My Italy

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Following Lieutenant General Alvaro's order, the four most powerful 356mm main guns on the Turin fired a salvo, and the four shells flew towards the leading Yamashiro at high speed.

After the shells flew for a few seconds, they plunged down, and one of them landed just on the deck of the Yamashiro.

"Boom"

A huge explosion sounded on the front deck of the Yamashiro, and both personnel and supplies were wiped out. The bloody scene made this place a hell.

The Turin was so lucky that it hit the target on its first try. Of course, this is not just due to luck. The large number of observation equipment on the top of the Turin ship tower illustrates the difference.

Thanks to a certain king's words of unified observation and unified shooting, the Italian Navy spent a lot of energy and time in this regard. This thing is not too expensive to say the least. It mainly consists of various optical observation and calculation instruments, and then the telephone lines are connected to the forts on both sides. This simple shooting director is ready.

Of course, this alone is not enough. The next step is to consume a large amount of shells, provide shooting standards, what angles, how many propellants to load, and what kind of shells to load. After such training, a detailed list of shooting commanders was finally drawn up.

Moreover, this kind of shooting table can only be adapted to the same type of warships, and needs to be re-measured for other types of warships.

This cost is not low. You must know that the cost of launching large-caliber naval guns is very high. Therefore, the Italian fleet currently only uses this instrument on battleships and armored cruisers, and also equips them with elite naval measurement and calculation officers.

Of course, the cost is worth it. According to tests by the Italian Navy, warships equipped with shooting directors have about 20% higher shooting accuracy than warships without equipment. This is already a remarkable improvement. Of course, performance in training still needs to be reflected on the battlefield, and this naval battle is definitely an ideal place for performance.

As the Turin took the lead in opening fire, the Bari and Palermo, which followed closely behind, also opened fire in sequence. However, compared with the Turin, the Bari and the Palermo did not achieve the first hit, but it can be seen from their bullet point distribution that they are already quite close to the Yamashiro. Even the water splash caused by the impact of the nearest shell reached Class A of the Yamashiro.

"Boom, boom!"

Facing the artillery fire of the Italian fleet, Yamashiro also fought back hard, and the two 240mm main guns equipped on its front deck fired a vigorous fight.

However, compared with the shooting level of Italian warships, Yamashiro was far behind. The shells fired by its two main guns deviated from the target by nearly 100 meters. This is more like a protest against the bullying of Italian warships.

However, Yamashiro's resistance immediately led to a greater bombardment. The eight 254mm main guns on the two Venice-improved ships, Venetia and Brescia, opened fire. Also benefiting from the simple version of the firing director, eight 254mm shells were fired. Two of them hit the Yamashiro.

Of course, the power of 254mm shells is much worse than that of 356mm, but the damage caused is not small. A 120mm rapid-fire secondary gun on the Yamashiro was directly hit, erasing it from the warship. Several people operating the gun The officers and soldiers of the Japanese ship were directly transformed into a bloody mist. And to make matters worse, in preparation for the artillery bombardment, more than ten 120mm artillery shells placed behind the gun emplacement triggered a chain explosion, and a 57mm gun hit the fish pond and was directly destroyed.

The other 254mm shell caused much less damage. It directly opened a hole in the side near Class A and broke several riveted armor plates.

Following the two cruisers were various cruisers. They were fighting more lively than the previous ones. The one that was hit with a burst of cannons was called lively, and the Yamashiro was hit one after another like willows in the wind. . However, experienced naval officers knew that the damage they caused to Yamashiro was far less than the previous five ships. Of course, the casualties among officers and soldiers would certainly not be small.

However, the remaining officers and soldiers on the Yamashiro did not feel lucky. Another deafening sound of shelling sounded, and the three loaded Turin-class battleships fired another salvo of main guns.

This time, the officers and soldiers of the Yamashiro were not given time to pray. Three of the twelve 356 mm shells directly hit the Yamashiro.

One of them hit the chimney of the Yamashiro, and the explosion blew away the chimney of the Yamashiro. The unruly billowing smoke not only made it impossible for the Yamashiro to shoot in the rear half, but also caused a lot of damage to the Matsushima following closely behind. trouble.

The second shell hit the bow side, causing a large amount of water to enter the ship, causing the Yamashiro's speed to drop significantly, from fourteen knots to ten knots.

The third shell hit the bow of the ship, causing the Yamashiro's bow to look like its nose had been cut off, making it look so ugly.

The more than 7,000-ton Yamashiro looked like it couldn't help but fight in front of the three battleships.

This may also show how lethal the Turin class, as a pre-dreadnought battleship, is against ironclads. Of course, this also has a lot to do with the 356 mm large-caliber main gun. The Italian Navy is not a Beiyang navy, and it will not only be equipped with solid bullets and blooming bullets. As a navy with the ability to develop its own artillery shells, the Italian Navy has developed research and development in recent years. There are many types of artillery shells, and of course the more important thing is the charge of the artillery shells.

