Fleet cross-cutting tactics
T-shaped cross-cutting: The full name is to seize the T-shaped cross-head shooting position. Theoretically, the attacking column crosses the enemy column at an angle of about 90 degrees. In the front, the attacker can concentrate all the broadside firepower to shoot at the enemy's lead ship at a wide angle, while the opponent can only use part of the front main gun to fight back. This means that the side that occupies the T-shaped horizontal position can fully exert its firepower, while the firepower of the opposite side is greatly suppressed. ?
As the most ideal state that every fleet commander dreams of, T-shaped cross-cutting is not as easy to succeed as imagined, because naval battles are different from land battles, and the uniform medium battlefield environment determines both sides at every moment. The position may be uncertain, and the opponent will certainly not fall into the trap. In addition to objective factors (fleet speed, intelligence, relative position, formation training level, etc.), success or failure depends on the commander's ability (including Judgment, determination, timing, navigation, etc.).
Japanese-Russian naval battle at Tsushima?
Generals on both sides?
Japanese: General Togo Heihachiro? Russian: Lieutenant General Roger Stevensky?
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Main ships participating in the battle:?
Japanese Combined Fleet: The 1st Squadron is commanded by Togo himself, including the battleships "Mikasa" (flagship), "Shikishima", "Fuji", " Asahi", armored cruisers "Kasuga" and "Nisshin"; the 2nd detachment was commanded by Lieutenant General Uemura Hikonoshima, including the armored cruisers "Izumo", "Yakumo", "Asama", "Azuma", " Changpan" and "Iwanshou". In terms of heavy naval guns, there are 16 305mm guns, 1 254mm gun, and 30 203mm guns. The maximum speed of the entire fleet can reach 16 knots. ?
As for the Russian Second Pacific Fleet: The 1st detachment is commanded by Roger Stevensky himself and includes 4 new battleships, namely "Prince Suvorov" (flagship), "Boro" Dinno", "Alexander III", "Auler"; the 2nd detachment was commanded by deputy commander Rear Admiral Flekelsham, followed by the old battleships "Osliavia" (flagship) "Sisoy" "Veliki", "Navarin" and the old armored cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov"; the 3rd detachment was commanded by Major General Nebogatov, followed by the old battleship "Nicholas I" ( Flagship), coastal defense ships "Admiral Aprakhin", "Admiral Senyavin" and "Admiral Ushakov". In terms of heavy naval guns, there are 26 305mm guns, 7 old 254mm guns, 8 old 228mm guns, and 8 old 203mm guns. Because the ships are old and new, the fleet's top speed is only 11 knots. ?
Method: ?
Use speed to approach, forcefully suppress, and concentrate firepower to "decapitate"?
Detailed explanation of the tactical process:?
On May 27, 1905, at 04:45, the Japanese reconnaissance ship Shinano Maru sent back a telegram that the Russian fleet was discovered in the western waters of Kyushu, and Togo ordered The Japanese Combined Fleet set out to intercept the Russian Second Pacific Fleet. At 11:00, the Russian battleship "Orel" left the fleet without authorization and opened fire on the following Japanese cruiser, and was later stopped. At 13:30, Roger Stevensky ordered a 90-degree turn to avoid mines (in fact, the Japanese ships were afraid of accidentally bombing their own side and did not take mine-laying actions), but the second ship did not respond to this, causing confusion in the formation of the Russian fleet. , divided into two parallel teams (referring to the 1st and 2nd detachments). At 13:45, the two sides entered visual contact. At this time, the Japanese combined fleet took a roughly 275-degree west-northwest course and passed in front of the Russian fleet. However, due to the distance, it did not enter the shooting range. Roger Stevensky ordered to adjust the course to 55 degrees in an attempt to avoid it, and ordered the 1st and 2nd detachments to urgently change the combat formation (single column), but the formation change was not good, in order to leave space for the "Alexander III" who was about to return. and the battleship "Orel", the second detachment almost stopped sailing, resulting in a disconnect between the front and rear. In the end, a complete single column was not formed, but two staggered and parallel columns were formed as shown in the picture (the 1st detachment is on the right, the 2nd and 3rd detachments are on the left, and the other destroyer fleets and transport fleets are in non-combat positions. A 3-way column was formed on the side).
