Rasputin of the East - Rasputin of the East chapter 208

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A flare shot exploded from the sky.

The bright yellow flares burning the night sky partially lifted the skirt of Knox, the goddess of the night, and the shape of the British mass-produced destroyer was clearly revealed.

“Destroyer fires!”

Five-inch gun shells cross the night sea. While cruisers and destroyers charge in the lead, all the battlecruisers of the combined US-Russian fleet that are still mobile follow the destroyers.

No, the unique defensive power of battlecruisers forced all ships to do nothing at all. Will you survive and remain combat-ready, or will you be submerged in the icy North Atlantic?

Therefore, they could be said to be the entire remaining ships of the Battlecruiser Squadron.

The leading light cruiser and the enemy heavy cruiser face each other, exchanging artillery fire. Destroyers fire at each other.

Taking Samoa, the youngest of the Alaska-class battlecruisers, as its flagship in place of the irreparably sunken flagship, Spruance saw the silhouette of a large, flat-deck ship in the dark.

“All fleets, start firing.”

The moment the order was issued, fire spewed from all available muzzles of the US Navy’s battlecruisers, temporarily brightening the sea.

“It’s Wontan!”

“Captain, we need to close the gap as soon as possible! Giving them a chance to escape…”

“Admiral! A squadron of enemy destroyers is fast approaching!”

“What?”

It really was. Rather, the destroyers rushing in the opposite direction threw their torpedoes all at once.

A few white wakes appeared eerie under the flares.

– Aww!

“Awesome Pensacola!”

The US Navy’s light cruisers could not withstand torpedoes detonated just below the waterline. The light cruiser, whose keel was broken in an instant, sank in two.

“Avoid!”

In the distance, a few sailors rushing out onto the deck of a destroyer could be seen firing small infantry at the infantry on the deck of the opposing destroyer. Immediately after that, the bullet-covered destroyer had a long stream of tracer bullets as if they were pouring anti-aircraft guns into the enemy ships.

– Kwaang!

Samoa’s secondary guns cut the waist of an enemy destroyer who was rushing fearlessly.

“Exclusive to Yanghyun! Catch the enemy aircraft carrier!”

The silhouette of the enemy ship hiding in the darkness was no longer visible. Have you already run away?

No, that’s right, all the surviving heavy cruisers and half of the destroyers are deployed in the line of deterrence solely to prevent enemy carriers from escaping. You won’t be able to get out of it.

I thought so, but the opponent’s response exceeded my expectations.

“Where did you go?”

The flat deck of the large enemy ship was not visible in the darkness filled with smoke.

“Admiral! A large enemy ship on the port…”

“What?”

At the call that there was an enemy ship in the opposite direction from which the turret had turned, Spruance immediately turned his head and faced the flames of the muzzle.

– Kwaang!

A shell passed the bridge in front of it. Seeing this, Spruance was instantly stunned.

“Are you thinking of committing suicide?”

Spruance shouted at the sight of the enemy aircraft carriers rushing in, firing at random 150mm shells.

“Bupon! Shoot with the secondary battery!”

There was no time to turn the turret. Directly, the 5-inch secondary guns fired fire at random, but the Graf Zeppelin did not stop charging, even as flames erupted throughout the hull.

– Whoa!

The spruce, which floated in the sky as it was, was thrown to the floor.

-■■■■■■■■■!

A noise that was hard to recognize even bothered his eardrums terribly. Spruance, who was about to get up, staggering with a ringing tinnitus in his ears, clenched his teeth at the pain he felt in his right arm. The bones were broken and sticking out.

“Ouch…”

It was only then that I felt it, but the slope of the floor was strange.

“Crazy guys…”

I was hit by the impact of an enemy ship rushing in.

In return, Graf Zeppelin exploded and sank on the spot, but Samoa, who had been orthodox, was tilted with a large dent in the waist.