Also coming from the guidance of a caring person, the Italian military has worked hard on the research of TNT explosives. Although limited by the quality of steel in this era, the navy does not dare to use TNT as a propellant, but the artillery shells are not affected by this. Therefore, Italian artillery shells were fierce during this period, and the Japanese combined fleet became the first victim of TNT.

As one of the victims, Yuhiro Ito, who was staying on the new flagship Yoshino, felt heartbroken and happy when he saw the Yamashiro, which was hit hard in the first place. He was heartbroken because the Yamashiro was the only armored ship currently available to the combined fleet. , and now he has been bullied into a state of disgrace. Fortunately, the Yamashiro was used as the first human shield to resist artillery attacks. If the Yamashiro had not been pushed up for safety reasons, then according to the current firepower of the Italian warships, the Sankei ship would definitely be in danger, and the containment task would be difficult. Finish.

Therefore, his only hope at present is that the Yamashiro can withstand it. Even if it is severely damaged, it cannot lose its combat effectiveness now.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Another round of bombardment from the Turin-class battleships caused the Yamashiro to suffer more. The front half of the current Yamashiro has been beaten into shape. The only thing that is reassuring is that the Yamashiro has not been sunk. It is still sailing at sea. Although the front main gun can no longer fire, it still shows its existence.

"The enemy turned! Oh my god, how did they do it!"

The cry from the Yoshino lookout post made Ito Yuhiro quickly take the binoculars.

In the footage, the Italian fleet, led by three battleships, turned to the left. However, the steering is very forceful and neat, like a collective steering command.

"The enemy warships definitely have communication means to connect the ships."

Next to him, Izuku Shigehara immediately screamed.

Because this steering is very abnormal and too neat. You must know that the current communication methods of the Navy in battle are not very good. In addition to flags, only signal flares and fireworks are available, and they have not seen the enemy firing flares or using fireworks. As for semaphore communication, it cannot reach this level of uniformity, because semaphores are relay communications from one ship to another, and there is a high delay.

Of course, Lieutenant General Ito also saw the scene that Colonel Dewa could see, but now it was not about the enemy ship's communication problem, he immediately gave the order.

"Order all ships to prepare for bombardment. According to the No. B bombardment plan, the priority targets are the two Venice improved armored cruisers, and then the follow-up cruisers in sequence."

Ito Yuheng hurriedly issued the order to bombard the target, but his worries deepened in his heart. Can his intention be realized?

Now there is nothing we can do about it. Yes, Ito Yuhiro's priority target is the two Venice improved cruisers, and then other cruisers. As for the three battleships, I hope the torpedo boats can make a difference.

Following Ito Yuhiro's order, the Japanese ship officers and soldiers were gearing up, and they planned to have a good contest with the Italian fleet.

But if they want to fight the Venetian and Brescia, they still need to ask the three Turin-class ships.

No, the Turin class completed the turn to the left and set its target on the Matsushima behind the Yamashiro.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The three Turin-class battleships fired another salvo, shrouding the Songshima.

Twelve huge 356mm artillery shells roared towards them like the god of death.

"Boom, boom!"

Two consecutive loud noises also announced that the Songdao had been hit twice.

The Songdao was hit by one shot each on the right bow side and the stern. Especially the shot at the stern almost scared the officers and soldiers of the Songdao to death. If it had hit the power room, rudder or oars, the Songdao would have been destroyed. Road. However, the Songdao was not having a good time either. The large hole in the ship's side kept flooding, which made the Songdao's damage control personnel exhausted. They had to close four or five cabins one after another to stabilize the situation.

After the Songdao was hit, the Combined Fleet also launched a counterattack, but compared with the Italian fleet's uniform concentration of fire, the Combined Fleet's artillery could not do this.

There was a burst of artillery fire, causing the Venice and Brescia to be attacked by numerous artillery shells.

Among them, the biggest threat to the two Venice improved-class ships is the 38 times 320mm artillery shells specially designed to deal with the second ship. However, just like the previous battle at Dadonggou, the accuracy of the three Sanjing ships was impressive. Not a single shot hit, and the weakness of the small boats against cannons was fully demonstrated. The performance of the Sanjing Ship in this war is difficult to satisfy. It also lets the Japanese know that don't think about taking advantage of opportunities on warships, as it will only hurt themselves in the end.

Although Venice and Brescia escaped the bombardment of the 320mm cannon, the 254mm artillery shells did not escape.

The main gun fire from the two 10,000-ton cruise ships Yoshino and Akitsusu prevented the two ships from dodging.

A 152mm secondary gun of the Venetian and the side of the Brescia were hit, causing considerable damage.

And in addition to 254mm artillery shells, 240mm, 180mm, 152mm, and 120mm artillery shells also followed one after another. Let the losses of Venice and Brescia increase.

The shelling of Venice and Brescia attracted the attention of Lieutenant General Alvaro.

"There's something wrong with the enemy."

Out of an old navy's intuition, he felt that the enemy's purpose was somewhat impure.

"Is it because they are located farther forward and they know there is no way to deal with our battleships?"

