I Became a Captain of the British Empire

Halifax Fleet Battle (8)

June 4, 1931. 2:32 p.m.

The US 17th Task Force’s flagship ‘Lexington’.

“I lost again! You’ve completely annihilated now?!”

Standing on Lexington’s bridge, Admiral Marshall stood up at the report of the communications staff. Receiving the attention of the bewildered bridge personnel, he frowned.

“What about before?!”

“One large enemy battlecruiser, and one heavy destroyer… I am estimating that this is probably the case.”

“You didn’t even see the end! sh*t!”

Slamming his fist on the armrest of his chair, Admiral Marshall gritted his teeth. Sensing the buzz around him, the chief of staff hurriedly tried to stop him, but the admiral didn’t let go of his ferocious expression.

things got messed up

This would require the air corps of Lexington and Saratoga to move. It’s not a raid that needs to be consumed here… .

But there was no time to think further. The enemy fleet must be finished somehow before it is ready.

“Prepare the raid. Once the battlecruiser squadron is defeated, the enemy main force air strike is next. And tell the escort fleet to prepare for a night battle.”

“Admiral, then I wonder if we can make it on time… .”

“Do as you say! It is an order!”

At the ferocious talk, the chief of staff no longer vomited. Against the sound of hasty footsteps in the background, Marshall gritted his teeth quietly.

The operation is already a failure. Now that it’s like this, at least that battlecruiser… !

“You can’t leave him alive. This is a matter of our American pride.”

It was the admiral who muttered while biting his nails. Soon, the sound of countless propellers echoed above the deck.

* * *

same time,

Mobile Z Fleet flagship ‘Repulse’.

The footsteps of the maintenance team members do not stop on the tilting deck. Smoke billows from under the half-collapsed number two stack as sailors with fire hoses sprinkle ashes.

Repulse narrowly escaped sinking.

Although it has not yet lost its combat capability, repeated damage has reduced its speed to 21 knots.

“Admiral, how about moving the flagship?”

While looking out the window, the chief of staff approached and said. I readily nodded.

“It is. Tell them that the flagship is moving to Renown.”

Maybe it’s the first time I’ve moved a ship, but the movement of the staff is awkward. But there is no time to procrastinate.

“Come on, move! Hurry!”

Only then does the footsteps speed up.

Repulse is an important ship to me, but there is no reason to be stubborn here. Rather, it is a way to save the ship.

‘There shouldn’t be any disruption to the command.’

Tobey will do just fine. He is the person who put an end to the battleship ‘Bismarck’ in original history.

The important thing is to withstand future air raids. With the Battlecruiser Squadron devastated, the US Navy will now launch a counterattack with aircraft carriers.

“And request fighter support from the Furious! An air strike is coming soon!”

“All right. Shall we prepare the destroyer squadron?”

“Yes, just lay it on the south side. The route to get in is obvious anyway.”

Considering the cruising range of enemy aircraft carrier strikes, the enemy will come in from the south anyway. If you hurry up the repair work of Repulse and Hood and surround the surroundings with an escort fleet, you can somehow withstand the air raid.

The catch is that the number of fighters is small… .

“Admiral! An urgent message from the main unit!”

“Something?”

Just before leaving the bridge, the communication staff approached with the last telegram.

“This is the support fleet! The light aircraft carrier Ryujo will now support this squadron!”

Good news. Maybe we should postpone understanding for a while.

… But what about Ryuzo?

“Aren’t there only 8 fighter jets?”

When I turn to the chief of staff and ask, he too nods with a puzzled face.

It’s ridiculous. Whose nose are you going to put this on?

However, support came at most, but it took three noses to send it back.

“First of all, tell them to send air defense fighters here, and tell them to fly reconnaissance planes. A light aircraft carrier is no match for a regular aircraft carrier.”

That was Repulse’s last flagship mission in this naval battle.

After boarding the liaison boat, I looked back at the former flagship, Repulse, as I headed toward Renown, the first ship of the Renown class and the royal yacht.

My first resting place that suddenly fell into this world one day. The steel fortress that protected me for a year after that. A battlecruiser of reverses that overcame fate.

And finally, he defeated the enemy who defeated him.

“You worked hard, Repulse.”

Could this be the requiem of Carib?

I couldn’t find out.

Just as someone said, I did my duty.

A true soldier is not swayed by emotion. This is a part that is more emphasized to the commander.

Because of this, I averted my eyes as if running away from the remorse that surged from a corner of my heart. Because the battle isn’t over yet.

The soft sunlight shimmered through the black bullet-stained mast of the Repulse.

* * *

15 minutes later,

Battlecruiser ‘Renaun’.

As I enter the front door, countless salute hands rain down on me.

“The Admiral is on board!”

The sailors lined up at each angle.

He waved his hand and bit them.

“rest.”

now in battle It’s not a waste of time to set up an example like this. That’s why it’s not that many people. Most of them are busily roaming the deck.

Although it is said that there is no damage, the ship has also suffered a battle. There are bullet marks everywhere. As I entered the bridge, smelling the familiar gunpowder, the captain stood up and approached me.

“Welcome aboard Renown. Captain, this is Cecil Talbert.”

A face he hadn’t seen in a long time saluted.

Colonel Cecil P. Talbert.

It’s only been the other day since we met at a meeting after possessing Louis’ body, but I’ve already become his superior.

He greets with an awkward smile, wondering if the feeling is new.

“Take it easy, Captain.”

“How could I do that without the Admiral?”

He sighed and then opened his mouth.