“Captain! Retirement name…”

For a moment, Spruance shut her mouth. Unlike him, who fell on his arms and back, the captain fell from his head. There is a low probability that the person who hit the back of the head on the steel floor will be fine.

Realizing that the captain’s nose was bleeding, Spruance cried out.

“Is nobody there? Director?”

“Communications Chief… James…”

“Damn, is there anyone else?”

There was no answer except for a single dying voice. was it annihilated

“Did you say James? Give me an order to leave immediately! Like this…”

– Aww!

Suddenly, an explosion occurred from the stern side. As if the shells had exploded, the barrel of the main gun was bent like a tow, and something resembling a human could be seen flying into the air.

“Come on, we have to get out!”

“All right!”

Seeing Samoa sinking incapacitated for battle, Spruance smirked.

“You lose your flagship twice a day, damn it.”

And other large ships passed by the left and right of Samoa. The battlecruisers spewed flames into the darkness. There was an enemy ship at the target point, and a flame could be seen over there.

-Tatatattattattata!

In an instant, bullets flew in. Two streams of blood spurted from the chest of a communications officer named James.

“James!”

There was no answer. Bleeding and bruised, James did not move again.

“Damn it… Damn it! damn it! damn it! Damn it!”

In the distance, a beast was seen firing a gun at the bridge. Machine gun flashes flashed from the deck of a German destroyer as they approached the two sinking ships.

The destroyer’s function was clearly visible in the flames of the sinking ship.

– Aww!

And a huge shock that could not be dealt with by building hit the ship. A 16-inch shell that struck precisely on the deck of the destroyer blew up some compartments without a trace. I saw the mast toppling over to where the machine gun was fired and crushing it.

“Admiral Spruance! Captain! No one!”

Somewhere in the distance, a voice could be heard from beyond the tunnel.

“here! Here are the survivors!”

That was his last memory.

***

Dawn began to appear beyond the horizon, and the damage to both sides became clearer.

“You’re still holding on, you tough.”

The results of the melee that began last night as cruisers and destroyers charged the darkness with their shields were clearly visible.

There were only nine battleships left in both sides.

US Navy battleships Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina. vermouth. Russian Navy battleship Sinov.

Royal Navy battleships Nelson, Rodney, Thunderer, German Navy Friedrich der Grosse.

Then, as smoke rose from beyond, battlecruisers appeared.

US Navy battlecruisers Puerto Rico, Kiersage, Constellation.

“Looks like Spruance had a lot of trouble last night.”

Fletcher smiled, but his eyes were not.

He himself had to get on the lifeboat once at night, but the devastation of the battlecruisers was like breaking through hell.

It was feared that Spruance would have survived, but what he had to do came first.

A battleship is a shield that fights while being beaten, and a spear that is responsible for the firepower of the fleet. Even if it was like that, he could maneuver and fire a gun.

Realizing that they were outnumbered and under attack from both sides, the British fleet began to close the distance.

“Fire at 25,000.”

“Yes!”

When battlecruisers join in, they can’t even escape. Rather, the attitude of reducing the enemy’s battleships by any means before the battlecruisers get close enough is a good thing.

Even if it’s just the last effort.

Nelson’s 18-inch cannon spit fire. The lightweight high-speed gun, a common feature of British Navy battleships, is inferior to the US Navy’s 16-inch SHS in terms of performance at long distances.

Of course, although the SHS is an out-of-standard shell that gives a similar power to a 16-inch standard 18-inch bullet, the general consensus is that the long-range accuracy and destructive power of British Navy battleships due to this wrong concept is disastrous.

In response to the shells that deviated in the distance, five battleships focus their shells at once. The shells that flew towards Nelson set up a column of water, but they didn’t hit it right.

‘After all, the crew’s skills have deteriorated because of the fight all night long.’

By now, the surviving ships of the aircraft carriers must have been flying their aircraft to end each other, so they were afraid to ask for support from the aircraft carriers, but since they started to face each other head-on, they threaten their allies as well.

