Iron Germany

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

At 2:25 in the afternoon, during this round of test firing of the battlecruiser "Moltke", a 343mm artillery shell exploded on the sea surface on the right side of the battlecruiser "Lion", forming a straddle first.

In an instant, everyone on the battlecruiser 'Lion' was dead silent. These proud Royal Navy officers and soldiers did not seem to expect that the German Navy would form a straddle shot before them. You know, once a straddle is formed, it means that the opponent's warship has been covered in one's own shooting. Next, you can focus on shooting. As for when to hit the opponent's battleship, it depends on luck.

"Bastard!" Lieutenant General David Betty couldn't help cursing secretly.

"Order all the artillery positions and continue to fire. The Germans took the lead in straddling, which doesn't mean anything at all. As long as we are not sunk, we still have a chance." Lieutenant General David Beatty ordered.

Obviously, their morale has been hit to a certain extent.

"Send a telegram to the 'Princess Royal' and the 'Queen Mary' to tell them to come as soon as possible." Lieutenant General David Beatty ordered. He also felt that something was wrong. The German navy seems to be more ferocious than he imagined! If this continues, they may be the ones who will be defeated. Once defeated, not only will the Royal Navy lose a warship, but at the same time, his own career will be greatly affected. Lieutenant General David Beatty, I don't want that to happen.

"Yes, General." The staff officer immediately went to send a telegram.

On the other side, the German sailors on the battlecruiser "Moltke" have already begun to cheer. The formation of a straddle shot means that they are one step closer to hitting the target. Of course, this also shows that they are one step closer to winning.

"Order all artillery positions, concentrate firepower, and shoot at full speed. Try to sink the British battlecruiser within half an hour, and end the battle!" Lieutenant General Spee excitedly issued an order. If a battlecruiser of the British Navy can be sunk at the beginning of the war, it will be a huge victory for the German Navy.

"Yes, General."

The three triple-mounted 50-caliber 343mm main guns of the battlecruiser "Moltke" immediately began a violent shelling. Each round of salvo was extremely violent, nine heavy armor-piercing shells slammed into the battlecruiser 'Lion' fiercely. These armor-piercing projectiles are very powerful, and as long as one hits, it is enough for the battlecruiser 'Lion' to drink a pot.

The situation on the battlefield suddenly became very favorable for the battlecruiser 'Moltke', and the battlecruiser 'Lion' seemed to be suppressed.

However, even so, the shelling of the battlecruiser "Lion" continued. The quality of the officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy is indeed the best in the world.

Even the German Navy cannot compare with it. The main reason why the battlecruiser 'Moltke' was able to gain an advantage in battle was better hardware. In addition to superior defense and firepower to the battlecruiser "Lion", the battleship "Moltke" is also better than the battlecruiser "Lion" in other aspects such as sighting equipment and ranging equipment.

When Qin Tian designed the capital ship of the German Navy, he used a word specifically, that is, the fire control system. Although there is no electronic computer in this era, it is still possible to form a crude primary fire control system by improving and integrating existing ranging and targeting equipment. Although such a fire control system is far from being comparable to those of later generations, it is undoubtedly far ahead of this era. Otherwise, it would be too difficult to gain an advantage when the quality of officers and soldiers is not as good as that of the Royal Navy.

Judging from the performance on the battlefield, the German Navy's fire control system is still very effective.

At 2:30, the battlecruiser "Lion" of the British Navy finally formed a straddle. The quality of the Royal Navy is indeed not covered.

"Long live! The Royal Navy is the strongest!" Lieutenant General David Beatty couldn't help cheering.

The other sailors also started cheering. For a moment, the previous negative emotions seemed to disappear all at once.

"Focus on fire and sink the German battleship!" David Beatty ordered.

The four double-mounted 45-caliber 343mm main guns of the battlecruiser "Lion" started a salvo. 8 main guns, struggling to smash the shells one by one towards the battlecruiser 'Moltke'. This also made this battle even more tragic.

"Boom! Boom!"

Three minutes later, the British Navy seemed to have better luck. During this round of salvo, a 343mm artillery shell hit the starboard side of the battlecruiser "Moltke". A 150mm secondary gun was directly blown away, and several navy sailors were torn to pieces. At the same time, the explosion also caused a raging fire.

However, for a huge warship with a displacement of nearly 30,000 tons, such injuries are nothing at all.

The damage control personnel on the battlecruiser "Moltke" immediately carried out damage control. The three main turrets are also fighting back.

"Good job! Keep up the good work and sink the German battleship." Lieutenant General David Betty smiled all over his face. It seemed that he had already seen the goddess of victory lifted her skirt towards him.

However, Lieutenant General David Betty seemed to be happy too early. Two minutes later, he couldn't smile anymore, and the smile on his face disappeared completely, replaced by frost all over his face.

The battlecruiser "Moltke" also scored a hit in the subsequent round of salvo. A 343mm main gun hit the No. 4 main turret on the rear deck.

The weak 229 mm thick armor is so fragile in front of the heavy 343 mm shells. It was as if a sharp knife had cut the tofu, and it was easily cut.

"boom!"

The shell exploded and the entire No. 4 turret was blown away. Fortunately, the fire door was closed at that moment, and there were no shells or bullets in the gun bore, which did not cause a martyrdom explosion. Otherwise, this shell alone would be enough to make the battlecruiser 'Lion' pay a heavy price.

Of course, even now, the situation of the battlecruiser 'Lion' is not very good. Originally, the battlecruiser 'Lion' lacked one main gun compared to the battlecruiser 'Moltke'. After losing a main turret, there are only six main guns left, which are only equivalent to two-thirds of the battlecruiser "Moltke". In the next battle, the situation will be even more unfavorable for the battlecruiser 'Lion'.