Battle of the Third Reich

Standing on the spacious compass bridge of the heavy cruiser "York", the warm summer sea breeze of the North Atlantic gently blew his face, and Brigadier General Nicholson felt an unspeakable comfort.

Half an hour ago, Sud Island, which was just a faint black spot on the sea level line, has now revealed its full picture in front of everyone.

The island stands on the side of the fleet with steep cliffs hundreds of meters high, and the dense vegetation covers the hard rocks with an emerald green tent.

Several mountain springs flowed straight down from the gap of the cliff, like a white streamer hanging on the emerald green tent. The clear spring water was like a string of crystals flying into the blue water of the North Atlantic.

Countless huge reefs under the cliff stand upright on the sea. These firm island guards silently warn those boats who want to get close to themselves. Any stupid provocation will be hit like the waves that hit the reef. The miserable end of the spattered fragments.

Behind the island of Sud, in the afternoon sun, a series of large and small cyan island shadows appeared lightly.

Faroe Islands, this string of pearls from the North Atlantic Ocean has caused countless sailors to express their sincere admiration as to what a great power can create such a paradise-like paradise in the midst of this boundless ocean.

Now Nicholson and his sailors can't help but sigh the same. Although they have been there dozens of times, every time the Faroe Islands can bring them new feelings, only those who are indifferent all year round Only the sailors sailing on the sea will have the feeling.

"The fleet changed into a straight line, Mr. Wilson."

Nicholson put down his telescope and turned to command the captain.

"Sir, please, sir."

Wilson answered loudly.

"Signal, the entire fleet changed to form a line."

"Sir, obey, sir! Change the formation of a word! Sergeant!"

The order was issued layer by layer.

"All turned and headed for 360. Ordered the "Defender" and "Happy" to scout."

Nicholson ordered seriously.

"Sir, follow me, sir! Send a signal, heading 360, and turn all. Send the commander's order to the destroyer."

Wilson meticulously recounted Nicholson's order.

At this time, the Royal Navy's Nicholson Ranger Fleet revealed the results of the rigorous training they usually received. The fleet changed its formation with very smooth movements. Four cruisers and two cargo ships were lined up in a column.

The fleet then adjusted its course at 5,000 yards from Sud Island, as if it was towed by an invisible wire. Each ship maintained a 1,000 yard distance to complete a beautiful turn, along Sud Island The steep coast is heading north.

"very good!"

Nicholson nodded in satisfaction.

From this perfect maneuver, we can see the quality of this fleet. The superb cāo ship skills that the captains of the ships just showed made Nickelson feel extremely relieved.

"His commander, how long do we have to stay in the Faroe Islands?"

Captain Wilson picked up a cup of tea from the tray brought up by the serviceman and handed it to the fleet commander who was full of enthusiasm.

"It depends on the speed of loading and unloading of people's goods. We can't stay here for too long. This task is too difficult. You can't imagine how much pressure is on our shoulders, so I hope that this task will be completed as soon as possible. ."

"Got it, Lord Commander."

Wilson picked up a small piece of silver tweezers from the tray, picked up a piece of sugar cube and put it in his tea cup, and then picked up another piece.

"Do you want it, sir?"

"Two pieces, thank you."

Nicholson threw the teacup over.

"Looking like this, we have to stay in the Faroe Islands for at least one day, sir."

Wilson put two cubes of sugar in Nicholson's cup and then waved his hand to make the serviceman retreat.

"Thank you."

Nicholson picked up the teacup and gently took a sip of sweet black tea and then said with a smile: "Dear Wilson, my friend, it seems that you will be disappointed this time. We don't have so much time to arrive After Torshavn, we must start loading and unloading immediately. In any case, we must complete all work before dinner and set sail after dinner."

"Such haste, sir?"

Wilson said in surprise.

"No way, we must hurry up, my captain."

Nicholson leaned on the railing of the bridge with his tea cup and looked at a group of seagulls flying not far away, and answered lightly.

To be honest, Nicholson would rather give up the opportunity to stay here and directly bypass the islands to continue his journey.

Because in Nicholson's eyes, the Faroe Islands is not a safe harbor, after all, it is within the hunting radius of German medium-sized submarines.

Although no trace of a German submarine has ever been found in this area, it does not mean that the Germans will forget this archipelago.

Nicholson believes that the Germans will find their negligence, and by then the place will become as dangerous and **** as the other battlefields.

