Canteen System Assistance Notes

After the Dalia was hit by a missile, the two surface ships had to huddle together for warmth, causing the search sector to narrow.

Determining course was crucial in this pursuit. The fleet's current course was essentially identical to that of the Atlantis. The Eighth Route Army knew this, and the Germans certainly knew it too. They would undoubtedly seek to disengage in the darkness, rather than fleeing headlong south.

"If I were a German captain, what would I do?"

Zhong Lihua placed his hand on the navigational chart, watching as Navigator Haddock plotted the possible navigation area of ​​the British fleet, based on its approximate position near Mogadishu, and superimposed the diagram on the Pandaria fleet. Inexplicably, he recalled his past experiences, the days of twisting and turning in the Yimeng Mountains, dancing on the tip of a knife through the enemy's joints and searching for gaps.

But now, the soldiers have "battleships" and don't have to tie big wooden barrels together to use as "landing craft", and they have become the "National Army"... What kind of nonsense is this association? Captain Nakadai quickly suppressed this strange thought and got himself back on track.

Maritime reconnaissance is difficult, and searches rely on aircraft and visual observation. More importantly, there is no decisive difference in the "marching capabilities" of the enemy and our side. If it were my old self, how would I fight?

He closed his eyes and let the red, blue, and black pencil lines dance on the celluloid mask in his mind, like a cunning wolf trying to escape the hunters' encirclement. The wolf rushed across the wilderness, looking for loopholes in the hunt, even pouncing on the hunter who dropped the bullet, trying to break through.

gap......

"If we calculate based on Rear Admiral Vic Walker's previous communication, at a high speed of 25 knots..."

Zhong Lihua suddenly opened his eyes and stared at a spot on the nautical chart. His long-standing battlefield intuition allowed him to quickly grasp the connection. During the daytime pursuit, the Germans had been rushing in a south-westerly direction, while Pandaria and the Eighth Street were located to their north-easterly direction.

Under heavy siege, retreating with your back to the enemy is the wisest and most instinctive move. However, simply fleeing from the enemy will not escape the encirclement and completely reverse the situation. To this end, the breakout can seek gaps and break through the junction. However, if there are no gaps, then finding a weaker group among the enemy forces, concentrating firepower to weaken them, can actually find a glimmer of hope in the encirclement.

"Gentlemen, I believe that the German ship will turn eastward and try to break through our search zone and escape into the South Indian Ocean.

"To the north is impossible, to the east there are enemies, and to the south, while it may seem that we can survive a few more days under the pursuit of our ships and the British, it is ultimately not a move that can completely change the situation of the battle. The Germans in the Indian Ocean are unlikely to have a fleet capable of supporting the Asian ships to change the situation from the outside.

"Yes, Mr. Deputy General, simply fleeing will never solve the problem. We have sailed 25,000 miles on foot across the ancient lands of the East, and everything we have experienced has long since proven this—I firmly believe in my judgment."

"Left 20, sail to 120, forward three!"

"Okay, sir! 20 degrees left, turn to 120 degrees. Forward three!" "Eighth Street, follow my ship's turn!"

Signals flashed, whistles blared, and the Pandaria took the lead, turning from one darkness to another. She plowed through the dark waters, creating a pale blue foam and completing a beautiful turn. Her eastward course allowed her to witness the sunrise of February 6th perhaps a few seconds early—the fourth day of her pursuit of the Atlantis.

As the crimson sun peeked over the horizon in the east, the Pandaria prepared for another round of catapult launches. Today, they were confident they could once again capture the cunning raider, track her down, and drive her into captivity. However, before the sun had even illuminated the entire sea, news arrived from the watchtower.

"Ship spotted on the starboard side! Green-70, 15 nautical miles away!"

"Course 095, speed 15 knots... Wait a minute! Course 090... 085! She's turning! Approaching our ship at high speed..." "It's 'Assault Ship C' Atlantis!"

Chapter 405: Red Clouds Covering the Black Flag in the Sea of ​​India

After being hit twice, the Atlantis had all its guns' camouflage panels and gun covers removed. The red and black Nazi ensign of the German Kriegsmarine flew high on the bridge. Even if it didn't fly the Z-flag like the Japanese, this clear display of identity meant it was ready to fight to the death.

