I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Naval battle off Toulon (1)

At sea 50km south of Toulon Port, Task Force Z’s flagship ‘Repulse’.

The sound of propellers awakens the sky at dawn. The waking sea lapped calmly and glistened in the gentle sunlight.

It’s a wonderful morning for sailing.

“Admiral, the raid is complete.”

“Okay, let’s go right in.”

Looking out the window of Repulse’s sailing bridge, he nodded his head at the sharp shadows cast on the sea.

About 15 biplanes flying overhead. Fully loaded with 500-pound bombs, they would immediately attack the enemy ships in Toulon.

The majority are light bombers composed of Hawker Ospreys. Instead of torpedo strikes, dive bombing will be used to evade anti-aircraft fire and conduct air strikes. Of course, do not expect great effects.

“Admiral, what about the Furious?”

“Tell CAP or Dolly. There’s no escort, so don’t forget the reconnaissance plane.”

I slightly turned my eyes to see the stack smoke rising from the horizon at Repulse’s stern.

When I think of Furious following behind me alone, I get worried.

“Tell me to check the periscope first. If even one ship slips away, we’re doomed.”

Saying that as if letting out a sigh, he checked the fleet formations around him again.

The Furious and the two destroyers following from the rearmost 50 km, the leading Indipatible.

And even the flagship, Repulse, on which I am aboard. These five ships are all that make up our Z Task Force.

Too few numbers to attack one port.

But there was no other way. With my eyes closed, I quietly looked back at the emergency meeting a week ago.

* * *

A week ago, Naval Headquarters in London.

Admiral Fields, the 1st Navy Police, who received a visit after overtime work and just before work, shot a sensitive eye as if stabbed.

“What are you talking about at night, Admiral Lewis?”

“There is a way!”

I screamed as if I was running out of breath. The admiral, who blinked in surprise for a moment, waved his hand.

“Tell me in 10 seconds what method you are talking about. Easy to understand.”

“A way to attack the port of Toulon without being stopped by the Italian Navy in Naples.”

An admiral whose facial expression changes completely. His sharp, sparkling eyes are dyed with an interesting light. A softer voice is heard.

“Let’s talk.”

“The Italian fleet currently stationed in Naples has not gone directly to Toulon, has it?”

Admiral Field nodded.

“yes. They’re always planning to return to Taranto to deal with our Mediterranean Fleet.”

I knew it. It goes without saying that their front yard is more precious than the emperor of another country. Moving the four main battleships like this is a huge amount.

Therefore, he would not set foot on his land unless the emperor himself came out.

“When will the Emperor of France depart from Toulon with the Provisional Cabinet from Paris?”

“… at least a week. We are predicting that.”

The admiral, who frowned and thought, answered that.

I took a deep breath and started talking right away.

“Then the answer is simple.”

The admiral, who had been paying attention, pricked up his ears. He deliberately made eye contact and spoke slowly.

“In the end, isn’t the propaganda effect what we are aiming for?”

“yes.”

“Then why not destroy the fleet in front of him?”

If you think about it, it’s a simple thing.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy crouched in front of the harbour, blockading the French fleet before it came out.

It’s what the fleet hides in the ocean or locks up before joining other fleets.

Now that technology has developed, aircraft have not yet developed enough, so you can bring a giant cannon and make a mess.

All you have to do is remind the Emperor of the obvious with this old tactic. that they could not escape the clutches of the British Empire.

The admiral, who was terrified of the emperor’s arrogance, did not deny the goal of the operation.

“Good. So how are you going to get in?”

The problem is how.

I cleared my throat and asked again to confirm.

“There will be no means of monitoring our Port of Liverpool from France, right?”

“That’s right.”

After the Battle of the Atlantic at the beginning of the war, the British counterintelligence network added strict surveillance day by day.

Even American spies are hard to find traces of them now, let alone in France. Even if there is surveillance, it will take quite a while to send information back to the home country.

So there is no hindrance to execution.

“We, Task Force Z, will go directly to Toulon without a port of call for the next week.”

Gully declared in an imposing voice. The admiral, who blinked a few times, asked with a puzzled face.

“You mean right now?”

