It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 241 | Glory

After taking care of everything, Mr. Shang made his escape.

They pointed out the problem and proposed solutions, but for specific implementation, we should seek help from someone more capable.

It can be said that the abundant national strength of the Great Unified Federation has brought about a surplus of resources, which is unfathomable. Coupled with its long-term planning over the past two or three years, it is almost impeccable.
This made Mr. Shang feel calm and unhurried. He did have a sense of crisis, but not much.

As for the past adventures and Demeter's terrible prophecy, perhaps they were just illusions, or perhaps they have been easily resolved by my own series of interventions.

Shang Ke thought about it for a whole day and night, but couldn't find any major flaws. He couldn't guarantee a sure victory, but he was certain of being invincible.

So when he returned to Suzhou, he found himself with nothing to do.

The training of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division is no longer a concern; it is very close to achieving full combat capability.

The development of dozens of other items, including main battle tanks, self-propelled artillery, turbojet engines, active infrared night vision devices, shaped charge armor-piercing projectiles, and medium-hardness homogeneous armor steel, is also proceeding simultaneously.

It seems there's really nothing to do? That's far too easy.

Shang Ke realized that this was the most relaxed and wonderful time he had ever had since he transmigrated.

Although I had a comfortable time in Hungary, it was not my homeland and I didn't feel as close to it as I do now.

"Wow, I really played a good game! You reap what you sow, and it's time to enjoy life. Why can't I become a winner in life like Driver Luo and General Mai?"

Now that he has some free time, he suddenly remembered what Zhang Anyuan had mentioned a few days ago.

Before, I had important things to do and couldn't muster the interest, but things are different now.

Why is it that a popular actress is in trouble and needs help? Why is it that things in the entertainment industry are always so terrible, no matter what life or death it is?
I'm determined to find out! Let me see!

While Mr. Shang had such leisure time to indulge in pleasure, the scene on the other side of the ocean was completely different.

August of 1940 was a bolt from the blue for the United States of America; to use a more localized prophecy, it was as if they had been struck by a tornado.

By the end of the month, the Red War plan had essentially ended in failure.

Although the American army captured Vancouver on the western front and the Niagara Falls hydroelectric power station on the central front, it made little progress on the most crucial eastern front, failing to capture Halifax and Montreal, and thus unable to stop the United Kingdom from sending troops to the Americas.

In response, the American army had no choice but to temporarily withdraw and begin establishing a defensive line.

At the same time, the Army Air Forces launched a large-scale attack, sparing no effort to bomb port facilities in Quebec and Halifax, in order to hinder the enemy's maritime transport to the greatest extent possible.

The Atlantic Fleet's 'positions' have also changed. Only a few auxiliary ships remain in Portland, while the main force of the Atlantic Fleet has moved to the two naval bases of Newport News and Norfolk.

The Pacific Fleet, half a world away, is already preparing to set sail. Until they arrive, the Atlantic Fleet can only hide in port; launching an attack would be tantamount to suicide.

In order not to appear too cowardly, the Atlantic Fleet also dispatched its submarine force to take the initiative and attempt to carry out commerce raiding missions.

However, such an attack was suicidal. In just six days, three submarines were sunk, but the only result was a cargo ship.

US submariners discovered an absurd situation during actual combat – why wasn't the torpedo exploding?
On August 8, the submarine HMS Mackerel (SS-199) seized a favorable ambush position and risked firing two salvos of Mk14 heavy torpedoes at the Royal Navy escort convoy. The captain clearly observed the splashes that arose when the torpedoes hit the hull, and the sonar operator also heard several clear impacts. However, incredibly, none of the torpedoes detonated.

The Mk14 533mm torpedoes used by the American Navy cost a whopping $1, an exorbitant price—enough to buy ten brand-new cars. Most cars on the market today cost around $800, with even the more expensive ones barely exceeding $1000. These torpedoes suffer from extremely serious reliability problems; they are almost impossible to detonate when hit at the correct angle, but have a certain probability of detonation when hit at the wrong angle.

The most extreme case in the history of the Pacific War in the original plane was when the US submarine USS Blackfin launched fifteen torpedoes at the Japanese cargo ship Southeast Maru one after another. Although the hits were observed, none of them exploded.

In short, the consequences of neglecting military preparedness are varied, and sooner or later, people will suffer the consequences of their own actions.

These substandard torpedoes rendered the American Navy's submarine force virtually useless.

Furthermore, the submarines currently in service with the Atlantic Fleet are outdated, with half of them being S-class submarines, which are about twenty years old and have a maximum diving depth of only 200 feet (61 meters), essentially a legacy of their predecessors.

Inferior torpedoes paired with outdated submarines... Why is everything so bad in America?

The British showed no mercy to the Americans, beating them with the ruthlessness of a father beating his son, relentlessly pursuing and killing any submarine they caught.

The last day of early August.

Renton.

"...The Americans are still in the port, and there is no sign of them moving out. They are obviously waiting for the Pacific Fleet to come to their aid, Your Excellency. That is the situation."

"I understand. What is Admiral Pound's opinion?"

"Your Excellency believes that maintaining the current stalemate is acceptable."

“I don’t think so,” Andrew Cunningham said calmly, looking at the map. “We should find a way to deal with a portion of the Atlantic Fleet.”

The American Navy has always been a threat.

Although the Royal Navy was confident it could destroy the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets even if they were combined, it would inevitably suffer considerable losses itself.

Given the need to deter or counter the unified federal defense navy in the future, the Royal Navy cannot accept massive losses.

Dudley Pound has been unwell these past few days and is temporarily unable to assume the role of commander of the strike fleet due to health reasons, so this heavy responsibility has fallen on Andrew Cunningham's shoulders.

Time was of the essence, so Cunningham immediately flew to Portsmouth and boarded the HMS Illustrious, an armored aircraft carrier that had only recently entered service, to travel to Canada.

The battleships of the Atlantic Fleet were all old ships, such as the USS New York, which was even a product of thirty years ago and was hardly of any use.

Knowing that its strength was inferior to others, the Atlantic Fleet always followed the guiding principles of the Red War Plan, keeping its doors closed, raising the white flag of truce, and hiding in Newport News and Norfolk, refusing to launch an attack.

Cunningham stood on the outer platform of the bridge of the HMS Illustrious, gazing at the horizon and contemplating tactics.

A salty sea breeze swept over us as the massive armored aircraft carrier cleaved through the waves, heading towards the other side of the Atlantic.

As evening fell, the red glow of the setting sun shone on the windshield of the HMS Glorious's bridge, a scene befitting its name.

Cunningham summoned Captain Ramsey Lister and asked, "Can the Illustrious withstand an attack by a 500-pound aerial bomb?"

(End of this chapter)