The Rise of the Empire

If the content of the subsequent letters between Ruprecht and Wilhelm II is simplified, it can roughly become the following dialogue...  

Prince: "Brother, do you feel that our navy's warships are a bit chaotic?"

Prince William: "How do you say that?"

Prince: "Our cruisers and battleships both use 280MM artillery. The caliber of the 280MM artillery as the main gun of the cruiser is slightly larger, and the number is relatively small. As the main gun of the battleship, the caliber is slightly smaller! Compare with the British. 2nd class battleship and 1st class battleship, don't you see any problems?"

Prince William: "That's right. The main guns of the Centurion 2nd-class battleships that the British just started are 10 inches, while the main guns of the new Sovereign-class battleships are 13.5 inches."

Prince: "That's right, that's the problem! Who are the British? They are the advanced representatives of the current maritime combat power! Since they do this, they must have their reasons. As a latecomer, we can refer to it!"

Even if William II was dissatisfied with Britain, he must admit that the overall size of the British fleet is so much higher than the current German fleet! There is no shame in learning from the British!

Prince William: "Take out a charter, let's have a good chat!"

Prince: "No problem, it's up to me!" With a click, the traveler closed QQ. No, the letter box was sealed! It took nearly 2 months for the two parties to exchange more than ten letters! The prince finally achieved his initial goal! ——I can finally intervene in the issue of firepower standards for German naval warships!

To be honest, the performance of Krupp's 11-inch L40 naval gun in 1894 was considered adequate. It could fire 240KG shells at an initial velocity of 820 meters per second, which was worthy of the German Navy. Inch L35 artillery can fire 385KG shells at a speed of 710 meters per second, while the Russian 12-inch artillery can fire 331KG shells at a speed of 700 meters per second. Although the German shells are lighter, their initial velocity higher. The overall kinetic energy gap is not that big.

Of course, there is still a clear gap compared with the world's advanced level and the French 12-inch guns. At the same time, the French guns can fire 349KG shells at an initial velocity of about 800 meters! In terms of armor-piercing ability, the French are the highest, while Britain, Germany and Russia are worse.

(This thing comes from the author's feeling. It must be higher than the kinetic energy of Britain and Russia, but the German artillery has a smaller caliber. It will make up some of the kinetic energy gap. If you want to really look at the data or textual research, it is a thesis, not a novel. Of course, If any book friend is willing to provide information, thank you in advance.)

However, I don’t know whether it was because the Japanese’s rapid-fire guns and high-explosive shells fired too hard in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 or other factors. The Germans’ large-caliber artillery came to a standstill, and the new battleships used 240MM artillery. Rely on a high rate of fire to wash the deck to the end....

If you look at this approach from the perspective of 1900 years ago, there is nothing wrong with it. But after 1900, when the new 12-inch naval guns and turrets came out in various countries, the large caliber, high muzzle velocity, and perfect turret structure made the projection of heavy artillery no longer on the coffee table. The Germans also re-used the 11-inch guns on the last two levels of front dreadnoughts, but apart from the rate of fire, the weight and initial velocity of the bullets seem to have not changed....

So when others were striding forward and they were standing still, the firepower of the German Navy was decisively and tragically urged. When the dreadnoughts of all countries in the world used 12-inch L45 artillery, the German Nassau only had 11-inch L45. When the muzzle velocity is similar, the bullet weight is quite different....

Step by step, step by step, the final result is that in the Battle of Jutland, under the baptism of N more than 12-inch artillery, the queen with damaged rudder actually managed to run away! Malaya, which has suffered more than N shells, has actually transferred in! It has become an indelible stain on the German High Seas Fleet.

The main guns of the German battleships had the problem of insufficient power, and the cruisers also had this problem. The German armored cruisers used the division 210MML40 naval guns. This thing is average in terms of power, and the 108KG shell is only 780 muzzle velocity. It is true that Earl Spey's two armored cruisers destroyed the Craddock fleet in Coronel, but this does not mean that the 210MM naval gun is powerful enough!

It is wrong to discuss the results without considering the battle situation between the two sides. The Scharnhorst-class armored cruisers are all new ships launched in 2007 and 2008! Moreover, the quality of the officers and men of these two warships is excellent. The Gneisenau has won the gunnery championship continuously since 1908 and 1911! Although Scharnhorst is worse, he also won the artillery championship in 2013 and 2014! The two warships are also equipped with a new fire control system. Cutting-edge warships and excellent officers are naturally powerful.

In actual combat, the Scharnhorst scored its first hit after 5 minutes of firing, which happened to destroy the main gun of the Cape of Good Hope, and the second ship Gneisenau also performed well, hitting the opponent three minutes after firing!

And what about the Craddock fleet? The tonnage of the flagship Cape of Good Hope is really good, with a displacement of 14,000 tons, but only 2 9.2-inch guns and 16 6-inch guns! However, the sea conditions on that day were not very good. In the actual battle, the lower 6-inch guns of the Cape of Good Hope could hardly fire due to the wind and waves. Moreover, this battleship is an old ship that served in 1902 after all. It was already in reserve before the war started.

And the other British cruiser was even worse! The cruiser Monmouth is a 9,800-ton cruiser launched in 1903, with only 14 6-inch guns! 6-inch gun, you are a fucking patrol! Facing the German armored cruiser with a huge defense area with this firepower, it can't even set fire!

I have to say that the performance of the two German armored cruisers is indeed beautiful. According to Earl Spey's calculations, the Scharnhorst hit the opponent with 35 shells. But at the same time, we must also see the consumption of the Spey fleet. In order to deal with these two obsolete warships, the Scharnhorst fired 422 rounds of shells, leaving only 350 rounds! And the Gneisenau also knocked out 244 rounds!

Generally speaking, the opponents Scharnhorst faced were not at the same level as himself, and it was normal to win. If you use the firepower of Scharnhorst, you can try to fight against the top ACR of other countries at the same time? For example, the British Minotaur, the Russian Rurik 2, the Italian PISA, not to mention the Japanese pseudo-war patrol pommel horse and the like!

Not enough artillery penetration is not enough. Do you want to pierce these guys with a 210MM gun? Well, in terms of shooting volume, Scharnhorst has no advantage, right? Even the weaker Minotaur inside, the 4 9.2-inch guns and 5 7.5-inch guns on the sidestring are not afraid of Scharnhorst, right? Even if Blücher is replaced, the shooting volume and defensive power will increase, but whether he can attack the opponent is still a problem.

German armored cruisers can rely on good protection and better shells to gain unequal advantages, but the disadvantages in firepower are irreparable. Among other things, if Scharnhorst is equipped with 8 Rurik 2 10 Inch L50 artillery, it is not without the ability to fight against invincibility. Facing other levels of ACR is almost crushing!

Thanks to shouyu1976 and Halseisen for the reward~~~, the number of collections dropped again yesterday, what's going on? ? ? It's been a month since the book was uploaded, and I finally can't stay on the new book list. The side pressure is huge. Can you support me? If the collection adds 150 every day. Is it okay to add more lateral positions? ?