The Rise of the Empire

Although the Gulf of Aden is a bay, it covers an area of ​​more than 500,000 square kilometers. Although it cannot be compared with places such as the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay, from the perspective of area alone, it is okay to describe it as a sea. Think about it. , the area of ​​the North Sea where the British and German fleets confront each other is only 570,000 square kilometers. If there were no Americans to help keep an eye on it, then the German fleet might not be able to find anything.

Moreover, the Americans' camouflaged reporting ships can only focus on the transport fleet with a speed of no more than 8 to 9 knots. If the Japanese fleet arrives alone, it is very likely that the two sides will go astray. Although Su Xiong wants to destroy the Japanese fleet, whether he can do so depends on luck!

But what the Germans didn't expect was that this time the Japanese fleet moved a little too fast. It took nearly three hours between the battle between the British and German navies to finish cleaning up. However, the Japanese immediately left two light ships after receiving the telegram. After the cruiser, two battleships rushed over immediately. How far can you go in 3 hours? Calculated based on the high speed of 18 knots of the two Japanese battleships, it was about 54 nautical miles, nearly 100 kilometers. In fact, when the battle between the British and German fleets broke out, the distance between the two sides was only about 200 kilometers.

So after the German fleet decided to move eastward, how long did it take for the United States and the two sides to meet? You know, the speed of the German fleet at this time was as high as 23 knots! Although the original maximum speed of 26 knots may not be reached due to mechanical aging and power loss caused by long-term sailing, it is still easy to run faster than ordinary dreadnoughts.

"It has been three hours since the British sent the attack telegram, and the battle should be over." On the battleship Satsuma, a Japanese officer said to Fleet Commander Tomosaburo Kato.

"Your words can be understood from many angles. You can understand that the British have solved the problem, so we don't need our help. You can also understand that the enemy is very strong, the British have been killed, and we may not be able to defeat them." Kato Yusaburo He didn't blame his subordinate for being abrupt, because right now, he was also filled with 15 buckets of worry.

If the British win, then there should be follow-up telegrams sent. Even if the battleship's radio is destroyed due to the battle, other ships can always send telegrams. But it is a pity that so far, his fleet has not received another telegram! This result is intriguing. Even if the radio station is broken, it is impossible for such a large fleet to be broken, right? This is unrealistic!

Therefore, although it is impossible to be sure, an answer is already available, that is, the opponent is very strong, very strong! The British are finished! So now the question arises, why does Kato Yusaburo continue to advance westward? Is he so confident in the power in his hands? Well, self-confidence is one aspect. After all, the British are responsible for escorting armored cruisers, and their combat capabilities cannot be compared with the quasi-dauntless Satsuma. Moreover, Kato Yusaburo did not think that the Allied Dreadnought-class battleships would appear here. If he is quasi-fearless, Kato Yusaburo is not afraid of his opponents! After all, the Japanese's record is brilliant enough.

Moreover, as an ally, the British had already sent a rescue telegram and received it themselves. It would be unreasonable not to go and take a look. Japan still needs the support of the British in the Asia-Pacific, so Kato Yusaburo's army stopped by to help. As for the transport fleet behind him, he has ordered the transport fleet to sail to the exit of the Gulf of Aden. After all, the Gulf of Aden is very vast. The probability that the opponent will bypass Kato's fleet and find the Japanese transport fleet hundreds of kilometers away is really low. High, and Tomosaburo Kato has also decided that if he cannot find an opponent before 3 p.m., he will return immediately!

In short,

Kato Yusaburo's plan is not a big problem, but he underestimated the strength of the opponent's fleet and the capabilities of the Americans!

However, what is even more tragic is that under good weather conditions, the two quasi-dreadnought ships Satsuma and Aki were discovered by the German Kingfisher seaplane, and with the transmission of radio waves in the air, Scharnhorst The Gneisenau and the Gneisenau successfully locked the opponent's position!

"Japanese? I hope this opponent can be more powerful!" Now Su Xiong felt a little dissatisfied. How should I put it, fighting the British armored cruiser was so easy that he lacked interest. If the opponent is the Japanese Hanoi and battleships, he may hesitate. After all, the opponent is also relatively strong. What kind of fight can he fight? The situation in Faao Port is definitely not comparable to that of the mainland. If you can't get hurt, don't get hurt.

If you encounter Fuso, run away immediately. Unexpectedly, the opponent has 50% more control than you. On paper, we are at a disadvantage, but the attack ship is completely beaten! If it was King Kong, then Su Xiong would decisively choose a battle. After all, the opponent was a pure-blooded battlecruiser. His Scharnhorst would definitely not be able to outrun his opponent in this situation! If you can't run away, you have no choice but to fight!

Therefore, the best opponent is a battleship like the Satsuma class. It is of moderate size and cannot run away or defeat the opponent. It has superior speed, firepower and defense. If you are careful, it will not be a big problem to leave the opponent behind!

After lunch, the Japanese fleet finally appeared in the rangefinder of the Scharnhorst. The rangefinder accurately read the opponent's distance data of 18 kilometers!

At this time, "Little Brother" Redel's precise planning once again showed great power. The German fleet was in good contact with the enemy. The fleet was in the upwind direction, so the black smoke from the chimney would not affect the ranging. Moreover, the fleet is backed by the mainland at this time. Under the background of the mainland, the Japanese find that their distance will be shortened. At least for now, the Japanese do not seem to have discovered the German fleet!

"Keep the distance at about 15 kilometers. It's too close and it's not good for us." Following Su Xiong's order, loud battle sirens sounded in every cabin of the battleship! The soldiers quickly ran from their cabins to various fighting positions. Artillery shells weighing more than 600 kilograms were pulled out from the depths of the ammunition depot. The soldiers opened the breech and fed the artillery shells one after another with the help of the loader. In the barrel of the gun, there are two huge propellant bags. The one in the front is wrapped in silk, and the one in the back is a bag with a copper shell.

One of the reasons why Germany chose such propellant packaging is because although the sliding breech opens and closes faster, the sealing is poorer. The second half of the propellant uses a copper shell to assist in air-tightness. The other reason is to prevent the propellant package from exploding. .

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