Chapter 17: The Battle at the Summit (6)

  Affected by the sunlight, the Ruby-class destroyer on peripheral patrol discovered the huge shadow and towering smoke column at a distance of 17,000 yards.

  A major naval power has strict regulations for the formation of warships. Destroyers are subject to limited tonnage and space on board, so there is no dedicated command tower, so a fleet composed of several destroyers is usually defined as a destroyer flotilla.

  The Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla, to which the Ruby belonged, was a flotilla rather than a squadron only because of the presence of the Castor, a light cruiser with complete command facilities. However, at this time, the Castor was not in the fighting line of the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla, and after a long voyage, the old light cruiser's boiler had developed a steam leak, and she had to turn back for repairs. Thus, the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla was actually only a destroyer division.

  On the unprotected bridge of the Ruby, above the forecastle, Captain Miles' arm holding the binoculars trembled slightly as he faced the dazzling light, cold sweat imperceptibly seeping through the front and back of his military uniform.

  Although the latest super-dreadnoughts have a main gun range of over 20,000 yards, due to the initial velocity and deep penetration of armor-piercing shells, 13,000 yards is the most suitable distance for exerting the power of the main gun. Therefore, a discovery distance of 17,000 yards was not enough to break through the British baseline. Of course, if two fleets are advancing towards each other at a rate of 1,500 meters per minute, everything would be different.

  Commander Myles was clearly faced with the latter. The damned Germans came out of the east, from behind the sun, at a speed not inferior to that of the H-class destroyers, and the Royal Navy personnel, who were off guard, suddenly panicked.

  If the German fleet turned at a distance of 17,000 yards, seizing the T-head of the Grand Fleet's line of battle, the Grand Fleet's advantage in numbers would be offset by the cramped conditions of the German First Scouting Group. The Dogger Bank action had shown that the new German battlecruisers were not inferior to the super-dreadnoughts; and Jerram's Third Squadron, caught off guard, would inevitably suffer heavily, temporarily losing command of the Grand Fleet which might then fall into a state of confusion.

  The above is the best case. If the Germans choose to cross from the north of the Grand Fleet, the situation will be even worse. Even if the two fleets are heading in opposite directions and the battle line is very short-lived, at this time all the firepower of the Grand Fleet is concentrated on the German main fleet, especially the strongest seventh squadron. At this time, the First Scouting Group can attack the Grand Fleet at will, and escape before the Grand Fleet turns its guns around.

  Of course, the Germans could also choose to infiltrate from the dangerous war front line, but in Captain Miles' view, it was less likely that the famous German naval general Heiti-Silem would make such a "low-level" mistake than that the Russian army, which had been defeated on the Eastern Front, could break through the German defense line and counterattack Tannenberg and East Prussia.

  Commander Miles did not hesitate, and as the destroyer squadron closest to the Grand Fleet, he and his squadron were responsible for the safety of the main fleet's northern flank. He ordered the signalman in the wireless room to send a message to Iron Duke, and then ordered the 11th Destroyer Flotilla to form up for battle.

  The Ruby-class destroyer, temporarily serving as the flagship, hoisted a signal flag symbolizing a charge on its low mast. Fifteen old-fashioned destroyers began to gather and form a torpedo attack formation.

  "These idiots!"

  The mediocre self-disturbing red gemstone destroyer was 22,000 yards east of the David Beatty's fast fleet, which was pursuing the German First Scouting Group with agility like a sea otter.

  Due to facing the sun, David Beatty's fast battlecruiser squadron had a better view than the 11th Destroyer Flotilla. The lookout in the spotting top of HMS Lion soon spotted the movements of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla protecting the flank of the Grand Fleet.

  Like a seasoned lookout, the derogatory words spewed from David's mouth, his eyes bloodshot as he loosened the windlass, repeating the lookout's curses.

  "What are they? Are they heavily armored battleships, high-performance battlecruisers, or a bunch of unsinkable Maurices?! What do they want to do? Use short-legged torpedoes in broad daylight to block a battlecruiser squadron with perfect visibility?"

  After a night of fierce fighting, the Royal Princess and Australia sank one after another, the HMS Indomitable was heavily damaged and forced to withdraw from combat, while its arch-nemesis Seydlitz paid the price with only one export battlecruiser being severely damaged. The British Empire's pride, who had led ten fast battleships out of port with great momentum, embarked on a journey to conquer Germany and Italy, but was nowhere to be seen, replaced by young people with red eyes who couldn't bear to lose.

  David Beatty never denied Heidegger's talent in naval strategy, nor did he deny that he had learned a lot of new things from him, but he would never think himself inferior to his old friend.

  Excellent family, smooth promotion in Egypt, South Africa and the Far East, glory gained from the Navy Department and the British Empire, as well as the hype of media around the world, all these are the pride of David Beatty. However, Heidi Salome quietly stripped away the golden halo wrapped around the young man layer by layer. As a result, rationality disappeared, thinking lost its trace, and Beatty only considered how to take back one game from Salome, even if it was just a small victory that was not worth mentioning.

  Betti, seething with indignation, was still fuming and yelling to bring the poor commander of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla before a court-martial, to string him up on the gallows where King Charles had been hanged.