It seemed that Acting Captain Zhong Lihua's course prediction was quite accurate. After visual inspection was restored, the experienced attack ship quickly realized that if they didn't deal with these two annoying ships, they would face another day of being hung with sky lanterns and broadcasting their position, and there would be no way they could escape the encirclement.

The only two remaining ships in the squadron, Pandaria and Badajie, flew the St. George flag and the red Chinese Soviet flag - they were not even allowed to fly the flag of the Republic of China - and all eight guns on the two ships with firing range had their gun ports opened and were in position, ready to open fire.

"All crew members, level one combat alert, take your positions!" "Eighth Street, fire at the target with this ship!"

1941年2月6日上午7点32分，潘达利亚号舰道的两门6寸炮率先喷出火舌，打出了第一轮炮弹。

Less than five nautical miles away, the shells arrived instantly, sending a cascade of spray around the Atlantis. In the past, such a long-range firing would have been a sign of inadequate training and panic for an armed merchant ship. Lacking fire control equipment, the effective range of the deck guns was far less than their maximum range. The Atlantis, with superior fire control and training, could easily have overwhelmed the enemy's desperate resistance.

But the situation is different now. The other team's training level is also excellent. Not only do they have fire control command, but they even have an observation plane flying in the sky!

Having concluded its search mission, the Red Sea Shark, now circling a closed loop, faithfully resumed its bomb-watching duties. It carefully flew within 7 meters of the effective slant range of the German ship's 20mm anti-aircraft guns, occasionally maneuvering to avoid the semi-automatic 37mm guns and issuing correction commands for each salvo of the same-caliber guns.

This continuous correction from the third-party perspective reduced the stray fire from Pandaria and the Eighth Avenue, resulting in an increase in crossfire. Soon, a 76mm anti-aircraft shell struck the stern of the evasive Atlantis, sending a shower of sparks flying. This was once the site of the Atlantis's mine launcher. Fortunately, she had already laid over ninety mines near the Cape of Good Hope. Otherwise, this shell would have triggered a mine detonation, sending the Atlantis to its doom.

No, we can't waste it like this anymore.

A close-range sneak attack was no longer possible, releasing another smoke screen and turning to escape would be of no avail, and an honest formation artillery battle would probably not be a match for the enemy... The German ship's captain, Bernhard Rogge, no longer had the elegance and composure he had shown during the earlier interception and capture. He loudly gave navigational orders to turn further and increase the speed.

There was no time to maintain the angle of fire and slowly approach. The only way was to rush forward and deliver a fatal blow with torpedoes, sending this annoying British ship to the bottom of the sea. "Heading 010, full speed ahead!"

"Heading 010, both aircraft at full speed!"

The lone Atlantis quickly turned in the increasingly dense sea jungle. Her two MAN diesel engines, at full output power exceeding their normal capacity, drove the wounded giant body to the north. The two 150mm guns on the side of the ship that were still able to fire continuously fired in the narrow firing range. Even the 20mm guns on the deck gave up the air defense and turned their muzzles to pepper the two enemy ships.

This German is going to play for his life!

A naval battle between armed merchant ships was like a hammer swinging against an egg; even a single hit on a dying ship could cause significant damage to either side. Now that the outcome of the battle was essentially set, avoiding further losses became the more pressing issue: why would a side with a clear advantage in the battle risk its own life?

The Pandaria's signal lights flashed, signaling the fleet to turn, preparing to maintain a safe distance and maintain firepower superiority. This "unfair" behavior, in the eyes of the Germans, seemed incredibly hopeless: the insignificant difference in speed between the two ships made it difficult for the enemy to catch up, but it also prevented them from closing the gap quickly. If this artillery exchange continued for another ten minutes, the disparity in effective firepower would have turned the Atlantis into a hornet's nest before it entered effective torpedo range!

There was no chance of a desperate fight... At this moment, Captain Rogge heard an even more devastating news. "Lookout tower report, port 125, direction 245, smoke column detected!"

