Imperial Overlord

Another British warship close to this area is the naval cruiser Suffolk, which was also ordered to patrol here.

The cruiser is also speeding up at this time, hoping to find the German battleship first.

Similarly, the officers and soldiers on this cruiser did not know that in fact they were not looking for a battleship, but the entire German naval fleet.

It was already dark, and on the bridge of the German flagship aircraft carrier Zeppelin, Hines anxiously waited for the dawn.

After all, he is a commander of naval aviation, and the dark night is not suitable for his carrier-based aircraft to fight. So his troops are vulnerable compared to a ship commander more suited to naval warfare.

"I propose to let the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen with radar travel as the first battleship of the fleet." He suggested to the nervous Lütjens.

The cruiser Nuremberg did not have a radar system, which he had only just learned. In this dark state, the Nuremberg without radar could not function as a warning at all, so Hines suggested that it be replaced.

Lütjens also realized that it was a mistake to have the smaller cruiser Nuremberg as the vanguard.

But he also knew that in such a situation of radio silence and blackout, mobilizing the fleet was simply an impossible task.

Not to mention how to notify the two battleships Nuremberg and Prinz Eugen to switch positions, that is, when they are notified, how can they ensure the safe distance of the fleet when they turn around and adjust their positions?

If it collided before it left the Norwegian waters, how could you explain what happened to the head of state?

After returning, he explained with a smile: We had a traffic accident last night, so we couldn't play, so we had to go back?

As the commander of this fleet, Lütjens knew that if he made such a joke, the Führer would definitely give him an unforgettable funeral...

"The entire fleet is now moving according to the plan. If I change it rashly, a collision could easily occur..." Lütjens said helplessly.

He looked at the deep night sky, and after thinking about it, he decided to say: "Keep the current situation, maintain the distance between the fleets, and make changes at dawn!"

According to Lütjens, in this case, 80% of the British patrol ships have no radar, so it is really hard to say who finds out first.

Moreover, in this dark environment, even if an enemy warship is discovered, it cannot be attacked immediately.

Thus, Lütjens did more than reject Hines' proposal to replace radar-equipped ships as vanguards.

In fact, he made a decision, that is, to maintain the existing route and wait until dawn tomorrow before making plans.

If it is discovered by the British patrol ship tonight, let the other party follow him, bear it until dawn tomorrow, and then rely on the higher speed to catch the enemy ship and kill the other party!

After making the decision, Lütjens handed over command to Lindemann, the captain of the battleship Bismarck. In order to maintain his physical strength, the fleet commander returned to his cabin and went to rest.

Hines knew that he was useless now, so he could only return to his lounge and lie in bed to test how strong his ability to sleep was.

After tossing and turning for about an hour, he also fell asleep unknowingly. It turns out that no matter how nervous, as long as there is a reasonably comfortable bed, people can always fall asleep in confusion.

And the captain of the Norfolk was a little sleepy at this time... He confirmed the location of a German battleship, and the location was not too far from the area where the Norfolk was located.

"Steering! Keep a safe distance from it! We don't have to entangle with them, just keep an eye on them." The British captain clenched his fists nervously and ordered to his first mate.

Then he turned his head and shouted loudly: "Telegram to London! Say we have found a German battleship!"

The battle alarm has been sounded, and in the cramped cabin of the Norfolk, the soldiers have already arrived at the combat post. Everyone was so nervous that they didn't know when the battle would suddenly start.

A few minutes later, on the cruiser Nuremberg, a German sailor stood in an observation post on the mast and saw a hazy shadow on the sea in the distance through his telescope.

He frowned, then rubbed his eyes, looked carefully in that direction again, and finally confirmed that he saw a battleship that did not belong to the German Navy!

"Directly ahead! Directly ahead! Found the enemy ship! Get ready for battle!" He grabbed the contact phone in front of him and shouted to the bridge.

On the bridge, the captain who was watching the sea heard the news that the enemy ship was found in front, and immediately issued an order to prepare for battle: "Sound the battle alarm and pay attention to the surrounding waters! We have encountered the British!"