In order to prevent the Russian fleet from escaping, Togo ordered a 65-degree left turn to counter the Russian fleet (the course was almost opposite). At 13:55, the "Mikasa" raised the Z-shaped flag and issued the "Empire" "Let's fight this battle and work hard" (he should pay Nelson the royalties). Around 14:00, Dongxiang ordered each ship to turn 16 o'clock (180 degrees) to port in turn. And the flag slogan "Follow me" was displayed. So starting from the flagship "Mikasa", the rear ship followed the front ship in turn to make 180-degree turns. These two turns formed the famous "U-turn" in history, which took a total of 15 minutes. During this period, since the turned warships block the artillery fire of the unturned warships, the firepower of the combined fleet will be greatly restricted. What is even more fatal is that since each ship needs to pass an almost fixed turning point when turning, and The Russian fleet can concentrate its firepower and shoot here without having to adjust the shooting elements too much. Sure enough, every warship in the combined fleet that passed the turning point was "roll-checked" by Russian gunfire one by one. The "Mikasa" bore the brunt of being hit 18 times, and even the waterline began to seep. The crew managed to stop it by blocking their mouths. Other ships were also hit to varying degrees. (It was during this battle that Yamamoto Isoroku, who was still a trainee officer of the "Nisshin" at the time, had two fingers broken). But Dongxiang's determination did not waver. After being slightly injured in the artillery fire, he issued a new order to "complete the turn at all costs." After 14:10, the subsequent ships of the combined fleet gradually completed their turns. This operation was a near miss. Except for the "Asama" ship, which was injured at the stern and had a steering gear malfunction and was forced to withdraw from the battle, all other ships in the combined fleet were unharmed. (Of course, this is related to the fact that the Russian war used old armor-piercing bombs that could not "bloom", as well as poor fuses and the quality of the explosives). After completing the turn, the combined fleet's heading is 37 degrees. Taking advantage of its speed advantage, it has gradually surpassed the Russian fleet (about 70 degrees northwest), forming a pressure on it (gradually occupying the T-head, which means that the Japanese fleet All artillery fire can be concentrated for shooting. On the contrary, at least half of the firepower at the rear of the Russian fleet cannot be effective), and the distance between the two sides is gradually approaching. When it reached about 7,000 yards, the Japanese fleet did not immediately launch a massive counterattack. Instead, the "Mikasa" conducted a test fire of artillery fire, and then communicated the data to the entire fleet. ?
With Dongxiang’s order, the combined fleet fired ten thousand guns, and the four battleships and two armored cruisers of the Japanese 1st Squadron concentrated on attacking the flagship of the Russian 1st Squadron, "Prince Suvorov" Number. The five armored cruisers of the 2nd detachment concentrated on attacking the flagship "Osliavia" of the Russian 2nd detachment. This is Dongxiang's "brain-picking" tactic. First, concentrate all the firepower to paralyze the opponent's flagship, and the remaining enemies will inevitably become chaotic without a fight. In addition, in addition to concentrating troops and catching thieves first, concentrated fire shooting also has the advantage of improving the coverage of artillery shells in the target area. That is to say, the more artillery shells fired at the opponent in a short period of time, the greater the damage effect. The stronger it is, the more likely it is to sink enemy ships. According to statistics, the 1st Squadron fired 165-170 rounds of 305mm shells, 15-16 rounds of 254mm shells, and 120-130 rounds of 203mm shells on the "Prince Suvorov" on that day. The intensity is evident! According to records, the first salvo of the Japanese army destroyed the front chimney of the "Prince Suvorov", and the second salvo destroyed the bridge and rear main turret. It took only 15 minutes for the Japanese army to completely lose its combat effectiveness. , turned into a floating target ship. The Japanese 2nd Squadron fired 200-250 203mm artillery shells and 1,200 153mm artillery shells at the "Osliavia", causing it to withdraw from the battle after 30 minutes and sank at 15:10. ?
The paralysis of the two flagships signaled that the Russians' defeat was certain. The morale of the officers and soldiers of the Combined Fleet has soared, while the already low morale of the Russian Fleet has plummeted even further. At about 15:00, after crossing directly in front of the Russian fleet, Dongxiang ordered another 180-degree left turn (note that this time they turned at the same time), switched to the port side to shoot at the enemy, and once again occupied the T-shaped cross-head position.
The subsequent battle turned into an attack show by the Japanese...? Another torpedo boat was sent to conduct a lightning strike at night, and another pursuit was carried out on the second day. In the end, at the cost of losing only two torpedo boats, they achieved total annihilation of Russia. The huge results of the 2nd Pacific Squadron!?
Tactical comments:?
The intention of the U-turn? ?
