I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start

Chapter 637 637: Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft

Just as the French Navy always considered the British Royal Navy as its primary rival, the British Royal Navy similarly kept a wary eye on the French fleet.

Therefore, Admiral Winter was very familiar with the complicated internal dynamics of the French Navy, particularly between the Minister of the Navy and the Brest Fleet.

Officially, the French Navy was commanded by its Minister. However, due to France's unique geography, the Navy was divided into two main fleets: the Brest Fleet, responsible for the North Atlantic and the English Channel, and the Toulon Fleet, responsible for the Mediterranean Sea.

Initially, the Navy Minister maintained a balance between both fleets. Yet, in recent years, the Minister had become increasingly convinced that the French Navy had little chance of surpassing the British Royal Navy, particularly from Brest. Consequently, he began shifting resources towards the Toulon shipyards, openly stating in the parliament:

"It's evident that no matter how hard we work at the Brest shipyards, we'll never catch up to the powerful British Royal Navy, positioned right across the Channel. On the other hand, if we concentrate our resources in Toulon, we could easily dominate the entire Mediterranean—perhaps even limiting the British Royal Navy's influence there."

By this, he meant that France could potentially blockade the Strait of Gibraltar, becoming the uncontested naval power within the Mediterranean region.

Due to these strategic considerations, the Navy Minister started reallocating funding and resources to Toulon, even contemplating relocating all naval assets from Brest entirely, generating severe dissatisfaction among those in Brest. Thus, the French Navy split into two factions: the Brest faction and the Toulon faction.

Currently, the Brest faction was effectively led by Admiral Guépratte, commanding the Atlantic fleet, and Mr. Wells, owner of the Brest shipyards. Yet, the man truly responsible for reviving the declining Brest shipyard was Charles.

It was Charles who transformed the nearly forgotten Brest shipyards into an influential military-industrial complex, crucial enough to control logistics and potentially influence the outcome of wars.

"You understand perfectly well why I'm here, Charles." Admiral Winter leaned back comfortably, sipping his coffee and casually crossing his legs. Notably, he addressed him as "Charles," not "General."

After a sip, Winter continued, "We're not just looking for mere cooperation, but a strategic plan to ensure that German naval forces remain trapped in the North Sea, unable to disrupt our supply routes."

"You've been doing quite well," Charles replied emotionlessly. "The German fleet is indeed trapped, incapable of leaving their harbor."

"That was because we were decoding their transmissions." Winter furrowed his brow slightly. "But we both know that circumstances have changed."

This was another example of the "attack is superior to defense" principle—this time applied to naval warfare. Being defensive always required significantly more resources. Even with the British Navy having nearly double Germany's naval strength, the vast defensive perimeter still contained countless weaknesses.

Charles remained composed, replying casually, "Things will change again soon enough. The French Navy's involvement should help address any shortfall in your Third Fleet. There shouldn't be anything to worry about."

Winter shook his head and sighed. "Yesterday, the German fleet launched an attack on elements of our Third Fleet. Even though our ships outnumbered theirs, we still lost two vessels and sustained damage to three others, managing only to damage two of theirs."

He added bitterly, "And you already know the reason."

Indeed, Charles knew exactly why.

The Third Fleet was stationed within the narrow English Channel, greatly limiting their maneuverability. Worse, the Channel was heavily mined, which, while preventing German incursions, severely restricted the British fleet's freedom of movement. Consequently, German vessels attacking from outside could easily form an advantageous "T"-shaped formation, maximizing their firepower.

"This isn't something that simply increasing the number of ships can solve," Admiral Winter continued. "Even with the French Navy joining as a Fourth Fleet patrolling the North Sea, we'd still face the same tactical issues."

Charles smiled slightly. "So even with French naval support, it still wouldn't be sufficient?"

Admiral Winter reluctantly nodded.

Indeed, the North Sea was expansive—about 965 kilometers long and 643 kilometers wide. German attacks could occur virtually anywhere along this immense perimeter. Adding just one more fleet wouldn't decisively change this strategic vulnerability.

The only truly effective countermeasure had been decoding German naval communications—but that was now impossible.

"Germany now holds the initiative," Winter continued gloomily. "Their submarines gather intelligence, identifying our weaknesses. Then their fleet focuses on these vulnerable points. We currently have little way to counter."

"There might still be another solution," Charles offered calmly.

"What do you mean?" Winter looked curiously at Charles, momentarily suspecting he might propose transferring France's Toulon Fleet as reinforcement.

Yet Charles's suggestion completely surprised him:

"Intelligence gathering, Admiral. If you can precisely track enemy fleet movements, you could regain strategic initiative."

"But the Germans changed their encryption codes. We've lost our direct intelligence source..." Winter began, bewildered.

"There are many ways to obtain intelligence," Charles interrupted.

Winter looked at him intently. "You're suggesting...?"

Charles lifted his head, looking directly at Winter. "A few months ago, you purchased Caproni bombers from us. Their potential isn't limited to bombing raids."

Winter stared blankly for a moment before his eyes lit up. "You mean using the Caproni bombers for reconnaissance missions?"

"Exactly." Charles nodded firmly. "They have a standard operational range of 600 kilometers. If you equip them with auxiliary fuel tanks instead of bombs, the range could extend to roughly 1000 kilometers. That's enough to fly from England, reconnoiter Heligoland Bay, and safely return."

Charles added calmly, "Additionally, the Caproni's top speed is superior to the German seaplanes currently in use and comparable to Germany's latest fighters. It might be the safest reconnaissance aircraft available. Frankly, I don't understand why you haven't already utilized them."

(Currently, the German frontline fighter, the Fokker E.II, had a top speed of 140 km/h. The British Caproni variant's speed was 137 km/h.)

Winter's previously tense expression transformed completely. After considering for a moment, he abruptly jumped to his feet, exclaiming in excitement:

"You're absolutely right, Charles! It's a brilliant idea!"

"Unbelievable! How could we not have realized this sooner?"

"Good heavens—we've only been treating these as army bombers, completely overlooking their maritime potential. We stubbornly continued relying on our slower, shorter-range seaplanes!"

(End of Chapter 637)

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