Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 70 Deceiving the Heavens and Closing the Net

After a brainstorming session, Vice Admiral Hipper and Lelouch went through all the enemy's naval reinforcements to the expeditionary force within the Dunkirk siege, and roughly figured out the Imperial Navy's countermeasures and how to deploy forces to deal with each move.

After everything was agreed upon, Hipper was left with only one practical question: who would take on the dangerous mission of leading his former dreadnoughts to "support the Billy King coast" and act as the "main force"?

Hipper himself could play the role of that unplanned "surprise attack," but for the sake of secrecy and surprise, he did not want to let the Navy's top brass know all the details. He knew all too well how rudimentary the Navy's intelligence agency was, and that there might be other intelligence loopholes besides the code leak.

To ensure victory, it was necessary to keep the situation a secret even from one's own high command, convincing them that "Hipper's four battlecruisers are still heavily damaged." However, in this scenario, one's own high command would become more conservative in their assessment of the relative strength of the enemy and one's own naval forces, making it all the more crucial that the commanders directly executing the operational orders possess sufficient prestige and courage.

Fortunately, Hipper is now a vice admiral. His great victory last time has broadened his network within the navy. After some deliberation, he finally chose his old colleague, "Count Spee," with whom he had worked before.

Count Maximilian von Spee was a vice admiral in the Imperial Navy. Historically, as the commander of the Demanian Asian Squadron, he led eight warships, including two Scharnhorst-class armored cruisers, on a raiding mission overseas, attempting to return to the homeland. However, he was intercepted and destroyed by the Burgundian fleet in Argentina, and all 2000 of his men perished in the sinking.

However, Demania in this world did not have an Asian fleet. The two "Scharnhorst-class" ships were safely brought back to the mainland from Tanzania by Count Spee as soon as the war started, and were later temporarily borrowed by Hipper to participate in the Battle of Ostend.

Before the Battle of Ostend, Count Spee held a higher rank than Hipper, so he naturally wouldn't personally participate in the battle commanded by Hipper. However, the captains and high-ranking officers of the two Scharn-class cruisers were all former close subordinates of Count Spee, having worked together for many years.

After Hipper and his men achieved great merit, many of the senior officers on the two Scharn-class ships were promoted one rank. These officers knew more or less about the inner workings of Hipper's fleet, and they inevitably communicated and reported to their old leader in private.

So, in the three months following the Battle of Ostend, Hipper knew he couldn't completely keep it from the other side, so he tried to bring Count Spee into his inner circle. Hipper privately shared some of his concerns and thoughts with him, repeatedly urging Count Spee to keep quiet and not let everyone in the Admiralty know.

Although Count Spee was initially shocked, seeing that Hipper had made real contributions and been promoted, he naturally knew the importance of keeping the secret that "the Imperial Navy's code had long been deciphered by the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Burkina Faso" and how much benefit he could gain in the future and how many traps he could set for the enemy.

So Count Spee kept his mouth shut, and the two of them started sharing these two secrets together.

Therefore, when Lelouch shared his latest plans with Hipper, Hipper naturally thought of seeking cooperation with Count Spee.

Fearing that the telecommunications were not secure enough, he even took a train back to Wilhelmshaven to communicate with Count Spee in person and explain the battle plan.

"...With just my four battlecruisers and two armored cruisers, plus the auxiliary ships that retreated to Antwerp, we definitely can't win this battle. I need a squadron to draw enemy fire head-on and weaken them first. This mission is indeed very dangerous..."

Hipper frankly explained all the details that Lelouch had envisioned.

Count Spee's expression turned grave upon hearing this, but he ultimately made up his mind: "I will keep these details to myself. I will not tell the captains and officers below me. All they will know is that 'the Empire has ordered us to divert to Antwerp or Zeebrugge to provide fire support to our army on the Ostend front.' As for how the battle will turn out, I will adapt accordingly."

