"Excellent, we've finally sunk one of the British battleships. Over on the first line, they've already taken out two of the British battleships. We can't afford to fall too far behind! Otherwise, it would be quite embarrassing for us all," Admiral Hipper said with a smile.
"General, we've already sunk the 'North Dakota.' Soon, we'll be able to sink even more British battleships," an officer said, his confidence in victory apparent.
In truth, every officer and sailor in the German Navy was convinced that victory in this battle was assured.
"The American 'Nevada' battleship certainly has formidable defenses. Our 343mm main guns couldn't even penetrate their turret armor, which is truly regrettable!" Admiral Hipper remarked with a touch of frustration.
Otherwise, that single shot would have been enough to inflict severe damage on the 'Nevada.'
"General, the armor of the American 'Nevada-class' battleships is incredibly thick, particularly the turret armor, which is more than 400mm. They're truly tough opponents. Trying to break through is incredibly difficult!" the officer responded.
Admiral Hipper nodded. "Ask General Spee when they'll be arriving. The 'Mackensen-class' and 'Derfflinger-class' with their 380mm main guns may be able to crack open the American's tough shell."
"At a distance of 10,000 meters, the 380mm guns with a 50-caliber barrel should have no problem with the American turret armor," the officer said.
At that moment, Admiral Spee, commanding 11 German battlecruisers, was on his way. Their arrival would worsen the situation for the Combined Fleet. Though slightly less armored than battleships, the battlecruisers were still formidable, and their powerful firepower could very well lead to the combined fleet's defeat, with the possibility of complete annihilation.
On the British flagship, the 'Vengeance,' Admirals John Jellicoe and David Beatty both wore grim expressions. As time passed, the Combined Fleet's numerical superiority was slowly eroding. The two men felt that victory was slipping further away from them.
"General, General Martin reports that we've lost a battleship. The rest of the fleet is nearly entirely suppressed by the Germans. The situation is becoming increasingly dire for us!" Vice Admiral Beatty reported.
Admiral Jellicoe nodded. "It seems we were overly optimistic. Otherwise, the battle wouldn't have turned out like this. The Germans are simply too powerful. Even with all the forces we've gathered, we cannot defeat them."
Admiral Jellicoe's words were filled with frustration and despair. They had gathered all available strength, and if they couldn't defeat the German Navy now, there would be no future opportunity to do so. He knew that Britain's empire would sink into ruin because of this defeat. Despite their best efforts, they were powerless to stop it.
Vice Admiral Beatty opened his mouth to offer words of comfort but found himself at a loss. Jellicoe's words were undeniable; the situation was indeed too perilous for them.
"Boom! Boom!" The deafening explosions continued, the battle at the rear of the line intensifying. Five German battleships were evenly matched against two British ones, a situation that filled the French with shame and angered Jellicoe and the others. Had the French Navy performed better, the outcome might have been different. But now, it was clear that such thoughts were pointless.
The German 'Albert King' battleship scored another direct hit. Two 343mm shells struck the 'Normandy' battleship. One shell penetrated the ship's side armor, even though it was 300mm thick, and failed to stop the powerful German shells.
The more devastating damage came from the boiler room. After penetrating the armor, one shell exploded within, obliterating the boilers. The blast released high-temperature steam, killing the sailors inside. The damage to the boiler room left the battleship powerless, its speed rapidly decreasing.
In naval warfare, a boiler room explosion was second only to the detonation of an ammunition magazine in terms of damage. The 'Normandy' was immediately crippled.
"Damn it! We must abandon the 'Normandy' and continue command from the 'Flandre,'" Admiral Lame ordered decisively. The 'Flandre' had not yet been attacked and was therefore safer.
Seizing the opportunity, the German 'Albert King' battleship rained fire on the 'Normandy,' aiming to sink it.
Before Admiral Lame could return to the 'Flandre,' the 'Normandy' was hit again and again. Without speed, the battleship was as vulnerable as a dead fish floating on the surface. The German 'Albert King' had no trouble hitting it.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The explosions on the 'Normandy' grew more intense, further worsening the ship's condition.
In just five minutes, the 'Normandy' had taken eight hits. This was undoubtedly fatal for the battleship.
Soon, the 'Normandy' sank, overwhelmed by severe damage. The entire ship was riddled with holes, and only one of its four main turrets could still fire. The others were destroyed, and seawater poured in through the breaches. Even the damage control teams had given up hope.
With that, the 'Normandy' was lost.
The French Navy was now left with only four battleships, and the entire Combined Fleet's first line was down to just twelve ships. This number was equivalent to that of the German Navy's first line. However, in terms of combat capability, the Combined Fleet's first line was completely suppressed.