Chapter 2236 Thomas’ Counterattack 3
"Release the smoke immediately! The fleet maneuvers in small groups!" Looking at the sudden burst of fire in the Thomas fleet in the distance, Hipper was so nervous! It is definitely not a wise choice to fight to the death at this time. We can only find ways to evade immediately, and evasion cannot withdraw from the battlefield. Otherwise, what will happen to the main fleet behind? It can be said that the current situation is almost the most critical moment in Hipper's life! He felt like he was dancing on the tip of a knife!
All the battleships began to form a team of two battleships. The smoke canisters on the destroyers and battleships began to release smoke, and the battleships also began to perform evasive maneuvers. However, this move did not work very well at all times. This time, the German fleet Somewhat unlucky, some battleships are located in a bad wind direction...
The first among them was the battlecruiser Von der Tann! At a distance of 10,500 meters, this first-generation German battlecruiser was targeted by the Queen Elizabeth and Malaya! These are the two earliest battleships commissioned by the British Queen, and they are also the battleships with the most combat experience! At such a close distance, regardless of whether you have any camouflage, level the artillery, and then use a simple pinch shot to quickly hit the main target! The so-called zebra pattern is just a little troublesome for the fire control officers on the two battleships!
"Fire!" A series of flames sprayed from the muzzle almost covered the entire hull of the Queen Elizabeth, and the British anger burst out at this moment! In this salvo, nearly 5 tons roared towards the German battlecruiser, which was trying to hide itself in the smoke!
In the first round of shooting, the British did not clamp the target. After re-increasing the distance by 500 meters, the second round of shooting also did not clamp the target. Then the experienced fire control officer reduced the distance by 200 meters! The third salvo fired 8 water columns evenly distributed around the poor battlecruiser!
"We were hit!" In the fourth salvo, Thomas got his wish. Two 15-inch shells roared and hit the side armor of the Vondertann. At a distance of 10 kilometers, the British shells The penetration depth may even exceed 400MM! This has exceeded the limit of the von der Tann's tilted armor defense! Accompanied by the sound of metal tearing and cutting, a 15-inch artillery shell successfully entered the boiler warehouse and shattered six small boilers that were running at high speed into pieces! boom! With the violent explosion, countless shrapnel splashed in the cabin, pieces of compartments were shattered, dense steam pipes were cut to pieces, and flames began to spread in the cabin. Hundreds of German naval officers and soldiers were either killed or injured.
And another 15-inch shell lived up to expectations and easily penetrated the No. 2 turret of the Vondertann! And ignited the ammunition and propellant cartridges stored at the rear of the turret! The explosion power generated by tons of shells and explosives was so huge that almost the entire rear of the turret was blown away! A thick flame rushed into the sky, and the plume of thick smoke was so dazzling that even if the smoke was released, it could not cover the scar!
The performance of the Malaya was also good. Two minutes after the Queen Elizabeth scored an effective hit, the Malaya also threw two shells on the Von der Tann within one minute, one of which penetrated the right string of the engagement side. armored belt and destroyed the condenser, while another shell hit the gun gallery of the hull, destroying two 150MM secondary guns.
"The Von der Tann is finished." Hipper said with a sigh as he looked at the battlecruiser that was beaten in the distance and could only parry but not fight back. However, Vondertann was not the first main battleship to be sunk. Before it was sunk, a Mainz-class armored cruiser with it had been destroyed by the concentrated fire of Warspite and Warrior! One of the 15-inch shells successfully penetrated the ammunition depot of the old armored cruiser. With a loud noise, the British also created a miracle.
This was the first time in the history of war that they killed a German battleship in seconds. Although they used the most powerful British artillery in World War I to kill an old armored cruiser!
However, the sinking of the Vondertann was only the beginning. The second target that the British targeted was the Moltke. The two battleships Duke of York and Prince of Wales were eyeing Moltke, which was originally located in the middle of the fleet. However, unlike the previous direct attack on Von der Tann, the cooperation between Moltke and the Mainz armored cruiser was still given to the two Queen-class ships. The battleships were causing a lot of trouble!
"Damn, we're under attack!" Shells suddenly emerged from the smoke and landed around the Duke of York's hull. Huge water columns rose one after another, and the falling waves even splashed on the deck! The sudden blow made the British feel nervous! There is no way not to be nervous! At such a close distance, the queens' 15-inch cannons can indeed penetrate the opponent's armor, but their own armor is not reliable either! You know, the 350MM artillery used by the Germans in this dimension is the historical Skoda 350MM artillery, which is at least half a level stronger than the German 350MM artillery! When the two sides fought at such a distance, it was actually like two eggs being smashed with hammers!
"I found them! At our 10 o'clock direction!" The lookout at the top of the mast of the Duke of York discovered the flames shooting out of the smoke, and the strong muzzle blast even blew away part of the smoke, and a small half The hull was exposed to the sight of the British fleet. And shortly after the lookout sent out the information, a large-caliber artillery shell directly cut off the mast and the lookout post above!
"Kill it!" The British reacted very quickly. After discovering the sneak attacker, the two Queen-class battleships poured rain of bullets crazily at the target 11 kilometers away. Huge water columns instantly surrounded the target. It was a poor warship, and from time to time there were huge explosions from the target ship. The target dodged in the storm-like shells, but from the flames all over its body, it was obvious that the tilting hull could be seen. I understand. Anyone who knows naval warfare knows that the ship's end is coming soon.
"We seem to have killed another target, don't we?" On the Duke of York, an officer of the Royal Navy said happily after putting down the telescope in his hand.
However, just when the British were about to take the third victory, the sudden vibration of the hull made everyone realize that this matter was not easy!
An elegant battleship quickly rushed out from the other end of the smoke. It was powerful and agile, and exuded a strong sense of oppression. With every flash of the muzzle, the British hearts trembled slightly! This is a true battlecruiser!
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