Chapter Fourteen Variation (Three)

  Since 3:58 PM, the atmosphere in the command tower of the flagship Friedrich der Grosse of the High Seas Fleet had been somewhat subdued after receiving intelligence from Admiral Heidekamp, commander of the First Reconnaissance Group.

  "What's gotten into this kid Seylem?! Changing plans, that's not the German way!"

  The report of the Third Scouting Group's severe losses in the attack made Admiral Scheer furious, and the temporary change in the plan of operation by Heidekamp was just fuel for his short temper. Unlike the British, who were simple and rough in their naval plans, the Germans had an unimaginable pursuit of time and discipline, even if the sea was always full of unexpected twists and turns; the rigid German staff still liked to record and fix all possible details with numbers before the battle.

  A brand new pair of boots pacing back and forth inside the command tower, occasionally blurting out a few meaningless syllables from his throat, the aggressive Grand Fleet Commander Reinhard-Scherer wrote his worries on the weathered face of a seasoned professional military man. "Since the last time's prediction was wrong, is this another repeat? Perhaps it's in this futile and useless return run that David Beatty's fast fleet is having a dazzling encounter with them!"

  Wang Haitie's second telegram gave a detailed explanation of the reasons for the change in plans, and everyone tended to Wang Haitie's judgment. However, General Kessler's counter-question made everything elusive. Fortunately, Vice-Commander Hipper spoke up, as the navy's most outstanding tactical commander, his calmness and wisdom were not in vain.

  "Admiral, since you've chosen to believe in this young man and even dare to challenge the authority of the Naval Staff Office and the Imperial Emperor by going solo, then just keep believing! Sylem said something very right, this naval battle is not only what we urgently need, but also the last straw for the Royal Navy that's been battered by wind and rain. So this sea battle must be fought!"

  In a sense, the brave and fierce Scheer was more suited to being a captain of a ship charging into battle rather than commanding an entire fleet. However, Scheer was not like Müller, the naval minister who was infatuated with power but lacked ability; he was simply a professional military man who knew how to make the right choices. The impatient commander-in-chief calmed down and re-read the telegram from Wang Haitao, sensing from the words that a great sea battle was inevitable, and finally nodded his head in agreement.

  "How far are we from the British Fast Fleet?" Scherr leaned over the chart on the long table and asked.

  "According to the report of the Third Reconnaissance Fleet, we are about 70 nautical miles away from the British Fast Fleet." The fleet staff officer pointed at two points on the sea chart without thinking.

  Scheer ignored Hipper's astonished gaze, took the pencil from the fleet chief of staff and drew a black line on the chart leading to the Skagerrak, saying calmly: "Even if we sail at full speed, it is still absurd to catch up with the British fast fleet. Since Westerem has confidence in catching Beatty's fast fleet, and my ocean fleet is stronger than Jellicoe's main fleet, why don't we take a shortcut and go to the Skagerrak!"

  The staff officers inside the command tower all gasped in shock, their tongues tied by General Schell's bold and unrestrained words. Schell rubbed his thinning hair and concluded loudly: "Haha, I call this an offensive-type reception!"

  ****

  "If the Germans want to ambush us, Dogger Bank on the north side would be their best place of ambush. From this it can be inferred that the First Scouting Group of Scheer is roughly in our northwest direction, and may only be about thirty nautical miles away from us, if we subtract the maximum range of 24,000 yards (about 12.5 nautical miles) of the main guns, that's just a few hours' actual voyage." The Royal Navy, which has been brilliant for hundreds of years, is not in vain, at least the staff officers of Beatty's fleet quickly fixed the position of the German High Seas Fleet and the First Scouting Group on the white sea chart. The Chief of Staff, Commodore Osmond Brock, holding a pencil and leaning over the chart, listed a series of data and said calmly: "The main force of the High Seas Fleet cannot get away from the southern waters of Dogger Bank, which is about eighty nautical miles away from us, that's four hours' voyage."

