Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 18: Let Immelmann fly us to Port Wilhelm
Completely convinced by Lelouch's plan, Major General Karl knew time was of the essence, so he didn't ask for further details and instead ordered a reconnaissance plane to be dispatched.

The plan is to first send Lelouch to the army headquarters so he can meet with his elder brother, Duke Rupprecht, and try to get the Duke's personal secret letter backing him, and also to file a record of his case.

Then I will fly to Wilhelmshaven to meet with Rear Admiral Hipper to discuss the specific operational plan and intelligence verification plan.

After all, the Britannians wouldn't be idle either. First Lord of the Admiral Walton, who suffered a great loss and lost face, might be planning to get revenge now.

Given the Bretonnia's efficiency in decision-making, they might be able to make an attack decision and adjust the fleet's deployment very quickly.

Moreover, Dover, the home port of the Britannia Strait Fleet, is only 150 kilometers away from Neoport and Ostend.

The Demandian Navy's journey from Wilhelmshaven, involving a slight detour to avoid detection off the coast of the Netherlands, is 500 kilometers.

If converted to nautical miles, both numbers need to be divided by 1.8.

The old-fashioned fleet, with a top speed of 20 knots, could travel from Dover to Neoport in just 5 hours.

A high-speed battlecruiser fleet with a top speed of 26 knots would take at least 12 hours to reach the battlefield from Wilhelmshaven.

Of course, fleets rarely maintain high speed throughout the entire journey, and even after arriving at the war zone, they do not simply engage and disembark; they remain on the battlefield for a considerable period of time.

The Britannians, in particular, were very confident in their naval intelligence gathering capabilities and their overall troop strength. They were generally not worried about being ambushed by the Demacians, so once their fleet arrived on the battlefield, they were often willing to fight a protracted war.

But no matter how you look at it, the Demacian Navy's decision-making efficiency should be as fast as possible, so that they have a greater chance of seizing the opportunity. They absolutely cannot afford to be hesitant or indecisive.

……

Late at night, Major General Karl had just finished writing two handwritten letters and affixed his seal.

He then had his personal car speed to take Lelouch to the airport, and also arranged for a reconnaissance pilot with absolutely reliable skills to be on standby.

Wear more layers on the way, and try to take a nap on the plane if you can. You probably won't have time to sleep tonight, but luckily young people have a lot of energy.

When handing the items to Lelouch, Major General Karl specially arranged for him a thick lieutenant's winter uniform and a reindeer-skin military overcoat.

Lelouch didn't stand on ceremony and got into the car to wave goodbye.

As Lelouch got into the car, he could vaguely see the initials "BFW" engraved on the front of the division commander's car by the dim light at the division entrance.

Historically, this small, privately-owned startup in the Kingdom of Baria did not receive investment from the royal family until more than a year after the war began, when it was required to expand production and upgrade its facilities. At the same time, it was renamed "Baria Engine Manufacturing Plant," and the "F" in its initials was changed to "M."

"BFW in 1914 was indeed a small, makeshift factory, producing cars with such violent engine vibrations. Was Major General Karl doing this to 'support domestic products'?"

As Lelouch sat in the car, bouncing along, he thought with a touch of wicked amusement.

At least at this point in time, BFW's engine quality is still significantly inferior to Benz's engine, which has a history of over thirty years. But that's because BFW is a newly established company.

Benz Motors is located in Stuttgart, in the neighboring Duchy of Württemberg. Württemberg is also one of the four southern German states, and theoretically has a close relationship with the Kingdom of Baria, as they are all neighbors. However, when it comes to engine manufacturing, each of the empire's subordinate kingdoms prefers to support local brands.

Half an hour later, the car arrived at the airport. It was the first time Lelouch had ever seen a field airport of this era, and the environment was incredibly rudimentary.

It's just a dirt road, not even paved with cement or asphalt, yet it's considered an airport. Both sides are lined with dense grass, presumably to reduce windblown dust.

The wooden biplane was parked directly on the grass, with the three initials "BFW" painted on the engine cover.

Lelouch felt a little intimidated when he saw the sign.

In the early stages of World War I, aircraft engine development was still very unprofessional, with many aircraft engines being simply modified from car engines to be lightweight. The main approach was to replace the original steel structural components of the engine with aluminum as much as possible.

Fortunately, if the hardware is insufficient, the software can make up for it. Major General Karl also knew the quality of his aircraft, so he specially found a very reliable pilot for tonight's operation.

Lelouch jogged to the plane and saw a captain extend his hand to him in a friendly manner. Lelouch quickly returned the gesture.

The captain introduced himself: "Mark Immelmann—you must be Lieutenant Lelouch Hunter, right? Don't worry, I'll get you safely to Duke Rupprecht."

"So it's Captain Immelmann, I've heard so much about you." Lelouch shook hands politely with the other man before getting into the back seat of the reconnaissance plane.

Captain Immelmann went to the nose of the plane, inserted a crank into a small hole on the side of the engine cover, and cranked it a few times, just like those hand-cranked tractors from the 80s. The plane then slowly started, and Immelmann jumped into the cockpit, began the taxiing, and took off.

As the nose of the plane lifted and turned to face Antwerp, Immelmann fixed the rudder and then leisurely turned to chat with Lelouch: "Lieutenant, you just said you've heard so much about me. I wonder what you've heard so much about me?"

