Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 20: The Scharnhorst (below)
"Speed up! Hans! Where are you going to take your people?"
"Charge No. 1! Boys, go on!"
"Strong, don't be like a sissy. Hey, push the forklift over. God! See what you did! Idiot!"
Just as Captain Siegfried was standing on the lookout and sighing with emotion, the bow ammunition depot of the German battleship Scharnhorst was full of enthusiasm.
The main ammunition depot located in the lower deck of the front of the battleship is responsible for providing ammunition to Scharnhorst’s first two main turrets and six 280mm heavy guns.
Although this laborious work has been mostly semi-automated, the work of loading those heavy charges and shells on the lifting and loading machinery still requires manpower, and these tasks alone are enough The dozens of strong sailors were so exhausted and sweaty.
The bottom of the ammunition depot is the charge compartment, where all the main guns of the two front main turrets are placed.
These propellants are related to the survival of the entire warship. In history, it is not known how many powerful warships that have crossed the world have fallen to pieces due to the propellant magazine being hit, so modern warships generally place it. In contrast, the lower compartment is safer and the most reliable in protection.
Cylindrical drug bags filled with dozens of kilograms of powerful propellant, which are tightly wrapped by layers of silk, are neatly stacked around the warehouse. Dozens of strong sailors are under the command of a sergeant commander. Orderly push those medicine packets into the hanging rails of the two bombing machines.
Each hanging bar can be loaded with three medicine bags, which can be used for launching a gun. Although the powerful ventilation system continuously injects cool and fresh air into the ammunition depot, the sailors still can't help sweating, not because of fatigue but because of excitement.
"Hurry up, you need twelve packs, lads. This is not a drill. Use all your strength. Let those guys above can give us a severe lesson to the British."
The forty-something-year-old sergeant screamed at the sailors hoarsely.
Now his heart is as passionate as his men. Although he can’t shoot artillery shells at those British guys personally makes him feel a bit regretful, it is the lifelong dream of all German naval officers and soldiers to participate in such a real naval battle. It's about to happen soon, why can't this old sailor be so excited?
Of course, the thought of the rich rewards he can get after winning makes him feel full of power.
His young subordinates obviously can't understand the dream of an old navy. It seems that they are more interested in the promises made by the Führer.
But no matter what, these sailors did enter a state that made the sergeant chief very satisfied, and they displayed extraordinary strength.
Seeing them enthusiastically completing their work at twice the speed of their usual training, the sergeant chief didn't bother to worry about whether the original motives of these guys were in line with the German navy honor, which made people scratch their heads.
The upper layer of the charge magazine is the shell magazine. Just like the scene in the charge magazine, dozens of strong guys are struggling to move waist-high 280mm shells to the hoist under the command of the officer. .
And the atmosphere here is more enthusiastic and agitated than in the charge magazine, which may be directly related to the agitation of the commander of the magazine that is more explicit than the sergeant chief below.
"Hurry up, lads! Take out the spirit of a German navy soldier. The British have a lot of banknotes floating on the sea outside, and work harder. Think about your family seeing a lot of money stacked The expression in front of you. You can buy a bunch of fat cows for your farm, you can put the most beautiful girl in your hometown into your arms, and you can buy the most beautiful fashion in Paris for your wife.
In short, your messy dreams can be realized, and now it's up to you to fight for it. Don't let our great Führer down, boys! The great head of state generously put these into our hands not to see us fail.
It’s also time for us to show our strength to the army. Let those guys who wear life jackets in the bathtub see that we are the best soldiers in Germany. "
"Understand, sir!"
"I want to buy a new brush."
"You can buy as many as you want, I will accompany you to buy a dozen brushes when the time comes"
"Haha, I can go to marry Shana!"
"Go dream, Shana is mine!"
"Is there still a medal, sir, my father has always wanted me to get a medal."
"Of course there are medals, but it depends on your performance, kid."
The commander received the warmest response from the sailors. They roared in excitement, and quickly and cautiously loaded the shells on the shell hoisting rail of the hoist.
"Captain, the data has been reported."
The second officer shouted to Siegfried at the gate of the bridge.
"Very well, Major Hanno."
Siegfried turned and walked into the bridge.
"The target data is confirmed, where is the gunner?"
Siegfried asked when standing in front of the chart full of parameters.
"All the artillery is ready for battle. He is waiting for your order. Captain."
, the second officer standing behind Siegfried answered loudly.
"Okay, start aiming at the target area according to the parameters given by the flagship, and wait for the final command."
"Yes, Captain."
With a crisp alarm bell, Scharnhorst’s huge turret began to slowly turn to the starboard side of the battleship, and the sturdy 280mm main gun barrel began to slowly rise.
"Ready to fight! All commanders enter the combat position."
The first mate stood by the wall and called out loud orders.
"There are three minutes left, Captain."
The first officer put down the phone and walked behind Siegfried and said softly.
"Hmm."
Siegfried raised his hand and looked at his watch.
"The commander gave us the honor of starting the first shot of the battle. Now the entire fleet is watching the Scharnhorst, so there must be no mistakes."
"Understood, sir. Everyone knows this, so don't worry."
