Chapter 632: Changing the Code
Gallieni acted quickly. The next day, he placed an order for 200 aircraft through the government in the name of "cooperating with the British Royal Navy to blockade the English Channel". At the same time, the construction of the airport was also put on the agenda.
However, most of the aircraft were fighter jets, and only a few Caproni bombers were used for training and testing (to test what problems the Caproni bombers would have at the seaside with high salt and humidity and to make improvements).
The British would have no objection.
At this time, everyone believed that the role of fighter jets was limited. They were only used to fight for air supremacy, conduct reconnaissance, and attack the enemy's logistical supply lines.
Moreover, these are mostly limited to land battles, and naval battles can almost only be used for reconnaissance.
What the British didn't expect was that all this was Charles' conspiracy.
Charles took advantage of the fact that the British had not yet realized the importance of aircraft and made arrangements first, easily gaining control of the sea and air before the British noticed the danger.
Then, as long as we wait for the airport to be built and deploy fighter jets and torpedo attack aircraft there, the outcome will be decided.
By then, the French Navy, which had been suppressed by the British Royal Navy for decades and could only hide in the naval port and dared not compete with the British Royal Navy for the Channel, would be able to feel proud.
British Fleet: "Get out of the way, you idiots! Look at those small, broken fishing boats. We don't even need to use cannons. We can sink you with a ramming!"
French Fleet: "Look up at the sky, arrogant British. Do you see the torpedoes hanging under the bombers? If necessary, we can call in dozens or even hundreds of them. Just think about the consequences!"
The British fleet felt a chill in an instant. They only knew to fire torpedoes into the water, but the French actually managed to fire them into the sky!
All the guns on the warships were aimed at enemy warships, with only a few "bang bang cannons" used for air defense, and their targets were still seaplanes.
This thing is far from enough to deal with fighter jets and bombers!
(The picture above shows the "pom-pom cannon", which can be regarded as a large-sized Maxim with a caliber of 37MM. The British Navy used it in various modifications and combined installations until World War II. It had no tracer bullets and had great defects, and its air defense capability was extremely limited)
It was not until then that the British suddenly realized that the world's number one navy had been handed over to the fifth-ranked French Navy. They had always believed that the English Channel, which was their inland river, was now completely under the control of the French Navy. If they were not convinced, this narrow strait would immediately become their graveyard and bury the entire Royal Navy.
…
In central London, England, uniformed staff officers and secretaries come and go in the War Office Building, adding a tense atmosphere to this Edwardian Baroque-style building.
(The picture above shows the British office building built in 1902, which has now been converted into the Raffles Hotel.)
In the office on the third floor facing the highway, the Quartermaster General and General Winter were looking at the map expressionlessly as the staff calculated the timely position of the German fleet on the nautical chart.
"Is the intelligence accurate?" asked the Minister of Munitions.
"Yes, very accurate," the staff officer replied.
The Quartermaster General nodded with satisfaction.
During this time, they have been verifying whether the decoded code is consistent with the actual location of the German fleet.
If they matched, it would mean the code was cracked correctly and the Germans hadn't noticed.
This was not a matter for the Minister of Munitions to worry about; it was the responsibility of the Minister of the Navy.
However, the code was closely related to the location of German submarines, and the Quartermaster General's task was to ensure the safety and escort of supplies, so he was responsible for the code.
General Winter handed over a telegram:
"Sir, the code indicates that the Germans will have a surprise attack planned tomorrow."
"They will send a fleet consisting of 2 battlecruisers and 11 destroyers to attack our Third Fleet."
The Third Fleet is a British fleet deployed south of the North Sea to blockade the English Channel. It is the weakest of the three fleets of the British Royal Navy. It is composed of light cruisers, destroyers and torpedo boats of small and medium tonnage. Its main task is to lay mines and blockade.
Then General Winter added: "We should inform the Secretary of the Admiralty immediately, Your Excellency, before it is too late."
The Minister of Munitions was silent for a while, then asked slowly, "Do you mean to ask the Minister of the Navy to send reinforcements?"
"Yes, of course," Admiral Winter replied. "The Second Fleet will arrive in time."
The Quartermaster shook his head slightly: "No, General, we shouldn't do this."
"Why?" General Winter looked at the Quartermaster General in confusion.
"In order to prevent the Germans from noticing anything unusual." The Minister of Munitions raised the deciphered telegram in his hand and said, "Have you considered this point? If we can know the Germans' sneak attack plans in advance every time and avoid them, and some plans are even made temporarily, what do you think the Germans will think?"
General Winter suddenly realized.
The German plan was for "tomorrow", and they would deploy fast battlecruisers and destroyers. It was probably just a temporary sneak attack plan as the Minister of Munitions said.
If even the Royal Navy knew about it in advance, it would mean an intelligence leak.
So it won’t be long before the Germans start to suspect the code!
After a moment of silence, General Winter said, "Then we should at least notify the Third Fleet and let them make some preparations."
The Minister of Munitions rejected this suggestion again. His voice was cold: "This is not a rational approach. General, Vice Admiral Avery (Commander of the Third Fleet) may use mines to block the waterway to ensure his own safety, or do some other tricks."
General Winter understood that the Quartermaster General intended to sacrifice part of the Third Fleet's strength in order to ensure that the German codes could continue to be deciphered.
The Quartermaster General stared at General Winter and said earnestly, "We must do this, General. Stopping the main force of the Germans is our real mission. Do you understand?"
General Winter responded helplessly: "Yes, sir, I will inform the Minister of the Navy of your suggestions."
Needless to say, the Secretary of the Navy will stand on the side of the Secretary of Munitions. They will never be soft-handed in this regard.
At this moment, a staff officer suddenly pushed the door open and reported: "Sir, the Germans have changed the code."
"What?" The Quartermaster General and General Winter were shocked. They looked at each other, neither of them understanding what had gone wrong.
After a while, the Quartermaster General frowned and said, "Could it be that we are dodging submarines too often?"
General Winter added:
"And the French fleet hunting submarines."
"The Germans didn't know that Charles had developed the 'echo sounder', and they couldn't understand why 12 submarines were sunk at once."
"That might have made them suspect it was due to an intelligence leak."
The Quartermaster General nodded slowly.
There are all kinds of possibilities, but it is useless to consider this now. The key point is that the code can no longer be deciphered, and they have no way of knowing the Germans' subsequent breakout plan!
(End of this chapter)
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