Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 79 Queen Elizabeth-level finally took the bait
Rear Admiral Horace Hood paid a heavy price, sinking two King Edward VII-class battleships and lightly damaging three others. He ascertained the enemy's bottom line, discovered some major design flaws in his own warships, and also eliminated a portion of the enemy fleet.

Now that everything was clear and the enemy's fatal weakness was known, the Britannians certainly could not continue to do such a reckless and suicide mission.

They would rather spend another day waiting and gathering their forces to ensure an overwhelming numerical advantage before crushing the enemy in one fell swoop!

Hood and Beatty submitted an updated operational plan, which was approved by the Navy. The Navy also coordinated with the Army to notify Field Marshal French within the encirclement.

Don't let the front lines collapse too quickly these next two days. Make full use of the advantage that there are still plenty of supplies in the Ypres encirclement and that we can fight a protracted war. Stabilize the situation first and wait for the navy to slowly lift the siege.

However, two days later, while the navy was launching a full-scale attack on the Dunkirk fortress, the army also needed to launch a full-scale attack from both sides to try to completely crush the German forces in the port of Dunkirk!

The reason why Hood was only allowed to probe slightly earlier, while French was instructed to hold back and not launch a counterattack, was to create this time difference. This was to ensure that the main forces of the sea and land forces would be launched together, rather than being attacked one by one in a staggered manner, resulting in a piecemeal tactic of feeding the enemy like the Seven Brothers.

After receiving the order, Marshal French had no choice but to try anything, promising to carry it out resolutely.

Meanwhile, French confirmed with his ministers back home that Albert had been killed in the shelling the previous night and his body had been recovered.

It was found in the Cambridge command tower of the destroyed Caroline-class light cruiser; the captain was with him and was killed in the explosion.

After London confirmed the news, many people felt deeply saddened and indignant, and hurriedly made preparations to have Albert's son, who was still in junior high school at Eton College, succeed him in exile in order to win over some people and continue to maintain the claim.

This news further provoked Minister Wharton, who had always been the most vocal advocate for bringing the heads of allied nations to London as soon as possible. As a result, the enemy sank the warship he was using to rescue the hostages, and the hostages died. Wasn't this a slap in the face to Minister Wharton?
Walton's orders to Beatty and Hood became increasingly stringent, demanding that they destroy Dunkirk within 24 hours! It wouldn't be just seven pre-dreadnoughts attacking; all available forces would have to be mobilized! And first, the newest battleships with the longest firing range would be used to drift aimlessly outside the enemy's range!
……

"After the enemy was repelled, they were indeed quiet for a whole day. I wonder what kind of conspiracy they were plotting."

Major Keitel hid in the firing command room of Ronan Fortress, spending the whole day either sleeping or studying firing tables and shore gun blueprints. He was very excited, but also had a sense of helplessness that he had energy but nowhere to use it.

Seeing that Major Loeb, who was in charge of the position further north, had sunk two enemy pre-dreadnoughts early in the morning, the stark contrast made Keitel even more anxious.

Upon seeing Lelouch, he couldn't help but ask if this amazing commander could help him find a fighting opportunity.

Lelouch handed him a cup of freshly brewed sweetened black tea and a few pancakes, saying calmly:
"Don't rush! The enemy has suffered such a heavy loss, they won't fall into the same trap again. I don't know what tactics they will use next time, but it will definitely be different from what they did this morning. What we need to do is maintain our spirit and condition, and then adapt to the situation."

Keitel had no choice but to accept it, and sighed somewhat unwillingly: "Commander Lelouch, have you heard? Loeb is going to be promoted to lieutenant colonel! I've always performed better than him, my artillery fire is more accurate, and I'm stricter with my men's training!"
During the Battle of Kemmer Hill, I even used the hyperbolic method of sound localization to blind-fire and take down several 9.2-inch howitzer positions of the Brussels! But I was always just a step away from becoming a lieutenant colonel. Now he's destroyed two pre-dreadnoughts and gone straight to lieutenant colonel! I heard the army group will send someone to preside over the promotion ceremony later.”