“… Well, that’s surprising.”

“To be honest.”

shy smile. It’s awkward for me too.

It was before I had such an unbelievable criminal record when I first met him, and I never thought I would be like that either.

But that’s why it’s even more emotional. Coincidentally, the combat situation is also similar to that time.

“Air strikes are coming soon. Just like the first fight with them. Do you remember?”

“I remember it clearly.”

A large-scale air raid on the eve of a fleet battle in the North Atlantic. And the submarine ambush that followed.

Thanks to this, Rinaun had to retreat without firing a single shot from the main gun.

“I won’t be attacked by a submarine this time.”

“It should be. I want you to give me a proper answer. Even with interest.”

The sea where the clouds disperse and the waves calm down.

A fleet of destroyers preparing for anti-air combat silently gathered around the battlecruiser.

* * *

About two hours later, in the sky over Task Fleet Z.

Fierce anti-aircraft fire colored the surroundings.

Captain Robert of the US Navy Saratoga Air Corps VT-1B attempted to descend in his Martin BM, a new torpedo bomber.

“low! Follow me! Descend!”

“Squadron commander! There are too many enemy planes behind you!”

“More of our fighters! Let’s trust them!”

As he said, for the time being, the escort fighters seemed to be able to pass the time somehow. Anti-aircraft fire, which threw a net of tracer bullets in front of the eyes, was more of a problem now.

“Enemy battlecruisers! Rinaun class! Distance about 8,000!”

“There is a destroyer below! be careful!”

pop-

Anti-aircraft shells scatter shrapnel.

The bullets of the Pom Pom Cannon created a wall of bullets in the sky.

His aircraft repeatedly descended, ascended, and rolled to avoid saturation. However, the Yogi who was following him was engulfed in a black barrage and lost his form.

When the enemy ship approached about 3 km, the only aircraft running around was his aircraft.

“Bastards! It’s pouring it all the way!”

As the bullets began to grazed his wings, the survival instinct was castrated in Captain Robert’s mind. Fuel was already leaking from the fuselage. There was only a single thought to hit him somehow.

“Eat this, you son of a b*tch!”

The captain raised the speedometer to the limit.

A torpedo bomber running at 200 km/h.

The sea rushed past beneath my feet, and the bullets grazed the sides of my wings as if they were accelerating. However, the individual limits were not unexpectedly high.

“Captain! Enemy bullets are concentrated!”

The difficulty was too high to dodge with a dull torpedo bomber.

The BM torpedo bomber, which was rising slightly upward, was covered with countless barrages. After the yellow tracer flared up, the steel body was torn to shreds and scattered fragments.

The waves that had eaten the new victim still lapped as if nothing had happened.

* * *

10 minutes later

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Lexington.

“Admiral, in the first raid, the air raid failed. One torpedo hit and three bomb hits on enemy battlecruisers.”

The desperate report did not upset Marshall. Looking out the window at the good raiding party with arms crossed, the admiral quietly opened his mouth.

“Did you see the enemy ship sink?”

“There have been no such reports.”

“So that’s f*cking bullsh*t!”

Make sure to read from noble mtl dot com

Pudeuk-

Hearing the sound of grinding his teeth, the chief of staff shuddered and stepped back. Marshall waved his hand wildly and shouted.

“Prepare the 2nd raid! Concentrate on the enemy battlecruisers!”

“Admiral! An urgent message from reconnaissance aircraft #3!”

“What is it again?”

It might be luck that the communication staff didn’t stop reporting to him, who frowned as if he was bothered.

“Find a ship presumed to be an aircraft carrier 30 nautical miles northwest of the enemy task force! 200 miles away. About 25 knots!”

It was really important information.

“If it’s an aircraft carrier… Is it the Furious?”

Marshall’s eyes widened at the sudden thought that flashed through his head.

Third ship of the Courageous-class aircraft carrier, Furious.

An aircraft carrier that followed Repulse like an alter ego.

Compared to the US Navy’s aircraft carrier, it’s a laughable performance, but Marshall had watered her too.

The aircraft carrier that defeated him in the world’s first aircraft carrier battle. The man who left a scar on his aviation career that never healed. An aircraft carrier recorded alongside Repulse in Chapter 1 of the US Navy Killing Division.

Looking back, all that remained was anger.

“I can’t even let him live! The Saratoga Air Corps say they’re aiming there! Battlecruisers will be taken over by Lexington, whose proficiency is ahead!”

Lexington’s bridge was busy again.

* * *

1 hour later

Z Task Force main force 30 nautical miles northwest of the sea.

Aircraft carrier “Ryujo”.

Ryujo’s ship, which hastily sent additional fighters at the news of the second air raid, was tinged with astonishment. Captain Nomura, the captain of the ship, pointed to the sky with his eyes wide open and his hands trembled.

“What are those guys… ?”

A humming bridge.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who was in charge of overall command of the Japanese fleet, gritted his teeth at the unbelievable sight.

Under the spotless clear sky, countless dots approached Ryuzo.

A total of 30 cars. It is an air strike with the full force of regular carriers.

“Port-side watch report! Defense 230! Distance 30,000! Over 30 enemy planes! Keep approaching with this ship!”

“Why are they coming this way!”

There was no officer to answer Yamamoto’s questioning question. Everyone just opened their mouths and panicked at the disaster they were facing.

“Prepare for anti-air combat!”

Faced with an unexpected hardship, Yamamoto let out a shallow sigh.

The end of the day on the 4th of June does not seem friendly to him at all.