Chapter 285 Hood: Bismarck! It's Nothing to Mention!

Time goes back five days ago, at 3 pm on June 18, 1941, in Godenafen.

The port was very busy at this time. The Bismarck battleship, which symbolized the glory of the German Navy, was docking for supplies, and various logistical personnel were trying to saturate all its supply and ammunition compartments.

Several transport vehicles were parked on the left side of the ship, and the carriages were filled with huge 380mm shells.

The crane shakily lifted more than 800 kilograms of shells into the air, and then slowly lowered them through the decks, finally reaching the ammunition depot deep below the waterline.

Looking at the heavy cruiser Prince Eugen and the three destroyers Z10, Z16, and Z23 in the distance, Marshal Lu, who was worth 175,000 coal, sighed helplessly.

"To be honest, I really don't want to set off tomorrow. We only have two ships in the North Atlantic, which is the main area of ​​enemy activity."

"I once proposed to Marshal Raeder that he wait until the Tirpitz completes training and the two sisters Scharnhorst and Gneisenau fully recover before taking action."

"If the current situation is not too tense, I would even like to wait for the Zeppelin aircraft carrier."

"It's a pity that the marshal can't wait, and the head of state is even more unwilling to wait. The strength of this battle is very different. I'm afraid both of you and I will lose our lives."

Four months ago, Lütjens led the two battleships Scharn and Gneisenau to complete the mission of breaking the commerce excellently.

Under his command, the two sisters gave full play to their own advantages and let the enemy experience what it means that battleships can't catch up and cruisers can't beat.

During that time, the enemy, which was several times larger than itself, was fooled by the German Navy.

Not only did the British home fleet lose face, but the Atlantic route was also completely disrupted.

In the case of radar and carrier-based aircraft and other technologies that were inferior to the opponent, such a result was achieved entirely due to the excellent command ability of the fleet commander.

Now that the Bismarck battleship is about to carry out its first mission, the experienced and well-recorded Lütjens is naturally the best choice for the commander-in-chief.

Hearing the words of his immediate superior, the captain of the Bismarck battleship, Lindemann, immediately nodded in agreement.

As an outstanding commander and former head of the Imperial Navy Training Department, he is well aware of the strength of his opponent, the British Royal Navy.

Judging from the current gap in hard power between the enemy and us, even if the master of all-out warfare, Yamamoto Isoroku, commanded the fleet, he would not dare to say that a single battleship and a heavy cruiser could compete with the entire Royal Navy.

After all, as long as the British concentrated their forces in the Atlantic, Bismarck and Eugen would face sieges from two aircraft carriers, more than five battleships, and dozens of destroyers.

If the other party is willing to pay a certain price, they are absolutely capable of sinking their entire fleet.

"Yes, it would be great if the superiors were willing to wait."

"Although the enemy has a lot of ships, the overall deployment is very scattered. The huge fleet is forced to defend all over the world, and they can be seen in Scapa Flow, the Mediterranean, and even Asia and Australia."

"If we can concentrate two battleships and two battlecruisers, a total of four main battleships, to attack together. With a certain number of destroyers and U-boats, we may really have a chance to dominate the Atlantic."

"Wish us good luck, I hope we can go home safely."

The pessimism of the two is not without reason. Compared with the British Royal Navy, the biggest problem of their own navy is the lack of confidence.

The enemy has a strong foundation. Even if one or two warships are lost in the battle, it will only hurt at most, and it will never reach the point of breaking bones.

But De San is different. For Lu Shuai, every ship is a piece of flesh and blood. Every time he performs a mission, he has to make various emergency plans in advance to try to minimize the risk.

This is the sadness of a country with a weak navy. Who makes their annual production capacity can only barely make up four destroyers.

After the word U-boat was mentioned, the two men in the captain's room fell into a brief silence.

As senior naval officers, they certainly knew the precarious relationship between Raeder and Dönitz. If the two sides were not so tense, there might not be the dangerous Rhine exercise.

At the beginning of last month, their own marshal was scolded by the head of state.

Although the surface fleet caused a heavy bleeding of the British sea supply line and even destroyed an aircraft carrier. But compared with the record of the submarine force, their gains were more like a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, the battles in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean have reached a critical moment, and the navy must take the initiative to balance the enemy and our forces in the Mediterranean and North Africa.

