Chapter 77: Royal Navy Delivered To The Doorstep
Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.
The timeline rewinds to that morning.
Across the Strait, at the London Admiralty on Downing Street.
Minister Walton, who had been having a rough time lately and had only just settled down, was originally thinking about what to have for lunch when his thoughts were interrupted by a shrill telephone ring.
“Your Excellency the Minister, the 6 warships of the Channel Fleet’s fire support detachment were all sunk by the German Army in Dunkirk Port at around 7 a.m. this morning. Major General Lynch has also perished in the line of duty…”
Click.
Minister Walton’s hand trembled as he held the receiver, and the phone fell onto the desk with a heavy thud.
“This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
“Your Excellency, the enemy used an unprecedented tactic. They air-dropped over a thousand elite soldiers using airships, and the pilots parachuted directly onto the coastal defense batteries above Dunkirk Port.
Those forts only have the capability for plunging fire and cannot elevate to engage overhead targets. They were completely helpless against enemies suddenly appearing above them! After the Germanians seized control of the forts, they immediately turned the muzzles toward our warships in the port and launched a despicable and vicious sneak attack.
Major General Lynch fought valiantly without surrender, ultimately destroying one twin 340 mm armored turret, several 240 mm guns, and over ten 140 mm coastal defense guns belonging to the enemy. But in the end, surrounded on all sides, he perished heroically…”
Losing 6 warships just to destroy one armored turret and a few turretless scattered coastal defense guns—is this the kind of battle result they dare to report?
But what other choice was there? It was still better than outright saying all the warships died for nothing.
Minister Walton felt dizzy for a good while before he finally steadied his mind.
His brain immediately began intense thinking, and soon he figured out the key issues for the follow-up.
“The most important thing now is whether the garrison in Dunkirk City can quickly counterattack and retake the coastal defense fortress and port at all costs! As long as they can retake them, everything can still be saved!
Connect me to the Army Ministry right away. Have Your Excellency Kitchener persuade Marshal French to prepare for withdrawal immediately! No more fighting a war of attrition with the enemy at Ypres! Otherwise, without a good port later, they won’t be able to withdraw even if they want to!”
Walton’s secretary quickly connected the call to the Army Ministry. Walton and Kitchener had an in-depth discussion, learning that Kitchener’s thinking was similar. Faced with such a sudden change, the troops indeed needed to contract toward the coast and find a way to withdraw as soon as possible.
At this point, whether the Belgians would be completely conquered, whether it would embolden the Germanian arrogance, or whether it would harm the international image and affect the prestige of the great British Empire—all were secondary issues!
If the Expeditionary Force got encircled and annihilated like dumplings, that would be the biggest embarrassment! The Empire’s prestige would be trampled into the dirt!
Since the remaining tasks were all for the Army Ministry, and Walton couldn’t intervene, he could only wait anxiously. All afternoon, his mind was filled with wild thoughts and ominous premonitions that left him breathless.
Finally, at dusk, he received another piece of bad news, along with a relatively good message that could barely count as closing the stable door after the horse was stolen.
“Your Excellency the Minister, Your Excellency Kitchener from the Army Ministry has replied: Marshal French has reached an agreement with him and is arranging for the troops to contract their defensive zones and withdraw stepwise toward the coast…
However, Dunkirk City Area has been breached by the enemy. We failed to retake the coastal defense fortress and port area. Instead, the enemy’s siege reinforcement troops have linked up with the airborne troops that seized the port…
The remnants of the 29th Division and Indian 13th Division are besieged by the enemy in the northwest urban area of Dunkirk City. The remnants of the ANZAC Corps have crossed the Franco-Belgian border river eastward into Belgian territory.”
When Minister Walton heard this additional news, he realized the situation was hopeless.
What to do now? Let the 150,000 men in the encirclement wait to die? If not, since the Army couldn’t counterattack and retake the coastal defense fortress and port area on its own, did that mean the Navy had to spend another fortune to destroy those traitor forts?
Just thinking about possibly using precious warships to bombard those concrete lumps made Minister Walton’s heart bleed.
“No… After this huge blunder, the Franks should clean up their own mess with their own navy! They built such elaborate coastal defense fortresses at Dunkirk Port, only to hand them over to the enemy on a platter, who then turned the guns on their own people!
