Chapter 1364 The Second Fight

In the South China Sea, a huge fleet is cruising along the coastline of northern Borneo. This huge fleet has dozens of warships, large and small. The most core warships are five huge battleships. These are two "Derfflinger-class" battlecruisers drawn from the German Navy's Pacific Fleet and three "Blücher-class" battlecruisers drawn from the Indian Ocean Fleet.

On the periphery are cruisers and destroyers. There are a lot of heavy cruisers and light cruisers, and almost half of the cruisers in the battleship formations of the Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet have been transferred. The number of heavy cruisers in the fleet has reached 12, and the number of light cruisers has reached 20. In terms of destroyers, there are more than 30 ships.

The reason why the fleet is equipped with so many small and medium-sized warships is, on the one hand, for air defense considerations, and on the other hand, for mine protection considerations. In the last naval battle, although the losses of the navy of the island country were greater than that of the German navy. However, the four aircraft carriers of the 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron of the Japanese Navy were not damaged. After supplementing the carrier-based aircraft and pilots, it still poses a very big threat to the German Navy. At the same time, the lightning strikes launched by the destroyers of the Japanese navy also left people with lingering fears. In particular, according to the information obtained by Germany, the Type 93 torpedoes equipped on a large scale by the island nation's navy, that is, the spear torpedoes, are so powerful that the German navy had to make preparations in this regard. After all, a torpedo with a caliber of 610 mm, without even thinking about it, possesses amazing power.

Hundreds of kilometers behind this huge fleet is a battle group composed of two aircraft carriers of the German Navy's Pacific Fleet. Their task is naturally to prevent the fleet from being attacked by the carrier-based aircraft of the island navy, and if there is an opportunity, to launch an attack on the island navy. The German Navy believes that when the army of the island country cannot gain an advantage on the land battlefield, the navy of the island country will definitely be dispatched. In order to avoid major casualties and at the same time assist the army to win this battle, the German navy must contribute its own strength.

In charge of commanding this operation was the battleship formation commander of the German Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet, Otto Schneewent, and the Pacific Fleet's aircraft carrier formation commander, Lieutenant General William Canaris.

Among them, Lieutenant General Otto Schneewent is responsible for commanding the capital ship formation operations. Lieutenant General William Canaris is responsible for commanding the aircraft carrier formation operations. The two cooperated with each other to ensure that the German Navy could once again win the naval battle.

The results of the last naval battle were generally dissatisfied with the German Navy. Although they sank more capital ships and aircraft carriers of the island navy than they lost. However, if the loss of shore-based aviation is added, the loss of the German Navy is actually not much smaller than that of the island navy. This also made the officers and soldiers of the German Navy suffocate in their hearts, wanting to defeat the island navy in one fell swoop in the next confrontation and completely win the naval battle.

Of course, the Japanese navy may also have the same mentality. The disastrous defeat of the island navy in the last naval battle put the island navy under great pressure. If they cannot defeat the German navy and reverse the situation, it will be very difficult for the island nation to win this naval battle. It is precisely because of this that the navy of the island country is doing its best to win the war.

On the battlecruiser 'Blücher', Lieutenant General Otto Schneewendt was talking with his chief of staff, Major General Abraham.

Major General Abraham, the chief of staff of the battleship formation of the Indian Ocean Fleet, and Major General Abraham, the commander of the 23rd Heavy Artillery Brigade under the 23rd Army, have the same surname, and they are brothers. It's just that one is in the navy and the other is in the army. But both of them are now fighting in Nanyang, and they can be regarded as brothers working together to fight for the empire.

"The navy of the island country didn't show up last night. So, will they show up tonight?" Lieutenant General Otto Schneewent asked.

The German navy is undoubtedly already ready for a decisive battle with the island navy. But last night, it was empty, which disappointed the German fleet.

"General, this is not clear. However, as long as the war continues. As long as the islanders want to break through the army's defense line, then their navy will definitely appear. Without the support of the island navy, the island army wants to It is almost impossible to tear apart the defense line of our army. They will even pay a higher price. Therefore, relying on the fire support of the navy has become the only option for the army of the island country. According to the information we have obtained , In the battle yesterday and today, the 18th Army of the Island Army has lost more than 30,000 people. With so many people dead, the Island Navy must not be able to sit still." Major General Abraham said.

Lieutenant General Otto Schneewendt nodded: "The island nation's military superiority is too obvious. However, they are all fresh lives! Therefore, it is naturally impossible for them to squander their military power recklessly like this. Let the officers and soldiers get ready, maybe we will fight the islanders soon. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow night, in short, this naval battle is inevitable."

"Yes, General. This naval battle is inevitable." Major General Abraham said.

Moreover, both of them speculated that in order to avoid the attack of the Luftwaffe, the possibility of the island fleet launching an attack at night is very high. Therefore, the German fleet also needs to rush to the waters near Beaufort at night to provide protection for the army. Evacuate until after dawn.

The speed of the German fleet is not fast, but it can ensure that they enter the sea not far from Beaufort after nightfall. A warship equipped with radar can search the nearby sea area to ensure that once the island fleet appears, it will not be able to escape.

While the German fleet was rushing to the waters near Beaufort, the island nation's fleet was also heading south rapidly. It still adopts the tactic of the main fleet at the front and the aircraft carrier at the rear. After all, aircraft carriers cannot take off carrier-based aircraft to fight at night. Once the enemy's capital ship gets close, it will be dead. Therefore, the island nation's fleet is also cautious, protecting these precious aircraft carriers as much as possible.

The "Ibuki" aircraft carrier serves as the flagship of the island nation's naval task force. However, in the battle at night, the role played by the aircraft carrier is very limited. Therefore, the main order was given by Lieutenant Admiral Takasu Shiro, the commander of the battleship battle group. The Japanese navy is also looking forward to the miracle that Lieutenant Admiral Takasu Shiro will perform again this time.