Before the voice in the communication tube had died down, a sharp, long-lasting roar, unlike any other from the two enemy ships' guns, pierced the air above the Atlantis. It came from the west of the ship and landed approximately 800 yards to the starboard side, creating a spray larger and higher than that of a 6-inch gun, scattering even the deep blue sea surface with white spray.

This is 8-inch shells falling, a heavy cruiser is approaching!

"This is Royal Navy Shropshire. Command is now being taken over by our ships: Pandaria, Eighth Street. Your fleet should maintain a distance from the enemy and continue to bombard the attacking ship C until we give the order, the enemy ship is sunk, or the ammunition is exhausted."

On the TBS frequency band that the Germans couldn't monitor, the heavy cruiser, which would have the image of a gentle maid in the future, issued an even more cruel order. Her two twin 8-inch guns were raised high, and she fired another half-salvo at a distance of 1900 yards (about 17 kilometers).

Boom! Another round of bombs hit the vicinity of the Atlantis, sending up a tall column of water.

Even without hearing the command to "keep firing and kill them," everyone on the Ya ship felt the biting chill in the scorching equatorial heat. Fighting an armed merchant ship was one thing, but fighting a heavy cruiser already in combat mode was another!

"Launch the smoke screen, full starboard rudder, full starboard rudder, quick!" The two salvos startled Captain Bernhard Logue, and he quickly abandoned his desperate chivalry into the Indian Ocean. Survival was no longer his primary concern; he had to fulfill his final duty as a raiding ship. He shouted the command:

"Radio room, chart room, destroy the Enigma machines, logbooks, and all confidential documents!

"Bridge! Once the heavy cruiser is within 600 chains (about 12 kilometers), lower the navy ensign and raise the white flag to signal surrender! "Damage Control! Prepare to open the sea valves. All crew members, assemble and prepare to abandon ship!"

Saving the ship was now impossible; all he could do was buy time to achieve a respectable outcome. The German naval crew fired their final few shells and began to bustle about—the boiler room began releasing smoke screens, the steering gear room began turning the starboard rudder, and the radio room operator carried out the wooden box containing the Enigma machine and the replacement rotor and tossed it into the deep Indian Ocean.

The water here was over 20 meters deep, so throwing it in would definitely be no problem. After destroying the equipment and dumping a large amount of documents into the furnace and the sea, the flagman on the bridge prepared a white flag of surrender, ready to wait until the abandonment preparations were complete... BOOM! BOOM!

God clearly had no mercy on these Germans who had turned sharply in front of the atheists. The Atlantis, turning hard to starboard and escaping, scored several hits with its 37mm anti-aircraft guns, but was hit again in the smoke by a 4-inch shell. This shell, guided by the observation aircraft, penetrated the ship's vulnerable side and destroyed the port diesel engine. Although the diesel engine, which was operating at full power, did not catch fire, the muffled explosion of the shell instantly destroyed half of the ship's power, causing the ship's speed to drop sharply.

In a naval battle like this, speed is more important than anything else!

"Stop releasing the smoke screen, raise the white flag, send the signal, surrender, surrender! Release the lifeboats! Open the sea valve, abandon ship! Release all prisoners, all crew members on deck, abandon ship!"

But in the doldrums, how could the diesel smoke screen, designed to obscure vision, dissipate so easily? With its speed plummeting, the Atlantis became a near-miss, crawling and dodging through a deadly jungle of smoke and pounding bombardment. 8-inch, 6-inch, 4-inch, and 76mm shells rained down continuously around her, while the outgoing light signals and flags were far too slow to be deciphered. In the minutes it took for the radio surrender message to be deciphered, the attack ship was struck by several more rounds of shells, the smoke and water columns mingling together.

Fortunately, perhaps because the outline of the ship was hidden in the thick smoke, everyone on board just took a good bath in the sea water and no one was injured.

But the goddess of fate always seemed to play a hellish and deadly joke in some strange place. Just when Shropshire, Pandaria and Eighth Street finally finished deciphering the surrender message and were preparing to cease fire, a dense buzzing sound was heard in the sky.