In fact, the Japanese combined fleet had crossed in front of the Russian fleet before this, but it was unable to shoot due to the long distance, and the Russian fleet also adjusted its course to avoid it (no one would be stupid enough to fall into the trap). At this time The Japanese fleet was located northwest of the Russian fleet. In order to prevent the opponent from escaping, Dongxiang ordered the fleet to first turn 65 degrees to the left to form an anti-navigation (relative course) with the enemy, because anti-navigation warfare was exactly what the Russians expected (reason 1, the Russian side wanted to Arriving at the destination, there was no intention of fighting. 2. Just like in the previous battle in the Yellow Sea, advancing towards the rear of the enemy could destroy its attempt to seize the T, so the Russian fleet did not evade again. But just when everyone thought it was going to be an anti-navigation battle, Dongxiang made a second left turn. This was a 180-degree U-turn. The intention was to first get close to the enemy and engage in a parallel battle, and then Use the advantage of speed to gradually surpass, press, and cut into the opponent's route, and finally seize the T-shaped cross-head position. ?
Why not turn outward (right)? ?
Of course, turning outward can also achieve the purpose of sailing alongside the enemy, and it is relatively safer. However, just like the previous naval battle in the Yellow Sea, turning outward will cause the distance between the two sides to widen, and cannot achieve the purpose of quickly approaching the opponent and suppressing the opponent with fierce artillery fire at the effective range. ?
Why not turn at the same time? ?
Simultaneous turning means that each ship uses its own ship as the turning point and turns at the same time. For the Japanese fleet, the biggest advantage of this kind of turn is that it does not produce a fleet-wide fixed turning point like a U-turn. ?
But there are two disadvantages: 1. When the 180-degree simultaneous turn is completed, it means that the flagship "Mikasa" will be at the end of the queue, which is not conducive to Dongxiang's further command. 2. This kind of turn will require longer adjustment time to rearrange the formation. ?
What are the risks of U-turns? ?
Personally, I think Dongxiang had his own reasons for taking the risk, and it cannot be said to be a foolhardy gamble. Reasons:?
1. If the Russian fleet is allowed to successfully reach its destination, it will inevitably retreat into the harbor and it will be very difficult to completely annihilate it. This will lead to a long-term protracted war, which is not allowed by Japan's national strength. . Therefore, we must seize this opportunity to wait for work, completely defeat the Russian fleet, and fully control the sea. So for Dongxiang, this risk must be taken. ?
2. Having dealt with the Russian Navy, he knew how poor the shooting skills of the Russian Navy's officers and soldiers were, and the intelligence he received before the war showed that the sailors of the Russian Pacific 2nd Squadron were recruited and patched together temporarily. Yes, the quality is even lower. ?
3. At that time, the wind was blowing to the northwest, and the combined fleet had the upper hand, which meant that the smoke generated by artillery shooting would affect the Russian fleet’s shooting.?
4. Due to the previous change of formation The defect caused the Russian fleet's ship order to be broken and the formation to be chaotic, which would hinder its shooting. ?
Other practical applications of T-shaped crosscutting include: Battle of Jutland, Battle of Surigao, Battle of Vela Bay, etc.
Since the British naval star Horatio Nelson took the traditional "T"-shaped tactics to the extreme in naval battles, the T-shaped cross-cutting has almost decisively affected the strategy of every naval battle in the era of cannons and giant ships. Win or lose.
To add: People in the Tsushima Sea War remembered Togo Heihachiro, but ignored a very key joint fleet staff officer - Akiyama Shinyuki, who was responsible for the shipwreck of Port Arthur, the great turn in front of the enemy, the seven-stage attack, etc. The plans were all proposed by Akiyama Masayuki. Therefore, Tsushima's victory was caused by "Tōgo's decision and Akiyama's resourcefulness"!
Akiyama Shinyuki? 1868-1918? A native of Ehime Prefecture, Japan, born on March 20, the first year of Meiji, Japan. His father is a member of the Matsuyama clan, and his elder brother is Army General Akiyama Yoshiko. Graduated from the Naval War School. Promoted to second lieutenant in 1892, he participated in the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War as the first mate of the gunboat Chikushi.
In 1897, he went to the United States to study at the Annapolis Naval Academy. His tutor was Mahan, the famous inventor of the theory of sea power. After returning to China, he became an instructor at the Naval University, teaching naval strategy, tactics, and combat affairs. He later became a member of the Japanese Navy. The basic theory of military science. In 1904, he became director of naval affairs and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1917.