Yet they came close enough for the MTB crews to see the goggles of the German pilots. They fired at them, but the Germans did not fire back. They were saving their ammunition for the massed RAF bombers which they were expecting. Even when Hilary Gamble shot pieces off the wing of one of the German fighters, it still did not fire.
Going flat out at their top speed of twenty-seven knots, the MTBs had difficulty in keeping station and were already a straggling force. As they raced towards the black smoke, it suddenly cleared and Pumphrey and Arnold Forster in the two leading boats had a clear view of the great grey ships streaking through the Straits in patches of sunshine. The Germans were about five miles away with half a dozen destroyers astern of them and two dozen aircraft circling overhead.
When he clearly saw the German battle-fleet Pumphrey sent a momentous signal. His boat tapped out in Morse: "O break U." It was the first time an enemy battle-fleet had been sighted in the Straits of Dover since the Spanish Armada.
Pumphrey added: "Three battleships bearing 130 degrees, five nautical miles distance, course 70 degrees."
He was to be criticized for this signal later by Captain Day. The Royal Navy, sticklers for detail, deplored the colloquial phrase "battleships" — it should have been "Two battle-cruisers and one cruiser."
In spite of the incorrect wording the Navy acted upon Pumphrey's signal instantly. A silence descended on all wavelengths, broken every few minutes by the Admiralty in London and Dover Castle repeating the dramatic "O break U" signal.
At 12:23 p.m., when Pumphrey's signalman tapped out the incredible news, it was the first definite confirmation that the German battleships were in the Straits.
The German B-Dienst also picked up Pumphrey's message and translated it within a few minutes. When a German signalman handed it to Admiral Ciliax aboard Scharnhorst Raw's shells were already crashing into the waves near his ships. He learnt that at long last his battleships had been sighted by Royal Navy after steaming for fifteen hours in inexplicable uncanny silence, and it was almost a relief.
Mark Arnold Forster, in the second British MTB, waited for Nigel Pumphrey's sighting signal but as he did not receive it he also ordered his signalman, Leading Telegraphist Pitchforth, to tap out in Morse: "O break U." He added: "Two battleships, one battle-cruiser with 20 destroyers and E-boats."
Hilary Gamble's signalman in the third boat was still ignorant of the situation. When he picked up Arnold Forster's signal it only confirmed his views that it was all a false alarm. He said, "219 says he's seen a ruddy battle-fleet. It must be an exercise."
The Germans were going at their top speed of thirty knots and the English boats had difficulty in catching them. They had left in such a hurry that the engines had no time to warm up. The MTBs could only make twenty-seven knots and their problem was how to intercept the battle-fleet. The battleships were travelling three knots faster and the E-boats with a speed of thirty-five knots could outsail them easily. Although the MTBs best torpedo firing range was 800 yards, they realized they would be lucky to get as close as 5–6,000 yards. As they came up towards this range, the E-boats made more smoke to protect the battleships. But they were not keeping station very well, and there was a gap between them which Pumphrey aimed to crash through.
The cold oil made the MTB engines sound rough but they kept going at full speed as no one could afford to ease down — except Dick Saunders, who was having engine trouble. He fell miles astern with one engine out.
Two more FW 190s came down to fifty feet but once again did not attack. The MTBs, cramming on every knot of speed, were still getting back over the radio from Dover and the Admiralty their "battle-fleet sighted" reports. Dover Castle was sending out radar reports every few minutes, which meant Pumphrey was able to fix the battleships' speed exactly. Even without this his crews could see their superstructures towering above the smoke.
When the FW 190s flew away, they saw ten E-boats steaming half a mile apart. The faster-sailing E-boats kept their positions to protect the battleships, and started firing at two MTBs from 1,000 yards. The British only had machine-guns, but the E-boats had 20-mm. cannons and their shells began smashing into Pumphrey's hull. Then his engines cut out so suddenly that the bows went down into the water. Then Pumphrey's engines came to life again and he turned to drive his flotilla through the E-boat screen. As he plunged forward through the rough sea, the E-boats kept up a heavy fire. With their shells throwing spray round his boat, Pumphrey suddenly saw a great ship with destroyers surrounding her looming out of the smoke made by the E-boats. He thought it was Prinz Eugen, but it was in fact the leading ship Scharnhorst steaming at thirty knots. She was only 4,000 yards away from his MTB.
Wilhelm Wolf and the other officers on the bridge of Scharnhorst watched the approaching MTBs as if in a theatre. They commented on the wonderful sight of the MTBs and E-boats firing as they raced over the waves, with spray tossing everywhere. Then the escort destroyers also received the order to make artificial smoke, and as Wolf remarked, "Soon the pretty picture was veiled from our vision."
Pumphrey's boats shuddered and groaned as they pressed on every ounce of speed to try and draw ahead of the ten E-boats barring their path to the battleships. It was useless. The E-boats screwed on a few more knots and easily continued to maintain their protective patrol. The temptation for the E-boats, who outnumbered the British MTBs two-to-one, to turn towards them and shoot them out of the water was almost irresistible. But like the FW 190s, they obeyed orders and remained in station.
Out-steamed by the E-boats and even by the battleships, Pumphrey had to make up his mind quickly. His boats were on an ideal bearing—45 degrees to the bow of the leading battleship — but the range was too far. He decided the only course was to continue to try and fight his way through a gap in the E-boats to narrow the range to 2,000 yards.
It was a dangerous decision which might mean all his boats would be lost. But as he turned to charge through the E-boat screen it was taken out of his hands. His starboard engine failed and his speed fell to sixteen knots.
There was only one thing to do — wait as long as he dared, until the E-boat fire became too heavy, then fire at 4,000 yards. Pumphrey chugged along at a dangerously low speed but fort'unately the sea was too rough for accurate shooting. The E-boats fired frantically at his boat but missed. When machine-gunning German fighters dived low over the MTB he ordered the others to split up and make individual attacks.
Although his damaged boat was being attacked from air and sea, he still held his fire. If he could keep afloat and wait until the battleships came abreast of him, he could fire at a range of two miles.
While machine-gun bullets and cannon shells whistled past his boat, exploding on the waves, a battleship came into his sights. He was pointing 221 's nose at her ready to launch his torpedoes, when warning shouts came from his gunners. Two E-boats had raced up to within 800 yards and begun firing. His gunners fired back at the E-boats, as he pulled the release lever and his two torpedoes splashed into the sea. A great crash split the air, and he thought it was one of his torpedoes registering a hit. Then he saw a shell splash mushrooming from the sea. It was one of the 9.2 shells from South Foreland landing near the battleships. Pumphrey realized his torpedoes had missed. There was nothing more he could do. He swung his boat away from the battle.
Meanwhile the other MTBs were trying desperately to approach nearer to the battleships. Arnold Forster of 219 and Tony Law of 48 twisted their boats furiously as they were attacked by the E-boats and increasing swarms of fighters. They steamed to within 400 yards of the E-boat screen to launch their torpedoes from a range of 3,500 yards.