Chapter Fifteen: Germany, Germany! (1)

  The five battleships of the First Scouting Group, led by Rear Admiral Hipper, were steaming in line-ahead formation at high speed towards the northern edge of the Heligoland Bight. The flagship Lützow was leading, followed by Derfflinger and Seydlitz as second and third ships respectively, with Moltke and Deutschland bringing up the rear.

  Lützow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz were all post-Seydlitz class battlecruisers. To increase the hit rate, they tried to form a crossfire, which was a common practice in major sea battles. Without a doubt, the opponents of the post-Seydlitz class battlecruisers were the British Lion (flagship), Princess Royal and Tiger, three new state-of-the-art warships. The 350mm waterline belt main armor thickness of the post-Seydlitz class battlecruiser could clearly ignore the British 13.5-inch (343mm) main gun, and even the British 15-inch (381mm) main gun might not be able to penetrate it. On the other hand, the German 305mm and 350mm main guns using high-explosive shells could easily sink those new British ships under the same conditions.

  The SMS Derfflinger, despite having five main turrets, was limited to using only four of them on the broadside due to its staggered layout. Its 270mm waterline belt and 250mm turret face armor were sufficient against the 12-inch (305 mm) guns of the Invincible-class battlecruisers, but would be outmatched by the Lion- and Tiger-class battlecruisers. The SMS Deutschland was defined as a battleship-cruiser by the Germans, despite being referred to as a battlecruiser by the British. Its 350mm main guns, 250mm waterline belt armor, and top speed of 26.5 knots made it more like a German version of a British dreadnought, except for its shorter legs. The SMS Derfflinger and Deutschland were left at the end, facing off against the two Invincible-class battlecruisers and possibly the two Queen Elizabeth-class fast battleships. By placing them last, King Haakon was protecting these two capital ships, as even if overestimated, the Invincibles would not be a match for them. The Queen Elizabeths could dictate the fate of the Derfflinger and Deutschland, but only if they could catch up to them!

  "It's like a guessing game, where the stakes are the fate of a nation for a century!"

  Jutland, Jutland! A hundred miles away is the coast of Jutland, where the German High Seas Fleet once fought a bloody battle. Tens of thousands of German soldiers died in the battle, but all they got was the evaluation that "the German fleet attacked its prison guards, but was still locked up." Ashamed and humiliated, they spent their days idly in Kiel Harbor, until the tragic finale at Scapa Flow.

  Jutland, Jutland! A hundred miles away is the coast of Jutland, where countless otaku have had beautiful dreams on sleepless nights. They fantasized about fluttering white clothes, fantasized about golden armor and iron horses, fantasized about beauties with fragrant grasses.

  Jutland, Jutland! A hundred miles away is the coast of Jutland, where Wang Haitian's sighs in his past life have become a desolate historical memory. The trajectory of history has been slightly altered by the time traveler, but it's still not enough!

  "This war, whether we fight or not, must be fought!" To protect his beloved daughter, to protect the daisies in front of Heath's grave, to protect those feelings he loves and cannot bear, a weary King Haider secretly vowed in his heart to shatter David-Betty's fast fleet, to shatter the Royal Navy's long-range blockade like boiling frogs!

  The North Sea's no longer strong but sufficiently cool sea breeze swept past Singler's leaning body, blowing in at an angle, mixed with the imperfections of a decade-long private friendship, wrapping around the two nations heading towards each other, destined to decide victory or defeat with iron and fire on this corner of the North Sea, bringing a sense of tragic heroism and sternness. Wang Haitian's head was still dizzy, his face covered in an unhealthy flush, but a nameless idea, trying to accomplish everything at once, like a toxic drug, occupied his mind, making him flustered!

  A short, sharp whistle and the alarm of a buzzer pierced the air. The shadow of a great era, the anxiety of creating history, the profound sense of responsibility, Wang Haitian took a deep breath, trying to filter out the distractions and impulsiveness, grabbed a thick coat and rushed out of the command room.

  The deck of the Lev Sofiev was filled with busy footsteps, as off-duty officers and men quickly emerged from the air-polluted rest room, either turning into reserve gunners, joining the damage control team, or becoming temporary boiler soldiers. Gunners wearing gas masks jumped over the ropes and debris piled up on the ship's side, crawling into the heavy gun turrets. The loading hands deep in the turret looked at the hatch of the ammunition depot, the projectile warehouse, and the armor protection cover above the projectile elevator passage. According to safety regulations, during combat, the hatches of the ammunition depots could only be opened when ammunition was being transported out, and they had to be closed immediately after the ammunition was transported out. When the projectile elevator brought the ammunition up to the gun turret, the protective cover of the projectile elevator also had to be closed immediately, until then, the main turret could fire. The damage control team was doing the final warm-up, a high-intensity naval battle, and damage control would be the last line of defense that the main battleship could rely on.

  "It has been confirmed as Betty's Fast Fleet, specific data on the main gun firing platform has not come out yet..."

  Walking on the narrow aisle of the aircraft carrier's bridge, General Sengleir hastily briefed the situation, and Wang Haitie listened attentively, occasionally returning military salutes to the damage control personnel and technical officers rushing to their posts on the bridge.