In order to prove that he is not a waste, Raeder was forced to formulate a very risky combat plan under pressure.

Just as the two were silent, nearly a hundred people walked along the dock in an organized manner.

This is a young officer detachment, most of whose members are newly promoted officers from the military academy. They were ordered to strengthen the crew of the Bismarck battleship.

Watching the young people boarding the warship along the gangway in an orderly manner, Lindemann nudged his superior with his elbow.

"Let's go, we should go down to greet the children."

"I really don't know what Marshal Raeder is thinking. He also said that the students should spread the victory of the navy to the entire fleet as witnesses?"

"Isn't this just adding to the chaos? When did the Bismarck battleship become a kindergarten?"

Lütjens glared at Lindemann and signaled him not to talk nonsense.

Although he himself was pessimistic about this mission, it was not a good thing to spread emotions to the troops that had not yet set out.

When the two arrived at the stern deck, the students had already lined up to be reviewed by the superiors. Looking at the young faces, Lu Shuai spoke the opening remarks that he had prepared long ago.

"Everyone! You are now on board the most powerful new battleship in Europe! Please cherish every second in the future. After returning, everyone will gain the most valuable combat experience!"

"No battleship of the British Navy dares to fight him head-on, and no large warship can survive under his eight 380mm main guns."

"Isn't the enemy known as the escort fleet spread across the entire Atlantic? Then we will overturn the entire Atlantic! With the assistance of the Prince Eugen heavy cruiser, we will effortlessly kill all enemies that stand in our way!"

The "firm" voice spread throughout the ship through the loudspeaker, and the naval soldiers on the deck immediately fell into a climax.

In the past, the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary relied on speed and dared to cross the Atlantic again and again without any military cover.

Things change, and now the Bismarck is faster and stronger than them.

In the eyes of young students and soldiers, the current situation is very good, as if the victory of the naval battle is just around the corner.

It's a pity that under the continuous harassment of the British Air Force, the training progress of the Tirpitz battleship has been delayed again and again, otherwise this Rhine exercise will be a formation composed of two battleships.

"Victory belongs to Germany!"

"We will definitely kill the enemy's navy with our own hands!"

Looking at the fanatical people on the deck, Lütjens and Lindemann smiled bitterly in their hearts.

······

Eleven hours later, the two battleships that completed the supply officially set sail.

Under the escort of three Z-drives and minesweepers, the entire fleet quickly crossed the Baltic Sea. It took a day for them to pass through the Katagat Strait and the Skagerrak Strait and head north along the Norwegian coast.

According to Lütjens' plan, after the fleet successfully passed the Norwegian Sea, it would sail to Greenland. It is the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean. As long as you can pass through the Denmark Strait, you can fly freely.

"Lindemann, I have good news."

"According to the investigation of intelligence personnel, all the British battleships are now anchored in Scapa Flow, and there is no sign that the other side is about to leave the port."

"It seems that our confidentiality work is good. This is a perfect start."

In this Rhine exercise, the top leaders of the German Navy reached a consensus on tactics, and two points must be taken seriously.

The first point is definitely confidentiality. No matter how strong the Bismarck battleship is, there is only one. Once the intelligence is leaked and it is surrounded and annihilated by the enemy, there is a high probability that the ending will be a bitter end.

The second point is to avoid fighting as much as possible. The main target of the fleet is the enemy's transport ship, and a large-scale naval battle is not a necessary choice.

It turns out that some things cannot be said too early.

Just as the two were sighing about their good luck, a hurried warning sounded in the captain's room. At the same time, the chief of observation and communication and the chief of radar reported on the communication channel at the same time:

"Commander! Captain! Something happened!"

"An unknown target was found in front of the left side of the Bismarck, most likely a Swedish cruiser! A seaplane just flew over, our whereabouts must have been exposed!"

Although the incident happened suddenly, Lütjens and Lindemann did not panic. The two quickly adjusted their emotions and went to the nautical chart to enter combat readiness at the first time.

Sweden is a neutral country, but it has spy networks of several countries.

