My Italy

Italy landed on the island of Malta. This was like a command shot, and the Mediterranean Sea, which was originally covered with war clouds, immediately became unusual.

On the evening of the day when the Italian army landed on the island of Malta, the Mediterranean Fleet in Alexandria took advantage of the sunset and sailed out of the station.

This time the elite Mediterranean fleet showed up, including various types of dreadnoughts, pre-dreadnoughts, battle cruisers, loading cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, supply ships and hundreds of ships of various sizes.

The Mediterranean fleet went to sea and immediately emptied the previously crowded port.

How could the news of the Mediterranean fleet going to sea be hidden from Italy and Austria? In Alexandria, where there are dense lines of darkness, even a mosquito flying out will be observed.

In fact, the Allied Powers are not much better. They also have a lot of spies in the Port of Taranto. Even though the Italian intelligence agency has cleared many of them, they are like mosquitoes in summer and cannot be eliminated no matter how hard they are eliminated.

After receiving the news that the Mediterranean Fleet had gone to sea, the combined fleet in Taranto Port also quickly moved.

The next day, airships departing from Libya and the Apennine Peninsula filled the sky, and they closely monitored the waters east of the island of Malta. In order to complete the surveillance mission, Italy not only mobilized all the redundant airships in its hands, but also mobilized most of the small and medium-sized airships that carried out the Malta battle.

In addition to airships, the Italian Navy has also deployed many small and medium-sized warships to perform reconnaissance missions, and there are also many camouflaged reconnaissance ships. It can be said that the sea from the west of Crete to the east of Malta is monitored by Italy and Austria. As long as the Mediterranean Fleet shows up, they will definitely be known by the Combined Fleet.

Such a dense and daunting reconnaissance network is the first move of the combined fleet. In order to grasp the movements of the Mediterranean Fleet, the combined fleet staff worked day and night to formulate this plan after carefully studying various information in the Central Mediterranean based on the situation in the Mediterranean.

Yes, even the Italian Navy is already familiar with this sea area, but in order to prevent possible variables, it also needs to refer to other information, such as climate, hydrology, etc.

Although the Mediterranean Sea is not bad because it is surrounded by land, it still has to lose its temper occasionally in winter. Knowing and predicting the weather in advance is essential for the combined fleet. No one wants to see that after finally catching the Mediterranean fleet, a naval battle that attracts worldwide attention is disrupted by the weather.

When the Italians were searching for the Mediterranean Fleet east of Malta, Admiral Cardon, the subject of the search, was leading the Mediterranean Fleet to sail slowly in the open sea south of Crete, far away from the waterway.

At this moment, for Admiral Cardon, the Italians must know about his going to sea. He didn't need to think about it to know that at this moment, Italians must be everywhere in the Central Mediterranean waiting for him to appear.

Of course, the card boarding general will definitely appear as they wish, but they will have to wait a little longer.

"Where are the reinforcements?"

At this moment, on the flagship Orion, Admiral Cardon asked the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Robeck beside him.

"The news we received two days ago was that the reinforcement fleet led by Lieutenant General Sturdy bypassed the sea off Ireland and was heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar. As for now, we have not received the news. Considering that it requires covert operations, I think No news at the moment is the best news, at least the plan is going well so far.”

Lieutenant General Roback's words did not reassure him.

"Robeck doesn't need to say these words of comfort to me. It's normal to not be discovered from the North Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar. The Atlantic Ocean is so wide, it's very easy to avoid being seen, but you know what I'm worried about."

Although Admiral Kaden did not say it clearly, how could Lieutenant General Roback not know where he was most likely to be discovered. The Strait of Gibraltar is located at a strategic location and is also the only way from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. There are so many ships passing by every day that it is almost impossible to conceal the passage of reinforcement formations.

Although the Navy Department had previously formulated a careful plan, according to estimates, the probability of being discovered was also very high.

"Admiral, we have to believe in the abilities of Lieutenant General Sturdy and Major General Millers (Governor of Gibraltar). Otherwise, we can only pray to God."

Lieutenant General Sturdy's words were very straightforward, and General Cardon also knew that his worries would not be of any help to the reinforcement formation. But looking at the huge fleet, he only felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. Asking about the location of the reinforcement formation was just a way for him to relieve his stress.

As for where Admiral Cardon's pressure comes from, it goes without saying. No one can feel relaxed when shouldering the heavy responsibility of the Mediterranean Fleet, one of the two pillar fleets of Britain.

The reinforcement formation that Carden and others were concerned about was currently traveling slowly in an area far away from the waterway off the coast of Portugal. Four tall and mighty warships with several smaller ships, this is the reinforcement formation that General Cardon will never forget.

At this moment, the reinforcement formation is reducing its speed because it is waiting for nightfall. The Strait of Gibraltar is too busy and there is no way to get through without the cover of night. Of course, this also requires the help of the Gibraltar garrison.

"Reporting to your Excellency, Commander, Gibraltar has just sent a telegram, asking us to proceed according to the plan. They will start to block the strait with an order of exercise at ten o'clock in the evening and end at four o'clock in the morning."

At this time, on the flagship Agincourt, the communications officer was reporting the news just received from Gibraltar to the commander, Lieutenant General Sturdy.

The fate of this warship, which was ridiculed in later generations as a multi-turret religious relic, was also bumpy. Initially, Brazil ordered the "Rio de Janeiro" battleship to be built from the British Armstrong Company. However, due to the economic crisis and financial constraints, Brazil was unable to continue to pay for the construction costs. It was subsequently taken over by the Ottomans who wanted to revitalize the navy and was renamed the Ottoman Sultan. Keep building. However, the war broke out just as the construction was completed, and the battleship was taken over by the British who were in urgent need of battleships. Directly renamed Akulkin and served in the British Navy. The same fate as the Akulkin was the Irish, which was originally the Ressadyh ordered by the Ottomans. It was also built in the United Kingdom and was also requisitioned by them.

What do you think of the original owners, the Ottomans?

This is not simple. Just wait until the British Empire is used up and return it to the Ottomans. Do these sick men of the Near East dare to have any objections?

Didn’t you see that the warships built for Chile, Greece and other countries were also drafted by the British Empire? Everyone was treated equally, so what can you complain about (among the warships built by various countries in the UK, the Ottomans were treated the worst, and there was no treatment at all. Not to mention compensation, it is simply a humiliating condition).

Of course, Lieutenant General Sturdy doesn't care where his warships came from. He is currently marking something on the chart.

"Order the fleet to increase the speed to 10 knots, and we will arrive in the Strait of Gibraltar before ten o'clock."

After putting down the pencil drawing on the chart, Lieutenant General Sturdy ordered.

Following his order, the reinforcement fleet immediately speeded up, and they headed for the Strait of Gibraltar, where they were most easily discovered on this trip.