I Became a Captain of the British Empire - Chapter 144



clean up

June 7, 1931. 6 o’clock in the morning.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Port of St John’s, Newfoundland. Grand Fleet flagship ‘Rodney’.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Passing through the quiet hallway, I hurried my steps to the meeting room. The interior of the flagship of the Grand Fleet still had dark scars, as if recalling a fierce battle.

HMS Rodney.

The sister ship of former Atlantic Fleet flagship ‘Nelson’ and the only British battleship with 16-inch guns.

Of course, there are four larger and stronger Invincible class ships, but they are strictly treated as ‘battlecruisers’. Yes, no matter what the actual power is.

Anyway, this ‘Rodney’ still holds the position of the biggest and strongest ‘Battleship’ in the UK.

“Lieutenant General Samuel Lewis, I’m going in.”

I knocked on the familiar lacquered conference room door and entered.

Several admirals sat across from each other at a long table.

Since only a few key people are gathered, it is quite shabby compared to the seats. However, those sitting in the seats are all important positions that should not be missing from the fleet.

“sorry. Am I a little late?”

“no. I was just about to start.”

Admiral Pound, who was sitting in the high chair, said with a benevolent expression. The rest of the admirals each raised their mouths and looked this way.

“Sit down, Admiral. Let’s start slowly now.”

Admiral Pound kindly nodded and pointed to my seat.

For some reason, it suddenly reminds me of this time last year. I have visited once on a ship of the same design.

Battleship Nelson’s conference room.

After being possessed, my foolish appearance and the hostile gazes of the officers vividly flash in front of my eyes.

But now it’s completely different.

“thank you.”

I quickly took a seat in an empty seat among the admirals. Also, my seat was empty.

I must have been the last to arrive.

But none of the admirals blamed me.

Well, being on time for sure will play a part… .

“Everyone had a lot of trouble fighting this battle. In particular, Admiral Lewis, who led the detached force and dealt with the enemy maneuver force, was greatly credited.”

It’s completely different from a year ago.

All eyes are focused on Admiral Pound’s greeting. I turned my head and looked at the faces of those who were looking at me.

From Admiral Tompkinson of the Battlecruiser Squadron to Admiral William Fisher of the 1st Battleship Squadron and Admiral Andrew Cunningham of the 2nd Battleship Squadron. All top-class talents of the Royal Navy.

Each of them is an admiral line that suits the best position throughout the war period and the war period. An embarrassing place to be over-divided.

Even so, I face them confidently.

For some reason, one side of my chest gets stabbed.

“William, your fleet has had a lot of trouble too.”

“Because the battle becomes difficult if the fast battleship unit does not work hard. I think it’s normal.”

Admiral Pound and Admiral Fisher talking comfortably.

The two are said to have been friends for a long time. In particular, Admiral Fischer is a veteran who participated in the Battle of Jutland as the captain of the battleship ‘Saint Vincent’, and was evaluated as the best naval admiral of the interwar period.

True to that reputation, Admiral Fisher’s 1st Battleship Squadron assisted the Invincible-class and successfully disrupted the enemy’s 16-inch battleship line.

It was thanks to the cooperation of the Bayern-class and Mackensen-class of the Great Sea Fleet, but anyway, it was an achievement against the world’s strongest battleship. There will be no doubt about his ability.

“But the damage is so great. It’s unfortunate.”

“Didn’t Admiral Cunningham’s slow battleships suffer? We can push with a numerical superiority, but it was practically an equal fight over there.”

Seeing the admiral politely step back and give credit, Cunningham smiled quietly and shook his head.

“Actually, it wasn’t a very difficult battle. Skills were definitely superior to this side.”

“That is normal! By defeating that powerful US Navy, we have proven that the Royal Navy is the strongest navy in the five oceans!”

Admiral Tompkinson, smiling broadly.

He looked unsuitable for the courtesy and formality of the Royal Navy, but no one stopped him.Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Perhaps it was because he had just finished a large-scale battle, but the atmosphere was quite light. Well, it’s worth it. The glory days are just around the corner.

Unlike Jutland, this battle ended with a perfect Royal Navy victory. The US Navy, once challenging to become the world’s most powerful, has now shrunk to less than half its size.

France had lost most of its fleet, and Italy was forced to relinquish Mediterranean hegemony for the time being. Germany and Austria maintain strong fleet forces, but they are not comparable to first-class forces.

Rule Britannia.

(Rule Britannia.)

The Royal Navy has once again risen to the position of the strongest in name and reality.

“Friends, you have worked really hard for a year.”

“If anyone sees it, they will think that the real war is over.”

“Isn’t it actually almost over?”

It would be strange if the people who ushered in that glorious era were not full of excitement.

“Excuse me, Admiral?”

“What is it, Admiral Lewis?”

“May I submit a report?”

However, I opened my mouth in a manner familiar to me.

“The 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron suffered heavy damage. Repulse was heavily damaged in engagements with enemy battlecruisers, while Hood and Renaun suffered heavy losses in subsequent air raids and night battles. Hood can operate somehow, but maneuvering operations are impossible due to damage to the engine department.”

The atmosphere freezes at the cold voice. Admirals turning their heads.

Between them, Admiral Pound answered first.

“A squadron of battlecruisers that cannot maneuver at high speed is meaningless. We need to send maintenance to the dock in the home country quickly.”

“You know that, Admiral. But right now, the route is also saturated.”

