I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Operation Catapult (1)

North Atlantic Celtic Sea, 100 nautical miles west of Brest, Royal Navy aircraft carrier ‘Furious’.

After the dawn bombardment, air units land on the deck one by one. All of the planes that flashed their biplane wings under the morning sun had clear bullet marks all over the fuselage.

It seems that the French guys did not stand still like Taranto.

“What about the damage to allies?”

“Two torpedo bombers shot down, eight damaged.”

“It’s bigger than you think.”

Compared to the scale, it suffered a lot. The damaged aircraft also appears to have been partially destroyed. Reuse would be difficult. In fact, it should be considered that 6 units were lost.

But the results were great.

“I hit 3 enemy battleships with torpedoes. At least two shots hit, so the operation will be difficult for at least a week.”

Lieutenant Colonel Martin, who had been promoted to Air Captain, said confidently.

It’s something to be proud of because we achieved this in our first sortie since taking office.

* * *

Four days ago, I could not hide my astonishment when I received the plan from the naval headquarters in London.

“Where did this operation come from… ?”

“It’s a plan that has been refined ever since the outbreak of the war against the United States.”

Admiral Fields of the 1st Navy Lightly waved his coffee cup and sat down. On the other side, Admiral Kelly, commander of the mainland fleet, continued.

“The cabinet has already been seriously preparing for a war with France. As a result, we have come to the conclusion that their naval power must be neutralized to prevent the expansion of the war against the United States to the French front.”

“The main force will be our mainland fleet and the Strait Fleet.”

Admiral Field raised the corner of his mouth and continued his speech. Seeing how well they were breathing, it seemed that they all expected to ask questions.

I asked, resisting the urge to sigh.

“So what are your orders for me?”

“Cooperate with Vice Admiral Collins of the Strait Fleet to defeat the French Navy.”

Admiral Fields said so with calm eyes. Even though it was by no means light, he handed over the papers as if nothing had happened.

“It’s a plan for him.”

When I read the document, it becomes even more absurd. It’s not because it’s a foolish operation.

“… Can I do this?”

It’s too bad. An air raid early in the morning after the declaration of war. Operation Catapult itself.

To my question, Admiral Fields calmly shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“No gentlemanly thing, but this is war. I can’t help it.”

Well, originally England is famous for not caring about things like this, but isn’t there such a thing as honor? Also my heart hurts

“What’s the fleet power like?”

“Didn’t you tell the agent roughly?”

“We need more accurate information.”

Once ordered, you must move. Especially if you are fighting over a poem like now.

My question was answered by Admiral Kelly, commander of the mainland fleet.

“Destroyers can commit 40 ships from five flotillas.”

Fortunately, because it is near the mainland, there are many auxiliary ships. It is unlikely that Japan will suffer from a lack of destroyers like the destruction of trade on the East Coast.

“There are only two aircraft carriers, the Furious and the Argus. Among them, Argus will be in charge of direct air cover for our battleship squadron… .”

“Are the battleships unchanged?”

“Stay as it is. King George V, Centurion, Ajax, Conqueror, Thunderer.”

It was Admiral Kelly, whose complexion was dark, as if he could not shake off his anxiety as much as the flagship.

understanding goes. They’re all outdated battleships. If there is at least one Queen Elizabeth-class or R-class ship, there’s nothing to be afraid of… .

“Can’t we get support from the Mediterranean Fleet?”

“It’s not just France that went to war.”

Admiral Fields, who put down his glass, shook his head resolutely. He spoke in a tired voice.

“Italy is also moving troops. They’ll probably target the United States of Austria, but the fleet isn’t standing still. Also, the French fleet in Toulon is maneuvering. The Mediterranean Fleet has no time to lend a hand.”

There is war everywhere. It is a dangerous situation that will collapse if twisted. What were you thinking, going to war at this point? No, at this point, is it more spurred?

If Germany’s support is already essential, it would be ideal to knock out France, which is not helpful to the US front. If you look at the effect, that is.

Still, losing a comrade in a great war like this is a bit… It’s like hate… .

To me confused between reason and emotion, Admiral Field continued.

“You must lead the Furious.”

Once I know the plot. Stop the French fleet somehow. but the power sucks. Repulse is under repair… The only capital ship that can be mobilized under my command is the Furious.

Suddenly, a thought ran through my head.

