Chapter 213 The belated arrival of the French Navy! (Third update!) "Oh my God, God..." Seeing hundreds of torpedoes coming, some British sailors were frightened out of their wits. “Boom!” A huge explosion sounded. A heavy cruiser was hit! Boom! Boom! Boom! Dozens of torpedoes exploded one after another, and the heavy cruiser could no longer bear it and broke into two sections. After all, after suffering so many torpedoes, it is unlikely that a battleship would be able to withstand it for long.
Watching another battleship being sunk, Admiral Kan Anning was heartbroken. It hurts too much. If the Mediterranean Fleet disappears, it will be a huge blow to the Royal Navy. Thinking of this, Admiral Kan Anning roared again. “Send a telegram to General Montgomery and ask him to immediately dispatch all night fighters to support, otherwise the Mediterranean Fleet will be doomed.” "yes." At the same time, German submarines targeted the battleship USS Resolution. Such a big thing is placed at the port, and anyone who is not blind will see it. “Oh God, there are torpedoes.” The boilers of the battleship Resolution have been started. They only need to give them another half hour to start. As a result, before they could fully activate, they saw torpedoes heading towards them. As soon as he finished speaking, the battleship they were on was hit by several torpedoes. “Captain, our ship was hit by a torpedo and the cabin is leaking.” Soon, the battle damage was reported. Hearing this, the captain's face turned ashen and he said in frustration: "Quickly plug the loopholes and retreat immediately." "Your Excellency, Captain, it can't be blocked. It's too big. The battleship is sinking. Abandon the ship." The staff officer next to him advised. Although the armor of the battleship is very thick, it cannot withstand dozens of torpedoes at the same time. The officers and soldiers on the ship could all feel that the battleship was sinking, and it was sinking very quickly. At this moment, eight more torpedoes struck again. “Collision alert.” Unfortunately, no matter how they shouted, it was of no use. All eight torpedoes hit the battleship. There was another huge explosion, and a huge hole was blown out of the battleship Determination. If this were replaced with a hydrogen peroxide torpedo, it wouldn't be a big hole.
Estimated to be broken into two sections. That is to say, the battleship armor is thickened and is particularly resistant. Otherwise, it would have sunk by this time. Even so, the battleship Determination also began to sink slowly. “Abandon the ship.” The captain immediately gave the order to abandon the ship. Since it is irreversible, at least the lives of his subordinates can be saved. Even if the warships are gone, they can still be built, but if the people are gone, they can still be built. That would really cut off the era. Soon only half of the battleships were left. Seeing that the battleships had been sunk, the other battleships also began to speed up. But the boiler cannot be started immediately with just a few words. What the British army lacks most now is time. And the German submarines also knew that the opportunity was rare. So speed up and launch torpedoes towards the port. It doesn’t matter whether it can hit or not, just use all the torpedoes anyway. “Bastard, bastard, bastard.” Admiral Canning roared with great heartache as he watched the battleship USS Resolution being sunk. “What about the Air Force? Why hasn’t it taken off yet?” The adjutant was speechless for a while when he heard this. It takes time from receiving the request for help to taking off. How can it be so fast? But he also knew that Can Anning felt sorry for those battleships. But there is no way now but to watch the battleship being sunk. "Sir, I suggest we withdraw first. Those battleships can't be saved at all. How about saving the sailors first?" the adjutant suggested. "No, continue to hold on. As long as the fighter planes arrive, that will be enough. We still have hope." General Cananning shook his head and rejected the adjutant's proposal. You must know that there are more than fifty warships here, and it is not an easy task to sink them all. As long as some warships activate, attract firepower, and buy time for other warships, they have hope. So at this time, you must not give up. Also, after the arrival of night fighters, the Japanese warships will choose to retreat. At that time, he will be able to regroup and hunt down these Japanese warships. According to his estimate, the maximum loss of twenty battleships would be the limit.
