Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 78 If you want to escape, this is the only place; there are no other options.
"Commander Lelouch! You're amazing! How did you know that enemy ships would come tonight to try and sneak away the defeated soldiers in the dark?"

As the distant Burmese cruiser was blasted into a fireball and sent flying into the sky, Major Model, who was in charge of the defense, and Major William Keitel, who had just arrived that evening, were both amazed in the command post of Ronan Battery.

"It's very simple. Try to figure out the mindset and style of the naval minister on the other side, and combine that with the aerial reconnaissance of the nearby waters before dark, and the nighttime reconnaissance of torpedo boats in the direction of Ostend. If you combine all of these, it's not difficult to find out that the enemy sent a ship to secretly pick up the VIP."

"But you lot, you've only been handling the new cannons for half a day, and you can already use them. You truly are the elite of the Imperial artillery."

Lelouch, without any attempt at concealment, casually shared his judgment and decision-making process with his comrades.

They even took the opportunity to flatter each other and make progress together. Keitel and the others were even more impressed.

William Keitel and Loeb, the two majors and artillery battalion commanders, have been working with the assault battalion ever since Lelouch suggested establishing it, and are responsible for responding to the assault battalion's calls for artillery support.

However, artillery rarely achieves outstanding results. Even with artillery command skills as superb as Keitel's, the only time he managed to counter several of the Burgh's 9.2-inch super-heavy howitzer positions and help Rundstedt's assault battalion capture Hill 155, the main peak of Mount Kemmer, was during the fierce battle on a snowy night in the Kemmer Mountains, thanks to Lelouch's invention of the hyperbolic sound-locating method.

But those achievements weren't enough to get him promoted directly from major to lieutenant colonel. Keitel is now roughly stuck at the last hurdle before promotion.

Fortunately, Lelouch never mistreats his old comrades.

So after breaking through Dunkirk city and joining forces with the airborne troops at the coastal fortress yesterday evening, Lelouch immediately requested to borrow the manpower of the two cannon battalions, Keitel and Leb, with whom he had a good working relationship.

No need to bring cannons, just bring the best artillerymen.

During World War I, it was not easy for artillerymen from various countries to master the use of captured enemy artillery. Many poorly trained artillerymen, even with instruction manuals but without systematic training, might need one or two weeks to figure out how to fire accurately.

However, if someone provides training, or if the artillerymen themselves are highly skilled and are elite troops, then this adaptation time can be significantly shortened.

Lelouch was well aware of the difficulty, so he could only do his best to coordinate, sending the most elite artillery from the rear to take over these forts. At the same time, he instructed the French artillery that had remained to cooperate as much as possible, fighting together and passing on their skills.

Of course, during this process, more and more French troops resisted. They had only been forced by Rommel and Modely this morning to act expediently in order to prevent their own ships in the port from being sunk one by one by the Demanians.

If these people are made to continue fighting for the enemy, they will surely all quit.

Lelouch could only try to take advantage of human nature by giving the artillerymen who had already surrendered real benefits, such as giving them a lot of gold marks and gold coins as rewards for their collaborators. At the same time, he brainwashed them, instilling in them the historical hatred of Buffalo, saying how much of a troublemaker the Britannians were, and hoping that the countries on the continent would kill each other.

(Note: One gold mark coin has a face value of 20 marks, but the face value is not the key point. The key point is that it is made of gold, so it can be melted down in other countries and accepted.)
These arguments may not be effective, but they do offer a way out for the greedy. In the end, a considerable number of artillerymen, with the mentality of "we've already done it, so what's one more time? It's just bombing the Burkina Faso people anyway," reluctantly complied.

That's why Keitel and Loeb led their artillerymen in an emergency drill with the Frankish sailors until midnight.

Unexpectedly, Keitel proved himself worthy. After only a short period of training, he managed to hit the light cruiser nearly 20 kilometers away in actual combat by focusing fire from five 240mm guns in multiple rounds.

Even considering the high accuracy and comprehensive firing tables of coastal defense artillery, this achievement is still very difficult to attain.

The entire artillery battalion was thrilled to see that following Commander Lelouch could bring them merit. They were all working like madmen, diligently memorizing firing tables and studying ballistic parameters, just waiting to pull off a few more big feats.