"Use the pointing light to signal the Bismarck behind! Tell them that the fleet has encountered an enemy ship!" Finally, the German captain commanded.

On the bridge of the battleship Basemarck, Colonel Lindemann exercises his acting command. The youngest of the German naval commanders, soon received a message from the cruiser Nuremberg.

"Sir! The light signal from the Nuremberg... We have encountered the enemy! It may be a cruiser!" The officer who came to deliver the message stood at attention and saluted, and then handed over the Morse code that had just been translated.

He took out his pocket watch and glanced down. It's just now exactly 12 midnight. The fleet was still in the Norwegian waters, and it was discovered by the British. This news is not good.

Lindeman frowned and gave the order to put the warship into the second-level alert state: "Prepare for an attack on the sea... Send a signal to the flagship and tell them our news!"

Because of the radio silence, there are not many means of communication on nights like this. Of course, the speed of communication cannot be too fast compared to the telegraph.

On the bridge of the aircraft carrier Zeppelin, the chief mate on duty also received a light signal from the battleship Bismarck.

The Bismarck also used a directional light signal with a small visible range, which was weak in the night like a star next to the sea.

He grabbed the phone in front of him and learned the unfortunate news that his fleet had been discovered by the enemy. It seems that it is impossible to break into the Atlantic Ocean quietly.

"Wake up the commander... Send a signal to the warships behind, prepare for battle, and be careful of torpedoes that the enemy may launch!" The first officer hurriedly issued an order to prepare for battle, and ordered someone to wake up Admiral Lütjens.

Soon, Lütjens returned to his command post, and after confirming that there was a British battleship in front of his fleet, he lowered his head and thought.

At this time, it was discovered by a British warship, and it was impossible to confirm whether the other party discovered the Nuremberg ship or his entire fleet.

In any case, if the other side confirms his fleet position, the risk of entering the Atlantic is multiplied.

Because it was discovered too early, the British were able to deploy their naval warships calmly. According to the head of state's intelligence, the British had as many as three or four aircraft carriers they could draw.

His fleet is in great danger, and the British are likely to mobilize more than five battleships to cooperate with the aircraft carrier to hunt down his fleet.

Now turn around and retreat? Because he was discovered earlier, he fled back to his home port to hide in embarrassment? Lütjens himself thought it was too much of a play.

After thinking about it, all he can do is stick to the original plan and let his fleet continue to advance along the Norwegian coastline.

Everything has to wait until dawn, and then do the calculation. After making up his mind, Lütjens gave the Nuremberg a simple order: "Keep in touch with the enemy ships! Don't lose track!"

At the same time, on the cruiser Norfolk, the captain has confirmed that the German battleship behind him is actually not large.

"This is a German cruiser with a displacement of only about 10,000 tons!" He estimated the size of the other party and muttered.

He had ruled out the possibility of battleships, and sent the news back home. Judging by the size of the opponent, at most it was the German cruiser Prinz Eugen.

Due to the darkness of the night, the outlines of the enemy warships could not be clearly seen, so the lookout of the Norfolk could not see which warship it was.

In this case, the Norfolk can only maintain the distance between the latter and the latter, carefully not to enter the farthest distance that the other party can fire and attack at night.

London, UU reading www.uukanshu. com Churchill already knew the news that the German navy might be dispatched, and instructed the navy to intercept the opponent's fleet as much as possible.

Dudley Pound has now confirmed the exact location of the enemy's warship going to sea, in the waters not far from Bergen, Norway.

As for how many warships the German fleet actually has, and what it wants to do, he still doesn't quite know.

The cruiser Norfolk was driving directly in front of the enemy fleet, maintaining contact distance with the opposing ship that was leading the way.

"We don't have any good means, and we can't even be sure where the other side is turning... If this is Prinz Eugen, then it's impossible to determine whether it was dispatched by itself or followed by other warships." An officer Update on Dudley Pound.

Within the British command, an analysis of the discovered enemy ship was carried out, and most of the speculation could not determine the true size of the German fleet.

Because I can't see the opponent's battleship model, I can't tell what kind of composition the opponent is—

5th more!