Long live Joachim

Chapter 185: The Flash of Marshall (Part 2) The first enemy ship has an azimuth of 036 and a distance of 13100; the second enemy ship has an azimuth of 033 and a distance of 13600; the third enemy ship has an azimuth of 032 and a distance of 14400; and the fourth enemy ship has an azimuth of 030 and a distance of 15000 A series of ranging data were transmitted from the shooting command room of the USS Wyoming. After the previous shelling and facing the approaching strong enemy, the atmosphere on this American battleship became even more solemn. No one could be seen walking on the deck, and the sailors fully equipped on the outdoor gun positions were all on high alert, especially on the starboard side of the battleship. The officers held binoculars and couldn't help but watch the distant sea surface. Their heavy expressions made ordinary sailors extremely nervous. Even the sailors on battleships are like this. On those cargo ships that are at most lightly armed and have negligible defense, the crew members have obviously put their lives on a big gambling table that is completely beyond their control, allowing the jump of fate to constantly jump between many squares. No one knows which square it will ultimately stay in - life or death. Not long after, the two leading Allied warships opened fire again. On the pouring sea, red and yellow flames accompanied by clusters of black smoke suddenly appeared on the starboard side of the dark gray front line. The time left for the American and British officers and soldiers to prepare was very short. Just a few seconds later, the terrifying shell roared and the deafening explosion instantly hit people's eardrums. Several shells landed near the port side of the Wyoming, while others landed outside the starboard side. The American officers standing in the command room were immediately shocked: the enemy's first salvo after firing again had resulted in a strafe! In the era before missiles, the most important factor in fleet artillery warfare, apart from the power of shells, was shooting accuracy. Due to the relatively long distance between the two sides' ships and the impact of wind and waves on the stability of the ship's hull, the difficulty of aiming naval guns was often much greater than that of land-based artillery warfare. Active combat ships are usually equipped with 6 or more main guns, and when they fire in unison, the impact points of each shell do not overlap, but are evenly dispersed in a certain area, which is called scattering. When the scattering area can cover all or most of the target ship, it means that the enemy ship is shrouded in our own firepower range, which forms a cross fire. Turn right 10 degrees and move forward at full speed Under the command of Harold Stark, the clumsy elephant accelerated its turn and let out a deafening roar, attempting to protect the weak and powerless sheep around it through its own efforts. In the command room protected by heavy armor, many officers turned around and faced the starboard front. Under their gaze, the shells fired by the Wyoming stirred up tall water columns on the distant sea surface with enormous inertia. From some angles, the German fleet seemed to be wiped away in an instant, but the crew in other positions were in great pain because they saw that their shells did not even touch the fur of the German warship - compared to the precise shelling of the Germans, the performance of the main gunners of the Wyoming battleship was regrettable. Just when people thought there would be a one-sided situation on the battlefield, God extended his magical hand. Although the first round of firing by the two German war cruisers achieved excellent impact points, the shells were always just a tiny fraction of the target. The American battleship, with its huge body, struggled tenaciously between waves and water columns. Its slow speed and being in the midst of the entire fleet made it appear very clumsy in tactical maneuvering, but every counterattack still made the Germans tremble with fear. When the US warship approached our own warship, the "Deutschland" issued the order to "move with me". The two high-speed German battlecruisers followed the routine of multiple rehearsals and turned sharply to the right. When the next wave of shells from the US battleship fell, they left the American shells far behind. Ringing bells The alarm bell rang before the main cannon fired, and William Marshall and his crew stood quietly in the best observation position with heavy armor protection on the "Deflinger", watching wave after wave of shells cross tens of thousands of meters to ravage the helpless American and British merchant ships - it seemed pitiful, but it was they who transported thousands of tons of combat supplies and thousands of combat troops to the Azores that allowed this fierce and brutal struggle to continue. The target is on fire! "This sentence almost jumped out of several people at the same time, and William Marshall, standing in the front position, naturally saw the bright color on the distant sea surface at the first time. In the next few seconds, no one in the command room spoke, but when another almost equally bright light jumped up on the distant sea surface, someone couldn't help but shout, "Great! We hit the target again In the time of a cigarette, two German war cruisers fired several rounds of salvo at the fastest speed. The heavy explosions caused by the shells hitting the steel hull continued to transform into fireballs illuminating the night sky. Reports from the shooting observation room also confirmed the situation of the target being hit and catching fire. Its speed significantly decreased, and the frequent turns and evasion it used to have no longer existed. The German officers on board were very excited about such a report, and optimism quickly spread, as if people had already seen the sinking of the Wyoming with their own eyes. However, after 5, 10, and even a quarter of an hour, the orange flames of artillery fire from the American warship could still be seen visually. The 12 inch naval guns on the "Derfflinger" continued