Chapter 719 The Second Sea Battle
"I have always said that the Germans are our country's greatest benefactors!" The slave owners rescued by the Battle of Verdun have returned to their old ways. Now that the German army has launched a powerful offensive on the Western Front, who would pay attention to the small religious conflicts in the Persian Gulf?
Sheffield is full of energy and is extremely grateful to the great Emperor William II. Now he is preparing to go to Washington to sign a contract. The federal government has reached a consensus on a naval expansion plan of around 600 million US dollars. Of course, the joint company in the shipbuilding field does not have the core technology, but as long as it can get a share of it, it will not lose out.
"It's been less than two years since the war began, and the country has already paid off $3 billion in national debt. The debt clamp that European countries have long placed on the United States has now ended." Louisa Morgan nodded. "In the first year of the war, $24 billion flowed into the country. Last year it was $3.8 billion. This year has even increased since the beginning."
"There's more to it than that, right?" Sheffield looked at Louisa Morgan with a meaningful look. "Your family and the Rockefeller family have all loaned money to the British. Once the Allies lose the war, the money will not be recovered."
"William..." Louisa Morgan opened her mouth, trying to explain the relationship here.
"I understand!" Sheffield waved his hand to stop them. "Britain and France are colonial empires, and their local forces are no match for Germany. Aside from their ancestors being richer, they pose less of a threat to the United States than the Germans. Sooner or later, countries will join the Allies. I know this is an inevitable trend, and it's not something that an individual can stop, but there are rules for how to join."
In the years after the war began, although the United States did business with both warring parties, its relationship with the Allies was closer. It supplied the Allies with large amounts of arms, food and other materials, and gave them huge loans. In this way, the United States became the largest creditor of the Allies and had a greater stake in the Allies.
This shipbuilding contract from Washington was another feast for major domestic shipyards. The slave owner who flew around in an airship appeared in Washington with two amulets.
"General Pershing has entered Mexico. We are very enthusiastic about joining the army. More than 20,000 people have signed up at the recruitment point!" Annie said on the phone. "We are also calling on the families of our company workers to join the army to contribute to the country."
"The navy is to threaten foreign enemies. No matter what, battleships cannot go ashore. The army and state police are the basis for calming down domestic opponents. Southern citizens should indeed join the army enthusiastically. This is the tradition of us slave owners. We must ensure the supply of the intervention army. This may be a drill before we join the war. It is reassuring to have you, the mistress of Arlington, watching by the side."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the microphone, and Annie asked cautiously, "Which side do you want to join?"
Sheffield burst out laughing. He understood what his wife was worried about. He kept silent for a while, and waited until the person on the other end of the microphone began to breathe rapidly before he smiled and said, "Don't worry about the Allied side now. All I need is the German technology transfer and overseas industries, which I have almost got now. If the British can guarantee that the Persian Gulf territory will be assigned to me, it's actually okay to stand on the side of the Allied Powers."
"My dear!" said Anne, breaking into laughter. "You are always so frightening."
"It's better to say that there is no bottom line. It was just one problem before. I didn't want to pay, but I wanted the benefits. Anyway, the United States' entry into the war will definitely have a major impact, and it would be a pity not to bargain over this matter. Don't think that the federal government has not done anything in the past two years. Think about it carefully. The voices of German and Irish immigrants have become much smaller. Some things have been going on, but they have never been said." Sheffield comforted his wife softly.
"Aren't you a democratic country?" Anne complained softly.
"We are an American democracy!" Sheffield corrected in a low voice. "Politicians must follow certain rules and make an incorrect decision through normal procedures. The side effect is that it takes a certain amount of time. Although in the eyes of some countries, this is very low IQ. They only need a few people to make the same decision in a few days. Take a development plan as an example. We need multiple departments to hold meetings, come up with opinions, listen to public opinion, and make new plans. In this way, several months and a year are gone in an instant. The advantage is that there are people working in the civil service system, but the disadvantage is that the United States cannot respond to emergencies."
To reassure his wife, Sheffield took Louisa Morgan to participate in the Admiralty's shipbuilding tender. By the time it was made public, it was just a formality after the result had been decided.
"War is the most wonderful thing!" The slave owner who received one-third of the share was extremely grateful for the generosity of the federal government. He had suffered heavy losses in recent months. The cargo ships stranded on the coastline alone were enough to make an ordinary businessman feel dizzy.
The new round of shipbuilding plan of the US Navy was regarded as naval preparation for participating in the war. While chatting with some officials of the Navy Department, Sheffield also heard that a proposal for the National Defense Mobilization Act was under discussion.
