Chapter 28: When Cavalry Falls into a Pit

According to the bottleneck principle plan, the massive British fleet should be capable of reaching a speed of at least 23.5 knots, but under broad daylight, their speed in the English Channel is only 16 knots, presenting a stark contrast to the brave infantrymen charging under the German machine guns.

However, this is not a display of cowardice by the British Navy; there is ultimately a world of difference between naval and land warfare.

Slow speed, steady formation. Faced with wave after wave of incoming aircraft, the British fleet maintains a tight formation, and fierce anti-aircraft fire prevents the German Stukas from finding any opportunities. After seven waves of bombings, they have only managed to damage one British light cruiser and two destroyers, while suffering a loss of as many as 15 aircraft themselves!

German pilots parachuting for survival are promptly rescued by British destroyers. In order to extract some intelligence from them, the British resort to rare acts of violence, but the German pilots' responses are remarkably consistent: they did not participate in the previous night's attack in the North Sea, and although some torpedo bombers have been relocated, they still need some time to prepare before rejoining combat.

This finally propels the British with more determined strides towards the midsection of the English Channel, with the Isle of Wight acting as a stable stepping stone, constantly receiving German landing forces surging onto British soil.

Another group of German bombers returns empty-handed. On board the flagship HMS "Queen Elizabeth," 60-year-old Admiral Charles Forbes walks steadily onto the open bridge, allowing the sea breeze to tousle his remaining silver hair.

"General, London has sent an urgent telegram. The joint army-air force attack has encountered setbacks, and the total casualties in the army have exceeded 12,000. New forces are currently gathering, and they urgently need our heavy artillery support!"

The report from the staff officer makes the veteran sigh helplessly. "Are they too impatient? Doesn't the Royal Air Force have any role to play after dark?"

"In the midst of the melee, our bombers may have difficulty distinguishing friend from foe after dark, which is why they might..." The staff officer offers his analysis based on his knowledge.

General Forbes doesn't seem inclined to delve deeper into this topic. Instead, he interrupts the staff officer and asks, "George, do we have any more information from headquarters about the German mines?"

The young and confident officer replies, "Not at the moment. The Germans seem to have completely sealed off the Strait of Zuyder Zee, leaving no passage open. With the quantity and density of their mines, conventional methods would take at least 16 hours to clear a safe passage, and our minesweepers can only operate at night!"

"The Germans are being cunning. They're forcing us to bombard the landing sites in the western waters off the Isle of Wight, and their coastal artillery is definitely positioned on the western side of the island! Mus, you see, in modern warfare, losing air superiority is a terrifying prospect!" General Forbes solemnly remarks to Captain Dart, 55, of the "Queen Elizabeth."

"What if we go around to the east side of the Isle of Wight? The distance is about the same, but the German coastal artillery won't be able to reach us. If they move their cannons at the last minute, we'll hit them with a fierce barrage!" Dart suggests.

General Forbes shakes his head. "That reasoning is too simplistic. Based on the Germans' previous behavior, they couldn't have overlooked this point! I still believe that they've laid mines in the Strait of Zuyder Zee during the day on purpose. They must have set up traps elsewhere and are just waiting for us to fall into them!"

Dart's complexion turns somewhat pale. "Then... do we proceed with the planned bombardment?"

"If we don't go, whether Britain wins or loses, we'll be objects of public scorn! If we don't go, judging from the situation during the day, the army still won't be able to break through the German beachhead at night, and the casualties may be even heavier! We have no choice left!"

Forbes sighed deeply.

"I always feel the Germans suddenly got smart, knowing how to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses! Before this, I always thought the Germans would continue to delay the large-scale landing operation due to insufficient ships. I didn't expect them to dare to land in one place and feint in another with over a thousand small and medium-sized boats. And after landing, they hold their ground like turtles - their artillery deployed on the Isle of Wight is deadly for our attacking forces!"

"Perhaps, we should have accepted their peace proposal after surrendering in France!" Dart's tone became increasingly despondent.

Forbes hesitated for a moment but finally said, "German peace is nothing but a slow-acting poison for us. Their ambition to dominate Europe won't diminish with victory! It is said... they have deceived many fast ships from Spain and Portugal. In fact, the capacity is a minor issue; the key is that these two countries have unwittingly become their allies! They're right, Adolf Hitler is indeed a second-rate artist and a first-rate politician!"

"Generals!" a staff officer hurried out of the command room, "Radar has detected a large number of German aircraft flying from the French coast!"

"Instruct all ships to prepare for anti-aircraft defense!" Forbes ordered without hesitation.

