epic battle of Jutland before the destroyer he was serving in sank, how similar it was now.

　　 "Report the damage! Captain! Captain! Wilson!"

　　 Nicholson stood up from the bridge deck strenuously. He supported the guardrail on the compass to stabilize his body and shouted loudly.

　　 "Captain Wilson!"

　　 Can’t hear the answer from his subordinates, Nicholson can’t help feeling an anger surge from the bottom of his heart. He looks around, trying to find the figure of the captain standing next to him, but what catches his eyes is The faces were pale and filled with fear and panic.

　　 "Are you still like the glorious Royal Navy? What's so frightening! Where is the captain? Where is Wilson?"

　　 Nicholson angrily rebuked the terrified subordinates.

　　 "Ah, Captain! The captain is injured!"

　　 With a cry of exclamation, everyone spotted Captain Wilson lying limp at the corner of the bridge. They also saw a blood-red liquid slowly flowing down the captain’s forehead.

　　 "Quickly, send him to the medical room immediately."

　　 Nicholson eagerly ordered. The four sailors hurriedly lifted the unconscious Wilson and ran off the bridge, looking at the blood stains left by his men on the smooth and shiny teak floor of the bridge, Nicholson couldn't help but feel a chill.

　　 "Mr. Ketterst!"

　　 Nicholson turned his head and looked at the first officer standing aside.

　　 "Ah, yes, your Excellency Commander."

　　The first officer was looking at the position where the captain was lying just now. Nicholson's cry startled him. The first officer gave a cold war and straightened his chest to the cold-faced commander. stand at attention.

　　"Don't forget that you are an honorable Royal Navy officer. You now look like a frightened quail."

　　 Nicholson said coldly.

　　 "I'm very sorry, Commander Commander!"

　　 The first officer lowered his head in shame.

　　"Now that Captain Wilson is injured, I order you to take over as the captain. This battleship is now under your command, and I hope you will not let me down! Lieutenant Colonel Cortester. "

　　 "Yes, Commander, I will not let you down."

　　 the first officer quickly answered loudly.

　　"Search the position of the enemy fleet immediately, there must be more than two large warships. Investigate the loss of the fleet immediately!"

　　 Nicholson gave a loud command.

　　 "The whole fleet is ready for battle! Send an alert! Everyone is in combat position! We are being attacked by generating electricity to the Admiralty. It may be a large German battleship."

　　 Nicholson finally recovered his calmness, and his rich combat experience prompted him to immediately enter the fighting state.

　　 orders were quickly communicated one by one, Nicholson picked up the telescope and searched the sea anxiously.

　　Except for the two final cargo ships, almost every battleship in the 　　Fighting Fleet has been bombarded in various degrees.

　　 But the situation was not as bad as Nicholson had initially expected. In addition to a shell in the Orion, the Emerald and Sheffield were also shot, but the damage did not seem to be very serious.

　　 Although the enemy’s artillery shells are very explosive, it’s strange that none of them can penetrate the main deck of the battleship. Although the three battleships are now full of smoke and look badly injured, the fire has actually been controlled. .

　　York caused part of the hull below the waterline due to near-missing bombs. In several places, the outer armor plate rivets broke and some of the cabins were flooded, but it was not serious. The water flooding has also been caused by the damage pipe. Get under control.

　　 Those injuries are only skin injuries, and the fleet still maintains its combat effectiveness. What makes Nicholson most depressed now is that he still doesn't know where the enemy's shells are coming from.

　　The situation reported by each warship is not the same, and there are all directions. Nicholson is a bit at a loss now. He has never fought such a depressed battle. After being smashed by the enemy with a large-caliber shell, he can't find the enemy's position.

　　 What’s even stranger is that the shelling ended as suddenly as it appeared, and five minutes later, no shells flew to the fleet again, who was the enemy, why the attack was stopped, and where did the shelling come from? This abnormal situation gave the navy captains an ominous premonition.

　　 Nicholson prefers that the shells are fired from the sea on the right side of the fleet, because the left side of the fleet is Sand Island, and further ahead is the Strait of Skopland. After the ten kilometers wide strait is Faro The main island of the archipelago.

