Chapter 332: The Naval Battle of Norway

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“The British Navy will soon have its hands full! Where will they find the energy to deal with the mess in Norway?” Akado said with a wave of his hand, a hint of disdain hidden in his blue eyes. He was very satisfied with Raeder’s political eye and loyalty, but Raeder’s constant advocacy for the cautious use of the naval fleet made Akado feel that he was a bit too timid.

Moreover, there would be no reinforcements for the navy in the short term. The other two Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers were still on the slipways. The remaining destroyers and cruisers, even if they were newly launched, were only anti-aircraft and anti-submarine models for escorting carriers and minesweepers, lacking the basic capability for independent combat.

Of course, Akado had also realized the shortcoming of the fleet’s excessive reliance on the capability of its aircraft carriers and had ordered the naval shipyards to build four gunnery-type cruisers and twelve destroyers. These warships were equipped with 203mm and 150mm main guns, respectively, which was basically the same as the firepower of the British and American destroyers of the same period. Their role was to serve as raiders and as close-in protection for the carriers, to prevent interference from the enemy’s smaller ships.

In fact, the German Navy had this role, but it was just too rare. Germany had three Lützow-class armored ships. These warships were built in the first naval modernization plan. Although their technology was a bit old, they could contend with cruisers in terms of speed and artillery. These warships were originally intended to be used as raiders for surprise attacks, but now they were following the German Navy’s High Seas Fleet and were being used as “large destroyers.” Their presence also meant that the German High Seas Fleet would not be chased away at night by a few enemy cruisers.

The main guns of these armored ships were 283mm in caliber, which was sufficient to deal with any British destroyers and cruisers. Moreover, their high speed of 26 knots made it easy for them to operate with the aircraft carriers. In addition, they could be equipped with large radar systems that could not be installed on destroyers, which could provide a warning of 37 kilometers around the carriers, which also made Lütjens feel much more at ease.

None of these three warships had participated in the battle off the coast of the Netherlands, because at that time they were undergoing refits in Wilhelmshaven, adding and modifying their anti-aircraft gun systems and installing high-power radar. It could be said that this battle in the Norwegian Sea was their first battle after their refits were completed.

Akado looked at the embarrassed Raeder, sighed, and continued, “General Raeder, the combat missions that the Imperial Navy will have to carry out in the future will be even more arduous. If you cannot cope even now, then in the future, when we have a decisive naval battle with a strong enemy, how can I entrust an even larger fleet to you?”

“Führer! I… I will recall Lütjens from the Norwegian Sea! Should we leave a few warships in Norway to defend against British interference?” Raeder, having been encouraged for a few seconds, once again revealed his cautious nature. “If the British Navy were to land in Norway, destroy the port facilities, and interfere with the iron ore production… wouldn’t we be losing more than we gain?”

“Even if the British land in Norway, do you think my Army Group H and the hundreds of planes of the air force are just for show?” Akado laughed. “General von Weichs will drive them into the sea. The British actions in Norway will at most just send us some prisoners. It’s impossible for them to succeed.”

“Since the Führer is so certain, then I will immediately order the execution of this plan after I go back,” Raeder nodded, agreeing with Akado’s view.

This was also the reason why Akado insisted on using Raeder as the supreme commander of the navy. Although Raeder’s combat command ability was average, he was very loyal and very obedient. It could be said that as long as Akado insisted on something, he would eventually do it. With such a person who had never had any problems with his political alignment watching over the navy’s supreme command, Akado could tolerate his shortcoming of having average ability.

“In addition, the air force’s secret plan must also be implemented! General Kesselring, this plan is not just a tactical plan, but also a strategic plan. Once this plan succeeds, it will completely change the morale balance between the enemy and ourselves. Understood?” Akado then looked at his favored subordinate, Kesselring.

Compared to Raeder’s shortcoming of having loyalty but lacking ability, the two generals Kesselring and Dick were undoubtedly the Rommel and Guderian of the air force. These two men had both ability and had always been loyal to Akado, which really made Akado marvel at the depth of Germany’s talent pool.

“My Führer, the plan is being carried out in full swing. You will soon receive a report of the successful operation,” Kesselring replied immediately.

Since the issues that needed to be finalized had all been confirmed, Akado kept the two men for lunch. For dinner, Akado had to meet a large group of politicians and high officials, and it had been booked long ago, which was why he had told Anna that he might not be able to come back. A friendly reminder here: what men say about possibly not being able to come back, ladies, please translate this on your own as “not coming back.”

And at the same moment as Akado was holding his meeting, in the icy waters of the Norwegian Sea, the massive High Seas Fleet of the German Navy was sailing slowly.

