My Italy

The battle in the Sea of ​​Sirte is not only concerned by the countries involved, but also affects the hearts of the whole world.

Even before the exchange of fire between the two parties, all countries had set their sights on this sea area. After all, Saba's clear telegram message was so shocking, and everyone knew that a naval battle was bound to break out.

Of course, no matter what countries think about it, when the results of the naval battle came out, it still caused an uproar. Although the Allies on the British and French sides used strategic victory as a cover, from the perspective of other countries, this was a defeat. No matter how they explained it, this could not be changed.

Of course, for the navies of various countries, this naval battle that took place in the Sea of ​​Sirte was so exciting that it was enough to analyze too many things.

First of all, from an overall tactical perspective, the British Navy did not do a bad job. Battleships were secretly sent south for reinforcements, and French battleships were also joined together. This gave Britain and France the advantage in the entire tactical layout before the naval battle broke out.

Had it not been discovered off the coast of Libya, another result might have been waiting for the Italian-Austrian combined fleet. So at the tactical level, the British Navy showed its sophisticated side.

But even the best strategies and tactics require sufficient execution and a little good luck. In terms of execution, the British and French fleets actually did a good job, but their luck was a little worse.

Of course, this further demonstrates the genius command of Lieutenant General Leifer, commander of the combined fleet.

Take the combined fleet out of the harbor from the beginning so that Britain and France lose their whereabouts. Then, after discovering the British and French reinforcement fleets, they decisively moved forward to stop the British Mediterranean fleet that wanted to merge.

Among them, the huge role of airships is also fully demonstrated, although airships have shown their adaptability to various tasks on the battlefield, such as combat, transportation, reconnaissance, etc. However, naval warfare uses airships to completely control the perception of the battlefield. This is the first time that this tactic has appeared in front of everyone.

It is precisely because of the ubiquitous presence of Italian airships that every move of the British and French sides is presented to their opponents. It can be said that it is precisely because of the existence of airships that the Italians can deal with it calmly.

It was also after the Battle of Sirte that navies of various countries expanded their airship units one after another, and at the same time allowed airships to practice battlefield reconnaissance.

Of course, the revelations brought by this naval battle are not limited to airships. The two lightning strike tactics in the naval battle are also amazing, especially Leifer's use of lightning strike tactics. Heavy damage to the Mediterranean Fleet, allowing it to sink four battleships of the Mediterranean Fleet before the reinforcements arrived, and then sail away, causing the British to lose their wives and troops.

Of course, the navies of various countries have different experiences in learning this naval battle, but to say which navy is the most anxious, it has to be the German Navy.

The Admiralty in Berlin has people coming and going. As the second largest navy in the world, it is naturally extremely busy.

At this moment, a car stopped at the door of the Admiralty Building, and then three generals wearing general stars got out.

At this time, an officer immediately came forward. "Admiral Ingenohl, Lieutenant General Scheer, Major General Hipper, the Marshal is waiting for you, please come this way."

It turned out that the three people who got off the bus were the three commanders of the High Seas Fleet.

Soon the three of them were taken to Tirpitz's room.

"Good day, Marshal."

"Everybody sit down, everybody sit down."

After a brief greeting, Tirpitz looked at the three generals in charge of the German Navy in front of him.

"Our ally Italy fought a beautiful naval battle in Sirte, so His Majesty summoned me and asked about the situation of the High Seas Fleet."

Although Tirpitz said it easily, the three people present could not understand. There must be something going on when His Majesty summoned him, but no one interrupted the speech of the founder of the High Seas Fleet.

"I understand what your Majesty means. This is to exert pressure. But your Majesty does not know what a naval battle looks like. So I would like to ask the three of you, are your fleets ready?"

Why would Tirpitz ask such a question? Didn't the warships of the German High Seas Fleet have a lively fight with British warships in the North Sea?

Yes, that's right. The German Navy did have several battles with the British Navy in the North Sea, but these battles were all between small and medium-sized warships. The most intense moment is when the two parties battle the patrol formation, fire two cannons to say hello, and then cover the retreat of the destroyer and cruiser. Yes, the High Seas Fleet and the Home Fleet are so civilized, stop there.

The main reason for all this is that both parties have concerns. The Home Fleet is worried about not having enough advantages and is afraid of accidents, while the High Seas Fleet is not only because of the British reputation at sea, but also because of their own lack of thinking and insufficient pressure. .

You must know that the original intention of the creation of the High Seas Fleet was to build a fleet that the British Navy would not dare to act rashly. Although the German Navy was gradually changing its thinking after persuasion by Italy before the war started, it was not easy to change its thinking. It can be seen from the various actions of the German Navy since the beginning of the war that it still has not got rid of this kind of thinking.

As for the lack of pressure, it is very simple. Unlike in history, Germany has been in an advantage since the beginning of the war. On the land battlefield, the Western Front directly captured Paris, and the Eastern Front also defeated the Russian attack.

Although Austria-Hungary performed well as always, Italy had one more player who could share the pressure on land and sea.

It is precisely because of this that the German Navy is under less pressure.

Although there is less pressure, there are pros and cons.

First of all, it is good to have a capable ally, but if the ally is too good and you have never achieved outstanding results, then the pressure you will bear will definitely not be greater than before, let alone an emperor who has high expectations for you.

In fact, there is another problem. William II likes the navy and also vigorously develops it. Although he intends to suppress the dominant army, if the navy cannot achieve outstanding results on the battlefield, then after the war, what will happen to the German navy? manage?

Rewards based on merit are common in all countries. The German Army has established a great reputation on the battlefield. If the Navy has no achievements, why should it compete for funds in the future?

Although this may seem a bit unbelievable, this takes into account the situation after the war. But it's not impossible, it's very possible. This is not nonsense, but Tirpitz figured it out from the Kaiser's remarks and himself.

This is why he summoned the three commanders of the High Seas Fleet.

"Marshal, all officers and soldiers of our High Seas Fleet are ready."

As the head of the High Seas Fleet, Admiral Ingenoir answered.

"Very good. If that's the case, then I hope our High Seas Fleet will prepare for a good fight with the British in the next three months."

"As you command, Marshal."

Facing Tirpitz's order, what could the three people present say? Of course they could only agree.

Seeing that none of the three giants of the High Seas Fleet had any objections, Tirpitz asked at this time. "Do you have a suitable location?"

At this time Hipper, the commander of the battle patrol formation, spoke. "How about Dogger Sandbank? I lead the cruise formation to often encounter British warships here. We can completely pretend to be another attack on the British mainland and lure the British to come and fight."

Dogger Sandbank is located in the southwest of the North Sea, with an average water depth of only 13 meters. It is rich in fishery resources, and the shoal area is a traditional working area for German fishermen.

Tirpitz certainly knew its location. "This is a good location. We can make preparations before the war."

After Tirpitz agreed, the High Seas Fleet began to get busy.

The first was the investigation of this area. German small and medium-sized warships and various airships began to frequently appear in the North Sea.

The British side was wary of the Germans' frequent actions in the North Sea, and was unwilling to see the other party's unscrupulous behavior, so the North Sea was bustling for a while. Small-scale battles between the two parties occurred from time to time. Among them, several battles between airships took place over the North Sea.

The battle between airships can be more dangerous than battleships, causing death or injury, making the smoke in the North Sea even thicker.