In subsequent battles, the infantry had few opportunities to distinguish themselves, which were the good chances for the artillery to make their mark.

……

Recovering from the joy of sinking the enemy's smuggling cruiser, Lelouch dared not slacken his efforts and immediately instructed Keitel and the others:

"Tonight was just an appetizer. Knowing Minister Wharton's temperament, tomorrow daytime and even tomorrow night will be the real main event. My ruthless actions just now were not merely to sink one or two cruisers, but also to provoke the enemy and tell them an undeniable fact:"

Unless the Dunkirk port fortifications are completely destroyed, unless they step over our corpses, we are determined to blockade the entire coastal area spanning dozens of kilometers! Not a single enemy dog ​​will be able to swim out of the encirclement!

They've suffered heavy losses from their probing attacks and are probably hesitant to act rashly for now. But once the enemy has amassed a sufficiently powerful fleet and can overwhelm us with overwhelming force, they will show no mercy.

You must quickly master the use of the new cannons, but don't neglect your rest, lest you be exhausted when the big battle comes. Half the artillerymen will sleep, and the other half will study how to operate the cannons; as long as there's no actual combat, they'll take turns on guard duty like this. Oh, and while you're at it, you can also fire a few shots from time to time towards the docks of Depane and Neoport, to practice your skills and urge the enemy on.”

The fortress has both firepower and defense, but its only drawback is that it lacks mobility and range. If the enemy avoids it, you're helpless.

But Lelouch's provocation conveniently compensated for his lack of legs, achieving the effect of "defending where the enemy must attack." I cannot walk towards the enemy, so I must force the enemy to charge at me and crash headfirst into me, dying right here.

"Don't worry! Even if the Britannians send their main fleet, we'll definitely teach them a lesson!" Major Keitel thumped his chest loudly.

As expected, nothing else happened during the rest of the night, and the fortress garrison was able to take turns resting.

Only the fortress cannons would fire a volley of flares and two or three rounds of artillery fire every two hours at the dock areas of Depane and Neoport, preventing the enemy lurking near those two towns from getting a good night's sleep.

The soldiers in the town probably didn't dare sleep in their houses in the core area, for fear of becoming targets of concentrated fire. They only dared to camp or even sleep outdoors. The weather was still cold even in mid-February, and the soldiers were all suffering from the cold.

It wasn't until around 5:30 a.m. on the 18th that a group of Edward VII-class pre-dreadnoughts from the Britannia Strait Fleet came to probe and attack, about 20 kilometers northwest of Dunkirk.

……

Because the fleet was approaching Dunkirk slowly in the dark, and because it was coming from the open sea, the coastal fortress was unable to detect the enemy attack before dawn.

Rear Admiral Horace Hood, commander of the Channel Fleet, sat atop his flagship, the Britannia, holding binoculars and gazing anxiously towards the southern port of Dunkirk.

"How far is it from Dunkirk?" He put down his binoculars and checked one last time.

"It should be around 20 kilometers." The surveyor estimated a figure based on the predicted navigation trajectory on the nautical chart. Since there was no precise navigation at night, this was the best they could do.

Rear Admiral Hu De pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Close another five kilometers, but have the fleet turn around to face the port from the flanks and rear, ready to create distance at any time! Make sure all ships are lined up to meet the enemy, and that both first-level main gun turrets and three second-level main guns have their firing arcs!"

The King Edward VII-class battleships were among the most advanced in the pre-dreadnought era.

Further along, the pre-dreadnoughts were often equipped with only two twin-mounted main guns, totaling four guns, resulting in a relatively low firepower density.

而“爱德华七世级”及其改型“纳尔逊级”，都是2座双联装305毫米一级主炮、加上4座单管240毫米二级主炮，一共有8根大口径管子。

However, the secondary main guns are mounted on the four corners of the side armored bunkers, which means that the secondary main guns cannot fire at the same side at the same time.

Therefore, at most, it is possible to fire all four primary main guns and three secondary main guns simultaneously when the hull is positioned at a specific angle, but the last gun will definitely waste firepower.

Rear Admiral Horace Hood's decision to have the fleet approach first, then maneuver and angle its tail to create a dragging maneuver, was clearly deliberate.

On the one hand, this maximizes firepower; on the other hand, it allows for easy relocation and also enables the probing of the enemy's artillery range.