Lelouch smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder: "This is nothing, just two pre-dreadnoughts. I believe this is just an appetizer. As long as your gunnery is excellent and your training is rigorous, you will have plenty of opportunities to shine."

The two chatted for a while and finished their afternoon tea. Then, the army group headquarters actually sent a car over to announce several promotions.

All the officers of Dunkirk attended the ceremony. Keitel had originally thought that the main characters of the day were Major Loeb and his key officers who had distinguished themselves.

But to his surprise, when the name was actually read aloud, he was delighted to hear that his own name was among them.

"In view of the outstanding combat performance of the garrison troops at the Maroleban and Ronan fortresses... it is hereby decided to promote von Bock to Infantry Colonel, William Loeb to Artillery Lieutenant Colonel, and William Keitel to Artillery Lieutenant Colonel..."

Keitel was completely bewildered. Only after the announcement was finished did he incredulously whisper to the major general, the army group chief of staff in charge of the matter, "Excuse me, is it really because I sank an enemy light cruiser that I accumulated enough merit to get this promotion? I don't think that was said before..."

The army group chief of staff then lowered his voice and explained discreetly: "Consider yourself lucky. The Empire's spies in London have confirmed that the Britannians are preparing to have that Eton student succeed to the throne. So, it's basically confirmed that you blew up the king yesterday."

The higher-ups were satisfied with the result. While it wasn't as good as capturing the enemy outright, it was far better than killing them in a land battle. After all, sinking the warship wasn't specifically targeted at any one person; it was an accident and unlikely to incite resentment.

Keitel suddenly realized what was happening, and the gloom of the past few days vanished.

After the promotion ceremony, Keitel and Lieutenant Colonel Loeb's gratitude for Lelouch, their mentor, became even more evident.

After all, this was their first promotion since joining this combat system.

Lelouch, however, did not take credit for anything and instead congratulated the two of them in a calm and collected manner: "To be honest, I am ashamed to say that when I was still a lieutenant, you two were already majors. Back then, we always discussed things together."

As a result, our infantry brothers got promoted so quickly, which delayed you all. Fortunately, now we're all equals again, all lieutenant colonels. If we have any ideas about future battles, let's discuss them together..."

"No, no, no! Lieutenant Colonel Lelouch, we'll listen to you! We're just a little better at firing artillery; when it comes to strategic vision, we're nowhere near as good as you. Only under your guidance can we make the most of our strengths!"

Keitel and Loeb immediately rejected Lelouch's offer, stating that it wasn't a matter of rank, and even if their ranks were now equal, they would still obey Lelouch's orders.

Over the past few days, their artillery units, in perfect coordination with the assault battalion, have achieved numerous victories, and have even sunk an enemy battleship.

With such a god-like mentor, how could one not cling to his coattails?

After expressing his loyalty, Lieutenant Colonel Keitel said in a somewhat resentful low voice, "Speaking of which, wasn't the sinking of that cruiser last night carried out according to your plan? The credit for firing the guns should be given to us, but the credit for command and coordination should be given to you. How come Lieutenant Colonel Burke was promoted again in the end..."

Lelouch, however, didn't seem to care, and even generously reminded Keitel and Loeb not to create internal conflict:

"That's normal. The so-called 'overall command' is just a few casual words of advice. This kind of intangible contribution is hard to explain, and it can be attributed to anyone. Lieutenant Colonel Bock and I are the highest commanders of these two fortress batteries, so let's just consider it as taking turns to share the spoils."

This time it's on his tab, next time it might be on me. His uncle is the Chief of the General Staff, so let him calculate it first; the Duke knows what he's doing.

The two artillery lieutenant colonels were still a little confused, so Lelouch casually gave an example:

"So you've got this thought: this time we killed a king, so it's his fault. But next time, if our troops kill or capture Marshal French, shouldn't it be my fault?"

I think this is fine. Killing the king would only invite hatred, but killing the marshal is chivalry and perfectly justified. You all feel sorry for me; just don't let French escape later.

