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

Chapter 1026 Blockade of the Strait of Ramesses
If Charles were to actually use the German fleet to wear down the British fleet, Etzberger certainly wouldn't dare to object; more precisely, the German provisional government wouldn't dare to object.

What will happen and what will be the consequences of opposition?
Germany would not only have to pay huge reparations, but its naval warships would also be lost, and might even be "captured" by Britain as war booty.

Therefore, choosing to wear down the British Royal Fleet now while ensuring a dignified surrender for Germany without incurring reparations is certainly a worthwhile deal.

Therefore, in the blink of an eye, Etzberger made his decision: "Rest assured, General, the High Seas Fleet will fight to the last moment. We will do everything we can to wear down and hold off the British fleet!"

“Consumption?” Charles was taken aback when he heard the word, and then he realized that Etzberger had misunderstood.

“No, Mr. Etzberger,” Charles said. “You must think this is a desperate battle, and that the entire German High Seas Fleet will eventually sink to the bottom of the sea.”

Etzberger asked doubtfully, "Isn't that right?"

The British Royal Fleet was far more powerful than the German High Seas Fleet, even though it suffered heavy losses in the Mediterranean, most of which were old pre-dreadnought ships.

Its true strength lay in its dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts; those former dreadnoughts that were to be phased out were not even counted as "battleships" by the British.

In this situation, to have the High Seas Fleet and the French Brest Fleet cooperate to fight against the main force of the British Royal Fleet would be tantamount to suicide.

The reason why the provisional government dared to recall Admiral Scheer and organize the fleet to participate in the war was not to "defeat the British Royal Fleet," but to "hold back the British Royal Fleet" so that it could not reinforce the Mediterranean, thereby increasing France's chances of winning.

But Charles was very confident.

“Of course not,” Charles said. “This was a battle that utterly defeated the Royal Navy.”

Etzberger's eyes widened:

"This, this is impossible, Lieutenant General."

"I mean, your main force has been blockaded in the Mediterranean."

"And the Atlantic and the North Sea, right on Britain's doorstep, have always been waters under their absolute control..."

Charles interrupted Etzberger:
“I know, Mr. Etzberger.”

"It's not hard to imagine that Britain will then divide the fleet into three parts."

"Part of it was used to blockade the strait west of Gibraltar, part was used to attack the Brest Fleet, and the last part was used to continue the standoff with the German High Seas Fleet in the North Sea."

Etzberger nodded with difficulty: "Yes, yes, Lieutenant General."

He maintained that it was a pointless battle, as the British Royal Navy completely outnumbered the German High Seas Fleet in both quantity and quality.

In a direct confrontation, the German High Seas Fleet had no chance of winning, even with Char's superior strategy and advanced equipment.

Therefore, the battle plan that Charles is now talking about is more like a "placebo" to lure the German fleet into the game.

Charles ignored Etzberger's negative reaction and continued his analysis on his own:
"We will try our best to draw the strength of the British Royal Fleet to the Strait of Gibraltar and the port of Brest."

"Then, we will blockade the Strait of Ramence."

"This will mean you will face far fewer British fleets, meaning you may be facing an enemy of equal strength..."

Etzberger was stunned for a moment before he stared blankly at Charles and asked hesitantly, "What?"

Charles said, "You are facing few enemies, and it is possible for you to defeat them."

“No, no, Lieutenant General.” Etzberger shook his head: “You said earlier that you would blockade the Lamanche Strait?”

“Yes.” Charles nodded, his expression completely unchanged.

"I... I didn't hear that right, did I?" Etzberger asked, half-believing.

“I think you may be mistaken, Vice Admiral.” “The La Manche Strait has always been under the control of the Royal Navy.”

"Only Britain can block it; no other country can do it, not even... not even if you add the Netherlands and Belgium."

He thought Charles wanted to bring together the countries around the Strait of Ramesses to work together, such as laying mines.

Charles laughed: "No, Etzberger, we can do it, without Belgium and the Netherlands."

“But how can we do that?” Etzberger shrugged. It was impossible.

Charles took another map from the drawer and spread it out in front of Etzberger.

On this map, four cities are marked with red dots along the La Manche Strait. Charles points to these four cities and says:

“We made plans a long time ago, Mr. Etzberger.”

“From Brest at the far west to Caen, then to Dunkirk, and finally to Antwerp, we built a total of four airports.”

“These four airports can easily control most of the La Manche Strait, and if you take in the flight range, they can even control the entire strait.”

Etzberger immediately understood: "Airplanes, you mean airplanes, airplanes that can bomb warships?"

Ciel nodded.

Etzberger exclaimed, “Unbelievable, Lieutenant General! Those planes can not only operate at sea alongside aircraft carriers, but they can also take off from land, right?”

Before Charles could answer, he muttered to himself:

"Yes, of course they can."

“Taking off from an aircraft carrier is obviously more difficult because its runway is smaller and the space is narrower. These problems do not exist when taking off from an airport.”

"I'm such an idiot, I didn't even think of that!"

Etzberger wasn't a fool; most people wouldn't consider this without having worked with an aircraft carrier.

For example, Britain didn't think of that.

They only thought that if they could blockade the aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean, everything would be fine, and they wouldn't have to face the bombers and torpedo bombers that were able to attack them without any chance of fighting back.

Lacking an understanding of air combat, they failed to realize that aircraft carriers cannot be blocked.

As long as there is enough land to build an airport, aircraft from the aircraft carrier can use it for relocation.

Therefore, air superiority is the key to victory.

Etzberger looked at the map again, and was so excited that he couldn't stop gesturing.

“That’s fantastic, Lieutenant General, that’s fantastic.”

"By drawing the main British fleet to the Atlantic and then blockading the straits, their return journey to reinforce would be several times longer."

"By the time they arrive, our battle may already be over, and we may have already won!"

"God, this is our only plan that could possibly defeat the British Royal Fleet, a perfect plan!"

(The image above shows the route taken by the British Royal Fleet to return to reinforce after the English Channel was blocked. This route was much longer than the original route and would have made it impossible to attack the German High Seas Fleet from the rear.)

(End of this chapter)