Chapter 296 Operation Catapult (4)

The deafening cannon roars on the surface reverberated through the submarine as the sound traveled through the water.

"Start the engines!" Captain Joachim Schepke of U-100 submarine gave the order while raising the periscope. As the periscope broke the surface, he saw a massive warship anchored sideways about 500 meters ahead. Without hesitation, he loudly commanded, "Launch torpedoes 1, 2, 3, and 4!" No adjustments were necessary; luck seemed unbelievably on their side.

After giving the order, he turned around and looked at a destroyer not far away. "Launch torpedo 5!"

"Gudong..." With a slight tremor of the submarine, seawater poured into the torpedo tube. A dense cluster of bubbles gushed out from the launch tube, followed by one torpedo after another being ejected from the front of U-100.

"Torpedoes 1, 2, 3, and 4 launched!" "Torpedo 5 launched!" U-100 submarine emptied its torpedo tubes in one go, and Schepke knew they would hit the distant target for sure.

"Emergency dive to 50 meters, get out of here!"

Although he wanted to witness the familiar spectacle of a huge water column, along with the dazzling explosion of steel plates splashing in all directions, this area was lurking with a total of 30 submarines. If, by any chance, one of their torpedoes hit them, that would be sheer bad luck.

"That's the battleship 'Resolution'!" Before retracting the periscope, Schepke shouted excitedly while taking a final look at his prey.

The unfortunate warship in the distance was indeed the battleship "Resolution."

In response to Germany's construction of the Bavaria-class battleship, the Royal Navy budgeted for the construction of seven Revenge-class battleships (all starting with the letter R, also known as the R-class) in 1913. In August 1914, the Royal Navy canceled the plans for the last two and reallocated the budget to build two Renown-class battlecruisers, eventually completing five.

The Revenge-class battleship was an improved version of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship. The basic layout was similar to the Queen Elizabeth-class, but the ship's length was shortened, and the protection was slightly improved. It featured a single funnel, the most noticeable difference in appearance from the Queen Elizabeth-class.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

This warship, an old vessel that would retire in the original timeline in 1944, lacked decent underwater mine countermeasure measures. Now, it took four heavy torpedoes in one go, undoubtedly sealing its fate.

The ocean contained the power to destroy the heavens and the earth. After the torpedoes exploded, utilizing the repeated squeezing and distorting force of seawater, it contorted the thickest steel and the most confident structures of humanity. This was the ultimate showdown between spear and shield, no longer a pale and powerless comparison on paper but a genuine outcome, a result that everyone had to acknowledge.

This was a battle of men, the most equitable final battle, using life as the stakes, and death as the judgment. The most qualified warriors were in the ultimate duel. This was...

Surviving on the brutal battlefield becomes a fleeting legend for the centuries to come. Those who fail pay the price for their carelessness, but they won't have any chance for regrets.

The explosive force at the bow lifted the bow of the ship viciously from below the water surface, almost entirely lifting the damaged bulbous bow out of the water. A surging resistance spread backward along the hull, and everyone on the entire warship felt like passengers experiencing an abrupt brake. Involuntarily, they were thrown forward, and many unlucky individuals rolled on the ground, banging their heads and causing bloodshed!

Following that, the battleship "Resolution" emitted a teeth-gritting cracking sound. Both ends began to slowly tilt, and after five minutes, this giant ship with a displacement exceeding thirty thousand tons split into two.

Admiral Somerville, standing on the bridge of HMS Hood, witnessed the enormous water column raised by the side of the battleship "Resolution" not far ahead, accompanied by the dazzling explosion of steel plates splashing in all directions.

A terrifying speculation flashed through Admiral Somerville's mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Accompanied by the explosion underfoot, his whole person was thrown out and slammed violently against the wall. He seemed to hear the sound of his skull cracking, and everything turned blood red before his eyes.

The deafening explosion even reached the "Dunkerque" aboard.

Listening to the consecutive loud noises, Admiral Gensoul looked at Hoffman with an incredulous expression. "How did you find out?" This kind of surprise attack plan should be top-secret, and probably only a handful of people in the British high command were aware of it. However, the Germans not only knew about it but also set up an ambush, waiting for the British fleet to walk right into it.

Such terrifying intelligence capabilities!

Hoffman glanced at Colonel Holland, who had a pale face and was trembling all over with the same look of puzzlement. Hoffman smiled and said, "Maybe Prime Minister Churchill called His Highness to report?" With his rank and status, it was impossible for him to know the secrets involved, and he dared not inquire.

Admiral Gensoul sarcastically commented, "Then His Highness should give Churchill a knighthood."

Shortly after, the adjutant came in to report, "Admiral, the seaplane reports that only five destroyers from the British fleet remain there for the rescue of the survivors. There are too many people in the water, and they are afraid they'll be busy for several hours."

Holland, rolling his eyes, directly fainted.

Admiral Gensoul nodded silently. It made sense. Since they had the complete plan of the British, anyone wouldn't easily let go of such a juicy opportunity. "How long until we can start?"

The adjutant replied, "It will take another ten minutes to start at low speed."

Admiral Gensoul stood up, disdainfully looked at the fainted Colonel Holland, and signaled to have him carried away. "Then weigh anchor. Let's go out and take a look."

Ten minutes later, the "Dunkerque" and other ships sailed out of the harbor at a slow pace, heading towards the "British fleet."

Admiral Gensoul, who arrived on the bridge, pointed to the distance and gave orders. "Order them to surrender immediately or open fire to sink them!"

Standing beside him, Hoffman looked through binoculars towards the distant sea, vaguely seeing a densely packed crowd floating on the water's surface. However, he knew that these people were already relatively few. If the personnel from two battleships, one battlecruiser, one aircraft carrier, two cruisers, and six destroyers had safely evacuated, there would be nearly ten thousand crew members on the sea. However, now there were at most three or four thousand people bobbing on the water. It seemed that the remaining crew had followed the warships to the seabed.

"Tsk, it's really miserable. I warned you to surrender early, but you didn't listen. This is what they call 'to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it,' right?" Speaking, he saw the white flags raised successively on the five destroyers in the distance.

Perhaps they could rely on the high speed of destroyers to escape, but once they left, it meant abandoning those compatriots in the water. If the French got angry and refused to rescue, so many people would end up as fish food. Therefore, they had to surrender and send a report requesting humanitarian assistance from the French Navy for the survivors.

After hearing the telegraph content, General Letts continued to give orders. "Alright, now that they have surrendered, let's go and rescue the people."

Hoffman shook his head. "Uncle, how can we trust these unscrupulous villains? What if they launch torpedoes when we approach?" In two days, this battleship under his feet would belong to the German Navy, and he didn't want any trouble to occur at this point. He needed to be extremely cautious.

Admiral Gensoul also thought he made sense. "Then bring a squad of soldiers from the shore. Let them board and control them."

After thinking about it, Hoffman also found this method to be safe.

Soldiers were brought in from the shore, and only after they boarded and controlled the British destroyers did the French fleet approach to start rescuing people.