As expected, the French fleet in the port was defeated due to its inability to move and its artillery skills not being as good as those of the British.
The British fleet returned with great results, but due to the surprise attack on the port of Liverpool, Sir Forbes had no choice but to return to Portsmouth with the fleet.
Since they had just ended a completely victorious battle, the British officers and soldiers generally had a sense of pride, which made them somewhat relaxed.
"A battle has just ended, and we are not safe at all. Now we are like blind men, unaware of the situation around us." After sensing a hint of crisis, Sir Forbes' chief of staff ordered: "Every ship
Strengthen vigilance to prevent encountering the French reinforcement fleet."
Sir Forbes was somewhat complacent and communicated with the Chief of Staff: "We are now less than 400 nautical miles away from the Strait of Gibraltar and will soon be able to rendezvous with the rest of Fleet H in Gibraltar. At this time, if Darlan's reinforcement fleet dares to come, we can continue
Fight and swallow them up along the way."
Unfortunately, as soon as Forbes finished speaking, more than ten shells fell in the British fleet's line. One of the shells happened to hit the bow of a cruiser and exploded, damaging a 40mm rapid-fire naval gun and killing two Royal
The navy soldier was killed on the spot...
In the distance, above the front deck of the Count of Cavour, on the unprotected bridge, Commander Leifer of the Italian fleet looked at the British fleet with interest with his telescope.
Although the dozen or so cannons just did not hit the captain's room or anything like that, it was not a loss. At least one shell did not hit the sea, which was a small advantage for the British.
You must know that Leifer has always been skeptical about the shooting level of Italian naval soldiers. However, at a distance of less than 20 kilometers, facing the British fleet that has been maintaining a directional movement on its course, it is a bit unjustifiable to miss again.
After all, the typical naval battle distance is only 25km. If it can achieve a 5% hit rate in actual combat at this distance, it will already be the best navy in the world.
Leifer doesn't know about other countries, but the British Royal Navy, which is the imaginary enemy of the navies of various countries, is almost an elite navy with a 5% hit rate.
As for the German Navy, which is an ally of Italy, Leifer also has some knowledge. German warships should have a hit rate of about 3% at a distance of 23km.
It has to be said that the strength of the British navy is still superior. Although they responded hastily, Sir Forbes immediately ordered the ships to adjust their courses to the right and left, lined up the entire fleet and eagerly approached the back of the Italian army's ship.
, looking for the blind spot of its large-caliber naval gun.
Since the Italian navy was well positioned to launch a sneak attack from the rear, they had a certain first-mover advantage when taking aim.
Coupled with the large scale of the ships dispatched by the Italian Navy this time, including the battleships Veneto and Littorio, the battleship Count Cavour and the battleship Giulio Caesar, and three Zara"-class ships
The heavy cruisers, four "Giusanno" class light cruisers, and 12 destroyers of various types also far exceeded the British fleet in Forbes, which had just experienced a naval battle, in terms of firepower.
When Forbes' British fleet fought against the French Darlan fleet, although the number of battleships was 2:4, it was only supported by half the French giant battleships. But this gap is still very common in naval battles, and it is within the range of a battle.
.
But now, although Forbes' fleet defeated Darlan's fleet and won a complete victory, it inevitably lost one battleship and two destroyers, and there were also many minor battle losses on each ship.
Leifer's fleet was not only well-maintained and had no battle damage, but also had four times as many battleships as Forbes' fleet.
Similarly, the Italian fleet generally has about twice as many cruisers and destroyers as the British fleet.
The Italian Navy has spent a lot of money on this, vowing to annihilate the British Royal Navy's fleet that attacked Oran in one fell swoop.
?So, what the British fleet faced was obviously a bad situation.
Leifer's Italian fleet rushed out from the east at a speed of no less than 30 knots, and the British Royal Navy, which had neglected defense, suddenly suffered a surprise attack. Although the Italian Navy's low hit rate made the British officers and soldiers a little touched,
But continuing to be beaten like this is not an option.
As a result, the British warships immediately relied on their superb driving skills to perform a vertical turn at close range, turn the position of their main guns, and aim at the location of the Italian fleet.
In order to seize a favorable position, the warships of the British fleet almost used up their maximum speed and power to carry out tactical movements, and the grand fleet also changed from a column to a horizontal formation.
In this way, they have a formation advantage over the Italian Navy, which is very important for the British fleet that has just experienced the Battle of Oran. They now have no advantage in terms of weapons, personnel and combat effectiveness, so seizing the geographical advantage is particularly important.
important.
The British Empire was indeed a colonial empire that relied on its navy to make its fortune. Its navy quickly increased its artillery density by just one change of formation.
Compared with the aggressiveness of the Italian fleet, the British fleet showed more calmness and accumulation.
Facts have proved that although the Italian battlecruisers are of decent quality, they still cannot gain a theoretical advantage in the face of the British fleet.
Although Italian battleships had obvious shortcomings compared to British and German battleships in terms of endurance, all other indicators were outstanding at the same time.
In addition, this battle was a surprise battle launched by the Italian Navy, which had prepared its position in advance. The shortcomings of weak endurance would not be apparent for a while.
If the Italian Navy is positioned as a Mediterranean navy, they are actually quite qualified.
After all, the Italian peninsula itself is equivalent to an unsinkable aircraft carrier and supply ship. With this giant aircraft carrier supply ship, the Italian Navy does not need to require excessive endurance.
On the contrary, the Italians took the caliber of the battleship's main gun very seriously!
In order to compete for hegemony in the Mediterranean, the Italian Navy equipped its battleships with 381 mm-caliber main guns, which were no less powerful than the British Navy.
Unlike the Italian Army, their Navy accounts for the highest proportion of military expenditures and is also the branch with the most educated soldiers.
Compared with the army, the Italian navy has much higher combat effectiveness.
This is the same reason as Germany will strengthen its military combat capabilities in the future and take the lead in popularizing education.
Troops with a higher level of education generally perform better. Of course, the Li Yunlong Regiment using Italian artillery is a different matter...
Putting aside the bonus of faith, it is indeed easier for armies with a higher level of education to control high-tech equipment, thus improving their combat effectiveness.