“then… .”

There was one thing I wanted to add just in case.

“Just one thing, would you like to comment?”

Admiral Fields and Admiral Kelly looked at me at the same time. Didn’t he know that the new director would ask to revise the plan? Maybe it will be blocked in their line.

But they quietly nodded.

“Good.”

I expressed my opinion in front of Admiral Fields who raised the corner of his mouth as if he was interested.

* * *

120 nautical miles west of Brest Port. The bridge of the flagship Furious of the 2nd squadron of the mainland fleet.

After that, the opinion passed, but it was planned as a B plan just in case. Well, the Cabinet would be happy that it was never implemented.

However, the battlefield is not so easy to solve. You should have a corner ready to escape at any time. That’s what I learned in the Caribbean.

Anyway, according to the report, half of the capital ships of the French fleet have departed. But there are still issues to be considered.

“Is it possible to specify the ship class?”

“I just sent a reconnaissance plane. A report will come from the submarine soon.”

Damage assessment is important. No matter how confident you are with a few shots, there is a limit to seeing with human eyes on a battlefield where gunfire is pouring in.

Of course, even if I counted that, I would have hit at least 1 or 2 ships, but which one was hit is important.

“Chief of staff, show me the ship list.”

Lieutenant Colonel John H. Crawford, the “former” operative who became chief of staff, handed over the papers with a smug face.

Even after being promoted, it seems that it is not very good to work with me. But what? The only familiar friend is this guy.

“Let’s relax.”

“I will correct it.”

Tsk, he clicked his tongue and turned over the paperwork.

Currently, the flagship of the French Navy’s battleships is the Lyon class. A super dreadnought class equipped with four 34 cm caliber quadruple guns. A total of four ships were built and all are deployed at Brest. If even one of these ships is out of line, it is a great advantage.

There are also two other Breton class ships, but this one is in the lower order. It is a performance that can be dealt with even with old battleships of the mainland fleet.

All of the Courbet-class are deployed to Toulon. In the first place, it’s older than the Orion class, so it’s not a power to worry about.

Bairn is a new aircraft carrier commissioned in 27, but it is not a big threat because it has a speed of 21 knots. However, since it is an aircraft carrier, sufficient care must be taken.

The above four ship classes are the current list of capital ships of the French Navy. The most threatening is, of course, the Lyon class. Bearn is slow, and Bretagne and Courbet can be dealt with with a battleship directly under the Home Fleet.

The best case is that all three ships are hit by the Lyon class and all three will break out of the line, but this would be too happy circuit. Glad to catch even one.

“Report from the reconnaissance aircraft?”

“Nothing yet. It doesn’t even look like it left the port yet… .”

“The reaction is too slow.”

suspicious Since they raided the port at dawn, it wouldn’t be strange if they gathered up the surviving forces and went after them.

… Or have you already left the port?

“Shear, turn to needle. With defense 270!”

“Yes, Admiral!”

The body moved with a flinch at the voice of the communications chief.

Admiral. still not used to it It’s only been a few months since I was serving as captain… .

Whether I did it or not, the order went through in an instant and the entire flyer was moved.

8 destroyers providing direct cover for the Furious and its surroundings. Twelve outer destroyers spread out in a circular formation at intervals of 15 km. It is a method for imitating radar pickets by visual surveillance.

Instead, the number of destroyers available has increased exponentially, but fortunately, the Royal Navy tends to operate a lot of destroyers even in peacetime. Even if you request more than an integer number of destroyers, you can somehow supply them. Moreover, it is also a situation where the mainland is threatened.

“Is the enemy fleet coming out?”

“I wish I had given up and didn’t come out… .”

To the chief of staff’s curious question, I answered like that. But I couldn’t be sure.

“Maybe it’s already out in the Atlantic Ocean.”

Because unless you’re an idiot, there’s no way you’ll be beaten and stay still. As long as the goal is the goal, there is no way to run away from here. and…

“At least an aircraft carrier.”

One guy was missing from the report.

“Entry into battle at the destroyer Vampire!”

Bak—the voice of the communications chief resounding. When I turn my head, the report follows.

“Bearing 300, distance 55,000 from the original ship! The 12th unidentified squadron continues to approach this flyer!”

“An anti-aircraft battle begins!”

come. Is it a ground-launch aircraft? No, there are too few of them. It was probably a raid group sortied from the aircraft carrier Bearn.