  The military boots stepped into the command tower of the Lützow, which had 400mm frontal armor and 300mm side armor protection. The excitement on Lieutenant General Leicht's face was unmistakable as he raised his Zeiss binoculars to his eyes, and they floated in front of Wang Haitang's gaze once again. Wang Haitang lifted her right hand, wearing a white glove, and swept it across the brim of her hat.

  "Good job!"

  Binoculars flashed a glimpse of the British main fleet, and on the vast ocean, five thin-skinned battle cruisers with English style were lined up in a long column formation. The Royal Navy's usual pearl white paint job, the large-caliber main guns that shone with cold light, the distinctive three-legged mainmast, and the smokestacks spewing coal smoke... Wang Haitian could almost call out the names of the enemy ships without consulting the naval vessel manual.

  "Lions, Tigers, Royal Princesses, unyielding and unstoppable, two Queen-class ships are missing!" For the possible reaction of old friend David Beatty, Wang Haitian had already simulated countless times in his mind. Holding onto the telescope, he never put it down, the overwhelming feeling of deciding the fate of the war grew more intense, Wang Haitian tried to calm his breathing and heartbeat, coldly issuing the order that carried a hint of death: "Staff officer, command: First Reconnaissance Fleet, all ships turn gradually, right rudder thirty, full speed ahead, correct angle!"

  The first scouting fleet of Wang Haitie and the British First Battle Cruiser Squadron, which came from southwest, were roughly in parallel positions. Although the main gun range exceeded 21,000 yards during the Dreadnought era, the artillery battle was still conducted at a distance of about 10,000 yards. The accuracy of the main gun's shooting is always related to the barrel life, the baseline of the rangefinder, the quality of the gunner, and the time window for forming a cross-fire, while the firing distance is also an important parameter. Firing at extreme range, the hit rate of the main gun was obviously at a pathetic level, and the storage speed ability and penetration power of the shells were greatly reduced, which is also the reason why the third scouting fleet could persist in front of five battle cruisers for half an hour.

  In the heat of the moment, Wang Haitian decided to abandon his plan to open fire at extreme range to disrupt the British formation and instead tried to use high speed to seize a more advantageous position, also known as crossing the T. Although there were chaotic close-range battles like the Battle of Lissa and the French green-water navy in the 1880s, crossing the T remained the most important tactic in naval warfare. In a battle at sea, the side with the cross formation could bring all its firepower to bear, while the side with the line-ahead formation could only use its forward guns, and the simple numerical superiority of main armament was enough to decide the outcome of the battle, which is why the British were invincible on the seven seas.

  Although the British are the ancestors of the T-shaped crosshead tactics, this time the situation is a bit different. The Lion-class battlecruiser has a top speed of 27 knots, and even in an overloaded state, it can run at 28 knots. The Tiger-class battlecruiser's performance is even more powerful, and it can reach a speed of 27.5 knots without forced ventilation. In the face of the Lion-class and Tiger-class battlecruisers, the German battlecruisers, which generally have a top speed of only 26.5 knots, can only be left with a grey head and a dull complexion. However, the wooden barrel principle also applies at sea, and the two Invincible-class battlecruisers in the First Battlecruiser Squadron, as well as the two yet-to-appear Queen Elizabeth-class fast battleships, are Achilles' heel.

  The Invincible-class battlecruiser had a top speed of only 25.5 knots, and due to the aging of the hull and the outdated boiler, even with forced ventilation, its overload speed was only 26.1 knots. The Queen Elizabeth class performed well, but could only reach 25 knots in an overloaded state, which is still not worth mentioning for a true battlecruiser. As a result, Beatty's fast fleet had a top speed limited to only 26.1 knots, and Hood could completely use her high speed to seize better shooting angles and leave Beatty's rear - the two Queen-class ships - unable to catch up.

  Accompanied by a series of brief orders from the bridge, the electric steering gear in the steering room turned the rudder, and the steel giant with a standard displacement of over 31,000 tons heeled to starboard, cutting out an angle to port, passing diagonally across the bows of the British ships. As expected, the deafening engine rooms, the chief engineer covered his ears and repeated the orders from the conning tower, while the stokers swung their powerful arms, shoveling coal into the furnaces, after which the forced draft was increased, and the speed of the Lev Tolstoy suddenly rose from 26 knots to its maximum speed of 26.5 knots, then up to 27.4 knots.

  "Thirty degrees starboard, full speed ahead, course correction!" To avoid unnecessary mistakes, after the commander's any command is completed, the head of the department in charge must repeat it.

  The phenomenon of the waves on the Lev Tov is becoming more and more obvious, with small water columns and bubbles flying around the bow. Some wilted Iron Crosses and black shadow naval flags are re-raised, ringing loudly on the tall mast, striving forward. The signalman worked hard to hang the signal flag "Right rudder thirty, full speed, corrected angle" on the mainmast, and the telegraph room also repeated the order by wireless, so the following battleships of Lev Tov, Derfflinger, Seydlitz, Moltke, and Deutschland began to turn one after another.

  "You want to protect both Queen-class ships that haven't formed a combat fleet yet and take advantage of me, Betty? You've miscalculated!"