Axel

I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 293

Added 2025-07-05 17:03:01 +0000 UTC

Chapter 293: Charles's Invention

Colonel Höxch had calculated accurately. When the submarine surfaced again, it had successfully passed through the outer defense perimeter and appeared near the enemy battleship.

The only shortcoming was that the bow of the submarine was slightly off target.

The submarine was ready with its torpedoes, and the torpedo compartment had already taken in water, waiting for Colonel Höxch to find the right position and give the order to fire.

However...

Just as Colonel Höxch was nervously directing the submarine to change course, several splashes of water suddenly erupted in front of the submarine. Colonel Höxch immediately realized that they had been detected; the gunfire was clearly aimed at the submarine.

Without hesitation, Colonel Höxch shouted, "Emergency dive!"

Colonel Höxch decisively chose to abandon the mission. He knew that the torpedoes fired under these circumstances had almost no chance of hitting the target, and the submarine would most likely be destroyed by the enemy.

"Emergency dive!"

...

The orders were passed down one after another.

The crew, their nerves taut, knew this was a moment of life and death. If they were even a second late, the entire submarine and its 35 crew members would sink to the ocean floor and become fish food.

"Hard to port," Colonel Höxch bellowed immediately.

"Hard to port!"

...

The first officer quickly understood the command's meaning. The battleship's hull was about seven or eight meters below the waterline, and it was like a wall blocking the submarine’s path.

If they didn’t change course in time, the submarine might crash head-on into the battleship’s thick armor and be destroyed.

The seawater surged with each explosion, and the crew had to grab onto fixed objects to avoid falling.

Gradually, the shaking became less intense, indicating that the shells had been stopped by the seawater.

The crew sighed in relief, but Colonel Höxch felt that something was wrong.

The submarine had only extended its periscope for just over a minute. Under normal circumstances, such a short time, especially in the dark, should have meant that the periscope wouldn't have been detected by the enemy.

But the enemy had detected it.

Not only had they detected it, but they had also opened fire within that minute, and the gunfire was so intense.

There was only one explanation for this: the enemy knew the submarine would come, and they had made full preparations to wait for it.

...

Colonel Höxch was right. The Gaul battleship appeared to be bombarding the V Beach, but in reality, it was hunting submarines.

Charles had assigned the task of searching for the submarine to Colonel Meyer, the captain of the Gaul battleship.

Charles had only informed him an hour before departure.

When Colonel Meyer heard Charles mention that a submarine might launch a surprise attack, he looked at Charles in shock. "But that's impossible, Colonel. How could the Germans know we would be at V Beach?"

"You don’t need to worry about that," Charles replied calmly. "You only need to know that a German submarine will come. The mission of the Gaul is to detect it and point it out immediately."

Then Charles added, "You’re eager to do this, aren't you, Colonel?"

Colonel Meyer rolled his eyes. How could he not be eager? If he wasn’t, the Gaul would sink to the bottom of the sea!

At the same time, Colonel Meyer felt some dissatisfaction. He knew perfectly well that Charles had set up the Gaul as bait.

However, Colonel Meyer didn't dare slack off. He quickly organized the lookouts and sailors aboard the ship, positioning them at every direction, especially along the western side of the ship facing the sea, ensuring that every inch of the surface was covered with personnel and searchlights.

This was also why Charles had instructed the Gaul to approach within five kilometers of the shore for close-range artillery fire.

The battleship was so close to the shore that there were shallow reefs and sandbars everywhere, providing little room for a submarine to navigate underwater.

To the north and south lay the ship’s bow and stern, where there was little risk of a submarine appearing. The chances of a torpedo hitting such small areas were nearly impossible.

In the end, only the western side of the ship remained.

Hundreds of sailors and lookouts kept their eyes fixed on the sea surface, many of them borrowing binoculars from the army. The moment the submarine's periscope surfaced, it was spotted.

Searchlights were immediately directed toward the submarine's location, and the prepared artillery opened fire, blasting away at the submarine.

At the same time, a destroyer, loaded with depth charges, headed toward the indicated position.

The submarine's course was easy to predict, and everyone saw its periscope creating a long wake on the surface of the water, before turning and diving northward to avoid the battleship.

Under Captain Meyer’s command, the gunfire ceased, and the lookouts used searchlights to track the submarine's movements and direct the destroyer’s position.

The destroyer sped up and began releasing depth charges from behind.

...

Inside the submarine, Colonel Höxch relaxed completely.

The submarine had descended to a depth of eleven meters. Even if the enemy's shells exploded directly above, they could not pose a threat to the submarine.

Charles was a formidable and yet fearsome opponent. He had set up a trap with himself and the battleship... Wait, Charles might not even be on that battleship. This mission may have been doomed from the start.

However, Charles was ultimately one step too slow.

Colonel Höxch silently breathed a sigh of relief. This was the advantage of a submarine: strike and retreat quickly, giving the enemy only a few minutes to react.

The crew, who had been tense moments ago, now wore smiles on their faces. Some even shook their heads slightly, seemingly still haunted by the recent close call.

However...

"Boom! Boom!"

Several loud shocks rocked the submarine violently, as if it were an earthquake. The unprepared crew cried out as they fell to the ground.

"What’s going on?" Colonel Höxch, who had fallen, struggled to climb out of the pile of bodies.

"Enemy gunfire?" the first officer asked in terror.

"Impossible!" Colonel Höxch replied. "What kind of gunfire could reach this depth?"

Everyone fell silent because no one knew what it was.

But one thing was certain: it was capable of hitting the submarine!

"Boom! Boom!"

Two more explosions, and the crew once again fell in a heap.

This time, they were certain that this wasn't a random occurrence, but rather that the enemy was consciously hunting down the submarine.

Colonel Höxch’s mind went blank. He had many questions: