The Rise of the Third Reich

"Sir, the enemy battleship is firing at our ship!"

The air inside the Veneto battleship also solidified. The Americans actually pressed the right treasure and found the flagship of Rear Admiral Hufumeier as soon as they came up!

This is not an era before fire control radars existed. At that time, at a distance of 20,000 kilometers and at night, it was difficult for the battleships to hit each other even if seaplanes dropped flares. Now with the help of fire control radar, even if there are three or five rounds of salvo fire at this distance, there will be a cross-fire, and there will definitely be a hit within ten rounds...

"What's the distance now?" Major General Hufmeier took a breath and asked loudly.

"27,300 meters!"

A little further away, it is theoretically difficult to penetrate the Soviet-class armor, but there is also intelligence that shows that the Soviet-class cut corners during the construction process, using case-hardened steel instead of high-strength carburized steel. If this information is true, then at 27.3 kilometers, the Veneto-class 381mm cannon is enough to penetrate the Soviet-class main armor belt.

"Fire!" Major General Hufmeier no longer waited, "Concentrate your firepower and hit hard!"

"Yes!" the gunnery officer responded loudly, then picked up the phone and gave the order to fire.

Because of the emergence of the radar fire control system, ranging and aiming have become very easy. Just before Major General Hufomeier issued the firing order, the ranging work had been completed long ago. Now as the firing order is issued, the 18 381mm cannons on the bows of the three Veneto-class ships on the sea also start roaring at the same time!

"Boom!"

Amidst the flickering gunfire, more than a dozen water jets appeared on the sea surface 27 kilometers away! Because of the long distance and the speed at which the three Veneto-class ships fired, none of the 18 shells hit, but the impact point of the shells was not too far from the Ukraine.

The fire control radars on the three Veneto-class ships quickly captured the rising water droplets. At the same time, the three Ar196 seaplanes that had already flown over the Ukraine also dropped flares, shrouding the Ukraine battleship in a bright white light. among.

Major General Hufmeier had just raised the telescope to take a closer look, when a series of flashes of fire flashed through the eyepiece. This is the second round of salvo fired by the Ukraine!

When he thought of nine powerful 406mm artillery shells flying towards his head, even Hufumeier, who had participated in two world wars, couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.

A decisive battle between battleships is definitely the most nerve-racking thing for a warrior, especially since the cannons on both sides are sharp enough to destroy the other's battleship armor!

If we must look for similar situations in the history of war, only the "queuing to kill" of line infantry can be compared.

The shell landed dozens of meters behind the Veneto, which was much more accurate than the first salvo just now.

Apparently, straddle-shooting is coming soon.

Just as he thought of this, the Veneto battleship trembled violently again, followed by loud noises and fire. The three Veneto-class battleships also fired their second salvo!

Now it depends on who can hit first? I hope God can stand behind Germany! Major General Hufumeier secretly prayed to God in his heart.

"Straddle shot!"

God did not seem to hear Major General Hufmeier's prayer. In just the third salvo, 406mm shells fell around the Veneto battleship.

"Damn it!" Hufumeier cursed in his heart, and he hit the target after crossing over!

"Avoid!" Hufumeier immediately ordered.

He knew that it was only a matter of time before his battleship was hit, and the American battleship also had no chance of running away, and another three or four rounds would definitely be hit. Now it depends on whether the Veneto can hold on?

So Hufermeier decided to let his battleship use S-shaped evasion to delay time. Of course, evasive actions will affect the Veneto's shooting accuracy, but the Vittorio and the Imperial are also equipped with the most advanced radar fire control systems and can observe and sight on their own.

"Sir, the target is evading..."

Inside the Ukraine, before the gunnery officer's voice fell, more than a dozen water jets appeared around the battleship.

The German also hit a cross shot!

"Damn it!" Rear Admiral Chandler also broke out in cold sweat on his forehead, but he had no way to avoid it because he only had one battleship. If he ran an S-shaped route on the sea, the aiming of the main gun would be affected. But he is not particularly worried, because the Soviet Union has strong defenses!

"distance?"

"27,000 yards!"

Upon hearing the navigator's report, Major General Chandler's heart beat rapidly. At this distance, it was difficult for the Soviet-class waterline armor to withstand the Veneto-class 381mm artillery shells.

But...it shouldn't be a big problem. Chandler knew that the thickest armor of the Soviet-class main gun ammunition depot and command tower exceeded 380mm, reaching 420mm and 425mm respectively. In addition, there are several armored partitions with a thickness of 180-365mm inside the hull!

