Chapter 982: The Curtain Ends

All 16 capital ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were sunk in this battle. Although, there are still many small and medium-sized warships left. However, without the capital ship, these small and medium-sized warships no longer pose much threat to the German Navy.

"General, we won again!" Lieutenant General Richter Fels looked excited.

Admiral Hipper nodded, but he seemed very calm. After all, with such a big advantage, if the German Navy combined fleet has not been able to win this battle, then the generals of the German Navy are too incompetent.

"Command the fleet, let's do something to the small and medium-sized warships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy! Try to persuade them to surrender or sink them!" Admiral Hipper ordered.

Although the threat of those small and medium-sized warships is no longer great, if they are allowed to escape, they will still pose a considerable threat to Germany. Especially if these warships are dedicated to attacking Germany's overseas trade lines, then the problem will be serious. Therefore, persuading surrender and sinking these small and medium-sized warships has become the best way.

"Yes, General!" Lieutenant General Richter Fels immediately gave the order.

Subsequently, the German Navy began to attack the small and medium warships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Although, there are still many small and medium-sized warships remaining in the Austro-Hungarian Navy. And they are all fast light cruisers and destroyers. However, compared with the light cruisers and destroyers of the German Navy, the same type of warships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were also at a disadvantage in terms of speed and attack power.

What's more, the battlecruisers of the German Navy are fast and can catch up with the light cruisers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Therefore, there is almost no doubt about this battle.

The German navy's persuasion to surrender also played a big role. With all the battleships of one's own side sunk, all fools know that this battle is bound to be lost. Especially when even the commander of the fleet has died in battle, and most of the generals have also died in battle, the command of the Austro-Hungarian Navy has also been greatly affected. Under such circumstances, many naval officers and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire chose to surrender to the German Navy to save their lives.

In any case, they have done their best in this battle. But even if they tried their best, they couldn't change the outcome of this naval battle. In this case, there is naturally no need to pay additional casualties. Because, that's completely useless.

However, there are still some officers and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy who chose to resist. They drove a warship and fled to the depths of the Indian Ocean in an attempt to escape to the United States. However, what they faced was the pursuit of the combined fleet of the German Navy. Most of the light cruisers, destroyers and all battlecruisers of the German Navy chased and killed this part of the warships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Once caught up, these warships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy had only one fate, and that was to be sunk. Other than that, there is no other choice.

The battle lasted until dark, and nearly half of the hundreds of light cruisers and destroyers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy chose to surrender. The other half chose to hold back. However, most of those who chose to fight stubbornly were sunk. Only less than ten light cruisers and destroyers fled to the depths of the Indian Ocean after dark.

"General, should we organize a fleet and pursue them? If the light cruisers and destroyers of the fled Austro-Hungarian Empire are allowed to continue to exist, they will pose a considerable threat to us. After all, the army is still attacking Australia. Many materials need to be transported through the Indian Ocean!" Lieutenant General Richter Fels said.

Admiral Hipper nodded: "Let the Indian Ocean Fleet stay. This is their defense zone. With the strength of the Indian Ocean Fleet, there is no problem at all in hunting down the remnants of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. What's more , The Pacific Fleet is also in Australia at the moment, and they can provide support to the Indian Ocean Fleet."

"Yes, General." Lieutenant General Richter Fels replied.

Subsequently, the combined fleet of the German Navy began to clean up the battlefield and rescue the crew who fell into the water. The naval battle is over, and the Austro-Hungarian navy officers and soldiers who fell into the water seem to have no intention of burying the collapsed Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the sailors of the combined fleet of the German Navy threw life buoys at them, almost all chose to accept it.

Although, they failed in this war. However, their performance is still admirable. What's more, most of the officers and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy are also Germans. If they recognize the German Empire and are willing to integrate into the German Empire, then everyone will be a family from now on. These sailors of the Austro-Hungarian Navy may be able to speed up the integration of their hometown into the German Empire after returning to their hometown after the battle.

Emperor Qin Tian, ​​who was far away in Berlin, was also very concerned about this naval battle. Although he determined that the German Navy will definitely be able to win this battle. However, he hoped that the German Navy could win with the least cost.

It was not until evening that Marshal Reinhard Scheer, Minister of the Imperial Navy, and Marshal von Falkenhain, Minister of the Imperial Army and Chief of the General Staff, entered the palace to report the results of the naval battle to him.

"Your Majesty, the naval battle is over. The Austro-Hungarian Navy was almost wiped out. Sixteen capital ships were all sunk. Among the remaining hundreds of small and medium-sized warships, half surrendered, and most of the rest were destroyed. Shen. Only a dozen light cruisers and destroyers fled to the Indian Ocean. General Hipper suggested that the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet should encircle and suppress them. Those light cruisers and destroyers did not carry much supplies, and their endurance was very limited. It is estimated that they will be dealt with in a short time." Admiral Reinhard Scheer looked happy. The Imperial Navy won another big victory, and it was a victory after he took over as the Minister of the Navy, which made him, the Minister of the Navy, very happy.

"Very good, are our casualties heavy?" Qin Tian asked.

Compared with the victory of the Imperial Navy this time, Qin Tian seems to be more concerned about the casualties of the Imperial Navy.

"Your Majesty, the casualties of the Imperial Navy in this battle were very slight. The battleship was not sunk, nor was it seriously damaged. At most, it was slightly injured. Several light cruisers and destroyers were sunk during the fierce battle. , and several other ships were severely damaged. In terms of personnel, the total number of casualties and serious injuries did not exceed 1,000."

Qin Tian breathed a sigh of relief.