I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Air Combat System

Following this, the bombers were once again sent out to destroy another German artillery position.

The pilots hardly had any rest. After landing, they quickly checked their planes, reloaded the bombs, and topped up the fuel before taking off again.

Carter was somewhat concerned about their exhaustion and suggested they rest for a while, but the pilots carelessly replied:

"This is nothing, Major, it's almost like a sightseeing trip!"

"Yes, we don’t need to worry about anything. We just fly the planes over the enemy and drop the bombs. That's all there is to it!"

"I think I could do this all day long!"

The pilots laughed easily.

This was the "golden age" of bombers—no fighter aircraft could catch up with them, and the ground had no air defense powerful enough to pose a threat. This allowed the pilots to perform their tasks without any pressure.

Thus, just two hours after the first bombing, another German artillery position was destroyed by bombers.

The two successful bombings quickly created a stir in the press.

The latest edition of The Meritorious Report urgently published a special report, which was on the newsstands just over half an hour after the battle had ended. The article had even been written before the attack began:

"At 8:00 and 11:00 this morning, our bombers destroyed two enemy artillery positions."

"One of the positions was a hidden artillery site in the region of Qimusar, which our infantry on the front line didn’t even detect."

"But it was still destroyed by our bomber squadron!"

The Meritorious Report did not report the actual bombing process.

If they had reported the truth, stating that the mission succeeded because they had intelligence about the position of the howitzers, it would have alerted the Germans to investigate, and would likely have put the "Lady in White" at risk.

Charles instructed Kobdo to shift the blame onto the reconnaissance planes and fighters.

In the article, Kobdo subtly said:

"Indeed, bombers are not suitable for reconnaissance due to their large size and difficult maneuvering."

"But 'military commentators' seem to overlook one point: bombers can cooperate with reconnaissance planes and fighters."

"Reconnaissance planes find the targets, and with the protection of fighter aircraft, they can direct the bombers to the target. Success comes naturally!"

"In other words, any target that reconnaissance planes can locate can, in principle, be destroyed by bombers!"

...

The Germans believed this without question, because this was what they had seen.

The saying "seeing is believing" took deep root, and anyone who didn't believe it would have to answer to the surviving German soldiers from the battlefield!

The "military commentators" of France had no choice but to believe it as well, because this idea was flawless—it could even be put into practice on the battlefield.

But in reality, at that time, the reconnaissance planes neither had high-powered cameras nor radar, making it very difficult to spot hidden targets on the ground unless the Germans made a glaring mistake.

Soon, the media began to bombard the public with reports on the bombers, shifting the narrative entirely from doubt to praise. Even The Morning Paper controlled by Schneider and Le Figaro, which was aligned with the right-wing, were no exceptions.

This was not something they wanted to do, but something they had to do in order to survive.

In the end, the media existed to cater to the public's expectations by following "hot topics."

If The Morning Paper and Le Figaro had gone against the tide and continued to doubt, slander, or oppose the bombers after their tremendous success, their influence would have been limited, and they would have further marginalized themselves as their readership shrank.

One day, when The Morning Paper and Le Figaro needed to push certain ideas to the public, they would find it impossible, as no one would listen to them anymore.

...

The British Prime Minister sat quietly, gazing at the newspaper, lost in thought.

France and Britain were only separated by a channel, or more precisely, by just a few dozen miles. Even from Paris, the capital of France, the straight-line distance to London, the capital of Britain, was barely over two hundred miles.

If one day, French bombers increased their range, would that mean they could drop bombs on London without any concern?

No, Britain had to develop a system of reconnaissance planes, fighters, and bombers to secure air superiority, or the entire nation would be unsafe—never mind speaking of influence!

After a moment's reflection, the British Prime Minister turned to his assistant and said, "Send someone to France. Tell them we need the technology of bombers to fight against the Germans!"

While they were still allies, it would be easier to negotiate cooperation based on mutual interests.

...

At the same time, Kaiser Wilhelm II was having lunch with Falkenhayn.

The lunch was simple—two steaks, some fruit, and red wine.

Wilhelm II was only thinking of one thing: how to quickly defeat the enemy and end his suffocating life.

His life could be described as tragic. As a young prince, he had lived a carefree, indulgent life—that was his true nature.

But ever since ascending to the throne, everything he did had to be meticulously crafted, which made him feel like a puppet trapped in a cage, controlled by others.

As long as he could defeat the enemy and end this war, Wilhelm II thought, he could return to his true self!

After lunch, they sipped coffee while discussing the situation on the Western Front. Falkenhayn remained optimistic:

"Although our manpower is tight and the front-line troops are under immense pressure, the enemy is equally strained."

"They are like a dam on the verge of collapse, standing in front of us, precariously close to breaking!"

"I believe that if we apply a little more pressure, they will collapse, and our army will once again march toward total victory!"

At this moment, a staff officer brought a telegram to Wilhelm II. He glanced at it and then handed it to Falkenhayn, saying sarcastically:

"General, why do I feel like our defense is the one on the verge of collapse?"

Falkenhayn took the telegram and immediately lost his color. The telegram read:

"The French have launched bombers and destroyed two of our concealed artillery positions."

Unlike the previous destruction of two airports, this time the French bombers targeted concealed units.

If the French could so easily locate and destroy hidden units, could the Western Front hold out?

The soldiers on the Western Front might have to fight without artillery, planes, or even food and ammunition!

Shouldn’t it be the German army that is on the verge of collapse?

...

The Tsar of Russia received the news during dinner. While chewing his food, he dropped his knife and fork as if shocked by an electric jolt. He stood up excitedly and exclaimed:

"We are saved! If the French can use this method against the Germans, we can certainly do the same!"

"Send someone to France immediately to contact Charles and buy the technology, no... we must obtain the authorization to produce it."

"I believe they will agree. They don't want the Eastern Front to collapse. This is the best reinforcement for us!"

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