Even if their own people do not intend to provide intelligence to the Allies, the agents hidden with Britain are not just for show.

Once the enemy sends the local fleet to intercept, Bismarck and Eugen will basically have no chance of entering the Atlantic Ocean, and even returning by the original route will be disturbed.

"Pass my order! The fleet is moving at full speed! The target is the Korsfjord in Bergen!"

"We will rest in the Norwegian fjord first, and change the paint of the two warships. As long as we avoid the enemy's subsequent reconnaissance, the fleet can continue to perform the mission."

"Anti-aircraft gunners are on full alert! Be prepared to respond to reconnaissance at any time!"

Norway is known as the country of fjords, which is very suitable for hiding warships. Their fleet is not large, and as long as they are well camouflaged, there is a high probability of avoiding enemy reconnaissance.

······

This time, the German Navy lost to the British in terms of intelligence. As early as Godenafen, the whereabouts of the Bismarck battleship were targeted by British spies.

In view of the previous actions of the two sisters Shane and Gne, the Royal Navy had long suspected that the enemy would enter the Atlantic again, and the intelligence they intercepted proved their inference.

Lu Shuai's opponent this time was Admiral John Tovey, the commander of the Home Fleet. He was a steady soldier, and his principle of doing things was to plan before acting.

"The Bismarck has been dispatched and is heading north. Prince Eugen is with her, and there are three destroyers accompanying her."

"Commander, this matter is of great importance, we must take action! We must not let the Germans enter the Atlantic Ocean and get close to the route of our transport ships."

After hearing the report from the major general's staff, John Tovey frowned slightly.

At this time, there were eleven transport fleets in the North Atlantic, among which the WS8B fleet was carrying 20,000 troops to support the Mediterranean. The enemy's big pipes could easily send the infantry to feed the fish.

If the enemy succeeds, even if he is an admiral, he will be court-martialed.

After a while, John Tovey used a pencil to slowly point from one point to another on the nautical chart, trying to analyze the possible route that the German Navy Fleet III might choose.

"She has been training in the Baltic Sea for four months, and now she is finally willing to go out on a mission."

"We didn't catch Scharnhorst and Gneisenau before, so we can't let Bismarck and Prince Eugen go again this time!"

"She must want to break into the Atlantic Ocean, so which route will the enemy take? Is it the Pentland Bay? Or Fair Isle? It is also possible to the east of the Faroe Islands, or the Danish Strait?"

After talking to himself for a while, John Tovey simply gave up thinking.

At present, there is a sea area of ​​thousands of miles wide that needs to be guarded, and it is unrealistic to estimate the enemy's route by guessing.

At this moment, the foundation of the old maritime power played a role. If you don't know from which direction the enemy will enter the Atlantic Ocean, then send troops to cover the sea surface.

"Pass my order! The two heavy cruisers Suffolk and Norfolk continue to monitor the Denmark Strait!"

"Let Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland set off immediately and lead Hood and Prince of Wales to reinforce the Denmark Strait! Send three light cruisers, Arisius, Birmingham and Manchester, to block the waters between the Faroe Islands and Iceland!"

"Notify the Victory aircraft carrier and the Repulse battlecruiser to abandon the escort and return to Scapa Flow to join the Home Fleet. It's too disadvantageous to be beaten passively, we must take the initiative to attack!"

"Let Rodney, La Milli and Revenge be ready to encircle and annihilate Bismarck at any time! Contact the H Fleet in Gibraltar to see if the Royal Ark and Renown can come to the Atlantic for support."

The above order made the major general staff gasp. The last time the Royal Navy made a big move was the Battle of Jutland. It seems that their commander is really ready to kill the Germans in one go.

As if thinking of something important, John Tovey slammed the table heavily, and then he continued to order the signalman beside him:

"No matter what the outcome is, the Coast Defense Command must be mobilized and have them send planes to conduct aerial reconnaissance and photography of the Norwegian coast."

"The intelligence just now was eight hours ago. The enemy may be somewhere south of Bergen. Bergen, Oslo Fjord and any suspicious targets south of it must not be missed."

"I want the Bismarck to sink on its maiden voyage!"

This chapter is difficult to write. There is too much information to check.