The main battleships of the island nation, despite outnumbering our own, remain utterly powerless against us. Thus, they are left with no choice but to devise alternative strategies. Their only viable threat lies in their torpedoes. To ensure the success of their torpedo strikes, they aim to eliminate our cruisers and destroyers first, thereby clearing the path for their assault," remarked Rear Admiral Mauve.
Vice Admiral Spee nodded. "It seems the islanders are not as helpless as we once presumed. Even in such dire straits, they are still scheming to defeat us. Clearly, they must not be underestimated."
"Indeed, Admiral. We must inflict severe damage on them this time, if not annihilate them completely. Only then will the empire's interests in the Pacific be safeguarded," Rear Admiral Mauve replied.
"Order all our main battleships to cease targeting the enemy's capital ships. Focus fire on their cruisers instead! Show them how our main guns can decimate their cruisers!" commanded Vice Admiral Spee.
"Yes, Admiral!" Rear Admiral Mauve acknowledged.
The nine battlecruisers immediately reoriented their guns, directing their formidable firepower at the enemy armored cruisers, which were fiercely engaging the German expeditionary fleet.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The *Mackensen*-class battlecruiser unleashed its triple 380mm guns upon the *Kasuga*, sending shells over a ton in weight crashing into the sea, raising towering columns of water.
Onboard the *Kasuga*, Captain Shigekuni Sakamoto stood stunned.
"Damn it! Are the Germans seriously deploying battlecruisers against us? This is utterly outrageous!" Sakamoto exclaimed in despair.
Earlier, they had relished the advantage of using their armored cruisers to bully the German light cruisers. But in the face of the German battlecruisers, they could only resign themselves to being outmatched.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The German battlecruisers rained relentless fire upon the island nation's armored cruisers. The battlefield, once dominated by the enemy, now began to tilt in favor of the Germans. The armored cruiser formation of the enemy navy, previously in full control, suddenly found itself teetering on the brink of disaster.
Aboard the flagship *Kongō*, Admiral Goro Ijuin and Rear Admiral Gentaro Yamashita wore grim expressions.
As soon as the German battlecruisers turned their guns on the armored cruisers, they knew their plan had been exposed. The Germans had discerned their intentions and preemptively targeted their cruisers, rendering their strategy doomed to fail. This plan had been their sole hope for turning the tide.
"Damn it! How could this happen? How did the Germans uncover our plan? They didn't hesitate to abandon targeting our main ships and instead attacked our cruisers!" Admiral Ijuin roared, his voice filled with anguish at the collapse of their hopes.
Rear Admiral Yamashita was equally pale. He understood all too well that without this opportunity, they had no chance of defeating the German expeditionary fleet.
"What should we do now, Commander?" Yamashita asked desperately.
"Order all capital ships to close the distance with the Germans! We must sink their main ships!" Ijuin ordered resolutely.
With the German battlecruisers focusing on the armored cruisers, their capital ships faced no immediate threat. This presented a fleeting opportunity to narrow the engagement range, enhance their own armor-piercing capabilities, and potentially turn the tide by sinking the German battlecruisers.
The enemy's reaction drew a derisive laugh from Vice Admiral Spee.
"Foolish islanders, still struggling to resist at this point," Spee sneered.
"Order the fleet to alter course, further increasing the distance from the enemy's battle line while closing in on their armored cruisers. We will eliminate these cruisers first!" Spee commanded.
Thus, an unusual spectacle unfolded on the battlefield. The island nation's battle line kept shifting, attempting to close the gap with the German fleet. Meanwhile, the German expeditionary fleet maintained a controlled distance of 15,000 meters, adjusting their course to keep the enemy at bay. Simultaneously, the distance between the German battlecruisers and the enemy's armored cruisers steadily diminished.
The German 380mm guns, already capable of piercing the thin armor of the enemy's cruisers, grew even more lethal as the range decreased. For the enemy's cruisers, this presented a catastrophic threat.
"Boom!"
The *Friedrich Carl* battlecruiser scored two hits on the *Izumo*.
One shell tore through the *Izumo*'s vulnerable waterline armor, leaving a gaping hole over two meters wide, through which seawater gushed in torrents.
The other struck the aft of the ship, destroying the rudder, shearing off a propeller, and ripping open another gash in the stern.
With such devastating damage, the *Izumo* was plunged into crisis. Despite the crew's frantic damage control efforts, they were unable to stem the flooding. The volume of incoming seawater far outpaced their ability to pump it out.
When the engine room flooded and the ship lost power, the *Izumo*'s sinking accelerated. Mere minutes later, the 9,000-ton armored cruiser vanished beneath the waves.
The destruction of the *Izumo* marked only the beginning. Against the firepower of the German battlecruisers, the island nation's armored cruisers were doomed to slaughter.