Lelouch: "Of course, I've long admired your daring flying style—I've heard you can do vertical rolls. Today's mission is simply to get me safely to safety, so please don't do any fancy or dangerous maneuvers."

The first maneuver in the history of human aerial combat to be named after a pilot was the Immelmann loop (also translated as the Immelmann roll).

Although this maneuver is considered very basic in later generations and can be done by any pilot, it involves pulling the aircraft up and inverting while simultaneously performing a half-turn to achieve a 180-degree vertical turn as quickly as possible.

However, by the end of 1914, this was still a unique skill exclusively belonging to Mark Immelmann.

Yinmaiman had initially thought Lelouch was just being hypocritical, but he hadn't expected the other to actually know what he was doing. Yinmaiman was quite pleased with himself and abandoned his teasing intentions.

"I didn't expect you to actually know about flying. Okay, I promise I won't scare you halfway through the flight."

As Yin Maiman spoke, his flying maneuvers became more stable, no longer showing off his skills.

However, the plane was still being tossed up and down by the turbulent airflow along the way, and Lelouch couldn't help but complain: "We should really equip all pilots with waist belts and strap them to their seats! That way they won't fall out so they can fight with more aggressive flight maneuvers in the future."

When Immelmann heard the first part of Lelouch's sentence, he wanted to refute it. He knew that airplanes didn't need seat belts, and even with G-forces, centrifugal force could hold the pilot firmly in the cockpit.

Having a seatbelt can actually hinder escape efficiency in the event of a plane crash or emergency landing, as it is not easy to unfasten it at any time.

However, Lelouch's second half of his sentence immediately changed Immelmann's opinion and dispelled his intention to refute it, instead arousing Immelmann's curiosity:
"You mean...fighting with airplanes? Carrying a pistol and shooting at each other? Isn't it a bit unchivalrous to directly kill the enemy pilot? But your idea is quite inspiring. If it's for combat, adding a seatbelt to prevent sliding around during violent maneuvers would be quite necessary."

Lelouch: "Who says that battles between planes have to be fought with pistols? Why not remove the back seat from a two-seat reconnaissance plane, use the payload for the second crew member to mount a fixed machine gun, and let the pilot directly operate the trigger to strafe the enemy planes in front of him?"
If you don't want to focus on shooting down the pilot, then just fire randomly. There's a high probability you'll hit the fuselage or wings, shoot down the enemy plane, and let the pilot glide to safety. That's chivalrous enough, isn't it?

Lelouch didn't intend to immediately intervene and change the development of aerial combat doctrine, mainly because his current rank and status were too low, and he lacked a voice. Even if he did reveal some things, the credit wouldn't go to him; it was better to proceed gradually.

I just happened to run into Captain Immelmann today, and I gave him a few pointers, which helped him to grasp the concepts more quickly. It was a good thing that we made a connection.

When Immelmann makes a name for herself in the future, she will naturally remember Lelouch's foresight and will come to him for advice.

Captain Immelmann did indeed fall into a brief moment of contemplation, but fortunately Lelouch reminded him to focus on flying the plane, so he didn't miss the stop.

……

After a flight of just over an hour, Immelmann, with his exceptional flying skills, successfully completed the nighttime landing, relying entirely on the lights on both sides of the runway for precise positioning.

As soon as Lelouch climbed out of the cabin, he saw several high-ranking officers in fine clothes standing next to the tarmac.

The leader, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties, had a buzz cut, a thick mustache, prominent brow bones, deep-set eyes, and a square face.
He was dressed in a general's uniform, with a fox fur robe over it, embroidered with the double lion crown emblem of the Wittelsbach dynasty.

Clearly, this man was Major General Karl's elder brother, the commander of the 6th Army, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Balia, and Duke Rupprecht.

Lelouch quickly stepped forward and saluted: "Lieutenant Lelouch Hunt, platoon leader of the communications battalion directly under the army group, reporting to His Highness the Commander."

The Duke merely nodded slightly, glancing at him up and down a few times. Lelouch's injured, reddened left eye also left a deep impression on him, making him instinctively assume that the other was a loyal and righteous man.

So the Duke didn't press him further: "Karl just told me repeatedly in the telegram that he has discovered a prodigy who, if used properly, could make a huge contribution to the Empire. But he didn't go into too much detail, and said that he could learn more about him in the future. I believe there must be a reason why he values ​​you so much, and I am somewhat aware of your previous foresight."

This is a handwritten letter from me to Major General Hipper, in which I instruct him to assist you as much as possible, without violating his military duties. Time is short, and I don't want to miss any crucial opportunities. You can take this letter if you answer just one question.”

The Duke's attitude was clearly one of focusing on the big picture and letting go of the small details. Given the limited time today, he believed that Karl had already passed the test on the specific issues.

The Duke only wanted to ask Lelouch a crucial question himself, and if Lelouch could give a satisfactory answer, the matter could be settled.

Lelouch knew this was inevitable. Just like how, even if an ancient emperor didn't understand literature, after the provincial examination, he would still have to go through the formality of the palace examination and be asked a question.

"Please ask away, Your Highness." Lelouch stood at attention, his expression still calm and composed.

(End of this chapter)