The clear blue water, bright sunshine, and cool southwesterly wind make the Coral Sea the most suitable place for vacation. For the officers and soldiers of the Pacific Combined Fleet who have been in the tropics for more than three months, this is really comfortable. Without the storm,
And the hot weather that can kill anyone makes this trip to the south feel like a vacation.
At this time, the fleet was sailing alone in the endless sea with no trace of its ships.
It is rare for officers and soldiers to relax, but for the fleet commander Count Spee, he is not in the mood to relax.
At this moment, he was on the flagship armored cruiser Scharnhorst, looking at the chart in front of him. On the table where the chart was placed, there were also rulers, compasses, compasses and other tools.
"Report, the Pierre sent a telegram that they have passed through Mare Island and are about to enter the South Fiji Sea."
Spey immediately took out a pencil and marked its position on the chart. A sketched point on the chart showed Mare Island, which is the southernmost island of the Royal Islands. When he led the fleet to cross the island, it would be that far away from the target.
It's closer.
Yes, the Pacific Combined Fleet led by Count Spee is composed of German, Italian and Austrian warships in Southeast Asia and the Far East. The fleet consists of the armored cruiser Scharnhorst, Gneisenno, and the light cruiser Nuremberg
, Emden, Karlsruhe, Pierre (Italian), Rubell (Italian), Sørensen (Austrian), and the fast supply ship Torrio (Italian).
Three days before the war broke out, the fleet had been formed. In terms of appearance, this fleet was worthy of the name of the Pacific Combined Fleet. But this was already the warship that the three countries of Germany, Italy and Austria could use here.
, so if the name doesn’t live up to the reality, then the name doesn’t live up to the reality.
After the three countries formed their fleets, they gave Commander Pace the task of heading to Italian East Africa, where he would join the Italian East African Fleet to contain the Allied maritime power in the Indian Ocean.
Obviously, for the alliance camp, they initially planned to give up the colonies in Southeast Asia, so they let Lieutenant General Spey lead the warships to evacuate. (Ashamed of the people in Southeast Asia who support his rule)
However, Lieutenant General Spey did not intend to just do this. He believed that retreating with the navy like this would affect the hearts of the people in the colonies and would be detrimental to their return after victory in the future. So he planned to do something, and he must make Britain and France remember the pain.
matter.
So he hid with the fleet that had gathered before the war.
That's right, he was hiding. Sipe hid near an uninhabited island in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, far away from the shipping lanes, and stayed there for more than three months.
In the past three months or so, the fleets formed by Britain and France have been looking for this small fleet of the alliance camp all over the world. Britain and France understand very well that although this fleet is not strong, its position is too important. If the opponent is in
With the commotion in Southeast Asia, I have a headache.
After waiting for more than three months, Vice Admiral Spey thought it was time. He wanted to take the fleet out to let the British know that their fleet would not just leave in despair. And the target he chose was
The Australian continent in the southern hemisphere.
Count Spee set off from the Lugu Islands with his fleet. It first passed eastward through the north of the Bismarck Islands, then passed southeastward through the Nauru Sea, and then entered the Fiji Sea. There were no ships at all along the way, only a few appeared in the vast sea.
Being on an isolated island, there is no need to worry about your whereabouts being leaked.
If Lieutenant General Spey is more courageous, he can also replenish supplies and fuel at the British and French supply bases. Don't think this is a joke. There are no high-power radio stations in the desolate Southwest Pacific, and news is often conveyed by ships. And this is basically it.
It is very normal for news to lag behind within a few months or even a year.
Historically, the Emden received supplies at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, because the British army on the island did not know that the war had broken out.
Australia and New Zealand were the pastures of the British at this time. The vast land, sparse population, and extremely suitable climate made Australia and New Zealand famous for their animal husbandry. In addition, because of the large number of cowboys, Australia and New Zealand were also good places for British soldiers. Since the outbreak of the war,
Australia and New Zealand have provided 80,000 troops to the United Kingdom, and the five currently formed Australian and New Zealand divisions have arrived in Egypt.