Keitel and Loeb couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this, half-jokingly saying, "No problem! Next time, if Marshal French dares to leave by boat and pass within firing range of the Dunkirk forts, we'll definitely stop him!"

……

Keitel and Loeb were completely convinced of Lelouch's abilities, so Lelouch seized the opportunity to discuss the battle plan with them for a while, and talked about the enemy's next possible offensive tactics, trying to do his homework thoroughly.

They chatted until 8 p.m., then Lelouch, fearing a major battle might take place later that night or the next day, decided to rest.

At the same time, he was too lazy to go back to Ronan Fortress and slept at Maloleban Fortress, because he knew that the enemy would attack here first. Ronan Fortress was located further back, and the enemy would definitely take it out layer by layer.

Lelouch, who didn't know how long he had slept, was suddenly awakened by a huge cannon shot in his drowsy state.

He had just gotten up when he saw that Keitel had already gotten up and was handing him a towel, asking with lingering fear:
"I've never heard of enemy shells making such a loud noise! ​​Much louder than our 340mm shells, could it be a 'Queen Elizabeth-class' 380mm shell!"

Lelouch didn't answer immediately, but waited a while longer. Hearing the second volley of cannon fire, his expression grew even more serious, and he silently nodded.
"I'm guessing it's a Queen Elizabeth-class .380. Has the observation and aiming room reported the ranging results?"

"We can only see the muzzle flash, but we don't know the distance between the enemy ship's fore and aft main gun turrets, so we can't accurately measure the distance!" the soldier in the rangefinding room roared in reply.

Without distance measurement results, how can we retaliate?

Just as Lelouch was pondering this, Lieutenant Colonel Lebes, who was directly in charge of the Marolesbans battery, acted decisively and ordered the two remaining 340mm turrets to fire at full speed toward the north:
"No need for rangefinding, just aim left or right, directly aim at the direction of the enemy's muzzle flash, and fire at maximum elevation and maximum range!"

After a few minutes of chaos, the 340mm guns of the Malolaban battery finally spoke, their powerful roar once again echoing across the sky. Four 600-kilogram armor-piercing shells, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, flew 25 kilometers away and landed heavily on the sea.

"The visibility is too poor to observe the exact impact point of the bullets, but we can confirm that we definitely fired at close range!"

Upon hearing this, Loeb's brow furrowed even more deeply: "The enemy is firing at us from beyond our maximum range! They must have figured out the range limits of these cannons from the Franks and are now testing the nighttime long-range accuracy of their new artillery. It's already past 4 a.m. If they find the accuracy insufficient, they'll probably wait until dawn to continue bombarding us, leaving us only to be pelted with bullets..."

Upon hearing Loeb's concerns, Keitel, who was standing nearby, seemed to have a flash of inspiration and was enlightened:

"Isn't the enemy just relying on their long range? Then let's take out those 380/L45 'Big Mark' tanks from the cave and show them what's what!"

Loeb was also quite tempted after hearing this, but Lelouch immediately raised his hand to stop him: "Don't act rashly! That's our only trump card, we've been holding back for so long because the 280mm railway guns and 340mm shore guns are enough to deal with other older warships. These few 380mm guns are our trump card for dealing with the Queen-class!"

At this maximum range, the enemy simply can't hit us accurately. And we can't hit them accurately either. Moreover, once we're exposed, the enemy can immediately turn and escape. To ensure we inflict heavy damage on the enemy, we must engage them at close range!

Keitel knew Lelouch was right, but Loeb was unwilling to give up: "But the enemy can't get close before they destroy the four 340mm guns of the Marlosban battery. Isn't that just taking a beating without fighting back?"

Keitel can choose not to fight, but Loeb must – the Marlolesbans battery is his responsibility, while the Ronan battery is Keitel's. If the enemy is allowed to "come in and fight," his assigned area will be the first to fall.

But Lelouch remained unmoved, his calmness frightening: "You just said you believed in my strategic vision—Lieutenant Colonel Loeb, is that what you believed?"

Loeb's heart skipped a beat, and he calmed down slightly: "Then tell me, how exactly should we deal with this..."

