The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 1029 They all lost, only the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which did not participate in the war, won!

1914年4月25日下午4时15分，北海的暴雨终于倾盆而下。

Commander John Jellicoe, commander of the British Home Fleet, stood on the bridge of HMS King Henry V, rain streaming down the portholes and blurring his vision. Visibility had dropped to less than 2000 meters, and through his binoculars, he could only see a dark gray curtain of rain and the occasional white crest of a wave.

"Where is Madden's fleet located?" Jellicoe's voice sounded particularly low against the sound of the rain.

Chief of Staff Major General Chatfield wiped the water droplets from his face: "Last reported bearing northeast, about 15 nautical miles away. But the heavy rain has interfered with the radio, and we can't get in touch now."

Jellicoe's fingers tapped unconsciously on the chart table. According to plan, Madden's decoy fleet should be retreating northwest, with the German High Seas Fleet in pursuit. But now the torrential rain had completely disrupted the plans—the main fleets of both sides could potentially collide unexpectedly without any preparation.

"Order all ships to maintain battle formation," Jellicoe ordered. "Lookouts to double their vigilance and be ready to engage the enemy at any time."

At almost the same moment, on the bridge of the German High Seas Fleet flagship "Bismarck," Admiral Reinhard Scheer was also staring at the blurred horizon in the torrential rain.

“The British fleet must be nearby.” Scheer tried to keep his voice calm. “Order all ships to load armor-piercing shells into their main guns and be ready to fire at any time.”

Staff Officer Rear Admiral von Trotta hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. In such low visibility, the battleship's fire control systems were practically useless—the optical rangefinders were blurred by the rain, and the ship's radar was still undergoing intensive testing and had not yet been put into use. Once they engaged the enemy, it could very well devolve into a chaotic close-quarters battle.

But Scheer had made up his mind: "Reduce the speed of the entire fleet to 12 knots and remain silent. Send the destroyers forward to scout."

At 4:47 p.m., the lookout post on the British destroyer HMS Hound suddenly sounded a piercing alarm.

"Enemy ship! 30 degrees to starboard, approximately 6000 meters away!"

Lieutenant Commander Alfred Phillips abruptly raised his binoculars—through the rain, five enormous dark shapes were slowly emerging. They were the distinctive silhouettes of the German Moltke-class battleships, their massive turrets, armed with 410mm guns, still exuding a menacing aura.

"Signal! Enemy main fleet spotted!" Phillips roared. "Full speed retreat!"

But it was too late. The German destroyer Z-21 Wilhelm Heidkamp had spotted HMS Hound, and its 150mm main guns on the bow were spitting fire. Shells exploded on the Hound's sides, creating huge columns of water, and the shockwaves shattered the bridge windows.

Just as HMS Hound sent out its distress signal, a blinding flash suddenly appeared on the horizon—the 410mm main guns of the five Moltke-class battleships opened fire simultaneously, the shrill sound of shells tearing through the rain was chilling.

On the bridge of the HMS Hood, Admiral Madden's face turned deathly pale. A distance of 6000 meters is almost hand-to-hand combat for battleships, and the 381 mm main guns of the Hood-class were no match for the 410 mm guns of the Moltke-class.

"Fire!" Madden shouted the order. "All fleet, concentrate fire on the leader!"

The HMS Hood's eight 15-inch main guns roared simultaneously, shells whistling towards the lead HMS Moltke. Almost at the same moment, the German battleships unleashed a salvo, all 38 guns of the five Moltke-class battleships (one turret of the Clausewitz-class was damaged and unable to turn) firing in unison! Two 410mm armor-piercing shells struck the Hood's bow directly, the explosions instantly illuminating the rainy night.

Even more devastating was the second salvo, in which a 410mm shell struck the top of HMS Hood's B turret like a hammer, tearing through 15 inches of armor and detonating the ammunition inside. In the earth-shattering explosion, the forward half of HMS Hood was almost ripped into the air.

"Our ship has been hit!" the lookout cried out, his voice trembling with fear. "Turret B is gone!"

Madden clung tightly to the handrail to avoid being thrown over by the shockwave. Through the shattered porthole, he saw that the foredeck of the Hood had turned into a sea of ​​fire, with thick smoke mixed with rain rising into the sky.

