As noon approached, the battleship, escorted by the "Strasbourg" light cruiser and three destroyers, finally appeared in people's sight.

Lee Hayden had previously obtained the completion schedule of five Bavarian-class battleships from Marshal Ingnoll. What is slightly regrettable is that the two new battleships, the USS Württemberg and Saxony, will not be put into service until around May 1917 due to the influence of the war.

The Germans were eager to get three "Bavarian"-class battleships to join the fleet as soon as possible, but Li Haidn came up with a "bad idea". Even if these three main battleships have completed the test, don't rush to announce their service, but claim that they are still conducting sea tests.

This makes it possible to achieve a clever "deception tactic".

Judging from the reports obtained by the "Bavaria" that has completed the sea trial, the technical experts of the German Navy are generally satisfied with the performance of this class of battleships.

This is enough to catch up with most battlecruisers of this era.

The four-seat dual-mounted 380mm main gun makes it have a powerful firepower output that is no less than the British "Queen Elizabeth" class. It is undoubtedly the most perfect collection of armor, firepower and speed among existing warships in various countries. Even if it looks from a distance, it can still give people enough shock.

After boarding the ship, the German emperor was slightly dissatisfied that this class of warships had two main guns compared with the latest "Istrian Grand Duke" class of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, the standard displacement of the battleship of the Austro-Hungarian Navy reached 32,700 tons. With the reduction of 2,100 tons of water displacement, the German Navy's engineering and technical personnel have already brought its performance to the extreme.

The tall bridge of the "Mecklenburg" is obviously in line with the taste of the German emperor who likes "Tao Daquan". Indeed, standing on a bridge that is nearly twenty meters high to overlook the entire ship will make people feel excited. Looking from above, the overall wide hull gives people a very safe feeling, as if this is an indestructible and strong fortress.

Now the entire German navy has a desire to try and compete with the British.

The German Emperor and Marshal Ingnoll, General Boel hoped to have a dignified and head-on duel with the British, while Spee and Hippel, who were used to sea attacks, wanted to have a fierce and sudden attack on the British. Lee Haydn must have supported Spee's opinion, and he has never liked the war of attrition.

Back at Keel, Lee Haydn stayed carefully with General Schell, General Speer and Lieutenant General Hippel to study a new maritime battle plan. Lee Haydn was preparing to launch a sudden attack on the Gibraltar Fortress, which was heavily guarded by the British. This may weaken the strength of the Royal Navy's local fleet. After all, the British Empire could never bear the risk of losing Gibraltar and losing control of the Mediterranean.

They will definitely send reinforcements to Gibraltar.

"At that time, your chance will come." Lee Hayden bent down on the chart table. "It will take another month for the 'Mecklenburg' to complete the test. In fact, it will take at least half a year to truly form combat power, but we can't wait any longer. We will give them a deep blow before the British's latest five "Revenge" class battleships are in service."

The Germans decided to draw experienced sailors from the old-fashioned front dreadnoughts first, so that they could quickly form combat power.

"But what if the British chose to avoid war because their local fleet was weakened?" General Schell asked.

"This is not true. The British would never dare to let go of the North Sea blockade. It would mean that it opened its doors to the German fleet. They are unable to send enough power to the Mediterranean now because they are afraid of our dispatch." Hippel drew a circle on the chart table with his finger. "If they do not send out the main fleet, I will lead the battle cruiser fleet to break into the North Atlantic Ocean again. This time, I will bring six cruisers."

"Don't worry, the fall of Malta has put enough pressure on their admiralty. Now the Mediterranean is divided into two halves. Oil tankers starting from the Persian Gulf now need to travel more than 8,000 nautical miles to get to the UK. From the heart, the British are more eager to think of eliminating you first, and then be able to put their strength into the Mediterranean." Lee Hayden said.

What made the leaders of the three German navy have this ambition is the balance of power between the two sides. Now is the weakest period for the British Navy. With the service of three Bavarian-class battleships, the German Navy currently has 23 dreadnoughts, and the British currently only have 33. However, the firepower configuration and armor of the seven British dreadnoughts in the early days have great problems. The earliest German "German" class battleships equipped with 280mm main guns are difficult to take on major tasks. In fact, the current power comparison between the two sides is 24:20, and the British have a slight advantage.

In terms of battle cruisers, the British had 10 battle cruisers, while if Germany added two Austro-Hungarian combat patrols, it would be 8. However, the British 6 "Invincible" and "Detective" classes were a bit aging, while in Germany, only the main guns of the "" and "Moltch" were 280 mm, the main guns of the "Sedlitz" were 305 mm, and the other new combat patrols were equipped with 330 mm main guns.

Schell believed that he could fight with his opponents, and even if he lost Germany, he would not lose anything. Anyway, he would still be blocked by mediocrity.

Spee and Hippel hope to carry out a maritime ambush on the British. If one of their squadrons could be wiped out, the strength comparison would be reversed and the Germans would have the advantage.

The idea is actually very simple. Every action of Hippel's fleet will attract crazy pursuit and interception from Betty's British fast fleet. It is easy to lure him near the Scarglake Strait.

"I feel that there may be something wrong with your password. Why do you encounter blockage from the British fleet every time General Hippel attacks recently?" said Lee Hayden.

"We have also considered this issue and can use it to cheat once," said Hippel, who can always use Wilhelmshaven's Navy radio to signal that our main fleet is still in the harbor."

"When will the specific action be?" Li Haidn asked.

"Well, around September, by then the three Bavarian-class battleships had already formed combat power, and we will send them to the Strait of Katgat for 'test' according to your suggestion." Spey replied that the five German-class battleships have also reached the date of maintenance, just in time to operate with the three new battleships.
Chapter completed!