Said Admiral Tompkinson, who quickly returned to his serious attitude.

As he said, there are only a lot of damaged ships in need of repair.

Considering the power to escort them while crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the number of docks in their home country, the return of the fleet is not so easy.

“It is unreasonable to cross the Atlantic Ocean on your own with a damaged battleship. That doesn’t mean there aren’t docks that can accommodate battleships in this tiny Newfoundland. Even now, St. John’s Harbor far exceeds the number of ships it can accommodate.”

In addition to the troubled voice, Admiral Fisher also opened his mouth.

As he said, the problem was that the situation at the port was not as smooth as it was.

Even now, Hood, Rinaun, and Repulse outside the window are closely anchored at intervals worried that they might bump into each other.

If there were submarines infiltrating harbors like Scaper Flow’s U-47, they would probably devour countless capital ships with a few torpedoes. Of course, it would be almost impossible to infiltrate this narrow harbor.

“We need to send ships to our home country, Bermuda, and the Caribbean as soon as possible so that smooth anchoring and supply is possible. This is our first task.”

Raising his clasped hands, Admiral Pound focused his opinion like that. Everyone in the conference room nodded in agreement.

Already from the days when Task Force H defended Newfoundland, Royal Navy capital ships were distributed to various ports to solve supply and anchorage problems.

In a way, it won’t be any different. Except for the ones that are too big.

But before we get started, there is one problem to solve.

“More than that, Admiral, isn’t there something that needs to be prioritized?”

For an instant, his gaze focused.

The admirals looked at me with suspicious eyes.

Looking back at the faces facing me, I opened my mouth.

“Total destruction of the enemy carrier task force.”

My war is not over yet.

* * *

same time.

USA, Fort Drum.

War Department General Command Office.

Marshal Pershing, sitting at the table in the Oval Office, quietly watched the papers in front of him. The truth pointed out by the countless array of words and numbers was one brutally simple one.

“We lost the war.”

The old man, who was intently looking at the pile of papers, uttered the first word like a sigh. In a chilly atmosphere, Colonel George C. Marshall, the chief of staff of the US Army, quietly went through the paperwork.

“Can you tell me what to do now, Marshall?”

“You need to fix the supply route and approve the redeployment of the corps.”

“Yes, it is. But now I don’t know what’s the point.”

After taking a deep breath, Pershing shook his head helplessly. Even he, who prides himself on being the most experienced member of the US Army, had nothing to say about this disaster.

The first wave of the landing force was completely annihilated.

The simultaneous deployment of a large fleet somehow succeeded in securing the landing bridgehead, but the strait was completely blocked by the Royal Navy fleet that immediately invaded.

Of course, all transport fleets are withdrawn.

The bridgehead that was secured by washing blood with blood is now useless. Even the units that barely set foot in Newfoundland surrendered.

The Air Corps is working hard to obtain air supremacy, but as long as the command has already passed, landing is over.

“At least, you should have annihilated the enemy! Stupid Navy bastards… .”

bang-

Slamming the poor desk down, Pershing clenched his fists bitterly.

Of course, there are still countless numbers of troops in the US Army Group.

However, it could not be overlooked that divisions also occurred among them.

“You can’t leave out the Detroit natives… Letting it go will only add to the confusion.”

“General. More than that, production of supplies is being delayed. If the strike in the northern industrial zone continues, it may reach the point where we cannot wage war.”

“It’s already over. Unless Canada is eaten, this war is meaningless.”

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Pershing, clutching his pounding head, muttered further.

“It’s just a spectacular self-destruction that blew up the Far East and the Navy.”

Feeling tired at first glance, he leaned back as if collapsing into a chair and closed his eyes. Since hearing of the disaster in Detroit, the old marshal hadn’t had a good night’s sleep.

My teeth are still grinding when I think of the damned junior who can be said to be the culprit behind all of this. But what can I do? It was he who gave him power.

“I’m thinking about it now, but I think I made a pretty bad bet.”

just then,

“Isn’t there still a way?”

The low Marshall’s voice reached Pershing’s ears.

“… What are you talking about?”

“The Marshal is in the position of shouldering all the responsibilities, but the actual commander is separate.”

Moving the sorted papers onto the desk, Marshall spoke in a calm voice. Pershing, who blinked for a long time, was finally able to open his mouth.

“Are you telling me to betray MacArthur?”

“I am just stating the objective facts.”

The elite chief of staff in charge of the entire U.S. Army just looked at him with unconcerned eyes.

“Okay, how?”

“I got a call from the South.”

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Pershing’s eyes went up. Marshall continued without hesitation.

“They were strangers. For now, I left my contact information in order to show it to the enemy.”

silence after that.

After finishing his words, the chief of staff stood back and waited for the enemy’s reply. Pershing looked at him and thought.

It’s a call from a stranger from the south. That sounds funny. Is there only one place to contact in this situation?

A sudden laugh almost came out, so Pershing covered his mouth and turned his head away.

Marshall is an exemplary soldier who thoroughly distinguishes between public and private affairs. He was a man who, at a time when they had accumulated a certain amount of friendship, requested to be called Colonel Marshall thoroughly even if Pershing tried to call him by his first name.

It would be quite a burden to openly tell him to abandon his comrades.

Understanding the chief of staff’s struggles, Pershing finally shook his head and turned around.

“You are very picky.”

The early afternoon sunlight shimmered through the windows.