Chapter 410： Launch (ask for a monthly ticket)

Scapa Flow is an important base of the Royal Navy and the home port of the Grand Fleet. After Germany became the primary threat to the United Kingdom, the British Navy formed a large fleet, the purpose of which was to deal with the German Navy.

It's just that the large fleet, which suffered heavy losses, now seems to be unable to deal with the German navy. Although the strength of the Grand Fleet is not bad, overall, it is far inferior to the German Navy.

In Scapa Flow, a total of 24 capital ships of the Royal Navy were moored, including 18 battleships and the remaining six battlecruisers. Among them, the "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleship and the "Revenge-class" battleship, the ten absolute main battleships, are all anchored here. In addition, there are the remaining "King George V-class" battleships, four "Orion-class" battleships, two "Giant-class" battleships and the "Neptune" battleship.

As for the three "St. Vincent-class" battleships and the three "Bellerophon-class" battleships, they are moored at Wake Harbor and form horns with the main force of the large fleet in Scapa Flow. As for the battleship 'Dreadnought', the pioneer of the dreadnought era, it remained in the southern waters.

Inside the headquarters of the Grand Fleet, the lights are bright. Although it is already night, there are still many officers on duty. Admiral John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, and Lieutenant General David Beatty, chief of staff, even stayed in the office.

The current situation is very unfavorable for Britain. As the commander and chief of staff of the Grand Fleet, one can imagine the pressure the two of them endured. In particular, Vice Admiral David Beatty, the fleet he commanded was defeated by the German Navy twice, with heavy losses, which made him feel ashamed. If it wasn't for Churchill's trust in him, and my previous failures were not because of him, but because of the huge gap in strength, maybe his Chief of Staff of the Grand Fleet would have been retired long ago.

"Your Excellency, the German warships are mobilizing more and more frequently. According to the information sent back by our agents, their 'Derfflinger-class' battlecruisers and 'Mackensen-class' battlecruisers are both They have already returned to the mainland for rest. Now in the Atlantic Ocean, only the 'Moltke-class' battlecruisers and the 'Blücher-class' battlecruisers are left. I have a hunch that the Germans are trying to fight us We are ready for the decisive battle." Lieutenant General David Beatty said.

General John Jellicoe nodded, and he could also feel that the situation seemed to be getting more and more critical. It was as if some kind of threat was constantly approaching them. The powerful German navy really put too much pressure on them.

"The German navy is too strong. It will take a long time for our new battleships to be built. His Excellency Churchill is right, the Germans will not give us any more time." John Jellicoe The admiral sighed.

"However, even if the Germans are far stronger than us. However, we have no way out. This time, we must fight with all our strength. Otherwise, the British Empire will be over." Admiral John Jellicoe said .

"Yes, Your Excellency Commander. This time we have to fight to the death." Lieutenant General David Betty's eyes were full of determination.

For Lieutenant General David Beatty, the previous failure was like the shame imposed on him, making him feel ashamed all the time. And if you want to wash away the shame, you have to defeat the Germans. Even if you can't defeat the Germans, you have to fight to the end. Even if you die in battle, it will be much better than now.

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, once the war breaks out, I need you to lead the battlecruiser formation and entangle the German battlecruisers. Buy time for our battleship formation to defeat the Germans. I know, this is very difficult. But, we did not There are other ways," said Admiral John Jellicoe.

"Your Excellency, Commander, I can understand. When the time comes, I will definitely do my best to complete the task." Lieutenant General David Betty said.

If he can entangle the battlecruiser formation of the German Navy, this will undoubtedly give the battleship formation a fair chance to fight the battlecruisers of the German Navy. If luck is good enough and the battleship formation can win the decisive battle, then they still have a slight chance of winning. Otherwise, you will lose.

John? Admiral Jellicoe nodded. He knew how difficult the task of Lieutenant General David Beatty was. They are already very clear about the combat effectiveness of the battlecruisers of the German Navy. Even if the other six battlecruisers of the German Navy do not go to battle, Lieutenant General David Beatty has no chance of winning. If it doesn't work, it will end up being sunk in the end. If possible, he certainly didn't want to choose this tactic. However, this was considered impossible.

At this moment, in the narrow waterway of Scapa Flow, a German submarine is sailing slowly. In order to avoid hitting reefs or rocks, the speed of the submarine has dropped to 3 knots. But even so, it is still dangerous.

Lieutenant Colonel Dönitz, his forehead and face were covered with sweat. Even the military uniform on his body was already wet with sweat.

Fortunately, after two hours of low-speed sailing, they finally passed the waterway and entered Scapa Flow.

"Sir, we have successfully slipped in."

"Very good, now slowly raise the periscope and observe the surroundings!" Lieutenant Colonel Doenitz ordered.

After the periscope was raised, Lieutenant Colonel Dönitz began to observe the surroundings. He could clearly see that the battleships of the British Navy were quietly moored in the berth. However, because of the dark sky, it is difficult to see clearly, only a little blurry shadow can be seen, and the specific model cannot be distinguished at all.

"The 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships and the 'Revenge-class' battleships have the largest displacement, so let's launch torpedoes at the largest." Afterwards, Lieutenant Colonel Dönitz made a decision.

The U-037 submarine began to move forward, choosing the most suitable attack position.

Half an hour later, Lieutenant Colonel Doenitz was ready. The bow of the submarine was aimed at the two huge battleships. The two torpedo tubes behind were aimed at a battleship.

In such a short distance, even if two torpedoes attack a target, as long as they hit, they will be seriously injured if they don't die. Therefore, Lieutenant Colonel Dönitz planned to attack three targets in the first salvo.

"Get ready for loading!" Lieutenant Colonel Doenitz ordered.

Except for the gunner, everyone went to help reload. They need to be loaded in the shortest possible time after the torpedo is fired.

"Launch!"

"Boom! Boom"

The torpedoes shot out of the torpedo tubes and rushed towards the target at high speed.