Chapter 0626: The Last Straw

"Damn it! How did this happen? At this rate, all our battleships will be lost. We simply cannot defeat the Germans. This so-called final showdown with them is nothing but a farce!" Rear Admiral Lame had just climbed aboard the *Flandre* when he saw the sinking of the *Normandie*. This sight sent a chill down his spine, and he felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.

To Rear Admiral Lame, the German Navy seemed overwhelmingly powerful. This battle should never have continued; victory was utterly impossible, and they were merely marching to their doom. Originally, the French Navy had ten capital ships, but now only four remained. By the end of this battle, there would likely be none left.

If it were up to him, Rear Admiral Lame would already be retreating.

"Send a telegram to the flagship, inform Admiral Jellicoe that this battle is no longer winnable. We have already suffered heavy losses, and if we continue, we will be annihilated!" Rear Admiral Lame ordered.

"Yes, sir," the communications officer replied, rushing to send the message.

Though retreating would mean defeat, and if they lost this battle, the entire Entente would be doomed, Rear Admiral Lame clearly prioritized his own life over the larger consequences.

On the *Revenge*, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Jellicoe and Vice Admiral Beatty looked even more grim upon hearing that the *Normandie* had been sunk.

"Idiots! Are all the French fools? Five of their battleships are being overwhelmed by only two German ships, and now one has been sunk. Are their ships made of paper?" Vice Admiral Beatty cursed.

"Rear Admiral Lame was never brave. Now that his flagship has been destroyed, he probably doesn't have the courage to continue fighting," Admiral Jellicoe said.

"Sir, a telegram from the French Navy!" the communications officer reported.

Admiral Jellicoe took the telegram and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"As I expected, Rear Admiral Lame no longer wants to fight. The loss of his flagship has scared him out of his wits."

"Damned cowards! Don't they realize that if we lose this battle, we are all finished? France will fall with us!" Vice Admiral Beatty exclaimed.

"Yes, but it seems Rear Admiral Lame no longer cares about such things," Admiral Jellicoe replied, resigned.

Meanwhile, the Italian Navy's *Andrea Doria* was also in grave danger. Under heavy assault from the German Navy's *Gneisenau* and *Prince of Wales*, shells continued to explode around the ship, splashing water onto the hull and soaking the crew. Many of the Italian sailors were drenched.

Admiral Paolo was on edge, fearing that the *Andrea Doria* would be hit. After all, these were 380mm shells, and a direct hit could devastate the ship.

"Admiral, on the battle line, the French have lost one battleship, the British have lost two, and only twelve battleships remain. The Germans haven't lost any, still with twelve ships!" an officer reported.

"I know! I had already guessed the Germans were formidable, but I never imagined they would be this strong. How can we possibly defeat them? We're clearly just marching to our doom!" Admiral Paolo lamented.

When the Combined Fleet mustered 36 capital ships, nearly everyone believed they would easily defeat the Germans. Now, after suffering heavy losses, there was no longer any hope of victory.

"Admiral, what should we do now?" an officer asked.

"If we can, we should retreat. No matter what, we need to return to Italy. We've already lost four battleships, and the cost has been too high," Admiral Paolo said.

"Retreat? Will the British agree?" the officers in the command tower exchanged worried glances. Clearly, the British would never allow such a retreat, for it would leave them even more vulnerable to the Germans.

"To hell with them! Whether they agree or not, we are retreating. We don't want to die here," Admiral Paolo muttered.

"Right, send a telegram to Rear Admiral Lame and ask for his opinion. If the French Navy is retreating, we will join them!" Admiral Paolo ordered.

"Yes, Admiral!"

Both Admiral Paolo and Rear Admiral Lame were deeply pessimistic about the outcome of this sea battle. They both believed victory was impossible. Continuing to fight would only incur greater losses. Both wanted to withdraw, but the British attitude made them unsure of how to proceed, for they were still allies. The British Navy, after all, held the dominant position in the Combined Fleet.

Not far from the battlefield, a massive fleet was rushing toward them. It was the German battlecruiser fleet, having taken a long detour, now composed of eleven powerful battlecruisers.

"Admiral, according to the telegram from Admiral Hipper, we will soon intercept one of the British battle lines. But we need to change course, or we won't get the T-cross," a staff officer reported.

"Hmm, it seems we're not too late. Although the main fleet already has the upper hand, they haven't yet destroyed the British, French, and Italian forces completely. Once we join in, we will become the straw that breaks the camel's back, completely defeating them!" Rear Admiral Spee said with a smile.

He seemed to already envision how his battlecruisers would inflict massive losses on the Combined Fleet. It could be said that the German Navy had already won this battle. The only unknowns were how many British, French, and Italian ships they would sink, and at what cost to themselves.

Of course, they hoped for the greatest possible victory with the least loss.