Chapter 2: Infernal Storm

Inside the command tower protected by heavy armor, a young yet composed officer, dressed in a neat and concise military uniform, reported to a middle-aged general of slender build and upright posture in a clear and resonant tone.

This is the absolute forbidden zone of the British Empire

Far beyond the range of the fortress artillery, and even exceeding the effective observation distance of ordinary optical devices, the German fleet opened fire—witnessing the flashes and smoke appearing at the distant end of the sea, the British soldiers guarding the fortress and their comrades on the warships were equally astonished, yet very few of them connected this with the gray aircraft in the sky that emitted a faint noise, which would soon bring them a profoundly painful lesson.

Returning from the details to the whole, the keen-eyed British sailors noticed a "clue": these five warships varied in size and length, yet their side profiles were strikingly similar, as if they were scaled versions of a single template

The officer standing in front of the megaphone was a broad-shouldered, stout man, who immediately conveyed the shooting instructions to the firing chamber in a resonant and powerful baritone.

Clinging to the lifebuoy abandoned by the Germans, the beleaguered British sailors were able to closely observe the suddenly appeared German fleet. Eleven warships were arranged in two columns, one consisting of five battleships, all equipped with four twin-mounted main gun turrets, symmetrically arranged along the centerline, stacked two by two behind the main and secondary bridges. The main bridge featured a tower structure that was not particularly tall, with a towering tripod mast behind it. Between the two bridges were two equally sized smokestacks, and between the smokestacks were mounted landing craft, dinghies, and some objects covered with canvas. The presence of small cranes was not surprising, but the purpose of the two sliding tracks remained elusive. The bow shape was not the razor-like form commonly seen today; instead, it was vertical at the bottom and flared outward at the top, with the hull at the waterline appearing to have a curved bulge.

In the blink of an eye, the shells fired by the fleet's ships fell like raindrops on the sea surface several thousand meters away, instantly enveloping the small yet defiant British destroyer in the splashes they created. Given the disparity in strength between the two sides, the only suspense in this battle lay in how long it could endure. A few seconds later, the twin-mounted secondary guns below the porthole fired again without any pressure, the smoke billowing from the muzzle quickly dissipating in the wind. Another ten seconds passed, and they fired for the third time, their rate of fire astonishing. A few seconds later, the twin-mounted secondary guns below the porthole fired again without any pressure, the smoke billowing from the muzzle quickly dissipating in the wind. Another ten seconds passed, and they fired for the third time, their rate of fire astonishing.

A few minutes later, the German fleet passed by the survivors of the battle. On those imposing warships, the main gun turrets and the side secondary gun turrets opened their hatches and doors, while German gunners in white uniforms gazed at the British sailors floating on the sea with eyes devoid of hatred. Although the ship's machine guns could easily eliminate these unfortunate souls, the Germans were not as bloodthirsty as some newspapers had described. After a commanding officer on the bridge issued orders, several German sailors threw down lifebuoys—though the distance to the British coast was not far, the current waves were a significant drain on the swimmers' stamina. Those with better swimming skills might make it back to shore or hold on until rescue boats arrived, while those less capable would have to rely on luck.

Shortly after the torpedo was launched, the devastated destroyer experienced an extremely violent explosion without any external force acting upon it, and it rapidly sank in a shattered state. The battlefield fell completely silent, and the British sailors who had narrowly escaped could only watch helplessly as the tattered Union Jack on the mast disappeared from the surface of the sea

With an extremely tense mindset, the British soldiers stationed at the fortress of the Abus River estuary were intently focused on the sea, with Grimsby, a traditional seaport in Eastern England, behind them. It is neither a military port nor a political or economic hub, and its greatest significance at present lies in its position on the shores of the British mainland.

The enormous and striking fireball seemed to serve as a clear signal. Moments later, the German fleet, poised to enter the firing range of the British fortress, ceased fire. Eleven warships traced a sleek and simple arc across the sea, altering their course from a diagonal approach towards the mouth of the Abus River to a parallel alignment with the British coastline, which left the furious British gunners seething with rage.

