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

Chapter 1024 Blockade Tactics
I'm late today, only one chapter!
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“I understand what you mean.” Prime Minister George was somewhat impatient with the Minister of Munitions’ tone: “We all know what’s important, including John, Adam, Jeffrey, and Lieutenant Klaus.”

The names that Prime Minister George reported were staff officers, and the last one was even a guard.

His deliberate omission of Balfour and Trenchard was clearly an expression of dissatisfaction with the Minister of Munitions.

Prime Minister George continued:
"We all know that France is the root of everything; it is the cause of the turmoil."

"We also understand that defeating France would demonstrate our military strength to everyone and show them that Britain is still the strongest country in the world."

"But the question is how can we do that? The French fleet just defeated our Mediterranean fleet, capturing over a hundred warships, including eight battleships!"

Prime Minister George was somewhat flustered; he couldn't believe the situation had become so out of control.

All of this was due to the Minister of Munitions' foolish plan, his unrealistic strategic goals, and the beautiful blueprint he painted for everyone!
The Minister of Munitions pretended not to understand what Prime Minister George was saying, and he remained calm throughout.

This is not something an ordinary person could do; an ordinary person would usually feel ashamed and resign at this point.

But the Minister of Munitions was different. His strong mental fortitude enabled him to persevere to the very end, and he even took it for granted that he would shift the blame onto others.

The plan was agreed upon by everyone. The Minister of Munitions thought that no one had proposed a better plan or offered any additional suggestions, so the operational plan was the best solution at the time.

The failure is not solely my responsibility, but everyone's.

"That's right, Your Excellency the Prime Minister," the Minister of War said calmly, pointing to the map.
"Judging from the current situation, the reason why the French Navy was able to defeat the Mediterranean Fleet is because of its aircraft carriers."

"This thing has changed the mode of combat, rendering our battleships' guns and armor unable to exert their advantages..."

This intelligence was obtained by the command from the battlefield and from French newspapers.

The French newspapers, in particular, made it clear to them why General Winter and the Mediterranean Fleet had surrendered.

Prime Minister George interrupted him with a snort: "Say something useful, Your Excellency."

The Minister of Munitions raised an eyebrow and replied calmly, "We can play to our strengths and blockade the French fleet and aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean."

Prime Minister George frowned, as if he understood the Minister of Munitions' idea: "You mean, blockade the Strait of Gibraltar?"

The Minister of Munitions nodded: "Yes, and there's also the Suez Canal."

The Minister of Munitions pointed to the location of the Suez Canal.

Blocking the Suez Canal would be easy. Port Said was still in British hands. Sinking a few merchant ships in the Suez Canal would block the waterway and would not be able to clear it in a short time.

The Navy Minister objected:
"But the key point is Gibraltar."

How can we block it?

"What I mean is, if France had an aircraft carrier, their attack radius would exceed the length of the Strait of Gibraltar."

The Strait of Gibraltar is 90 kilometers long, while the attack radius of French aircraft carriers reaches 150 kilometers.

This means that the warships intended to blockade the strait will become targets for the French aircraft carriers.

(The image above shows the Strait of Gibraltar, which is 90 kilometers long and only 14 kilometers wide at its narrowest point.)
Major General Trenchard, who had remained silent until now, surprisingly expressed his approval of the Minister of Munitions' plan.

“I think this plan is feasible.” He pointed to the map and explained, “We all know that aircraft carriers are not suitable for operating in narrow areas because it will expose their position.”

One sentence was enough to enlighten everyone. When General Winter and Rear Admiral Avis were fighting against the French aircraft carriers, their biggest difficulty was not knowing where the French aircraft carriers were.

This meant that even though they had high-speed, maneuverable destroyers and battlecruisers, they didn't know which direction to pursue because they had no target.

However, the situation is different in the Strait of Gibraltar. Whenever French carrier-based aircraft take off, the French aircraft carrier will definitely be in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The direction is fixed, and there is no way to escape.

Major General Trenchard continued, "We can even position our battleships further west, because our battleships have long-range firepower."

As he spoke, Rear Admiral Trenchard turned his gaze to the First Lord of the Navy.

The First Minister of the Navy nodded:

"Oh, yes, you're right."

"Battleships typically have a range of over ten kilometers, while the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships could reach 21 kilometers."

"The Iron Duke class can even reach 24 kilometers."

(Note: During the later stages of World War I, the British Navy developed more advanced armor-piercing shells that increased their range. However, these shells were first used on the 13.5-inch main guns of the Iron Duke-class destroyers, resulting in the Iron Dukes having a longer range than the Queen Elizabeth-class destroyers. Later, with improvements to the Queen Elizabeth-class shells, their 15-inch main guns could also reach 24 kilometers, and by World War II, further improvements had even reached 30 kilometers.)
Major General Trenchard pointed to the map and analyzed further:
"The Strait of Gibraltar is 90 kilometers long, and our battleships have a firing range of 24 kilometers, which is 114 kilometers."

"If our battleships are deployed 30 to 50 kilometers to the west, they will be at the limit of the aircraft carrier's attack radius."

"Thus, the French army will be in a dilemma."

For an aircraft carrier to attack a British battleship, it would have to enter the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, which would put it in danger.

Otherwise, the aircraft carrier would remain under British blockade indefinitely.

Navy Secretary Balfour added:
"Furthermore, if the French Navy forces its way through the strait, its warships will inevitably be in a disadvantageous position for combat."

"Our fleet can find opportunities outside the strait and defeat them in one fell swoop."

(Note: "Unfavorable vertical formation" refers to the horizontal and vertical sections of a "T" formation in naval warfare.)
The Navy Minister's voice gradually became more agitated:
"If we can block the main French navy in the Mediterranean, we can destroy its port of Brest and even occupy its shipyards."

"This is also a declaration of our army's victory to the world."

"Although it is only an initial victory, it can at least serve as a deterrent to countries in the Atlantic and North Sea regions, and even African countries."

The Navy Minister's words brought a smile to everyone's face in the command center.

This is indeed a strategically feasible approach.

French aircraft carriers are formidable, but if they get stuck in the Mediterranean and can't get out, the vast ocean outside still belongs to Britain, and Britain may be able to successfully weather this crisis of "colonial disintegration".

Britain only lost control of a few countries in the Mediterranean region.

The Minister of Munitions remained silent at this point.

This was your idea, not mine.

Don't blame me if you lose.

We won! That means I turned the tide at the most crucial moment!

(End of this chapter)