'Invincible-class' Battlecruiser and 'Indefatigable-class' Battlecruiser, as the earliest two-level Battlecruiser of British Navy, take the design concept of emphasizing firepower and speed and despising defense to the extreme.
However, naval battles have proven that defense and survivability play a very important role in naval battles. The defense is too poor, and it will often be severely damaged or even sunk as long as it is hit.
But now, British Navy has no choice. Knowing that the situation was very unfavorable for them, they still had no choice but to bite the bullet.
"Fire!"
At a distance of fifteen thousand meters, German Navy opened fire first. Three 'Moltke-class' Battlecruiser and three 'Blücher-class' Battlecruiser began to pour artillery shells on their respective targets. 'Moltke-class' Battlecruiser's attack target is the remaining two ships of 'Tiger' Battlecruiser and 'Lion-class' Battlecruiser,' The targets targeted by Blücher-class'Battlecruiser are clearly number 'HMS Indefatigable', number 'Australia' and number 'Indomitable'.
As for German Navy raiding fleet, we also hope that 'Blücher-class' Battlecruiser can win first. After all, although the enemy they faced was not weak in firepower, their defense was rubbish. As long as it is hit by a cannonball, it may be severely damaged. If a vital point is hit, it may even be sunk directly. Although, the main gun caliber of 'Blücher-class' Battlecruiser is only 305 mm. However, the 50 times caliber 305mm Main Gun has extremely terrifying armor capabilities. It cannot even withstand the defense of 'King George V-class' Battleship, let alone these weakly armored Battlecruiser.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Along with the thunderous roar, the shells roared and smashed into the opponent's warship.
After German Navy's Commerce Raiding Fleet opened fire, British Navy was not to be outdone, and all nine Battlecruisers opened fire one after another. Moreover, they are still trying their best to close the distance. When one's own defense is far inferior to the enemy's, British Navy hopes to improve the armor-piercing ability of one's own artillery shells by shortening the distance. In this case, it may be possible to reverse the unfavorable situation as much as possible.
Unfortunately, German Navy was not fooled at all, and kept the fighting distance between 12,000 and 13,000 meters when the speeds of both sides were almost the same. This distance is very advantageous for German Navy. The main gun of British Navy is difficult to penetrate the main armor of German Navy. The main gun of German Navy can easily penetrate the armor of Britain battleship. In such a fight, German Navy would obviously take advantage, and British Navy's numerical advantage would be almost completely offset. After all, if there is no quantity, what's the use? You have to be able to hit the target and penetrate the armor to cause damage to the target! Otherwise, it would be a waste of shells.
At 11:45 noon, the German Navy's battlecruiser Von der Tann took the lead in this naval battle and formed a straddle attack. When a 305mm artillery shell exploded on the sea on the left side of the battlecruiser Australia, hundreds of officers and soldiers on the ship couldn't help but gasp.
"Damn it, when did Germany people become so powerful?"
Countless British Navy officers and soldiers have this question in their minds. They also learned about the tragedy of the four ships 'King George V-class' and Battleship before. But now when we actually fight against German Navy, we realize how powerful their enemy is.
The 'Von De Tann' Battlecruiser immediately switched to concentrated fire, and the three triple-mounted 50 times caliber 305mm Main Gun began to pour artillery shells at the 'Australia' at the maximum rate of fire.
"Boom!"
A cannonball hit the sea. After the explosion, it splashed a water column up to ten meters high. The water splashed down and hit the sea, making a crackling sound, just like a storm.
More than a dozen Battlecruisers from both sides fought fiercely in this sea area, which directly caused the sea area to boil.
On another battlefield, the fierce battle between German Navy's three 'Derfflinger class' Battlecruiser and British Navy's four 'Iron Duke-class' Battleship also kicked off. 'Derfflinger class' Battlecruiser's 380mm Main Gun is astonishingly powerful. Every time a shell explodes on the sea, it can splash water columns into the sky. The momentum is astonishing.
The officers and soldiers of British Navy could only bite the bullet and fight fiercely. They all know very well that even though their warship is Battleship, its armor is too weak. If it hits a 380mm Shell, it will be enough to cause them to suffer heavy damage.
This naval battle is a crucial naval battle for British Navy and German Navy, and can even determine the outcome of both sides in this war. Even if it is said that the decisive battle between the two sides has arrived in advance, it is not an exaggeration.
Originally, British Navy just wanted to destroy German Navy's Commerce Raiding Fleet in this operation to ensure the safety of their maritime transportation lines. But I didn't expect that German Navy also arranged a back-up team, and they were very aggressive. They almost wiped out all the fleets they used as bait. This caused British Navy to suffer heavy losses once again. It also made David? Vice Admiral Beatty, who implemented this plan, somewhat stuck.
If they stop here, their losses will be in vain and will be difficult to recover. Therefore, David? Vice Admiral Beatty had no choice but to pin their hopes on the next battle. If Royal Navy could show off his power and defeat German Navy in one fell swoop, they might be able to reverse the situation. On the other hand, if British Navy fails but fails, it may be difficult for British Navy to win this war.
The same is true for German Navy. Imperial Crown Prince Oscar When formulating this combat plan, he regarded this plan as a plan to secure victory in advance. If German Navy can win in this plan, then German Navy will be able to seal the victory in advance. There will be no problem at all in the future decisive battle at sea.
Therefore, German Navy also desperately wanted to win this naval battle. This will be directly related to whether they can win this decisive battle.
This naval battle has become crucial to both sides British-German. Whoever can win will have the advantage in the decisive battle in the future. However, from the current point of view, German Navy seems to be more likely to win.