Boom! Boom! Boom!
Perhaps in an attempt to seize the initiative, the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy opened fire first. The lead ship of the Austro-Hungarian Monarch-class Battleships, the Battleship Monarch of Austria-Hungary, was the first to bombard the German Navy battle line.
Four triple-mounted 350mm main guns with 50-caliber barrels began to roar. Heavy shells whistled through the air and slammed toward the German Navy Combined Fleet's flagship, the Battleship Kaiser.
The other Capital Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy soon opened fire as well. For a moment, the sea became lively with gunfire.
"What is the distance now?" Admiral Hipper asked.
"General, the two sides are approximately sixteen thousand meters apart!" a staff officer reported.
"At such a distance, is the Austro-Hungarian Empire trying to waste shells?" A faintly mocking smile hung on Admiral Hipper's lips.
Sure enough, the shells fired by the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy struck the sea and exploded. However, they posed no threat whatsoever to the German Navy Combined Fleet, because every impact point was still quite far away.
"Follow the predetermined plan. Open fire only after we close the distance to fifteen thousand meters! We have a vast family fortune to maintain; we cannot waste shells as casually as the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy does," Admiral Hipper said.
"Yes, General. The Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy knows this may be the last battle they ever fight, so they have no qualms about expending shells," Lieutenant General Richter Fiers said with a smile.
Admiral Hipper nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with that assessment. If the German Navy Combined Fleet could accomplish its planned objective and truly eliminate the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy in this battle, then this really would be the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy's final swan song.
Admiral Anton Haus was somewhat dissatisfied with the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy's performance as well. However,