"Although nighttime bombing is less effective, the Nelson... last night..." Dart said nervously.

"Forget about that unlucky warship! Our firepower is enough to protect ourselves!" Forbes encouraged himself.

This time, among the attacking German aircraft was a small number of He-111 twin-engine bombers. Along with the Stukas, the German aircraft concentrated their bombs on the left side of the fleet, causing the fleet's heading to shift slightly to the right. Overall, they were still moving closer to the British coast along the English Channel.

Just before dusk, the German Air Force finally launched its largest-scale bombing since the British fleet entered the channel. This time, over 120 Stukas, along with a small number of He-111s and He-115s carrying torpedoes, flew in formation. The pilots seemed stimulated, facing the dense firepower of the British fleet without fear. Almost every Stuka dived to an altitude of six to seven hundred meters before dropping bombs, and they wisely targeted the escort cruisers and destroyers at the forefront of the British fleet. They quickly sank the British light cruiser "Sheffield." The torpedo bombers approached to within 2000 meters before launching torpedoes at the four British capital ships. Despite the dizzying speed at which German aircraft fell, the British fleet was also engulfed in flames and smoke. To avoid torpedoes racing towards the surface, the originally dense formation suddenly became loose, providing more opportunities for subsequent Stuka pilots. When the twenty-minute bombing ended, the British suddenly found that they had lost more than a tenth of their fleet!

Fortunately, darkness quickly descended, and the four powerful battleships entered the English Channel one-quarter of the way without incident. At the current speed, they would be able to bombard the Isle of Wight in another three hours. At 7 o'clock in the evening, Fleet Commander Admiral Forbes ordered the fleet to increase speed to 22 knots, and the formation was adjusted to three fast columns: four large battleships and two heavy cruisers in the center, with light cruisers and destroyers mixed on both sides. Eleven additional destroyers were deployed for maneuverable anti-submarine and anti-aircraft tasks!

The seemingly flawless deployment successfully repelled a nighttime attack by a group of German torpedo bombers. Shortly afterwards, the minesweeping flotilla from Lyme Bay joined the fleet, slightly slowing the overall speed but reassuring most people. However, as the fleet sailed to within 25 nautical miles of the Isle of Wight, with the main battleships already prepared for bombardment, the leading cruiser suddenly exploded violently without warning, sending a water column tens of meters high into the air!

On board the "Queen Elizabeth," less than a mile away, the officers watched the strange scene in astonishment. Such power could only be caused by large-caliber torpedoes or mines!

"Could the German's drifting mines have drifted here? It doesn't make sense! Order all ships to search the nearby waters and beware of German submarines!" The elderly General Forbes issued a decisive order. Looking ahead, the unfortunate cruiser was already engulfed in flames, exposing several nearby destroyers on the originally pitch-black sea!

"German submarines haven't appeared all day, which is really strange! They couldn't have all been deployed to ambush the 'Nelson' in the North Sea, could they?" Captain Dart said puzzledly.

"Indeed, something doesn't seem right!" Forbes frowned, but with his experience, he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

One disaster followed another. Just as the destroyers were searching diligently for the underwater culprit, a huge explosion rang out once again. This time, the victim was a Tribal-class destroyer, whose hull was much weaker than that of a cruiser. The ship split in two instantly, and in less than half a minute, it irreversibly sank to the bottom of the sea.

"God bless us! Are we in a German minefield?!" Forbes was thoroughly frustrated at this point. Blocking the Dover Strait and the western side of the English Channel already required a large number of mines, not to mention those laid on both sides of the Strait of Zuyder Zee. Did the Germans still have mines to spare? According to the estimates of the Royal Navy's intelligence department, the number of mines produced by German factories should be far from sufficient for operational needs!

Three strikes and you're out. When the third, equally massive explosion occurred, the British finally realized that their situation was extremely dire!

General Forbes quickly ordered, "Fleet, slow down! Minesweepers, clear the way ahead!"

Every weapon has its "natural enemy," and minesweepers are designed to clear mines, but this "natural enemy" always gives its hunters a headache - even in the 21st century, navies around the world have not found a truly effective minesweeping method. Even the simplest contact mine can render expensive, high-tech warships useless. The accompanying British minesweepers bravely rushed into the area where the bombed ships were located, but when encountering a minefield, especially a mixed minefield composed of traditional anchor mines, magnetic mines, and acoustic mines (historically invented by the Germans and put into combat in August 1940, causing considerable headaches for the British), they could only be like "cavalry falling into a pit, powerful but unable to use their strength"!