The intense barrage lasted only three to four minutes, after which the British destroyer could no longer advance. Its tilted deck gradually approached the water's surface, and all the ship's guns fell silent. After the short-haired captain ordered a ceasefire, the sea suddenly became eerily quiet. Just when it seemed that the surviving British sailors should seize their last chance to escape, a disheveled figure lingered near the torpedo launch position at the stern of the ship. Suddenly, a wisp of pale smoke erupted from the circular launch tube, and a pointed torpedo shot into the water. However, even if it could reach its target, the considerable distance provided ample time for the enemy to evade.

At this moment, the alarms from British ships and the cannon fire from the sea have informed Grimsby and the surrounding British military and civilians of the impending attack by the German fleet—this dreadful news spreads like an incredibly contagious black plague, rapidly traversing the eastern coast of England and then the entirety of Britain at an unimaginable speed. Within a few hours, it will appear in various tones of commentary across the newspapers and media of different countries, reminding people that this war is evolving in complex and diverse ways

Another round of gunfire struck, explosions erupted successively on the bridge and amidships of the British destroyer, and more and more space on the ship was engulfed by flames and thick smoke. Through the telescope, a few figures could be faintly seen rushing to extinguish the fire, their efforts so helpless and tragic. ... Another shell hit the hull, and even the most resilient figure fell ...

Watching several of their own merchant ships flee in panic under enemy bombardment, the British soldiers guarding the fortress were filled with anger but had no outlet for it. As a vulnerable island nation, coastal defense is of paramount importance to Britain's national defense. However, in recent years, the Royal Navy has had to allocate most of its budget to compete with the Germans in shipbuilding, resulting in a lack of both energy and financial resources to strengthen the construction of coastal defense fortifications. If it were not for the dismantling and sale of a considerable number of old warships to raise funds for shipbuilding, and the transfer of usable naval guns to the coastal defense forces, the British garrison might have had to rely on antiquated artillery to confront the enemy—though the caliber of the guns from old warships was substantial and their power was adequate, their range was a significant weakness. Before 1906, the vast majority of battleship main guns had a range just over 10,000 meters, and the effective range of fleet artillery battles was considered to be between 6,000 and 8,000 yards. By 1914, advancements in metallurgical forging technology had enabled the latest naval guns to achieve ranges exceeding 20,000 meters, and the adoption of new sighting equipment significantly improved the long-range accuracy of naval guns. This meant that once British coastal fortifications encountered Germany's new warships, they would only suffer losses in long-range artillery battles.

The scream was like a sharp knife, piercing the proud heart of the British. For many years, they had used their powerful ships and cannons to force open the doors of one backward country after another, plundering the wealth of these nations in an extremely barbaric manner and oppressing their people. They probably never dreamed that the relentless flames of war would spread to the sacred and inviolable territory of the empire on which the sun never sets in such a way, and how great a provocation and insult this would be to the invincible Royal Navy of Britain

The Germans have arrived

This middle-aged general is dressed in a deep blue naval uniform with a short collar and a fitted waist, the colored stripes on his chest slightly indicating the rank of Rear Admiral in the German Navy. He has short hair about an inch long, a lean and dark complexion, a neatly trimmed mustache on his upper lip, and a short goatee on his chin. Hanging from his chest is a pair of black-shelled binoculars, and his small eyes appear quite shrewd

Report, the fleet has completed a right turn of 10 degrees, heading 16 degrees north of due west, and is 20 nautical miles from the target port

During a relatively ample observation period, some British sailors carefully observed another group of German warships, which were likely newer cruisers, with a displacement ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 tons, and like the battleships, they were equipped with four twin-mounted main gun turrets arranged along the centerline. British cruisers of different classes typically have their own distinctive features, while these German cruisers exhibited a high degree of similarity in their side profiles, making it easy for opposing gunners to misjudge during intense naval battles. Additionally, some British sailors anxiously noted that the German cruisers were equipped with a considerable number of mines, which are highly destructive trigger-based weapons that are relatively easy to deploy but very difficult to completely eliminate. Once laid in the shipping lanes off the coast of Britain, they could have catastrophic effects on shipping in eastern England in a short period.