To make matters worse, the five Bismarck-class ships following behind the Moltke-class were already aiming their guns at HMS Hood's sister ship, HMS Nelson.

"Nelson, emergency turn!" Madden yelled into the radio, but it was too late.

The third salvo from the five Bismarck-class destroyers struck like the hammer of death, with two of the 40 380mm armor-piercing shells hitting the Nelson. One penetrated the thin horizontal armor and exploded above the engine room; the other crashed directly into the forward ammunition magazine.

The HMS Nelson shuddered violently like a toy struck by a giant, then erupted in an explosion even more powerful than the HMS Hood. Fireballs spewed from every hatch, and the ship broke in two within three minutes, sinking into the North Sea with more than 800 officers and men.

Just one minute later, the HMS Hood met its end. A 410mm armor-piercing shell tore through the armor of the Hood's aft magazine at a distance of less than 5000 meters, bringing this 42000-ton behemoth to its close.
"Hood sunk! Nelson sunk!"

On the bridge of HMS King Henry V, the communications officer's shout made everyone's faces change drastically. Jellicoe turned sharply, looking southeast into the rain-soaked sky—where the muzzle flashes illuminated the night, and the listing silhouette of HMS Hood was faintly visible.

"Full fleet, speed up!" Jellicoe slammed his fist on the command platform. "Heading 135, full speed ahead!"

The steam turbines of the four "King"-class battleships roared to their limits, pushing the power to the limit, while the barrels of their 16-inch guns slowly rotated, aiming at the German fleet that was faintly visible through the rain.

At 5:03 p.m., when the HMS King Henry V broke through the rain, the sight before them made everyone on the bridge gasp – five Moltke-class battleships lined up in a column, slaughtering the remaining British fleet at a distance of less than 6000 meters.

"Aim at the leader!" Jellicoe's voice was as cold as a blade. "All ships fire!"

The nine 16-inch main guns of HMS King Henry V simultaneously spewed fire, their shells hurtling towards HMS Moltke with near-flat trajectories. The first salvo resulted in a straddle shot, with two shells nearly missing their mark and exploding on the Moltke's side, sending up columns of water hundreds of meters high. The shockwaves caused the 48,000-ton behemoth to rock slightly.

The Germans were clearly unprepared for the British main fleet to suddenly appear from the northwest. On the bridge of the HMS Moltke, Captain von der Tann's face turned deathly pale: "Hard starboard! Emergency evasive maneuver!"

But it was too late. The second salvo from HMS King Henry V struck the bridge of HMS Moltke directly. The 16-inch armor-piercing shells cut through the 350mm main armor belt like a hot knife through butter, detonating inside the hull. Black smoke immediately billowed from all the hatches, and the Moltke's speed instantly dropped to 8 knots.

Immediately afterwards, 16-inch shells from HMS King William IV and HMS Charles II came hurtling in. One shell hit HMS Moltke's B turret, penetrating its 410mm armor, and the subsequent explosion of the magazine nearly tore the bow of the giant ship apart.

"HMS Moltke is badly damaged!" the British lookout shouted excitedly. "The enemy ship is on fire and losing power!"

Meanwhile, four Prince-class battleships joined the battle. Although they were only equipped with 14-inch main guns, they still posed a threat to the Moltke-class battleships at such close range. The four Prince-class battleships concentrated their fire on the second German battleship, the Blücher, hitting it six times in just ten minutes.

Captain von Lützow, captain of the Blücher, was killed instantly when the bridge was hit. The first officer took command and attempted to turn and retreat, but a 14-inch shell pierced the rudder, leaving the giant ship spinning in circles and becoming an easy target. Admiral Scheer, witnessing the carnage of the Moltke and Blücher from the bridge of the Bismarck, was utterly devastated.

"Order the Moltke and Blücher to retreat immediately!" he shouted sternly. "All Bismarck-class destroyers, advance and concentrate fire on the British flagship!"

The 380mm main guns of all five Bismarck-class battleships were simultaneously turned towards HMS King Henry V. Although the caliber was smaller than the 16-inch guns of the King class, the Germans' firing accuracy was superior in bad weather.

