#1335 Fleet Catch Fire

The German fleet is nearby!

Although a seaplane ejected from the Red Caucasus did not return, and could not frighten the valiant Soviet navy, the seaplane ejected from a destroyer flew again toward the sea to the southeast, and this time, it After flying for only a few dozen nautical miles, almost as soon as they flew out of the fleet's field of vision, they found a fleet that came by wind and waves!

"Attention, found the main German fleet, prepare to fight!" On the Red Caucasus, receiving this news, Gorshkov immediately issued the battle order: "One-word column!"

If there were still battleships and heavy cruisers, maybe Gorshkov would form a line and press them directly to fight, just like the exciting naval battles during World War I.

However, he has nothing left. His own 10,000-ton warship is already the largest, while the opponent's fleet includes aircraft carriers and battleships, with a displacement of up to 70,000 tons.

Therefore, he can only form the formation of this column to minimize the frontal projection area. He can only hope that the opponent's shells will all be empty, so that his battleship can rush over to fight the bayonet.

In naval battles, this is not impossible. Although the power of naval guns is great, it is not easy to hit accurately, especially for battleships traveling at high speed.

Dark smoke came out from the chimneys of the warships, and the smoke from the warships in front just shrouded the warships in the back. At this time, they were sailing against the wind.

"Reporting the Red Caucasus, we are not encountering a German warship."

Because the other party has no air defense fighters, the Soviet seaplanes can fly closer. When the pilots saw it clearly, they couldn't help but be surprised. The other party was flying the flag of the Italian Navy!

On the Count of Cavour, Italian Rear Admiral Catagno was standing on the bridge. At this time, he also received a report from his own lookout.

The Black Sea Fleet is right in front of you, and the opponent's largest warship is only a 10,000-ton heavy cruiser!

"Attention, one word horizontal team, let us pour out the maximum firepower and send the Black Sea Fleet to hell!" Catagno gave the order.

If it is a French battleship, all eight naval guns are in front, which can exert the most violent firepower, but the Italian battleship is not. Although there are ten naval guns, they are only half in the front and the rear.

It's just that, whatever they are afraid of, the biggest Soviets on the opposite side are cruisers. Even this battleship is enough to send the other party into the sea. Only the artillery in front can kill them!

Following his order, the Italian fleet quickly changed its position, formed a horizontal formation on the sea, and continued to approach the front.

The 320mm naval guns were loaded with armor-piercing shells, and the gunners suppressed their excitement and waited for the upcoming battle.

On the sea, the mast of the other side appeared, followed by the bridge, and then the two fleets could finally see each other clearly in sight.

On the Count of Cavour, the gunner was staring intently at the sights, and the mechanical ballistic calculator was rumbling, calculating to shoot the Yuan.

"Fifteen nautical miles away, the first test fire." The gunner shouted: "Fire!"

"Boom!" The muzzle of the 320mm naval gun emitted a huge flame, black smoke rose, and a 525kg armor-piercing projectile flew out at a speed of 830 meters per second.

When the Duke of Cavour was originally built, it was only a 305mm naval gun. After using it for a period of time, the naval gun was close to the shooting limit, so through the reaming operation, the 305mm naval gun was reamed. 320mm gun, but the accuracy has not improved.

The gunpowder smoke filled the air, and the gunner suddenly found that he was in a big trouble.

Wind direction problem!

His side is downwind. If it was the previous sailing era, this was almost the best battle position, but now, every time his naval gun fired, it would produce huge black smoke. The field of vision is covered, and it is inconvenient to even observe the impact point!

Sure enough, when the smoke cleared, the cannonball had already flown over, and there was nowhere to be seen!

"Take off the carrier plane!" Catagno shouted. Only then did he realize that he had made a mistake, thinking that his own fleet was enough, so he did not release the carrier-based aircraft. Now it seems that the carrier-based aircraft is also very important.

To calibrate the ballistics, you can only rely on carrier-based aircraft!

The bi-wing RO44 seaplane was installed on the ejection position. The pilot Oakley felt the backlog on his back, and the plane quickly flew away from the battleship.

In the air, it is easy to observe the placement of their own naval guns, and it is their task to provide calibration for the naval guns.

Just as it was just starting to climb, a bright spot appeared in the sun's rays.

"Da da da..." Oakley heard the sound of bullets from the machine gun, and then he felt a pain in his body, and blood splashed all over his cockpit.

He fell forward and pressed the lever, and the seaplane suddenly turned into a dive and fell into the sea.

Too careless, they didn't realize that the Soviets' seaplanes were nearby. When their own seaplanes just ejected, the pilots were hit before they could recover!

The Soviet seaplane swept across the sea at an ultra-low altitude, turned and flew away. The anti-aircraft guns of the warships here were not ready, and the other party disappeared out of range, leaving all the anti-aircraft gunners speechless for a while.

The school shooting plane is gone, and at this time, the distance between the two sides is still approaching, and it is already close to ten nautical miles!

The gunner's face turned green, and he had no choice but to continue shooting blindly without a calibrating plane? If this is the case, all the guns can only be fired at the same time, which can also increase the hit rate.

According to his experience, the second salvo started after binding various shots of Zhugen.

"Boom, boom!" The 320mm naval gun roared, and the black smoke from the muzzle instantly formed a huge barrier in front of the Italian fleet, making it impossible to see anything.

The shooting of the naval guns is quite terrifying, and that kind of spectacular scene will make those who see it for the first time feel shivering, but the soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet here are not terrible.

There was no evasion action at all, and the shells there flew away, splashing down into the sea a few hundred meters from the side of the side.

The projection area of ​​the one-line column is small, and it is difficult to be hit. Gorshkov has not ordered a counterattack until now.

The Red Caucasus is already a warship with the most firepower, and the main guns only have four 180mm guns. Although theoretically, this gun has a terrible range of more than 37 kilometers, but there is no accurate head.

In practice, shooting at a distance of ten nautical miles cannot guarantee the hit rate, and it is best to guarantee a hit at a distance of five nautical miles.

Therefore, he is only ordering the fleet to speed up the sailing, and he simply ignores the other party.