Under the leadership of Sir Fisher, most British warships built after 1906 adopted oil-fired boilers. Compared to traditional coal-fired boilers, the high combustion efficiency of liquid fuels, along with their ease of storage, transportation, and use, brought significant convenience to the Royal Navy. However, the United Kingdom did not produce oil domestically. To guard against potential maritime issues during wartime, the British Navy had no choice but to store several months' worth of operational fuel for the fleet on home soil. Given the vast scale of the home fleet, by the summer of 1914, the British Navy had stockpiled several million tons of fuel on the mainland, dispersed across various coastal ports. Despite having a relatively comprehensive alert system and fire prevention measures, it was impossible to withstand bombardment from large-caliber naval guns.

The fortress artillery proved to be of no use, and people naturally placed their hopes for revenge on the unparalleled Royal Navy. On the first day of the war, the main fleet of the British home fleet set sail from the southern ports of England to the northern bases in Scotland, joining the Channel Fleet to block the German Navy's access to the Atlantic. This "long-range blockade" was different from the British Navy's usual "coastal blockade"; it left the German fleet with considerable room for maneuver and was seen by many as a sign of British apprehension towards the German torpedo fleet. In fact, it aligned with the technological development trends of naval warfare weapons and was a correct assessment of the naval combat situation. With a strength clearly superior to that of the enemy, the British Navy created an unprecedented cage for the German High Seas Fleet, which had cost the Germans a fortune to build.

Approximately twenty minutes later, the Germans ceased their pressure-free long-range bombardment, and powerful heavy shells sank three British merchant ships to the seabed. This unilateral maritime attack aligns with the concept of "naval blockade warfare" envisioned by some naval theorists, which involves fast and long-range warships attacking enemy transport vessels to achieve the goal of blockading the enemy from the sea. However, in the waters near the mouth of the Abbs River, located on British soil, the German fleet's attack on British ships seemed to be merely incidental. Subsequently, they aimed their elevated gun barrels at the port of Grimsby, which was protected by coastal fortifications.

It is estimated that the unfortunate British destroyer has entered the effective range of our secondary guns. The German admiral, with a short goatee, parted his lips slightly and calmly uttered a clear and unmistakable word: "Fire"

In the distance over the sea, a new scene quickly emerged beyond the splashing waves. The short-haired man with a goatee slowly raised his binoculars, and through the magnified view, the solitary British destroyer continued to advance, but its foredeck and bridge were in disarray. The ship's guns appeared in a bizarre and grim distortion, with crew members scattered haphazardly around their battle stations, the scene of bloodshed resembling a hellish nightmare

Through the windows of the command tower in front of me, I can see a large expanse of gray-black smoke rising from the distant sea surface to port. Between this ship and the smoke, there is only a solitary vessel on the open sea, and the white waves stirred up by its bow indicate its high-speed sailing status. The two naval guns stacked on the forward deck occasionally spit out tongues of flame and clouds of smoke, but the falling shells are still over a thousand meters away from this ship. Between this ship and the smoke, there is only a solitary vessel on the open sea, and the white waves stirred up by its bow indicate its high-speed sailing status. The two naval guns stacked on the forward deck occasionally spit out tongues of flame and clouds of smoke, but the falling shells are still over a thousand meters away from this ship.

Butcher! Devil! You damned Germans, go to hell!

A British sailor, lying on a lifebuoy, angrily shakes his fist at the retreating silhouette of the German fleet, while the red and white lifebuoy bears the German inscription "Emperor's Warship - Sedlitz"

From the appearance of the German fleet to the successive sinking of two British warships, there was merely the interval of an afternoon tea.

