Chapter 2 The Sound of Guns in Helgoland Bay (7) Repair

  I'm really sorry, I didn't portray the main character's psychology well, so I'll have to restart. From Turkey's orders (6) to Heligoland Bight (7), there are some changes, please take a look again. The key words are Great Power, Sea Soul, Big Ship, Giant Cannon, Aircraft Carrier Era, it's one peak battle after another, I shouldn't be hung up on those trivial matters... Old habits of a newcomer...

  Dogger Bank is located in the southern part of the North Sea, with an average water depth of only 13 meters. The seabed sediments are mainly glacial gravel and fine sand. The Dogger Bank area is a confluence of cold and warm currents, and every year during the flood season, herring and cod gather here, and there are countless trawlers near the shallow waters, causing endless disputes among fishermen, which has caused great headaches for the foreign ministries and navies of Germany, Britain, Holland, France, and Belgium.

  However, the situation this year is somewhat different. Except for a few trawlers flying the flag of the British Empire, Dogger Bank was calm and desolate under the shadow of war.

  In fact, the British fishing boat was not the only visitor to Dogger Bank; in the deep water of the south part of the bank, three German U-boats were lurking.

  The Germans had a relatively short time to develop U-boats, in 1897 the naval genius Hedit-Selim first proposed the submarine wolf pack tactics and affirmed the value of submarines, which was undoubtedly a heresy at that time when Mahan's "Influence of Sea Power upon History" was popular; In 1898, the German Navy Design Department began to study submarines, but it wasn't until 1903 that Krupp built the first diesel-powered U-1 submarine, only 42.4 meters long and with only one torpedo tube.

  Although Germany came into contact with submarines relatively late, the Germans had an innate talent for submarines. First-class mechanical and steel industrial levels, advanced optical instruments, and rich technical accumulation in power machinery, as well as the accurate prediction of genius Zeppelin, made the Germans not take a detour on the road to submarine development. From the U-1 type submarine in 1905 to the U-19 type submarine that had just been put into service before World War I, the German submarine force undoubtedly developed by leaps and bounds, and was undoubtedly far ahead in technology.

  Although Germany was leading in submarine technology, the German high command mostly regarded submarines as defensive weapons. This was partly due to the high failure rate of U-boats, their short range and poor safety record, but mainly because of the conservative tactical vision of the German naval high command.

  King Haide referred to the underdeveloped wireless communication technology at that time, tailored a set of three-boat formation miniaturized wolf pack tactics for his submarine squadron, ignoring the Navy Department's prohibition on active attacks. He encouraged the submarine troops to provoke a fight. Later, the otaku carefully arranged for Lieutenant Karl D?nitz, who would later become famous as the "Wolf King", to serve as torpedo officer on Oberleutnant Otto Weddigen's U-9 submarine. The Harwich Force under Rear Admiral Reginald Tyrwhitt was the best opponent for the otaku to test his skills!

  On the morning of August 6, three submarines belonging to the Heligoland Bight Defence Command departed quietly from their base on Heligoland Island and sailed stealthily for more than six hours before reaching Dogger Bank.

  At present, lurking in the deep waters on the south side of Dogger Bank are U-9, U-13 and U-15, three relatively modernized submarines. According to intelligence from the Navy Intelligence Agency, a patrol fleet consisting of four D-class destroyers (torpedo boats) built at the end of the 19th century, namely Desperate, Fame, Flirt and Ghurka, belonging to the Harwich Fleet, would come here for inspection every two days. The hunting target of the wolf pack was this weak small fleet. After a brief exchange, the three captains formed a pin-shaped formation on the south side of Dogger Bank according to Captain Heidekamp's weakened version of the wolfpack tactics, quietly waiting for their prey to arrive.

  The cramped cabin was filled with the nauseating smell of machine oil and stench, the air was murky. The disheveled submariners couldn't bear the torture of the humid and sweltering environment, and they stripped to the waist, shouting as they climbed up onto the deck to cool off. On this day, the North Sea rarely had no fog, and the slightly intoxicating sea breeze occasionally caressed the submarine's deck, bringing bursts of cheers from the submariners.

  "Captain, we have a situation!"

  The lookout in the crow's nest on top of the command tower sounded a shrill warning. Lieutenant Commander Tōgō Heihachirō, who was sitting on the deck with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and jumped up to the command tower in several strides, quickly snatching the telescope handed over by the lookout.

  Several columns of smoke appeared on the northwest side of Dogger Bank, and the smoke looked very light, not like the rolling thick smoke raised by ordinary merchant ships and tankers using inferior coal, but high-quality anthracite used by warships.

  "It's the British! Take cover! Emergency dive!" At this time, the warship that could appear in Dogger Bank was only the British patrol fleet. Weddigen shouted with a hoarse throat, and all the sailors on deck retreated to the cabin.

  The water pump started working, accompanied by a deafening roar, and the submarine quickly submerged into the sea.

  The air, which had just cleared up a bit, was getting murky again. The constantly rising depth readings on the submarine's navigation display were especially unsettling for the young German sailor.

