I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Captain 3… No, 3 captains set

I expected.

There’s no way the German army in the world could be so helpless. Moreover, there was no Treaty of Versailles.

No matter how unexpected it was, even if it ate an unexpected advance and put some military power into the eastern front, it was strangely delayed.

“Currently, the main force of the German army has passed through Walloon and is in the process of breaking through the French defense line… … .”

From the beginning, it must have been a plan to use up their offensive capabilities early with mobile defense and eat the main force with a counterattack.

I couldn’t help but think that way when I looked at the data of the war that Churchill handed over.

“The tributary task force is passing through northern Belgium and entering the encirclement of the defensive lines.”

It was the completion of the siege eradication.

… Of course, it’s not a famous tactic or talent. It’s just a natural sequence. That’s why you shouldn’t go deep into other people’s territory.

Although the model’s mobile defense was so exquisite, there was a feeling that the French offensive was too much.

Churchill lit a cigar through an aide and looked at the window with a relaxed expression. It was a calming voice that I hadn’t heard in a while.

“Our allied forces gathered on the southern coast are also planning to launch an amphibious operation soon.”

It seems that the preparations for the landing operation are coming to an end just in time. Have you prepared everything for this moment?

“Things are going so well. It could be said that it was a great war, but to think that victory and defeat could be decided in just over a month… … .”

“Neither side wanted trench warfare. That turned out to be a boon. It will make things easier thanks to you.”

Did the assumption of a short-term war actually act as poison? In any case, it is safe to say that there is no way left in France.

The main force that went on the offensive is now on the verge of avoiding encirclement and annihilation. The Navy, which should block the landing, is sitting on the cold bottom of the Strait of Dover and the Bay of Biscay.

All that remains is the past.

That’s all I could think of, but if that was really the case, there wouldn’t have been a need to call me out. There will still be things left to take.

“The problem lies next.”

As expected, Churchill turned his face dark and spoke to me again.

“Suspicious movements have been detected in Paris. According to reliable sources, they may be seeking asylum in Algeria.”

It’s varied. Are you going to continue the war after reaching this point? I can’t even breathe because I’m dumbfounded.

Churchill only shook his head with a pounding head, probably thinking the same thing.

“Even if Paris is captured, things get complicated if the head of government continues to fight. Better catch them before it’s too late.”

Aha, now I understand. Why did they call me while talking about the ground war? In other words… … .

“To escape to Algeria, you will have to cross the Mediterranean Sea.”

maritime interception.

At the correct judgment, the minister nodded.

“However, there are currently no significant capital ships in Gibraltar. The entire Mediterranean Fleet has fled to Alexandria. They have a hard time blocking the Italian fleet.”

The importance of Gibraltar is great, but unfortunately the Royal Navy is too busy to turn its flagship to other strategic points.

Task Force H deployed for numerical superiority on the Canadian Front. Home Fleet stationed in defense of the English Channel. And even the Mediterranean Fleet, which is daunting to entrust to the Eastern Mediterranean.

It is the Mediterranean Fleet, whose power has been reduced to send the flagship to the task force. As far as I know, the remaining forces are R-class battleship Resolution, Queen Elizabeth-class Valiant, and Iron Duke-class Benbow and Marlboro.

Only two battleships with 15-inch guns. The other two are obsolete ships that have recently returned to active duty. In contrast, the combined French-Italian fleet’s battleship power reached 11 ships only in number.

Our navy also joined forces with the Austrian navy to prevent us from seizing control of the seas… It is no longer at the level of stopping the French and Italian navies at will.

“Fortunately, you have demonstrated the ability of the unit to upset the balance.”

Churchill looked at me as he set aside the teacup on top of the office. In the seasoned gaze, the black eyes shone with a light that could not be known whether it was trust or vigilance.

I tried to maintain a calm expression and opened my mouth.

“You mean Indipatigable?”

“It should include Furious and Repulse.”