Count Spee immediately saw the crux of the problem: ideas like "sinking the ship and charging to the beach, fighting to the death with cannons" were absolutely not to be known to ordinary sailors from the start. If the soldiers knew from the beginning how dangerous the mission was, their morale would waver, and they might even use it as an excuse to avoid battle or leak the secret.

The Demacian navy is considered quite brave, but the officers and men of the second-line fleet are not as fearless as those of the first-line fleet, especially the battlecruiser fleet.

Moreover, the navy is a technical branch of the military, and its soldiers often have more ideas than those in the army—historically, at the end of World War I, when soldiers from various countries opposed continuing to fight for their monarchs and mutinies broke out, it was often the sailors who mutinied first. Although we are far from that situation now, a veteran like Spee, who has led troops for many years and has extensive experience, is all too aware of the problems involved.

As a naval commander, the first thing to think about is how to get the soldiers to bravely head out to sea. Once they're at sea and facing the enemy, when fighting is inevitable, they won't think about anything else.

Therefore, the true ultimate goal of this attack was something only Count Spee knew. The mission he told his subordinates, and even the operational mission he requested from the Admiralty, could be disguised under a different name.

Hipper was very grateful for his thoughtful consideration: "You are truly a respectable senior. I will follow the procedures and request the Admiralty to send a second-line old-fashioned battleship fleet to the coast of Biligin to assist in the battle, just in case. I will also send a large number of torpedo boats to patrol the area and prevent the slower old-fashioned battleships from being discovered and intercepted by the enemy during their transfer."

You can also volunteer after the Admiralty receives my application; you can handle the subsequent details as they come. If we can once again outmaneuver the Britannians in this battle, we'll share the credit equally, and we can continue to cooperate well from now on—you in the open, me in the shadows.”

In the following days, Hipper and Spee worked together, using one set of tactics to deal with the Navy Department's request while secretly implementing their own operational plan, and successfully obtained the transfer order from the Navy Department's high command.

On February 12, the Admiralty officially issued a secret order: Vice Admiral Spee of the 2nd Battleship Squadron of the High Seas Fleet, leading his front-line warships which were on combat duty and the temporarily assigned torpedo escort squadron, to transfer from Wilhelmshaven to the Antwerp-Zebrugge front.

At that time, the 1st Battleship Division of the High Seas Fleet consisted entirely of new ships from the dreadnought era. The 2nd Battleship Division, however, comprised six pre-dreadnoughts, on constant alert. This was because Demania's navy was weaker than its enemy's, and they could only use some pre-dreadnoughts in relatively good condition to fill the gaps. At this moment, Spee's six pre-dreadnoughts on standby were the three Brunswick-class ships, the *Alsace*, *Lorraine*, and *Hesse*, and the three oldest Brandenburg-class ships, the *Brandenburg*, *Wools*, and *Great General*.

These ships were actually relatively weak in combat, especially the three Brandenburg-class ships, which were almost 20 years old. Their original 280mm main guns could only fire one round every two minutes. After a modernization, they were able to fire one round every about one minute. The Brunswick-class ships were all around 10 years old, and were considered to be products from the eve of the birth of dreadnoughts. Their 280mm main guns could fire one round every 40 seconds.

The Admiralty didn't specify any particular combat mission, only instructing him to be temporarily reassigned to a relatively forward position to maintain vigilance, adapt to changing circumstances, and cooperate with the Army. Therefore, the officers and men of the Spee Squadron all assumed that these pre-dreadnoughts were only there to bombard the opposite shore, or perhaps even to blockade enemy ports.

In short, regardless of the stated reason for the attack, the first step is to lure the fleet to a port closer to the front lines. Once there, the specific actions will be determined by the Admiralty, depending on the enemy situation.

After receiving his orders, Count Spee quickly began his operation. He chose an afternoon time to have the fleet heat the coal boilers, and only after dark did he slowly set off at a speed of 16 knots, heading along the Dutch coast towards Billy King.

