I Became a Captain of the British Empire

North Atlantic Fleet Battle (3)

“Admiral!”

Hodges opened his eyes wide and turned his head. The chief of staff standing behind him was looking at him with a pale face. An urgent voice continued.

“It’s an air raid! Give me orders!”

Only then did the admiral come to his senses and begin to judge. There was no time. Even while he was silent, the enemy flag was approaching every moment.

About 5 minutes remain before they reach the sky above the fleet. Instructions must be given promptly.

Hozzers looked back at his staff and commanded.

“Raise the anti-aircraft combat signal to the fleet and change course to 030! Change the formation to Submissive Formation!”

“yes! Raise the signal!”

“Entrance in Furious! I will launch a fighter jet.”

“Approve! And the raids must strike the enemy battleship row immediately!”

“Admiral! Enemy battleship… !”

Hodges took up his binoculars. The masts of an American battleship row were disappearing over the horizon behind a large group of carrier-based aircraft that covered the sky.

“Why are you widening the distance?”

“Isn’t that the intention to focus on air strikes?”

It was the opinion of Admiral Charles, the squadron commander. Hodges decided it made sense.

Certainly, it is difficult to approach even a squadron of carrier-based aircraft in the airspace where artillery fire is pouring in. That is why the US Navy is stepping down once and for all.

But that means…

“Are you going to hit us with air strikes alone?”

The admiral opened his eyes and spoke as if chewing and spitting out. It was an unreasonable sound.

How dare you try to damage the fleet with a ship-based aircraft!

“The US Navy is trying to insult us.”

The admiral, angry, turned to his staff and said. Looking at the sky with a displeased gaze, he quietly put down his binoculars. Like a gauntlet from the US Navy, the hunters approached with engines roaring.

“Anti-aircraft fire begins!”

Gunfire rang out from Nelson’s middeck, and black smoke spread across the sky. Someone behind Hodges, who watched the red flags spread through the fire, opened his mouth.

“Admiral, I think it would be better to focus on individual fire rather than forming formations. Anti-aircraft fire during evasive maneuvers has a reduced accuracy.”

Those were the words of the chief of staff. However, Hozzers shook his head and replied.

“No, we have to form. Large-caliber anti-aircraft guns don’t fit anyway. The answer is to gather the ships as much as possible and concentrate the fire.”

“Then the ships in the left row will be exposed to air strikes… .”

Hodges raised his hand in agreement. He looked out the window and continued.

“I will have to take some damage. Let’s believe in our craft for that part.”

The admiral spoke calmly, but for some reason, his wrinkled hands were shaking.

After anti-aircraft combat was ordered from the battleship Nelson, Rodney’s captain, Cunningham, was flooded with urgent reports and orders.

“Port-side watch report! Torpedo bomber 8 continues to approach this ship!”

“Turn the key! Uro 25! Keep your distance from them!”

“Port anti-aircraft battery, one shot down so far! Oh, he’s still alive!”

“Look and do it right, you bastard!”

Rodney’s anti-aircraft guns fired non-stop while all kinds of voices crossed. The smoke pouring out from three gun gates installed on each side covered the surroundings like sea fog. However, even in the eyes of the gunners who liked the exaggeration, the enemy aircraft shot down were hardly visible.

“Captain! When you maneuver like this, you can’t aim your anti-aircraft guns!”

“I know, operative! But isn’t it first to build a formation?”

“At this rate, the bandit is getting close to the main ship!”

“Damn it, anti-aircraft guns are useless anyway! Prepare the cannon squad!”

As Cunningham frowned and shouted, a great cheer came from the middeck. With no luck, the torpedo bomber, caught in shrapnel, fell over. However, the aircraft, which fell like it was about to sink into the sea, eventually lifted its head and flew up again. The exclamations subsided, and slow gunfire filled the silence.

However, the saturation was not completely meaningless. Surprised by the sound of shells exploding in the distance, the squadron panicked and broke away from formation. As soon as one or two planes fled, the formation quickly collapsed and scattered in all directions like birds at the sound of gunshots.

Cunningham, watching the scene from a distance, sighed secretly and commented:

“There is no such thing as comedy.”

He turned and looked at the flagship Nelson. Following instructions to deploy in obedience, Rodney turned and was moving to Nelson’s starboard side. If you are in two columns, the ships on one side will cover the ships on the other side.

Busy movements continued behind him. Battleship Baham was moving from Warspite’s aft to starboard side, and behind it, Malaya’s starboard side was coming in with Royal Oak. Ramillies, who was at the end of the line, followed Malaya’s rear and covered their maneuvers, just like Dan Jong-jin.

