Chapter 387 Bombing London

The "Camel" fighter was indeed an outdated equipment for Charles. At that time, his aircraft engine had reached 180 horsepower, while the engine installed on the "Camel" was only 150 horsepower.

In this regard, it should be said that the Germans are ahead. Their engines also have 180 horsepower, and they reached this horsepower long before Charles.

The only difference was that the Germans put the most advanced engines on the Zeppelins to increase their speed and propel them back into battle.

(Note: The Germans stubbornly believed that airships could bring victory to Germany. Although rockets and machine gun incendiary bombs could blow them up, the German airships persisted until 1918. The last airship destroyed was equipped with a 200 horsepower engine)

…

As night falls in London, England, dim lights sway on the surface of the Thames. The cool evening breeze blows gently over the treetops, making the air mixed with a barely perceptible hint of moisture.

The Minister of the Navy walked into the study in his pajamas, and without even turning on the light, he impatiently poured himself a glass of whiskey and drank it all in one gulp. Then he poured himself another glass and held it in his hand, then lit a cigar with ease. Only then did he turn on the light and sit in the rocking chair in front of the window, staring at the night view outside the window in a trance.

The cigar burned slowly between the fingers of the Minister of the Navy. The curling smoke seemed to materialize his anxiety, gathering more and more in the air until it finally filled the entire study.

The First Lord of the Admiralty was wavering over the Camel deal.

It's not that this deal is not worth it. It is imperative to exchange five artillery production lines for the security of British airspace.

However, the First Lord of the Admiralty is of the character that he wants, wants, and more.

What he had in mind was that the British Army would not be able to equip itself with new artillery for the next six months or even longer.

The point is…

The development of this 6-inch 26-cwt howitzer was not only aimed at the German 105MM howitzer, but also at the French army.

The French army also has 105MM howitzers, various types of tanks, and Charles's infantry regiment, all of which will be wiped out in front of the new artillery.

Now, selling the artillery production line to France means that the British Army will have no advantages and no secrets.

Therefore, when the Secretary of the Navy received General Winter's telegram, he was furious:

"This is sheer blackmail! It's just one plane, but they want five artillery production lines."

"Does he know what five artillery production lines mean? We can win this war with them!"

"What's more, we are allies. Isn't it normal for allies to share technology?"

After thinking for a while, the Minister of the Navy did not reply to Charles, but sent a telegram to Clemenceau, a member of the French Army Committee, in which he listed Charles's crimes:

"Five production lines, this is not a deal, this is to completely destroy Britain's new artillery, which is obviously not good for the war."

"It's not that we don't have aircraft technology, we just want to share what we have with each other. Only in this way can both sides' fighters develop better and faster to defeat the enemy."

"This is good for both of us, but Charles stands in the middle and becomes an uncertain factor."

…

The Secretary of the Admiralty hoped to put pressure on Charles through the government to cancel or reduce the "price".

However, Clemenceau was no fool, and he answered simply:

"I'm very sorry, Your Excellency. This is Charles's private property. He has complete 'industrial property rights'. We have no right to interfere."

"At the same time, we don't think there's anything inappropriate about Charles doing this."

"His request for your country's production line is also for the sake of technical exchange, which is also beneficial to both of us."

The Minister of the Navy was speechless. He was so greedy that he always focused on the obligations of others but ignored his own responsibilities. It was not until someone "used their own spear to attack their shield" that he suddenly realized that he had the same problem.

…

The Minister of the Navy rocked the rocking chair gently, and fell into deep thought as it creaked.

Do we really have to exchange it for 5 artillery production lines?

Or, should we urgently modify the five artillery production lines and temporarily develop an "export trade version"?

But this doesn't seem appropriate. Charles is not a fool. If the artillery is an "export version", the plane he gives will also be an "export version".

As a result of doing this, Britain will suffer because air supremacy will still be in the hands of France.

Just as the Minister of the Navy was hesitating, there was a sudden muffled sound in the distance, and a ball of fire rose in the darkness, which soon turned into a cloud of faint smoke.

The Secretary of the Navy was so shocked that he sat upright instantly. He thought it was an accident somewhere, such as an explosion in a flour mill or a munitions factory.

But he soon discovered that this was not the case. The explosions were coming one after another, one after another in the same direction.

"What's going on?" The Minister of the Navy stood up, opened the window, and looked over the houses towards the direction where the fire came from.

It looked like an enemy bombardment, but London was so far away from the front that it was impossible for artillery to reach here.

Just as the Minister of the Navy was wondering, a shrill and long air raid sirens sounded. Lights in the residential areas that were originally dark began to light up one by one. People leaned out of the windows one after another to look up at the sky to see what was happening, and some even climbed onto the roof.

However, nothing could be seen in the dark sky, only explosions could be heard one after another in the city of London.

The searchlight pole was turned on, and strong beams of light pointed into the sky like sharp swords, but still nothing was discovered.

(Note: In 1915, the British did not think that the Germans had any equipment that could carry out an air raid on London, so they had no air defense preparations. Searchlights were mostly used by infantry, with an illumination range of about 1,000 meters, while airships were at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters)

Churchill ran back to his desk, frantically rummaged through the drawer for a telescope, then quickly ran back to the window and looked up into the sky, his fingers trembling with nervousness.

Just at this moment, the moon emerged from the clouds, illuminating a huge object among the clouds.

The Minister of the Navy felt a chill down his spine as he looked at this thing. It was like one of the strange things described in Wells or Jules Verne's science fiction novels. The silver hull was vaguely visible in the moonlight, and it seemed to be dropping something.

Then there were explosions from below.

"Your Excellency!" The study door was pushed open, and the guards who arrived late nervously guarded the Minister of the Navy.

"What is that?" asked the Lord Admiral, with fear in his voice.

"It's an airship, sir," the guard replied. "A German Zeppelin."

The Navy Minister hummed and glared at the guards:

"How did they get here?"

"Don't we have planes and rockets?"

"Why didn't we destroy it en route, instead of letting it fly over London and drop bombs on our heads?"

The guards chose to remain silent. This was not a question they were asked. The angry Admiral was obviously asking the wrong person.

(End of this chapter)