I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 291

Chapter 291: The U-21 Submarine

In the end, Vice Admiral Robeck brought General Gaplat along to help negotiate, and it was only then that Charles finalized the time for the attack.

"Tomorrow morning at five o'clock," Charles pointed to a spot on the map. "We will attack V Beach."

"What about the battle plan?" General Gaplat asked.

"There is no battle plan," Charles replied. "We only need the fire support from the 6th Squadron of the 'Gaul' battleship!"

Vice Admiral Robeck cautioned:

"I don't think that's wise, Colonel."

"As we all know, the 'Dignity' was sunk by an enemy submarine at dawn."

"In the early hours, it is difficult to detect the periscope above the surface, which would put the 'Gaul' in danger!"

Charles coldly responded, "So when do you think we should land? Only at dawn, when the light is about to break, can we prepare and have a full day to carry out the attack."

Vice Admiral Robeck had no reply.

There had been instances before when the landing almost succeeded but was called off due to the approaching nightfall. They had to withdraw the troops already ashore.

Otherwise, the small number of troops would likely be surrounded and wiped out by the enemy during the night.

Finally, Vice Admiral Robeck stormed off, muttering to himself in English: "Let them learn a hard lesson. Once they suffer some losses, they’ll realize that war isn't as easy as they think. To attack without a battle plan!"

What Robeck didn’t know was that Charles’ landing plan the next day wasn’t for the purpose of landing at all, but to lure out the German submarines.

The 'Gaul' battleship, on the other hand, was just bait.

...

In the pitch-black waters, the German U-21 submarine was slowly navigating through the Aegean Sea.

Captain Höxch, whose face had not seen a razor in nearly a month, was sporting a thick beard that looked like a broomstick. His weary expression and prominent cheekbones seemed to tell the story of the immense pressure faced by the submarine during its missions.

The experiences of the U-21 submarine over the past month were legendary.

It had departed from Wilhelmshaven in Germany, made a stop at Cape Finisterre in Spain for supplies.

For secrecy reasons, their superiors had arranged for German merchants in Spain to buy fuel and lubricants, intending to continue their journey to the Dardanelles Strait under the cover of darkness after the refueling.

However, Höxch found that the merchants had bought the wrong type of fuel, one that wasn’t suitable for use in submarines.

Reluctantly, the submarine had to continue its journey without refueling.

Along the way, Captain Höxch used every trick to conserve fuel, choosing the most economical speed and shortest routes, sometimes relying on ocean currents. After 18 days of navigation, they finally reached their destination.

At that point, there were only 1.8 tons of fuel left aboard.

Later, Captain Höxch lamented to his crew, "I may forget other numbers, even my birthday or my age, but this number is indelibly etched in my heart!"

It turned out that Captain Höxch’s gamble had paid off.

After reaching the Dardanelles Strait, U-21 sank both the "Triumphant" and "Dignity" battleships, and its presence even deterred the Allies from deploying battleships to provide fire support for the landing.

Ottoman commander Sanders lavishly praised the U-21 submarine: "You single-handedly defeated the entire Allied fleet!"

(Note: Sanders was a German officer in charge of defending the Dardanelles Strait, and he became famous for this achievement.)

In recent days, Höxch’s nerves were once again on edge.

He had received a special telegram: "It has come to our knowledge that Charles, from France, is leading a force to reinforce the area. The target fleet has already arrived. If we can sink him, it will be a severe blow to enemy morale."

"Charles?" Höxch paused for a moment, then casually raised the telegram to his nearby crew and said in a neutral tone, "Charles is here, right here."

The crew, hearing this news, immediately perked up:

"Really? Is he coming for an inspection?"

"I hope we can meet him in person. I heard someone saw him on the battlefield on Christmas Day."

"Yes, my friend Paul even got his autograph!"

...

It was an unprecedented phenomenon—Charles, though an enemy to the Germans, had earned a large following among them, despite never having met them.

After the crew finished talking, Captain Höxch coldly added, "He’s not here for an inspection. He’s here for battle! Our next mission is to sink him if we can!"

The crew immediately fell silent, staring at Captain Höxch in shock.

Captain Höxch nodded slightly, his voice firm:

"I know what you're all thinking. I don’t want to do this either."

"But this is war, gentlemen. A war of life and death!"

"I know you admire Charles, and his legendary life, but you must give it your all. That’s the duty of a soldier!"

After a brief silence, the crew seemed to have made their decision and responded one after another:

"Yes, Captain, we will do this."

"If it were Charles, he would not hesitate to sink us!"

"Yes, that is the fate of a soldier!"

...

Captain Höxch did not say anything more. He trusted his crew—they were professional soldiers.

He only ordered a check on the submarine’s equipment and torpedoes, ensuring that the submarine would be ready for combat when the time came.

However, after several days of searching, Captain Höxch couldn’t find a target worth attacking.

In fact, Captain Höxch had already crossed paths with Charles’ fleet at sea, not just once.

But Höxch had thought that they were merely transport ships with a few escorting destroyers. There was no need to waste a precious torpedo on them, so he had let them pass by without a second thought.

If Höxch had known that one of those transport ships was his real target, he probably would have regretted it deeply.

Soon, Captain Höxch received another telegram: "According to reliable intelligence, Charles’ fleet will launch an attack on V Beach tomorrow morning at dawn!"

Captain Höxch was invigorated and shouted excitedly to his crew: "Gentlemen, the big fish is about to bite, get ready! The moment that changes our fate has arrived!"

What Höxch didn’t know was that this was exactly the information that Charles had intended for him to know.

Charles had instructed Tigani to send a telegram to the Navy Minister: "We will launch the attack on V Beach tomorrow at dawn. Wait for our good news!"

The Navy Minister smiled and replied, "That arrogant guy really thinks he can easily win. That beach was never even taken by the British!"

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