I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 284

Chapter 284: Depth Charges

Only two days had passed, and yet another Allied battleship had been sunk.

This time, it was the British "Dignity."

Its defenses were even more stringent. In addition to anti-torpedo nets, there were merchant ships and transport vessels that formed a protective ring around the battleship. Furthermore, three destroyers and two minesweepers were patrolling the area.

Yet, the German submarine still succeeded in sinking it.

The Germans were clever; they chose to launch their attack at dawn, when the faint light in the sky would render the water's surface pitch black. The sailors couldn't spot the periscope, but the submarine could accurately judge the battleship's position by the large shadow of its hull.

Thus, the German submarine launched a torpedo from 500 meters away. It glided smoothly through the calm waters, miraculously passing between the gaps of the two merchant ships, cutting through the anti-torpedo nets, and striking the "Dignity" directly at the center.

The explosion hit the core of the ship, and within just seven minutes, the "Dignity" sank.

Fortunately, the "Dignity" was close to the coast at the time, and the hull ran aground. In the end, only about 40 sailors lost their lives.

...

People seemed to have gotten used to the news of battleships being sunk by the enemy. Although newspapers still featured it on the front page, the public no longer discussed it with much enthusiasm.

Gallieni just shook his head. "It's hard to imagine that a battleship worth several million pounds can be destroyed by just a small torpedo."

At that moment, Kobdo handed a telegram to Gallieni. "General, the Germans may have five or six submarines in the Dardanelles Strait."

"How do you know?" Gallieni looked at Kobdo, puzzled.

This was intelligence that even the Second Bureau couldn't gather. Perhaps the British could, but they hadn't shared this information with France.

Kobdo replied, "Someone saw a German submarine resupplying in neutral Spain. At the time, no one paid much attention, but now we realize that it was likely a submarine heading for the Dardanelles Strait. There are also a few smaller coastal submarines being transported by train, but these are just speculations."

Gallieni nodded.

The intelligence Kobdo had gathered was mostly "rumors," but it was highly valuable, especially when there was no official information at all.

"The enemy only has six submarines in total?" Charles was somewhat disbelieving. "And there's only one large submarine? How could they have caused such trouble for the Allies?"

Colonel Fernand spoke with some resignation. "Even if there's only one, it's enough to cause headaches. Let alone five or six."

Charles looked at Colonel Fernand in confusion.

The Allied fleet had over thirty destroyers and several cruisers. How could such a massive fleet fail to stop a single submarine?

Colonel Fernand explained, "A submarine is only vulnerable when it's surfaced. Otherwise, there's nothing anyone can do about it!"

Charles froze. It suddenly dawned on him that depth charges had likely not been invented yet.

After asking a few more questions, Charles confirmed that this was indeed the case.

The methods available to warships to deal with submarines were extremely limited: either using naval guns or ramming them. There were only a few minutes of opportunity before the submarine dived, and once it submerged, there was nothing more to be done.

Charles gave a hum of understanding. He believed it was necessary to visit the police training base.

...

Gallieni had chosen to use the police training base as the 105th Regiment's training ground because its facilities were far better than those of most temporary military bases.

On the other hand, the police training base had been training soldiers recently, with exercises involving mortars, 37mm guns, and the like. People had grown accustomed to the coming and going of troops, so the arrival of the 105th Regiment wouldn't raise any suspicions from spies.

As soon as the car carrying Charles entered the training base, he heard the roar of engines and shouts.

Following the noise, he saw dozens of vehicles on the training ground—specifically, modified vehicles. The rear of each was fitted with raised ramps, much like the boarding ramps of landing craft.

Charles immediately understood that these vehicles were being used to simulate "landing craft":

The rear of the cars was packed with soldiers.

The cars reversed, drove up a slope, and dropped the ramps. Fully armed soldiers would rush out of the carriages, rifles in hand.

Charles silently admired, "As expected of Tigani. He managed to get so many vehicles at this time."

However, Charles quickly realized he had underestimated Tigani.

"Colonel!" Tigani, apparently having received a message from the signaler, ran to Charles, sweat pouring down his face. Seeing Charles observing the training field, he sighed in embarrassment. "We don't have enough landing craft, and the place isn't very suitable for training, so we're making do."

Charles was speechless. "You're calling this 'making do'? Do you have any idea how many people at the front are waiting for vehicles to transport ammunition and supplies? You've managed to get fifty-some vehicles, and you're calling it 'making do'?"

However, Charles didn't say anything. He just gave an acknowledging hum and replied, "Not bad, but we need to consider another issue. The troops, who have been fighting on land for years, may have never boarded a ship. If sea sickness affects their combat ability..."

"I've already arranged it." Tigani answered confidently. "Starting tomorrow, they'll be trained at the Toulon naval base. They'll spend a few days on navy ships!"

Charles was...

This guy spoke as if navy ships were always readily available.

Was he showing off?

"Colonel." Tigani hesitated. "Do you also want to..."

Charles laughed lightly. "It's just taking a boat. I don't need it."

Charles had experience with sea travel in modern times, so he was confident.

However, he had forgotten that traveling on a warship through gunfire and stormy seas was a very different experience from modern, smooth-sailing passenger ships.

"I need to discuss something with you." Charles led Tigani aside. "You must have heard that the 'Dignity' was sunk, right?"

"Yes." Tigani nodded and then seemed to understand Charles' concern. "If you're worried about a shortage of landing ships, there's no need. I've already contacted Major General Gaillard, and he has decided to send the battleship 'Gaul' along with five destroyers to provide cover. There will also be a few minesweepers and transport ships."

Charles...

He was certain that Tigani had chosen the right person to lead this regiment. At least in terms of the navy, everything had been taken care of.

"I'm not here to discuss that." Charles' expression grew more serious. "I'm thinking... shouldn't we have something to deal with submarines?"

"Deal with submarines?" Tigani looked puzzled. "But they're underwater. How can we...?"

"Bombs." Charles answered decisively. "Bombs that can explode underwater."

Tigani's eyes widened in an instant.

This was indeed a feasible solution, and a simple one at that. But why was it only Charles who thought of it?

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