In the third salvo, two 380mm shells hit HMS King Henry V. One penetrated the thin armor of the foredeck and started a fire inside the hull; the other, a near miss, exploded on the side, tearing a three-meter-long gash that allowed seawater to rush in.

“Report damage!” Jericho’s voice sounded unusually calm amidst the aftershocks of the explosion.

"Turret A is stuck, the forward compartment is flooded, and the speed has dropped to 18 knots," the damage control captain reported, panting heavily.

Jellicoe's gaze swept over the nautical chart—it was still not too late to retreat, but the Moltke and Blücher were already heavily damaged and out of the battle; if they put in a little more effort...
"Continue the attack!" he ordered. "Target: the third ship of the Moltke-class—Alpha 1!"

The remaining main guns of HMS King Henry V, along with the rest of the King-class and Prince-class destroyers, roared once more, 16-inch and 14-inch shells whistling as they hurtled towards HMS Waldersee, which the British had named Alpha 1. They quickly turned the 4.8-ton behemoth into a fireball!
But the Germans retaliated just as fiercely. Soon, another 380mm shell hit the area below the bridge of the HMS King Henry V, and the shockwave shattered half of the observation equipment.

Meanwhile, HMS King William IV was also hit by three 410mm shells, its B turret completely malfunctioned, and a fire broke out on the bow. The worst off was HMS King Charles II—a 410mm shell penetrated its ammunition magazine, causing a massive explosion that broke the ship in two minutes.

At 6:20 p.m., the rain intensified.

Admiral Scheer stood on the bridge of the Bismarck, watching the silhouette of the British fleet gradually disappear into the distance. Of the five Moltke-class ships, the Moltke and Blücher were already out of combat capability, the Waldersee and Schlieffen had each been hit by several shells and were close to being severely damaged, and only the Clausewitz was still relatively intact.

The British suffered equally heavy losses – HMS Hood and HMS Nelson sank, HMS King Charles II exploded and sank, HMS King Henry VIII and HMS King William IV were severely damaged, and only HMS Prince of Wales sustained relatively minor damage.

However, in comparison, the German High Seas Fleet undoubtedly won!
A heavily damaged battleship can be towed back and repaired and still be usable!

There really aren't any left that were sunk in battle!
"Order the fleet to turn southeast." Scheer finally revealed a victor's smile. "Withdraw to Wilhelmshaven."

The communications officer hesitated, "What about the Moltke, Blücher, and Waldersee? They can't keep up with the formation."

Scheer gazed at the three giant ships burning in the rain, paused for a moment, and said, “Leave three cruisers and six destroyers to escort them; the rest of the ships shall retreat immediately.”

Unbeknownst to him, as the German fleet turned, eight French Odor Sea-class submarines were already lying in ambush on their return journey. Even more deadly, 60 Storm-3 bombers were waiting on the runway at Dunkirk Airport, their 500-kilogram armor-piercing shells gleaming coldly in the rain.
In the early hours of April 26, the torrential rain in Beihai finally stopped.

Three heavily damaged Moltke-class battleships—HMS Moltke, HMS Blücher, and HMS Waldersee—were trudging along, escorted by three cruisers and six destroyers. Their speed was less than 10 knots, thick smoke billowing from their various breaches, leaving long black contrails in the clear morning sky.

On the bridge of the Moltke, acting captain Major von Lütt held up his binoculars when his pupils suddenly contracted—three periscope trails were silently approaching on the distant sea.

"Submarine! 45 degrees to port!"

The alarm blared, but it was too late. Six French Odor Sea-class submarines simultaneously launched torpedoes; the contrails of 24 450mm torpedoes sliced ​​through the calm sea like the scythe of death.

The Blücher was hit first by a torpedo, with two torpedoes striking its starboard side almost simultaneously. The shockwave from the explosion tore open a 15-meter-long gash. The already heavily damaged giant ship could no longer withstand the pressure, and the hull rapidly listed to starboard, with seawater rushing in through every breach.

