"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The huge cannons were roaring, slamming heavy shells into the distant battleships. The shell fell into the sea and splashed a column of water into the sky. The entire sea surface seemed to be boiling.
American fleet On board the flagship of the 2nd Capital Ships formation, the Iowa Battleship, Lieutenant General Ingersoll looked serious. In another hour, the 1 Capital Ships formation will arrive. However, for them, this hour was very difficult. If they suffer too much loss within this hour, I'm afraid they won't be able to recover after the 1 Capital Ships formation arrives.
"No, it's night now. Even if the Radar of the Germany people is very powerful, it is impossible to sink our huge Capital Ships! If we are lucky, we might even inflict an unbearable price on the Germany people!" Lieutenant General Ingersoll secretly said to himself in his heart, as if to strengthen his confidence.
"Boom! Boom!"
Orange-red flames flashed at the muzzle, and when the cannonball was thrown out, the outline of the battleship's hull was also revealed. Although there is a guide from Fire-control Radar, it is not very accurate. Therefore, when the battleship appears, the opponent's sailors will also use it as a reference for distance.
The sailors on both sides are working hard and want to cause as much damage to the other side as possible. So much so that this naval battle entered a climax stage from the very beginning.
"Stop the bombardment, adjust the position, and raise the muzzle two degrees."
On the "Caesar" Battleship, the gunnery commander was modifying the direction of the bombardment based on the data obtained by Fire-control Radar.
If it were daytime, it would not be difficult for the 'Caesar' Battleship to hit a target 15 kilometers away. However, at night, even with the guidance of Fire-control Radar, if you want to hit the target, you still need more luck. If you are unlucky, even if you waste a lot of shells, you may not be able to hit the target.
It can be said that the naval officers and soldiers on both sides of the war are competing for who has better luck. Maybe, the side with better luck will be relatively easier to win this naval battle.
"General, the United States 1st Capital Ships formation is heading towards us. It is expected to arrive at the battlefield in less than an hour. We may not have much time left." German Home Fleet Capital Ships Major General Rudolf, chief of staff of the formation, was a little worried.
Lieutenant General Commander Görcke of the formation nodded. "If the five 'Montana-class' Battleship of Americans arrive, it will indeed be a very big trouble for us. We don't have a single warship that can fight against it!"
"Order the fleet to continue to close the distance. If possible, shorten the combat distance to 10,000 meters." Lieutenant General Görcke made an instant decision.
For battleships equipped with 410mm Main Gun or 380mm Main Gun, if the combat distance is shortened to 10,000 meters, it is almost equivalent to a bayonet fight. Because, at this distance, whether it is a 410mm shell or 380mm Shell, it is very likely to tear open the armor of the enemy warship. At the same time, the armor of our own warships is also very likely to be penetrated by artillery shells fired by the enemy. Therefore, bringing the distance closer means that the battle will become more intense.
If there was enough time, Lieutenant General Görcke might not make such a risky decision. However, when the 1 Capital Ships formation of the US military was arriving, he had to find a way to let German fleet take a greater advantage as much as possible before Americans's reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, once Americans's reinforcements arrive, the situation will become increasingly unfavorable to German fleet.
"Yes, General!" Major General Rudolf nodded. He also knew that this was the only choice they could make now. After all, German fleet and Capital Ships have an absolute advantage in quantity. If they fight with bayonets, they are much more likely to win.
"General, the Germany people are continuing to turn, and they are closing the distance between them and us!" an officer reported.
Ingersoll Lieutenant General's expression became more serious.
"Order all ships to hold on no matter what. The Germany people are preparing to fight us desperately. As long as we hold on, reinforcements will come. By then, we will win!" Lieutenant General Ingersoll ordered.
Although he has already understood German fleet's intention. However, he had no choice. Unless they abandon the seriously injured "Illinois" Battleship, and the "Wisconsin" and "Kentucky" that have been moderately damaged. Otherwise, they would not be able to stop German fleet from closing the fighting distance.
If those three Battleship were really abandoned, American Navy 2nd Capital Ship Squadron would be considered a serious loss.
"Boom!"
Ten minutes after the battle started, German Navy scored the first hit since the start of the battle. An 380mm Shell shot from German Navy's 'Thuringen' Battleship hit the 'Illinois' Battleship.
The shell hit the front deck of the Illinois USS Battleship. After penetrating the front deck, an explosion occurred. At the same time, a fire broke out.
The raging fire illuminated the "Illinois" Battleship. Although the damage control personnel on the battleship immediately began to extinguish the fire, German Navy still seized the opportunity.
The bombardment of the four ships 'Helgoland-class' and Battleship became more and more accurate.
"Boom! Boom!"
Shells continued to fall around the Illinois Battleship, as if they might hit the Battleship at any time.
Even though the Illinois Battleship is a huge Battleship with a displacement of 58,000 tons, it still looks very helpless at this moment.
One minute later, a 380mm Shell hit the "Illinois" Battleship again. The shell hit the side of the battleship, and a 127mm secondary gun was blown away, leaving a hole in the side of the battleship, as if a piece had been chewed off by a monster.
Fortunately, the shell hit was above the waterline. If it had moved further down, it might have been enough to cause greater damage to the Illinois Battleship.
"General, the situation of the Illinois Battleship is very bad. They have been hit continuously!" an officer reported.
After hearing this, Lieutenant General Ingersoll couldn't help but feel nervous. He knew that the USS Illinois, which had already suffered heavy damage, might not be able to escape death after being besieged by four German battleships.