Imperial Overlord

In a sense, peace has come. But in the Atlantic, at least for Phillips and his fleet, the war was not over.

"Ammo!" A British gunner who had run out of ammunition in the air turned around and shouted loudly to his comrade.

There was blood behind him, and the soldier who was in charge of the ammunition supply was no longer standing there.

The Stuka bombers strafed the exposed anti-aircraft gun positions with their cannons on their wings.

Moreover, during the dive just now, a bomb landed on the deck of the USS Formidable, where it exploded, forming a huge flame.

The shock created by the explosion impressed the gunner of the anti-aircraft gun. His ears were still buzzing, and he couldn't hear what was being said to him.

"Ammo!" Seeing the soldier standing behind him not firing, the gunner continued to shout loudly.

The young soldier pointed into the distance, and the gunner saw a Stuka bomber pulling up not far away.

Judging from its movements, it is not a dive bomber, but a modified dedicated torpedo attack aircraft.

"Torpedo!" The gunner saw a white track and was rushing towards the battleship he was on. He shouted loudly, as if his voice was loud enough for the people on the bridge to hear it.

In fact, while he was shouting, the bridge was also shouting the same loudly, and a torpedo was rushing towards the broadside of the battleship, which was definitely a heart-wrenching thing.

"Torpedoes! There are torpedoes on the port side!" A naval officer put down the phone and warned the helmsman loudly.

The helmsman turned the steering wheel in his hand vigorously, making it turn quickly in a circle, the battleship was already at the maximum speed, and the turn had reached the maximum angle.

It is a pity that the angle of this torpedo is too tricky, so tricky that it is hard to prevent.

The four-month war has allowed the German Navy to train a large number of excellent naval carrier-based aircraft pilots. These pilots are experienced in attack, and each can be said to be a valuable asset to the Navy.

At the same time, the commanders and sailors of the Royal Navy had been severely degraded by the rapid rate of loss.

Many outstanding naval commanders and sailors have been dispersed and added to the transport fleet, serving as the backbone.

The rate of loss of the transport fleet is terrifying, to the extent that it has made it difficult for the United Kingdom to replenish.

Regardless of the fact that the British naval fleet is still full, the staffing in it is no longer the same as it was before the war.

With this increase or decrease, the attack of the German Navy's carrier-based aircraft immediately became sharp.

The USS Dreadnought was turning sharply, and then the white waves in the sea drew closer and closer in a straight line.

Just as the white waves merged with the hull's weight, a huge explosion swelled violently on the side of the USS Forbidden aircraft carrier.

The sea water was stirred up, and then flew into the sky, until it reached a height of tens of meters, and it slowly fell unwillingly.

As if it was raining, the falling sea water hit the deck of the aircraft carrier with a crackling sound.

The huge body of the battleship trembled violently in the explosion, and the distorted sound of steel echoed in the cabin, making people shudder like a beast howling.

The British sailors near the bomb compartment were immediately torn to shreds by the force of the explosion. Then the icy waters poured in and began to drill into any crevices it encountered.

Huge force rushed open the hatch that was not closed tightly, and the walls of the cabin that were damaged by the blast just now could not stop the raging seawater.

Soon, the sea water submerged everything in the cabin, including the most important generator set at the bottom of the battleship, as well as the supporting boiler power plant.

The HMS Dreadnought was hit, which is definitely not good news for the British Phillips fleet, which is fleeing in full force.

What is even more depressing is that the tail of the aircraft carrier Dreadful was hit, which will inevitably affect the speed of the battleship.

"Don't worry about the Dreadnought, just let them hold the Germans as long as possible." Knowing that he was not an opponent, Phillips could only issue an order to survive.

When this order was heard in the ears of other officers, the taste became a little depressing.

Everyone is a comrade-in-arms who died with you, and even risked leaving the motherland! At this time, if you say abandonment, you will abandon it. How can people feel at ease to fight with you?

"Did it sink with them? We have more important tasks! Is it noble to die here?" As if seeing through the thoughts of these officers, Phillips roared angrily.

His roar really played a role, and the remaining four battleships obeyed the order and began to accelerate away from the battlefield.

