Chapter 526: Battle of the Mediterranean

"If our intelligence is not wrong, only two of the Italian battleship formations are missing. The other battleships should be on the coast of Africa and the mainland of Italy." An officer said, pointing to the map on the map.

The Italian Navy currently has only 8 battleships above 10,000 ton class, of which only 3 are truly worthy of World War I. The old Italian-class battleships were in service in the 1980s, and the 17-inch L26 guns on the ship seem to be very Powerful, but in this era, it is undoubtedly only a large fire stick. The rate of fire of one round in half an hour can't hit any target. Let alone face the armored cruiser Prince Albert, even the previous generation Munich-class armored cruiser You can sling these old goods.

The level of the three lauria-class battleships is also not good. These three battleships were in service in the late 80s and early 90s, using the same artillery as the Italian class, and lacked a large number of rapid-fire guns. It can almost be seen as a replica of the Italian level. The actual combat effectiveness is also scumbag to a certain extent.

The only ones that can be used are the 3 umberto-class battleships. Although these battleships are armored battleships, they have 4 13.5-inch l30 guns, 8 6-inch guns and 12 4.7-inch guns. Apart from other things, it is very good in terms of projection amount alone! In the last encounter, a 13.5-inch heavy artillery shell from the battleship Umberto hit the bow turret of the Prince Albert, not only interrupted a 10-inch artillery, the violent impact also damaged this one. The hydraulic transmission system of the artillery.

It doesn’t matter if the artillery is broken. It’s enough to transport a barrel from the country by land, but the hydraulic equipment of the turret is broken, which is a big problem. You need to use a crane to remove the turret and repair it. However, Turkey naturally does not have this condition, so now , Prince Albert can only use 7 artillery... After this encounter, Scheer also put away the contempt in his heart. After all, even if a 13.5-inch artillery shot an iron ball, the weight of the shell was still there....

The autonomous single ship of the Italian fleet cannot be compared with the Prince Albert. Since the last time Sher seized the opportunity and cleanly destroyed the honest ironclad ship Italia in less than half an hour, the Italian Navy has always been in a group. Fighting, either everyone blocked at the gate of the Aegean Sea, or everyone went back to rest as a group. Although these warships are outdated, but the number advantage of others is too obvious!

The Turks adopted the suggestions of the Germans. They adopted the strategy of offensive minelaying. The minelaying was not limited to the west mouth of the Dardanelles, but gradually extended to the Aegean overseas. Although the Aegean Sea is relatively small, it has more than 210,000 square kilometers, which is larger than a Hebei province. With the help of the mine array, Scheer opened several safe passages leading directly to the Mediterranean.

Relying on excellent single-ship performance and high speed, although Prince Albert has achieved relatively limited results, at least there is no problem with self-protection. Although the combat effectiveness of warships has continued to decline due to long-term combat without comprehensive maintenance, because there is not a large enough dock and complete infrastructure, the various barnacles attached to the bottom of the Prince Albert and poorly maintained boilers make the warships The speed dropped by about 2 knots. But even so, the Italian Navy still has not been able to catch up with the existence of Prince Albert. So there is no threat for the time being, but this situation changed a few weeks ago when the Italians bought a new warship from the UK!

"Where is the location of the Nixie?" Scheer asked.

"The last time I paid back seems to have been maintained in Sicily. This warship has just arrived in Italy. It will take some time for them to adjust and adapt." An officer next to it said.

"In other words, this time, in theory, we will not encounter the Italian capital ship when we attack?" Scheer said to himself. From the intelligence point of view, the entire Western Mediterranean is a smooth journey, but as an old fried dough stick, he knows very well that the safer the environment, the more murderous intentions are hidden! The current situation is great for Scheer, so good that Scheer can't believe it. But at this time, Scheer didn't seem to have a better choice. The Italians once again increased their forces. There are 150,000 Italian troops in North Africa! The Turkish defenders in North Africa are under tremendous pressure. If the navy does not act at this time, it will be a huge blow to the reputation of the newly established interim governments in Germany and Turkey!

"Even if your warship just makes a round in the Mediterranean Sea!" General Chevkai came to the German station himself and said in a nearly pleading tone.

"I'm 80% sure that this is a trap, but this is a political battle. No matter the actual battle wins or loses, as long as we go out!" Scheer reluctantly agreed to General Shefkai's request and wrote in the diary. Wrote such a sentence.

With 12 points of caution, Scheer commanded his warship to sail out of the Aegean Sea along the opened waterway under the cover of several torpedo boats. As soon as the Italian fleet withdrew, Scheer came out. The purpose was actually to make a time difference. . "I'm afraid the Italians didn't think I would come out so fast, right?" When the warship entered the Mediterranean ~www.wuxiaspot.com~Schel said, looking at the calm sea.

"If the Germans come out, our main fleet will cover the minelaying fleet to the southern exit of the Aegean Sea and establish a blockade with mines. The battleship Agile, commanded by General Jericho, will be in the west with the cruiser Bisana. The Mediterranean searches for opponents. In this case, if the Germans cannot return to their den in the Dardanelles, then there are only two options, one is to break through the Western Mediterranean and return to Germany. The other option is Beirut." At the same time, the Duke of Abu Qilu is deploying this trap at the headquarters of the Italian fleet in Taranto.

"No matter which choice it is, it means that this warship will bid farewell to this war. In the Mediterranean, no one will provide shelter and supplies for it. He can only know Germany, and after all, this is a warship with Turkey. If it does not leave within three days, then it can only be disarmed. And if it enters Beirut, without the support of the strong continental based fort and the protection of mines, we can also take him by storm." Jie sitting in the second seat Major General Rico nodded and said.

This time the British had lost money. Just like the Germans, they directly sent some British officers to participate in the combat operations as volunteers. Otherwise, it would take the Italians to master this new warship quite a long time. Some time. And Scheer's original plan to take advantage of the running-in period after the Italians took over the battleship was so ruined. But neither the Italians nor the British thought that Scheer would be dispatched a bit early this time!

The second is more~~~! ! ! Seek support and subscribe~~~!