Chapter 187 Encirclement and Suppression

On the morning of August 6, a military vehicle arrived outside the British Admiralty Building. Two tall British admirals got out of the car. It can be seen from their military ranks that one of them is an admiral and the other is a lieutenant general. In the Royal Navy, this is already an out-and-out senior general.

"General Jellicoe, General Betty, Your Excellency is already waiting for you in the office!" Secretary of the Secretary of the Navy Churchill had already been waiting at the door, and Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant General Betty immediately went up to greet them.

Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant Admiral Beatty, led by their secretary, went to the office of Secretary of the Navy Churchill.

The current positions of Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant General Betty are the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet and the Commander of the Battlecruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet respectively. The so-called large fleet refers to the main fleet composed of main forces drawn from various fleets when the United Kingdom faces a strong enemy.

This time, in the face of the strong challenge of the German navy, even as the overlord, the British navy did not dare to take it lightly. They dispatched main forces from various fleets and gathered in Scapa Flow, where they were preparing to face the German navy.

Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant Admiral Betty are the commanders of this main fleet. They will take on the important responsibility of defeating the German navy and defending the supremacy of the British Empire.

"Master of the Navy, good morning!" Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant Admiral Beatty saluted Churchill immediately after entering the office. Although Churchill graduated from the cavalry major of the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, he can be regarded as an Army background. However, during Churchill's tenure as Secretary of the Navy, he greatly promoted the development of the navy, which gave him a very high prestige in the Royal Navy.

"Sit down, two generals." Churchill nodded.

The secretary left after delivering the coffee, leaving only Churchill, Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant General Betty in the office.

"Generals, I brought you here today because the British Empire is in trouble. The day before yesterday and yesterday, the British Empire had lost nearly a hundred merchant ships. Today, I don't know how much this loss will be." Churchill was very distressed .

"What? How could this be?" Admiral Jellicoe and Lieutenant General Betty both exclaimed. They knew very well what this meant to Britain, and it was no wonder Churchill summoned them in such a hurry.

"Your Excellency, did the Germans do this?" Lieutenant General David Beatty asked.

"Yes, before the Germans declared war on us, they sent a formation of six battlecruisers into the Atlantic Ocean to attack our merchant ships. In addition, a large number of submarines also entered the Atlantic Ocean. These battlecruisers Cruisers and submarines, like wild wolves, are attacking our sea transportation lines, trying to strangle the British Empire to death in this way," Churchill said.

Admiral John Jellicoe and Lieutenant Admiral David Beatty both looked very ugly. The British sea transportation line suffered such a heavy blow, and the Royal Navy was belatedly aware of it. What a shame!

"Your Excellency, the sea transportation line is related to the lifeline of the British Empire and cannot be lost. The Royal Navy needs to attack immediately to wipe out the German battlecruiser formation and submarine force. Defend our sea transportation line." John Jellicoe said the admiral.

"Well, I thought so too. Since the Germans sent a battlecruiser force, I suggest dispatching our battlecruisers to find the Germans from the Atlantic Ocean and annihilate them. In addition to the battlecruiser 'Tiger' All other battlecruisers are already in service. Then, let’s send all these battlecruisers out!” Churchill said.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Admiral John Jellicoe nodded.

"Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will definitely find those Germans from the Atlantic Ocean and annihilate them!" David Betty promised.

Churchill nodded, and he still recognized David Betty's ability.

"To be on the safe side, in addition to sending out the battlecruisers, let's send four more 'George V-class' battleships to meet them! Our sea transportation lines must not be lost. Therefore, even if the battleships that cannot wipe out the Germans Form a cruiser formation, and drive them back to the North Sea!" Churchill urged.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Minister." Admiral John Jellicoe and Lieutenant General David Beatty nodded repeatedly. In their view, after dispatching so many warships, it should not be a big problem to defeat the battlecruiser formation of the German Navy. The only thing to worry about may be that the battlecruiser escaped the siege by virtue of its speed advantage and circled in the Atlantic Ocean. In that case, the loss will be relatively large.

"What advice do you have for the German submarines?" Churchill asked. Although the battlecruiser is powerful, it is a battleship on the water after all. It can be seen and ships can be dispatched to deal with it. But the submarine is hiding underwater, elusive, and it is even more difficult to destroy.

"Your Excellency, there is really no good way to deal with submarines at present. However, we can send light cruisers and destroyers to patrol on fixed routes. Once we find German submarines, we will attack them immediately. After all, German submarines are not Possibly staying underwater for a long time," Admiral John Jellicoe suggested.

Churchill nodded, and had no choice but to adopt this suggestion in the absence of a better solution.

Admiral John Jellicoe and Lieutenant General David Beatty quickly returned to Scapa Flow.

That afternoon, Lieutenant General David Beatty led three 'Invincible-class' battlecruisers, three 'Indefatigable-class' battlecruisers and three 'Lion-class' battlecruisers, as well as four 'George V-class' battlecruisers. 'A formation of battleships left Scapa Flow.

After the formation entered the Atlantic Ocean, four "George V-class" battleships began to head south. The nine battlecruisers, in groups of three, spread out and began to search southwest.

At the same time, a large number of light cruisers and destroyers were also dispatched. On the one hand, it is to search for the traces of the battlecruisers of the German Navy. On the other hand, it is to protect the route, attack the submarines of the German Navy, and ensure the safety of the sea transportation line.

Under the threat of the German Navy's battlecruiser formation and submarine force, the British Royal Navy can be said to have exhausted its main force. Except for the main battleship, the rest of the battleships were dispatched a lot. It can be seen how much of a threat the German navy's breaking war has posed to Britain. In order to protect the sea transportation line, the British Navy had to encircle and suppress the battlecruiser formation and submarine force of the German Navy.