“If possible.”

The admiral blinked blankly. It is also a natural reaction. Enduring on board a ship for a week without rest is difficult even for an experienced soldier.

As expected, he asked back as if he didn’t understand.

“but… how? Is there a way to get there without going through Gibraltar?”

“Our fleet has already broken through the encirclement of the US Navy in one night maneuver.”

However, we are different.

After departing from Newfoundland, the Repulse flyer crossed the East Coast of the United States only via Bermuda.

In short, long-distance covert maneuvering has reached its peak.

Even when we met the US aircraft carrier off the coast of Halifax, we proudly passed in front of it. There’s no way you can’t pass in front of an allied port at night, is there?

Even so, the admiral, who was suspicious, supplemented with a little more explanation.

“If we avoid the busy shipping lanes and move south at high speed while maintaining extreme radio silence, we can reach the waters off Toulon in at least four days.”

After talking this far, Admiral Fields only kept his mouth shut, but did not point out further. He will not be unaware of our performance.

The admiral, who tilted his head as if lost in thought for a moment, eventually asked in a purely questionable voice.

“How are you going to hide in the Strait of Gibraltar?”

“For that, I will visit the admiral.”

In fact, from now on, it can be said that it is the essence of the discussion.

“I’m terribly sorry, but can I see the Secretary of the Navy?”

“… this time?”

Immediately after, I had to face the gaze of the 1st Navy Police, who was about to spit out flames from his mouth.

* * *

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Port of Toulon, France.

Seeing the harbor covered with the din of biplane wings and the roar of gunfire, Napoleon VI retreated. A shower of cannonballs pouring down like fire shattered everything in front of him.

“Admiral! Admiral Viole!”

The emperor hurriedly looked around, pointed to the chief of naval staff nearby and shouted.

“What is this? Why did the enemy battleship come here?”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

Wiping the cold sweat, the admiral swallowed his breath.

It’s definitely an unexpected situation. However, it is unreasonable to honestly reveal that he was embarrassed in front of the supreme leader in front of him.

That’s why he opened his mouth, acting as calmly as possible.

“There has been no report of a fleet sortie from Gibraltar anywhere. The Atlantic patrol did not catch anything.”

“Then what are they?”

“Probably the enemy’s small fleet. Don’t worry, the Port of Toulon’s power will suffice to crush it.”

bang-

With the sound of ripping air, a destroyer outside Toulon Harbor was hit by a shell. The hull weighing about 1,500 tons screamed in front of the emperor and broke into two pieces.

“It’s really reassuring, Admiral. I’ll be in the bunker, so please do your best.”

Napoleon VI nodded and turned away. The admiral just bit his lip and clenched his fists.

An artillery bombardment pounding the port.

A shell that missed the ship destroyed the port facilities and set fire to various places. The adjutant, who was hurriedly moving, reported to the admiral, who hurriedly stormed into the command center.

“Admiral, it’s an enemy raid!”

“I know! Report size and location!”

“Two large enemy ships approaching the port! Distance about 25,000!”

Admiral Viole without binoculars.

The two giant ships that appeared on the horizon certainly looked like battleships. He gritted his teeth and looked around.

“… I bet you said no capital ships came out of Gibraltar?”

“Yes, it must have been reported as such.”

“So you’re saying they’ve turned around the Cape of Good Hope?”

The adjutant flinched and shrank.

Admiral Viole, who looked at him with pitiful eyes, immediately frowned and fell into thought.

If they had come, they must have been via Gibraltar. If that were the case, it would have departed a week ago at the latest. But how did you break through the surveillance networks off the coast of Algeria?

As he thought over and over again, he suddenly remembered.

“Could it be disguised as a merchant ship… ?”

“Come to think of it, three large merchant ships passed through Gibraltar.”

The admiral turned his head and shouted with a face filled with anger.

“Why didn’t you report that?”

“From the perspective of the Navy Intelligence Department, it is judged that it is at a level that is meaningless… … .”

“You f*cking insectivores!”

Throwing away his binoculars, the admiral sighed with a boiling face.

It can’t be meaningless information, can it? It is the largest Royal Navy merchant fleet in the world. Even now, it would not be strange if several large warships were mixed in the yard constantly wandering around.

