Chapter 1011 Capture of the Fleet
Captain Ethan forgot one thing: the faster and more isolated a warship is, the more conspicuous it will be and the easier it will be to attack.
Because for enemy aircraft carriers, fast speed means they may escape, evade, or even pose a threat.
Being alone means that when bombers attack it, there will be no anti-aircraft fire from other ships to provide cover for it.
The battleship "Canada" was more than ten kilometers ahead of the team. The French bombers flying in the air spotted it at a glance, and then more than a dozen of them chased and attacked it.
Captain Ethan tried to evade the bombardment with a serpentine maneuver, in the manner of the Renown.
However, the "Canada" was a true battleship with a speed of only 22.75 knots, far from the 31.5 knots of the "Reputation". Even if she tried her best, she could not avoid the bombing.
(Note: This is another reason why battleships were eliminated by aircraft carriers. The advantages of battleships would be completely ignored by bombers and attack aircraft: large-caliber guns were ineffective against aerial targets, thick side armor was meaningless, and bombers and torpedoes attacked the top deck and armor below the waterline. Their disadvantages would be infinitely magnified: slow speed and large size made them an excellent target for bombers. On the contrary, destroyers with faster speed and smaller size had stronger vitality.)
“Boom boom!”
…
Explosions rang out on the deck. Every time the ship was hit by a bomb, the hull would vibrate violently, followed by blazing flames and billowing smoke.
The crew screamed and reported the damage to the command cabin:
"The starboard steam pipe has been blown, and bridge communications are lost!"
"The rear deck was hit by a bullet, causing a fire!"
"Number 3 secondary gun was hit, secondary gun disabled!"
…
General Winter could only smile bitterly. At this time, were they still concerned about whether the secondary guns were useful?
Everything, including the main guns, was a burden. If possible, General Winter would order them all to be thrown into the sea without hesitation.
This can also increase speed and increase the chance of survival.
Captain Ethan panicked and shouted to General Winter, "What should we do, General?"
General Winter was speechless.
This guy seems to have forgotten that he is the captain.
No wonder, then, that few people can remain calm when faced with death.
"General!" the signalman reported loudly: "The boiler gas supply pipe has been blown off!"
General Winter's heart sank, as this meant that the battleship was about to lose speed.
At this moment, the surroundings seemed to quiet down, as if giving General Winter time to think.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on General Winter, including Captain Ethan, with anticipation in their eyes.
General Winter knew what this meant. He hesitated for a moment and nodded gently: "Surrender, you have done your best."
A white flag was slowly raised on the mast of the Canada. Two dive-bombing bombers noticed it and slowed down and turned around at the last moment.
The strong wind from the wings swept across the white flag on the top of the pole, making it roar, as if it was begging for mercy from the French fighter planes.
Soon, the two London-class battleships and more than ten destroyers following the Canada all raised white flags.
They were terrified by the battle before them.
This is not a war, it is a one-sided beating.
The "Canada" is much more advanced than them. If it cannot withstand such intense bombing, what can other warships do?
Especially destroyers: if the battleships are bombed into raising the white flag of surrender, what choice do the destroyers have?
But they were wrong.
For bombers and torpedo attack aircraft, it is precisely these small and fast destroyers that are difficult to deal with.
At this time, if the destroyers scatter and escape in several parts, the bombers will often focus on the battleships and ignore these small warships.
…
Carter, who was flying in the air commanding the battle, looked at the white flag fluttering below and didn't know what to do.
"Damn it!" he cursed. "Charles only taught us how to blow up enemy warships, but he didn't teach us how to accept surrender!"
Turning his head to look at both sides of the cabin, Carter cursed again: "Should I jump into the sea and accept their surrender?"
After thinking for a while, he ordered his wingman to return to the aircraft carrier immediately to report the situation.
The other bombers continued to circle in the air, intimidating the fleet below that had slowed down.
…
The commander of the flagship aircraft carrier "Normandy", Major General Pierre, was also stunned when he heard the news: "The enemy fleet surrendered?"
That is the British Royal Navy, the most powerful navy in the world, and it also has three battleships and more than a dozen destroyers.
This lineup is enough to destroy a country, and now they are surrendering under the bombing of an aircraft carrier?
"Could it be a trap?" asked Major General Pierre.
The contrast was so great that he couldn't believe it.
The pilot who reported the situation was excited and proudly replied:
"I don't think it was a trap, General. You weren't there so you don't know the situation."
"The enemy ships were powerless to fight back against our attack. They had only two choices: to be sunk or to surrender."
"The problem is that we can't receive these 'captives' while we're in the air."
Major General Pierre nodded slightly.
If we consider the battle situation, it seems to be true. In just over half an hour, the aircraft carrier sank two advanced battlecruisers one after another, and now it has paralyzed its flagship.
This made other warships lose confidence in resistance.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated: "Send seaplanes to cooperate with the 5th Fleet to the battlefield to receive prisoners."
…
Fortress of Liège, Fort Pontisseau.
Charles did not have time to return to Malta to command this naval battle, which could be called a "turning point".
It’s not that Charles didn’t want to, but the British attack came too suddenly.
After a night of preparation, the British fleet declared war half an hour before the battle, catching the French army off guard.
This was the main reason why the fleet commanded by General Gaiplat of Malta suffered losses and even faced danger.
There were only two battleships in Malta Harbour at the time: the "France" and the "Jean Bart".
This is France's most advanced "Courbet" class dreadnought.
(Note: During World War I, France had only 4 dreadnoughts, and the remaining 10 were relatively backward pre-dreadnoughts)
If the British fleet forcibly broke through the "Green Water Navy" defense line, they would probably approach Malta and bomb the airport.
But this is not a big problem.
Although the airport appears fragile, it is actually difficult to completely destroy it.
Oil depots, ammunition, spare parts, etc. are buried deep underground and are difficult to blow up.
The French army could avoid losses by taking off various types of aircraft in time before being bombed.
Even if the runway is blown off, we just need to organize people to fill it up.
This is what happened when the Germans bombed the Maltese airport during World War II. Unless it is a ground occupation, it will be like "spring breeze blowing again" and revived in a day or two.
Just as Charles was reading the telegram from the front, a staff officer came forward and reported: "Lieutenant General, you may not believe it, but we have captured a squadron, including three battleships."
Charles said "hmm". There was nothing strange about this. A battleship would not be a match for an aircraft carrier.
However, the staff officer added, "We also captured General Winter!"
Charles looked up at the staff officer: "Winter captured?"
(End of this chapter)
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