  It seemed like several centuries had passed, yet it was only an instant. In the daze, all that could be heard was a loud clang, and the submarine slightly shook. The seasoned sailors realized that they had already reached the predetermined depth. Lieutenant Commander Vedigen sat in the command cabin, his rough hands leisurely tapping on the steel plate of the cabin. He shouted to the navigation officer: "Maintain depth, left rudder 25 degrees, one-third speed, correct angle!"

  "Hold depth, twenty-five left rudder, angle correction, one-third speed!"

  The heavy periscope rose up, the observer carefully rotated the periscope to observe the movement on the sea surface, and in an instant, the observer made a discovery.

  "Bearing 47, range 10 cables, four warships..." The observer took the fleet manual handed over by the staff officer and quickly flipped to the last few pages. Comparing with the black-and-white photos in the manual, he exclaimed: "British D-class destroyer, four of them, completely matching our intelligence!"

  Oberleutnant Otto Weddigen's impassive face relaxed slightly in the conning tower, and he gave the order to the torpedo room: "Torpedo rooms one and two, set depth at one meter, prepare to fire!"

  "Ready, aim, fire! One meter depth!" The deadly torpedo loaded with high explosives was pushed into the launch tube. Karl D?nitz's rough hand hovered over the firing button. There was a long silence, and the creaking sound of millions of tons of water pressing against the hull. Before the captain gave the order to fire, D?nitz's palms were already sweating.

  The narrow space fell into a dead silence again. Although they had good training, this was the first show of the German sailors after all, and their opponent was still the Royal Fleet that had been undefeated for hundreds of years across the seven seas, so the young and inexperienced Germans felt more or less tense in their hearts.

  "Captain, the British seem to have found us! They're starting to accelerate!" The lookout's shout broke the awkward silence, and the well-trained submariners' faces changed. Everyone knew that a submarine couldn't outrun a destroyer, and once the British burst out of the ambush circle, the carefully planned ambush by the Defense Circle Command would be for naught.

  As soon as the observer's voice fell, a rumbling sound of gunfire seemed to come from the surface of the sea, followed by intense explosions. The penetrating force generated by the explosion caused the U-9 submarine hiding at the bottom of the water to shake violently, and the sailors were busy grabbing anything that could stabilize their bodies nearby. Meanwhile, Torpedo Master Dengnitz, who was busy wiping his sweat, accidentally fell to the ground, and his arm was torn open by a protruding pipe bracket, revealing a long gash.

  There were casualties before the battle even started, which wasn't a good omen. Just as the sailors were getting suspicious, Captain Weddigen stood up.

  "What's the panic!" Vediegen took over the observer's position, squinting his eyes to take a look at the sea surface, and what entered his line of sight was the burning ocean.

  Only a small destroyer with a flag bearing the character for "rice" was seen lying on its side in a sea of flames, its port side torn open with a gash over ten meters long, seawater rushing into the hold, the exploded powder magazine and spilled engine oil covering the sky with black smoke, and amidst the rolling black smoke, fierce flames could be vaguely seen.

  Three nearby British warships attempted to rescue the stricken vessel, forming a tight circle around it and dispatching lifeboats. To prevent German U-boats from approaching, the British machine guns fired indiscriminately at what they thought were dangerous areas, masking their fear.

  In less than a minute, the small destroyer was sunk in the sea, and the remaining three destroyers slowed down to rescue the sailors who fell into the water, which was undoubtedly a godsend for the submarine with extremely slow underwater speed. From a humanitarian point of view, the British rescue action was gentlemanly, but from the perspective of war, this was undoubtedly a foolish act.

  In the blink of an eye, another destroyer was hit. The poor destroyer performed a dance of death for the German sailors: its hull first shook, then retreated several feet back and bounced on the water surface, finally ending with a fierce flame bursting from the middle of the ship. A destroyer of hundreds of tons was easily blown into two pieces, and between the sailors' survival movements, they sank separately into the sea.

  Wetti's solemn expression finally turned into a relaxed and joyful one, the iron hand grasping the periscope handle gradually loosening, turning around excitedly: "Gentlemen, I must confess to you, we have sunk two British warships!"

  The submariners on U-9 were stunned for a moment, and then they came to their senses. The simple sailors instantly forgot the deafening diesel engine noise, the humid and sweltering air, the cramped space, and the countless days of training that had planted grievances in their hearts. They cheered and jumped up in the narrow cabin, singing the German Navy's military song. They realized that the seemingly weak German Navy might not be without the power to confront the arrogant and domineering Royal Navy!

  The British were apparently frightened by the ghostly appearance of German U-boats, and the remaining two destroyers opened up to prepare for escape, but the panicked British happened to rush into the crosshairs of U-9.

  "Alright men, well done! Now it's our turn!" Weddigen gave the order at the right moment: "Torpedo room, tube one and two, fire!"

  Torpedoman Dengnitz, who was receiving first aid treatment, struggled on the floor with a last effort, but was pulled back by medical personnel. He then looked at his deputy torpedoman, who had taken over for him and pressed the control button with a mixture of sadness and anger.

