"Is it possible that the German fleet is in our northwest?"

On the armored cruiser "Berwick", British Rear Admiral Archibald Moore held the telegram just sent by the correspondents and his eyes were on the open sea in the northwest, where there was nothing but gloomy clouds and rolling waves.

In front of the Berwick, the light cruiser Aurora lined up in a long single column with 12 destroyers. They were turning northeast as planned to meet with the main force of the British local fleet. Behind the Berwick, another armored cruiser "Sartreger River" and the light cruiser "Agail", and the Crossburger "Crosburg" were following closely.

There are two waterways in the middle of the Faroe Islands, one is east of the East Island, Boroy and Carls Island on the other side, the other is west of the East Island, and Streamer Island on the other side. Most ships of the British local fleet travel through the waterway east of the East Island, which is also called the "Central Strait" of the Faroe Islands. The 17 cruisers and destroyers in Moore's sight are, to be precise, the 2nd cruiser squadron and 11th destroyer of the British local fleet, travel through the waterway west of the East Island. The reason why the British fleet made such a deployment was mainly because the Fleet Chief of Staff investigated

Ers-Madden was worried that all ships would pass through the central strait, which was less than two kilometers at the narrowest point. Once unexpected situations occur, such as the German fleet was on guard at the northern end of the waterway, the British fleet's situation would become very bad. Therefore, Madden proposed that some cruisers and destroyers pass through the Faroe Islands through the waterway between East Island and Stramer Island. With the British fleet's position at that time, the voyages of these two waterways were similar, and the widest part of the East Island was only about ten kilometers. The ships assigned to it could quickly meet with the main fleet after passing through the waterway.

Although the Faroe Islands have always been the territory of Nordic countries, the British Navy is very familiar with the geography and hydrology here, which is also a major advantage for them to fight against the German fleet. For tactical considerations, the British 2nd Cruise Squadron and 11th Destroyer Fleet quickly increased their navigation speed to 20 knots after leaving the main force of the local fleet, so that they would pass through the Faroe Islands before the main fleet. After the German aircraft appeared, Jackson ordered the fleet to advance at full speed. Betty's battlecruiser detachment stubbornly overcame the resistance brought by wind, waves and sea currents, and ran a high speed of 24 knots in the second half of the voyage, which was one step faster than the armored cruiser of the 2nd Cruise Squadron.

According to Lieutenant General Maden's deployment, the 2nd Cruiser Squadron and 11th Destroyer Fleet should sail east as soon as possible after crossing the waterway without any special circumstances in order to join the combat queue of the local fleet. The worst "special situation" is obviously that the British local fleet was forced to exchange fire with the German fleet before it reopened its combat formation. This concern did not become a reality. However, the flagship "Iron Duke" was injured by a German carrier-based bomber. Such "special situation" made the British feel deeply bleak.

After thinking for a while, Moore ordered the communications troops to send light signals to the Aurora, asking it to send reconnaissance planes to conduct air reconnaissance in the northwest waters, and dispatched four destroyers to conduct a warning search in that direction.

The light cruiser Aurora is the command ship of the 11th Destroyer Fleet. It is also one of the first combat ships to install mechanical catapults and carry Schott seaplanes. This important technical modification began in early October. Due to the lack of material and equipment, the British Navy only modified one old battleship, one armored cruiser, four light cruisers and four protective cruisers. Judging from the training situation, the single-shot single-wing single-seat Schott seaplane can basically meet the reconnaissance, alert, and accelerating tasks, but it also has problems such as short range, no air self-defense capabilities, and failure to carry radio equipment. The actual combat effectiveness is difficult to compare with the German Navy's Junker-3c.

Received the signal from the "Berwick", the "Aurora" quickly ejected and took off the reconnaissance aircraft it carried. The strong sea breeze made the thin Schott seaplane sway left and right. It seemed that it could break out of control at any time, but it persisted tenaciously, climbed up to a certain height, and then flew towards the northwest against the resistance of the sea breeze.

At this time, Major General Moore obtained confirmation from his correspondents that the secret electronics sent from the flagship "Iron Duke" were translated into this content, and there was no error in the transmission process.

"How could it be in the northwest of us?" Murwu muttered, "Didn't the German plane come from the north?"