If the distance is 50 km, it will reach the fleet in 20 minutes. However, this side already has 4 planes on alert, and 4 more planes are taking off. enough to block.

“Interceptor! I saw the signal. We are currently en route to that airspace!”

A friendly fighter squadron waiting in the sky above the Furious saw the flare and turned and flew away.

The sharp sound of engines echoes all the way to the bridge. The graceful fuselage shining in silver looks especially striking.

It is a new fighter deployed as part of the 801st Naval Aviation Squadron, ‘Hawker Osprey’.

“It is also the latest. It seems to be several times faster than Fly Catcher.”

“Air Force guys, this good thing was meant to be used only by you guys.”

To the chief of staff’s words, he stuck out his tongue and answered. To say it’s several times faster is a bit of an exaggeration, but the performance improvement is definitely noticeable.

The Osprey is a rapid upgrade of the Air Force’s latest aircraft, the Hawker Heart, to a shipboard type. Originally, in history, he would appear only two years later, but he appeared earlier than expected, perhaps because his foot was on fire.

Because of this, it seems to be experiencing difficulties in maintenance, but now it can not be helped. A new plane to be put into the front right now is in a hurry.

Instead, one performance is reliable. Top speed is 298km/h at an altitude of 4,000m. The cruising range also reaches 690 km. Best of all, it can be used as a light bomber because it can pack up to 520 pounds under the wings.

For the Furious, which has a small number of aircraft, the more versatile aircraft, the better. If the maintenance problem is solved, I want to fill the electricity with this guy.

“Interceptor squadron, entering engagement.”

I grabbed my binoculars and watched the air battle in the distance. I couldn’t see it well because it was so far away, but I saw a few sparks flashing and something burning and falling.

“Enemy squadron is intercepting! 4 shot down so far!”

“How much damage to allies?”

“I am not watching.”

He nodded his head in satisfaction. It’s more than expected. Even excluding the merit that this side waited first and intercepted, the new machine was paying the price.

“Enemy aircraft, 4 aircraft, approaching continuously with this ship!”

Even so, perhaps because it was the first sortie, the squadron that had broken through the interception net was approaching the Furious. However, the defense line has not yet been breached.

“Flycatcher, we are going to intercept.”

The squadron that just finished disembarking goes out to meet them. Although it is now an outdated Flycatcher, it can easily catch slow bombers.

Boom- In an instant, the two ki became a ball of fire and crashed.

“You two are close!”

“Entire fleet, start anti-aircraft battle!”

Unfortunately, it didn’t go all the way to extinction.

Is it a communication problem? Well, since we don’t even have radar yet, we shouldn’t expect too much.

The destroyer fleet spread out in a circular formation near the Furious concentrates anti-aircraft fire. However, some destroyers are already attempting to engage in evasive maneuvers.

“Tell me to stay in shape! Before we even descend!”

It is better to concentrate fire on two planes and shoot them down altogether. The sky is stained with smoke. I thought the graphite overlapped, but the biplane wing broke and fell over.

“Enemy raid, annihilate!”

The bridge was filled with cheers. The attacking enemies were all destroyed.

There has never been a more glorious moment for air traffic controllers.

But I couldn’t be relieved.

“Send a reconnaissance plane to find the enemy fleet first. There must be an aircraft carrier nearby. Captain of the Air! Form a scouting party and report!”

“Yes, Admiral!”

I looked down at the deck from the window while the flight commander went down.

Deck crews are busy welcoming the incoming interceptors. There are clear bullet marks on the silver body that landed on the deck. Everyone has worked hard, but there is still a feeling that it is lacking.

Despite being in an interception posture in advance, the two planes broke through the defense line.

Even under ideal circumstances, it did not deliver perfect performance. Air traffic control is still unstable.

“From now on, reduce the number of combat patrol aircraft to four.”

“yes?”

The air chief blinks.

“Then what about intercepting the bandit?”

“We focus on attacking rather than intercepting. Organize a raid.”

Offense is the best defense. At least in aircraft carrier battles, this word is absolute. No matter how perfect a defense system is, it can always show loopholes in the chaos of the battlefield.

“Capture the enemy aircraft carrier. This is my top priority.”

He clenched his fists and gave orders.

The naval battle has only just begun.