  The medic binding the gauze and bandages had his hands stiffen, Denitz sat on the cluttered floor, holding his breath and silently counting down the seconds waiting for the dazzling explosion sound, he was so focused that he didn't even notice the unwrapped arm bleeding again.

  It was almost pale with waiting, when D?nitz finally heard the loud noise. It was a heart-wrenching sound of heavy hammering on steel plates, and the sound reverberated repeatedly in the small cabin, as if it were an ethereal music that lingered on.

  ****

  "Commander, don't you think this operation is a bit reckless? The Navy Department's task for us is to monitor the British Grand Fleet and Harwich Force, ensure the safety of Heligoland Bay, and prevent surprise attacks by the Royal Navy. They didn't let us take the initiative to provoke them in the 100-mile defensive circle of the British!"

  Captain Lauren stood restlessly at the entrance of the combat room in the Helgoland Bay Defense Circle Command, his deeply sunken eyes staring intently in the direction of Dogger Bank.

  On August 4, the news of Britain's declaration of war on Germany arrived, and the entire fleet fell silent. Admiral Müller, who had insisted that the British would remain neutral, was devastated, while Wang Haitian, who had foreseen this outcome, was also in a bad mood. The defeat recorded in history books and the Treaty of Versailles weighed heavily on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. Wang Haitian didn't expect someone who wore Spider-Man costumes and underwear inside out to save the world, but after months of advice that failed to change the course of history, he felt somewhat discouraged.

  To be honest, in the face of the mighty fleet of the great powers, no sailor from any country does not feel fear. The former master of the sea, Spain, fell down, the Dutch people who were known as the "sea coachman" were defeated, and the French people who had been fighting against Britain for over a hundred years were also defeated. Even the Russian Navy, which had just begun to take shape, was directly knocked down by the British-trained fighters. Until now, even the most arrogant German nationalists do not dare to guarantee that their fleet can win victories. Compared with the Royal Navy's hundreds of years of experience in navigating the seven seas, the young German fleet is undoubtedly immature, although the young German sailors have weapons capable of destroying a country and are fearless in battle, but in the face of the mighty British Navy, they will still have a brief period of confusion due to their lack of experience.

  "If those three submarines hadn't come back, we would have become national sinners..." Captain Lauren went on and on like an older woman going through menopause.

  "Captain Lorain, what the Grand Fleet needs most now is not caution and zero casualties, but victory and glory!" The naval genius turned his head and frowned. "The Admiralty hopes to use time to restore the low morale of the Grand Fleet, but it doesn't know that victory is the only way!"

  "Commander, our submarine is back! Not only are they unscathed, but they've also brought back a considerable amount of by-products!" Lieutenant Schiller burst into the command center, his high-pitched voice clearly distinguishable even through the thick walls.

  "Captain, you won......" Lieutenant Colonel Lauren covered his heart that was beating violently and smiled secretly for half a day before remembering to congratulate the commander.

  "No, it's Germany who won!"

  The otaku smiled slyly and inserted the two darts he was holding into the map, one into Harwich Port where the Harwich Force was located, and the other into Portland Bay where the Channel Fleet was located. However, his eyes fell on the gap of over a hundred miles between the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands.

  "Heh heh, Auden, you won't keep me waiting for long, will you......"

  ****

  "Three D-class cruisers were sunk, one heavily damaged, 623 casualties and 45 captured. The Royal Navy's centuries-old prestige was destroyed at my hands!"

  Commander Reginald Tyrrwhit, of the Harry Chichester fleet, slumped dejectedly on a sofa, his somber face turned towards the half-open Venetian blinds, with the light falling upon it in fitful flashes as the leaves outside rustled.

  "Heidi-Xi Leim, Heligoland Bay Defense Circle, this vendetta will not be settled until I die!"

  ****

  "Sir Tiri is a shame to the Navy, three ships sunk and one heavily damaged, how many years has the Navy not suffered such a defeat?!" Colonel Lampard, deputy commander of the First Battlecruiser Squadron of the British Royal Navy, was furious.

  "Lamperd, you should be grateful. If Heiti-Sileem had a complete fleet, the Harich fleet might not exist anymore!" David-Betti said with a sly smile, holding his coffee cup.

  "Von Scheer is indeed capable, but he's not invincible!" Lampard thought that the German naval genius Heidekamp von Scheer was nowhere near as terrifying as David Beatty imagined. He bluntly criticized: "Not to mention the animosity of the German Naval Minister Tirpitz towards him, his straightforward temperament is the biggest obstacle to his promotion. If Scheer can't reach a certain height, even if he's a genius, he can only change the situation on a local battlefield, and victory will belong to the Royal Navy!"

  "No, Lampard, you don't understand Westheim, he's a daring gambler, his rightful stage no one can take away, not even the Emperor of Germany!" David-Betti pushed open the office window and gazed in the direction of Germany, saying softly: "Just wait and see, one day Westheim will become a hero to the German people, it's his destiny, and mine too!"