Even in the midst of this, each ship continued to fire and tried to drive away the enemy aircraft even a little. Watching the fleet move as if it were one body, Cunningham immediately inferred the admiral’s thoughts.

“Is the admiral trying to cut the damage in half?”

At first glance, it seemed like a reasonable idea.

There is not enough time to spread the circular formation, and Dan Jong-jin is inappropriate to deal with air raids. In the end, two-row columns and submissive formations, which can simultaneously evade and concentrate firepower, are the best.

But a small question remained.

“I don’t know if the ships in the left row can withstand an air attack.”

As long as there are no escort ships on the left and right, the battleships in the left row are exposed to air raids with their bare bodies. Of course, there was a judgment that the Royal Navy battleship was not at the level of being damaged by airplanes, but in front of the large army of carrier-based aircraft that were now filling my eyes, that confidence shrank a little.

“Where is the destroyer squadron now?”

“Everyone is in front and behind! If we deploy now, it will be too late!”

Unfortunately, the escort fleet, which is most needed right now, has been held back to avoid interfering with the bombardment.

Cunningham bit his lip and clenched his fist. Of course, an air raid at a time like this!

“Look! What is the distance to the bandit?”

“Currently 7000!”

close. So close! In another three minutes, the enemy plane will be right in front of the fleet. No matter how proficient the Atlantic Fleet was, it couldn’t display its skills by maneuvering so quickly.

However, Cunningham, who could not refuse the flagship’s instructions, had no choice but to look at the slowly approaching torpedo bomber with anxious eyes. I didn’t like the fact that the battleships of the British Empire had to hide because of those flying flies. He shouted at his temples with a displeased face.

“flak! The hit is slow!”

“I will correct it!”

He was the one who usually demanded that his subordinates run first-class in everything. In such an urgent situation, it was unacceptable for a hit to be delayed.

Even if it’s because of the disadvantage of aiming due to rapid maneuvering.

“The bandit is still approaching! 12th!”

“Damn it, where are our fighters… !”

In the moment of emergency, it is a law to grab at least a straw.

Cunningham felt the importance of fighters. It seems that hundreds of anti-aircraft guns had been fired, but the enemy aircraft that had been shot down was still invisible.

However, the distance still remains. You just need to shoot down a few planes before entering the torpedo course.

I heard a report pouring cold water on the captain’s expectations.

“Enemy bombers, range 150! nosedive!”

“what?!”

As soon as he looked up at the sky, a huge vibration rang through Rodney’s hull. Holding on to the railing, Captain Cunningham hurriedly looked around the deck to see Rodney’s condition. Bright red flames shot up between the main turrets.

“… Report the situation!”

“Forward deck hit! Fire!”

“Damage Control! Move quickly!”

Cunningham clicked his tongue belatedly.

Focusing only on the torpedo bombers, they failed to spot the enemy aircraft that had infiltrated above the clouds at high altitude. Fortunately, the meager explosive charge could not penetrate the battleship’s deck armor.

“More ammunition storage!”

“Fire suppression complete! No more compartments!”

At best, it was a bomb that started a small fire on the upper deck. Cunningham let out a sigh of relief and then walked to the edge of the bridge and turned his attention to the approaching squadron of torpedo bombers.

The torpedoes they carry are probably not as powerful as bombs.

“Two-pounder, open fire!”

A series of gunfire rang out from the aft, where black smoke soared. It was a little different from the heavy 4.7-inch gunfire or the meager gunfire of the Vickers machine gun.

This new weapon, which would later be named ‘Pom Pom Po’, dyed the sky with a terrifying barrage unlike a ridiculous gunfire. Caught in the rain of bullets from the eight gun barrels, the aircraft plummeted to the sea, torn to shreds.

“Two enemy torpedo bombers are down! oh! One more crash! Shoot down the 3rd plane!”

“Enemy bombers! Distance 500! We’re rushing in!”

The bomber that descended from the sky like riding a slide shimmered in the sunlight. But it was a mistake. They came down too close. The pom-pom cannon, which raised its elevation, poured a huge rain of shells. One unlucky aircraft was hit directly by a 40mm bullet, and its engines spewed flames and twisted its trajectory.

“Enemy bombers, check the explosions! Falling in flames!”

It was an improvised weapon in preparation for the US Navy, but fortunately it showed outstanding performance. The squadron approaching from the right side evaporated in an instant, and the remaining aircraft turned and spread in all directions.

