On the morning of March 14, British First Sea Lord Churchill left home, got in the car and went to the Naval Ministry's office. As the current situation becomes increasingly tense, he is also very busy. Many times, I even take breaks in the office. Living and eating in the office is also normal.
Last night, it was rare that there was no other official business to deal with, so Churchill went home to rest for a night. He hasn't been with his family for a long time.
"Sigh, I don't know how long this kind of life can last. I hope the Germany people can launch an attack later." Churchill sighed. As First Sea Lord, he knew that if he had a decisive battle with the Germany people now, they would have almost no chance of winning. Even, in order to strengthen Royal Navy's strength, he planned to send those old Pre-dreadnought out to fight. Although, the performance of Pre-dreadnought is far from comparable to that of a dreadnought. However, if the number is large enough, it may be able to play a certain role.
However, Churchill has not made up his mind yet. Because if you do that, it will cause huge casualties to Royal Navy. However, if in the end, there is no other way, then it is still a way.
"If Royal Navy Grand Fleet can severely injure Germany people, or in other words, fight a lose-lose battle, then the final decisive battle will probably be decided by Pre-dreadnought. By then, dozens of Pre-dreadnoughts from Royal Navy may be useful," Churchill thought secretly. If that's the case, then British Navy still has a chance of winning. After all, in terms of dreadnoughts, they cannot compare with German Navy. However, in terms of Pre-dreadnought, Royal Navy still has an absolute advantage.
Of course, if the war really reaches that point, then all Capital Ships of Grand Fleet will probably have been lost. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Royal Navy. But if we can win in the end, then no matter how big the loss is, in Churchill's opinion, it will be completely worth it.
"May God bless British Empire! We must win this battle." Churchill said secretly.
After arriving at his office, Churchill found that the secretary was already waiting there. However, the expression on the secretary's face was unnatural, which made Churchill feel nervous. Because he knew that his secretary would usually have such an expression only when there was bad news.
However, what bad news can there be for Royal Navy now? Their Capital Ships team has been staying at Scapa Flow and has not gone out to sea for a decisive battle with the Germany people. Under such circumstances, even if there is a loss, it should not be too big.
"What happened?" Churchill asked. Since there is bad news, it is definitely impossible to avoid it. Instead of doing this, it is better to take the initiative to ask.
"Your Excellency, Telegram belongs to Fleet Headquarters." The secretary said to Churchill.
Churchill took Telegram and read it carefully. However, his face soon turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Asshole! What's going on? Jellicoe and Beatty, what are they doing? Scapa Flow, which was heavily guarded, was unexpectedly attacked by German submarines, and so many Capital Ships were lost! This makes the next battle difficult to fight!" Churchill was furious. It's hard for him not to be angry at such news.
This morning, he also imagined that Royal Navy might have a chance of winning in future naval battles. As long as Grand Fleet can cause German Navy to suffer heavy losses. Even achieving a one to one battle loss. In this case, they will have a chance to rely on Pre-dreadnought's numerical advantage to regain victory. But now, a sneak attack by German submarines caused them to lose so many Capital Ships. How can we continue to fight this battle? Churchill has completely lost confidence in Royal Navy.
The secretary lowered his head and said nothing. Obviously, he had already guessed that Churchill would definitely get angry after seeing this Telegram. There is nothing that can be done about it. Who made Grand Fleet suffer such huge losses this time?
"Let Admiral Jellicoe and Admiral Beatty come to see me immediately!" Churchill ordered with an angry look.
"Yes, Your Excellency." The secretary immediately went to send Telegram.
John? Admiral Jellicoe and David? Vice Admiral Beatty, who are cleaning up the mess at Scapa Flow, then After receiving the Telegram sent by the Naval Ministry, I did not dare to neglect and immediately took a seaplane from Scapa Flow to London. They all know that if they go to London this time, they will definitely be scolded. However, there is nothing they can do. Who made Royal Navy lose so much this time?
When John? Admiral Jellicoe and David? Vice Admiral Beatty arrived at London, it was already afternoon. The news that Grand Fleet was hit hard again has been reported to Cabinet. Prime Minister Asquith didn't even eat lunch after hearing the news. He directly asked Churchill, and after John? Admiral Jellicoe and David? Vice Admiral Beatty arrived, he asked them to go to Prime Minister's residence. Obviously, Prime Minister Asquith is very dissatisfied with Grand Fleet's loss.
"Sir, we are deeply sorry for the loss last night!" John? Admiral Jellicoe apologized immediately after seeing Churchill. After all, it was their negligence that caused the Germany submarine to sneak into Scapa Flow, causing Grand Fleet to pay a heavy price.
"What happened to the damaged Battleship?" Churchill said coldly. He was very disappointed with the performance of Grand Fleet.
"Your Excellency, we have made emergency arrangements for repairs. Among them, the 'Conqueror', the 'Colossus' and the 'Neptune' will take about a month. The 'Warspite' and 'Valiant' were seriously damaged and will take at least three months to repair." David? Vice Admiral Beatty said.
Churchill's face suddenly became even more ugly.
"So, 'Warspite' and 'Valiant' will definitely be absent from the next decisive battle between us and the Germany people?" Churchill asked.
"Your Excellency, if the Germany people fight with us within three months, the two Battleships will indeed be unable to participate in the battle." John? Admiral Jellicoe answered bravely.
"Do you think Germany people will give us more time?" Churchill asked.
Suddenly, John? Admiral Jellicoe was speechless.
Obviously, the current situation has become increasingly critical, and the Germany people will never give them any more time. If things go wrong, the decisive battle will begin within a month. This also means that the five Battleship that were severely damaged were unable to participate in the decisive battle. This will also make Royal Navy's chances of winning even smaller.