The fate of the Waldersee was even more tragic. A torpedo struck the stern, severing the main shaft, while another torpedo exploded near the ammunition magazine, triggering a chain reaction of explosions. The 4.8-ton steel behemoth broke in two in the earth-shattering explosion, sinking to the bottom of the sea with more than 600 officers and men.

Only the USS Moltke managed to escape the torpedoes, but its nightmare had only just begun.

At 8:15 a.m., as the Moltke struggled to reach the waters off Dunkirk, a dark mass of aircraft suddenly appeared on the horizon—a group of French Storm-3 bombers swooped down from the clouds, their 500-kilogram armor-piercing bombs gleaming with deathly light in the sunlight.

The first bomb landed near the already damaged bow of the HMS Moltke, creating a huge column of water. The second bomb hit the B turret directly, completely destroying the already inoperable turret. The most lethal bomb was the third—it precisely penetrated the Moltke's thin horizontal armor and exploded above the engine room.

Black smoke billowed from every hatch of the Moltke, and flames licked at the twisted steel. By the time the French bombers returned, this once mighty steel behemoth that had dominated the North Sea was listing at a 30-degree angle and slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Meanwhile, the two heavily damaged King-class battleships of Britain—HMS King Henry VIII and HMS King William IV—also encountered a group of German Junkers 14 bombers that took off from Antwerp on their way back to Portsmouth.

HMS King Henry VIII was hit by three 500-kilogram bombs, one of which penetrated the already damaged horizontal armor and detonated inside the hull. The 4.5-ton behemoth sank in just ten minutes, taking Admiral Jellicoe and half of the crew to the bottom of the sea.

Although HMS King William IV was only hit by one shell, the previous battle damage had already overwhelmed it. After barely managing to enter Portsmouth harbor, the warship was also scrapped due to its severe damage.

On April 28, a report titled "Assessment of Losses and Strategic Analysis of the Battle of the North Sea" from the Foreign Intelligence Service of the French Interior Ministry revealed shocking content and conclusions:

Royal Navy: Sunk: HMS Hood, HMS Nelson, HMS King Henry VIII, HMS King Charles II, HMS Defender (aircraft carrier); Heavily damaged: HMS King William IV (wrecked), HMS Howe, HMS Anson; Moderately damaged: HMS Prince of Wales; Lightly damaged: four cruisers, seven destroyers
German High Seas Fleet: Sunk: battleships "Mooch", "Blücher" and "Wardersie"; Moderately damaged: battleships "Clausewitz" and "Gneisenau"; Lightly damaged: three cruisers and five destroyers.
But the most striking part is a passage in the conclusion:

"This naval battle proved how vulnerable battleships, worth tens of millions of pounds, are to aircraft and submarines. The future belongs to air power capable of launching attacks from hundreds of kilometers away and submarines capable of silently approaching the enemy, not these cumbersome steel behemoths. Clearly, it was the battleship as a class of warship that lost this great naval battle!"

Jules Guede, the leader of Red France, smiled a long-lost smile as he looked at the report. The results of French submarines and bombers proved that the development path of the Red Navy was correct—to sink expensive battleships with cheap submarines and aircraft.

In Berlin, Wilhelm II stared at the battle report, his fingers trembling slightly. The loss of three Moltke-class destroyers was heartbreaking, but what terrified him even more was the report's conclusion—without shore-based air support, the High Seas Fleet wouldn't even be able to safely return to its home port. But shore-based air power had an operational radius of only a few hundred kilometers. What would happen outside that radius? So, after more than twenty years of effort, Germany still couldn't break through the British blockade!
In London, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, holding the report of the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, Admiral David Beatty, was sweating profusely. He also felt a sliver of hope—fortunately, the British Empire still possessed six already commissioned Illustrious-class aircraft carriers and six soon-to-be-commissioned Furious-class carriers, along with a large number of Atlantic Sentinel medium multi-role bombers. The problem was that Germany's shipbuilding capabilities and aviation technology were no less than, and perhaps even surpassed, those of Britain! Moreover, they also possessed aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, only lacking large carriers exceeding 10,000 tons!

As for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's naval observers stationed in London, they wrote only one sentence in their secret telegram to Tianjing: "The era of battleships has ended, and our country's naval development strategy has proven to be the most correct."

(End of this chapter)