Even if we don’t make the Franks invest more later, at least for the 6 warships the Empire lost this time, they should compensate us! Have the Prime Minister instruct the Foreign Minister right away to press the Franks to compensate us for 6 pre-dreadnoughts! Or have them send 6 pre-dreadnoughts for bombardment duty as meat shields to share the enemy’s fire!”
Minister Walton was so angry that he involuntarily felt all these losses should be compensated by the Franks—and rightfully so!
But for now, it seemed too late. To rescue the Army and plug the huge hole the Army had made, the only option was to have the other ships of the Channel Fleet assemble as quickly as possible and immediately launch a counterattack.
Fleet activation, assembly, and sailing all take time. So the fastest would still require 24 hours to ensure a large fleet could be organized to reach the battlefield.
If only 12-18 hours, then only the ships from Dover Port could be guaranteed to reach the battlefield, easily turning it into piecemeal tactics.
Moreover, calculating the time, 12 hours later would be the morning of February 18th—a daytime attack, when the coastal defense guns’ spotting would be more accurate, potentially leading to even greater fleet losses.
If they could stretch it to a full 24 hours, a night bombardment tomorrow might have a better effect.
Walton was, after all, an old navy man. He knew that naval guns versus coastal defense guns was always a losing proposition,
but because naval guns were “moving against stationary,” as long as they aimed once, then calculated their own speed and course, they could repeatedly adjust the lead for each salvo as if firing at a fixed target, landing shells near the same spot.
In comparison, coastal defense guns had to determine the warship’s bearing angle from the muzzle flash and roughly estimate distance. But if the warship was maneuvering, and adjusted slightly every few salvos without letting the enemy discern the pattern, it could potentially dodge the coastal defense shells.
No matter what, night fighting could mitigate some of the disadvantages of ships against shore.
Considering these factors, Walton immediately called Admiral Hood of the Channel Fleet:
“I heard you and Lynch were close. With Lynch perishing at Dunkirk this time, you must find a way to make the enemy pay in blood!
Quickly draw up a plan. Tonight, or before dawn tomorrow at the latest, send a few high-speed warships to stealthily probe De Panne or Nieuwpoort for evacuation. See if a nighttime withdrawal is feasible. I’ll discuss with Kitchener and French to have them first evacuate some important figures from the encirclement.
If feasible, then during daytime tomorrow, don’t make any rash moves to alert the Germanias. Wait until night for large-scale evacuation.
But if tonight’s evacuation goes wrong, it means the Dunkirk coastal defense batteries must be neutralized. Tomorrow daytime, conduct a probing bombardment to gauge the enemy’s fire, but absolutely don’t overcommit! If the enemy fire is too fierce and any warship is damaged, withdraw immediately! Just exchange fire at maximum range!
If the enemy shore batteries prove fierce, then tomorrow night, assemble our entire available shore bombardment fleet, outnumber them, and hard chew down the Dunkirk Fortress! If possible, I’ll coordinate a few Frankish pre-dreadnoughts to join the bombardment—as a chance for the Franks to atone!”
“Yes, Minister! I’ll arrange according to orders! At that time, I will personally lead the Channel Fleet in coordinated operations with General Betty’s battlecruiser fleet!” Admiral Hood promised loudly over the phone, indicating absolute obedience to orders.
That evening, the fleet’s operational dispatch preparations were all completed, and the warships that were to depart did so one after another.
Prime Minister Asquith, persuaded by Naval Minister Walton, also had the Foreign Minister urgently negotiate with the Franks regarding the matter of “Frankish forts seized and then bombarding British ships in the port”—sternly condemning and pressuring them for this act of betraying allies.
Denouncing the Franks for being spineless traitors! There must have been French sailors assisting the enemy!
Frankish Prime Minister Viviani, faced with the allies’ fierce condemnation, could only first get a brief understanding of the situation before admitting fault. He promised to fully coordinate warships from Cherbourg Port to assist the British Channel Fleet in joint operations to atone.
（Note: Henceforth, Frankish leaders will be written as “Prime Minister.” Other countries with the same name will also be replaced accordingly to avoid conflicting with certain unusable proper nouns.）
Some might be surprised at how easily the Franks caved to pressure, but in fact, this was their standard operation at the time—
Those who have played Hearts of Iron 4 know that France starts World War II with a severe DEBUFF called “Disordered Government,” which halves political power gain speed in the game.
But a little research into Frankish history reveals this DEBUFF wasn’t just pre-World War II—it existed pre-World War I too.
From 1910 to early 1915, over five years, the Franks cycled through eight Prime Ministers!
