I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 274

Chapter 274: A Missed Opportunity

The city defense headquarters was filled with laughter and cheerful voices. The staff officers had even privately started a betting pool. However, they weren’t betting on the outcome of the fleet’s engagement, but rather on whether the fleet would manage to break through the Dardanelles and enter the Sea of Marmara either today or tomorrow.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand quietly asked Charles, “Colonel, aren’t you going to participate?”

Charles coldly replied, “What’s the odds on a defeat?”

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand paused for a moment and then chuckled, “Defeat? No one believes the fleet will fail. If anyone does, I’m willing to bet 1 to 100 against them…”

“As you wish.” Charles reached into his pocket and placed all 11 francs in front of Lieutenant Colonel Fernand.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand froze for a moment. He hesitated as he looked at Charles, who appeared resolute.

But then he thought to himself—there was no way they could lose. After all, the fleet had 18 battleships, while all of Germany only had 17. Those ships were more than enough to obliterate a nation, especially considering they were facing the Ottoman Empire.

Thinking this, Lieutenant Colonel Fernand accepted the 11 francs from Charles with a grin and proudly raised them in front of Charles. “I’ll take this as you buying me a drink!”

At that moment, a messenger suddenly cried out, “General, the ‘Bouvet’ has been sunk!”

The “Bouvet” was one of the four battleships that France had sent to collaborate with the British fleet.

Perhaps it was out of pride, but the French were eager for their battleships to score more glorious feats than the British in this battle. They were all very keen to know the situation and had high hopes. But the first piece of news they received was that it had been sunk!

The headquarters immediately fell into a heavy silence. Everyone, including Gallieni, stopped what they were doing and looked at the messenger in shock.

Only Charles remained calm, sitting in his chair, drinking apple juice. It was sold at the officers' club for 10 francs a cup.

After a long moment, Lieutenant Colonel Fernand suddenly shouted, “No, this can’t be! How was it destroyed?”

The messenger had double-checked the report but still did not dare to answer directly. In the end, he chose to hand the telegram over to Gallieni.

Gallieni glanced at it and read aloud the contents: “At 13:54…”

Gallieni pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. It was already three in the afternoon, which meant the event had occurred an hour ago.

If it had happened an hour ago, there could hardly be any mistake. After all, the information had come from the General Headquarters, and they would confirm its authenticity.

Gallieni furrowed his brow and continued, “The ‘Bouvet’ sank in an explosion under unknown circumstances. It seems the ammunition store exploded. The explosion was sudden, and it took only 2 minutes and 35 seconds for the ship to sink, making it impossible for us to carry out a rescue. Of the 648 officers and crew, only 5 officers, 9 NCOs, and 33 sailors survived.”

The headquarters fell silent again, seemingly in mourning for the fallen officers and soldiers.

However, they quickly returned to their usual demeanor.

They had been through similar events many times before. Over six hundred officers and men was a relatively small number—any battle on land would result in thousands or even tens of thousands of casualties.

Had it not been for the fact that the battleship, an undefeated symbol, sank in just over two minutes, they might not have observed even a moment of silence.

“This could have been an accident,” Lieutenant Colonel Fernand sighed lightly. “Perhaps it was improper handling, or maybe an enemy shell accidentally triggered the explosion of the ammunition store.”

Others nodded in agreement. In their view, it was simply impossible for the Ottoman Empire to sink a battleship, let alone one.

Charles, however, shook his head slightly. They—along with the fleet—had not yet realized that it was a mine.

But that seemed normal. The loud explosion had detonated the battleship’s ammunition store, and the violent blast was visible from the outside of the ship. It sank in just over two minutes.

Even the officers and crew aboard the ship at the time didn’t understand the cause of the explosion.

An accident?

Or had an enemy shell pierced the armor?

Whatever the cause, no one suspected it was a mine, because the explosion of a mine would occur beneath the ship’s hull.

However, this would later lead to mines claiming more victims.

An hour later, another telegram arrived at the city defense headquarters: “The ‘Danton’ battlecruiser hit a mine and was severely damaged.”

Three minutes later: “The ‘Duguay-Trouin’ battleship hit a mine and took on heavy water. We were forced to abandon ship.”

Half an hour later: “The ‘Ocean’ battleship was on its way to assist, but it also hit a mine. The ship tilted severely, and we had to abandon it.”

A series of mine-related reports left the entire staff at the headquarters stunned. They couldn’t fathom how the nearly invincible battleships were so fragile. One after another, they were succumbing to the mines.

By now, night had fallen, and the battle had to come to a hasty end.

Battleships could face even greater danger in the dark, as they might not even be able to see the mines floating on the surface.

The final result was: three battleships sunk, and three more severely damaged, forced to withdraw from the battle.

This all occurred in just one day. Of the 18 battleships, six had been sunk or damaged in one day, not to mention the cruisers and destroyers lost to enemy fire.

At this rate, the Entente’s fleet—once seemingly large and brimming with confidence, even boasting of forcing the Ottoman Empire to surrender—would last no more than three more days.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand quickly realized that the fleet’s offensive had been utterly defeated. After such devastating losses, there could be no follow-up attack unless they wanted to sacrifice the entire fleet.

He reluctantly returned the 11 francs to Charles, saying, “I... still owe you 1,100 francs, Colonel.”

Charles gave a slight smile. “No need, Lieutenant Colonel. Consider it my treat.”

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand’s eyes widened in disbelief. 1,100 francs for a drink? If only he were that fortunate!

Charles stood up and walked toward Gallieni, handing him the report for the day.

This was one of Charles’ new responsibilities after his promotion to Colonel: analyzing and evaluating intelligence, doing a rough summary once a day.

Gallieni glanced over the report and said, “It seems you didn’t analyze the naval battle.”

Charles was taken aback. “I thought that wasn’t within our responsibilities, General. We are the army.”

“As long as it concerns operations in this department, it is your responsibility,” Gallieni replied sternly. “You should know that naval battles can affect the army. Their strategic goal might even be to bypass our defenses and open a new front. Otherwise, why do you think the naval intelligence comes to us?”

“Fine!” Charles said with some reluctance. “The reason the navy failed is because they missed their opportunity. If they had fought like this from the very first day, the Ottoman Empire might have already surrendered.”

Gallieni stared off for a moment, then nodded lightly in agreement. “On the first day, there were hardly any mines in the Dardanelles. The strait had even been open for navigation the day before.”

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