As the British-German naval shipbuilding competition continues to heat up, the hostility atmosphere between the two countries is becoming increasingly intense. British Navy Minister Churchill proposed the "North Sea Cage" war strategy, that is, abandoning the traditional near-shore blockade, guarding the two maritime channels between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, cutting off Germany's maritime trade, and allowing the powerful German high seas fleet to do nothing to trap the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. To this end, the British Navy vigorously rectified its military equipment, and built a large number of new ships. The two most strategically harbors, Scapa Bay and Dover, were also built into modern naval bases during this period.

When the war broke out, the British Navy stationed Scapa Bay with the main force of the local fleet, preventing German ships from slipping into the Atlantic Ocean from the Denmark Strait and the Faroe Islands, and laying numerous defense lines in the English Channel with old-style battleships and light ships. In order to resist the possible attack by the German fleet, the British Navy laid a large number of mines in the Dover Strait in the first week of the war, blocking this important waterway with only 28 kilometers at the narrowest point.

If the ships of the Allies want to pass through this, they must be guided by the British pilot ship before they can pass safely.

In addition to mines, the British Navy also deployed a small fleet of lightning strikes, mine-branches and minesweepers in the port of Dover, and sent coastal artillery to equip the latest large-caliber fortress cannons here. With such complete defense measures, German surface ships could not easily pass through the Dover Strait.

At around 3 pm, the midsummer sun shone on the sea, and the German fleet suddenly appeared on the sea northeast of Dover.

A shrill alarm sounded at the British coastal fortresses and military ports. This time it was a real battle.

Soon, four khaki land-based aircraft flew over Dover's iconic white cliff walls, with pure numeral numbers and flag logos indicating that they came from the Royal Flying Team of the British Army. These biplanes are well-proportioned, strong structures, smooth flight, and a two-seat layout. The rear-seat pilots have a good view. They are b-e-2 school-firing aircraft equipped for the British artillery units, designed and produced by the Royal Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. By the time the war broke out, they were equipped with a total of 22 aircraft, making them the most serviced aircraft in the British *.

Since London was attacked by German aircraft, the British side realized that pistols and rifles were obviously not suitable for air combat needs, so they decisively installed machine guns and bombs on their planes. However, the Maxim water-cooled heavy machine gun was too bulky, and the Belgian Weapons, which produced Lewis light machine guns, moved in a hurry due to the German invasion. The British had to ask for a batch of Hatchcais 1909 light machine guns from French allies that were close to the Maderson light machine gun.

In the Dover Sea, this group of British reconnaissance school-fired aircraft faced not only a German fleet with certain air defense capabilities, but also had to deal with two water reconnaissance aircraft piloted by experienced German pilots. However, the British pilots did not rely on their numerical advantage to rush forward to compete with the other party. They knew very well that exploring the enemy situation was the most important task at the moment, and two aircraft were equipped with naval officers rather than special observers and machine gunners. They decisively avoided the entanglement of German water reconnaissance aircraft.

Flying close to the German fleet to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance. During the reconnaissance, a British aircraft was finally shot down by the German fleet's artillery fire, and the other was injured and carried out an emergency landing. Despite the unexpected losses, the remaining two aircraft still sent a valuable reconnaissance report back to the ground command: the raiding German fleet consists of 4 battlecruisers, 4 light cruisers and 14 large torpedo boats, and the battlecruisers are one Seedlitz class, two Moltke class, and one Blüch class.

Before the Royal Flight Team's reconnaissance report was sent to the Navy Staff, the lightning strike ships in the Dover Strait had been ordered to attack three destroyers, seven medium-sized torpedo boats and 47 high-speed torpedo boats resolutely sailed out of the port.

The heavy shore artillery could not wait to open fire. The first round of artillery fire fell on the sea thousands of meters ahead of the German fleet, warning the Germans: One step further is the British's iron fist!

As if afraid of the British team's shore artillery, the majestic German fleet began to turn. However, a few minutes later, they were adjusted from a double column to an unstandard fish scale formation, and each ship was facing the high-speed British lightning strike group at starboard.

The German fleet was as quiet as the rumbling sound of British shore artillery. It was not until the British lightning strike fleet group entered the effective range that four battlecruisers were the first to emit a magnificent sound of artillery. Dozens of shells exploded during the flight, hundreds of shotguns fell like raindrops, with a large range, easily covering the location of the British lightning strike fleet. Such a dense attack method seemed very terrifying. After all, starting from the Germans' design of the first high-speed torpedo boat, in order to ensure the speed of the sprint, these "dangerous assassins" were often designed to be very light, and most of them could not even resist the invasion of bullets. A fist-sized shotgun was enough to destroy their boats.

