While the Allied forces were fretting over their heavy losses, the London Government was shrouded in gloom.
The Royal Navy, in which they had placed such high hopes, had not only failed to achieve a victory like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves—it had failed to win at all.
For Britain, a mutually crippling outcome was defeat. During the daytime battle, the air force had already exhausted every effort to create opportunities for the navy, yet they had still failed to achieve their strategic objectives. It would be even harder to find such opportunities later on.
Without air superiority and unable to suppress the enemy navy, the coming defense of the British Isles was now unavoidable.
Campbell stared at the battle report in his hands for a long time without speaking. The rows of cold figures made it clear that the Royal Navy had truly fought for its life.
Their failure to secure victory was not because the Royal Navy had not tried hard enough. The enemy was simply too powerful.
Looking at the figures on paper, even a complete military novice could tell who was stronger and who was weaker. Yes, the Royal Navy held an advantage in conventional warships, but it was short by a full seven Dreadnoughts—the true pillars of combat strength.
To fight the strong while weak and still achieve a mutually crippling result, the Royal Navy had not disgraced its name as hegemon. But that was nowhere near enough. What Britain needed was victory—a resounding, exhilarating victory.
"Everyone has read the battle report. Whether it was the air force or the navy, both suffered severe losses in the daytime battle. The number of dead alone reached fourteen thousand, setting a new record since the war began.
"The losses in weapons and equipment were even