Not to mention that Spey is a famous general, when he expressed his thoughts, the fleet officers were shocked because no one had expected it. After careful analysis of the results, the success rate is very high. The only key is to be unexpected
, so the Pacific Combined Fleet set out from the Maluku Islands in a concealed manner and made a large circle eastward. At this moment, they were still 2,400 kilometers away from Sydney, and there was still a long way to go.
While Spey was sailing south with the fleet, the atmosphere in the northern waters of the Maluku Islands was quite tense. Battleships and other ships were constantly patrolling the sea. Every island, whether occupied or unoccupied, was
They will be patrolled by them. Especially for uninhabited islands, people will be sent to the islands for inspection.
This kind of unscrupulous behavior is obviously looking for something. As the ruler of the islands, the Dutch government seems to be unaware and allows these ships to patrol here. It is not that the Dutch do not know, but that they dare not take care of it at all.
, the contest between the two camps, with the small body of the Dutch, they would be injured if they touched each other, and they would die if they rubbed each other. What can I do, I can only pretend not to see it.
For example, the huge Southeast Asian fleet is parked outside the port of Morotai and is responsible for hunting down the Allied fleet.
The fleet had an overwhelming advantage over the Spey fleet, with four pre-dreadnought-class battleships, Duncan, Albemarle, Exmouth, Russell, and six armored cruisers, Drake,
Cape of Good Hope, King Alfred, Leviathan, Monmouth, Excelsior, and more than ten other small and medium-sized warships.
If they were to catch him, Count Spey would not be able to defeat him even if God himself came to him. As for the reason why the British fleet mobilized so many troops, it was because the Southeast Ocean was Britain's busy trade route. If he was attacked by Perth, then it would be bad.
Now the British have a headache besides the Spey fleet, and that is Italian East Africa. It is also a fatal location. Whether they are taking the Suez Canal or the Cape of Good Hope, Italian East Africa is a threat. That place has contained the British army.
There are quite a few battleships. Otherwise, those Italian battleships would suddenly attack from time to time. Who could stand it?
It’s not that I haven’t thought about conquering East Africa, but it is not easy. Italy has been operating in East Africa for more than 20 years and has built quite a lot of fortifications. Moreover, the Italians are still in two major ports, Massawa and Moga.
Disha is also equipped with four 305mm coastal defense guns, which is absolutely insane. So the Italians in East Africa looked very uncomfortable, but it was not easy to deal with.
In line with the principle of picking the weakest persimmons, the British Navy intends to deal with easier problems first.
The Spey fleet is an easy target. As the fleet commander, Major General Craddock has been searching for his enemy for more than three months. As early as the outbreak of the war, the British Navy discovered that the Allied camp's warships in Southeast Asia were missing. At that time,
Thinking that these warships were going to attack the waterway, the British Navy was very nervous at the time and sent warships to continuously search for their whereabouts. As a result, the search lasted for three months, but there was no news at all from the other side, as if there were no such warships.
Some people say that these warships encountered a storm and were submerged. Some people say that these warships should have escaped. Others say...
No matter what others say, for Cradock, he does not believe these words. The enemy must still be there, just hiding. Emperor Tian has paid off, and after unremitting efforts, there is finally news. Some people say that more than three
Yue had seen a fleet of battleships here, and pointed out that it was the battleship led by Spey.
After receiving this news, Major General Craddock immediately brought his fleet to search here. Not only that, he also brought three airships, vowing to find the Alliance fleet hiding here.
"Report, there is news."
A communications officer ran in with a telegram.
"What news."
Facing Major General Craddock's inquiry, the officer immediately said, "The destroyer USS Stubborn Stone just sent news that they found traces of a large number of people living on an uninhabited island twenty nautical miles west of Obi Island.
, by examining the abandoned objects left behind, we can be sure that it is the Allied fleet that we have been looking for. In addition, comparing various traces, they should have left seven to ten days ago."
Upon hearing this, Major General Craddock slammed the table, angry that the other party had escaped early. "Immediately send a telegram to surrounding cities and warships, telling them to be careful of a small fleet of the Allied Powers."
At this moment, Major General Craddock wanted to know where the other party had gone. He stared at the hanging chart and began to think.
Never mind why a rear admiral like Craddock brought so many battleships, this is a fateful showdown.
