Chapter 249: Survival with a Broken Tail (Asking for a Monthly Pass)
"Order the ships to attack with all their might. Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info We've come to the point of life and death now, and if we can't defeat the enemy in front of us, we'll have no choice but to die. So, for the sake of the Royal Navy, for the sake of the British Empire, and for our own sake, defeat the Germans! May God bless us! "David? Vice Admiral Betty, addressing the officers and men of the Royal Navy.
"Long live the Royal Navy! Long live the British Empire! ”
The officers and men of the Royal Navy, whose morale was low because of their disadvantage, once again mustered up their fighting spirit and threw themselves into the battle.
However, with the 'Indomitable' battering out of battle and the 'Indomitable' sinking, the Royal Navy was left with only seven battle cruisers. And the German Navy's broken fleet was still six battle cruisers.
"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”
The battle cruisers on both sides kept firing, and one shell after another slashed through the air, making a sharp and piercing sound. The naval battle has entered the stage of high tide, and the two sides can be said to have killed each other. However, judging from the loss and the comparison of strength, the German Navy still has the upper hand.
"General Scheer, on his side, has already sunk a battleship of the British. It is estimated that the battle will soon be over. The 380 mm guns of the 'D-Flinger-class' battlecruisers are really powerful! Lieutenant General Hipper lamented.
'yes!' The 'D'Verblinger class' has become so strong, so how strong will the subsequent 'Mackensen class' be? What's more, our 'King-class' battleships and 'Bavaria-class' battleships are equipped with 380 mm guns. In terms of comparative strength, we have completely surpassed the British Royal Navy. I think that in the future decisive battle at sea, there will be no suspense at all if we win. Lieutenant General Shi Pei longed. He seemed to have seen the scene of the German Navy defeating the Royal Navy in the future naval battle and winning the final victory.
"We're going to win!" Lieutenant General Hipperer also said.
It was at this time that the German Navy's battlecruiser 'Seydlitz' was shot, and a shell fired from the British Navy's battlecruiser 'Royal Princess' hit the battlecruiser 'Seydlitz'. The shell pierced the aft deck of the "Seydlitz", and after the shell exploded, it broke a propeller shaft, which greatly affected the speed of the battlecruiser "Seydlitz".
When Lieutenant General Hipper and Lieutenant General Shi Pei received the news, their faces were not very good-looking.
"Will the Seydlitz be able to hold on?" Lieutenant General Hipperr asked.
"It's hard, the speed is decreasing, and gradually you won't be able to keep up with the battle line. In addition, it will also make it a key target for the British. It would be a pity to lose it because of this. Lieutenant General Spee said.
Hipper nodded, so far, these battleships of the German Navy may have been more or less injured, but they were only slightly injured, and they were not seriously damaged, let alone on the battlefield. One of the propeller shafts of the 'Seydlitz' was blown up and only had to be returned to the shipyard for repairs. If you are hit hard or even sunk because you insist on fighting, it will be too much to lose.
"Get the Seydlitz out of the fight! Even if we were missing one, we would be able to defeat the British. Lieutenant General Hipper said.
Lieutenant General Spee had no objection to this, and immediately ordered the 'Seydlitz' to withdraw from the battle.
The British Navy, on the other hand, could not help but cheer when they saw one of the German Navy's warships withdrawn from the battle.
"Great, God bless us!"
David? Lieutenant General Betty's face couldn't help but smile a little.
'It's 7-5 and we're still in the driver's seat. Perhaps, we still have a chance to win. "David? Lieutenant General Betty thought to herself.
However, just ten minutes later, David? Lieutenant General Betty had to put this idea behind him completely.
'Feng? Morality? The battlecruiser Tann once again hit the battlecruiser Australia. Earlier, the battlecruiser 'Australia' had been heavily damaged. This time, it was hit by two 305-mm shells at once. A shell pierced the command tower of the battleship 'Australia', and despite its 280 mm armor, it still could not withstand the shells fired from the 305 mm main gun of 50 times the caliber. After the shell tore through the armor, it exploded inside the command tower, killing all the officers inside. Another shell hit the stern of the battleship 'Australia', blowing the steering gear away and causing a large amount of water.
After the failure to plug the leak, the captain of the battlecruiser "Australia" had to give the order to abandon the ship, so that the battle cruiser formation of the British Navy lost one battleship again.
Then, five minutes later, the battlecruiser Leopold completed the strike on the British Navy's battlecruiser Indomitable. A 305 mm shell hit the armor near the waterline of the battlecruiser Indomitable at a very tricky angle. The waterline armor of the 'Invincible class' battlecruisers was already very weak, and it could not withstand 305 mm shells at all. The waterline armor was directly torn open and affected several cabins.
The officers and men of the battlecruiser Indomitable immediately carried out damage control. However, in the face of the surging seawater, there was no choice but to give up.
As more and more sea water entered the hull, the hull of the Indomitable battlecruiser gradually tilted.
As a last resort, the captain of the battlecruiser Indomitable asked Davy? After Vice Admiral Betty's report, the order was given to abandon the ship. Soon, the huge warship, with a displacement of 20,000 tons, capsized on the surface of the sea and sank into the icy Atlantic.
Now the contrast on the sea has become 5 to 5, and the British Navy still has the "Tiger", "Queen Mary", "Royal Princess", "New Zealand" and "Invincible" left. And the German Navy still has the 'Moltke', 'Goeben', 'Blucher', 'von?' Morality? Tann' and 'Leopold'.
Although, the number of both sides is the same. However, in terms of combat effectiveness, the two sides are no longer at the same level at all.
"Lost, General, we have already lost, we simply can't beat the Germans!" A staff officer said with a cry.
David? Lieutenant General Betty, why don't you know this? Now he is once again faced with a choice. Do you continue to fight until you die a heroic death, or do you retreat and preserve your strength?
Soon, Davy? Lieutenant General Betty had a choice, and he gave the order to retreat directly. At the same time, Rear Admiral Robertson was ordered to lead the remnants of the fleet and hold off the Germans.