Lelouch took a deep breath: "I know your concerns, but if you trust me to treat everyone fairly, then follow my orders—"

Keitel, hand over command of the Ronan battery to Loeb as well, and focus on commanding the train guns. Then, withdraw the artillery from Marlolespan's side; don't leave them here to cause unnecessary casualties.

Once the last two turrets on the Malolaban side are destroyed, the enemy will naturally circle eastward and towards the coast, closing the distance to gain firing range and bombard the Ronan Fortress.

Ronan Battery is 4 kilometers south of Malolapan Battery. Even if the enemy were to use lobbed fire from Malolapan without a line of sight, they would still need to close the distance by at least 4 kilometers. If they were to go around to the east coast and face the harbor breakwater, they would need to close the distance by several kilometers.

Moreover, once they realize these cannons only have a maximum range of 25 kilometers, they might further underestimate the enemy and complacently close the distance in pursuit of a higher hit rate. That would be our chance to unleash the power of our railway artillery! I'd rather lose four cannons as a sign of weakness than let the enemy become too arrogant!

Moreover, it wouldn't be cheap for them to take over those four barrels. The Queen Elizabeth-class gun barrels only have an accuracy lifespan of three to four hundred rounds, and with continuous shelling, the barrels would get hot and the rifling would wear down, causing a temporary drop in accuracy that would require returning to port for maintenance to restore it.

Furthermore, how many shells can they carry at once? If most of their armor-piercing shells are used up, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced, making it easier for our army to launch surprise attacks later.

Therefore, we must remain calm! No amount of investment in 340 coastal defense turrets, no amount of pre-dreadnought battle achievements can compare to the cost of a single Queen Elizabeth-class destroyer! We can endure for this goal! As long as the enemy becomes arrogant and careless!

Lelouch's words finally convinced Loeb and Keitel.

The two exchanged a final glance, both seeing in each other's eyes their complete admiration for Commander Lelouch, and then began to proceed with the new plan.

……

Waiting is always the most agonizing, especially when you can only take the beating without being able to fight back, or even if you can't fight back at all.

Meanwhile, the Queen Elizabeth-class destroyers on the opposite side, after firing for a while, seemed to realize that the accuracy was too low in the dark, so they reduced the firing rate and tried to get a little closer, seemingly waiting for daylight to fire again.

At the Maroleban battery, most of the artillerymen had been evacuated, leaving only a minimum number of personnel to carry out the firing mission.

After Leb had everything in place, he said to Lelouch, "Sir, you should leave here too. There's no point in staying. The enemy won't feel at ease until they destroy these two turrets."

Lelouch tapped the map table with his knuckles, slowly stood up, and suddenly said, "I just had a new idea, about how to better take a beating..."

Loeb: "?"

Lelouch: "Go and have someone prepare a few barrels of fuel, and haul in a few more cartloads of coal dust. Spread it on top of the armored turret, mainly coal dust, and then pour oil on top. Be careful, and get to work during the lulls in the enemy's shelling."

Then, we continued firing at the maximum range, even if we couldn't hit it, but the frequency didn't need to be too high, just a few rounds every few minutes. If the enemy's shelling hit our 'feigned death bait' and caused a fire, we immediately stopped firing, pretending that the turret was no longer combat-ready, and then evacuated the last remaining personnel from that turret.

Following this logic, if enemy shelling causes a fire around either of the two main gun turrets in Maroleban, that turret should be ordered to cease fire and feign death. After dawn, I will also ask Lieutenant Colonel Immelmann to send reconnaissance planes to intercept any possible enemy aerial reconnaissance, preventing them from getting close enough to assess the specific damage to the armored turrets…”

Upon hearing this, Loeb couldn't help but gasp slightly.

He had to admit that this method of faking his death to lure the enemy was indeed risk-free—although the enemy might not fall for it, there wasn't much else he could do. If he succeeded, all the better; if not, there would be no additional loss.

He immediately ordered people to procure fuel. The fortress already had ammunition wells and train tunnels at its base, so the fortress's warehouses also contained a lot of coal dust for train steam engines and fuel oil for emergency power generation.