This was a group of nine Albacore torpedo bombers. Early this morning, they took off from the HMS Formidable, facing the deck wind, and flew a long distance to search for a German camouflaged raider. This was an exciting and interesting job for these biplane guys who had been patrolling the coast of Mogadishu for a week.

They had no time to decipher a long telegram that included messages like "On behalf of the Atlantis" and "Demand that all crew members receive humanitarian treatment and their lives be protected." Amidst the hazy smoke, these veteran British forces quickly spotted their target and, with a clever, shallow turn, cut into their attack path. In a standard port, starboard, and stern T-shaped attack formation, they charged towards the abandoning Atlantis.

Oh my God.

Chapter 406: Water Sky Lines Are Boundless, Beautiful, and "Brothel"

Pandaria, second deck, converted into an interrogation room.

Interrogator: Name?

Interrogated: Bernhard Lögge. Interrogator: Who is he?

Rogge: Captain of the attack ship Atlantis—oh, you might call it "attack ship C." I don't think you should already know this, so why are you asking? Interrogator: Just tell me what you need to tell me.

Roger (takes a sip of coffee): No problem.

This was once where the whaling mother ship cut up the whales, boiled the whale oil, and cut up the whale meat. Now that whaling duties have been abandoned, much of the processing machinery has been dismantled and the area has been converted into a living quarters and prison for prisoners.

The interrogator flipped through the documents, seemingly preparing for the next question, but due to the deliberately set lighting, Rogge could only see the area around him: a table, a chair, and a cup of coffee with ice cubes floating in it.

Roger (looking around): This is a really nice ship.

Another interrogator: Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Rogge - that's what I'll call you.

Rogge: No problem, sir. In fact, your German has some Slavic flavor.

Another interrogator: You are truly a legendary attack ship captain, Mr. Rogge. Would you be willing to share your attack experience with us? Rogge: Hmm? Please allow me to ask you to repeat your question.

Interrogator: We want you to tell us the Atlantis's attack route, where it attacked which ships, and what locations. (A sheet of paper and a pen are handed to the table) If you don't want to tell us, you can write it down. You can also write it down whenever you remember it.

Rogge: Oh, sir, I am, after all, an active-duty officer of the German Kriegsmarine. (He pushed the pen and paper back) I am sorry to hear your order. Another interrogator: Your crew also seems to have destroyed the code book and the encryption machine "Enigma" and thrown the logbook into the sea.

Rogge: Yes, they just did what they were supposed to do. I think if you were in my position, faced with this dilemma, you would make the same choice. Interrogator: You'd better understand your current status... (whispering) Well, if you want to write it anytime, you can.

Another interrogator: Why don't we have a chat, Mr. Rogge? As a new naval force, we actually have a lot to talk about.

Rogge: No problem. I will tell you everything I can. But it's strange. The RN is a prestigious navy. The fleet you served in has a long history, even longer than the German Imperial Navy. Why didn't you ask the Royal Navy directly?

Another interrogator: It's good to know more. Mr. Rogge, you're not a harsh captain. According to our interviews, most of the crew members your ship once captured said that your captives treated them humanely. Although we deeply detest the Nazis, given your personal kindness, we will treat you and your crew with the same standards.

Interrogator: I swear in the name of His Majesty the King, as long as you cooperate with our work.

Roger: Thank you for your kindness, sir.

Another interrogator: How do you find life on board these days?

Roger: Very comfortable, sir. The food is especially good, much better than the Japanese. You have a very good baker.

Interrogator: (Laughter) You see, when it comes to making bread, we are more confident than you.

Roger: Oh, and the coffee is also very good. It is much better than the German coffee when it is iced. (Takes a sip) Any more? Interrogator: Oh, I'm sorry, this is the last cup.

Another interrogator: A large part of our coffee stock was stored with the beer, and that part was completely destroyed by one of your shells in the previous battle. After that, if you want to drink, you will probably only have Isatis root and Nianci.

Roger: Isatis root? Nianci Cang? What is this?