“Ring!” Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the interior of the aircraft carrier Imperator. All the crew members were running to their battle stations. A few minutes ago, a reconnaissance plane more than a hundred kilometers away had sent back a piece of intelligence, having discovered three or more British Royal Navy warships.

Lütjens did not dare to be careless. He immediately ordered the entire fleet to enter a state of Level One alert. All crew members had to be at their posts, and reconnaissance planes were to be launched immediately to confirm all directions of the entire fleet, to avoid missing the main British fleet.

The operations officers were urgently verifying all kinds of intelligence. Some came from the British mainland, and the message clearly stated that a day ago, the main British fleet was still in port with no signs of sortieing. Others came from the submarine force, reporting that no large British fleet had been found on the shipping routes.

“General, according to the intelligence analysis, it is impossible for the main British fleet to appear in this position. Several intelligence channels have simultaneously confirmed that the British Navy has not left its home waters,” a staff officer said with a frown. “This should only be a British task force.”

“Report, General! The air arm’s reconnaissance planes have once again confirmed the scale and movement of the targets in the alert zone,” the air force liaison officer said, putting down the phone in his hand to Lütjens. “The enemy has six destroyers and is in a high-speed sailing state. This speed is not the speed of a large-scale fleet.”

“Order all carriers to launch five planes each. The Imperator and the Graf Zeppelin are to launch Stukas. The Bismarck and the Tirpitz are to launch Fw-190 fighters, to form a bomber formation and to attack this destroyer fleet,” Lütjens said, drawing a circle on his sea chart with a mapping tool. He then frowned and commanded, “The rest of the planes are to be armed with bombs and torpedoes and prepare for a second wave of attacks.”

“Report, General. The radar of the destroyers in other directions has been turned on for confirmation. No suspicious targets have been found,” the naval staff officer said at this time, having once again confirmed the intelligence transmitted from the other ships. “I have already ordered two destroyers to enter the core of the fleet for anti-submarine warfare. The remaining ships are to maintain their positions and continue their watch.”

“Very good,” Lütjens said, nodding as he saw that twenty planes had already formed up in the sky and were flying in the direction of the target. “Continue to dispatch reconnaissance planes in other directions. I want to confirm the absolute security of the surrounding waters!”

“Yes, General!” the staff officer saluted and accepted the order.

At this time, the atmosphere on the warship had actually become less tense. Because of the attack range of the carrier-based aircraft, the fist-to-flesh mode of mutual shelling of the past, with big ships and giant guns, had become a long and uneventful wait.

“Get me a cup of coffee,” Lütjens said to his adjutant, who was following behind him. “I will wait for the results in the day cabin next door. If there is any news, come and inform me at once.”

“As you command, General!” the adjutant nodded and then withdrew.

Soon, the air arm units had flown over the target and had discovered that the provoking British fleet this time did indeed look like a bait. These six British destroyers were all relatively old World War I destroyers. Their own anti-aircraft firepower was very weak, and due to their age and design problems, their speed was not as fast as the German destroyers.

It is hard to imagine the mood of the German pilots after seeing these destroyers. The Fw-190 fighters, armed with rockets and small bombs, began to climb. Because they suspected that this was a trap and that British fighters were ambushing them nearby, they searched for several minutes but did not find any sign of the British air force.

The Stuka bombers began a probing attack, and as a result, with just one round of diving, they had broken an old British destroyer in two. The British ship formation had no will to fight and began to retreat. But the German air force, which had ascertained the situation, did not give these destroyers any chance. Under repeated attacks, these British destroyers were soon either sunk or were set on fire.

A Norwegian naval battle that should have been of a grand scale had turned into a one-sided slaughter. The British Navy this time had not sunk a single German ship but had had a full six of their own destroyers sunk. The British surface ship forces off the coast of Norway had been wiped out as soon as they had shown their faces, which seemed to once again prove that the German Navy was not what it used to be.

Half an hour later, the news of the complete annihilation of the British fleet returned with the other twenty planes that had gone to reinforce them. And the dozen or so planes that had been sent out for reconnaissance had not found any suspicious targets. Only then was this operation truly considered to be completely over. Although it was only a small victory against destroyers, Lütjens still, in accordance with tradition, opened a bottle of champagne on the bridge to celebrate.

Just as everyone was drinking and celebrating, a telegram from the Naval General Staff in Berlin arrived from afar. The content on it made Lütjens’s smile disappear, and he gave the order for the fleet to head south. The content of the telegram was very simple: The Reich High Command orders the execution of “Operation Blackout.”