Chapter 183: Wolves (700 votes plus updates)
On the day of August 4 alone, Britain lost 27 merchant ships, large and small, with a total tonnage of 300,000 tons. These merchant ships, without exception, were sunk into the Atlantic Ocean. Although, the German Navy released the sailors on board when the ship sank. But on the sea hundreds of kilometers away from the British mainland, the sea conditions are not very good at the same time. Under such circumstances, the possibility that these sailors can return to the British mainland safely is very slim. Unless they were lucky enough to be rescued by passing merchant ships or warships, otherwise, they would be close to death.
Although, this is a bit too cruel for these innocent sailors. But, this is war. Even civilians are very likely to be affected in the war. In war, life is the most fragile and the least valuable. Every moment, life is lost.
Germany, the Admiralty, and Marshal Count Tirpitz have been waiting for the news of the broken fleet. Those are the six battlecruisers of the German Navy! Counting the "Mackenson-class" battlecruisers under construction, they already accounted for half of the total number of battlecruisers in the German Navy. If there are any problems with these battlecruisers, the German Navy will suffer heavy losses.
Of course, Marshal Count Tirpitz also knew that the two battlecruiser formations would not be so prone to accidents. Even if you encounter the main force of the British navy, if you can\'t beat it, you can retreat calmly by virtue of your speed advantage. Even if the battlecruisers of the British Navy launched a pursuit, the British battlecruisers were not only much inferior to the German Navy\'s battlecruisers in terms of defense, but also inferior in terms of firepower. In that case, the pursuit of the British is tantamount to death.
"Marshal, the news of the broken fleet has arrived." A staff officer reported excitedly.
"How was the result?" Tirpitz asked.
"Your Excellency, Marshal, the results are brilliant! They killed 27 British merchant ships today." The officer reported.
"Twenty-seven ships? Well, yes, very good. Send them a telegram and let them make persistent efforts to sink as many British merchant ships as possible." Marshal Earl Tirpitz smiled all over his face.
Although, compared to the total number of merchant ships in the UK, 27 ships and 300,000 tons are nothing at all, and they are far from the point where they will hurt the UK. However, this is undoubtedly a very good start. As long as the German Navy\'s break-off fleet continues to be active, more and more British merchant ships will be sunk. At that time, it will be enough to cause irreparable damage to the United Kingdom.
After all, it takes several months or even longer to build a merchant ship. To sink a merchant ship, only one torpedo or a few shells are needed. It\'s even just opening the sea valve directly. The speed of destruction is much faster than the speed of construction. Even with the strong shipbuilding capabilities of the United Kingdom, it cannot make up for this loss.
This is like a noose around the necks of the British. It gets tighter and tighter, and finally strangles them to death.
"By the way, where are our wolves? When will they reach the Atlantic Ocean?" Marshal Earl Tirpitz asked.
In addition to the breaking fleet, the German Navy sent 30 submarines to the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is too vast, and with the capability of two battlecruiser formations, it is impossible to completely block it. However, the remaining capital ships of the German Navy could not be dispatched until the Royal Navy was completely defeated. Therefore, only submarines can be dispatched.
Fortunately, Germany has built a large number of submarines, and has been conducting training in breaking combat. Now, it\'s time to put them to use.
"Marshal, the wolves are still on their way to the Atlantic Ocean. According to their speed, it is expected to enter the Atlantic Ocean this evening or tomorrow morning and start hunting." The officer replied.
Marshal Earl Tirpitz nodded: "I hope the wolves can bring us more good news!"
On the night of August 4th, in the North Sea, a submarine was sailing northwest under the cover of night. Submarines in this era, to be precise, refer to ships that can dive, unlike submarines of later generations, which can sail underwater for a long time. Submarines in this era sail on the water most of the time, and only when they encounter danger early and avoid the attack of enemy ships, they will dive urgently.
The hatch of the submarine was opened, and a young officer got out. He shook off the sea water from his hat, and took a deep breath.
Submarines in this era are definitely not in good condition. If you stay in it for a long time, you will feel very suffocated.
"How long before we can enter the Atlantic Ocean?" asked the officer.
"Boss, at this speed, we will be able to enter the Atlantic Ocean in about three hours. But the prerequisite is that we cannot encounter British ships. If they are caught, it will be terrible." Sailing long report.
This submarine has the hull number u-039, and the commander\'s name is Doenitz. Of course, his current military rank is only captain. This is because he performed exceptionally well in submarine tactical training and was promoted exceptionally.
"Keep heading and speed, may God bless us!" After finishing speaking, Doenitz turned around and got into the submarine.
The same submarine as u-039, there are 29 more. These thirty submarines are the elite of the German Navy\'s submarine force. They were divided into five teams, sneaked into the Atlantic Ocean from five different routes, and carried out destructive engagements.
Compared with the battlecruiser formation that set off at the same time, the speed of the submarine was much slower, so that they fell far behind. When the battlecruiser formation was already killing, they were still on their way.
After three hours of sailing, the u-039 submarine finally broke through the blockade of the British Navy and entered the vast Atlantic Ocean. Although, there are still British Navy warships patrolling the Atlantic Ocean. But compared to the narrow, bathtub-like North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean is vaster. It is undoubtedly more difficult for the warships of the British Navy to catch the submarines of the German Navy.
And once these wolves enter the Atlantic Ocean, it is foreseeable how much damage they will bring to the United Kingdom.