BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1510: plan failed
So, once it was discovered that the "Montana-class" battleship could not deal with the Americans, Lieutenant General Gerke did not hesitate to issue an order for the fleet to retreat. He knew that if the entanglement continued, more and more warships in the German fleet would be hit, and then they would have to withdraw from the battle.
This naval battle has just begun, and the German Navy\'s capital ship formation still has many tasks to perform. If there are too many losses in the confrontation with the US Navy\'s battleship formation, it will not be worthwhile.
What\'s more, they have now destroyed three "Iowa-class" battleships of the US Navy. Although one of them was sunk and two were damaged, overall, they still took advantage.
In addition, in the waters west of Flores Island, the capital ship formation of the German Navy\'s Atlantic Fleet is still ravaging the US Navy\'s 3rd capital ship formation. Although the performance of the \'South Dakota-class\' battleship is also very advanced, it does not have the perverted defense of the \'Montana-class\' battleship. Under the siege of the German fleet, one after another, the "South Dakota-class" battleships were hit and burned.
When the battle in the east of Flores Island came to an end, the naval battle in the west of Flores Island also came to an end. The German Navy\'s Atlantic Fleet capital ship formation sank four "South Dakota-class" battleships of the US Navy\'s 3rd capital ship formation at the cost of one capital ship being severely damaged. Although, the rest of the light cruisers and destroyers escaped early. However, after the U.S. Navy\'s 3rd battleship formation lost four "South Dakota-class" battleships, it can be regarded as dead in name only.
The capital ship formation of the German Navy, in this naval battle, sank 7 capital ships of the US Navy at the cost of one capital ship being sunk, one capital ship being severely damaged, and two capital ships being injured. Moreover, basically every one of the remaining eight capital ships of the US Navy was injured. However, the injuries of some battleships were not serious and did not affect the subsequent battles.
After Lieutenant Admiral Gerke, commander of the capital ship formation of the German Navy\'s home fleet, gave the order to retreat, the capital ships of the capital ship formation of the German Navy\'s home fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet stopped firing one after another and began to turn.
Almost all of these capital ships have implemented blackout. Therefore, once the main gun stops firing, it is almost completely invisible to the naked eye at a distance of more than ten kilometers. Although the radar can still detect it, the distance is getting farther and farther, and it is almost impossible to hit and deal with it.
"General, the Germans have escaped!" On the battleship "Montana", Rear Admiral Cowell reported.
Admiral Hasben Kimmel had a look of anger on his face, and now he almost broke his teeth. The German Navy took advantage of this battle. But the U.S. Navy suffered heavy losses!
"Damn Germans!" Admiral Hasben Kimmel couldn\'t help cursing.
"General, are we going to pursue it?" Major General Cowell asked.
Admiral Husband Kimmel hesitated for a moment, then shook his head flatly and refused.
"The Germans are retreating to the central waters of the Azores. If we pursue them, we may not be able to catch up. Even if we catch up, what can we do with the Germans when they want to escape? It will be dawn in a few hours. The airfields of the Germans are probably full of planes loaded with bombs and torpedoes. As soon as it is dawn, they will take off planes to attack us. If If you continue to advance eastward, it will be a dead end." Admiral Hasben Kimmel said.
He doesn\'t want his fleet to be besieged by shore-based and carrier-based aircraft of the German Navy. No matter how powerful the defense of the \'Montana-class\' battleship is, it will still be sunk if it is attacked by enemy planes overwhelmingly. Those heavy aviation armor-piercing shells will blow up the \'Montana-class\' battleships. And those heavy aviation torpedoes will blow up big holes one by one near their waterline. When there is too much seawater pouring into the hull, even the \'Montana-class\' battleships will inevitably sink into the sea.
So, the only option for the US fleet now is to evacuate this sea area. Strive to escape the strike radius of the German Navy\'s aircraft before dawn. However, from the current point of view, it is undoubtedly very difficult. Because almost all of the remaining capital ships of the US fleet were injured, and some of them were seriously injured, and their speed was also affected.
"General, shall we continue to attack the German base? I am afraid that the previous shelling did not completely destroy the German base." Major General Keweier continued.
Admiral Hasben Kimmel shook his head: "We have no time to waste. Now, we must hurry up and leave this sea immediately!"
"Report, the 3rd capital ship formation is calling, and the four South Dakota-class battleships were sunk by the Germans during the naval battle!" A communications officer reported.
Suddenly, Admiral Husband Kimmel\'s face became very ugly. The four capital ships of the 3rd capital ship formation were all sunk. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the US Navy\'s capital ship formation. Now, they only have eight battleships left. Compared with the German Navy, they are even more at a disadvantage.
Of course, the performance of the "Montana-class" battleship is very against the sky. However, it is very difficult to say whether it can turn the tide in the naval battle.
"Send a telegram to the aircraft carrier \'Essex\' and report our situation to General Nimitz. Ask them to send a carrier-based aircraft to **** us after dawn!" Admiral Hasben Kimmel ordered .