I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 1010 Death Struggle
I'm late today, only one chapter. Sorry.

……

The sounds of cannons and machine guns were incessant.

HMS Renown and HMS Repulse are engaged in intense air defense combat.

However, what was called a battle was actually a passive defense.

Battlecruisers are high-speed ships with reduced protection and battleship firepower. Their purpose is to compensate for the weakness of battleships being too slow and to avoid situations where they cannot catch up or hit the enemy.

Due to a lack of attention to air defense, the entire ship had only three "pom-pom" guns and five Vickers machine guns for anti-aircraft purposes.

(The image above shows a "pom-pom" gun used for air defense on a warship. It was not upgraded to an eight-cell gun until around 1930, but it was still not satisfactory.)

This level of anti-aircraft firepower was almost no threat to the French dive bombers.

One after another, Jenny B bombers swooped down from the sky. If the pilots had any concerns, they only worried that they should not swoop too hard to avoid crashing into the sea or a warship.

One bomb after another was released, tracing graceful diagonal lines as they headed straight for the target warship.

"Hard to port!" Captain Fernando of the "Renown" shouted.

Colonel Fernando is a seasoned commander who is 56 years old and nearing retirement. He has experienced countless thrilling battles and has escaped death several times.

These experiences forged his resolute and unyielding character, enabling him to remain calm and analyze the situation even in the face of major changes.

It's impossible for air defenses to shoot down all enemy aircraft; those "bang-bang cannons" and machine guns aren't even angled enough to aim at the target.

Naval guns won't be of any use either, since we haven't even seen the enemy's aircraft carrier yet.

The only thing to do is to use the speed of the battlecruiser to perform "snake-like" maneuvers to avoid enemy bombing!

Turns out he was right.

The battlecruiser's sudden turn caused most of the bombs to miss their targets. Only two small bombs hit the deck, causing negligible damage. The rest of the bombs sent up towering columns of water on both sides of the ship, making it rock violently like a leaf sailing on a stormy sea.

But the USS Repulse, two nautical miles away, was not so lucky; more than a dozen bombs hit the hull and blew it open.

With streaks of fire shooting into the sky and thick black smoke billowing out, Colonel Fernando had a hard time distinguishing whether the fire was caused by a bomb or by smokestacks.

But when he glanced at the Repulse again, he realized it was doomed: its speed was slowly decreasing, like a wounded and exhausted beast.

This means it has no way to avoid being targeted by enemy bombers and can only remain in place, which is no different from being sunk.

Sure enough, a bomber broke through the clouds and swooped down the next second.

It dropped the bomb almost directly above the Repulse, dropping the 250-kilogram bomb from its belly.

The bomb, accompanied by a whistling sound, struck the top of the main gun turret of the "Repulse" and pierced through it.

The turret exploded from the inside, and the propellant in the shells and hoists detonated instantly, triggering a series of disasters. The bow of the ship was engulfed in a dark red flame with a loud bang.

Colonel Fernando sighed softly and turned his attention back to the Renown.

I'm barely able to take care of myself right now, so it's certainly not the time to worry about other people's fates.

It'll be my turn next!
But Colonel Fernando made a last-ditch effort, clinging to the belief that he still had a chance, and that it wasn't just his life at stake, but also the fate of his entire crew and even the Royal Navy.

If the most advanced battlecruiser is sunk by the enemy without even seeing its target and without firing a single shot, does that mean the entire Royal Navy has lost its deterrent power?
Colonel Fernando simply stepped out of the command cockpit, gripped the armrests tightly, looked up at the sky, and kept a close eye on the enemy planes swooping down, silently calculating the timing of their bomb releases.

Suddenly, he turned and shouted towards the control room: "Hard to starboard!"

The subordinates immediately sprang into action:
"Full right rudder!"

"Full right rudder!"

……

The ship veered, its speed nearly throwing Colonel Fernando into the sea. Another volley of bombs hurtled overhead, exploding where the warship had just been, sending waves crashing onto the deck.

Cheers erupted from the command center; they were relieved to have escaped another disaster.

Colonel Fernando smiled slightly, thinking that at this rate, they might be able to hold out until they encountered the enemy's aircraft carrier.

However, just as he was considering the possibility, his eyes fell on two planes approaching from the flanks.

They flew low and level over the sea, maintaining a stable speed, with their noses pointing straight at the side of the warship at a 90-degree angle, like the edge of a sword.

Colonel Fernando immediately realized what it was.

"Torpedo planes!" Colonel Fernando shouted, "Stop them! Shoot them down!"

But it was too late.

Everyone's attention was focused on the bombers overhead; the "bang bang" cannons were also destroyed, and there was no firepower left to stop them.

Fernando watched helplessly as the two "torpedo planes" approached, getting closer and closer.

Two torpedoes plunged into the sea like swordfish released from their cages, followed by two bright white lines that shot towards the side of the vessel.

……

The sea area more than 30 kilometers away.

While Colonel Fernando struggled against fate, even clinging to a sliver of hope that he could turn the tide and find the enemy's aircraft carrier, General Winter had already withdrawn his fleet from the battlefield.

“Our reinforcements will be of no use,” General Winter said. “If we don’t want to sink to the bottom of the sea, we must rejoin the main force in time.”

Captain Ethan nodded in agreement.

More warships mean denser anti-aircraft firepower, and their machine guns can provide cover for each other.

At the same time, the squadron could also surround the French aircraft carrier, preventing it from escaping, which made the enemy carrier dare not get too close.

"Hopefully they won't notice us," Ethan thought, his heart pounding.

Otherwise, the battle fleet, with a speed of only 20 knots, would immediately become the target of those bombers.

But General Winter thought differently. He looked up at the sky and saw two seaplanes circling overhead, following the fleet wherever it went.

"We can only hope they run out of bombs, Ethan."

Colonel Ethan glanced at the sky, then turned back and shouted the order: "Speed ​​up! Full speed ahead!"

Colonel Ethan has stopped acting.

The HMS Canada had a top speed of 22.75 knots, while the two battleships accompanying it had a speed of only 18 knots.

Another meaning of his order to advance at full speed was that he abandoned his allies and fled alone.

Clearly, this is a disgrace and a stain on the noble Royal Navy.

Colonel Ethan became the captain of a ship because of his courage, his ability, and the slogan he shouted to his men: "We will fight to the last moment."

however.

The reason for saying that in the past was that the British Royal Navy was the most powerful navy in the world, and those who died on the battlefield were most likely to be the enemy.

just now.

They couldn't even see the enemy's face; all they could see were bombs falling from the sky.

Moreover, the outcome was already predetermined: either they would be blown up or sink to the bottom of the sea.

What's the point of talking about courage at this time?
(End of this chapter)