It’s just a matter of putting the superiority of the number of guns ahead of it!

At that moment, the British battleships, which they thought were already the limit, increased their speed, approached in an instant, and began to fire rapidly.

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Minnesota and North Carolina were heavily bombarded. One of the shells that hit North Carolina, which was stopped by both Nelson and Rodney, who risked being torn to pieces by the concentrated artillery fire, pierced the turret barbet and ignited the ammunition depot.

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Minnesota unfortunately had a bridge destroyed by the first hit and its stature was damaged. Minnesota, who left the line with smoke, almost rushed into the arms of the British Navy, and was hit by salvos from Thunderer and Friedrich der Grosche. drifted and began to burn.

In return, Nelson and Rodney were overturned and sank in heavy fire.

On the other hand, Thunderer had the same caliber as the Vermont and the main gun he was facing, but had three fewer guns.

The end came to Thunder, who resisted only with the superior proficiency of the Royal Navy. A single 18-inch shell blew up the bridge, and the repair team had already been wiped out, and the fire was spreading without any countermeasures.

Now anyone could see the limit.

However, as if he could still fight, the Thunderer’s nine main guns were aimed at one goal.

A final volley was fired on Vermont, and sparks rose from Vermont.

An 18-inch shell that hit the bridge annihilated the Vermont captain and commander, and another shot hit the Vermont engine room.

And the last shot went through the turret and detonated the shells in the inking machine, and the fire caused by this was annihilated at the beginning of the explosion and spread to the ammunition depot.

Vermont came to an end as it spewed flames in all directions like a fish that swallowed firecrackers.

Thunderer followed immediately after him. The cannons of Montana and Sinoff opened in unison, and completely defenseless, the cannonball-covered Thunder detonated the whale-like hull into five pieces.

There were no survivors.

“Friedrich der Grosche, retreat!”

“Tell the battlecruiser squadron to pursue them.”

Now they have Friedrich der Grosche at their crossroads. Was it because the engine room was damaged from fighting all night, or was the battle shorter than he felt?

On the Montana bridge, Admiral Fletcher staggered into his seat. I wanted to fall asleep like this.

However, not all naval battles were over yet.

While fleeing, Friedrich der Grosche was attacked by three battlecruisers and was eventually sunk. After an air battle between two Russian aircraft carriers and three remaining aircraft carriers of the British and German Combined Fleet, Russian torpedo bombers took over Potsdam. However, the other two ships were allowed to escape and the battle ended.

The US-Russian fleet achieved a strategic victory in this battle. Reinforcement attempts to the Canadian forces were blocked at the source, and among the main battleships of the Royal Navy and the German Ocean Fleet, not a single battleship and battlecruiser survived, and the only survivors, the Gneisenau and the Fourmi Double, had to dock at the dock for at least several months. .

Innumerable cruisers and destroyers were also sunk, and in effect, the two naval forces’ deep-sea operational capabilities were virtually castrated.

Of course, the damage to the US and Russian naval forces was also huge. The Russian Navy immediately lost four Izmail-class battleships, all of the battleships that took part in this naval battle, except for the Sinov, and two aircraft carriers. had to live in

The damage to the U.S. Navy was also huge, with the exception of Montena, Puerto Rico, Kiersarge, and Constalation, where six Ohio-class ships under construction and two under construction at Pearl Harbor were wounded and kept in docks on the mainland for quite some time. It was driven to the point where there were no available battleships except for the two ships of Honolulu.

Fortunately, the four Yorktown-class aircraft carriers are in good condition.

Except for the British and German fleets, Russia only needs to deal with the Italian navy, which is controlled by the Yugoslav fleet, and the Dutch navy, which has only four dreadnought-class and three battlecruisers, but the United States will have to face the Japanese navy again. Considering this, it can be seen that the United States, which has to pour its power into the Pacific, has become more urgent.

After the Battle of the Atlantic Fleet, the war situation entered a completely new phase.