The infantrymen who remained behind hauled buckets of coal dust and fuel oil to the top of the fortifications, piling and scattering them everywhere to ensure that a fire would ignite on the surface should the fortifications be hit.

Because it wasn't fully light yet, this tactic posed no danger and went undetected by the enemy.

Not long after I finished, it was already six or seven in the morning.

As visibility gradually improved, the two "Queen-class" enemy ships could be seen floating on the distant sea. The rangefinder quickly measured the distance and concluded that the enemy ships maintained a distance of 27 kilometers.

The enemy ships had a clearer view of the area, and the Queen Elizabeth-class destroyers increased their firing rate to about two volleys per minute. Huge shells began raining down, but the accuracy remained worrisome—

In Earth's history, the furthest hit distance of the "Queen" class battleships during their entire service life was only 26 kilometers, achieved during World War II in a battle against Italian battleships.

The so-called maximum range of 31 kilometers is just a theoretical value. In reality, the accuracy would be extremely low at that distance.

Fortunately, the targets are stationary now, making things a little easier. However, the armored turrets are much smaller than warships, so expecting to destroy them by directly hitting the turret itself is still extremely difficult.

Most of the time, when a ship bombards a shore, it is considered destroyed only if the turret has stopped firing and is no longer attacking. It does not necessarily have to be blown to pieces. It is also possible that the hydraulic mechanism, loading mechanism, fire control and observation mechanism are damaged.

The two Queen-class destroyers continued their long-range slingshot attacks for a full hour or two, regardless of cost, until a raging fire finally broke out near one of the twin 340mm armored turrets on the Maroleban battery.

Subsequently, the turret ceased its counterattack. The moment the fire broke out, Lieutenant Colonel Loeb ordered all artillery to evacuate, leaving none behind in the upper fortifications, and to temporarily hide in the railway tunnel at the foot of the mountain.

Meanwhile, the cunning and suspicious General David Beatty, the Burmese commander in charge of the two "Queen-class" ships, did not believe that he had succeeded.

"Can you confirm the destruction? If not, continue shelling for another hour!" General Betty decisively chose to continue desecrating the corpse.

Unfortunately, the German army did not react at all to the act of desecrating the corpse.

No matter how much we whip them, they won't be able to hit us even if we fire back, so let's just keep playing dead. The people have already run away; those with nothing to lose are not afraid of those wearing shoes.

Ultimately, no matter how suspicious David Betty was, he couldn't possibly spot a flaw in an enemy who showed no reaction no matter how much he whipped and finished him off.

With both armored turrets on the Maroleban battery having been completely silent for a long time and engulfed in flames, Beatty finally realized that he could not afford to delay any longer. He ordered the fleet to circle southeast and move 4-5 kilometers closer to the coast to bypass the Maroleban battery's line of sight and begin shelling the Ronan battery.

Meanwhile, a portion of his former dreadnoughts also sailed south with the main fleet, using their worthless main guns to continue to lash the burning ruins—

In fact, in Earth's history, the Royal Navy also used this method of desecrating corpses to confirm whether the Ottoman fortress coastal defenses were completely destroyed during the later Dardanelles Strait campaign.

"Finally, they've taken the bait! 380mm 'Big Mark' railway guns, prepare! First, use the enemy ship coordinates shared by other friendly units to adjust the firing parameters!"

"Hold your breath and don't rush! The errors in wind speed, wind direction, and humidity should be calculated by working backward from the test results of other friendly units. Only after you have adjusted these error parameters can you fire!"

Seeing the enemy approaching, Lelouch finally gave Keitel the order to start the battle.

Keitel's team meticulously fine-tuned the parameters, striving to perfect every single one that might introduce error. Parameters that were unattainable were temporarily set aside.

“Sir, everything is ready!” Keitel finally said confidently.

Lelouch's lips curled into a sneer as he took a deep breath: "Cannons 1 to 4, 380mm 'Big Mark' train guns, target 'Queen Elizabeth'; guns 5 to 8, target 'Warspite', fire!"

-

P.S.: The second update today might be later tonight, so please don't wait up.

(End of this chapter)