Chapter 433: jellicoe's choice

  The British Royal Navy's battlecruiser detachment and the 2nd battleship detachment are now in crisis. After the battlecruiser detachment lost the three battlecruisers 'Invincible', 'Indomitable' and 'New Zealand', only the 'Tiger', 'Queen Mary' and 'Royal Princess' were left to suffer. It's hard to support. And they faced six battlecruisers of the German Navy.

  Although in the previous battles, the six battlecruisers of the German Navy were also hit. However, because of the strong defense and the poor performance of the artillery shells fired by the Royal Navy's warships, they did not cause fatal damage to the German Navy's battlecruisers. Even these battlecruisers still maintain intact combat effectiveness. This also put the Royal Navy's battlecruiser unit in a completely suppressed state.

   On the other side, the three "Queen Elizabeth-class" battlecruisers of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of the British Navy are also under siege by the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of the German Navy. With the assistance of the three "Moltke-class" battlecruisers, the three "Derfflinger-class" battlecruisers, which were not inferior to the "Queen Elizabeth-class" battleships, completely gained the upper hand. This made this naval battle very unfavorable to the British Navy. If no miracle happened, the fate of the British Navy's battlecruiser detachment and the second battleship detachment could almost be expected.

  The British Navy has already lagged behind the German Navy in terms of capital ships. The loss of Battlecruiser Squadron and 2nd Battleship Squadron would cost them another nine capital ships. Then, it is even more impossible for their remaining warships to defeat the German Navy. It would be an extravagant hope to even fight the German Navy for a lose-lose situation.

   "How did this battle end like this?" Lieutenant General David Betty was about to collapse. The battlecruiser detachment he led now only had three battlecruisers struggling to support it. However, under the siege of the German Navy, it seemed that it was not difficult for the three battlecruisers to be sunk. Such a result was definitely not what he expected, and it was something he hadn't expected at all.

   "General, the 2nd battleship squadron has been entangled by the Germans, and even its own safety cannot be guaranteed. What should we do next?" asked a general.

   Obviously, they have reached the most critical moment now. If they fail, they will all be wiped out.

   David? Lieutenant General Betty, there is no good way at the moment. It can be said that when the German Navy's 2nd battlecruiser unit appeared, it meant that their plan had completely failed. Those previous plans are useless.

   "Report the situation here to General Jellicoe and tell him that we are waiting for his order." Lieutenant General David Beatty said.

   Under such circumstances, he can only kick the ball to General John Jellicoe. After all, Admiral John Jellicoe was the commander of the Grand Fleet of the British Navy. At the most critical moment, he should make the final decision.

  In the sea area about 50 kilometers away from the battlefield, a huge fleet is sailing south at a speed of 12 knots. This fleet is very huge, there are hundreds of warships, large and small. Guarded by a large number of small and medium-sized warships in the center, there are huge battleships one after another. Among them, the most eye-catching ones are undoubtedly the "Revenge-class" battleships with a displacement of more than 30,000 tons.

   On the battleship 'Revenge', the flagship of the Grand Fleet, Admiral John Jellicoe is drinking espresso. Coffee without sugar tastes very bitter. However, it can cheer people up. After not sleeping at all last night, Admiral John Jellicoe was very tired. This made him only able to refresh himself in this way.

   "Your Excellency, the 5th Battleship Squadron has joined us." A general reported to Admiral John Jellicoe.

  Admiral John Jellicoe nodded. The three "Bellerophon-class" battleships and three "St. Vincent-class" battleships of the 5th Battleship Squadron were the first batch of dreadnoughts built by the British Navy. Although, there are many flaws. The power of the 305mm main gun is not strong either. However, the number of as many as six ships is undoubtedly a great force for the Royal Navy, which is seriously short of capital ships.

   "David? General Betty there is any news?" John? General Jellicoe asked.

   "There is no news yet." The general replied.

  John? Admiral Jellicoe suddenly fell silent. He was particularly concerned about the battlecruiser detachment and the 2nd battleship detachment led by Lieutenant General David Beatty. If Lieutenant General David Beatty can win the naval battle, it will be very beneficial to them. Even, it may give them the opportunity to achieve predetermined strategic goals.

   However, General John Jellicoe also knew that it would be very difficult to win. Because their enemies are too powerful. Numerous previous battles have proved that the German navy is very powerful. Every time they thought they were sure of victory, they would lose very ugly in the end.

  Ten minutes later, a communications officer ran up anxiously.

   "General, an urgent call from General Betty." The officer reported.

  General John Jellicoe immediately took the telegram and read it quickly. However, before the telegram was read, his face was already very ugly.

   "Damn, how could this be?" Admiral John Jellicoe couldn't help cursing.

  The carefully prepared plan failed again. The battlecruiser detachment has already lost three battlecruisers. Although they are the three weakest battlecruisers, such a loss also makes them very painful. Not to mention, the 2nd Battleship Squadron was also caught in the siege of the German Navy. It is foreseeable that their losses will continue to increase.

   There is no doubt that in the case of the battlecruiser detachment and the 2nd battleship detachment suffered disastrous defeats, the Royal Navy has already lost this naval battle. Even though Admiral John Jellicoe still has 20 battleships in his hands, he has no confidence in winning at all.

  The best way is undoubtedly to immediately order the fleet to retreat and flee back to Scapa Flow. In this case, it may be possible to keep the main force of the Royal Navy and leave a little hope for future battles.

  However, John Jellicoe also knew that the order to retreat could not be issued. That is not in line with their strategic purpose.