Nicholson now only hopes that the Germans have not yet discovered this loophole, and he can leave this place of right and wrong earlier. From here, sailing one day northwest, the fleet can escape the radius of activity of the German submarine, and only then can it be said that it is truly safe.

But now Nicholson had to stop in the Faroe Islands, which made the fleet commander feel a little annoyed, but more helpless.

The fleet must stay in the Faroe Islands, because in addition to transporting those precious goods, the Admiralty also handed them a side mission.

As a matter of fact, such an important covert operation is not allowed to be accompanied by some auxiliary tasks, but the Admiralty can’t deploy other ships, and this island is just on the fleet’s route, so it is hard to blame. Nicholson dispatched this ancillary task.

The Navy Staff also found a very sounding reason, saying that this would better confuse the German navy.

Therefore, Nicholson can only stay in this archipelago that was originally just a route marking point, and complete the task that he should not be allowed to complete at all. He will deliver a company of Marines and a set of naval radar station equipment to the Faroe Islands.

Less than two weeks after the occupation of Denmark by Germany, Britain took over the Faroe Islands. This archipelago is composed of eighteen large and small islands, of which seventeen islands have residents.

The residents here are descendants of Scandinavian people with a total population of less than 10,000. There are no special products on the island, but the nearby sea is rich in fishery resources.

There are not many flat areas on the island. From the landform, it looks a bit like the Norwegian coastal area. There are steep cliffs and long fjords everywhere, and there are dense hills like the Scottish highlands.

Local people rely on fishing and animal husbandry for their livelihoods. In addition to being self-sufficient in food, other daily products must be imported from outside the island. The local folk customs are relatively simple, so the residents of the island can live a happy life.

Due to the special geographical location, the Faroe Islands have not been affected by war. At most, the Danish national flag flying on the archipelago’s largest port, Torshavn, was replaced by the Mi flag. Some clothes suddenly appeared on the narrow streets of the fishing village. The soldiers in earthy military uniforms.

In the eyes of these residents, war is too far away for them, and what happened on that remote continent has nothing to do with them.

This time, the British Navy decided to set up a radar station on the Faroe Islands to monitor the operations of German submarines and German long-range reconnaissance aircraft in the nearby waters.

The British Admiralty does not believe that here will always be a pure land, and it will be sooner or later that the German submarine appears in this area.

"Your Excellency Commander, we have contacted the Faroe Islands Garrison, they are ready to unload the supplies, and we are ready to supply them. The Garrison Commander Lieutenant Walker is leading his men on the pier waiting for our arrival ."

Wilson said happily with a telegram.

"Yes, our supplies are also ready, very good! That saves us a lot of time."

Due to the increasing shortage of domestic supplies, especially food, the glorious Royal Navy reduced the number and level of food supplies for ships for the first time.

Many ships now can only take half of the meat and eggs in the past, and the missing parts are replaced by potatoes and oats.

Overseas service has become the fatal pursuit of all captains, especially the Asian and American routes. Although they are at great risk, compared with the abundant and abundant supplies supplied at the destination, the threat of German submarines In the eyes of the sailors who did not see the meat in March, it was nothing.

Since this time the fleet is just staying in the Faroe Islands, it would be too wasteful not to replenish the fleet's empty meat freezer in a place famous for its fishery products and lamb.

So Nicholson contacted the Faroe Islands garrison early in the morning to prepare a batch of supplies that the fleet desperately needed. He originally wanted to collect these foods, which might take a lot of time, but he did not expect to arrange them on the island so quickly. This made him feel good about the army commander who had never met the island.

"Heading 360, speed 20 knots, captain, everything is normal."

The second report came loudly.

"well."

Wilson leaned out of the observation deck on the compass bridge and looked towards the stern. The fleet now kept a neat queue closely behind the flagship.

The sharp ship's head split the ocean waves, and the splashing waves were scattered, and the kind of magnificent momentum displayed by the cruiser formation was awe-inspiring.

"The fleet is all right now, Your Commander."

Wilson said loudly.

"Very good, Captain."

Nicholson nodded and continued to pick up the telescope to look at the distant island.

Now the fleet has surpassed Sud and started to cross the Sud Strait between Sud and Song Island.

It is better to say that it is a strait than a piece of water sandwiched between two islands.

The Sud Strait is 20 kilometers wide. In the middle of the strait are three small islands parallel to the strait. These three islands are also part of the 18 islands of the Faroe Islands, and the outermost one is the entire archipelago. The smallest island of Dem, and the only island without residents.

It is too small. It looks like a small dirt mountain rising out of the sea. The island is covered with dense bushes. The emerald green that wakes up against the blue water makes people feel very pleasing.

