Chapter 2088： Demolition of the Strait of Dover II

After the British removed the signal indicator on the top, it was time to dismantle the entire anti-submarine network. A typical anti-submarine network is 120 feet long, and the width varies depending on the model. The width is 30 feet and 60 feet. , 80 feet and 120 feet, the mesh diameter of these anti-submarine nets is between 10 and 12 inches, and the weight of an anti-submarine net is between pounds. As an anti-submarine network that can be several kilometers long, it is naturally impossible for the British to invest one by one when it is launched, and the efficiency is too low.

So the British practice is generally to weave a group of 10 nets, the tops are connected with steel pipes, and fixed with floating bodies. When the British were dismantling, it was naturally impossible to directly pull a 1,200-foot anti-submarine net directly out of the water, so what the Germans had to do was to remove the steel beams of these anti-submarine nets little by little, and then spread them out. The anti-submarine network was taken away one by one.

If only this is the case, things are not complicated, but in fact, the British also set up some special anti-submarine nets in order to deal with the all-pervasive German submarines, which are called mine anti-submarine nets in the British Navy. This thing is just as the name suggests. , Is to hang mines on the lower part of the anti-submarine net. Once the German submarine hits it, it will be embarrassing and will be destroyed directly by the mine under the anti-submarine net!

Now, when the British were only concerned about the deployment, they didn’t expect that it would be really troublesome when it was time to dismantle... And the most terrible thing is that some anti-submarine nets are still underwater and cannot be seen on the water. The British naturally have the layout of the anti-submarine nets, but it is a pity that the position of the anti-submarine nets after a long period of time washed by the sea There will definitely be some shift... Ever since, this is troublesome!

So, the British, who are short on time, can only use some rougher methods. They use depth charges and explosive minesweepers to clear the entire sea. Just off the coast of Dunkirk, there were continuous explosions from time to time. They were caused by the British using the Groft deep-fire cannon and the deep-water bomb rail to release the deep bomb to detonate the minefield.

And just when the British were very busy, an accident occurred that cast a shadow over the entire "demolition" operation. When a destroyer used an anti-submarine launcher to clear a minefield, the density of mines was a bit high, which resulted in a domino effect. After a deep bomb fell into the water, it detonated more than a dozen mines around it, and one of them was mine. There was an accident of taking the anchor, and it happened to be close to the destroyer, and under the chain explosion, the hapless British destroyer was also sunk.

In fact, this kind of thing has often happened in history. At this time, the fuze of the mk6 torpedo, the most widely used by the British, was very unreliable. Sometimes it did not explode, but sometimes it exploded with a mine. Will detonate a sea of ​​mines... This is not only a design issue, but also the difficulty of product quality control due to the participation of a large number of private factories. In history, there has been something that embarrassed the British and surprised the Germans. On June 8, 1918, the U107 submarine recorded a total of 167 suspected mine explosions when passing through a minefield. But these The explosion has nothing to do with the submarine...

But even so, one thing to be sure is that the anti-submarine nets and minefields deployed in the English Channel still played a big role. Although it did not sink a few German submarines, it was because of the dangerous environment and the British navy's day and night patrols. The risk of allowing the Germans to pass here has become very large. In the memories of the German submarine personnel, there is a description of the submarine sailing underwater and the collision of a mine or anti-submarine net anchor chain. Although everyone knows that the British mines are very unreliable, but they are not afraid of ten thousand things but just in case. Therefore, the final result is that more than 80% of German submarines would rather choose to take an extra 500 nautical miles from being bypassed by the North Sea. Unwilling to pass through the English Channel.

When the British were making the final preparations for the withdrawal, the Luftwaffe did not relax. After breaking through the Port of Calais, more and more aircraft of the Luftwaffe appeared over Dunkirk Port, and the British actions were natural. Did not avoid the eyes of the Germans.

Dunkirk's day is more dangerous than night, so these minesweeping and removal of obstacles are generally carried out at night or during the day when the weather is bad, but even so, whether it is the demolition at sea or in Dunkirk The temporary docks built in the nearby coastal areas have attracted the attention of the Luftwaffe.

"The British are ready to flee. They have dismantled the anti-submarine nets and minefields in the four southern blocks. The original barrier that traverses the eastern section of the English Channel has also been dealt with by more than 40%. It seems that the British navy is prepared to The east enters the English Channel.” Admiral Harrell wrote in a letter to Crown Prince Ruprecht.

Someone may have asked, why can’t the British keep the barrier of the eastern exit and go in a circle from the western entrance of the English Channel? The reason is simple The British also deployed a large number of mines and obstacles at the entrance of the western section. Now, the French have betrayed. If the British appeared near the French port at this time, do you think, What would the French think? The same is demolition. One is to demolish in Dunkirk, where both sides of the strait are under their own control, and the other is to be demolished under the eyes of shore artillery and torpedo boats on the northern coast of the French. Which one do you choose? What's more, the British fleet is currently lacking fuel, and the cruise speed of light cruisers is limited to 14 knots. The destroyer is also limited to 18 knots, it is a long journey to bypass the entire England!

At this time, Ruprecht also returned from the front line to the German base camp on the western front in Brussels. Admiral Scheer, commander of the German High Seas Fleet, and Admiral Hipper, commander of the Fast Fleet, also came to Brussels. Now that the war on land can be handed over to Xiao Moqi and others, Ruprecht needs to discuss how to fight the final battle at sea.

What surprised Ruprecht was that this time the U.S. Navy delegation headed by U.S. Navy Secretary Admiral Benson strongly urged Germany to allow Americans to participate in the next few battles as individuals. I also want to use the last period of time to make up for the navy's actual combat experience. This is the truth of the so-called paper school. The prince happily agreed to the American's request. Accompanied by the reunion of the senior officers of the German Navy. The ending battle of the First World War finally kicked off, and in the next month, the British Royal Navy also suffered the most tragic loss since its formation!

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