"Very good."
Siegfried looked out from the bridge porthole to the rear of the battleship, and now the entire fleet formed a column along the route on the right side of the strait.
Scharnhorst came first, followed by Gneisenau, followed by Admiral Scheer, and Prince Eugen protruding beyond the formation behind Scheer Parked. Admiral Hipper took four light cruisers at the end of the line. The destroyer fleet also formed a separate column waiting on the right side of the main team.
"One minute, sir."
The first officer called out loudly. The atmosphere in the bridge suddenly became tense with the first officer's cry. Everyone turned their eyes to the captain, and a depressed feeling permeated the entire battle bridge.
Siegfried walked slowly to the porthole and looked at the high main gun through the porthole.
"The time is up, sir!"
the first officer said in a trembling voice.
"I order, fire!"
Siegfried gave the order coldly.
"Yes, sir!"
The first officer replied excitedly, and then he raised the phone that he had in his hand long ago and shouted: "Captain command! Fire!"
As soon as the first mate's voice fell, the noisy alarm that had been ringing from the front stopped abruptly. Two seconds later, Scharnhorst's nine main artillery guns issued a shaking roar at the same time.
The huge muzzle flame flashed out of the porthole, and the entire battleship trembled.
The muzzle flames of the three parallel main guns converged into a huge fireball with a diameter of more than ten meters. The fireball flashed for less than a second and was replaced by a larger white smoke cloud. The white smoke quickly dissipated with the sea breeze, and for a time the entire huge hull of the Scharnhorst was shrouded in the thin smoke.
The full-loaded salvo of the battleship’s main guns is staggering. The huge air pressure of the muzzle presses out a wide shallow crater on the side of the ship, and the 32,000-ton hull is heavily recoiled. Forcibly pushed to the side and rear for about half a meter, everyone who witnessed this moment couldn't help feeling in awe of this terrible man-made destructive power.
"Very well, that's why I love the navy!"
Siegfried exclaimed loudly, then he turned his face to the first officer and shouted: "Lynes, go full speed! Let's teach those British guys a lifelong lesson!"
"Yes, Captain. Go ahead at full speed!"
The tall chimney of the Scharnhorst blasted out a puff of black smoke. As the black smoke dissipated, the huge battleship began to slowly accelerate towards the exit of the strait.
At the same time, Gneisenau also finished a salvo, and she also activated her momentum and started to follow the path of Scharnhorst.
After the German Ocean Fleet smashed a pile of large-caliber artillery shells on the unprepared British fleet with ease, they lined up with Scharnhorst as the lead ship and pressed aggressively towards the enemy outside the strait. past.
In contrast, the situation on the British fleet can only be described as embarrassing.
When Scharnhorst’s shell fell on the head of the British fleet, Nicholson was still sipping black tea on York’s spacious open-air compass bridge.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in his ears. The Commander of the Stop Fleet put down the teacup in his hand in doubt, and got up from the comfortable recliner at the corner of the open-air bridge.
Nicholson raised his head, trying to figure out what the sound is from the air. He swears that he has heard similar sounds before, but now he can't remember it for a while.
His subordinates also heard this strange noise, and they are now looking up into the surrounding sky.
Nicholson was sure that it was not an airplane, and it sounded like a broken old merchant ship steam pipe burst.
"Damn it, it's shelling!"
Nicholson finally found the answer in the depths of his memory. The sound between the bass organ and the steam pipe exhaust in the church made him almost scared when he participated in the Battle of Jutland. The sound of the pants, that kind. . . . The sound of terrifying large-caliber shells breaking through the air.
Nicholson hadn't finished speaking, a huge dull explosion had hit his eardrums. The panicked fleet commander threw on the fence by the bridge and looked in the direction of the explosion. The spectacular sight that had appeared in dreams countless times appeared in front of him again.
The light cruiser Orion in front of the York heavy cruiser has now been shrouded in a row of tall water columns~IndoMTL.com~The thick water column with a diameter of more than 30 meters rises into the sky, and the height far exceeds the mast of Orion. .
The 9,000-ton hull of Orion looks like a toy boat in a bathtub in front of this behemoth.
Suddenly a huge fireball shot up from the stern of Orion, and a shell hit her aft sub-bridge, and the steel **** was blown to pieces just in front of Nicholson and his men.
The five-meter-high building is now a huge shotgun, projecting countless high-speed steel fragments and parts around.
The tall cross mast that stood on the tail tower slowly rose upwards like some magic. The mast jumped five or six meters in the fireball and then fell slowly, and finally One end collapsed on the stern of the ship, a beam pierced into the sea water at the stern of the ship, and the broken cables were wound around the mast and burned, creating a terrible sight on the deck.
"Straddle shot!"
Nicholson had that term that shocked all the captains of the warship. The tragedy of those warships that were straddled during the Battle of Jutland made Nicholson unforgettable.
"Look for the source of the shelling immediately, quickly! We have encountered a large battleship!"
Nicholson’s experience made him react quickly, and he roared to his stunned subordinates who were frightened by the foreground.
"Here again!"
The first officer screamed loudly, and the strange whistle sound came again in the air.