Chapter 755 Surprised but Not Dangerous

At 4 o'clock in the morning, the sky was still dark. But the German expeditionary fleet calculated the time, and by the time they arrived at the Uraga Waterway, it was almost 5 o'clock in the morning. At this time, the sky was already slightly bright, and it was barely possible to see the waters ahead clearly. Moreover, this time is also the time when the defense of the islanders is the most lax.

The first battleship was the battlecruiser Prinz Friedrich of the German Expeditionary Fleet. Even if the thick-skinned Mackensen-class battlecruiser is hit by a mine, it is estimated that it will not suffer too much damage. Therefore, it is more suitable as a pioneer. Immediately behind them were the battlecruisers 'Frederick Karl', the battlecruisers 'Lützow' and the battlecruisers 'Hindenburg'. These battlecruisers are also responsible for the task of suppressing the coastal defenses of the islanders.

The width of the Uraga Waterway is less than ten kilometers, and the shore defense forces deployed on both sides can fire violently at enemy ships trying to force their way in, thus ensuring the safety of Tokyo Bay.

It is precisely because of this that the island country did not evacuate from Tokyo even after the combined fleet's fiasco. In their view, the defense of the Gulf of Tonkin is credible. It is almost impossible for the German expeditionary fleet to break into Tokyo Bay.

The two "Mackenson-class" battlecruisers and three "Derfflinger-class" battleships of the German expeditionary fleet are responsible for suppressing the shorelines of the islanders with powerful naval guns when passing through the Uraga Waterway. Fire resistance to ensure that the fleet can pass through safely. Although, the capital ship of the German Expeditionary Fleet can not be afraid of the coastal firepower of the islanders. But those light cruisers and destroyers are different. The shore firepower of the islanders is sufficient to sink them easily.

Lieutenant General Spei didn't want his fleet to suffer any losses. What's more, after the fleet entered Tokyo Bay, it had to guard against lightning strikes from the islanders' destroyers. Although there are only a dozen destroyers left in the Japanese Navy. However, these destroyers can also pose a greater threat to the capital ships of the German expeditionary fleet.

The fleet flagship "Makensen" battlecruiser and two "Moltke-class" battlecruisers are in charge of the rear. The light cruisers and destroyers passed the waterway at maximum speed after the several battlecruisers ahead had successfully passed through the waterway. For these destroyers, the waterway that is only a few kilometers long will not take long at all, only a few minutes at most.

Once in Tokyo Bay, you have to be prepared for lightning strikes from the islanders' destroyers.

On the flagship battlecruiser Mackensen, Lieutenant Admiral Spee and Major Admiral Mao Fu stared ahead. As time passed slowly, the night gradually dimmed. There was also a faint light in the eastern sky. All this indicates that the German expeditionary fleet will soon enter the Uraga Waterway.

"How long?" Lieutenant General Spee asked.

Even though Lieutenant General Spei had already battled for a long time, he was still a little nervous about this action. After all, the waterway ahead is densely covered with mines. If you are not careful, you may touch the mines, and the consequences will be disastrous.

"General, there are still less than twenty minutes left. When the 'Prince Frederick' arrives at the waterway, it will be almost time!" Rear Admiral Maofu replied.

Lieutenant General Shi Pei nodded and said no more.

Time passed by one minute and one second, and at 4:55, the "Prince Frederick" at the front had already arrived at the entrance of the Uraga Waterway.

Lieutenant General Spei immediately ordered the plan to launch without any hesitation.

Immediately, the battlecruiser 'Prince Frederick' took the lead and sailed into the waterway. The battlecruiser 'Frederick Karl' also followed into the waterway. The other battleships also entered the waterway one by one.

At this time, because the night has not completely dissipated, the visibility is not high. In addition, the Japanese army guarding the coastal fortifications is very exhausted. So they knew nothing about the actions of the German expeditionary fleet.

For the German Expeditionary Fleet, the most dangerous thing is not the shore defense capabilities of the island countries on both sides of the waterway, but the mines on the sea. The mine distribution map detected before is not complete, so it is impossible to ensure the safety of the waterway. If you are not careful, you may touch a mine. This made all the warships entering the waterway a little worried.

"Order all warships to get ready. Once the islanders' coastal fortifications fire, we will immediately fire to suppress them!" Lieutenant General Spee ordered.

Of course, the coastal fortifications of the islanders may be very strong. However, the 380mm main gun of the German expeditionary fleet is definitely not vegetarian. The coastal fortifications of the islanders are also a great threat.

As the pioneer battlecruiser "Prince Frederick", the pressure is undoubtedly the greatest. They are not only responsible for exploring the way, but also try not to expose them as much as possible to avoid being attacked by the islanders' coastal firepower.

"God bless! I hope the navigation map we obtained is safe!" The captain of the battlecruiser "Prince Frederick" kept praying to God.

"Turn left!" The navigator gave the order according to the navigation map.

The huge battleship began to turn slowly.

No one noticed that a sea mine deviated from the predetermined area due to ocean currents and was drifting towards the channel.

A few minutes later, the bow of the battlecruiser "Prince Frederick" came into close contact with the mine.

The mine was subjected to gravity, the fuze was triggered immediately, and the explosives inside exploded violently!

"boom!"

A huge explosion sounded, and a column of water rose from the bow of the battlecruiser "Prince Frederick".

"Damn it, we hit a mine." The captain cursed.

"Report loss!"

"Sir, there was a hole in the underwater armor of the bow. However, it is not big. The damage control personnel said that it can be blocked soon!"

The captain breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that this was the case.

"Report to the flagship immediately!" the captain ordered.

Lieutenant General Spee also breathed a sigh of relief after learning about the situation of the battleship 'Prince Frederick'. However, it is obviously impossible to secretly pass through the Uraga Waterway after launching the mines. Next, you have to face the powerful firepower of the island country's coastal defense forces.

"Command the fleet, prepare to fight!" Lieutenant General Spee ordered.

In fact, Lieutenant General Spei didn't need to give orders, and the battleships ahead were already ready. The muzzle of the main gun has been raised high, the heavy shells have been stuffed into the barrel, and the guns have also been filled in. All the main guns are ready to fire, just waiting for the command The official gave an order.