This loss can be endured with gritted teeth. As long as nothing happens to the aircraft carrier Ark Royal. But the captains below were already panicking. Especially those captains of cruisers and destroyers. Looking at the battleships around them being blown into two pieces one after another, many crew members had no time to jump into the sea and were directly swallowed by the fire. They were so frightened that they abandoned the ship and ran away. At this time, the German submarine finally fired all the torpedoes. Almost fifteen warships were sunk before and after. Including a battleship and several cruisers. This record is already very impressive. You know, this is in the port. The terrain restricts the attack. So this result is already very strong. Moreover, the enemy destroyers are already heading towards the port. If they don't run away, they will be doomed. Their mission was accomplished, and the rest was left to the Japanese army. After they evacuated, the Japanese began to shoot at the British destroyers in the harbor. I have to say that the Japanese naval gun shooting is indeed good. Although it is not as good as the British army, the gap is not very big. Not long after, one destroyer could not withstand the firepower and was sunk. But soon another destroyer came to the port again and continued to attract firepower. Nagumo Chuichi also saw that the purpose of the British army was to buy time for the battleships behind them. Sinking just one of the most important battleships and aircraft carriers today is not enough. The main battleships must be sunk to control the Mediterranean. Thinking of this, Nagumo Chuichi immediately sent a telegram to the Italian and French navies, and they speeded up. They have sunk more than a dozen battleships, including a battleship. Sure enough, the Italian warships, which had been slow at first, immediately moved forward at full speed after receiving the telegram. They did not expect that this raid would be so successful. When we arrived at the battlefield, we found thick smoke billowing from the Alexandria port. You can see through the telescope that warships sink to the bottom of the sea from time to time.
I didn’t expect it to be true. At this time, the Japanese warships were also exhausted. Seeing the Italian warships arriving on the battlefield, they immediately gave up their positions. Admiral Kan Anning in the port originally thought that the Japanese army was preparing to retreat. Who knew, instead of retreating, they would make way for the Italian warships. Boom! As a result, the British fleet, which finally managed to survive, was once again attacked by Italian naval guns. Compared with the shooting level of the Japanese naval guns, the Italian naval guns are a little less interesting. The accuracy is far off. Obviously insufficient training. Chūichi Nagumo couldn't help but shake his head when he saw it. But at this time, he couldn't care so much. Because the British night fighters arrived in the sky and were attacking them. Seeing this, Nagumo Chuichi immediately issued an air defense order. Da da da! For a time, the Japanese sailors who had stopped to rest began to control anti-aircraft weapons to shoot at the night fighters that kept attacking. But since it was night, the effect was average. Boom! An unlucky Japanese light cruiser was hit by a bomb on the deck and exploded, killing dozens of Japanese sailors. Normally speaking, once the war reaches this point, it can almost be withdrawn. But Nagumo Chuichi was obviously dissatisfied with this result and asked the fleet to continue to withstand air attacks and destroy as many British warships as possible. The Italian warship commander also knew that if he missed this opportunity, he would lose it, so he stared at the empty space and increased the intensity of the naval gun fire. At this time, the British battleship finally started to move. After changing its direction, it started firing cannons. However, because the line of sight was blocked by many battleships, the accuracy of the naval gun was seriously reduced. “Your Excellency, Commander, do you want to retreat? The enemy battleships have begun to show off their power.” the first mate advised. "Keep shooting, send a telegram to the French and ask them where they are." After all this, it was time to completely destroy the British fleet, then they would definitely be finished next. So you must not stop at this time. At this time, Admiral Darlan, commander of the French fleet, was still hesitant. Because he has been cautiously watching the development of the political situation. Strive to maintain a certain cooperative relationship with all parties.
