Chapter 0619: The Great Battle Begins

"Order the 1st and 2nd Battleship Divisions to form one battle line, and the 3rd and 4th Battleship Divisions to form another!" Admiral Reinhard Scheer commanded.

The High Seas Fleet boasted 23 battleships, and if all were to form a single line, the line would be excessively long. The flagship at the front of the line would be oblivious to events unfolding at the rear. Hence, it was more prudent to form two separate battle lines.

The first battle line was naturally the main force, comprising 12 battleships: five 'Bavaria-class' battleships, five 'King-class' battleships, and two 'Kaiser-class' battleships. The second battle line consisted of three 'Kaiser-class' battleships, four 'Helgoland-class' battleships, and four 'Nassau-class' battleships.

Meanwhile, aboard the flagship 'Revenge' of the Grand Fleet, Admiral John Jellicoe was preparing his strategic deployment.

"The Germans have divided their fleet into two battle lines, so we shall oblige them. Let General Martin lead his 11 battleships to engage the German line of only 11 ships. The remaining 15 battleships will confront their other battle line. Time is short. We must defeat them before their battlecruisers arrive. Otherwise, we will be at a severe disadvantage!" Admiral Jellicoe ordered.

Vice Admiral David Beatty nodded in agreement, offering no objections to Jellicoe's plan.

Jellicoe's intention was clear: to concentrate his 15 battleships and crush the German line of 12 ships. In this engagement, they held a three-battleship advantage. A victory here would greatly improve their chances in the following battles. But the key lay in securing that victory.

The first German battle line, though numbering only 12 ships, was composed of the most advanced and formidable battleships of the Imperial Navy. The 'Bavaria-class' and 'King-class' battleships were powerful vessels, heavily armored and armed with 380mm guns. Calling them the strongest battleships in the world was no exaggeration. The two 'Kaiser-class' battleships, though equipped with 343mm guns, still possessed formidable armor-piercing capabilities due to their 50-caliber 343mm guns.

Both sides were eager to engage, and so, the battle commenced.

The German first battle line steered southeast, while the second battle line veered southwest, splitting the naval battle into two fronts. Both fleets, now fully engaged, could unleash their full might.

The Grand Fleet followed closely. With the need to defeat the Germans before their battlecruisers could intervene, the Allies were eager to engage.

Half an hour later, the battle erupted. The British first battle line opened fire first. The 15 British battleships outnumbered the German first battle line's 12 ships, giving them a significant advantage in terms of firepower.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" 

The four twin-barreled 381mm guns aboard the 'Revenge' fired first. Following suit, the 'Defiance', 'Queen Elizabeth', 'Iron Duke', 'Warrior', 'Tiger' battlecruiser, 'Gigantic', and 'Dreadnought' also opened fire. The French battleships 'Normandie', 'Gascony', 'Vaudreuil', 'Brittany', and 'Suffren', as well as the Italian battleships 'Andrea Doria' and 'Cavour', joined the barrage.

Admiral Jellicoe, aware of the strength of the German 'Bavaria-class' and 'King-class' battleships, focused his attack on the two 'Kaiser-class' battleships positioned at the rear of the German battle line.

The five French battleships, positioned at the rear of the line, were ordered to concentrate their fire on the two 'Kaiser-class' battleships. Meanwhile, the remaining ships in the battle line would deal with the rest of the German fleet.

Admiral Lame was quite satisfied with this mission. In his view, there was little doubt that the five French battleships could sink the two German battleships.

Under Admiral Lame's orders, the three 'Normandie-class' battleships targeted the second-to-last ship in the German line, the 'Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm', while the 'Brittany' and 'Suffren' battleships concentrated on the last ship, the 'Luitpold Regent'.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Shells continued to splash into the sea, sending towering columns of water into the air.

Aboard the German flagship, the 'Bavaria', Admiral Reinhard Scheer remained unmoved. Admiral Hipper had already moved to command the second battle line.

"Hmph! The British have placed their hopes of victory on our back. Does he truly believe that with those worthless battleships, they can defeat us? Order the fleet to open fire and let the British, French, and Italians see that the warships of the German Empire are the strongest in the world!" Admiral Scheer sneered.

Despite the numerical advantage of three battleships in the first Allied line, their weaknesses were also significant. Ships like the 'Gigantic' and 'Dreadnought' were merely filler ships. Their 305mm guns, with a 45-caliber barrel, were ineffective against the heavy armor of the German 'King-class' battleships. Penetrating the armor of the 'King-class' was an impossibility. Admiral Scheer was confident that before the Allies could sink the German 'Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm' or the 'Luitpold Regent', they would have already sunk the 'Gigantic' and 'Dreadnought' with their own powerful 380mm guns.

At that moment, the two battle lines were 15 kilometers apart. The Germans deliberately maintained this distance, as their battleships' large-caliber guns could perform optimally at this range. However, the Allied ships, many armed with 305mm guns, were at a disadvantage, for their lighter shells lacked the velocity to strike accurately at such a distance.