　　 He also contacted the garrison commander of the Faroe Islands half an hour ago. The Faroe Islands are still under the control of the British army, not to mention that no idiot would deploy such large-caliber heavy artillery on islands far away from the mainland.

　　 Nicholson now believes that he has encountered a large German assault ship. According to the firepower, there are at least two large warships.

　　"It will not be our own fleet hit by mistake."

　　 Although Nicholson had this kind of suspicion at first, he was immediately denied. I sailed a secret route. There shouldn't be a Royal Navy warship in this area, and judging from that kind of firepower, it definitely surpassed heavy cruisers, either battleships or battlecruisers. Now the Royal Navy has no fleet that can meet this standard.

　　"Is the German fleet secretly leaving the port, or is it..."

　　 Suddenly a thought that frightened him appeared in Nicholson's mind.

　　"Did the Germans know their mission and purposely ambushed themselves here?"

　　 But the next second, he denied the idea again. The level of secrecy of this operation is unimaginable by ordinary people, and it is impossible for the Germans to get any information about this operation in any case.

　　 "It seems more like an accident. Maybe the Germans chose this sea area because they wanted to avoid the Royal Navy's patrol ships. It seems that the idiots of the Naval Intelligence Department were fooled by the Germans again."

　　 Nicholson affirmed his guess in his heart, and he began to curse secretly for the incompetence of the Naval Intelligence Agency.

　　 If this is the case, then everything can be reasonably explained. The German Navy has always been accustomed to sneak attacks, and their assault ships are very fierce and have a very long range. This can explain why they suffer without warning. Attacked.

　　 The German naval assault ships have always been reluctant to engage the Royal Navy fleet head-on. Once they realize that they may also suffer losses, no matter how powerful the ships are, they will give up the attack and choose to escape. This can explain why the shelling did not continue.

　　 The Germans must have discovered that their fleet is not so easy to destroy, so they gave up on fighting. Now those enemies must have retreated, and they have run out of their sight.

　　 Nicholson was satisfied with the conclusion he reasoned, and he felt that this must be the case.

　　"Order the fleet to stay in formation, pay attention to searching the sea, and the course remains the same, we will go to Torshavn to fix it."

　　 Nicholson put down the telescope in his hand and coldly ordered the acting captain. Nicholson has now decided to deactivate the combat alert if there is no trace of the enemy after fifteen minutes or no more attacks.

　　"Are we going to call at Torshavn? Your Excellency Commander."

　　The deputy captain asked hesitantly.

　　"Of course, we have the wounded and must go to the shore for treatment. But our current whereabouts have been discovered by the Germans. We can’t stay for too long and must speed up loading and unloading. I can guarantee this sea area after dark It will be crowded with German submarines coming after hearing the news, like tuna schools. So we must hurry up."

　　 "Yes, sir!"

　　"Enemy ship! Right...A German warship was found right ahead!"

　　The lookout man standing by the bridge suddenly roared like crazy. Almost at the same moment, the signal lights of the two lead destroyers flashed frantically at the York, and they found that the enemy ship’s flag was on the two destroyers at the same time. The mast slowly rises.

　　 "What!"

　　 Nicholson quickly raised his telescope and looked forward. By this time the British fleet was approaching the Strait of Skopland. The nearest two lead destroyers were less than 5,000 meters from the exit of the strait, and the flagship of the first fleet due to the injury of the Orion, York, was 7,000 from the exit Meter.

　　 is the 30-meter high cliff of San Island on one side, and the vast North Atlantic Ocean on the other. A huge rock stands alone on the corner of San Island and the exit of the strait, and the fleet can see the situation in the strait by turning the rock.

　　 And now a huge ship shadow is rushing out from behind the rock, the towering mast is far beyond the height of the rock, and the fiery red iron crusader flag flying on the mast is clear through the telescope lens Appeared in front of Nicholson.

　　"German battleship! Prepare for battle! Damn, why didn't the radar find the enemy ship in the strait! Battle alert!"

　　 Nicholson almost threw the binoculars in his hand. He can no longer regret or blame himself. The enemy has entered such a close distance to him. This is definitely a **** battle of close combat.