At that frequency, no faction’s policy agenda could last a year before being overturned and redone.
Precisely because of such internal chaos, when faced with external allies bickering and maximum pressure, they all chose to have the military cooperate first, then slowly discuss procedural issues later.
Thus, ultimately, under the matchmaking of British Naval Minister Walton, three naval forces did set out more or less simultaneously, attempting revenge on Dunkirk Port.
These three naval forces were specifically as follows:
Admiral Horace Hood, leading the Channel Fleet, including all 6 Majestic-class pre-dreadnoughts, 7 King Edward VII-class pre-dreadnoughts, and supporting light auxiliary ships—”King Edward VII-class” originally had 8 in total, but the lead ship HMS King Edward VII was too old and under repair, unable to sortie. So a total of 13 pre-dreadnoughts.
Admiral David Beatty, leading the battlecruiser fleet, including 2 latest Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, 3 Invincible-class battlecruisers, 2 Indefatigable-class battlecruisers, 2 Lion-class battlecruisers, totaling 2 battleships and 7 battlecruisers.
The Royal Navy assembled a total of 22 large warships for this battle!
Even if Dunkirk Port’s defenses were impregnable, they couldn’t withstand such firepower!
Even if those few pre-dreadnoughts the Germanias had moved to the Belgian coast came to interfere, they could be sent to the bottom together!
What’s more, the Franks, moved by Britannia’s condemnation, reluctantly sent 4 obsolete 19th-century-built junk pre-dreadnoughts: Suffren, Bouvet, Masséna, and Jauréguiberry, just to make a show.
（Note: These 4 ships were all early experimental works of the Frankish Navy, so only one of each type was built, not forming a “class.”）
The Franks’ intent in sending this junk was obvious: to show sincerity in admitting fault, but they couldn’t spare more.
Anyway, at the time, the French Army had only 3 Danton-class dreadnoughts completed, with zero battlecruisers. The Franks certainly wouldn’t risk their precious high-end assets.
And other pre-dreadnoughts for shore bombardment were about equally effective. Old ships just had poorer fire control, but against fixed targets, there was no difference. Better ships were saved for ship-to-ship naval battles.
The British sending pre-dreadnoughts for shore bombardment was the same calculus. Wasting premium fire control on fixed targets was inefficient, and it hurt to take hits.
The massive fleet thus converged on Dunkirk Port from all directions.
…
While the main fleet slowly assembled, the Channel Fleet’s vanguard from Dover Port—3 high-speed modern light cruisers—had already reached the sea east of Dunkirk at midnight on February 17, and were about to dock at the temporary pier north of the coastal town of Nieuwpoort.
February 17, 1915, corresponded to the 4th day of the lunar month, so it was still a new moon night early in the month, with pitch-black seas. Nieuwpoort Town wasn’t a professional harbor, and many facilities were temporary. To avoid reefs or colliding with the pier, the cruisers had to turn on a few signal lights as they approached. The pier also needed some lights to guide the cruisers.
Their purpose here was, of course, to prioritize evacuating a group of important figures from the Dunkirk encirclement.
The 150,000 troops could withdraw gradually, but some politically significant figures had to be ensured safe first. This was Minister Walton’s consistent approach.
So, Albert I, who had fled once just last November and traveled from Ostend to Ypres, along with some of his cabinet ministers, favorite ministers, and trusted guards, had been transported to Nieuwpoort before midnight this day via a relay of cars and small boats by Expeditionary Force Commander-in-Chief Marshal French.
When he withdrew from the Ostend encirclement back then, he insisted on going to Ypres to “not leave Belgian soil.” Little did he expect that three months later, he’d have to endure the humiliation of his stubbornness again.
But this time, he had no grounds to resist. Whatever Minister Walton advised, he’d follow, because he had no cards left.
How could he have imagined that the corporal who, over three months ago, with one communications platoon and one reconnaissance cavalry company, had dead-blocked the Coastal Highway at Nieuwpoort, cutting off the Belgian Army’s escape route—
Had now returned, and on a nearby battlefield, was repeating the same trick to pit him again.
If the dead could turn into vengeful ghosts, he surely wouldn’t let Lelouch go.
“Your Majesty, be careful. Once in London, you’ll be safe. Your children have been doing well in London these years; their teachers and classmates at Eton have taken good care of them.”
The British Army cruiser captain tasked with the pickup was very courteous to Albert I and, per superiors’ instructions, said these consoling pleasantries.
