Chapter 427: Battlecruiser duel

  The Battlecruiser Squadron of the British Royal Navy and the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron of the German Navy are only tens of kilometers apart, which is almost a two-hour voyage. However, when the two sides meet each other, it only takes one hour for the two sides to encounter each other.

   Both sides have six battlecruisers, but the performance of the ships of the German Navy's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron is obviously stronger than that of the British Navy's battlecruisers. This point has been proved in previous naval battles. The source of confidence for Vice Admiral David Beatty is undoubtedly the three 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships. If it hadn't been attacked by the German Navy, so that the two "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleships were severely damaged, then the British Navy's second battleship detachment should be composed of five "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleships. The navy has a better chance of winning.

  As time passed by, the distance between the two sides was also getting closer.

  At 9 o'clock in the morning, a German destroyer reported that it had discovered the battlecruiser detachment of the British Navy.

   "All ships are ready for battle!" Lieutenant General Hipper immediately issued an order for combat readiness.

Three 'Mackenson-class' battlecruisers and three 'Blücher-class' battlecruisers raised their guns one after another, preparing to use powerful artillery fire to send all the battlecruisers of the British Navy to the bottom of the North Sea go.

  At the same time, the British Navy's battlecruiser detachment also discovered the German fleet.

   "Report to the general, found six German battlecruisers. After ten minutes, they will enter our range." A staff officer reported to Lieutenant General David Beatty.

   "Very good! Sure enough, only six German battlecruisers were encountered. God bless the British Empire!" A trace of ecstasy flashed across Lieutenant General David Betty's face. Only six battlecruisers of the German Navy were encountered, which is undoubtedly the best result. He believed that with the six battlecruisers in his hands plus three "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleships, he could definitely defeat the six battlecruisers of the German Navy.

"Hmph! The Germans are too conceited, do they think they can eat us with only six battlecruisers? Soon, we will let them know that the Royal Navy is not so easy to defeat." David Betty Will snort coldly. Although the current overall situation is still very unfavorable to them, it will be very helpful to improve their chances of winning if they can win the first game and eliminate a few battlecruisers of the German Navy. At the same time, he can finally get rid of his shame.

"Order all ships and prepare for battle. Today will be our day of shame. In addition, let the 2nd battlecruiser detachment outflank the rear of the Germans. This time, we will send the six German battlecruisers , stay here!" Lieutenant General David Beatty ordered.

  'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships are very fast, with a maximum speed of 24 knots. Although they are not as fast as battlecruisers, they are not much different. It is undoubtedly the most suitable task to perform the task of outflanking the rear. Coupled with the powerful 381mm main gun on the "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleship, this gave Lieutenant General David Betty even more confidence.

   However, Lieutenant General David Betty didn't know that they were not the only ones who had reinforcements. The six battlecruisers of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of the German Navy are also on their way quickly.

  The German Navy's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron and the British Navy's Battlecruiser Squadron are getting closer and closer, and the battleships of both sides are lined up in a battle line. At a distance of more than ten kilometers, they began to turn at the same time and headed northeast. Lieutenant General David Beatty did this in order to further narrow the distance with his own main fleet.

   Lieutenant General Hipper didn't care about this. He ordered the communications corps to report the situation to the flagship. Since the British are trying to lead them to their main force, let the main force of the German Navy follow up, and everyone will directly have a main force duel.

  Anyway, the German navy clearly has an advantage in this duel. Even if it is a main force duel, they will not suffer a loss, but will take advantage of it.

"Ready to fight!"

  When the distance between the two sides was shortened to fifteen kilometers, the battle officially began.

On the battle line of the German Navy, there are 'Makensen', 'Prince Frederick', 'Friedrich Karl', 'Blücher', and 'Von der Tann' and the 'Leopold'.

  The battle line of the British Navy is followed by the'Tiger','Queen Mary','Royal Princess','New Zealand','Invincible' and'Indomitable'.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  The flagship "Mackenson" battlecruiser took the lead in the test firing. Five of the three triple-mounted 380mm main guns started firing.

   Armor-piercing projectiles weighing more than one ton roared and smashed towards the British warship more than ten kilometers away.

  The other five battlecruisers also followed suit and started shooting. It's just that the 305mm main gun of the "Blücher-class" battlecruiser has a very low hit rate at such a long distance.

   "Start shelling!"

  Lieutenant General David Betty also issued an order. This time, he did not open fire after closing the distance as before. Because, he already knew that the bombardment level of the German Navy was no worse than that of the Royal Navy, or even stronger. Although the officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy are well-trained and passed down for hundreds of years, they have a strong will to fight. Under such circumstances, it is undoubtedly very difficult for the German Navy to surpass the British Navy in terms of soldier quality.

   Fortunately, with the advancement of technology, the role of manpower in warfare has become smaller and smaller. The quality of soldiers in the German Navy is certainly not as good as that of the British Navy. However, relying on advanced technologies, such as advanced sighting equipment and fire control systems, they are not inferior to the British Navy in terms of gunnery, and even have an advantage.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  The battlecruisers on both sides began to fire violently. One after another, the shells roared and smashed towards the opponent's battleship.

  The shell exploded on the sea, splashing jets of water into the sky. The entire ocean seemed to be boiling.

   "God bless the British Empire, we must defeat the Germans in this battle!" Lieutenant General David Beatty prayed to God secretly. This battle is really important to them. Even if failure is still unavoidable in the end, he also hopes to cause enough damage to the German Navy.