Chapter 990: Falling Into Passivity
However, when friendly forces are in trouble, it is absolutely impossible for our own side to remain motionless. After this matter is over, we will be subject to a military court! After Vice Admiral de Laperre stated that his three super-dreadnoughts and two dreadnoughts, and that the first armored cruiser detachment would arrive soon, Vice Admiral Le Bris finally took action!
And when the French fleet went out in a mighty manner, they happened to encounter two Allied destroyers that were on guard nearby. When the two German destroyers were about to send a warning telegram, the searchlight suddenly swept from the side and rear and instantly illuminated the two German destroyers. Two poor little guys covered! After all, the two German destroyers still did not discover the second armored cruiser detachment hidden on the other side of the port. Within a few minutes, the three armored cruisers used dense high-explosive bombs to take down the guard posts reserved by the Germans. Because of the obstruction of the breakwater and the noisy environment, the German fleet did not immediately notice the abnormality next to it.
At this time, the two Guba-class battleships and the other two Dandong-class battleships Vigneone and Mirabeau had already started the battle line, while the other three armored cruisers had secretly used the cover of night to sneak towards the German fleet. Lean closer!
If someone had a God's perspective at this time, they would find that the French's deployment was very reasonable. It can even be said that this was the French's most astute tactical decision in the entire campaign. The French main fleet was hidden in the night, and they chose to sail parallel to the German fleet. However, the accompanying armored cruiser detachment and destroyer detachment did not follow the main fleet, but secretly walked to the side of the extended course of the German fleet!
This deployment seems simple, but it allows the French to operate with ease in almost all situations. The German fleet is backed by a lot of "torches", so even if no one turns on the lights, the French can still easily target their opponents. And when the French main battleship opened fire, although theoretically the German fleet could counterattack through muzzle flashes, the effect would definitely not be good. What would Count Spee do at this time? Naturally, we should immediately speed up and hide the fleet in the darkness again!
At this time, the armored cruiser detachment and destroyer detachment deployed slightly forward can play a role! The two sides can get close quickly due to route problems. At this time, the destroyers turn on lights and launch torpedoes, the battleships launch long-range lobs, and the armored cruisers rush up to make a fool of themselves at close range! This is what it means to beat the master to death with random punches!
The fast battleships of Graf Spee's fleet are really powerful, with strong ships and powerful guns! But how? Are you afraid of dozens of torpedoes being thrown directly from a dozen destroyers at close range? ! Are you afraid that three armored cruisers and nearly 40 12-inch guns suddenly washed the decks with high-explosive shells?
So what if this wave can't kill you? It doesn't matter even if none of them can be sunk. As long as a certain warship can be slowed down and maintained in contact, it will be no problem. Brother's boss came soon. He sent a telegram and pulled over 5 dreadnoughts and a dozen. Other battleships above! The so-called perfect start and a crash in the middle are all about you! Although the Dantons suffered heavy losses, as long as they can completely destroy a super-dreadnought, then this one is not a loss!
In nearly half an hour before entering the battle, Vice Admiral Le Bris had already settled the matter! Now all that's left is to do it! In his opinion, the current French fleet is almost in the best fighting situation! The main thing is to wait for the opponent to walk into your trap step by step!
A series of fireballs rose into the sky not far away from the sea. The dazzling light once again tore apart the quiet night sky. In the eyes of the Allied fleet officers and soldiers, this blow came so suddenly! Dark red photoelectrics moved rapidly in the air, and fell around the German fleet more than ten seconds later. The water columns rising into the sky almost covered half of the fleet.
"Quickly escape! Let's go back into the night!" He didn't know the size of his opponent.
I don’t know the other party’s configuration, and even the other party’s figure is erratic in the background of the rangefinder! In such a disadvantageous situation... Give me a hairy slap! Obviously, the right thing to do is to stop talking for a while! What to do if you are attacked? In the end, there is definitely something wrong with your head if you are so reckless. Stabilizing the situation first is the key. In the earl's opinion, the best choice at this time is to evacuate at high speed first, slow down for a while, and then decide whether to fight or leave after everyone hides in the night!
Although the count responded quickly and transmitted information quickly, the battleship was not a sports car after all, and it took a long time to accelerate. The French's speed at this time was 18 knots, which was faster than the German fleet! Therefore, during the period of contact between the two sides, the distance between the two sides became closer. It must be said that Lieutenant General Le Bris' luck and time to engage in the battle were very good! This is when the Allied fleet is at its weakest!
The Sultan Osman I was hit first. A 12-inch shell hit the horizontal deck and lit a moderate fire. Another shell hit the top of the No. 4 turret. Although it bounced away, But it still shattered the rangefinder on the top of the turret. The Tegelhof, which was in third place, was also taken care of. The two Dandong-class battleships in the back threw their artillery shells on the battleship one after another. First, a hole was opened in the secondary armor belt of the bow. , and then the gun mount of the No. 2 turret was hit twice. The violent vibration directly damaged part of the rotating equipment of the turret, and the two long and thick gun barrels were stuck at the 11 o'clock direction.
Although with this thick armor, the damage caused by the opponent's long-distance attacks is not great, but for the German fleet, this is just the beginning! Under the cover of night and battleship fire, the French destroyers have sneaked up!
"There seems to be something over there." Lieutenant Hall on the destroyer V112 saw a silvery-white thing moving quickly on the sea in the distance. If the searchlight hadn't swept across just now, he could hardly see this guy! Good training and extremely high vigilance prevented him from being careless. The two searchlights on the mast of the destroyer began to sweep towards the target. The lights with the brightness of thousands of candles swept across the night and instantly swept out a path of hundreds of people. Square meters of light beam!
"It seems..." Just as Lieutenant Hall was about to confirm the identity of the other party, a series of shells had been fired from the opposite side, shattering one of the searchlights into pieces. Lieutenant Hall is still too young to fight at night. If he discovers an unidentified ship, he will attack it as a sign of respect without saying anything! Generally speaking, there is more than 70% certainty that the target hit is the opponent's warship!