His superior, First Lord of the Navy Walton, urgently obtained the Frankish technical data for him last night.

Originally, this information was kept absolutely secret by the Frankish Navy, even from its allies, because it involved a major weakness of the Frankish Navy—the 340mm main guns used by the Brittany-class battleships and even the halted Normandy-class battleships had a maximum elevation angle of only 12 degrees! Their maximum range was thus limited to a mere 15 kilometers!

One important consideration in the Franks' original design was that "with the fire control technology at the time, engagements at distances exceeding 15 kilometers were completely unsuccessful and a pure waste of ammunition."

By limiting the maximum elevation angle of the turret, the height or "thickness" of the turret can be reduced, thereby reducing the frontal area exposed to shells, saving armor, lowering the center of gravity, and so on. In short, it can bring many other benefits.

This is precisely why the Franks were able to fit so many 340mm heavy guns into such a small-tonnage ship.

However, the Franks kept this a closely guarded secret until the end of World War I. Because the Frankish dreadnoughts had little opportunity for actual combat, neither their enemies nor allies were aware of this fatal flaw. Their ships could only serve as a "presence of fleet deterrence," allowing them to maintain a facade of strength.

By 1915 onwards, fire control technology and shelling accuracy had improved, resulting in numerous hit records at engagement distances exceeding 15 kilometers. If this crucial secret were to fall into the hands of the Demagnesians, the Frankish battle fleet's deterrent power would be completely shattered!

If the enemy knows you can only shoot at 15,000 kilometers, then as long as you stay outside that distance, they can find a high-speed battlecruiser to kite you and kill you without taking any damage!

All three Courbet-class and three Brittany-class destroyers were built in vain!

But the situation is different now, because the German army has captured the Dunkirk fortress, which uses the same main gun turrets as the Normandy-class/Brittany-class battleships. The French army must share its "major technical defects in the main gun turrets of its battleships" with its ally, the Brittany army, so that its ally can specifically counter its guns.

The Frankish Navy's true colors were laid bare after this war. Although their dreadnoughts were still standing, their deterrent power was gone.

To be alive is as good as dead. And when the Demacian high command confirms this, Lelouch and his companions' achievements will skyrocket, because through this physical acquisition, they have crippled the entire Frankish Dreadnought Fleet's deterrent power. The significance of this cannot be overstated.

Horace Hood thoroughly analyzed the enemy's weaknesses before deciding to test how far the French 340mm main gun, after being converted into a coastal defense gun, could actually fire.
Even with the same type of barrel, the elevation limits would likely differ after converting naval guns to shore-based artillery. However, due to the rushed construction of the Dunkirk fortress, the Franks currently lack detailed technical data to prove how much the range of these naval-grade giant guns increased after being converted to shore-based systems.

However, considering its base value of 15 kilometers, Hu De felt that even if it was increased, it wouldn't be by much—20 kilometers is definitely possible, as the light cruiser had already risked its life to test it last night, but what about any further?
Hood knew that his greatest asset was the two new Queen Elizabeth-class battleships under General Beatty's command, whose 380mm guns had a theoretical maximum range of 31 kilometers!

If the enemy's 340mm guns have a range of less than 30km, then the Royal Navy still has a chance to use the Queen Elizabeth-class destroyers to achieve a one-on-one kill from beyond their maximum range! Even if the accuracy is extremely low, it's just hitting a stationary target anyway, so they can slowly adjust the firing.

The thicker the tube, the longer the range—that's the bottom line! Theoretically, a 380mm can easily outperform a 340mm!
However, Britannia currently only has two Queen Elizabeth-class destroyers built and hastily commissioned. The Empire cannot directly test this only hope, so it can only test the waters with the lives of Rear Admiral Hood's group of outdated ships.

……

"General, we have approached to within about 15 kilometers of the coast, and all ships have adjusted their angles and formations. Please give further instructions!"

It was past 6 a.m., and dawn was finally breaking. His subordinates reported the latest situation to Hood, who glanced at his watch and finally gave the order:
"Full fleet, prepare to engage as quickly as possible once visibility permits!"

After giving the order, he reassured everyone, "Don't be afraid! We still have the advantage of striking first! The enemy's fortress is on a hillside tens of meters above sea level, while we are on the sea! The higher the altitude, the earlier the sunrise shines on us! So we can fire fiercely for 5 minutes ahead of time, even though the enemy can't see us and we can see them first!"