  "General, perhaps you should calm down..." After the sinking of HMAS Australia, the morale of the fast fleet plummeted, even Lamped felt that relaxation and impatience. Although the fast fleet still had seven fast battleships, it was not a desperate situation, but Lamped had a premonition that this was the last glory of the Royal Navy.

  What comes after the rebound? Lampard dare not think about it, he can only hope that David Batty, who is not inferior to Heide-Sillem in terms of character and commanding ability, can adjust his mentality.

  "Deputy Commander, this is war! This is a war that concerns the fate of the British Empire for centuries!"

  As a subordinate, Lampard didn't come with the rough language and fiery temper that made the busy Lionheart war cruiser commander's cabin fall silent in an instant. Betty's pale lips trembled slightly, and a hint of shame finally appeared on her white face.

  "Commodore, you're right! I hope it's not too late!" Betty took a deep breath, fiercely tore off the white gloves in her hand and threw them to the ground, turned her head and ordered: "Command, Lion Number Right Rudder Three, pass through the north side of the main fleet, fast fleet each ship follow the flagship."

  Under the dual interference of sunlight and the smoke screen surrounding the fleet, the Seventh Squadron discovered the First Reconnaissance Fleet later than the Ruby, but Hipper's mood at this time was completely different from that of the captain of the Ruby.

  His beloved pipe having been confiscated by his wife, an excited Hipper once again pulled out a filter cigarette he wasn't used to and stuffed it into his dry mouth. When the lookout reported that the British fast battle squadron had failed to catch up with the First Scouting Group, the aging deputy commander of the High Seas Fleet, puffing on his cigarette, made a rare joke.

  "Although General Sylem is not handsome, he has to admit that he did a good job!"

  The First Scouting Force would not take the T-formation in front of the Grand Fleet, nor cross over from the north side of the Grand Fleet. Although these two actions were quite tempting, as the proposer of the perfect cruiser theory, Scheer would not easily give up the speed advantage that was crucial to the battlecruisers and let his First Scouting Force be tied down. Scheer emerged at a time when the British least expected it and in a place where they least expected him to appear, with only one purpose: to cover the retreat of the Seventh Squadron which had gotten into trouble.

  No need for Wang Haitian to remind him through wireless, the long-term partner and outstanding commander's close thinking allowed the two squadron commanders of Germany's most powerful fleet to have enough tacit understanding. Admiral Hipper swung his fist fiercely in the air, as if to vent a little bit of anger from being passively beaten for over ten minutes, and roared at the excited fleet staff and department commanders in the command tower:

  "Men, what are you waiting for? Order the fleet to cease fire and release smoke to retreat from battle! We can't waste General Silim's hard-won opportunity!"

  "Cease fire, Anton, Bruno, and Emil!" The commander's order was first relayed by the gunnery officer of the K?nig. Through signal flags and wireless telegraphy, this voice would be successively transmitted to the Kronprinz, Grosser Kurfürst, and Markgraf.

  "Asshole! This account will be settled first!" The three turrets of the King-class battleship with no war achievements closed reluctantly, and the resentful gunner spat a mouthful of saliva in the direction of the British Third Squadron's three Iron Dukes and the First Squadron where Joe was located, burying the seeds of revenge deep in his heart.

  Under the gaze of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla of the British Navy, the 1st Scout Fleet "Adventure" made a great crossing. This was the largest adventure in the history of naval warfare worldwide, and the seasoned 1st Scout Fleet almost stuck to the battleship line of the Grand Fleet, creating a smokescreen with coal smoke and deliberately released chemical smoke to cover the retreat of the 7th Division and the formation of the Grand Fleet's battle line.

  This was a turning point in the Battle of Jutland, and later historians would dub this maneuver the "Death Ride" of the German battlecruisers.

  Before the "Run to the South", a wall of smoke from continuous gunfire made it impossible for the Grand Fleet's expensive optical rangefinders to target the first scouting force as they charged into the battle line. As the Seventh Squadron and First Scouting Force released more smoke, the Grand Fleet's view was completely sealed off, forcing Jerrico to cease his meaningless firing action. When the First Scouting Force won the "Run to the South", even though Jerrico took a small angle turn to port in this tactical move, however all of the Grand Fleet's advantages still collapsed magnificently at that moment.

  That was the qualitative superiority which the British could not shake off in March 1915!

  Later historians have criticized Jellicoe's inaction during this period, with armchair strategists insisting that if Jellicoe had deployed the destroyer flotillas, using the three smokescreens as cover to close on the High Seas Fleet and launch a torpedo attack, the Grand Fleet might have achieved its most crushing victory in history.

  David Beatty's performance before and after the "Run to the South" was also ridiculed, with everyone criticizing that Beatty's reputation was greater than his actual ability. However, Fujimoto Kiyokazu, a Japanese warship designer who observed on Iron Duke, stood up to defend Beatty's decision to turn right from outside the fleet.

  Due to the drag of the Iron Duke, Beatty's fast battlecruiser squadron could only maintain a speed of less than 23.4 knots, while the Germans had at least 25 knots and possessed the tactical advantage of having turned first. Beatty's decision to turn in parallel outside the enemy line not only avoided adding insult to injury for his larger but slower fleet in poor observation conditions, but also set up the final act of the battlecruiser drama that was to follow. Had Beatty not previously turned northwards, it is unlikely that the fast squadron would have been able to sink Derfflinger and severely damage Moltke!