  "Osmond-Brock, how many miles to the Grand Fleet?" Betty's gaze swept northward from Heligoland Bight to the Skaggerak at the northern tip of the Jutland coast, and she asked in a low tone.

  "150 nautical miles!"

  "Alright, to ensure that the Western Fleet, with its top speed of 26.5 knots, can keep up with me and maintain a distance from the main force of the Ocean Fleet, which has a general top speed of less than 22 knots... The command tower fell silent once again, with countless tense and expectant eyes fixed on the person who was destined to become a great figure in the post-Nelson era - David Beatty. The fingers that had been lightly tapping on the long table came to an abrupt stop as Beatty slowly put on his white gloves, saying calmly: "Someone told me that the North Sea coastline, dyed red by the setting sun, is a rare scenic spot in the Atlantic. Having savored the appetizer of the Third Scouting Fleet, I think it's time to host a sumptuous banquet for my old friends in this picturesque place."

  "Order, First Battle Cruiser Squadron to proceed northeast, speed 23 knots; Second Battle Cruiser Squadron to continue as rear squadron half an hour later, speed 23 knots; signal to Admiral Jellicoe, requesting Grand Fleet to meet Fast Division in Skagerrak Strait!"

  Betty's order really made Osmond-Brooke's eyes shine brightly. 23 knots, a wonderful number that can make the Sileam fleet with the highest speed of 26.5 knots react in time, and also make the slow-reacting Ocean Fleet at a loss.

  On March 3 at 4:00 pm, the British Grand Fleet advanced to a position from which it could intercept the German High Seas Fleet by dawn on March 6. Before that could happen, however, Admiral Beatty's Battle Cruiser Force had to deal with the German Third Scouting Group.

  The Elbing and Frankfurt disappeared in the hail of British main armament, Lübeck lost power, dense smoke and fire almost enveloped his superstructure, no one would doubt that he was doomed to explode ammunition depot; The third scouting fleet only had one light cruiser, Szczecin. It seemed that Poseidon's favoritism, Szczecin was so lucky that it stubbornly survived for ten minutes in the British main armament barrage at all costs, of course, the reflection could not save Szczecin, at 16:12, Szczecin light cruiser sank due to ammunition depot explosion. The First Battlecruiser Squadron finally turned around and advanced towards the Jutland coast, the shocking Battle of Jutland was no longer unavoidable.

  ****

  At 1615 hours, in the central North Sea, from the command tower of Iron Duke, flagship of the Grand Fleet.

  "We are still over 200 nautical miles away from the Skagerrak Strait, if we don't set off immediately, we won't be able to intercept the fast fleet in time! Commander, there's no time to think about it!"

  The Grand Fleet's move south into the central North Sea did indeed interfere with German reconnaissance, but neither the 70-mile journey of the Grand Fleet and Beatty's fast battlecruisers nor the over-130-mile journey of the Grand Fleet and its fast battlecruisers was satisfactory. The fast battlecruiser force of ten capital ships had the capability to annihilate the First Scouting Group, but it was also a fact that German battleships were hard to kill, so if the fast battlecruiser force was tied up with the First Scouting Group and the Grand Fleet arrived in time, the consequences would be unthinkable. It made sense for Jellicoe to go to the Skagerrak Strait.

  However, things always have two sides. Although it is difficult to mention, Jellicoe had to admit that his main fleet was not a match for the Germans, and the British in March were still unable to engage in a proper dreadnought battle with Germany. So Jellicoe hesitated, fearing that after a big gamble, the British Empire would lose its greatest assets, and there would be nothing left to cover their shame.

  "Go to Skagerrak Sound!" The taunts of the British Navy, Betty's urging finally made the cautious Jellicoe make up his mind. Inside the command tower, there was a burst of excitement, and the Royal Navy personnel, who had been accustomed to taking the initiative for hundreds of years, didn't care about Jellicoe's worries at all, and were self-congratulatory for being able to gain fame on the sea. Jellicoe shook his head, smiled bitterly, and walked out of the command tower, looking eastward with his back against the setting sun: "May God be on our side!"

  ****

  The First Scouting Group steamed out of the Dogger Bank at 25 knots, and on reaching the outer edge of the Heligoland Bight increased speed to 26 knots.

  For a steel giant with a displacement of over 10,000 tons, running at a speed of 26 knots on the ocean is an incredible achievement. Even when the wind and waves in the North Sea gradually subsided, the momentum of the battle cruiser cutting through the waves was still majestic after the waves broke, and the shredded white water flowers easily danced on the low forecastle flat deck of the battle cruiser, forming a faint mist.

  Long before the First Reconnaissance Fleet set sail, the Bremen and Danzig light cruisers of the Third Reconnaissance Fleet had already sunk, the flagship Lübeck lost power and was on the verge of collapse, leaving only the Stettin light cruiser with some combat effectiveness. Wang Hai Di ordered the Stettin light cruiser to approach the First Reconnaissance Fleet, but soon after the message was sent, contact with the Stettin light cruiser was lost. The fall of four light cruisers and the lives of over a thousand sailors weighed heavily on the hearts of German sailors, and the First Reconnaissance Fleet rushed towards the Jutland coast alone, leaving behind only five destroyers that had advanced westward to join forces.

  At 17:23, the dim sunset hung in the west where the sea and sky meet, only half an hour away from dusk, and at most one hour away from nightfall. In the early spring of the North Sea, the warship birds that liked to chase warships were nowhere to be seen, and there were only a few seagulls flying overhead. The fleet of ten warships was immersed in the emotions of revenge and slaughter, rushing forward with their heads down. The soft light poured onto the steel, quietly coating the warships with a color more unique than that filtered by tinted glasses.

  German sailors stood on the crow's nest platform of the mast, observing the sea with high-powered binoculars. This task was not easy, although their course and the sun's rays were parallel, the soft light scattered over the not-so-quiet sea surface, making the sailor's line of sight clear all the way, but the British also had this advantage, so they discovered the enemy earlier, allowing the fleet to occupy a favorable attacking position became an indispensable mission for observers.

  Prolonged observation had given Brautz eye strain, and he gestured to his comrade to take over before putting down the binoculars. Brautz hunched up his shoulders, narrowed his eyes to relieve the fatigue, and pulled up his collar to warm himself by blowing on his hands. Just then, the comrade who had just taken over pointed excitedly in the direction of the starboard side.

  "Hurry and report to the command tower, British warships have been spotted!"

  Well-trained comrades discovered two or three black shadows in the halo. On the 3rd, the large warships of the Ocean Fleet almost poured out, and the large warship found at a distance of more than 21,000 yards (11 nautical miles) was undoubtedly the British main force!

  The torment that Wang Haitao suffered in the commander's cabin was unimaginable to ordinary people. As the planner of this North Sea decisive battle, Wang Haitao not only staked his life and personal future but also had to bear the weight of the future of tens of thousands of nearly rebellious officers and soldiers of the High Seas Fleet, as well as the criticism and injury of the Junker landlords and the conservative faction of the Navy Department. More importantly, in the first half of 1915, the British shipbuilding advantage had not yet been fully exploited, and the number of main battleships between the High Seas Fleet and the Grand Fleet was not large, which was the most favorable opportunity to defeat the Grand Fleet and also the last chance!

  In an hour and a half, the First Reconnaissance Fleet had run nearly 40 nautical miles, yet still failed to find Betty's Fast Fleet. King Haitian had reason to believe in his own eyesight and judgment, but after all, he had made one mistake already!

  "Admiral, Davout-Barette's fast squadron has been spotted 21,000 meters off the starboard bow!" Colonel Singlerail, the fleet chief of staff, burst in excitedly.