These three to five minutes aren't actually that significant, but Hu De even calculated this much, including the time difference in sunrise exposure at different altitudes.
This level of professionalism was enough to give the sailors confidence that their commander was not a reckless person and that everything was meticulously planned.

"Boom boom boom!"

A barrage of 305mm and 240mm shells soared into the air in the hazy dawn, heading towards the Maroleban fortress batteries.

The Ronan Battery on the south side of the port was not subjected to concentrated enemy fire because it was 4 kilometers further away from the enemy than the Malolaban Battery. The shells from these pre-dreadnoughts could not reach the batteries on the south side of the port, so they focused their fire on the batteries on the north side of the port.

Seven Edward VII-class pre-dreadnought battleships, with 28 305mm guns and 21 240mm guns, roared in unison, creating a scene that shook the heavens and the earth.

Since its construction, Dunkirk has probably never been attacked by such a massive barrage of bullets. The hill where the Malorleban Fortress is located was quickly shrouded in thick smoke from the explosions.

Unfortunately, the mountain was definitely hit, but none of the fortress turrets were hit. The Burmese warships slowly dragged their weapons away to create distance, allowing for fine-tuning and resuming fire.

Their 240mm secondary main guns could no longer fire beyond 17 kilometers, exceeding their maximum range. Their older 305mm main guns could only reach 19 kilometers. They had to cherish every opportunity to fire during the dragging maneuver.

……

"Sir! The enemy is shelling heavily! At least five pre-dreadnoughts!"

Inside the fortress, the Demacian artillery was also in disarray. Due to the difference in altitude, they were already illuminated by the morning sun, but the sea was not yet lit, and even the enemy could not spot them.

"Don't panic! The enemy won't hit us so easily! Our target is small! They're just blasting the mountain!" The artillery officers, including Loeb, who was in charge of the Marlolebans fort, also tried their best to control their subordinates and ensure that everyone organized a counterattack.

The Demacian artillerymen quickly regained their composure with unwavering resolve, and each gun crew took their firing positions and began to return fire.

Ultimately, thanks to the high accuracy of the shore artillery and its mature firing tables, even though the enemy had five minutes to observe and fire first, the Demacian artillery still achieved a first-strike hit.

A total of five 240mm rapid-fire guns, due to their more concealed positions and faster reaction speed, were firing wildly at enemy ships 15 kilometers away at a rate of four rounds per minute – yes, their rate of fire could be described as “sweeping”.

This caliber of gun might not be fatal to dreadnoughts, but it still posed a considerable threat to pre-dreadnoughts.

The two warships, the "Federal" and the "New Zealand", were hit by multiple 240mm guns, and the high-trajectory bullets directly smashed through the deck.

The aft bridge watchtower of the "Federation" was completely destroyed, greatly reducing its rearward observation and aiming capabilities. Although not fatal in itself, the efficiency of its firepower output was greatly reduced, so it had to accelerate and increase the distance.

Even so, during the retreat, it was hit by three 240mm shells and one 340mm shell. The 340mm shell pierced the stern armor and exploded inside the hull, tearing open several watertight compartments and causing a large amount of water to enter the stern. The 240mm shells also destroyed everything on the aft deck, turning the ship into half a ship with only forward-facing firepower.

The fate of the HMAS New Zealand was even worse. During the concentrated fire, multiple 240mm shells hit the 240mm secondary gun turret base and surrounding area on its side and rear.

Originally, the main armor belt and ammunition magazine/main gun well armor belt of the Edward VII-class warships were capable of withstanding 240mm guns. However, the armor of the secondary main gun turrets and the temporary ammunition storage areas below them was not as thick. In particular, the secondary gun emplacements of this class of warships bulged outwards from the sides due to size issues.

Now, the fatal flaw of this design has finally been fully exposed – under continuous bombardment, the temporary ammunition storage compartment under one of the side secondary main gun turrets was blown up.

If it were another type of ship, even if the secondary gun emplacements were blown up, a few shells would detonate along with them, but it wouldn't be fatal.

However, even if only a dozen or eight 240mm shells detonate, their power is still astonishing.