Especially at night when nothing can be seen.

“You must have passed by with the navigation lights on, right?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“Then you should have checked even more!”

“But Admiral, dozens of large ships pass Gibraltar every day. How do you check them individually?”

“I should have done something!”

Having said that, the admiral soon shut up with a miserable face, probably thinking he was too harsh.

old trick. However, it is still a valid tool. A time without radar. As a seasoned admiral, he knew how difficult it was to find a ship hidden in the ocean.

“It’s over. Fools. They ruined the Navy!”

The fact that there were still more nasty navies left here, the command personnel couldn’t help but be surprised.

However, the absurd expression soon disappeared under Provence’s volley. The smoke from the four front guns was blown away by the wind in a thick gray color.

Either way, the counterattack was starting. The admiral swallowed dry saliva and looked out the window.

“Sort out the fleet. respond.”

* * *

Task Force Z, Flagship Repulse.

In the 30th minute after the start of the battle, counterattacks began to fly one by one towards our battlecruisers approaching the port. A huge column of water broke through the calm surface of the water.

“Red bullets hit! 800m to port!”

“No problem so far! Keep moving forward!”

pop-

A 15-inch naval gun that shoots flashes like lightning.

Repulse, which put the harbor outside 24,000m at a leisurely range, opened fire several times and increased its speed.

Two giant ships advancing, foaming on the blue water. The wind, tinged with the smell of gunpowder, brushes the bridge windows. The port, hit by countless shells, was burning like a volcano. In the meantime, gunfire continued to flash in the distance.

“Admiral, there are more enemy shore guns than we thought.”

“Just hit the enemy fleet moderately. When the counterattack becomes strong, we withdraw.”

I raised my binoculars as I answered the worried words of the chief of staff.

As they hid in the ocean for five days without being noticed, the fatigue of the crew cannot be ignored. We need to get this done as soon as possible and return to Gibraltar.

Again, there is no need to subdue the entire port. All you have to do is make sure they can’t come out of the port.

Just like the US battleship Massachusetts that overpowered Jean Bart of Casablanca.

“Red bullets hit! 300m to port!”

“Your aim is precise.”

“Coastal guns are coastal guns.”

Tsk, he clicked his tongue and turned his head. A column of water rose nearby, but the Indipatigable was unconcerned and unleashed a column of fire from its massive 16-inch guns.

34 cm shells cannot penetrate its armor. So it should be fine… … .

“Aren’t you watching the Furious?”

“Yes, there is nothing unusual around.”

He nodded and wiped away the cold sweat.

Indipatigable should play an active role instead of Repulse, which has not yet finished adapting to new equipment.

Most of the ship’s crew are new recruits, but as much as they went through actual combat in the Bay of Biscay, I’ll still do it for one person.

Shuk, I approached Jeon Seong-gwan and asked Tobay on the battle bridge.

“Captain, how are you?”

“Very good. So far, we have confirmed two hits.”

I almost clicked my tongue at the report that I was satisfied with.

This is because the result was less than expected.

In the days of the repulse flyer, at this point, more than 5 hits were confirmed.

Is it because the gunnery field in this house has changed? It’s just a pity anyway.

“Good. Keep working hard.”

Away from Jeonseonggwan, I turned my eyes to the port. In the burning harbor, warships began to move busily.

Just in time, a raid across the sky of Repulse.

Some of the aircraft that had finished bombing stayed over the fleet and provided air cover. Soon, their air force will also move.

“I need to finish work quickly.”

“Yes, I think their battleships will come out soon… It’s been beaten enough, so I think it’s better to get out of it.”

The chief of staff agrees with a dark face. It seems quite uneasy. I also nodded and raised my binoculars.

An Indipatigable that proudly advances by hurting the water column. It is silently pouring out fire without paying attention to the pouring fire.

but… … .

“Admiral, dispatch from Indipatigable!”

“what’s the matter?”

“Something went wrong in the wheelhouse! Steering impossible!”

The only problem was that I realized a little late that it was a piece of equipment.

Soon after, a roar rang out from the Indipatigable.