Taranto is the largest military port in Italy and is currently the main anchorage of the Combined Fleet.
The rays of light shrouded the port, making Taranto even more charming. However, no one was enjoying the scenery at this time because a large number of warships were entering the port.
Tall and mighty warships are docking at their berths, and the sailors who have been training for several days are preparing to disembark. They are eager to find a place to have a good rest and relieve the fatigue of these days of high-intensity training.
Sailors can relieve the fatigue caused by training, but officers do not have it so easy. They need to calculate the results of this training and calculate the gains and losses, which is much harder than the sailors.
These various statistical results will eventually be summarized in the hands of Fleet Commander Lieutenant General Leifer.
On the flagship Cavour, Lieutenant General Leifer looked at the compiled reports and said to Lieutenant General Sidorol, Chief of Staff of the Fleet, "Judging from the report, the training effect is very significant."
When facing Leifer, how could Sidorol, as his chief of staff, not know the reason?
Speaking of which, Vice Admiral Sidorol did not know much about the Italian Navy before he became the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet. Although the Italian Navy has become famous in the world in recent years, for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, which lacks communication, the Italian Navy I don’t know much about the specific situation of the navy.
Therefore, Lieutenant General Sidorol wanted to measure himself and believed that the Italian Navy was only slightly stronger than his own. Not only him, but most people in the Austro-Hungarian Navy thought so, and some even thought that the Italian Navy was similar to his own. These people have always Live in victory at the Battle of Salisbury.
However, after the formation of the combined fleet, the arrogant Austro-Hungarian navy discovered that this idea was terribly wrong. Only after in-depth contact between the two parties did they realize that both parties were terribly wrong.
Austria-Hungary discovered that it had underestimated the Italians, while Italy discovered that it had overestimated the level of the Austro-Hungarian navy. Speaking of which, the reason for the poor level of the Austro-Hungarian navy was still a matter of money.
Although the Austro-Hungarian Navy was previously supported by Crown Prince Archduke Ferdinand, the Army was the dominant force in Austria-Hungary, and even the Navy was under the jurisdiction of the Army (the Austro-Hungarian Navy did not have a naval department, only a naval department under the army). How can this be financially supported????
You must know that the navy is a technical branch, so it is more dependent on funds than the army. Although the crown prince used to find funds for it, these funds are basically used to build ships, which shows that the strength of the Austro-Hungarian navy is not bad. .This also resulted in the Austro-Hungarian Navy having shorter training time and poorer technical and tactical levels.
After discovering that the level gap between the two parties was not small, Leifer immediately applied to the Navy Ministry and added a lot of training content on the grounds of improving the tacit understanding between the two parties. Of course, in private, Leifer also told Admiral Yagier the truth. reporting situation.
Out of consideration for Italy's interests, Admiral Yagier also agreed to Leifer's request to use the Italian Navy to provide funds to help the Austro-Hungarian Navy improve its technical and tactical level.
So for more than a month after the war started, the joint fleet formed by the two navies spent most of their time at sea conducting various trainings.
The large amount of high-intensity training has a remarkable effect, and the level of the officers and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian combined fleet has increased rapidly. Although they are still far from the level of Italian officers and soldiers, they have at least reached a level that can be seen.
This is why the war against Malta was not ready to begin until nearly two months after the war began.
After all, reinforcements from the British Mediterranean Fleet need to be considered, and the addition of three Austrian-Hungarian combined force-class ships can give Italy an advantage.
One more thing to say here is that the Austro-Hungarian Navy currently only has three Combined Forces-class battleships available, because the fourth Prinz Eugen is undergoing sea trials and currently cannot be incorporated into the Combined Fleet.
The Eugen has the same experience as the Roma, which has just completed its outfitting. This is Italy's first super-dreadnought ship equipped with a 380 mm cannon. It has only begun sea trials now and will not enter service until at least the second half of next year.
As for the other three Roman-class warships, thanks to the Navy's initial urging of the shipyard, all three have been launched and outfitted, and it is expected that the three will be commissioned by the end of next year.
In fact, the Admiralty had other ideas about launching the Malta Campaign. They wanted to use Malta as bait to lure the British Mediterranean Fleet to come for reinforcements.
This will allow Italy to take advantage of its home field and strive to solve the British Mediterranean Fleet's thorny problem in one fell swoop. Of course, if the Mediterranean Fleet is unable to come out of Alexandria, it will take advantage of the opportunity to capture Malta and block its Mediterranean routes. The British can only rely on a more environmentally friendly environment.
The harsh Cape of Good Hope bypass.
This circumference is 7,000 kilometers, which is enough for the UK to invest more merchant ships to ensure the transportation of various personnel and materials from Asia. The energy and time spent will give London a headache.
It is with this purpose in mind that the capture of Malta should not be rushed or slow, but requires a good balance.
Of course, the premise of all this is that the combined fleet must have an advantage. If it is at a disadvantage, then nothing can be done.
Fortunately, under the wise leadership of King Carlo, Italy vigorously built various warships, giving Italy a strategic advantage for the first time. If the Navy does not take advantage of the advantageous period to expand its results, how long will it wait.
Of course Liefer, the commander of the Combined Fleet who has this advantage, also understands this truth, so it is logical for him to help the Austro-Hungarian officers and soldiers improve their technical and tactical levels.
He was busy late into the night discussing the work on the combined fleet with Vice Admiral Sidorol.
When everything was almost settled, after seeing off his chief of staff, Leifer was also ready to disembark. The Port of Taranto was very charming at night, with the warships parked on the berths revealed in the moonlight.
Wearing a figure.
Leifer was very familiar with the battleships in his hands. Outside the armistice port was the guerrilla formation led by his friend Lieutenant General Gomes. Three Taranto-class battle cruisers and two Milan-class battle cruisers were guarded by other battleships.
, as if resting quietly.
Inner than the guerrilla formation is the Third Battleship Squadron, where the three United Forces and the Dreadnought are anchored. Then to the left is the Second Battleship Squadron, with four Dante-class ships also quietly here. As for the right
His current location is the absolute core of the combined fleet, the four Cavour-class ships of the First Battleship Squadron.
Even if four Rome-class ships are put into service, Cavour's absolute core position will not be threatened in the past two years. This is because the battleships and officers and soldiers need a long running-in period to form real combat effectiveness.
Looking at the huge fleet he commanded in front of him, Leifer was full of pride at the moment. He wanted to use the sharpest sword in the kingdom to bring enough benefits to Italy. Remember the URL of this website for easy reading next time, or enter it on Baidu