At the beginning, each round of bombardment by the German fleet was divided into two closely spaced phases, which is a common tactic in naval warfare known as "fire - observe - adjust - fire." In this method, one of the twin-mounted main guns fires first, and the commander adjusts the firing parameters based on the impact point of the first shell, then the other gun fires, and this process continues until the impact point approaches the target. After several rounds of adjustments, the German heavy shells began to soar over the British fortifications and strike Grimsby. Once they landed on the shore, each of these large-caliber high-explosive shells could produce a tremendous shock, capable of easily flattening buildings, killing or injuring nearby people and livestock, and shattering glass within a kilometer radius, but these were not the most lethal effects. As the bombardment continued to extend towards the port dock, a massive mushroom-shaped fireball suddenly erupted into the sky—that was the Royal Navy's ten-thousand-ton fuel depot in Grimsby.

Upon receiving intelligence about the enemy, the patrol vessels stationed upstream at the river mouth urgently set out. However, as these outdated communication ships and smaller torpedo boats and gunboats moved towards the open sea, the fortress artillerymen felt no sense of relief. As those few disheartened cargo barges finally approached the coast, the shadow of the German fleet also appeared on the eastern horizon. The battle alarm immediately rang throughout the fortress, and the enemy ship's position and distance parameters were continuously transmitted from the observation posts to the artillery positions. The fortress artillery of various calibers had been elevated to the maximum angle, now waiting for the enemy to enter range

The fierce beast with sharp fangs and claws is unwilling to be confined in a cage, but to break free from the iron cage crafted with utmost precision by the British, a reconnaissance fleet centered around a battlecruiser is far from sufficient. Sinking a few ships or destroying a fuel depot is also inadequate to bring about a fundamental change in the strategic situation. The strategic landscape has long been established, and war has already broken out. Before a victor is determined or a stalemate ensues, all parties involved in the conflict hope to defeat their opponents through the most direct military means. Achieving this in a single decisive engagement would be the most ideal outcome.

A few seconds later, the twin-mounted secondary guns below the command tower's porthole erupted with bright tongues of fire. The booming sound of the 4.1-inch guns was much softer than the thunderous roar of the main guns, and the vibrations they produced were also lighter; however, this did not imply that they were insignificant. These new naval guns developed by Krupp were originally intended to be mounted as main guns on German Navy light cruisers. They had a faster firing rate and longer range than previous artillery of the same caliber, and the high-explosive and armor-piercing shells they were equipped with possessed greater destructive power. After the high command of the German Navy altered the firepower configuration plan for light cruisers, these naval guns were repurposed for use on newly constructed large vessels, most of which adopted flexible and rapid twin-mounted secondary gun turrets to provide ample and concentrated firepower output at medium defensive ranges.

In the distance, the protective smoke released by two British warships in a desperate effort was gradually dissipating, while the silhouettes of 7 vessels fleeing towards the coast remained clearly visible. After adjusting their course once more, the German fleet launched another thunderous bombardment, with the main guns at the stern that had gained a firing range also joining in, doubling the firepower compared to before. After just two rounds of firing, a cargo ship was struck by the shells, and the damaged hull began to emit thick black smoke.

In the foreground, two massive twin-mounted main gun turrets quietly point towards the port side, while the twin-mounted secondary gun turret next to the No. 2 main gun turret is rotating, its long and straight barrels having crossed the ship's side, making fine adjustments to the elevation angle

Witnessing the raging flames spreading uncontrollably at the port, the British soldiers guarding the fortress were filled with intense indignation. Upon seeing their own vessels bravely confronting the German fleet being intercepted by concentrated fire on the sea, they could no longer contain their anger and opened fire. The fierce cannonade futilely stirred up splashes and churned up the seabed, not even grazing the edges of the German fleet.