"Order, destroyers come up and block them." As for Thomas's actions, Hippel always believed that it might be a tentative lightning strike, releasing the torpedo to disrupt the formation of the German fleet. Since that's the case, it's enough for the troops to block the water and fill in the soil. However, soon, Hippel smelled the smell of conspiracy!

"The British attack method was very special. The first batch was six destroyers. Their attack surface seemed too wide, which attracted our attention. After all, lightning strikes must have sufficient density to pose a threat to the enemy fleet. If the British's first wave of destroyers wanted to thunder, it would be almost equivalent to fighting alone, without any effect."

"However, the second wave rushed out of the light cruiser, with a total of 4 ships. They were separated from the first wave of destroyers. However, the third wave of fleet passed through the formation very quickly, almost following the pace of the light cruiser. Then, before the first wave of British destroyers had fire contact with the destroyers we sent, they first released smoke!" A German officer recorded the prelude to the attack of Thomas' fleet!

"No, this is a conspiracy! This is an offensive smoke screen! The British want to penetrate our defense!" When he saw a dense mass of smoke rolling over quickly with the movement of the British destroyer, Hippel was scared and sweated in a cold sweat. He seemed to realize something!

"Order the armored cruiser squad commanded by Major General Bodick to immediately launch an attack on the British light cruisers and destroyers! Don't worry about the battleships in the distance, their 10-inch guns could not hurt those big guys at all!"

"Order the Preparatory Destroyer Detachment to bypass the opponent's forward and prepare to launch a counter-lightning strike on Thomas' fleet!" Hippel issued two orders in less than a minute. His words revealed a little nervousness and a hint of worry, and even his voice was a little nervous. He was really scared! But the fear did not overwhelm him, but instead made him make the best decision in a short time.

The British destroyers rushed towards the head of the German fleet. The smoke had just dispersed, and the warships on both sides still had vision and shooting range. So, with the order issued, the three Mainz-class armored cruisers quickly turned their guns and aimed at the British light cruisers that were rushing forward!

Boom! More than a dozen 10-inch shells flew out of the cannon chamber quickly and shot straight towards the British light cruiser less than 8 kilometers away! At this distance, the elevation angle of the artillery became very small, and it can even be described as flat shooting! At this moment, four German armored cruisers attacked the British light cruiser, which was gradually being covered by smoke at the highest rate of fire. Water columns rose up on the sea, while the British light cruiser did not fight back, but continued to charge!

The first wave of German destroyers responsible for interception finally contacted the opponent. The three destroyers, s37, s54, and v81, rushed towards a British destroyer that was releasing smoke. The two sides quickly approached at a relative speed of more than 50 knots. At a distance of less than 1,500 meters, the shells of the three German destroyers fell on the rapidly advancing destroyer like raindrops. The latter was very limited in its own smoke release. In just 5 minutes, under the attack of shells and torpedoes, the destroyer became the first battleship to sink on this battlefield.

However, before the German officers and soldiers of the S37 destroyer had time to celebrate their victory, they suddenly rushed out of a huge figure in the rolling smoke. Suddenly, the distance between the two sides was so close that a British light cruiser rushed past less than 800 meters next to S37. The shells shot from the 6-inch cannon on the British warship quickly swept across S37 like a scimitar. Such a close distance was simply unavoidable! Inadvertently, the dense shells turned the superstructure of S37 into ruins in extreme times. The V81 next to them was also affected. Behind this British light cruiser, destroyers rushed to the German fleet in the distance along the road they opened up. Now, they are less than 6 kilometers away from the target straight line!

"Hit!" Accompanied by the excitement of the cannon in the turret, a 10-inch shell accurately bit the middle of the hull of the British light cruiser Banquet God. With a violent explosion, an orange flame burst out from the chimney. The entire warship seemed to be trembling under this blow, and a large amount of steam began to spread across the deck and cabins. The trajectory of the Banquet God also seemed a bit messy. The destroyers on both sides immediately rushed up like sharks smelling fishy. The Germans wanted to use torpedo to defeat the light cruiser, while the British saved it!

The large-scale melee between the auxiliary warships of both sides reached its climax. More than 40 light cruisers and destroyers were fighting in the small sea area. The roar of artillery resounded throughout the battlefield. The loud noises from time to time indicate that another warship was sent to the altar of the God of War. Thick smoke, flames and death became the theme of this battlefield! The Hippel fleet had less auxiliary power, but with the help of three armored cruisers, the Germans barely stabilized their positions! They even killed two British light cruisers!

"Our attack seems to be temporarily blocked." An officer said, looking at the British destroyer who had approached the German fleet but was unable to enter the last effective lightning strike distance.

"Haha, it doesn't matter. If we have losses, we will get rewards. Have you seen the large warships that attack light cruisers and destroyers?" Thomas said with a smile. "These guys are armored cruisers. If you fight later, just give them to Major General Hood. We concentrate our firepower to attack those warships that are shooting against us! That is the real battlecruiser."

Thomas knew very well that Hippel would never use the main guns of battle cruisers to deal with British light cruisers. This is a waste! So, the one who turned the guns now must be armored cruisers, so invisibly, the actions of the Germans helped the British eliminate those secondary targets from the targets! Thomas is very proud now because he knew that Hippel could definitely think of this, but what if he could think of it? In this case, Hippel could only do this! As for those light cruisers destroyed by 10-inch guns? Well, this is the price of war! Thomas will avenge them!

Under the cover of smoke and auxiliary warships, Thomas' queens finally got closer to the target! Only 12 kilometers away from Hippel's fleet, the seven main battleships of Thomas' fleet and Major General Hood's Furious fast battleship, a total of 56 15-inch guns and 8 343mm guns were aimed at the remaining five warships of Hippel's fleet! Hippel was trembling......
Chapter completed!