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

Chapter 992 The Wooden Captain
On a clear day in Emden, the sun shone warmly through the sparse clouds, illuminating several rusty minelayers in the harbor.

As usual, Major Bernhard quickly finished his breakfast and then took the mine-laying vessel out to sea to lay mines.

Emden was originally one of Germany's busiest ports, with merchant ships trading with countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, and France. These ships unloaded goods and then transported them by rail and road to various parts of Germany.

However, after the war began, the port was blockaded by the British, and it declined at a precipitous speed. Merchant ships disappeared, and the merchants who had gathered around the port moved away one after another, leaving only a dilapidated and desolate town. It was rare to see a few people on the streets, and the sea, which used to be full of giant ships, was now only filled with a few fishing boats.

Amid the roar of another minelayer's engine, Hermann, Bernhard's subordinate, shouted, "Major, in which section are we 'laying eggs' today?"

"Laying eggs" is a nickname given by the crew.

Emden Port's 29th Bleeding Squadron had only five dilapidated ships that had reached the end of their service life, which the crew called "turtles" because of their slow speed.

Their mine-laying missions are naturally likened to "laying eggs."

But sea turtles don't lay their eggs in the sea, Major Bernhard thought; they crawl onto the beach to lay their eggs, so the analogy is not apt at all.

But Bernhard certainly wouldn't argue with his subordinates about this. He pulled out his Bretteau from his pocket, looked at it, and loudly replied, "Go to E district, Hermann, that's probably the main direction of the British attack."

Hermann laughed: "The enemy has already invaded Germany, Major!"

Bernhard understood what Hermann meant.

The British captured Frankfurt, and the French even occupied the Ruhr industrial region. They only needed to advance one more step to reach Emden, without needing to launch a naval attack.

Therefore, the mine-laying mission is no longer meaningful.

but……

“This is our mission,” Major Bernhard replied. “Unless the orders from above are changed, we must complete it.”

“Very well, Major.” Herman saluted him, his voice tinged with resignation. “As you wish!”

Major Bernhard was a stubborn man; in the eyes of his subordinates, he was an inflexible block of wood.

Suddenly, several shadows appeared on the other side of the sea.

"What's that?" Major Bernhard shouted, turning to look at the lookout post on the top of the ship, but there was no one there.

They all believed that the war was about to end and that there was no point in continuing to work, so they gave up and waited for that moment to come.

The first mate ran out of the wheelhouse upon hearing the noise. He raised his binoculars and looked around, saying, "I'm not sure, Major, maybe it's a few fishing boats. They probably don't know we've stumbled into the minefield!"

Such incidents happen frequently, and there have even been cases of people stepping on landmines.

Major Bernhard raised his binoculars and looked, then denied the claim: "No, that's not a fishing boat. Fishing boats don't go that fast."

He looked at it more closely, then turned and shouted, "Prepare for battle! That's a British minesweeper!"

The crew members, who were originally lying down in the cabin, were called to their respective posts at the sound of orders.

As they drew closer to their target, the first mate finally saw it clearly. His voice was slightly tense: "You're right, Major, it is indeed a minesweeper. The British intend to attack from this direction."

He then added, "I think we should retreat immediately and report to our superiors!" Major Bernhard only agreed with the latter part of his suggestion: "Report to our superiors!"

The first mate was not surprised at all by the major's reaction; that was just the kind of person he was, always needing orders from his superiors.

The first mate ran like the wind to the communications room, believing that his superiors would also agree to the retreat, at which point the major would have nothing to say.

But the result disappointed the first mate.

The higher-ups didn't believe what they saw and gave the order: "Continue to monitor; we will send out aircraft for reconnaissance."

The first mate was a little nervous. After relaying the order, he added, "Retreat, Major. There's nothing we can do!"

“Don’t worry, Thomas.” Major Bernhard was unusually calm as he looked at the target through his binoculars on the undulating deck and answered confidently, “That’s a British Racecourse-class minesweeper. They’re converted from civilian ships and have only one 12-pounder gun with a range of about 5 nautical miles.”

(The image above shows a model of a British racetrack-class minesweeper from World War I, converted from a civilian Ascot steamer. Initially, the British used fishing boats for minesweeping, but these had deep drafts and many had sharp bottoms that made them vulnerable to mines. They then discovered that these flat-bottomed steamers, used for transporting tourists, were superior to fishing boats in both speed and draft, and thus requisitioned them in large numbers.)
“But that’s enough to crush us,” the first mate replied. “Besides, it’s a minesweeper, which means the British have other ships nearby, possibly even battleships.”

The first mate was practically pleading; if they encountered a battleship, they would have no chance of survival.

"Besides, what can we do?" the first mate continued to persuade. "Should we lay more mines for them to clear? Or fight them?"

The small boats of the 29th Mine Sweeping Squadron were equipped with 20mm cannons with a range of only 1500 meters, which were no match for enemy minesweepers!
Major Bernhard did not answer. He took off his binoculars and gazed thoughtfully in the direction of the minesweeper, muttering to himself, "We can't let them continue like this, otherwise, they'll clear a path through this minefield tomorrow."

"But what can we do?" the first mate asked.

He looked to both sides and saw other ships waving their flags in his direction to inquire about the situation.

They weren't actually asking about the situation, but rather why they hadn't retreated yet.

The first mate shrugged at them, and they immediately understood—it was all because of that blockhead major!

Major Bernhard ignored them. He stood on the ship's railing, checked the direction of the ocean currents, then compared them to the target's direction, and coldly ordered, "Approach them!"

"What?" The first mate's eyes widened. "Are you crazy, Major..."

"Execute the order!" Bernhard said firmly, his face expressionless. "If you don't want to be court-martialed."

The first mate was speechless for a moment before replying, "Yes, Major!"

They were getting closer and closer, already within 10 kilometers of the target. The enemy even fired a few shots in this direction, seemingly as a warning.

At this point, Major Bernhard gave the order: "Attach the No. 3 counterweight to the mines and throw them all into the sea."

Only then did the first mate understand what Major Bernhard was about to do.

The No. 3 counterweight was calculated by Major Bernhard, and it was just enough to keep the mine with only its top exposed, so that it was in a semi-suspended state most of the time.

This way, enemy ships would be unable to detect them, but many unpredictable dangers would arise in the water.

(End of this chapter)