It’s time to take a moment to catch your breath. Cunningham looked impatiently at the sky behind him. In the distance, I saw a squadron with its wings shining.

“Is the Furious Air Corps still there?”

“Current distance 8000! We’ll be in the airspace in another minute!”

“Damn it, it’s too late!”

It was just frustrating for him who didn’t know the circumstances of the Air Corps. But now there was no time to complain. The torpedo squad, having adjusted their formation, charged again. It was a spread formation with distances of 3 to 500 m each.

If this is the case, the efficiency of Pom Pom Po’s net is also reduced.

“The ephemera dare… .”

Cunningham glared at the skies dominated by the sound of propellers.

Sitting in the same seat as the day before in the sky where gunfire crossed, Captain Crifford turned the steering wheel with a calm face. Fire bursting around him scattered menacing shrapnel everywhere, but his squadron continued to advance.

“ensign! Did you pee in your pants?”

“When are you talking about enemies, that? The only ones who would be intimidated by this level of barrage are the Army Corps.”

The two, who even exchanged light jokes, looked at the huge battleship on the left scattering a barrage of pom-pom cannons. It was like a fortress on a volcano, constantly spitting fire.

Obviously countless bullets were pouring in, but the pilots did not fall into panic. For those who had experienced anti-aircraft fire in the previous battle, two rounds of fire were tolerable.

Above all, from the point of view of the spread formation, the damage is stopped by one or two falling from anti-aircraft fire.

This was the reason why the advance of the air corps did not stop even when the threatening gunfire covered the sky.

“Descent! Get ready!”

“yes! Let’s go get a bite!”

The swift sky hunter lowered his nose close to the surface.

At the same time, the commander of the flagship Nelson, who was in overall command of the fleet’s anti-air warfare, felt Cunningham’s feelings exactly. The enemy plane, which could not be shot down no matter how much anti-aircraft artillery was fired, was now really close to the nose.

“Red flag 70! Enter the torpedo course!”

The voice of the watchman who put his eyes on the binoculars was really close to screaming. The faces of the gunners, full of fighting spirit, were also pale, and the officers only stared at the large army of canvas wings with their mouths open. Gunfire and tracers split the sky, but they bravely held out their noses.

The British battleship line, which had completed deployment of the submission formation, concentrated fire, but the distance between them was reduced to less than 1,000 m when their cannons fired. Numerous aircraft turned into fireballs, and the follow-up planes flew over the corpses of colleagues and flew through the fire. The torpedo bombers, assigned 20 per boat, were already dropping their torpedoes and turning around when the Pom Pom gun’s fire net was stopped by a belated snag.

“Red flag, torpedo drop!”

The anti-aircraft guns still fired, but now it was like fixing a lost cow. Hozzers raised his hand and pointed at the communications officer.

“Entire fleet, freedom to evade maneuver!”

The admiral looked out the bridge window with trembling eyes. Dozens of wakes drew chalk lines as they approached Nelson’s hull. At that moment, the waves swayed and the giant twisted his body.

Captain Beanie, who turned the key at the same time as the launch of the torpedo, turned the bow toward the approaching brain.

“Damn it, don’t get hit!”

Nelson quickly turned to 25, but the distance was too close. A single torpedo crossed Nelson’s course. A large column of water rose beside the hull. The impact shook the floor, but Nelson’s hull remained afloat.

“Admiral! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! More than that, the fleet… .”

Hodges leaned against the window and looked out with confused eyes. Several warships were twisting their hulls, each with smoke.

Nelson was a lucky case. In the case of Warspite located aft of Nelson after Rodney, two torpedoes were hit directly. One shot was blocked by the bulge and didn’t do much damage, but the other shot that hit the rear was not.

The steering wheel was broken by the impact of the explosion.

“Warsfight! Disengage from the battle lines!”

“Send the fleet an evasion signal!”

The Warspite, which lost its ability to change direction in an instant, turned sharply to starboard and left the formation. Five torpedo bombers rushed to give a blow to the Warspite turning the hull, but fortunately Nelson, Baham, Royal Oak, and four Warspites extinguished them like moths under fierce fire.

More importantly, the warship Ramillies was in the path of Warspite.

Sure enough, Ramillies had no intention of striking the Warspite at all, so he immediately turned around and let the Warspite flow leisurely. It was a response worthy of a master of shipbuilding, the Royal Navy.

Except for getting hit by two torpedoes that wouldn’t have hit me if I had left.

