"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A huge cannon was roaring, smashing the heavy shells hard towards the warships in the distance. The shells fell into the sea and splashed the water columns soaring into the sky. The entire sea surface seemed to be boiling.

On the battleship of the USS Iowa, the flagship of the second battleship of the US Fleet, Lieutenant General Ingersoll, was serious. In another hour, the first battleship formation would arrive. However, for them, this hour would be very difficult. If they suffered too much loss within this hour, they would probably be unable to make up the situation after the first battleship formation arrived.

"No, it's night now. Even if the Germans have very strong radar performance, it is impossible to sink our huge battleship! If we are lucky, we might even cause unbearable costs to the Germans!" Lieutenant General Ingersoll said to himself in his heart, as if he used this to strengthen his confidence.

"Boom! Boom!"

The orange-red flame shone at the muzzle, and when the shell was smashed out, it also made the outline of the warship's hull appear. Although there is guidance from the gun aiming radar, it is not very accurate. Therefore, when the warship appears, the opponent's sailors will also use it as a reference for distance.

The sailors on both sides were working hard and wanted to cause huge damage to the other side as much as possible. So much so that the naval battle entered the climax from the beginning.

"Stop the shelling, adjust the orientation, and the muzzle rises twice."

On the battleship "Caesar", the gun captain was modifying the location of the shelling based on the data obtained by the gun aiming radar.

If it is during the day, it is not difficult for the battleship "Caesar" to hit a target 15 kilometers away. However, at night, even if there is guidance from the gun aiming radar, if you want to hit the target, you need luck. If you are not lucky, even if you waste a large amount of shells, you may not be able to hit the target.

It can be said that the naval officers and soldiers on both sides are fighting for who is more lucky at this moment. Maybe the better luck side will be relatively easier to win the naval battle.

"General, the first American battleship formation is coming towards us. It is expected that it will arrive at the battlefield in less than an hour. There is probably not much time left for us." Major General Rudolph, chief of staff of the German Navy's local fleet battleship formation, was a little worried.

Lieutenant General Gelke, the commander of the formation, nodded: "If the five Americans' Montana-class battleships arrived, it would be a very big trouble for us. We do not have a warship that can fight against it!"

"Order the fleet and continue to get closer. If possible, bring the combat distance closer to 10,000 meters." Lieutenant General Gerke made the decision in an instant.

For warships equipped with 410mm main guns or 380mm main guns, if the combat distance is closer to 10,000 meters, it is almost like bayonets. Because at this distance, whether it is 410mm shells or 380mm shells, it is very likely to tear open the armor of the enemy's warships. At the same time, the armor of the own warships is also very likely to be penetrated by the enemy's shells fired. Therefore, further closer means that the battle will become more intense.

If time is sufficient, Lieutenant General Gerke may not have made such a risky decision. However, when the US first battleship formation was coming, he had to find a way to make the German fleet have a greater advantage before the American reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, once the American reinforcements arrived, the situation would become increasingly unfavorable to the German fleet.

"Yes, General!" Major General Rudolph nodded. He also knew that this was the only choice they could make now. After all, the German fleet had an absolute advantage in number in terms of battleships. If they fought for bayonets, they were much more likely to win.

"General, the Germans are continuing to turn, they are getting closer to us!" an officer reported.

Lieutenant General Ingersoll's expression became more serious.

"Appoint each ship to hold on anyway. The Germans are preparing to fight us desperately. As long as they persist, reinforcements will come. At that time, we will win!" Lieutenant General Ingersoll ordered.

Although he had already learned about the German fleet's attempts, he had no choice. Unless they gave up the seriously injured battleship "Illinois" and the "Wisconsin" and "Kentucky" that had been moderately traumatized. Otherwise, they would not be able to stop the German fleet from getting closer to the war.

If those three battleships are really abandoned, the US Navy's second main battleship team will be considered a heavy blow.

"boom!"

Ten minutes after the battle began, the German Navy achieved its first hit since the war began. A 380mm shell fired from the German Navy's "Thuringian" battleship hit the battleship "Illinois".

The shells hit the foreground of the battleship "Illinois" and exploded after it penetrated the foreground. At the same time, it also caused a fire.

The raging fire shone out the battleship "Illinois". Although the damage managers on the battleship began to put out the fire as soon as possible, the German Navy seized this opportunity.

The shelling of four "Helgolan-class" battleships became more and more accurate.

"Boom! Boom!"

The shells kept falling around the battleship "Illinois", as if they could hit the battleship at any time.

Even though the battleship "Illinois" is a huge battleship with a displacement of 58,000 tons, it still seems very helpless at this moment.

A minute later, a 380mm shell hit the battleship "Illinois". The shell hit the side of the battleship, and a 127mm secondary cannon was blown away, leaving a hole on the side of the battleship, as if a piece of it was gnawed off by a monster.

Fortunately, the place where the shell hit was located above the waterline. If you move a little further down, it would probably be enough to cause greater damage to the battleship "Illinois".

"General, the battleship Illinois is in very bad condition. They have been hit continuously!" an officer reported.

After hearing this, Lieutenant General Ingersoll couldn't help but feel nervous. He knew that the battleship "Illinois", which had already suffered heavy losses, would probably not escape and die after being besieged by four German battleships.
Chapter completed!