On the Shorty reconnaissance plane that took off from the Aurora, British pilot John Jonas did not have such entanglement as Moore. What he was most worried about was not where the Germans were, but whether he could return to the Aurora safely. The northern waters were already windy and harsh, and it would be even worse when encountering bad weather. The ships could be hard and the seaplanes were so fragile. As long as the waves were more than one meter high, they could overturn or even disintegrate when landing on the sea surface. The waves are at least three or four meters at present, and the landing time is almost a foregone conclusion. It is time to thank God to avoid death.

With a nervous mood, Jonas flew towards the northwest. The engine's output power had reached an extreme value, but the reading on the speed meter was only 45 miles per hour, equivalent to a speed of 74 kilometers per hour. You should know that this lightweight Schott aircraft can fly 69 miles per hour in windless state. With sufficient fuel, it can completely avoid the pursuit of the Juncker-3c with its speed.

The speed of 45 miles is equivalent to 40 knots, which means that the speed of the Schott aircraft is no faster than the speed of the destroyer's sprint. Jonas, sitting in the open cockpit, was watching the sea while thinking about how to land to ensure its own safety to the greatest extent possible. Standing in the northeastern East Island, the Slatala Mountain is a natural barrier, making several fjords located in the northwest of the East Island calm and quiet. Going there is obviously much safer than landing on the open sea. But the biggest problem is that the Faroe Islands are neutral. According to the terms of the Geneva Convention, unless he is directly taken away by British ships after landing, he will be detained and guarded by the authorities whether in the water or on the shore until the end of the war.

Because it is in a headwind state, the fuel consumption on the plane is much faster than normal, which can be clearly seen from the descent rate of the oil meter pointer. Considering that the return flight will be flying downwind, the British pilot did not turn until less than two-fifths of the fuel. According to his estimate, when landing in the fjord in the north of the East Island, there are not a few drops of gasoline left in the tank, he can also justify the reason for using the fuel exhaustion and forced landing to deal with the funeral.

Just as the plane turned around, Jonas suddenly discovered that the compass' pointer was rotating randomly. The compass' own fault or magnetic field abnormality could cause this situation. Even if a pilot with a very experienced person fails in bad weather, if there is no obvious reference nearby, he might be walking in the maze. Thinking of the consequences of the fuel exhaustion in the vast ocean, a chill suddenly arose behind him. There is no other way at the moment, so that even if it is not the south direction, there will be no fundamental deviation. The speedometer reading has increased to 76 miles per hour, and the decline of the oil meter reading has slowed down a lot, which slightly soothes the British pilot's mood. However, as time goes by, his sight still remains unchanged. His expression becomes very anxious, and his lower lip is unknowingly bleeded by his teeth...

As time passed, the oil in the aircraft fuel tank was about to bottom out, and Jonas's eyes were already showing a look of despair. At this moment, he suddenly saw the smoke pillar on the chaotic sea and felt excited. The traces of the ship soon appeared in front. After the flight altitude decreased, he began to vaguely realize that something was wrong. The British warships were always painted in lead-gray, and the dreadnought and battlecruisers used tall and eye-catching triangular masts, but the tones of the ships in front looked lighter, and the towering masts seemed to be single-post shape.

Damn…German Fleet!

When Jonas saw two large warships equipped with triple turrets on the sea, his mood finally fell to freezing point.

Where is this? How did the German fleet be here?

A huge question mark appeared in the mind of the British pilot, but the biggest question he faced now was where his destiny would go!

The oil meter answered the answer that the compass could not provide. The Short reconnaissance aircraft, which looked completely different from the German seaplane, quickly landed at a height lower than the mast of the warship. Jonas turned his head and could see the German warship pointing at his muzzle, but he was focusing on the plane, because the rolling waves were now far more terrifying than the German naval guns.

As he was worried, the buoy-type seaplane could not withstand the impact of the big waves. As soon as the buoy hit the sea, the surge of waves hit it like an iron fist. The plane suddenly lost its balance and fell into the sea sideways, causing a splash of water more than 20 meters high.

At the moment he fell to the sea, Jonas's consciousness was blurred due to the huge impact, but the strong survival* made him wake up immediately. At this time, he had left the open cabin, his plush leather jacket was sucked in water, dragging him to the depths of the sea. He quickly paddled with his hands and feet, finally getting rid of the pull of gravity, and returning to the sea before suffocating.
Chapter completed!