The "New Zealand" was blown halfway off its side, with a large hole of 20 to 30 meters blasted open on its starboard side, and it completely lost its speed.

The 340mm heavy guns of the Maloreban battery then swiftly finished off the dead fish, sending it to the bottom of the sea.

The commanders of the other ships were all stunned. However, due to the short time available, they had no way to analyze the cause of death on the battlefield. They could only grit their teeth and continue to drag their swords to create distance while unleashing a fierce barrage of attacks.

Realizing that the 240mm guns were also a threat, the ships dared not be overconfident and began to freely fire their secondary main and secondary guns at the fortress positions on the hillside.

The 305mm primary guns of each ship were fixed on the 340mm armored turret at the top of the Marlolebans fort, which had the widest field of vision and a 360-degree rotating firing arc.

After all, the omnidirectional turret on the mountaintop is always the most conspicuous and the most likely to attract hatred.

After a fierce, hand-to-hand exchange of fire, Horacehud managed to achieve some results. Under sustained concentrated fire, 305mm shells rained down on the hilltop.

The 340mm armored turret atop the mountain was bombarded with at least a hundred shells, a few of which finally hit directly. Even the most sturdy turret couldn't withstand such a relentless bombardment and was eventually destroyed.

Fortunately, the artillery crew, after being hit by two shots and losing the ability to rotate and pitch, withdrew under the pressure, taking with them more than a dozen comrades who were seriously injured by the shock.

But Horace Hood paid a far greater price.

During the ongoing exchange of fire, at least three more Edward VII-class destroyers were targeted by three 340mm turrets, each taking one or two hits and destroying a number of facilities.

Once the distance between the two sides increased to more than 19 kilometers, the Bu ships began to maneuver erratically and retreat at full speed, as they had exceeded the maximum range of their old 305mm main guns.

As the distance increased, the hit rate of the coastal defense batteries also decreased significantly. Finally, they continued shelling for another 10 minutes, firing more than 100 340mm shells, until the enemy moved more than 25 kilometers away, which was considered beyond the maximum range, and they had to stop.

The final 100-plus shells were mainly aimed at the slowing "Federation," managing to prevent it from escaping. However, the crew managed to scatter in their lifeboats and were mostly rescued by auxiliary vessels.

"I never imagined the 'King Edward VII' class had such a serious design flaw. Judging from the way those two ships sank, it seems even the armor of the secondary main guns couldn't withstand it. The designers must have been out of their minds! Putting the secondary main gun turrets on the side of the ship! Thank goodness this kind of garbage won't be produced again! It really caused a lot of trouble for the soldiers!"

After the battle, Major General Horace Hood finally came to his senses and roughly deduced the circumstances of the sinking of the two warships.

You never know until you fight. Once war breaks out, a whole bunch of designs that seemed great in peacetime all turn out to have problems during wartime!

Originally, the intention was just to test the waters and figure out that even if a few ships were damaged, they could still withdraw. However, due to these unexpected events and underestimating the enemy, they ended up losing two pre-dreadnoughts!
Two ships were sunk and three were lightly damaged, but the enemy's best armored turret on the hilltop was destroyed, and all five remaining 240mm guns and a bunch of 140mm guns at the Maroleban battery were wiped out. No matter how you look at it, this result is a huge loss.

We cannot take any more risks. We must gather all our forces, find the most opportune moment, and wipe out all the enemies in one fell swoop!
Fortunately, this battle also yielded one important gain—Rear Admiral Hood sacrificed his warship to test that the Franks' 340mm guns, when mounted on shore-based fortresses, had their maximum range increased from 15 kilometers to 25 kilometers!

The Franks are still inferior!
Their 340mm guns definitely have insufficient caliber and low chamber pressure, so even with the elevation restrictions lifted, they can only fire up to 25 kilometers.

In that case, the Queen Elizabeth-class destroyer, with a maximum range of 31 kilometers, has a chance to deal damage for free!

Especially since the enemy's Maroleban and Ronan batteries are 4 kilometers apart, as long as the fleet maintains its distance, those batteries can be destroyed one by one! First, concentrate fire on one of them at a longer range and completely eliminate it before moving on to the next one.

-

P.S.: I update twice a day. Just to clarify, once I'm done, don't wait, come back the next morning.

However, my two daily updates may increase the word count.

(End of this chapter)