Another interrogator: Um...a herbal medicine, mainly used to prevent colds and sore throats in tropical areas. It can also promote excretion and treat heatstroke.

Roger: Okay.

Interrogator: So you really don't want to tell me about your attack? If you're willing to cooperate, I might be able to ask the fleet commander for some coffee for you; he has some very good Ethiopian coffee beans.

Roger: (Hesitates for a long time) Well, I think (with difficulty) ... forget it. (Thinks for a moment) Can I have a glass of that isatis root? It would be even better if there were some grilled sausages.

The interrogator pressed the bell on the table, and soon, a cup of steaming hot drink with a strange aroma was handed over.

Roger: (Takes a bite) It tastes a bit sweet, um, it feels good.

Interrogator: Let's continue then.

Another interrogator: Mr. Rogge, since you are unwilling to talk about the previous battle, please repeat the course of the battle with my ship this time. Rogge: That should be no problem. I can't hide it from you anyway. Where do you want me to start?

Another interrogator: Let's start from the time you captured the Norwegian tanker Katie Bruvig. That's when we became aware of you.

Roger: If... we should have opened fire and sunk her—oh, that was just the normal reaction of a raider captain. We fired warning shots at her, and she stopped but tried to send a radio message. I ordered the 75mm gun to attack her radio room and antenna.

Interrogator: Please continue.

Roger: Okay. After that, I had sailors board the ship and take control of her bridge. This was a tanker heavily laden with diesel fuel, and it was very important to me and… to my colleagues. So I had the radio room send a clarification message, mimicking its transmissions. After all, such incidents are not uncommon at sea. I guess it was this transmission that aroused your suspicions.

Another interrogator: Yes.

Rogge: Our radio operator then intercepted an encrypted message from the north of the ship. It was a coded message. Our ship is capable of deciphering most merchant ship codes, but many British merchant ships are obliged to report to the RN. I've previously captured a British freighter using this method, so I ordered a turn north to investigate. You all know what happened next.

Another interrogator: I have a question, Mr. Rogge, why did you mention the name of a Japanese ship again in the telegram?

Rogge: This is a disguise, sir. The best armor a camouflaged raider possesses is its disguised third-nation identity. Even this beautiful ship, sir, would be sunk if it encountered a legitimate cruiser. The Japanese vessels' right of innocent passage in these waters is a perfect disguise.

Interrogator: This doesn't seem to be the first time you have disguised yourself as a Japanese merchant ship.

Roger: Yes, we have done similar disguises before...in the Atlantic.

Another interrogator: Where did you and your crew get the name "Kasai Maru"? Japan did have such a ship, as did the later "Kasai Maru".

Interrogator: I think it's probably the public intelligence compiled by the embassy for you. Every embassy is a public spy agency. The embassy in Japan, the embassy in Thailand, and...

Another interrogator: Goa Consulate?

Roger: (shakes his head) I'm sorry, gentlemen. I'm sorry, I can't go on about this matter.

Another interrogator: Okay, I understand your position. Let's not discuss this anymore. (Takes out a piece of paper and hands it over) Mr. Rogge, do you know this name? Rogge: Let me see... Oh, isn't this the Japanese we wrote on the Japanese ship?

Interrogator: I'd like to know where you got this text? To be honest, this text is actually the key to our successful identification of Atlantis.

Rogge: Just like last time, we obtained this information from a Japanese magazine, on the advertising page. May I ask curiously: was this information revealed because it didn't conform to Japanese grammar? Interrogator: Mr. Rogge, do you know what this information means?

Roger: I'm sorry, I haven't studied Japanese.

(The two interrogators look at each other)

Another interrogator: Well, it means... (whispering) something like that. Rogge: (long silence)

(Awkward silence)

Roger: (Serious) Gentlemen, I hope you will keep this a secret. In the name of the Royal Navy, indeed. (Knock on the door)

An unnamed navigation officer: "Captain, the grilled sausages you requested... eh? What happened?" Another interrogator: "(with dignity) Sir, I'm afraid I'm sorry..."

Interrogator: (businesslike) There's probably nothing we can do about it.