Chapter 2207 The Calm Before the Storm 1
When the sun shone again on the entire Norwegian Sea the next day, the two largest fleets in human history were still engaged in a fatal pursuit in the vast sea. At dawn, the aerial reconnaissance forces of both sides were dispatched. The first planes searched the surrounding waters. Inadvertently, aviation power has fundamentally changed the way the navy engages in combat. At least now, it is much more convenient and efficient to use aircraft for reconnaissance than to use warships when the weather permits. In the historical Battle of Jutland, the vanguard fleet went more than 20 kilometers forward for reconnaissance. It no longer exists. These elves flying in the air can do better.
In fact, Count Spey was still a little nervous at this time. Last night, he received a telegram from Crown Prince Ruprecht, asking him to maintain contact with Thomas' fleet and keep an eye on his opponent. However, you must know that Thomas is now With Betty, although Betty's offensive was crushed in yesterday's battle, today Betty can still launch an offensive no less than yesterday. And if one or two battleships on his side are seriously injured or even slowed down, then wait for his own Maybe they were forced to fight.
Of course, this speculation is only a possibility. After all, if Betty concentrates her efforts to fight again, even if she can finally get some results, it is estimated that the number of aircraft available in Betty's fleet will not exceed 3 digits. You know, This is the open sea, and the British cannot replenish carrier-based aircraft! And if you use two fast battleships in exchange for the opponent's aviation power to be severely damaged, this seems to be a good deal! Imagine if when the two sides finally fought, the British Navy had few fighter jets and only a few seaplanes left. How would it face the more than 400 carrier-based aircraft of the German High Seas Fleet? This picture is simply too beautiful…. And it is precisely because of this that Earl Spee is willing to take risks, and the British may not really dare to clear up their most important aviation power before the war!
Therefore, if the two sides had contacted yesterday morning, the Spey fleet would still be afraid of the Thomas and Betty fleets joining forces, because Betty could at least launch two rounds of attacks, and if it were not for the small number of fighters in the first wave, the British There will not be so many aircraft lost, and the losses of the Spey fleet will not be low. If two waves of attacks are carried out, conservatively speaking, more than 3 fast battleships can be damaged. The combat effectiveness of the Spey fleet would have been greatly weakened before the artillery battle, but if it were today, sometimes the earl really hoped that the British would waste precious aviation power on themselves!
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the reconnaissance aircraft sent the first telegram, and this telegram surprised the earl. The British fleet appeared to the southeast of him, the Thomas fleet was still here, and Betty's aircraft carrier seemed to be missing. Some?
"It seems that the British are preparing to adopt isolation tactics." The Earl said after passing the telegram to others. After the failure of yesterday's attack, the British fleet did not withdraw. Instead, it guessed the direction of the German fleet and intercepted it. Judging from today's situation, the British were lucky this time and were in the right direction. However, the conflict between the two sides The distance is still about 50 nautical miles. You can understand that it is almost impossible for the British to reach the opponent with naval guns! Thomas has been standing in front of him. The Betty fleet has been split up. Some aircraft carriers are probably returned to the Grand Fleet. This is also a reasonable explanation. After all, the distance between the three fleets on both sides is getting closer and closer. Jericho cannot lose the most important thing. of aviation power.
"Order the fleet to close the distance with the British fleet. Before lunch today, I hope that the distance between the two sides will be shortened to about 35 nautical miles." Earl Spee thought for a while and said. Although this would put his fleet in danger, the count still decided to resolutely carry out the crown prince's order.
And at the same time,
Hundreds of K8 bombers modified into K8T long-range patrol aircraft also began to conduct reconnaissance like a comb over the Norwegian Sea. They had only one goal, and that was to determine the location of the British Grand Fleet. However, under such a high-density reconnaissance situation, once the battle line is opened, the large fleet with a length of 10 kilometers will naturally be unable to avoid the detection of the German Air Force!
"I saw them. God, they are so spectacular. They are like the Titans in Greek mythology. They are walking on the sea and they are unstoppable." A fleet of two K8T long-range patrol aircraft arrived at around 10 o'clock in the morning. The British fleet was discovered sailing northeast. The huge battleships sailed in a rectangular formation on the sea, like kings and gods of war! Around them, hundreds of light cruisers, destroyers and auxiliary battleships formed a convoy and surrounded them, like loyal knights of the monarch.
"We need to get closer, we need to know their ship type." Captain Hall, the captain, said to the pilot. Most of the British main fleet was coal-fired, so the smoke clouds over the fleet were very thick, which caused some trouble for long-distance reconnaissance. But now, on the eve of the decisive battle, it is not enough to just see where the opponent's main fleet is. Ruprecht needs more accurate information, such as the opponent's warship model and number.
"No problem, Betty's main force is not here. They can't beat us down with seaplanes alone! Sit tight, brothers, we are going to fly over the British fleet and give them a small gift!" the pilot said happily.
"Alert! It's a German bomber!" The British destroyer HMS Cod, located on the periphery, first spotted the K8T ocean patrol aircraft flying from the east. It was more than 30 meters long, and its silver-skinned wings were like the wings of a giant dragon. Usually shining with silver light under the sunlight, they flew over at an altitude of 3,500 meters, overlooking the British fleet on the sea. At this time, the British warships on the sea could not remain indifferent to the spying from the air. After waiting, six seaplanes rose into the sky through ejection, and flew towards the dragon-like K8T in the distance like a giant's spear.
"There are guys who overestimate their capabilities and want to challenge us. It seems it's time to teach those daring guys a lesson!" Captain Hall not only didn't worry when he saw the British seaplane flying in, but he was excited about the battle! In a World War 1 environment, unless it encounters a twin-engine interceptor with enhanced firepower and defense, it will be very difficult for even a fighter like Camel to completely destroy the K8T ocean patrol aircraft with enhanced defense.
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