Long Live Ironblood: Benchwarming

All Out Assault

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau do their best to keep close to Z23 as the trio engage the Eagle Union ships up close while Bismarck and Tirpitz engage the carriers.

"Eat THIS!" Bismarck shouts as she fires off a salvo, but Yorktown simply uses her carrier strip to block the majority of it before sending out a wave of fighters.

"I'd like to see you try and dodge this!" Yorktown chuckles as her fighters dive down at the battleships.

"Quickly!" Tirpitz shouts as she and Bismarck evade the gunfire and retaliate with their own AA guns, but they only manage to wipe out half the wave as the rest evades with little to no effort. That's when two heavy cruisers join the battle and let loose everything they have.

"All cannons ready! FIRE!" Eugen screams as she and Hipper let loose a double broadside, crippling Yorktown.

"I don't think so!" Hornet yells. "Man have I got a special surprise for you! Say hello to my B-25 Doolittle squadron!" She laughs as she prepares her carrier strip and sends out a wave of the bombers. "Actually I don't think I feel like targeting you big girls!"

"Heads up!" Hipper yells as she and Eugen barely evade the carpet bombing and retaliate with their AA guns, but the cloud barely does anything to the bombers.

"Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that we fortified these beforehand! Have fun using your measly little AA guns to try and bring these steel birdies down!" Hornet shouts tauntingly.

"Scheiße..." Hipper grumbles as the bombers then focus their attention on Z23 and the twin battleships.

"Whoa! Incoming bombers! Where the hell did those come from?!" Z23 asks in disbelief as Scharnhorst and Gneisenau end up taking the second carpet bombing full force.

"Caesar's been destroyed!" Gneisenau shouts.

"Anton too! No wait now Bruno!" Scharnhorst yells, and eventually the twin battlecruisers get crippled as all of their main guns get destroyed by the carpet bombing. "We have to retreat for now!"

"I'll hold them off!" Z23 shouts. "Try using your AA guns! I know it won't do much but at least it's something!"

"Right!" The twin battlecruisers shout back as they use their AA guns to provide what little covering fire they can as they retreat, and Z23 eventually manages to drive back Hammann by crippling her guns.

"Oh no!" Hammann shouts as she falls back.

"Eat my torpedoes!" Z23 yells as she fires off a series of magnetic torpedoes, and all of them lock on to Indianapolis!

"INDY-CHAN!" Portland screams as her sister takes the full barrage and falls to her knees. "YOU WILL PAY FOR HURTING MY INDY-CHAN!" She yells as she lets loose a full barrage that manages to knock Z23 onto her back.

"Whoa! Where did all of that firepower come from?!" Z23 asks in disbelief as she falls back, her guns crippled.

"Alright, we drove them back for now but we have to retreat, we can't fight like this!" Indianapolis says as Portland gives her support and the smaller ships make their retreat, leaving just the carriers.

"It's over!" Enterprise yells as she aims with her bow and draws back no less than ten arrows and fires, releasing a squadron of dive bombers to wreak havoc on Bismarck and Tirpitz. Luckily for the battleships, Eugen and Hipper react quickly and all four Ironblood ships retaliate with a cloud of AA gunfire, but some of the bombers still survive, and Bismarck and Tirpitz get some of their main guns crippled.

"Scheiße! Tirpitz we need to get out of here!" Bismarck shouts, but not before they let loose with whatever they have.

"What the- Dammit!" Enterprise shouts as Bismarck and Tirpitz manage to snap her bow in half while Eugen and Hipper manage to damage Yorktown and Hornet's carrier strips.

"Well that ain't good..." Hornet mumbles. "You all got lucky for now!" She shouts as the carriers make their retreat, unable to fight any longer.

"Alright, let's head back." Bismarck says as everyone heads back to base to undergo repairs.