Said the Secretary of the Navy in a sharp voice.

is it. Everything was ordered by this nobleman.

Repulse, trained in the previous war of trade destruction, the reversal Furious, which has been active since the fleet battle at the beginning of the war, and the new ship Indipatigable, which made a splendid debut.

I am the only one who has passed through all three capital ships stationed on the mainland. And with this combination… … .

“Two battlecruisers and one aircraft carrier. Don’t you think it would make a good task force?”

Smiling, perhaps for the first time to me, the old Admiralty clasped his hands.

* * *

Two days later, the conference room of the battlecruiser Repulse.

“… This is a special order given to our task force.”

Tak, looking around the conference room I hadn’t come in in a while, I put down the stack of papers.

Officers sat tightly in their seats. Most of them are lieutenant colonel or higher with basic field rank. Among them, those who sit in the senior seats open their mouths in turn.

“In other words, are you saying that we are going to form a formal mobile unit and send it to the Mediterranean?”

First, the captain of the aircraft carrier Furious, Bruce Fraser, spoke. One of the key players in the sinking of the aircraft carrier Bearn in the last naval battle in the English Channel.

“Yes.”

“But with this power, isn’t it a reasonable situation to go to the Caribbean?”

It is indeed an elite-like point that is expected. It suddenly went to war with France, but the current Royal Navy’s main enemy is the United States of America.

As if agreeing with his words, the old Repulse members react from all over the conference room. It must be that they want to revisit the seas we once dominated.

But I shook my head.

“There is no problem across Canada. It’s still home to 8 battleships and 4 battlecruisers. Two badges of the US Navy.”

It was already 10,000 won.

Neither Newfoundland nor the Caribbean will have the infrastructure left to add electricity.

Of course, the strength of the US Navy is not formidable. Two South Dakota-class ships and two Constalation-class ships, only four 16-inch gun ships.

But this side also has the Invincible class and Rodney. Because of this, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the US Navy is no longer at the level of attempting a fleet battle in the Atlantic. Until a new ship is added next year.

“For now, we need to maintain our superiority in numbers in order to completely trap them in the harbor. In other words, adding power is not good, but subtracting it is also uneasy.”

Therefore, the status quo is best. In the long term, we need to organize the Mediterranean so that we can focus more on Canada.

Following that opinion, another voice is heard.

“Then are we going to organize a task force and head for Gibraltar?”

Captain Tom Phillips of the new battleship Indipatigable. It is a hard voice, as if it symbolizes high knowledge.

Concerned that the atmosphere in the conference room would harden, I deliberately answered in a soft tone.

“That’s right. In a week, after the test voyage of Repulse, we’ll be ready to set sail right away. The time is urgent, so I hope everyone prepares without delay.”

It’s not a very relaxing time. Still, most of the faces are friends I’ve seen at least once, so I don’t think it’s hard to adapt.

“All right. But are we okay with just our task force?”

Except for the one who opened his mouth now.

Captain John Torbay of the famous battlecruiser Repulse. He is the ‘Flag captain’ of our task force. This is also the first meeting with me.

He spoke last after the two captains and looked at me with a worried face.

“The combined French-Italian navy in the Mediterranean has 12 dreadnought-class capital ships alone. Our Mediterranean Fleet and the Navy of the United States of Austria only have a total of 9 battleships. They are scattered in Trieste and Alexandria, respectively.”

correct analysis. Moreover, the Italian Navy fleet has maintained its full strength since the beginning of the war.

Although we don’t have a single aircraft carrier, our Mediterranean Fleet is no better. The old-fashioned 25-knot ‘Eagle’ is the only carrier.

Therefore, Torbay’s concerns are valid.

“When we sortie from Gibraltar, I wonder if the Mediterranean Fleet will be able to come to cheer in time.”

As the words got longer, he took a deep breath and then looked around the crowd and spoke. Most of them were sympathetic. I also readily agreed with him.

“Good point, Tobay.”

Except for one thing.

Shuk, raising my index finger, I continued.

