The main force of the German Navy's High Seas Fleet, leaving Wilhelmshaven Naval Base, includes five 'Bavaria-class' battleships, five 'König-class' battleships, five 'Kaiser-class' battleships, five 'Helgoland-class' battleships and four The main battleships including the "Nassau-class" battleships have all left the port. The huge fleet sailed into the North Sea.
The actions of the German navy made the British navy on the other side of the North Sea very nervous. Churchill even ordered the Royal Navy fleet to prepare for battle to prevent surprise attacks by the German Navy.
At the same time, the main force of the German navy was exhausted, which also made Churchill feel a little bit tingling. The main force of the German Navy is too strong, there are as many as twenty-four battleships alone. Among them, ten battleships are equipped with 380mm main guns, ten battleships are equipped with 343mm main guns, and only four battleships are equipped with 305mm main guns. If the twelve battlecruisers of the German Navy are added, the German Navy has a total of thirty-six capital ships. This number is much higher than that of the Royal Navy. Even if the "Queen Elizabeth-class" and "Revenge-class" battleships are in service, there is still a big gap between them and the German Navy in terms of the number of capital ships. Not to mention, previous naval battles have proved that the capital ships of the German Navy have almost an overwhelming advantage in defense and firepower. Therefore, if the Royal Navy wants to defeat the German Navy and reverse the situation, it may be even more difficult.
At least, Churchill intends to never fight recklessly with the German Navy before the capital ships that will be built later enter service. However, many things are beyond his control. The British Navy does not intend to fight a decisive battle, but the German Navy will not let them continue to develop. Among other things, once the no-fly zone is truly established, Britain's good days will come to an end. After overseas trade is completely cut off, Britain will be dragged to death alive. At that time, in order to solve this problem, the British navy will have to take the initiative to launch an attack to defeat the German navy and break the German navy's blockade of Britain. Therefore, in this war, the Royal Navy is undoubtedly at a disadvantage. It will be very difficult for them to reverse the situation and defeat the German Navy.
The British side did not forget to inform the American side of this news. Now Britain is eagerly looking forward to the fact that the United States can join the camp of the Allied Powers to fight, which makes them naturally please the United States in every possible way.
The main force of the German navy was exhausted, which really scared the U.S. government enough. Secretary of the Navy Daniels even suggested to President Woodrow Wilson to order their fleet to return immediately. After all, compared with the strength demonstrated by the German Navy, the US Navy is really far behind. The number of battleships alone is only one-third of that of the German Navy. In terms of combat effectiveness, it is probably only one-fourth or even one-fifth of the German Navy.
With such a disparity in strength, it is indeed not a wise choice to provoke Germany. If the German Navy wants to deal with the US fleet, they are definitely not opponents.
However, after careful consideration, President Woodrow Wilson still ordered the fleet to continue to operate according to the predetermined plan. The reason is mainly for the face of him and the US government. The words have been released, and the appearance has been made. If the fleet is ordered to return at this time, won't it make everything fall by the wayside? More importantly, he and the US government will also lose face because of this. Prestige will be lost as a result. If you want to seek re-election, it is even more idiotic. Therefore, Woodrow Wilson had to bite the bullet and continue to hold on.
Of course, in order to avoid a real misfire with Germany, which caused the United States to be unfortunately involved in this war, the U.S. Navy suffered a disastrous defeat. President Woodrow Wilson specifically asked the fleet led by Admiral Franz Fletcher to exercise restraint in this operation and try to avoid war with Germany. For them, this time the action has shifted from demonstrating against Germany to appeasing the domestic people. The actions of the German Navy have undoubtedly shown their tough attitude to the world. If the United States continues to be tough, there may only be one result, which is to lead to the outbreak of war.
Although doing so made both the U.S. government and the U.S. Navy feel aggrieved, there is no way around it! Can't really go to war with Germany? In that case, it is the most unfavorable for the United States.
Admiral Franz Fletcher, commander of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, who led the U.S. fleet to the east, remained silent for a long time after receiving an urgent telegram from the U.S. Navy Department. As an admiral, he certainly didn't want to encounter such a thing. However, this is impossible. He can also understand, who puts the strength of the US Navy at a complete disadvantage? If the strength of the U.S. Navy is stronger than that of the German Navy, it will not be like this.
In order to avoid any accidents, Admiral Franz Fletcher summoned the captains of the battleships and asked them to be more cautious in their next actions, making sure to avoid friction after encountering the German navy. Incident of gunfire. You know, many wars broke out suddenly because of emergencies. The U.S. Navy's actions this time are more like playing with fire. If you don't pay attention, it will detonate a war.
The U.S. government has been frightened, but the German Navy doesn't know it. Therefore, after receiving a telegram from the Ministry of the Navy, Lieutenant General Spei, the commander of the Breakthrough Fleet, ordered the Breakthrough Fleet to enter a state of emergency combat readiness.
Breaking through the light cruisers and destroyers of the fleet, they began to cruise the Atlantic Ocean, searching for the location of the US fleet. Only when they found the US fleet, could they accurately intercept it. After all, Germany does not want to really go to war with the United States. Therefore, it is undoubtedly the best to intercept the US fleet and let it retreat.
If the U.S. fleet is not intercepted, they will break into the no-fly zone designated by the German Navy. For the glory of Germany, they may have to really attack the US fleet. In that case, war will inevitably break out.
The submarine force of the German Navy also entered the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, looking for the US fleet. Although, the size of the US fleet is huge. But for the vast Atlantic Ocean, this is nothing at all. The entire search operation is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. However, as long as the American fleet continues to march towards Britain, the possibility of the German navy discovering them is still very high.
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