Chapter 251: Courage

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Yes, the weather was truly fine, and the snow had already begun to melt. But on the surface of the North Atlantic, it was still cold, and the skies over the North Sea were still densely covered with the dark clouds of war.

According to the operational plan drawn up for the navy to coordinate with the Western Front offensive, Admiral Raeder was to lead the carriers Bismarck and Tirpitz north to attract the attention of the main British Royal Navy fleet, while Lütjens was ordered to lead the aircraft carriers Graf Zeppelin and Imperator south to blockade the waters near the Netherlands.

This operational plan was codenamed “Operation Scissors” by the Supreme High Command. Akado was full of confidence in this operation. He ordered Raeder to delay for a few days after entering the North Sea and then immediately return to base, with the core mission of preserving his strength.

On the other hand, he ordered Lütjens to go south and make a show of force, with the objective of luring the nearby Royal Navy cruiser fleets or carrier groups into a naval battle, to destroy the British naval vessels in the nearby waters and to create favorable conditions for the subsequent operations.

And at this very moment, the Second Fleet of the German High Seas Fleet was sailing on the high seas, searching for the British naval targets they needed to challenge. As time went on, God did not want to make the German Navy wait long. At sunrise on the third day of their voyage, they finally discovered a British task force to the north of their own fleet.

“Report! Carrier-based reconnaissance planes have spotted Royal Navy carrier aircraft to the north. It is presumed that the enemy has an aircraft carrier nearby,” an air force liaison officer reported loudly.

Lütjens, who was in command on the carrier Imperator, came to the side of the command console and began to mark the position of the British fleet on the sea chart. Several operations officers gathered around, looking at the possible positions of the Royal Navy on the chart and discussing among themselves.

“Vice Admiral, the Royal Navy is very likely searching for us eastward from here. It is clear they are seeking a decisive battle with us!” one of the operations officers said, pointing at the sea chart. “Our current position is not good. If we continue south, we will fall into the encirclement of the Royal Navy and be trapped in the English Channel.”

“Once we enter there, we will be completely finished. We will be wiped out in a pincer attack by the French and British navies,” another staff officer also said anxiously. “We should stop heading south now and accelerate back to the northeast, and retreat to the naval port of Wilhelmshaven.”

Lütjens frowned and slammed his fist on the command console where the sea chart was spread. The bridge instantly fell silent. He looked at his panicked subordinates. Some were very young, some were already getting on in years. He adjusted his cap with his hand on the brim and said, “Are we going to shamelessly miss another combat opportunity?”

“But sir! If it were a cruiser fleet, we could ensure the complete annihilation of that force. Now that an aircraft carrier has been discovered, our advantage is not so obvious. What if…” a staff officer tried to persuade him.

“There are no ‘what ifs’! The Führer’s order is to annihilate the British task force. That is our mission! Does anyone question it?” Lütjens said loudly. “Do you still remember the telegram the Führer sent us? Do you still remember what was written on it? Have you all forgotten?”

No one spoke. They silently looked at Lütjens, hoping he would change his mind.

“The Führer is watching us from afar. The Führer is there, awaiting our victory! Are we going to run just like this? Fleeing back to the naval port of Wilhelmshaven like we did the last few times?” Lütjens asked, looking around at the people beside him with a frown.

Everyone was silent. They looked at their captain, at their commander, unable to say a word.

“We are the soldiers of the Reich! We are the most powerful naval fleet of Germany! The people of our fatherland have given us their most powerful warships, and yet we only dare to eke out a miserable existence under the protection of coastal artillery and those land-based air force planes?” Lütjens asked loudly.

Everyone lowered their heads. They were very dejected, ashamed of their earlier thought of retreating to Wilhelmshaven.

“I cannot give you courage, because you have never lacked courage, gentlemen! Think of the heroes of Operation Rainbow who would rather lose their most beloved warships than give up the fight! Think of the heroes who fought the British in the icy waters of the North Sea at the Battle of Jutland! Do we lack courage?”

“No,” the first mate, the helmsman, and the meteorologist shook their heads, their voices so low they could barely hear themselves.

“Do we lack courage?” Lütjens asked again, his voice rising.

“No!” everyone replied loudly. Many were waving their arms, looking extremely excited.

Lütjens asked again, his voice booming, “Then why are we so timid now? Is it because we don’t trust the Führer? Is it because we don’t believe we can achieve victory with the weapons in our hands?”

“No!” The most intense shout erupted from all the sailors and officers on the bridge. The cry was heart-wrenching. Everyone was using the loudest voice they could muster to answer the captain’s question.