“But we are a ‘mobile’ unit. All of the ships are high-speed over 30 knots. No fleet can catch up with us if we set our minds to roam the Mediterranean.”

“… It sure is.”

Tobey’s eyes widened as if he had grasped his intentions.

Officers groaning. However, a voice is heard as if there are still questions left.

“But aren’t the numbers still too small?”

“If the Italian fleet is to be captured by the Austrian Navy and our Mediterranean fleet, in practice we have only three French dreadnoughts to deal with.”

While leisurely refuting his words, they pointed to the map placed in front of each other. Routes from Toulon and Taranto respectively. It’s closer than between Gibraltar and Alexandria, but it’s still quite a distance to go to either side for support.

“Considering the performance of Indipatigable, it is rather more than sufficient.”

Tobay, who put his hand to his mouth as if thinking hard, shook his head with a face of understanding.

Churchill rolls one fine hair well. It was a clear understanding that to get on the route to Algeria on time, you would need a high-speed maneuver force. Still, it should be seen that he has the ability to serve as the wartime minister.

“So, do you have any more opinions?”

quiet left.

I smiled and looked back at them.

Anyway, the 3 people who presented their opinions above are the 3 main commanders of our fleet… No, it’s Captain 3.

Well, it’s not too wrong to say that they’re moon friends later on beyond the captain’s rank as a marshal.

In any case, talented people who will hold important positions in the future have come under me.

was it intended? At least it’s not a coincidence. Concentrating such promising talents in one place is not an easy decision. What is the fat minister up to?

… Well, it would be useless to think about it here.

“Then can we discuss the strength of our fleet and the tactics that follow, Officer?”

Leaving her thoughts behind, she turned to a familiar officer seated closest to her.

“A rough plan is currently being discussed by the General Staff.”

Skipping the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was appointed colonel, but the unfortunate John H. Crawford was assigned as the chief of staff instead of the captain.

It seems that he wanted to be the captain of a flagship ship in his heart, but his eyes are particularly fierce after taking on the role of chief of staff.

Actually, he was a friend who was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant colonel even before the war. Thanks to the merits of the successive naval battles, he was promoted to the first rank and became a colonel.

But how can you see it because of me? Then you must serve me. I have no intention of letting go of the talented people caught in my net.

“Right. Do the staff members have any opinions?”

He looked at the fleet staff lined up next to him and said.

Most of them are faces from the days of the Repulse Flyer. It is also because of the skill level, but also because it is difficult to find talented people who are in sync.

“Air chief, how are you?”

“As for air operations, we are seeing very satisfactory results right now. However, there are some problems with the maintenance elements of the new aircraft.”

“Since we were in a hurry to power up, there was bound to be a problem. If you submit the report, I will make a suggestion to the superiors.”

Looks like Hawker Osprey is in trouble again. In the Mediterranean, it’s also overspecified. There is no strong enemy naval air force.

You may need to use a reliable, albeit outdated, flycatcher. With that thought in mind, I looked around at the other staff.

“Communication exchange training is necessary for smooth communication between the fleet.”

“It is reported that the training of the crew of the new battlecruisers is still insufficient.”

“The data measurement for Repulse’s new guns… … .”

“Okay. We will go through the review in turn.”

after receiving comments.

He took a deep breath and focused his attention.

Countless officers with twinkling eyes filled with trust. These are all subordinates who follow me. Now, you will have a greater responsibility than you did in the days of the Repulse Flyer.

So mistakes are unacceptable. We will never repeat the situation in the Caribbean again.

“The Fleet Command has high expectations of us. Each one here is a top talent with the ability to live up to it.”

The laughter of a seasoned officer and the tension of a newbie who has just experienced combat seem to harmonize. Those diverse characters have to move as a team.

So can’t ask for much. And there is no need for that either.

“I will only ask you for one thing from now on.”

One is enough.

“Be the best.”

Four days later, the task force to be given the name ‘Z’ was launched.