In comparison, destroyers and medium-sized torpedo boats have less resistance to shruff shells, and a few of them will not cause fatal damage to them. However, the German fleet's fire interception is not only shruff shells. Four battlecruisers are given the ability to deal with various scenes on the design drawing board. The 150mm medium-caliber secondary guns are placed in the secondary turret in a dual-unit. The gunners are fully protected, which is conducive to improving the rate of fire and accuracy. The 88mm single-mounted secondary guns are largely arranged on the upper deck of the ship's side, and they win by numbers and can form dense barrage at mid- and close range; the 37mm machine guns are not only a powerful weapon for short-range defense, but also used for air defense shooting. They are placed in spare positions everywhere, making the ships above German cruisers give people the impression of being full of gun barrels and powerful military equipment.

Four battlecruisers took the lead, and the four light cruisers built after 1910 were not vague. Their ship-type structure is equivalent to a reduced version of the battle patrol. The main gun is fierce, the secondary gun is sharp, and it has strong maneuverability. It is suitable for carrying out various types of combat missions. It is also low in construction costs and shorter periods, and is a very cost-effective ship. Unfortunately, in the ten years before the war, the German Navy not only needed to concentrate its efforts to build the main ships, but also needed to simultaneously develop light surface ships, submarines and aviation forces. There were only 12 light cruisers in service. Therefore, the commanders of the German fleet must use these superior ships very efficiently.

In less than a cigarette, the group of British torpedo boats with extremely fast speed rushed from a distance to the German fleet, and the battle between the two sides quickly entered a white-hot stage. British torpedo boats were constantly hit by artillery fire on the sea. They were not like conventional ships. After being shot, there was also the opportunity to repair the damaged tube or abandon the ship to escape. An ordinary machine shell could kill it in an instant, let alone a larger caliber rapid-fire cannon. The four battle patrols of the German fleet have lowered the muzzle of the main gun to a descent angle.

They were still firing shrapnel flares calmly. If they didn't have time to shoot out during the flight, these guys would explode in the water, and most of the shotguns would lose their function, but some of them directly penetrated the bottom of the torpedo boat from bottom to top, and the same attack was fatal. If they burst close to the sea, the next scene would be strange and terrifying. Fist-sized shotguns jumped forward on the sea surface with extremely high speed, and ships in such a large fan-shaped area could not escape the fate of being damaged.

Rising the danger of losing their lives at any time, British naval crews drove their high-speed torpedo boats through the dense firepower net of the German fleet. There were only three squadrons in front that could reach the range of the torpedo. One of them was hit by oncoming shells before they could shoot out, and immediately turned into pieces in a dazzling explosion. Less than five hundred meters ahead of it, the German large torpedo boat blocked the right side of the battle cruiser. Its chimney was not even as high as the deck of the battle patrol, but with fearless spirit, it built the final line of defense for the main force of the fleet. Every officer and soldier who participated in the battle was using his life to prove his courage.

At this time, for both sides of the war, life and death are only between the front lines.

After rushing within five hundred meters, two British warships decisively projected torpedoes. Two scary white water marks appeared on the sea surface. They were facing an open sea surface, but a battle cruiser of the German fleet was heading there. The watchman on the ship found the tail of the torpedo and immediately issued a warning of evasion. The huge warship suddenly turned at a speed of nearly 25 knots, but there was no panic on the ship. All the guns were still firing in an orderly manner. The officers on the bridge continued to stay on the open-air observation deck and commanded the battle calmly.

The two torpedoes finally rushed past the sea 20 or 30 meters away on the side of the German warship, which looked very different, but if the German warship turned the rudder a few seconds later, the result would be completely different.

A few seconds later, another group of British torpedo boats arrived. The companions in front of him used to force a German battle patrol to turn with all their might. The German fleet's originally tight firepower net suddenly appeared. A crew member with excellent insight and a keen sense of smell accurately found this weak position. The potential of the ace was ignited at this moment and rushed straight over, and he rushed to a position less than two hundred meters away from a German battle patrol without any damage.

The battle patrol in front of him is the flagship of the German reconnaissance fleet, and Hippel personally took charge of the "Moltke".

The torpedo enters the water, leaving only ten seconds for the Moltke to escape urgently.

The watchman issued a warning immediately, and the officer issued an order immediately. The helmsman turned the steering wheel without hesitation, but none of this was enough to allow the Moltke to avoid the opponent's fatal blow.

With a loud bang, the steel body of the battle cruiser, as strong as a hill, trembled slightly.
Chapter completed!