Along the way, he deployed the torpedo ships that provided cover in advance to keep a safe distance and prevent any civilian ships, merchant ships, or enemy ships from getting close to the fleet, in order to reduce the probability of being discovered by the enemy.

While the Netherlands was in the coast, the situation was still manageable. The war had been going on for six months, and the Netherlands' maritime trade had dropped significantly. Merchant ships dared not sail in the coastal waters for fear of colliding with warships and seeing things they shouldn't have.

However, on the side closer to the open sea, in the vast "Dogger Sandbar" area where the Thames estuary impacts, there are still many Burkina Faso fishing boats and small civilian vessels. These boats often also serve as spy ships for the Burkina Faso Royal Navy.

Spee showed no mercy, quickly sinking any fishing boats spotted by his own torpedo boats with his 88mm guns.

The Royal Navy of the Republic of Brunei would certainly receive the alert and send a fleet to pursue them, but because the Brunei army did not know the exact coordinates of the slow Demacian battleships, even if they searched the area where their fishing boats were destroyed, they would at most encounter Demacian high-speed torpedo boats.

Those high-speed torpedo boats could easily take the Burma warships for a spin, using their high speed to create distance.

Throughout the process, there were, of course, times when they were surrounded and intercepted and failed, which was unavoidable. But overall, there were losses on both sides, and Spee was able to safely bring the six old, slow boats, which were traveling at 16 knots, to the coast of Biligin.

Throughout the operation, the Demanian Navy lost one light cruiser, the Emden, and three torpedo boats (destroyers), but also scuttled and destroyed at least 15 armed reconnaissance fishing boats belonging to the Burkina Faso forces, as well as one destroyer that came to search and intercept them, and damaged two other destroyers.

Judging from the absolute number of warships lost, the Burkina Faso forces had a slight advantage in this operation to cover the slow-moving fleet's retreat. After all, they only sank one destroyer, and those armed fishing boats were practically worthless. Because the Germans were eager to break out, their light cruisers, after damaging the Burkina Faso destroyer with their shells, were unable to pursue and finish off the enemy, allowing the Burkina Faso forces to retreat and disengage as soon as they were wounded.

However, Count Spee was quite satisfied with the outcome of the battle. He knew that now was not the time to settle scores. The key was to ensure that the six pre-dreadnoughts, equipped with large-caliber main guns, safely reached Billy King and approached the battlefield after a two-day and two-night voyage.

The loss of individual sentry ships is unavoidable in the process of searching for and engaging the enemy.

……

Spee's successful transfer, of course, did not escape the notice of the Royal Navy of Burkina Faso on the other side of the strait.

The exchange of fire between the two sides' outpost ships was quickly reported by David Beatty and reached the desk of First Lord of the Navy Walton.

"The Demanians have sent warships to the coast of Bilygin again? Are they so sure their army can successfully storm Dunkirk that they're hoping these old fogies will bombard the other side and blockade our shipping lanes? Go and check to find out exactly which ships have arrived!"

Bretonnia's military intelligence immediately sprang into action. Spies lurking in various ports and reconnaissance planes infiltrating the area quickly gathered a general understanding of the situation within a single day.
"Report to the Minister! Our intelligence personnel have confirmed that the ships of the enemy's 1st Battleship Squadron of the High Seas Fleet are still in port. It has been confirmed that there are only a few old ships that are over 10 years old, all of which are pre-dreadnoughts."

After confirming that there were no dreadnoughts, Walton mentally calculated the scale of forces that both sides could mobilize in the Straits theater and found that his side still had an absolute overwhelming advantage, with at least twice the number of the enemy's forces!
Since that's the case, there's nothing to worry about. At worst, our pre-dreadnought fleet can be fully deployed to the port at the forefront of the strait, and we can annihilate the enemy if they make a move! Anyway, those trash ships are just going to their deaths wherever they are!

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P.S.: Today's second update will return to the army's perspective. This battle is quite large-scale, requiring coordinated land, sea, and air operations, and there's a lot to explain. Thank you for your patience.

(End of this chapter)