Chapter 438 Carrier Attack

"The British main fleet came at too bad a time. Even if they came half an hour later, we could have sunk the battlecruiser 'Tiger'." On the battlecruiser 'Mackenson', Lieutenant General Hipper's tone was full of regret.

Of course, it can also be understood that he is simply acting like a good boy after getting cheap. Up to now, the six battlecruisers of his 1st battlecruiser squadron have suffered more or less injuries, but they were all minor injuries and did not have any impact on their combat effectiveness. On the other hand, the battlecruiser unit of the British Navy suffered heavy losses. Except for the battlecruiser 'Tiger', all others were sunk. Even the battlecruiser "Tiger" suffered several shells. Two of the four twin 343mm main guns were knocked out, leaving only half of their firepower.

"Report to the flagship immediately, and then start retreating!" Lieutenant General Hipper ordered.

Although, the six battlecruisers of the 1st Battlecruiser Detachment are powerful. But Lieutenant General Hipper was not stupid enough to use six battlecruisers to challenge the more than 20 battleships of the British Navy. What's more, there are six 'Revenge Class' battleships among them. The "Vengeance-class" battleship is also equipped with a 381mm main gun, and sacrifices a little speed to improve its armor. Compared with the "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleship, its combat effectiveness is stronger. Even if the "Mackenson-class" battlecruiser is more powerful than it is, it will not take much advantage. Lieutenant General Hipper is a smart man, so naturally he would not do such a stupid thing.

The 1st Battlecruiser Squadron of the German Navy began to retreat. Once the battlecruisers start to accelerate, the main fleet of the British Navy simply cannot catch up. As the main battleships of the Royal Navy, most of them have a speed of only 20 or 21 knots. How can they catch up with those battlecruisers? The rest of the cruisers and destroyers were able to catch up. However, are those small and medium-sized warships catching up, are they going to die?

Under such circumstances, the main fleet of the British Royal Navy could only watch helplessly as the German Navy's 1st Battleship Squadron swaggered away. There was nothing they could do about it.

Immediately afterwards, Lieutenant General David Betty went to the battleship 'Revenge' in a transportation boat with a livid face.

"I'm sorry, Commander, I lost." Lieutenant General David Betty looked ashamed.

In this war, he has been defeated by the Germans for the third time. This made him, who was proud, feel very guilty.

"Hey, General Betty. It's not because of you, but because the Germans are too strong. I now doubt whether it is right or wrong for us to fight the decisive battle with the Germans. But now, we have no other choice , I can only do my best to fight this battle. I hope God can bless us and win!" Admiral John Jellicoe sighed.

Lieutenant General David Beatty nodded: "General, what should we do now? The battlecruiser detachment is completely wiped out. The battlecruiser 'Tiger' was severely damaged and it was impossible to continue fighting. I have to go back to the shipyard for repairs. Otherwise, I'm afraid there is a danger of sinking. The situation of the 2nd Battleship Squadron is also very pessimistic. The 'Barham' has been sunk, and the remaining 'Queen Elizabeth' and the 'Malayan' are also in danger under the siege of the Germans."

"Let the 'Tiger' retreat to Scapa Flow. The fleet continues to go south, ready to meet the 2nd battleship squadron, and let General Benjamin hold on. I think the German main fleet should know that we have arrived. Therefore, Let us be ready for a decisive battle with them. God bless the British Empire, even if the Germans cannot be defeated in this battle, at least they will have to pay a high enough price." Admiral John Jellicoe said.

"It's the only way now!" Lieutenant General David Betty looked frustrated.

However, the main fleet of the British Navy still failed to successfully meet the second battleship squadron. When they arrived, the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of the German Navy had just left. At the last moment, they sank the battleship 'Malayan' and severely damaged the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth'. Although, Lieutenant General Spee regretted not being able to sink the battleship "Queen Elizabeth". However, he also didn't want to have a fierce battle with the main force of the British navy in order to sink the "Queen Elizabeth" battleship. What's more, the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth' was also severely damaged, at least in this battle, it was unable to play any role.

Admiral John Jellicoe and Lieutenant General David Beatty looked at the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth' like a girl who had been ravaged by a villain, wanting to cry.

There is no doubt that in this decisive sea battle, the British Navy fought very badly in the early stage. So far, they have sunk five battlecruisers and two battleships, and lost one battlecruiser and one battleship. This is almost equivalent to losing one-third of the combat power. But their enemy, the German Navy, suffered no losses. This also made the disadvantages of the British Navy in this battle more obvious.

The 1st and 2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons of the German Navy have joined together. The twelve battlecruisers are undoubtedly a very powerful force. However, they did not immediately rush to a decisive battle with the British Navy's main fleet, but were waiting for the arrival of their own main fleet. When the 24 battleships of the German Navy arrive, it will be a good opportunity to have a decisive battle with the British Navy and eat them in one bite.

However, at this time, Admiral Reinhard Scheer, who had not rushed to the battlefield, had already given the order to attack. It was not the battleship force or battlecruiser force of the German Navy that carried out the attack, but the aircraft carrier formation hundreds of kilometers away from the battlefield.

In the sea area 100 kilometers east of the battlefield, two aircraft carriers of the German Navy are sailing at a speed of 10 knots. On the deck, fighter planes have completed their preparations for takeoff.

Marshal Prince Heinrich, commander of the German Navy's aircraft carrier formation, was on the bridge, looking at the planes with satisfaction.

"Your Excellency Marshal, Your Excellency Commander ordered us to attack." An officer reported.

"Then order the carrier-based aircraft to take off! Tell our pilots that this is our first time participating in actual combat, let them all perform well and show the prestige of an aircraft carrier force!" Marshal Prince Heinrich ordered.