Albert I was still shaken: “The Bold cruiser that picked me up three months ago—heard it was sunk by the Germanian Scharnhorst a few days later? You won’t have any mishaps this time, will you?”
The British Army captain thumped his chest in guarantee: “Rest assured, Bold was Lin Xian-class. The ships we’re using this time are the even more modern Caroline-class; the lead ship commissioned on December 4 last year.
These two are newer, commissioned this January! Absolutely the Royal Navy’s best-performing, fastest, and newest cruisers! We’re the first on this planet to reach 29 knots top speed! No one can catch us!”
Albert I nodded, finally somewhat reassured.
The group quickly began boarding and moving luggage. Due to the lack of deep-water berths, the pier’s temporary jetty was extremely long.
And all this had to be hastily built in half a day, so the quality was poor, with uneven surfaces.
In the darkness, royal family members occasionally missed a step, nearly falling into the sea.
All this made the transfer speed very slow.
While the British Army cruisers were tense at work, in the secondary bridge’s radio room, the radio operator suddenly detected a signal, his face changing drastically as he tried to report up the chain.
“Enemy plain-text telegram detected at very close range! Cannot get a bearing yet—suspected enemy torpedo boats!”
However, though this bombshell news was reported, before the cruiser captain could react, cannon fire soon echoed from the Dunkirk coastal defense batteries 20 km to the west.
A barrage of 140 mm and even 240 mm star shells lit up in a line, with ranges from far to near, covering this stretch of coastline.
The illumination would end in 1 minute as the star shells burned out and fell into the sea.
But that one minute was enough—the distant coastal defense fortress observation posts had spotted whether any ships trying to sneak away were docking along this coastal stretch.
“Bad! Watch for bombardment! Get underway fast!”
The Caroline-class light cruiser that was picking up passengers ignored the guests not all aboard and immediately ordered emergency departure from the anchorage. The other two on escort duty didn’t dare linger either, promptly maintaining patrol to guard against unclean things sneaking in from the dark for a surprise attack.
20 km was enough to exceed this era’s 140 mm coastal defense gun range.
But against 240 mm and even 340 mm heavy guns, it was still a bit short.
Within the 1 minute the star shells were effective, the distant batteries sequentially confirmed approximate aiming directions and fired the first salvo.
At the same time, more star shells soon reinforced the area where enemy ships were spotted by the first salvo, ensuring accurate observation of shell splashes.
Ballistic data for sealing off coastal towns like De Panne and Nieuwpoort was already included in the Dunkirk Fortress’s firing tables.
Just two minutes later, the shells were landing ever closer. The light cruiser that had just urgently gotten underway hadn’t built up speed yet when it was hit by a 240 mm shell.
The shell smashed straight through the light cruiser’s bow armor, entering from the port side and exiting starboard, then exploding in the water to starboard.
Though it was just a near miss after penetration, the high-angle trajectory meant the large hole on starboard was already below the waterline; the explosion after piercing tore an 7-8 meter gash below the waterline, with seawater surging in instantly.
Despite damage control immediately sealing the bow compartments’ watertight doors to prevent flooding from spreading aft,
the bow section was already deeply submerged from this flooding, with the stern slightly raised, even exposing the propellers’ splashing waves in the air.
The cruiser, with greatly reduced speed, had in fact lost its chance to escape. A few minutes later, with more 240 mm shells hitting directly, the cruiser finally went down in explosions and fire.
The other two cruisers, seeing their companion blasted to bits, didn’t dare stay longer or approach as targets, immediately deciding to turn about and leave.
But during the withdrawal, the easternmost of the two escort light cruisers, while turning north, was somehow struck by a 21-inch slow-speed long-range torpedo—likely from Germanian torpedo boats that had been lurking nearby on recon. When they spotted the enemy cruisers trying a stealthy pickup, they probably fired a fan salvo immediately.
In the black night, sweeping torpedoes toward the area near the temporary dock lit by star shells was indeed hard to guard against.
The Caroline-class cruiser hit by the torpedo also flooded rapidly and soon settled in this shallow sea.
The British Army accomplished nothing and lost two light cruisers for nothing.
An hour later, another call came back to the London Admiralty.
“Bad news, Your Excellency the Minister! The cruisers we sent to stealthily rescue the Belgian leadership were sunk by shore batteries! And another was hit by an unidentified torpedo during emergency withdrawal!”