　　 "It's Scharnhorst! God, I recognize the emblem! It's the battlecruiser Scharnhorst!" the acting captain roared.

　　"We actually let Scharnhorst get close to within 10,000 yards, **** it, immediately target the enemy ship and fire!"

　　 "Order the destroyer to attack immediately, we are too close, my God."

　　 Scharnhorst has already rushed out of the strait, and what made the British navy fearful was that she seemed to have been prepared for it, and the three huge turrets had already turned the direction of the British fleet.

　　 Now the British fleet is unable to fire immediately anyway. Everyone held their breath and waited for the fierce battleship to launch its first attack.

　　 But what surprised the British was that the Scharnhorst traversed the British route in such a majestic manner but did not fire. Suddenly, the British rekindled their fighting spirit, and the German's contemptuous act angered After all the British navy officers and soldiers, the cruiser’s main guns began to slowly turn towards that huge enemy ship. They wanted to let the stupid Germans know how high it would be to underestimate the British Royal Navy.

　　 But a few seconds later, the enthusiastic fighting spirit of the British once again extinguished as quickly as it was when it was ignited. They could hardly believe their eyes, and behind the rock, another equally large ship's shadow appeared.

　　"Gege...Ge...Gneisenau! We met a formation of German battlecruisers!"

　　 Nicholson felt cold as he listened to the screams of his subordinates.

　　 According to the theory, Scharnhorst is enough for her fleet to drink a pot, even if she has entered her range, she is enough to deal with all her attacks.

　　 And now with the addition of a Gneisano, Nicholson no longer wants to estimate anything. The distance is too close to fight.

　　 It seems that the two warships that attacked me before, although I don’t know how they aimed at me, this is no longer important. What matters now is how to get rid of the current predicament.

　　 Thinking of the cargo on his own fleet and the meaning of these cargoes to the empire, Nicholson had no choice but to desperately now.

　　 In the current situation, even if the fleet can run away one ship, it is good. Even if it sacrifices half and saves the other half, it is a victory. It is better than just giving it all here.

　　 But, before Nicholson could give his order, the German gave him another heavy blow to his already overburdened heart!

　　Another German warship rushed out from behind the rock. This battleship is a full circle smaller than Scharnhorst, but the superstructure is designed to be smoother and more beautiful than the former. The shiny hull is painted with black and white fragments of camouflage.

　　 "Admiral Hipper!"

　　The deputy captain almost groaned.

　　"No, it’s not Admiral Hipper! This is obviously a new ship, the German Prince Eugen!"

　　 Nicholson is very familiar with the German Navy’s warships, whether they are under construction or already launched.

　　"We met the main force of the German Navy~IndoMTL.com~ Nicholson murmured, suddenly he seemed to remember something, he grabbed the arm of the acting captain and shouted loudly: "Quickly , Sent a signal, the whole fleet turned, turned 90 degrees to the right, ordered the destroyer to attack with torpedoes, the Germans occupied our T-head position! Why has the main gun not been aimed, order all warships, design immediately after aiming, and shoot freely! "

　　 Nicholson finally thought of the most famous tactic of occupying the T-shaped head in battleship tactics. It’s just that he has been the commander of the destroyer fleet for too long, and the destroyer has no chance to use this tactic.

　　 "Look, there seems to be a flag on the mast of that battleship."

　　 Nicholson quickly raised his binoculars and looked.

　　"This...this is, my God, the captain of Prince Eugen must be crazy!"

　　 I saw a black flag fluttering across the towering mast of Prince Eugen. In the middle of the black flag, a grinning skull was clearly depicted, and a pair of crossed thigh bones were drawn behind the skull.

　　 This is the most familiar flag of the British Royal Navy. This flag has been flown on the ships of those famous British admirals more than once.

　　 This is a pirate flag that is very well-made, very standard proportions, and flawless.

　　 The black skull flag hung on the horizontal mast to hunt and dance, and it complemented the blood red iron cross flag on the top of the mast. For the first time, the German navy showed its strength in front of the British navy and the entire world. , And the graceful madness that shocked the whole world.