Chapter 1,492 The End 1
Chapter 1492 The End 1
The British and French fleets evacuated decisively enough, and the British Air Force's cover was indeed effective. Before the arrival of the second wave of German attack aircraft, the entire Allied fleet was already on the verge of being struck by the German bomber force, and Lieutenant General Harrer was not foolhardy. Giving up this opportunity, some bombers, under the cover of fighter jets, braved the opponent's anti-aircraft firepower to attack the British and French fleets on the sea.
In the last nearly an hour of fighting, the Dandong-class battleship Gambetta and another British pre-dreadnought were sunk. At the same time, the flagship of the French fleet, the battleship Brestany, and the British battleship Benbow were sunk. Lightning struck, and the remaining battleships were also hit by at least one blockbuster bomb. After this battle is over, the entire Allied fleet will probably have to return to the Greek port for repairs. The two battleships struck by lightning may also have to go to Italy for repairs.
There is no doubt that the Germans clearly won this battle, but in order to win this battle, the German fleet was in very bad condition. Currently, one armored cruiser and 10 destroyers were completely lost. The remaining six battleships were also seriously damaged. The worst battleship, the Ferdinand, only had one main gun in use after returning to the port! All turrets need to be replaced or repaired.
The situation of the four super-dreadnought battleships is also not very good. All 32 cannons have to be replaced after returning home. There is no way. From the beginning of the war to now, the super-dreadnought battleships' cannons have reached the end of their lifespan. The gunner on the Prinz Eugen clearly felt that in the final stage of the battle, the movement of the artillery was becoming problematic. If it weren't for the close range, getting a hit would be very difficult.
At the same time, the British's new armor-piercing bombs also left shocking scars on the German warships. These penetrating injuries are not comparable to the skin injuries of the past, which could be used by just replacing an armor plate. But now, these warships need to enter the dock again for long-term maintenance and upkeep.
"The final result is out. We destroyed 2 super-dreadnought battleships, 2 Dandong-class quasi-dreadnoughts, 4 pre-dreadnought battleships and 7 various cruisers. If we look at the tonnage, we destroyed at least 200,000 tons in this battle. All kinds of warships and ships were sent to the bottom of the sea! Our battle will prevent Britain and France from recovering within three months!" A staff officer happily announced their results to the colleagues present. Of course, many of them were killed by the air force. , but here, no one mentioned that the navy had good reasons. The frontline commander of this battle was Count Spey, not Lieutenant General Harrer.
"Haha, the tonnage is indeed beautiful." Looking at his cheering subordinates in the distance, Count Spee was very calm. In fact, except for 2 super-dreadnoughts and 2 Dandong-class quasi-dreadnoughts, the remaining pre-dreadnoughts and various None of these cruisers are as valuable as their tonnage indicates.
What do you say about these things? For the British, it is the kind of thing that sinks as soon as it sinks and is not too heartbreaking. It is true that the Allied Mediterranean Fleet has made it difficult for the Allied Fleet to breathe for three months, but similarly, I am afraid that I will not be able to go to sea within three months. If nothing else,
Three months is not enough time to repair all these warships! After all, how many British and French shipyards in the Mediterranean can be repaired? And the entire Allied fleet has only one in the Black Sea!
(This is indeed true. In the historical Battle of Dardanelles, Britain and France sent at least 7 pre-dreadnought battleships, and they did not vomit blood. Look at at least 50 pre-dreadnought battleships by the British and French. This loss is really nothing! Of course, the loss of the two Dandong-class battleships is still very heartbreaking!)
"Perhaps, from now on, we have to bid farewell to this sea area completely." Looking at the battleship Benbow still filled with smoke in the distance, Sir Fisher sighed.
"The main force of our fleet still exists, and we still have the advantage. Even if we don't mobilize the fleet from the mainland, as long as the French mobilize their dreadnoughts, we can still stabilize the opponent. And in this battle, our The new armor-piercing bullets perform very well. If there is a head-on battle, the Germans will lose." Major General Duff said with relief.
"If this is true from a tactical point of view, but in fact, our strategy here has failed. Our goal is to land in Turkey and then force Turkey to surrender. At least we must create a channel to the Black Sea, but now you see , we are unable to open up the situation whether at sea or on land. The Greek direction is oppressed by the Bavarian Army, and at sea we have to face the powerful Allied Mediterranean Fleet and the Bavarian Air Force. Our channel is not stable. At this time, we have to A large-scale landing would actually be tantamount to suicide!”
Sir Fisher, who has left the highest position of power and can only use his residual energy, said without hesitation that he even wanted to tell his subordinates that from now on, how far can the offensive of the Allied forces in the entire Balkan theater go? It all depends on the other party. If the other party is deliberately prepared to play a long game to catch the big fish, then the British and French armies still have a chance to land. If they don't want to, then the British and French armies have no chance at all! Sir Fisher has already sensed this. The other party is using the Balkans as a quagmire to continuously contain and weaken the military power of the Allied Powers. But to tell the truth, Sir Fisher dare not say it!
Because this involves an issue of political correctness. From a strategic and moral point of view, neither Britain nor France can just watch Russia fail. Historically, during the Battle of the Dardanelles, it was true that Doesn't anyone realize that this battle is almost unwinnable? Definitely not! But what was the result? Didn't Britain and France fight for several months before the losses reached unacceptable levels? Put 500,000 troops into it one after another?
And in this dimension, the situation of the Russians is even more miserable. To the north, the Prussian Eastern Front Army Group commanded by Mackensen has launched several assaults in the direction of St. Petersburg. So far, the Russians have barely defended their capital at a great cost. . To the east, under the command of Prince Leopold, the main force of the Bavarian Army and the Austro-Hungarian Army had already reached Minsk and Kiev. It is possible to cross the Dnieper River and head towards Donetsk at any time. If it is finished here, the Bavarian Army can enter the Transcaucasus region to the southeast, and attack Moscow to the northeast. The most important areas in Russia have either fallen or have become war zones. , If this continues, the Russians' heavy burden will destroy themselves!
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