This battleship has a total armor tonnage of 23,306 tons, which is said to be the heaviest in the world!

"Keep shooting!" Chandler decided to use the Ukrainian's strong armor to fight for a way out.

Lady luck soon favored Chandler and his Ukraine. In just the sixth salvo, a 406mm shell from the Ukraine's main gun hit the No. 2 bow of the battleship Veneto. turret. At a distance of 27,000 yards (24.6 kilometers), the 380mm armor on the front of the Veneto-class main gun turret can barely reach a 406mm caliber light projectile. However, the violent impact and explosion still caused huge losses to the turret. Nearly half of the gun crew members were killed on the spot, and the remaining personnel were also unconscious with bleeding from the mouth and nose. One of the three 381mm gun barrels was broken by the explosion, leaving only a short section, and the other one was also bent upward and deformed.

This turret has lost its ability to continue fighting!

"Damn German artillery..." After discovering that the Veneto did not emit much smoke or explode after being hit, we knew that the hit shell did not cause fatal damage.

As a 406mm artillery shell can't deal with Veneto-class armor at a distance of 27,000 yards, it's really shameful. How could the Germans build such a poor cannon?

If it were replaced by American MK7 cannons and MK8 armor-piercing heavy bombs, the Veneto-class ship would have been severely damaged! Why couldn't the U.S. government export the MK7 cannon to the Soviet Union?

Just when Major General Chandler was complaining about the U.S. government and German arms, his battleship hit the Veneto again - the Soviet-class light gun layout of the large ship can improve the hit accuracy!

This time the shell penetrated the deck of the Veneto's bow, penetrated into the sailor's cabin located inside the bow, and exploded, causing a moderate fire. This was still not a fatal injury.

Neither of the two hits caused serious damage to the opponent! Major General Chandler seemed to hear Lady Luck speaking German! He shook his hands, reached into his coat pocket, took out a neat handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Just as he was about to stuff the handkerchief back, something seemed to hit the huge Ukrainian hull, and the stern of the ship suddenly shook. Pushing it to the right, the people in the command tower suddenly staggered.

Got shot!

Major General Chandler grabbed the handrail to steady his body and thought: It doesn't matter, the distance is still far away. The Veneto-class 381mm cannon will definitely not be able to damage the Ukrainian's thick armor... Although the German cannons are not good, their cannons are not good enough. Armor steel is still good.

But the desperate bad news came right away!

"Sir, the stern of the ship was hit. The armor-piercing projectile penetrated the armor belt outside the power compartment, exploded outside the boiler room, and broke an important steam pipe..."

"How is this possible!?" Major General Chandler shouted in disbelief. "The armor steel on the outside of the power cabin is 375mm thick, and it is also high-strength carburized steel forged with Krupp technology... Could it be that the Soviet Union Did people use substandard steel plates when building battleships?”

Rear Admiral Chandler has already guessed... This is probably a fake super battleship!

At about 2:20 a.m. on September 7, 1944, when a 381mm shell fired by the battleship Vittorio once again penetrated the port side main armor of the battleship Ukraine and exploded on the headquarters deck, Major General Chandler was loyal to He recognized such a cruel reality - he was commanding a fake super battleship!

Not only were the nine 406mm main guns unworthy of their name and not much stronger than the 380mm cannon, but even the armor steel, which was three to four hundred millimeters thick, was fake and was casually penetrated by the 381mm Italian cannon!

If he can return to the United States alive this time, Major General Chandler will definitely ask someone to take the thick-looking armor steel to Bass Steel Company to study it to see who is the fake and shoddy steel?

At this moment, the huge hull of the battleship Ukraine began to shake violently again!

The Ukraine was hit again!

In the command tower of the Veneto battleship, Rear Admiral Hufmeier clutched his telescope tightly and stared at the huge battleship that was beaten and burning all over 23,000 meters away. The excitement in his heart could not be suppressed.

He felt that he was favored by the goddess of victory, so he encountered a water-filled battleship on the battlefield!

"Boom!"

The battleship at the feet of Rear Admiral Hufomeier once again trembled as three 381mm cannons opened fire. After the cannons flashed, the midships of the Ukraine, 23,000 meters away, first burst into flames, and then exploded even more violently. With the help of the light from the flare, Hufmeier saw a large cloud of white gas suddenly shooting out of the hole made by the shell.

Rear Admiral Hufmeier, who was experienced on the battlefield, knew that this was a boiler room of the enemy ship that had been hit.