to fire shells at a rate of three times every two minutes. With the calibration of the firing elements and the slowing down of the opponent's speed, almost every salvo hit the opponent, and the fire produced by the explosion kept rising and extinguishing. Our opponent is even more tenacious than expected, "William Marshall said in the command room of the" Devlinger "without any sense of frustration. On the contrary, a strange confidence flashed in his calm gaze. After calmly examining the entire battlefield, he turned to Colonel Andrek and asked, "Do you know how the Mongolian cavalry defeated the heavily armored cavalry The colonel hesitated for a moment, then replied with a radiant expression, "I understand, sir Marshall nodded and commanded the fleet to adjust its course, heading towards the rear of the American and British escort fleet at a high speed of over 26 knots. On the battlefield, time means life and death, and German communication officers quickly conveyed orders from the bridge, including using signal lights to communicate to their colleagues. Starting from the next round of shelling, the German fleet suddenly changed its target. The main guns of the "Deutschland" were clearly aimed at different targets, and the target of the "L ü tzow" was also shifted from British battleships to those cargo ships. So in the following minutes, the massive American and British fleets were constantly hit, with explosions echoing one after another. Smoke rose up on the sea for a moment, and some cargo ships began to scatter and flee without regard for the flagship's orders. The originally orderly formation was instantly chaotic, and two American destroyers attempted to intercept, but were quickly hit by the fierce artillery fire of the Allied fleet. Seeing the fleet suddenly fall into a desperate situation, Stark couldn't hold on anymore. He quickly commanded the "Wyoming" to turn around and narrow the distance between it and the German fleet, while also unleashing the firepower of the entire ship to bombard the leading battleship cruiser "Deutscher". However, when his shells approached the enemy again, the German fleet suddenly turned and headed in the opposite direction at high speed. The rain grew heavier and the vision became increasingly blurred. Without warning, the gunfire suddenly slid from a high point to the valley, causing a significant impact on people's eardrums and hearts. The curtain fell, and four dark painted Allied warships finally disappeared at the end of the vast sea. The disaster that the American and British sailors were deeply afraid of passed by them. Some felt relieved, while others had to lick their wounds in this terrible weather. In a brief but piercing creak, the heavy steel door was opened, and the fresh yet bitter sea breeze quickly poured into the long suppressed cabin. Faced with the still surging waves, General Stark's mood remained unsettled for a long time. He slowly walked onto the open-air bridge, and everything in his ears was so familiar. If it weren't for everything that had happened before, these sounds would have calmed him down. But now, what was presented before him was a scene that was not a disaster but rather a disaster - multiple cargo ships were damaged to varying degrees, and billowing black smoke was coming from their different shapes. Under the action of the sea breeze, these smoke particles mixed with raindrops, forming a large strange mist on this sea surface. The peculiar tactics of the Germans left him feeling at a loss, but what made him most uneasy was not just that. As long as the Germans had enough courage and determination, they could arrange a war cruiser to restrain the "Wyoming" - the sturdy armor and meticulous structure of the German warship would make it difficult for this old-fashioned dreadnought to gain an advantage in a short period of time, while the remaining three warships could break into the fleet and launch a killing spree. Its first-class firing rate and precision naval guns would become a nightmare for ordinary merchant ships. Now, Stark is faced with a bunch of tricky problems. On the one hand, several of the damaged ships appear to be unable to continue sailing on their own power, and German submarines often appear in this area. In addition, the four enemy warships may also turn back during bad weather. On the other hand, the treatment of the wounded also needs to be carried out quickly. Specific statistics have not yet been released, but rich experience tells Stark that the casualties in the fleet after such a battle are not a small number. Many sailors stationed on positions without armor protection, such as anti-aircraft guns, were injured by shrapnel on the USS Wyoming alone. The medical force on the battleship was sufficient to provide them with timely treatment, but the situation on those merchant ships may not be as optimistic. The staff officer quickly calculated the position of the fleet in conjunction with the situation of the support fleet. In fact, without looking at these numbers, Stark had already thought that the next night would be another test for the entire fleet. As time passed, the most severely damaged cargo ship began to accelerate and sink under the turbulence of the waves. The fires on several ships seemed to have been effectively controlled, but others were clearly difficult to save. At this time, transferring personnel from merchant ships that were about to capsize or were forced to abandon became the most important task for naval officers and crew members escorting. Watching the sailors and crew struggle against the waves while desperately transferring their companions from the soon to be abandoned ships, especially those with severe injuries that can only be transferred through shaking stretchers, Stark's heart was heavy. However, it is said that years of maritime life can best exercise one's willpower and quality, and Stark was clearly one of the beneficiaries. At this time, he still believed that he and his loyal comrades around him could overcome the crisis through hard work, and this belief was crucial for the entire fleet.