Azur Lane: Leipzig Missile Cruiser Class

Battle of the Baltic Sea

20th of April 2035

Time: 1300 hours, 5 hours until sundown

Of the Coast of Bornholm, island of Denmark

Task Force from both 1st and 2nd Einsatzflotilla

Baltische Einsatzflotte

Position: 78 km off Rügen, 7 km off Bornholm

End of the World Clock: 2 seconds until midnight

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Now to the Russian fleet, which is now moving to intercept the German task force. It is easy to assume, especially during the Russo-Ukrainian war, that the Russian Navy is just a joke. It isn't, especially if it is used and maintained perfectly, as it was during the Soviet era.

The obvious problem, during the former president's terms, was that it was severely neglected and only maintained when it was needed for military or political capital. We have all seen the news about the Russian Black Sea Fleet and how it lost the Pride of the Fleet and more of its corvettes and landing ships in a long period of time. This view is far from one-sided. The Black Sea Fleet wasn't prepared enough for asymmetric warfare and the heavy use of drones by the other side. Sure, they expected easy wins, but they also expected losses, but they just didn't expect them to come so fast in such a short period of time.

And while the Baltic Sea suffered too, due covert drone attacks, bypassing both Belarussian and NATO airspace, the Black Sea Fleet  simply couldn't be reinforced through the closed Bosperus Strait without the wrath of the Turkish and the stationed US Navy coming down on them and tearing them apart. Any attempts for repairs during the war were either halted, due shortages, or due constant drone strikes.

After the war was over, budget adjustments were made, some ships were taken to the docks and completely overhauled, while others were rebuilt from the ground up and now had better weapons. It is also important to note that the ships' weapons are still the same, but have also been overhauled and even slightly modified for the next century.

The Kuznestov became a threat while being completely overhauled. Its engines were rebuilt and a proper shipyard was built for it. Its missile bays have been refurbished, and its Airwing complement of 12 Suchoi Su 33 air superiority jet fighters and the Suchoi Su 25 attack jet fighters, especially with its laser-guided air-to-ground bombs and missiles, are still a threat no matter how good your AAA is. The Kuznestov also carries 12 P-700 Granit "Shipwreck" missiles for self-defense, not counting the entire anti-missile complement it also carries.

Not to forget, the Kirov Battlecruiser is also the biggest threat NATO sees, and the Russian High Command knows it too, so such ships have been overhauled and maintained the most. It also carries 20 P-700 Granit "Shipwreck" missiles and 96 S-300F "Grumble" AA missiles. No NATO jet fighter will be able to get close to it without emptying all its chaff and flares.

Another significant threat to the surface ships would be the Admiral Gorshkov class, which carries 2 x 8 VLS missiles, both anti-ship and anti-air. The other ships in this fleet, the frigates (Udaloy) and the Girshka-class corvettes, are mostly a threat to the submarines. Unless they have been modified and the intelligence has monitored it. At least one of the Udaloy frigates may be of the Udaloy II class, but it can't be easily identified. As such, the only top priority to take out in this battle is the CV, BC, and DD. All other surface ships are secondary, even if they can also shoot down the anti-ship missiles from the sky.

The Fleet Admiral has to quickly find out how to receive the enemy force and how to neutralize it. "Simply throwing missiles at them won't do. We have to wear them down. Ensign, inform the Sachsen-Class ships to form a straight line two kilometers away to our starboard side, with the Sachen in the lead. For the Brandenburg-Class ships a straight line two kilometers away to our portside. We must keep a tight, yet loose formation to intercept any incoming missiles and Air threats." He hears the heavy armored bulkhead door and closing.