Chapter 1032: The English Channel is Blockaded by French Fighters
In the command cabin of the "Warspite", Captain Rear Admiral Louis looked forward with a telescope in his hand.
He looked a little depressed, feeling like he was being toyed with by the enemy, having just been transferred from the North Sea last night and now he had to return again in the blink of an eye.
Rear Admiral Louis thought this was not a wise move. When he received the order, he said to the second-in-command dissatisfiedly:
"What if the German High Seas Fleet withdraws by the time we reach the North Sea?"
"And what if the Germans send out their fleet again when we return to Brest?"
"Does that mean we'll be sailing back and forth across the English Channel forever?"
The second-in-command agreed: "So, we should do whatever it takes to capture Brest Harbor. Doing so will end this damn cycle and put the initiative in our own hands."
Louis nodded. He thought that the people in high positions in the London combat command should be replaced. The current terrible situation was caused by them.
They are just politicians who are good at playing power games, he thought. They don’t understand military affairs and don’t know how to fight!
After staring ahead and thinking for a while, Rear Admiral Louis yawned and nodded to the deputy captain: "I'm going to rest for a while, Jason. She (referring to the warship) is in your hands."
Louis hadn't slept all night when he rushed here last night, and then he was involved in a tense battle. Now when he relaxed, he felt his eyelids fighting.
"Okay, General." The second-in-command was confident: "There will be no problem!"
This is the English Channel. Britain has absolute control over it, so there is nothing to worry about even if France is on the other side of the channel.
After Major General Louis left, Deputy Captain Jason looked up into the sky and saw several "SE5a" fighter jets flying in the air.
They were sent by the Royal Flying Corps, whose mission was to ensure that the fleet would not be attacked by French "torpedo planes".
There is nothing to worry about, Jason thought. The French aircraft carrier was blocked in the Strait of Gibraltar and could not pass through, and the "torpedo planes" could not defeat these fighters designed for air combat.
suddenly.
There was a strange whistling sound in the air, and before Jason could react, fierce machine gun fire rang out in the air.
He stretched his head to look upwards and saw an "SE5a" rolling and falling on the sea, trailing black smoke. As if by magic, it turned into flames and black smoke in an explosion, and the fuselage parts were scattered everywhere, and soon it sank into the sea.
Then another one came. It caught fire and exploded and disintegrated as it passed over the port side. The flying fragments hit the warship's armor, making a crisp "clang" sound.
Major General Louis hurried out of the lounge, putting on his coat while asking, "What's going on?"
"I don't know, General," Jason replied. "There was an aerial engagement, probably with French Camels."
The air force said that the "SE5a" was more advanced than the French "Camel", but now it seems that was a lie.
But this has nothing to do with the fleet, Jason thought, let them fight it out in the air!
(Note: At this time, the mode of naval warfare had just shifted from ship-to-ship to air-to-ship, and many warship commanders still had not yet changed their mindsets. They still believed that "as long as the fighter jets are advanced enough and the air force is strong enough, air combat and naval combat are two unrelated levels.")
Louis originally thought so, but when he ran out of the command cabin and looked through the telescope, he turned back and cursed, "That's the French 'Jenny' fighter plane, you idiot! Air defense alarm!"
Jason's expression changed drastically. "'Jenny' fighter? How did it appear here?"
Shouldn't it be the aircraft carrier and carrier-based aircraft in the Strait of Gibraltar?
No, that's impossible!
At this time, the lookout shouted in panic: "Bombers, 'Jenny' bombers, they are coming!"
Jason looked in the direction indicated by the lookout, and sure enough, he saw a group of small black dots in the southeast direction, at least 30 aircraft. Although they were far away, his inverted gull-shaped wings could be clearly seen.
"Oh my God," Jason exclaimed. "How did this happen? Why are they here?"
…
"How did this happen?" Prime Minister George exclaimed when he received the telegram. "Why are they here?"
The Navy Minister held up another telegram and pointed to the nautical chart: "This is impossible. We just spotted these planes in the Strait of Gibraltar!"
Spain is a neutral country, and the British Intelligence Agency has planted many spies in Spain. As the Strait of Gibraltar is only 43 kilometers wide at its widest point, it is easy for them to observe carrier-based aircraft flying overhead.
The Minister of Munitions understood what was going on, but he kept a sullen face and said nothing.
Soon, Rear Admiral Trenchard, Chief of Staff of the Royal Flying Corps, reacted. His face was dull, "I, I understand. Their carrier-based aircraft have already transferred to the airport near the English Channel and are waiting for us last night!"
Several people were stunned, and then suddenly gathered in front of the nautical chart.
"I need to know the location of the nearest airport." Prime Minister George shouted.
The distance between the bombers and the fleet can be calculated from the location of the airport, and from this the combat radius of the French bombers can be calculated.
"No." Navy Minister Balfour changed the order: "We need to know the location of all French airfields along the English Channel!"
This determined whether the fleet could pass through the English Channel.
"And also their size and fuel reserves." Major General Trenchard added: "If possible, find out when these airports were built."
This will show whether France is adequately prepared.
Only the Minister of Munitions remained silent. He walked silently to the window and lit a cigar.
Nothing could be done. Charles had been planning to target Britain for a long time and had long thought of blocking the English Channel.
Therefore, Britain has no chance and all is lost!
Sure enough, after a while, the staff reported the collected information to the headquarters one by one:
"The nearest French airport is in Caen."
"There are three airports along the English Channel: Brest, Caen and Dunkirk."
"These airfields were built a year ago and are well stocked with fuel and ammunition!"
(The map above shows the locations of the three airports, which are about 200 kilometers apart and cover almost the western half of the English Channel.)
The Minister of Munitions looked out the window at the scenery and added expressionlessly, "No, not three airports. You should add Antwerp."
Antwerp, Belgium is an important aviation base for Charles.
Major General Trenchard looked eastward along the English Channel: "Maybe the Netherlands too."
The Netherlands was a member of the League of Nations, so it was not impossible for it to provide France with a military base for takeoff and landing.
Everyone was stunned.
This meant that the English Channel was under a blockade by French fighter planes.
If the fleet wants to pass through the strait, it must be able to withstand more than ten hours of bombing!
(End of this chapter)
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