"Order the four Kii-class Battleships to proceed at maximum speed and intercept the Germans! Have Tosa keep up with us as best it can. Mutsu and the two Ise-class Battleships are to increase to maximum speed as well and join the battle as soon as possible. The two Fusō-class Battleships trailing behind are also to hurry over and engage!" Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo issued his orders.
With the situation gravely unfavorable for the Island Nation fleet, Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo had ultimately made his choice. He had no other option. If he did not take a risk, he could only watch helplessly as his own warships were picked off one after another by the German fleet at long range. Once the Capital Ships of the German Navy Indian Ocean Fleet arrived, they would be walking straight into a dead end. Therefore, Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo could only gamble. If luck was on his side, they might heavily damage the German Navy—or even defeat it—and turn the unfavorable tide around.
"Yes, General!" Captain Fukudome Shigeru replied.
He also knew that the Island Nation fleet had reached a critical juncture. With no other path left to choose, they could only fight with everything they had. If they succeeded, the situation would change as a result. But if they failed, they would likely have to retreat at once. Otherwise, they would pay an even greater price.
May Amaterasu Omikami bless us and let us defeat the Germans in one stroke! Lieutenant General Yoshida Zengo prayed silently.
On the other side, aboard the German fleet's flagship, the Battleship König, the atmosphere was comparatively less tense. Although the Battleship König had been hit three times in the earlier battle, the three 410mm shells had only caused a certain degree of damage to its hull. Several