The speculation from the deputy did not arouse the approval of Lieutenant General Alvaro. "But they should also know how terrible it is to leave our three Turin-class battleships alone. They are not even willing to interfere. Do you think their commander has never attended a formal naval school? Order the Eagle to continue to stand by in the outer circle without me. Orders not to participate in naval battles."

That's right, although Lieutenant General Alvaro didn't know the opponent's commander's plan, he also retained his backup plan. As the dominant side, Lieutenant General Alvaro can keep more trump cards. Even if the fastest eagle does not participate in the naval battle, it can still crush his opponent.

This is the conclusion that Lieutenant General Alvaro came to from observing the previous battles, so the opponent must take action, otherwise there will be no fun.

No matter how the two commanders battled wits and courage, the lining up and bombardment continued.

While the warships of the two sides were bearing each other's cannonballs, they desperately fired their own cannonballs at the other side's warships.

For a time, there were more booming cannons than firecrackers on the sea, and the two sides were fighting fiercely.

In this round of bombardment, the Italian fleet relied on three Turin-class battleships to gain an absolute advantage. In this naval battle, the Turin-class was like a father figure with its strong ship and powerful artillery, causing the officers and soldiers of the United Fleet to complain endlessly.

In the first round of bombardment, the Maya (formerly Chilean warship Pingdo) was sunk, and two ships, Haimen (formerly Chilean warship Condel) and Tateyama (formerly Chilean warship Esmeralda), were destroyed. Songdao vividly demonstrated the capabilities of battleships in naval battles.

Of course, the combined fleet was not without results. The Italian fleet's Courage was damaged.

As for the Venice and Brescia, which are the focus of the combined fleet, they suffered little damage due to their good armor. Except for a few secondary guns, decks, rails, etc., the core protection areas were still intact.

In this era where shields are thicker than spears, it is not too easy to sink an armored warship. Unless the caliber of the naval guns is too different, it will be difficult to sink.

When the line of bombardment approached the rear of the two parties, the combined fleet began their actions.

"Send the red signal flare and execute Plan B immediately."

On the flagship Yoshino, Ito Yuhiro issued orders loudly.

Following his command, a dazzling red flare rose into the sky.

Several warships immediately accelerated away from the formation, and they headed south without looking back, leaving other warships to accept the wrath of the coming Italian fleet.

"No, they are heading towards the transport formation."

Lieutenant General Alvaro, who was on the flagship Turin, immediately observed the Japanese ship's actions. He only felt cold sweat at this moment, because he was lined up with the enemy for artillery fire, so after a round of fighting, the two parties actually changed positions. Now the fleet and the transport formation that needed protection were separated by the Japanese combined fleet.

"Immediately order the Eagle to move forward to intercept them. The other ships will immediately speed up to get rid of the entanglement of the enemy ships and let us kill these bastards."

Lieutenant General Alvaro, who felt that he had been tricked by the enemy, even used swear words, which showed how angry he was. If the enemy succeeded, it would be a stain on his military resume and make him famous in the history of world naval warfare. He would never accept such a result.

Before Lieutenant General Alvaro could show his anger, Ito Yuhiro's backhand was revealed first. More than a dozen torpedo boats rushed out from the rear of the formation at high speed and rushed towards them with full malice. Their targets were clearly the three leading Turin-class battleships. As long as Lieutenant General Alvaro dares to let the Turin class continue to move forward, they will use torpedoes to give it a taste of its power.

In addition, the other remaining warships of the combined fleet turned their bows and surrounded them, making it clear that they were trying to block the rescue.

At this time, on the battlefield, Lieutenant General Alvaro's Italian fleet was still in an artillery formation, generally arranged in a straight line, while the combined fleet was divided into two parts, one of which was responsible for intercepting and containing the formation, and sparsely formed a C shape to block in front of the straight line.

Ito Yuhiro's move seems to be full of flaws. At another time, Lieutenant General Alvaro would have a hundred ways to give the opponent a taste of his power.

However, at this time, the last thing Lieutenant General Alvaro can afford is time, and these methods all take time.

Of course, Lieutenant General Alvaro also knew that his Ito opponent was gambling that he must go all out to rescue him.

Lieutenant General Alvaro admitted that the other party won the bet, but even if the other party had a better move, he still had a way to get it back.

"Order the Venetian and Brescia to immediately take the Aosta, Savoa, Balut, and Gasco to intercept the enemy's attack formation. The formation is led by Major General Levi and must be transported before the enemy arrives. Stop them in front of the formation.”

The temporary rescue formation formed by Lieutenant General Alvaro is quite powerful. Except for the two Venice improved cruisers, several others are protective cruisers, which are enough to compete with the enemy's attack formation.

Of course, in addition to issuing orders to form a rescue formation, Lieutenant General Alvaro also had orders. "Send power to the USS Barry and the USS Palermo, and ask them to work with our ship to open a gap for the rescue formation, and let the enemy have a taste of the 14-inch cannon again."

With these words of Lieutenant General Alvaro, the naval battle entered a new stage.