Chapter 1028 Germany’s chance has come!
War House, London.
Telegrams for help were delivered to Prime Minister George, and everyone frowned at the current situation.
"This is almost the maximum number of ships we can send," said Navy Minister Balfour in embarrassment.
"Five dreadnoughts towards Brest, four towards Gibraltar, leaving only 24 in the North Sea."
"And Germany's High Seas Fleet had 22 dreadnoughts."
"If we send more reinforcements, the North Sea will be at risk of being broken through by the Germans!"
Command fell silent.
After the battle with the German fleet at Jutland, the British naval commander probably understood the characteristics of the German warships:
German warships generally have thicker main armor, which makes their battleships more durable and resilient, and they can often escape from the battlefield even after being hit by several shells.
In comparison, the British battleships were inferior to the German ones in terms of protection and artillery accuracy. The British strengths were speed and range.
More importantly, the British army actually had an overwhelming advantage in numbers.
But now, the Royal Navy has divided itself into three: North Sea, Brest, and Gibraltar.
Without the numerical advantage, can the First Fleet stationed in the North Sea still stop the German High Seas Fleet?
However, it would clearly not be a wise option to sit idly by and do nothing about the crises in Brest and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Britain's goals in this war were: first, to blockade the main force of the French fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar, and second, to capture the port of Brest and declare its military power to the world.
If you can't do any of them, it means complete failure!
Prime Minister George turned his gaze to the Minister of Munitions, meaning, how are you going to end it now? Is it necessary to continue fighting?
"Gentlemen," said the Minister of Munitions, calmly:
"Think about what the Germans are like now?"
"Their sailors have just revolted and are scattered. Some of their commanders have rebelled, while others have disobeyed orders."
"Do you think they can muster all their forces to attack us? Even if they send all their warships over, can they fight with half the force they had before?"
The others were not persuaded and all expressed their opposition with silence.
Prime Minister George expressed their feelings:
"Although your guess has some rationality."
"However, it is common sense that we cannot rely on the enemy's weakness and mistakes for victory."
"This is dangerous and speculative, and it's like leaving your fate to God!"
The Minister of Munitions raised his eyebrows and said, "You are right, Prime Minister, but do we have any other choice?"
This sentence choked Prime Minister George.
Prime Minister George frowned in dissatisfaction. He found that the Minister of Munitions' plan seemed to be like this every time: he would plunge into it with a beautiful vision, and then be dragged along involuntarily.
"Also," the Quartermaster General added, "we can think from another angle."
He pointed his finger at the location of Brest Port:
"The French have laid mines outside the port of Brest, which means their warships are on the defensive and not preparing to counterattack."
"Then, if the German High Seas Fleet attacks us in the North Sea."
"We can immediately transfer the Second Fleet back to the North Sea for reinforcement."
Secretary of the Admiralty Balfour gave his support:
"Yes, the English Channel is only 560 kilometers long. Our fleet can return to the North Sea in just over ten hours."
"And by then, these redeployed fleets will appear behind the German High Seas Fleet."
"This is our advantage, the English Channel is in our hands!"
Trenchard asked:
"But have you ever considered that the French might have set up a safe passage through the mines of Brest Harbor?"
"Their fleet can leave the port and attack us if necessary."
"Then we'll be in an awkward position, caught between two odds!"
The Secretary of the Navy immediately rejected his statement:
"That won't be a problem. All we have to do is lay some mines before we leave."
"Then the safe passage of the French will no longer be safe."
"They have to take the time to clear these mines before they can launch a counterattack."
This was standard practice in naval warfare, and the First Lord of the Admiralty was well aware of it.
Finally, a few people exchanged glances and gave the order for reinforcements.
…
The reinforcement fleet included two "Queen Elizabeth-class" ships, of which only the "Barham" remained in the North Sea.
There were also 3 dreadnoughts, 6 pre-dreadnoughts and 30 destroyers.
There were only 19 dreadnoughts left in the North Sea.
…
In Pontessebourg, Belgium, Charles was relieved when he received the intelligence that the British Royal Navy was sending reinforcements to the Atlantic.
Gibraltar, Brest, and the North Sea.
If any of these three directions is a feint, it is undoubtedly the Gibraltar direction with the greatest momentum.
The French Mediterranean Fleet was unable to assemble more than a hundred ships and exert its combat effectiveness.
A navy cannot simply capture ships and start them in action. To develop combat effectiveness and allow all parts to work closely together and synchronize in combat requires at least several months of training.
Therefore, the battleships, cruisers and destroyers captured from the British army were actually just showpieces, used to make up the numbers and scare people.
On those warships, there were a large number of French infantrymen who put guns to the heads of British prisoners and ordered them to operate.
This only allows the warship to move, but it actually has no combat effectiveness.
If a real fight breaks out, even if their numbers are much greater than the "Iron Duke", they will still not be able to break out of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Their function is to divert more British warships away from the North Sea.
Charles looked up at the staff officer and ordered:
"Order General Pierre to prepare all aircraft carriers."
"Once British reinforcements pass through the English Channel, carrier-based aircraft will immediately move!"
In order to better confuse the British army, the carrier's carrier-based aircraft have been taking off and landing on the deck.
Charles was not in a hurry. Carrier-based aircraft were fast and could reach the target airport and complete deployment in a few hours.
The only problem is that the pilots have to perform long and high-intensity flight operations and then immediately enter combat status.
Fortunately, Charles has always focused on pilot training over the years, and now there is some redundancy in pilots, who are waiting for rotation at the target airport.
Then Charles added another order: "Contact Erzberger and tell them that the British have been tricked. Tell them to prepare!"
The German provisional government was still in a semi-chaotic state at this time, and its intelligence system had not yet fully recovered, making it unable to grasp the movements of the British fleet.
"Yes, General." The staff officer responded and passed the information on as instructed.
…
Erzberger was waiting anxiously in the city of Liege.
"This is the moment that will decide Germany's fate," he muttered to himself. "Victory or defeat depends on this battle! We cannot lose, we must not lose..."
When Charles's telegram reached him, he jumped up:
"Great, five more ships have been transferred."
"Notify Sher immediately. His chance has come."
"No, it's Germany's chance!"
(End of this chapter)
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