He knew that this matter could be regarded as the United States' preparation for the army. Once the navy and the army were ready? In fact, it did not need to be completed. As long as a bill was passed to take precautions, an excuse would be needed to join the war.
The German High Seas Fleet was officially dispatched. If this was considered bad news, the even worse news was that the Austrian and Italian fleets were also dispatched. Some things are always feared to happen for the first time. After the British army suffered a disastrous defeat in the Middle East battlefield, the defeat in the Dardanelles and the Persian Gulf, and the previous Mediterranean naval battle, the Austrian and Italian fleets could only barely draw, with dire consequences. Now even the Austrian and Italian fleets have begun to dispatch and attack.
The target of the Austro-Italian fleet was Egypt, Britain's absolute fulcrum in the Middle East battlefield. This time, the Austro-Italian fleet was heading for Alexandria Port.
The two Allied fleets that attacked almost one after another made the British cabinet feel overwhelmed. The wealthy businessmen of the United States on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, no matter how much they jumped, they only killed some colonial soldiers. At least for now, they did not do anything to Oman. The Americans were far away, but the Europeans wanted the British Empire to die.
After the battlecruiser formation was ambushed and Beatty's fleet was completely wiped out, the British Cabinet realized that the two navies had reached a stage where the Germans could continue to take risks. On the one hand, they worked overtime to continue building ships, and on the other hand, they launched a propaganda offensive, hoping that the Germans would understand that the last time was just a sneak attack. If the two sides met, the Germans would definitely not gain the upper hand in a face-to-face decisive battle.
Obviously, this deterrence did not work, and the Germans came anyway. The extremely reluctant cabinet authorized Admiral John Jellicoe to severely damage the German High Seas Fleet through World War I. Now the British no longer expected any bullshit Copenhagenization, and as long as the German High Seas Fleet could become a existing fleet again, it would be a victory.
The German High Seas Fleet, consisting of seventeen dreadnought-class battleships and seven battlecruisers, set out from the port and stepped into a naval battle where life and death were uncertain. They were greeted by the British Grand Fleet led by Admiral John Jellicoe. The core force of the Grand Fleet was twenty-six dreadnoughts, which were the absolute main force of both sides.
Both sides had sensed each other's presence, and after the lead ship discovered the other side, a major battle was imminent. As in the last time, Reinhard Scheer divided the High Seas Fleet into two parts, with himself commanding the dreadnought formation and Hipper commanding the battlecruiser formation.
The battlecruiser formation has a higher speed and it certainly has its own value. It may not be the main force, but it is absolutely indispensable.
Witnessed by the seemingly eternal sun, the second clash between the two main fleets began. This time there was no more strategy, just a head-on confrontation.
"Once the Royal Navy is destroyed, the British will be finished!" Reinhard Scheer issued an attack order, which was transmitted to the participating ships by clear-coded telegram. On the vast sea, 50,000 German naval officers and soldiers heard the messenger repeating the words of the commander of the High Seas Fleet over and over again. High-decibel shouts rang out almost simultaneously on German warships, especially those battlecruisers!
The army brothers on land were still fighting in the Verdun fortress. Most of the officers and soldiers were excited, but a few were calming their nervous hearts, with determination in their eyes.
After the squadron harassed and seized a series of outposts in advantageous positions, the second naval battle between Britain and Germany broke out at two o'clock in the afternoon. Because the German High Seas Fleet was divided into two parts, and the previous British battlecruiser formation was completely wiped out, Admiral John Jellicoe no longer had any available battlecruiser formations, so he could only separate a formation from the Grand Fleet to fight against Hipper's battlecruiser formation, including four King George V-class battleships.
"Take advantage of our strengths!" Hipper's fleet understood that the Royal Navy no longer had any battlecruisers. The key to the outcome of this naval battle, like the last time, would still be their own battlecruiser formation. The captured Tiger and Lion had been transformed into part of their fleet, and this was also the time for them to meet their former colleagues.
At the beginning, Hipper's fleet opened the record by hitting a light cruiser, and the British warship trapped by the water column exploded several times in succession. The light on the sea surface was dim at dusk, and the flames produced by the explosions of the shells were particularly eye-catching. When these flames disappeared, a large amount of black smoke rose from the British warship with a rolling momentum, and orange-yellow flames sprang out from time to time.
At the same time, on the main battlefield, the main force of the British Grand Fleet led by Admiral John Jellicoe was also engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the dreadnought fleet of the High Seas Fleet led by Reinhard Scheer. This was a battle of honor for the Royal Navy!
"John Jellicoe, I'm here to fight to the death!" Reinhartscher shouted with burning eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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