Especially because the US military supports Vichy France, he still has a good impression of the US military. Similarly, if the Allies launched a counterattack in the Battle of the Atlantic, Darlan certainly did not want the French army to engage in a meaningless and **** war with the US military. Of course, he will not refuse to maintain certain relations with the German army. Therefore, what Darlan did from the beginning was to deal with the princes, trying to maintain the existing strength of the French navy that he was once proud of, and safeguarding his power and position as well as the French people and the people under his leadership. The fate of the French navy. Ever since Petain asked him to lead the navy to come for reinforcements. All along the way, he hesitated whether to attack the British fleet in Alexandria. Normally speaking, they have a sworn hatred against the British army. But as mentioned before, he hopes to deal with the various powers. Working hard to maintain the pride of the French navy. So, I don’t want to completely break up with the British army. If he participates in the attack, he will definitely fight to the death in the future. However, his ideas were not representative of the French navy as a whole. "Admiral Darlan, what are you hesitating about?" Fleet Commander Admiral Laborde said dissatisfied. You need to know the "Ballista" plan. The British army captured all the French warships anchored in Portsmouth, including two battleships, four light cruisers, eight destroyers, several submarines, and 200 minesweepers and anti-submarine ships, and captured the French naval vessel in Alexandria. port and the French fleet in Martinique. It also attacked the French North African military ports of Oran and Mirsk Biel, destroying the battleship "Bretagne", the battlecruiser "Dunkirk", the battleship "Provence" washed up on the beach, and the "Strasse" The Fort escaped back to Toulon, and more than 1,300 French sailors were killed. At the same time, the battleship "Richelieu" suffered heavy damage. It can be said that the entire French navy has a grudge against the British. Now that I have the opportunity for revenge, I will definitely not let it go. So, seeing Admiral Darlan’s hesitant expression, Fleet Commander Admiral Laborde was very dissatisfied. He had long been dissatisfied with this person, but he did not expect that the other party would personally participate in the attack. Originally I thought the other party would change. Who knows that from the beginning until now, I have been delaying time for various reasons. Now that the navies of Japan, Italy and Germany have succeeded, as long as they arrive on the battlefield, they can harvest all British warships. As a result, Admiral Darlan hesitated again. At this moment, the fleet commander, Admiral Laborde, was dissatisfied. “Admiral Darlan, give you another chance, otherwise I will strip you of your command.” Admiral Laborde, the commander of the fleet, shouted with wide eyes. As a result, Admiral Darlan said dissatisfiedly.
“Don’t forget, I am the commander of the navy.” “Humph, the French Navy does not need a cowardly naval commander.” Admiral Laborde, the fleet commander, retorted directly. “䱱…” Admiral Darlan became a little angry. "Come here, bring Admiral Darlan back to the room. From now on, he will not be allowed to come out until the end of the war." Admiral Laborde, the commander of the fleet, has guessed that the other party does not want to attack the British fleet. But for the fleet commander, Admiral Laborde, this rare opportunity for revenge must not be given up, so he decided to detain Admiral Darlan first. As expected, upon hearing this, Admiral Darlan's face turned extremely ugly. He did not expect that Admiral Laborde would dare to mutiny. But the sailors on the flagship are all the opponent's confidants. And the French sailors were eager for revenge. So Admiral Darlan could only watch as he was imprisoned. “Order, advance at full speed, target Alexandria, and sink those British sons of bitches.” Admiral Laborde, the commander of the fleet, roared loudly. “Yes, kill those British bastards.” “Fuck the son of a bitch.” For a time, the morale of the French navy rose sharply. They had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now there is finally a chance for revenge. Not long after, we arrived at Alexandria. At this time, the British fleet has been launched one after another and began to counterattack. Especially with the cooperation of night fighters, the British fleet gradually gained the initiative on the battlefield. Under naval gunfire, neither the Japanese nor the Italians were any match for the other. In less than two hours, the Japanese and Italian forces lost more than six warships. "Baga, why haven't the French warships arrived yet? If they don't come, we will be unable to stop them." Nagumo Chuichi shouted angrily. His Third Fleet had already sunk four destroyers. The Italian army was also sunk by two destroyers. Both sides are still gritting their teeth and insisting on waiting for the French navy. If the French navy does not come, they will consider retreating. This is when the Germans sank more than a dozen battleships. Otherwise, they will suffer even more losses when fighting now. Boom!
Finally, just when Nagumo Chuichi was about to despair, a huge explosion sounded. "Reinforcements are coming." The appearance of the French navy boosted the morale of the Japanese and Italian navies. On the opposite side, Admiral Cananning looked at the French Navy in the distance with a pale face. The sky was slightly white at this time. “Let the carrier-based aircraft take off immediately.” The appearance of the French navy was indeed beyond his expectation. Now he can only place his hope on the carrier-based aircraft. If the carrier-based aircraft cannot repel the French navy, then Alexandria will be completely finished. At the same time, the USS Falcon aircraft carrier and dozens of carrier-based aircraft were taking off in sequence and attacking Alexandria. (End of this chapter)