The smoke-filled USS Forbidden, without the cover of the battleship USS Barham, was now even more dangerous.

Its speed has been reduced to less than 10 knots, because the generator set and most of the power compartment are damaged, so repairing and drainage has also become a problem.

Watching the battleship Barham accelerate away, the captain of the aircraft carrier Formidable looked at his smoking battleship, and clenched his palms into fists in hatred.

"They just left! Bastards!" The first officer threw his Royal Navy cap on the floor and cursed through gritted teeth.

"We're done... Without cover, without power, we will sink here in just one round of attack." Another officer held his head in despair, and was constantly remorse in his heart.

If he hadn't followed, disgruntled and desperate to save the Royal Navy with his loyalty, he might have gone home by now to be reunited with his wife and children.

The results of it? He is now going to die here with the battleship, because it is a rebel, and it also obstructed the Germans' plan to receive the battleship. It is unknown whether the Germans will pick up the drowning.

If the Germans did not salvage the poor drowning worms, then these people would have to wait in the sea for bad luck.

Survivors will definitely be out of ten, and those who barely survive will also be tortured. Thinking of this, an atmosphere of despair has spread on the bridge.

Just when everyone was desperate and overwhelmed, an officer suddenly shouted excitedly: "Look! Those German planes! They flew away!"

Yes, at this time, the German aircraft that was still besieging the USS Formidable actually dropped the seriously injured aircraft carrier and rushed towards the distant battleship USS Barham.

For the German Navy, sinking these battleships is not the core purpose, there is another way to wipe out the fleet.

Lütjens resolutely changed his strategy of sinking his opponent after the air force returned to the battlefield.

He wanted to capture these battleships alive as much as possible, force them to hang up the white flag to surrender, and go back to Germany obediently with himself.

Therefore, Hines' carrier-based aircraft changed the purpose of the attack from sinking to seriously injuring these warships.

As long as these warships are wounded, even if it is dark, they will not be able to escape Germany's stalking. It is not too late to sink those who refuse to surrender. Leave those who are willing to surrender and take them back to Germany. After they are repaired, they can continue to be used.

Lütjens, who was used to the hard times, of course knew that the German Navy would not be able to launch warships on a large scale in a short period of time.

Britain has been defeated, and the Atlantic is looking to be monolithic. In this case, the investment in the navy will inevitably be compressed.

Under this premise, capturing some British warships for their own use is the best way for the navy to strengthen themselves. The previous plan was to receive the heritage of the British navy. Now people are unwilling to give it up, so they have to **** it by themselves.

It is precisely because of the change of purpose that the German naval aviation hurriedly left the wounded aircraft carrier Dreadnought and hurriedly pursued the battleship Barham.

"Deserving it!" For some reason, the captain of the Dreadnought gritted his teeth while watching the German aircraft chasing the battleship Barham in the distance.

The battleship Barham was struggling under the siege of a dozen Stuka C bombers, and it was only now that Phillips knew how tough his opponent was.

"Let the USS Barham change course and steer south!" Now that the USS Formidable has been sacrificed, there is no psychological barrier to sacrificing an old USS Barham. Looking at the unfavorable situation in front of him, Phillips ordered again.

Glancing at the sky~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Phillips felt that although he suffered heavy losses, he was temporarily safe. The Germans could only launch one more air offensive at most, and it would be completely dark.

After dark, his fleet could use the protection of night to escape the German pursuit. And the Germans, in order to ensure that the Dreadnought or the Barham as well, would not be chasing after them.

"Now that we are separated, I want to see which side the Germans are chasing!" Thinking of this sentence silently in his heart, Phillips still felt a pain in his flesh.

The German fleet was only two hasty attacks before dark, and he was about to pay such a dear price.

If the Germans were given a full day to attack, his fleet might be wiped out here.

Ocean, the future may belong to owning aircraft carriers and advanced carrier-based aircraft. Thinking of this, a traditional admiral like Phillips couldn't help but feel sad.

Even if this fleet of my own reaches India, can it continue to fight against such a powerful opponent? For the first time, Phillips was so shaken by his decision.