Chapter 1024 Blockade Tactics

It's late today, only one chapter!

…

"I understand what you mean." Prime Minister George was a little impatient with the Minister of Munitions' tone. "We all know what is important, including John, Adam, Jeffrey, and Lieutenant Claus."

The names reported by Prime Minister George were staff officers, and the last one was even a guard.

He deliberately did not mention Balfour and Trenchard, which was obviously a way of expressing his dissatisfaction with the Minister of Munitions.

Prime Minister George continued:

"We all know that France is the root of everything, the cause of unrest."

"We also understand that if we defeat France, we can show everyone our military strength and tell them that Britain is still the most powerful country in the world."

"But the question is how can we do this? The French fleet just defeated our Mediterranean fleet. They captured over a hundred warships, including eight battleships!"

Prime Minister George was a little flustered. He couldn't believe that the situation had become so out of control.

And all of this is due to the Minister of Munitions’ stupid plan, his unrealistic strategic goals, and the beautiful blueprint he painted to everyone!

The Minister of Munitions pretended not to understand what Prime Minister George said and remained calm.

This is not something that ordinary people can do. Ordinary people would usually resign out of shame at this time.

But the Minister of Munitions was not like this. His strong psychological quality enabled him to persevere until the last moment, and even took it for granted to blame others for his mistakes.

The plan was agreed upon by everyone. The Minister of Munitions thought that no one had proposed a better plan, and no one had made additional suggestions, so the battle plan was the optimal solution at the time.

Now that we have failed, it is certainly not my responsibility alone, but everyone’s.

"That's right, Prime Minister." The Minister of Munitions pointed at the map calmly and said:

"From the current situation, it seems that the French Navy was able to defeat the Mediterranean Fleet because of its aircraft carriers."

"This thing changes the mode of combat, making it impossible for our battleships' artillery and armor to take full advantage..."

This was the intelligence the headquarters obtained from the battlefield and French newspapers.

These were especially the French newspapers, which made them understand why General Winter and the Mediterranean Fleet surrendered.

Prime Minister George interrupted him with a snort: "Say something useful, sir."

The Minister of Munitions raised an eyebrow and replied indifferently, "We can play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and blockade the French Toulon fleet and aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean."

Prime Minister George frowned, as if he understood the Minister of Munitions' idea: "You mean to blockade the Strait of Gibraltar?"

The Minister of Munitions nodded. "Yes, and there is also the Suez Canal."

The Minister of Munitions pointed with his finger at the Suez Canal.

It is easy to block the Suez Canal. Port Said is still in the hands of the British army. Just sinking a few merchant ships in the Suez Canal will block the waterway and it will be impossible to clear it in a short time.

The First Lord of the Admiralty objected:

"But the focus is on Gibraltar."

“How can we block it?”

"I mean, if France had aircraft carriers, their attack radius would be longer than the length of the Strait of Gibraltar."

The Strait of Gibraltar is 90 kilometers long, while the attack radius of the French aircraft carrier reaches 150 kilometers.

This means that the warships used to block the strait will become targets of French aircraft carriers.

(The picture above shows the Strait of Gibraltar, which is 90 kilometers long and only 14 kilometers at its narrowest point.)

Major General Trenchard, who had remained silent all this time, rarely agreed with the Minister of Munitions' plan.

"I think this plan is feasible." He pointed to the map and explained, "We all know that aircraft carriers are not suitable for entering narrow areas to fight, because they will reveal their positions."

One sentence awakened everyone.

When General Winter and Major General Ives fought against the French aircraft carriers before, the biggest difficulty was that they didn't know where the French aircraft carriers were.

This meant that even though they had high-speed and maneuverable destroyers and battlecruisers, they didn't know which direction to chase because they had no target.

But it would be different if it were in the Strait of Gibraltar. As long as French carrier-based aircraft took off, the French aircraft carrier must be in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The direction is fixed, and there is no escape.

Rear Admiral Trenchard continued, "We can even position our battleships further west, because our battleships have long-range firing range."

Having said this, Rear Admiral Trenchard turned his gaze to the Secretary of the Navy.

The Lord Admiral nodded.

"Oh, yes, you are right."

"Battleships usually have a range of more than ten kilometers, and the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships can reach 21 kilometers."

"The Iron Duke class can even reach 24 kilometers."

(Note: In the late stages of World War I, the British Navy developed more advanced armor-piercing shells that extended its range. However, these shells were first used on the 13.5-inch main guns of the Iron Duke class, resulting in the Iron Duke class having a longer range than the Elizabeth class. Later, after improvements were made to the Elizabeth class's shells, its 15-inch main guns could also reach 24 kilometers. Further improvements before World War II even reached 30 kilometers.)

Major General Trenchard pointed to the map and analyzed further:

"The Strait of Gibraltar is 90 kilometers long, and our battleships have a range of 24 kilometers, which makes 114 kilometers."

"If our battleships were deployed 30 to 50 kilometers to the west, they would be at the limit of the aircraft carrier's attack radius."

"Then the French army will be caught in a dilemma."

If the aircraft carrier wanted to attack the British battleships, it would have to enter the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, which would put itself in danger.

Otherwise, the aircraft carrier will always be under blockade by the British army.

The Secretary of the Admiralty, Balfour, added:

"Also, if the French navy were to force its way through the strait, the warships would inevitably be in a disadvantageous vertical position."

"Our fleet can find fighter planes outside the strait and defeat them in one fell swoop."

(Note: "Unfavorable vertical position" refers to the "horizontal" and "vertical" parts of the "T" formation in naval battles.)

The Navy Minister's voice gradually became excited:

"And if we can block the main force of the French navy in the Mediterranean, we can destroy its Brest port and even occupy its shipyards."

"This is also announcing our army's victory to the world."

"Although it is only a preliminary victory, it can at least serve as a deterrent to countries in the Atlantic and North Sea regions, and even African countries."

The Navy Minister's words made everyone in the command center look happy.

This is indeed strategically feasible.

The French aircraft carriers are powerful, but if they are trapped in the Mediterranean and cannot get out, the vast ocean outside will still belong to Britain, and Britain may be able to successfully survive this "colonial disintegration" crisis.

All Britain lost was control over several countries in the Mediterranean.

The Minister of Munitions remained silent at this time.

This was your idea, not mine.

Don't blame me if you lose.

If I win, it means I turned the tide at the most critical moment!

(End of this chapter)