Chapter 13: Those Fake Nobles (2)

  "Commander, now that Elizabeth and the Intrepid's boiler leak issues have been resolved, why not let the Queen-class return to the battlecruiser squadron instead of staying at Lewis in Scotland? Betty, when does our North Sea combat cruise begin?"

  In February, the North Sea battle cruise, the Queen-class battleship that was first matched with the Battle Cruiser Squadron for training had an actual speed that was not satisfactory. After emergency treatment by technical engineers from Portsmouth and Devonport dockyards, the boiler water pipe design of the Queen class was improved, and a light run in the bay near the shipyard achieved 26 knots. However, the light run speed does not prove anything, and it is still unknown whether the first-class fast battleship of the British Empire can reach its designed speed of 25 knots in actual combat conditions.

  Learning from Commander-in-Chief David Beatty that the Queen-class renovation is complete, secretly arriving at Lewis Head on the west coast of Scotland, Vice Admiral Limpard, deputy commander of the First Battle Cruiser Squadron, hastened to pick up the North Sea combat cruise plan that had been shelved for a long time, hoping to form combat effectiveness and serve as soon as possible through high-intensity combat cruise training.

  "Lampard, be patient, you should know that the main fleet staying in Scotland's west coast is not just those two Queen Elizabeths..." Betty said calmly as she moved three Invincible-class battlecruiser models from the Atlantic equator to Faslane Port on Scotland's west coast, where only a few old patrol boats were left.

  "Oh God! Didn't the Admiralty decide to recall only one of the Invincibles? Wasn't Invincible just repaired and sailed out of Montevideo, Uruguay? What about Australia and New Zealand which are blockading German South West Africa? What will happen to the East Asian Squadron's armored cruiser Gneisenau?"

  After the Battle of the Falkland Islands, the British Admiralty obstinately promoted this unsuccessful massacre as a glorious victory for the Royal Navy. The sinking of the light cruiser Bristol and the armed merchant ship Orama were elegantly ignored. The Scharnhorst, which had been defined by the Royal Navy before the battle as an armored cruiser, was reinterpreted in the frenzied propaganda and transformed into a first-class modern battlecruiser.

  The British have not yet recovered from the wonderful bloodless sinking of a "battle cruiser", and the Navy Department's lofty ambitions are coming one after another: The Indomitable, which was lightly damaged in the sea battle, and the Australian battle cruiser will continue their mission to hunt down German raiders in the South Atlantic, while the New Zealand will return home soon.

  All this left Lampard flabbergasted, so much so that the Royal Navy's number one and two penmen put forward several questions at once.

  The East Asian Fleet had narrowly escaped the Falkland Islands naval battle, but their main gun ammunition was almost depleted. The task of blockading the Gulf of Guinea could be left to the old-fashioned battleships and armoured cruisers of the South American Squadron. David Beatty picked up his cap from the table and put it back on his head, his bright blue eyes full of impatience: "Tactical deception is not just a privilege of our old friend Heidekampf, both the Germans and our allies are convinced that we will leave one or two Indomitable-class battlecruisers to blockade the lone Scharnhorst armoured cruiser. Ha! Secretly recalling three Indomitable-class battlecruisers may be the most adventurous and brilliant decision of my life as David Beatty!"

  Lamperd was still digesting the great information contained in Betty's few words, while Davy-Betty had already tidied up his military appearance and strode out of the chart room with big strides. The staff officers who were busy working on the charts stood up to salute one after another. Betty smiled slightly with a gentlemanly smile, nodded slightly, and raised his hand to the brim of his hat.

  As Betty's figure almost completely disappeared at the door of the chart room, the broad back of the naval officer paused for a moment, and an inexplicable playful voice came over from afar: "Order, all ships of the First Battle Cruiser Squadron to light fires and weigh anchor, course southwest, target... Scotland Portland Bay Ras角!"

  "Betty, isn't the North Sea battlecruiser campaign our main objective?" After a long time, Lieutenant General Lampard finally came up with something interesting, and he casually placed several models of war cruisers on the other side of the British Isles in the Heligoland Bay of the North Sea. He hastened his pace to catch up, shouting at the most outstanding commander of the young generation of the Royal Navy, Vice Admiral David Beatty.

  "If you also think so, my Heligoland Bight sweep plan is half done!" David Beatty turned his head to look at the last afterglow of sunset in the direction of the Scottish Sea, and said indifferently: "Selim, 1915 North Sea chessboard I take the first move, good show... just begun!"

  At 18:45 on March 1, 1915, as night fell over Scapa Flow, David Beatty's First Battle Cruiser Squadron consisting of two Lion-class battlecruisers (Lion and Princess Royal), one Tiger-class battlecruiser, and two Invincible-class battlecruisers (Invincible and Indomitable) slipped out of Scapa Flow and headed towards the Pentland Firth in northern Scotland. Meanwhile, off the west coast at Lewis Head, two Queen Elizabeth-class battleships (Queen Elizabeth and Warspite) joined three Indefatigable-class battlecruisers (Indefatigable, Australia, and New Zealand), waiting for Beatty's main fleet to arrive, thus marking the beginning of a bloody naval rivalry in 1915.

