Chapter 849: Road to war one

Jericho agreed to strengthen Betty's fleet and was willing to allocate a fleet to support Betty's actions. In the end, the lonely Queen Elizabeth-class battleship Warrior and the newly commissioned Queen Mary battlecruiser were handed over to Betty, and the Australian was temporarily replaced by the Indomitable because the former was faster. In this case, the Betty fleet temporarily owns 7 fast warships, namely the Warrior, the Lion, the Tiger, the Grand Princess, the Queen Mary, Australia and New Zealand.

In addition to these fleets, Jericho will temporarily assign an additional first battleship squadron to Betty. The first battleship squadron was commanded by Lieutenant General Jeram, and under his command were 4 George V-class battleships equipped with 10 343mm guns. (Yes, it has the same name as George V in the history of World War II.) The four battleships are George V, Aas, Centurion and Erin. At the same time, the third light cruiser squadron was assigned with the first battleship squadron. This light cruiser squadron was commanded by Major General Napier and had four light cruisers under its command.

"In this case, the Betty fleet has a total of 7 fast battleships and 2 light cruiser squadrons, a total of 8 light cruisers, plus the first battleship squadron and the third light cruiser squadron responsible for supporting, a total of 11 battleships and 12 Light cruisers. Such a lineup can protect itself even if it faces the main force of the high seas fleet." Sir Fisher said.

"Actually, I have always wondered if the German fleet would choose to flee the battlefield after encountering such a powerful Betty fleet? If we were not blocked on their way back, I am afraid this could only be a battle rather than annihilation." Churchill Said.

"It’s the best if we can stop the opponent. This is what we want to see. If it’s a normal encounter, the 4 Super Dreadnought Battlecruisers will be faster. They will entangle the opponent first, and the two The Intrepid Battlecruiser and the Warrior are slower. They may be behind. So we may not have much advantage at the beginning, and the Germans may not choose to evacuate. And even if we evacuate, we have a full 3 light cruiser formations. , Through lightning strikes and interference, there is a chance to hinder the opponent's evacuation." Fisher said.

"You can try this plan. We won't lose anything if it fails anyway." Churchill was not very satisfied with Fisher's answer, but think about it, this is indeed an attempt to attack. In the absence of a reason for failure, Churchill believed that the "subjective initiative" of first-line fleet personnel should not be restricted. Especially now, when the situation in the Indian Ocean is uncertain.

"I hope that your large fleet can provide support when General Betty launches an offensive." Although Jericho has promised to temporarily place the First Battleship Squadron under Betty's command, Churchill still feels a little uneasy, although he does not He knew where his concerns came from, but he still hoped that the British Imperial Navy would act together.

"It depends on the situation. Recently, the large fleet conducts 5 repressive patrols every two weeks. Sometimes we return to the edge of the German minefields. The pressure on the fleet is very high, and some of the fuel is not available. The fleet can come out, but if you want high-speed support, I’m afraid it’s a little difficult, unless the Admiralty can provide me with 20,000 tons of fuel and Welsh anthracite.” Jericho said helplessly.

; "Wait for next month." Churchill said sly. In fact, the current submarine warfare has brought considerable pressure to the British, especially after the German Navy turned the waters around the United Kingdom into a war zone and announced that it could attack all merchant ships bound for the United Kingdom. The British transport fleet was lost. It has risen sharply, and a considerable number of neutral merchant ships are also reluctant to go to the UK due to safety issues. This has made the supply of British materials already present a certain degree of difficulty, although it is not as if the speed of destroyers should not exceed 18 knots as in the later period of the first war. But the overall speed of the fleet is still limited to a low level due to fuel problems.

; Of course, we can’t throw all the pots to the German submarines. It’s also a problem that the large fleet can eat too much. Although the North Sea is not big, it can’t stand for two or five times. The Jericho fleet has 2 dozen battleships and a large number of The installed patrol and light patrol. Counting the destroyers, the number of various auxiliary warships is directly in the three digits. Such a fleet travels to the North Sea three times a week... Only twice a week in history. You must know that if a super fearless ship is fully loaded with coal and fuel, it is normal to reach 4,000 tons. It will run like this all day. Jericho's additional 20,000 tons of coal and fuel may not be enough.

; "Try to solve the difficulties, the big fleet can be dispatched in advance, after all, we can already estimate the opponent's time." Churchill said.

"If there is no problem, then let's set it down, Commander Jericho, you and General Betty will complete the handover of the fleet as soon as possible. The task of intercepting the Hipper fleet is entrusted to General Betty to plan. As for Thomas? Lucky for him this time. Let him stay in the Indian Ocean and command war exhaustion and the Malaya to deal with the Suxiong fleet." Fisher looked at Churchill~www.wuxiaspot.com~ and hoped to ask him for advice.

"I completely agree with this plan. If there is no problem, everyone will move first! Maybe on the other side of the North Sea, our enemy is ready to attack again." Churchill said.

This time, Churchill was right. Just as the British navy adjusted its deployment and was preparing for a big fight, the German High Seas Fleet at the other end of the North Sea had also made the final preparations before the attack. Although before that, Hipper often went out and wandered around, but this time, in terms of scale and strategic sense, Hipper's actions and the upcoming battle are simply incomparable.

; Just the day before the British meeting, Ruprecht had arrived at Kiel Harbour, and here, he met almost all the top of the German Navy, the Secretary of State for the Navy Tirpitz, and the commander of the High Seas Fleet von Boll General, Lieutenant General Scheer, commander of the First Battleship Squadron, and Lieutenant General Hipper, commander of the Battlecruiser Squadron.

"From the current situation, everything is proceeding according to our plan. General Su Xiong's performance seems to be better than expected. He not only escaped the British fleet for the time being, but also sent two Queen Elizabeth-class battleships into it. If there is no accident, the Thomas fleet can be excluded from the battle sequence. They will not appear in the North Sea battlefield in a short time. Even if they return to the UK, it is estimated that the advanced dock will be replaced by a turret or something." Precht said with satisfaction.

; The third one is here~~~! Please subscribe for a reward~~~! There seems to be an unlimited push tomorrow! Convenient book friends to support more, subscribe to a few chapters~~~!

;;