“Ramillis, 2 hits!”

“Tell me to report the damage! Is combat possible?”

Looking at the water column rising with a roar, the admiral looked at Ramillies, who was tilting with a worried face. Soon, a searchlight flashed on the triangular mast.

“Down to 15 knots! They say the battle is still possible, but… .”

Ramillies, which was hit by torpedoes one at a time, both bow and stern, slowed to 15 knots and gradually fell behind in line. Nelson’s command was blushing with increasingly pitiful eyes. But it was still medicine.

Baham, who turned left to avoid the departure of Warspite, became the target of the 3rd torpedo bombardment, hit by two torpedoes and lost speed. The Royal Oak was a surprise attack and was not hit by a single torpedo, but was targeted by dive bombers who were aiming at the unharmed ship above the clouds and was hit by two bombs and caught fire.

An even more terrible thing happened in front of Ramillies, who had left her seat with an evasive maneuver. Now, Malaya, who turned around because Ramillies was blocking the course, was hit by torpedoes one after another. Malaya, who had been hit by three air torpedoes on her port side, was trailing astern as Ramillies, leaning heavily.

“The fleet… Half way through an air raid!”

Admiral Charles, commander of the squadron of the 2nd battleship, looked around and shouted with a look of astonishment on his face.

Of course, his expression could be said to be a bit exaggerated. Even Malaya, which suffered the most damage, was still in good shape, and only Warspite was the only one that broke away from the line.

However, even this amount of damage was hard to imagine in the eyes of the giants.

To think that an airplane like a flying fly could damage the fleet to such an extent.

They couldn’t quite understand.

Fortunately, a catastrophic attack by dive bombers on the remaining ships did not occur. A squadron of fighters flying from the Furious reached the sky above the fleet belatedly. The bombers dropped their bombs, and the torpedo bombers hurriedly dropped their torpedoes and turned and fled.

Anti-aircraft gunfire subsided, signaling the end of the battle. Hozzers wiped away a cold sweat and summoned his staff.

“What about fleet damage?”

“Warspite line break! Currently drifting!”

“Malaya, slow down to 12 knots! The bombardment ability is alive and well!”

“A light signal from Ramillies! I can still fight!”

“Furious Raid, charging into the enemy fleet soon!”

Fortunately, there is no ship that impedes the ability of the main gun to fire. can still fight Hozzers judged so and asked the staff.

“Where are the enemy battleships!”

There was no need to answer the admiral’s question.

A column of water from the salvo rose up near Nelson. Hodges watched the train of US Navy battleships approaching on the horizon with startled eyes. A storm of volleys was scorching the horizon.

“Captain, I got a call from the main unit… .”

The communications officer handed over the papers with a pale face. It was a telegram from the flagship Nelson. As expected, it wasn’t very positive.

“Damn it, is it too late?”

The contents of the full text were quite shocking. Half of the ships were hit by an air raid by an enemy large-scale squadron reaching 100 aircraft. Currently engaged with the United States Battleship Squadron. hope for salvation soon.

“navigating officer! What is the distance from the main unit?”

“Currently 40 miles. If the main unit advances like this, we will arrive in 30 minutes.”

“Then it’s already too late.”

I returned the telegram to the correspondent and listened to the chart. The officer opened his mouth with a puzzled face.

“What do you mean? Are you saying you won’t save the main unit?”

“By the time we arrive, the main force will either win or be annihilated.”

Now, even if they join the battle, the speed of the main force will be slowed down, and the battleships and battlecruisers will be destroyed individually. It is already a difficult situation to win. Even with the power of our battlecruisers, it is difficult to change this charter.

It was said in such a calm voice, but it seemed that it was difficult for those who accepted it.

“What the hell is that… !”

“So we find another way.”

No time to calm these guys down.

I handed over the chart to the commander and went straight to the bridge compass. After looking around and drawing the attention of his subordinates, he immediately started talking.

time is life

“From now on, we initiate Plan B.”

The bridge was agitated by the unexpected declaration. I continued talking without caring.

“This is an order as the acting squadron commander, and I take all responsibility.”

“Captain, please… ?”

“What kind of operation is this?”

The navigator asked, frowning as if he was frustrated. The Chief Junim also looked at me with a nervous face.

To be honest, I don’t know how to win the battle now. I am neither Admiral Yi Sun-sin, nor Admiral Nelson, a legend in the British navy.

but,

“From now on, we beat the US aircraft carrier.”

There are ways to not give up.