  ****

  Conservative naval chief of staff Hugo von Pohl cancelled the plan to send out the main fleet for a sweep of the North Sea at the beginning of his tenure, despite opposition from the High Seas Fleet. Although German light vessels could still firmly grasp control of the sea area from the southern North Sea to the English Channel minefield, the strategic situation that pressed northward on the survival space of the Grand Fleet had to be temporarily terminated.

  The Grand Fleet of the High Seas Fleet had to settle for second best, and intensively practiced its skills: three battleship squadrons and one battlecruiser squadron alternated in advancing into the Baltic Sea for naval combat training, coordinating with the Fourth Battleship Squadron to participate in the blockade of the Gulf of Finland and intimidation of Russia. The naval air force continued to expand, with the airship and aircraft units rapidly expanding; two seaplane carriers converted from 6,000-ton fast cargo ships also joined the High Seas Fleet.

  Good times did not last long, in February, the ever-expanding fleet began to stir, repeatedly sailing southward, when the Grand Fleet was pondering countermeasures, a naval political storm suddenly arrived.

  The political storm that had been raging for nearly a month showed no signs of abating by the end of February, when naval officers and men who had once served under Wang Haide witnessed a heart-wrenching scene: the naval war god who had shed blood for this country was criticized by a group of young people who had never been on the battlefield and had no command experience at a hearing held at the Berlin Naval Headquarters, and the post of Commander of the Baltic Sea Blockade Fleet was also abolished.

  Foreign diplomats and intelligence personnel outside the局 have analyzed the high-level personnel struggle of the German Navy like a flower in the mirror and a moon in the water, predicting that the political storm in Berlin will continue to be deadlocked. The dismissal of General Seyler, who was not directly responsible for the sinking of the Brunswick, and the sudden resignation of Admiral Georg von Müller, Minister of the Naval Cabinet, are the best examples.

  In March, the sailors in Wilhelmshaven were in a state of unrest, although the rigid and heavy training continued, but secretly sympathizing with the voices of Queen Wilhelmina was endless. The accusations against Navy Minister Kappele remained unyielding. The nervous state of preparation for war in the High Seas Fleet could not be hidden from those who cared, the British were gloating over the misfortune, expecting a decisive battle, and the neutral citizens were wringing their hands in dismay.

  The Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, Reinhard von Scheer and his deputy Franz von Hipper seemed to be unaware or saw through the political storm behind the waves and the melting ice, knowing that the talented young man was already impatient with the narrow stage of the Gulf of Finland and the muddy Russian Navy. He even planned a land-based campaign-like operation, using submarines and surface ships to raid the British-French combined fleet's anchorage in Mudros Bay; Knowing that the downfall of the Naval Minister Georg von Müller meant that the Emperor's ears and eyes in the navy were removed, and direct contact with the High Seas Fleet was blocked and sealed off. The Navy Minister Kapelle was originally in a state of being set aside, and he was able to stay in the navy only because he had become insignificant.

  "The First Battle Cruiser Squadron's five battle cruisers secretly slipped out of Scapa Flow and headed southwest?"

  On the morning of March 2, 1915, at the base of the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow, the intelligence officer hastily handed over intelligence that was not a prelude to the Battle of Moudros Bay, but an "unexpected" move by David Beatty's battlecruiser squadron.

  "Are you sure the Betty fleet's course is southwest?"

  Schurder's repeated questioning revealed his anticipation of the British movement, and the intelligence officer nodded firmly without hesitation: "Yes, Commander, the British sailed towards Portland Bay."

  The bellicose General Scher stiffened his fingers and came to the chart, measuring with hesitant eyes the distance between Portland Bay and the North Sea. He said regretfully: "Have General Hipper come over here once, also inform Commander-in-Chief Seydlitz of the First Reconnaissance Fleet about this intelligence."

  March 2, 1915, 06:21, Baltic Sea, Gulf of Finland, ?land Sea.

  Lützow and several other capital ships were packed with sailors seeing them off, Generaladmiral Boehm-Ermolli's voluble farewells, while Admiral Horthy shook his head stubbornly.

  "Colonel Bihani, don't be sad, there's no need to keep me for a small drink, we'll meet again soon!"

  Wang Haitao, who had lost the position of commander of the Baltic Fleet's blockade squadron, did not become a rootless floating weed after all. His first reconnaissance fleet was still in the Norwegian Sea, near the Kattegat Strait, which is not far from the Gulf of Finland. After completing the handover smoothly, Wang Haitao patted General Bihanic on the shoulder and jumped onto the tossing traffic boat with ease along the spiral ladder.

  The helmsman of the traffic boat waved his hand to Ryevsk, indicating that the sailors on board should untie the ropes. The one in charge of the rope was still Sergeant Habe, who was a first-class old hand and had been applauded by everyone when he showed off during the British "friendly" visit fleet's participation in the Kiel Sailing Week and the opening ceremony of the Wilhelm Canal in June 1914. At that time, Habe was full of pride, but now, young and proud Sergeant Habe had tears in his eyes.

  "General Silem, your top-secret telegram!" Just as Habe untied the rope, the intelligence officer guarding the telegraph room of the Ryazov rushed over, pushing aside the sailors who were seeing him off, waving a telegram and shouting.

  "As expected!" Lieutenant Bihani grinned, opening his mouth.