Lütjens, one hand on his command console and the other holding his binoculars, said fiercely through gritted teeth, “Signal the carrier Graf Zeppelin! The message is as follows: I am turning my ship around! Launching aircraft into the wind to engage! If you are afraid of death, then speed up and get out of my way!”

“Arm all aircraft with weapons! In ten minutes, launch fighters to establish a defensive air patrol. After the first wave of attack planes has taken off, the entire fleet is to accelerate, turn again, course southwest,” Lütjens commanded loudly.

“Turn the ship!” the first mate relayed the order. “Signal the escorting cruisers. We need to turn.”

“Report, Captain! A message from the carrier Graf Zeppelin. The content is as follows: Heil Führer. We are turning to launch our planes. You’d better be quick, or we’ll run into your ass,” the telegrapher shouted.

“Accelerate the turn!” the first mate shouted into the intercom. “Full left rudder!”

“Accelerate! Full left rudder!” a sailor repeated the command loudly and began to turn the ship’s wheel with all his might.

The warship began to shake violently, and the roar of the machinery became more pronounced. The massive aircraft carrier Imperator began to turn. The white waves kicked up by its bow as it cut through the sea surface stretched out to the sides, looking so charming and beautiful.

“Launch aircraft! All hands, all ship! Combat begins!” Lütjens commanded loudly. “Heil Führer! God bless Germany!”

“Radar on! Signal the escorting destroyers! Perimeter anti-air and anti-submarine, Level One alert! Fleet to maintain a due north course!” the first mate confirmed the order loudly.

“Hoist the battle ensign! Signal the Graf Zeppelin! Launch fighters! Patrol over the fleet!” another officer shouted to a signalman.

On the carrier’s flight deck, the German ground crew, wearing vests of various colors, were busy with their respective tasks. Some were towing the naval Fw-190 fighters to the takeoff position, some were fixing small bombs under the bellies of the planes, and some were checking the ammunition in the planes’ wings.

To the side, a naval air commander was holding a sea chart and giving a mission briefing to the pilots. With one hand on his cap and the other gripping the chart, which was rustling in the wind, he shouted to a pilot, “There are no restrictions on this launch! Shoot down any enemy aircraft you see. If an enemy ship enters your sight, don’t be polite! Sink it directly!”

“You’re saying I can open fire freely?” the pilot asked, pointing to the distance. “Secure air superiority in the sky and attack any enemy I see, is that right?”

“That’s right!” the commander replied loudly, nodding vigorously.

The pilot nodded, and, accompanied by the ground crew, he ran to his plane. The propeller at the nose began to turn. The ground crew helped the pilot close the cockpit canopy, then, carrying the small boarding ladder, they ducked low and moved away from the plane.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot put on his oxygen mask. His voice began to come through the crackling radio intercom. “Flight tower, this is Sea Eagle 1. I am on the runway. Fuel is normal, plane is in good condition. Requesting takeoff.”

“Cleared for takeoff. Good luck,” the command from the tower came through the headset, accompanied by the hissing of radio static.

The plane began to accelerate into the wind on the deck. As it neared the end of the deck, the front wheel of the plane left the carrier’s deck. The pilot could no longer see any part of the carrier. In front of him was a vast ocean. But he knew he was flying, because the sea was getting farther and farther away from him, and he could feel himself getting closer and closer to the sky he yearned for.

Watching the two Fw-190 fighters fly off the carrier, Lütjens finally breathed a sigh of relief. The tense muscles in his left hand, which was holding the binoculars, relaxed. Win or lose, at least now his troops were fighting, at least his troops had the courage to fight! Only then could they strive for victory, to win the victory that belonged to them.

Following that, another two Fw-190 fighters took to the air. The morale of the entire fleet had changed. They were now only a few dozen nautical miles from their opponents. A battle was about to break out, and it was no longer a situation where they could run if they wanted to.

“After two more fighters have taken off, begin launching the Stukas!” Lütjens ordered after a moment’s thought. “Our fighters are more advanced. We’ll seize the time and launch a first wave of attacks! I want to see if the British Navy is truly invincible!”

“Signal the Graf Zeppelin! Launch six fighters for air defense! Then immediately launch the Stuka bombers!” As soon as Lütjens had finished speaking, the first mate confirmed the order loudly from the side.

“Half of the Stukas are to be armed with small bombs, the other half with large bombs! The small bombs are to deal with the escort ships! The planes with the large bombs, their main target is the enemy aircraft carrier!” Lütjens commanded, staring at the sea chart.

Soon, one after another, the Stuka dive bombers began to take off. They formed up into a flight formation above the fleet, and then, with a single command from their commander, they entered the clouds in a dense swarm and flew toward their distant target.