World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Order the Marlborough," he said to the communications officer, "not to rush back to the battle line. Have her turn to starboard, create distance, and fire her main guns at those charging German battlecruisers."

"What about our formation..." Study said worriedly.

"The formation can be rearranged," Jellicoe said, "but we only have one chance to sink Hipper. Look, the Lützow is already done for; it's sinking. The others are also badly damaged. If we concentrate our fire now, we can take them out in ten minutes."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, by eliminating Hipper, Scheer will have lost a significant force. At that point, no matter how much chaos he creates, it will be too late to turn the tide."

The order was given. HMS Marlborough began to turn to starboard, creating distance between herself and HMS Iron Duke. Her ten 13.5-inch main guns slowly rotated, aiming at the charging HMS Lützow.

Almost simultaneously, HMS Iron Duke, HMS Orion, HMS Monarch—four dreadnoughts at the forefront of the British battle line—all pointed their main guns at the same target.

Hipper saw the rotating muzzles through his telescope.

He knew the final moment had arrived.

On the bridge of the "Lützow", Hipper put down his binoculars.

He straightened his uniform and dusted off his shoulders—though more dust would soon settle. Then he turned and looked at everyone on the bridge.

"Gentlemen," he said, his voice as calm as if discussing tomorrow's breakfast, "it seems our mission is accomplished. The British have finally turned their cannons on us."

No one spoke. But everyone's eyes conveyed the same message: We are ready.

"Then," Hipper smiled, a desolate yet proud smile, "let us give the German Navy, to Admiral Scheer, and to our brothers still fighting, a final gift."

He looked at the fire control officer: "All guns that can still fire, target the 'Marlborough.' Don't worry about hitting it, just let her know—the German warship was firing until its last breath."

He looked at the captain: "Full speed up the engines. Don't worry about breaches, don't worry about water taking in. We need to get as close as possible."

He looked at the communications officer: "Signal to the flagship: 'Mission accomplished. Good luck. Hipper.'"

Then he walked to the observation window, put his hands behind his back, and quietly watched the outlines of the approaching British warships.

The first salvo has landed.

Four British dreadnoughts, with more than thirty large-caliber main guns, simultaneously opened fire on the Lützow.

The shells, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, ripped through the night sky and fell.

The first bullet hit just below the bridge. The explosion blew off the entire front of the superstructure, shattered all the observation windows, and glass shards swept across the bridge like bullets.

Hipper felt something strike his back. The force was great, causing him to stagger forward. He looked down and saw a dark mark rapidly spreading across his chest on his uniform.

He reached out and touched it, his fingers getting wet with the warm liquid.

"Commander!" someone screamed.

Hipper waved his hand, indicating that he was alright. But in reality, he knew something was wrong. He could feel his strength draining from his body, and he could feel the excruciating pain with every breath.

But he remained standing.

The second salvo came down.

This time, at least three shells hit directly. A violent explosion occurred amidships of the Lützow, but fortunately, the Seydlitz rushed in and provided cover for the Lützow. This gave Hipper a chance to turn and escape.

However, after her, the Derfflinger was hit by the main guns of the Marlborough while trying to break away, causing the ammunition magazine to explode and the entire warship to disintegrate in a huge fireball.

The Seydlitz barely broke through the encirclement, but it was hit by nineteen shells and took on more than five thousand tons of water. It was only thanks to its excellent waterproof compartment design that it did not sink, but it had lost its combat capability and could only stagger eastward under the escort of two destroyers.

HMS Von der Tann was the luckiest – she turned at the last moment of the charge and, under the cover of smoke and darkness, miraculously broke out of the British fleet's firing range. Although she was hit by seven shells, her key systems were undamaged, allowing her to evacuate at full speed.

Meanwhile, on the German main fleet side, Scheer's chaotic tactics achieved some success.

The British battle lines were disrupted by Hipper's charge and the torpedo attacks from the destroyers, making it impossible to organize an effective pursuit and interception. By the time Jellicoe finally reorganized his formation, the main German fleet had already disappeared into the thick fog and darkness.

But the cost of the chaos was devastating.

During the flotilla's turning and dispersal, the old German battleship HMS Pomeranz (previously reported sunk was correct; she was only heavily damaged at the time) collided with the light cruiser HMS Elbing. Both ships were severely damaged; HMS Pomeranz eventually sank in the middle of the night, while HMS Elbing barely made it back to base but was permanently scrapped.

The light cruiser HMS Wiesbaden was hit by the main guns of the British battleship HMS Invincible (one of the surviving ships from Beatty's fleet that arrived in time for the battle), lost power, and drifted at sea until late at night, when it was finally sunk by a British destroyer with a torpedo.

The losses to destroyers were even greater. In the suicide torpedo attacks, at least five German destroyers were sunk or severely damaged by British secondary guns.

The UK, on ​​the other hand, suffered relatively smaller losses.

Apart from the previously lost HMS Indulgence and HMS Queen Mary, the main fleet only suffered one hit at close range by the main guns of HMS Marlborough, which caused moderate damage but did not affect combat or navigation.

Strategically, Jericho knew he had not achieved a complete victory.

He stood on the bridge of the Iron Duke, looking at the wreckage, oil slicks, and the occasional life raft floating on the sea. Beams of searchlights swept across the water, illuminating the survivors still struggling in the water.

"Order the destroyer squadron to rescue those who have fallen into the water," he said, his voice weary. "Regardless of nationality, rescue everyone you can."

"General," Study walked up to him, "pursue them? The Germans shouldn't be far."

Jellicoe shook his head: "It's dark, and the fog is thick. Night fighting isn't our strong suit, and the Germans are clearly better at fighting in chaos. If we rashly pursue them, we might run into mines or torpedoes, or be ambushed."

He paused, then looked northeast—the direction where the German fleet had disappeared.

"More importantly, our strategic objectives have been achieved. The German High Seas Fleet has been severely damaged and is unlikely to challenge our naval supremacy in the short term. The blockade line remains intact."