Nicholson glanced casually at the tiny island with his binoculars, then turned his attention to Sand Island, directly in front of the fleet, an island about the size of Sud.

After crossing the island, the fleet crossed another Skoplan strait to reach its first destination, Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands on Viger Island.

Judging from the current speed of the fleet, there is at most half an hour left. Nicholson is now in a very relaxed mood, and it is a pleasant thing to be able to set foot on the solid land immediately.

However, Nicholson would never think of it now, just in the dense bushes of the humble island not far away, a few pairs of sharp eyes were closely monitoring the movements of his fleet.

"Preparing to report to the fleet that the British fleet has passed the second sign point."

A German navy sergeant gently lowered his hand to remove the bushes and retracted the lens of the high-powered telescope. He turned back to the reporter who was standing by in a natural ditch behind him.

"How about distance measurement, report parameters."

The corporal whispered to the two soldiers lying beside him, these two navy soldiers were holding a three-meter rangefinder to measure the distance parameters of those British warships.

A soldier raised his head and looked at the reading on the rangefinder wheel and then reported: "Azimuth 332, distance 5,300, speed about 20 knots."

"Okay, keep watching."

The naval corporal took off the m35 helmet on his head and set it aside, then took out a record book from the file bag on his waist.

He raised his wrist and looked at his watch. Then he took out a pen and recorded the observation data on the notebook.

"Report this to the fleet."

The corporal handed the notebook to the reporter, and immediately after receiving the notebook, the soldier quickly pressed the electric button to start the report.

"You keep watching."

The corporal turned coldly and ordered to the two rangefinders.

"This is the data reported by the second sentry."

Major Leinster received the telegram sent by the communications soldier and carefully read it. Then he handed it to a naval officer who was waiting at the chart table. Four naval officer students of the same class were holding pencils and slide rules. The direction of the target is marked on the chart.

"My Excellency, the data of the second outpost has been reported."

Leinster walked to the commander of the fleet, who was watching the sea beyond the window of the bridge, and respectfully reported.

"Oh, has the enemy's bearing been calculated?"

The commander of the German Navy Fleet, Gent Lütjens, took back his sight from the porthole, and he turned around and asked slowly.

"It will be calculated immediately, and we are now compiling all the data. Your Excellency."

"Very good, immediately communicate the data to all battleships. Order them to wait for orders."

"Follow your orders, Lord General."

The fleet chief of staff Leinster respectfully saluted a military salute and then turned and walked out of the bridge.

"It seems that everything is under the control of the head of state."

Lütjens murmured softly that a thin smile appeared on his thin face.

"Now those brave boys must have been anxious, Captain."

Lütjens turned his face and said aloud to the captain who was discussing with the first officer in front of the ship bell.

"Ah? Sorry, General, I didn't hear your question."

Captain Klein, the captain of the German pocket battleship Admiral Sher, replied loudly.

"Forget it, Captain, continue your work."

Lütjens waved his hand, then turned and continued to look out the porthole.

All the essence of the German Navy is anchored on the sea outside the porthole. Almost all the main battleships of the German Navy are here.

Lütjens is now struggling to restrain his excitement. When he thinks that the head of state has given himself the honor and power to command the first relocation of the Third Reich Navy after the Battle of Jutland, Lütjens can’t help but respond to that The young new head is full of gratitude and respect.

Lütjens was at most a commander of the destroyer fleet for a period of time before. He never thought he would one day become the commander of the German navy fleet.

Now that the head of state has placed the entire imperial fleet in his hands, Lütjens really feels a little flattered.

Before he set off, he secretly vowed that he must do his best this time, even if he gave his life, he must complete the task given to him by the head of state, in order to repay the trust and expectation of the head of state for him.

"General, all the data has been calculated and has been communicated to all ships."

Leinster quickly walked into the bridge and reported loudly to Lütjens.

"How long will the enemy reach the final mark?"

Lütjens asked coldly.

"And... fifteen minutes." Leinster replied after looking at his watch.

"So..."

Lütjens lowered his head and pondered for a while, then raised his head violently and said aloud: "Transmit my order, fifteen minutes later, it is German time"

Lütjens took out his pocket watch and looked at it: "At 12:42 German time, he began to attack. Now the ships began to act according to the original plan. I am now issuing the Battle Order No. 1 of the Ocean Fleet in the name of the fleet commander. ."

Lütjenston paused, then spit out two words coldly: "Do it!"

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