Chapter 0621: The Useless Pawn

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" 

The intense exchange of fire continued unabated as both sides' main battleships desperately fired, hurling heavy shells toward their enemies in an attempt to sink their warships and claim victory in the battle. 

The German Navy's *Prinz Eugen* and *Graf Spee* battleships were engaged in a deadly struggle against the British Navy's *Giant* and *Dreadnought* battleships. These two British vessels, among the early dreadnoughts built by the Royal Navy, were now gravely outdated, especially the *Dreadnought*, which had pioneered the dreadnought era. However, these two ships were now rendered obsolete. Their armor was weak, and their firepower was insufficient. The 305mm guns with a 45-caliber length were hardly capable of penetrating the thick armor of the *Prinz Eugen* and *Graf Spee* battleships, both of which were *King* class ships, among the most formidable battleships in the world. 

"Continue firing! Target one point. In twenty minutes, I do not want to see the *Giant* still afloat!" commanded the captain of the *Prinz Eugen*. 

"Aye, Captain!" 

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" 

The three triple-barrel 380mm guns on the *Prinz Eugen* unleashed a barrage of fire upon the *Giant*. Each shell, weighing a ton, struck the sea with tremendous force, sending towering columns of water skyward. 

The British sailors aboard the *Giant* watched in pallid fear. To face the powerful *Prinz Eugen* was a trial beyond their capability. After all, the *Giant* had a displacement of just over 20,000 tons, whereas the *Prinz Eugen* displaced a colossal 37,000 tons, nearly double. Before the might of the *Prinz Eugen*, the *Giant* seemed like a child in comparison. 

The 380mm guns of the *Prinz Eugen* easily overpowered the *Giant*, capable of tearing its weak defenses to shreds. In this lopsided confrontation, the *Giant* had no chance. 

The same dire fate awaited the *Dreadnought*, facing the *Graf Spee*, another *King* class battleship. Though the *Dreadnought* had once ushered in the dreadnought era, it was now an aging relic. This was a battle between the oldest and the newest of the dreadnoughts, and the outcome was inevitable. 

The officers and men aboard the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* could only feel that they were nothing more than discarded pawns in a larger game. Admiral John Jellicoe had hoped to use them to stall the Germans' newest battleships, thereby allowing the French Navy to find an opening to sink the *King Albert* and *Prince Leopold Regent* battleships. But the men aboard the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* thought differently. They feared they would be sunk before the Germans' *King Albert* and *Prince Leopold Regent* could even be defeated. 

"Blast it! How could the Admiral give such an order? Isn't this just a death sentence?" complained the captain of the *Giant*. His eyes wide with terror, he watched as shell after shell crashed into the sea, each capable of inflicting devastating damage. A direct hit could easily spell their doom. 

"God help us! The German shells cannot hit us, or we are finished!" the captain muttered, his prayers to the heavens his only solace in the face of certain peril. 

From the very beginning of the battle, the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* found themselves suppressed. The moment the *Prinz Eugen* and *Graf Spee* executed a crossfire maneuver and concentrated their firepower, the British ships were plunged into a nightmare. The massive shells exploded around them, turning their ships into tiny boats caught in a violent storm, each wave threatening to capsize them at any moment. 

Aboard the flagship *Revenge*, Admiral Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty watched the battle unfold with mounting concern. Both men were deeply troubled by the unfavorable turn of events. 

"Admiral, the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* are in grave danger. The Germans' two powerful battleships could strike at any time. The 380mm shells are far beyond what their armor can withstand. A direct hit could cripple them, perhaps even sink them. If that happens, our advantage will vanish," said Vice Admiral Beatty. 

Jellicoe nodded gravely. Should the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* be sunk, the two German *King* class battleships would join the fight against the remaining British fleet, eliminating the numerical advantage. Facing such formidable opposition, their chances of victory would dwindle further. 

"Let us hope the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* can hold out longer. Our other ships must seize this rare opportunity to sink the German vessels. Otherwise, victory will slip through our fingers," Jellicoe said. 

In Jellicoe's strategy, the *Giant* and *Dreadnought* were expendable. As long as the British fleet could gain the upper hand or win, their loss would not matter. Now, however, Jellicoe's sole concern was whether these ships could endure long enough. If they fell too soon, the consequences would be dire. 

"Damn the French! How have their five battleships not yet succeeded in defeating the Germans' two?" Jellicoe muttered to himself in growing frustration. 

He had pinned all his hopes on the French. If the French Navy could destroy the *King Albert* and *Prince Leopold Regent*, the advantage for the Allied fleet would grow even greater, boosting their chances of victory.