Chapter 645: Losing Sleep Over the German Navy
In the end, the German First Fast Squadron suffered a humiliating defeat—losing one battlecruiser, two cruisers, and four destroyers before finally withdrawing.
The SMS Lützow managed to return to port intact.
It survived only because, at the last moment, one of the German cruisers had accelerated and intercepted a torpedo meant for it, sacrificing itself to protect the flagship.
After that, Rear Admiral von Kavis had no choice but to order a full retreat. He knew continuing the fight was meaningless.
They had departed with 20 ships, brimming with confidence, ready to teach the French Navy a lesson. Now they returned with just 13, having inflicted minimal damage in return—only two destroyers and one cruiser had been lightly damaged on the French side.
What pained von Kavis most was the loss of a precious battlecruiser:
The SMS Seydlitz, a Moltke-class ship, one of the most advanced vessels in the German fleet, commissioned only in May 1913—barely three years in service.
…
Antwerp, Charles's command center.
When the news of victory arrived, the entire war room erupted into celebration. Staff officers rushed toward Charles, surrounding him, each one eager to shake his hand, to embrace him:
"Amazing, General! We beat the German Navy!"
"Incredible—we lost almost nothing, yet sank a battlecruiser! And not just any ship, but one of their best!"
"The German Navy is the second-strongest in the world. If we beat them… does that mean we're second now?"
That last line came from Wei Gang, Charles's operations officer, who had followed him closely since the beginning.
The others turned toward Wei Gang, amusement in their eyes.
Second?
He clearly didn't understand.
With the way things were going, France had no intention of stopping at second.
But no one corrected him out loud. They simply smiled—each with their own thoughts.
At that moment, Vice Admiral Guépratte entered the office.
His command center was located just below Charles's, to facilitate air–naval cooperation. Without that close coordination, such a seamless and devastating strike would never have happened.
Guépratte's face was flushed with excitement. He strode forward and grasped Charles's hand tightly, his voice shaking:
"We did it. We really did it, Lieutenant General. You were right—these torpedo bombers work!"
"Of course, Admiral," Charles replied calmly. "But to be honest, even without the torpedo bombers, the Germans wouldn't have had it easy."
Guépratte nodded emphatically.
Even though the escort fleet was outclassed in both tonnage and firepower, the French had used merchant ships as decoys and lured the Germans into a T-shaped trap, allowing every French ship to fire on the enemy from the outset.
More importantly, the French fleet had leveraged the fog to close the distance—by the time battle began, they were already within 3 kilometers, the effective range of their new guided torpedoes.
At that distance, even German battlecruisers couldn't shrug them off.
"I need to discuss something with you," Guépratte said, glancing toward the conference room.
Charles understood immediately, stood, and followed the admiral inside, closing the door behind them.
Outside, cheering and laughter continued. Some officers even tossed papers into the air like confetti, fluttering down like flower petals celebrating returning heroes.
Guépratte sat heavily in a chair, nodding with satisfaction. His eyes shimmered with emotion. After a moment, he wiped the corners of his eyes.
For a man of his age and rank, this victory meant everything.
He recalled a century of humiliation for the French Navy. Despite their efforts, they had always been overshadowed by the British Royal Navy—reduced now to guarding the Mediterranean, with no say in the Atlantic.
But now…
Everything had changed.
"Admiral?" Charles called softly.
Guépratte snapped out of his reverie, smiled awkwardly, and wiped his eyes. "Apologies, General. You understand… this victory—it means everything."
"I do," Charles nodded.
This wasn't just a tactical win. It was a symbolic one. For the navy, especially men like Guépratte, it represented something they might not have expected to see in their lifetimes: the French Navy, rising again.
And not just rising—but bringing with it enormous strategic influence.
After a few moments of silence, Guépratte composed himself and said, more seriously:
"Even though this was a brilliant victory… I'm not sure it's strategically favorable. Am I right?"
Charles nodded. He knew what the admiral meant.
France's ultimate goal wasn't simply to defeat the Germans—it was to outshine the British Royal Navy. Even without a direct confrontation, France needed to prove—to Britain and the world—that they were now the number one naval power.
From that strategic viewpoint, it would be more beneficial to let the German fleet continue fighting the British, slowly wearing each other down.
Crippling the German Navy, ironically, was not in France's long-term interest.
"I know," Charles replied. "That's why we didn't pursue them."
The French Navy had the 1,000-ton Adventurer-class destroyers, capable of speeds up to 31 knots. Catching the retreating German ships wouldn't have been difficult.
Charles had also only deployed one squadron of bombers. The second squadron had circled nearby the whole time, but never entered the fight.
"Still," Guépratte said, worried, "we sank seven ships—including a battlecruiser. What if this scares the Germans into never leaving Heligoland Bay again?"
Charles shook his head, confident:
"No, Admiral. They'll come out again. Soon, they'll realize the British don't have our new torpedoes—or our torpedo bombers. Even if the British have Capronis, they can't do what we just did."
He smiled slightly.
"This battle was meant to send a message to the Germans: do not provoke the French Navy."
Guépratte nodded slowly.
France had torpedo bombers in the sky, guided torpedoes in the sea, and sonar systems to detect submarines.
Germany would know exactly where they stood.
Then Charles added with meaning:
"If the Germans are smart, they'll realize that today we've shown them the key to breaking the British blockade. This defeat might actually be a blessing for them."
"What?" Guépratte looked surprised. "You think the Germans can break the British fleet's blockade?"
"Of course," Charles said. "Germany already has better aero engines than we do. Their mistake is using them for airships instead of bombers."
Guépratte thought for a moment before replying, "So… they could upgrade their bombers and arm them with torpedoes?"
"Yes, Admiral," Charles answered. "The Germans can't surpass the British in terms of battleships. So I'm helping them bring the war to a new dimension."
Guépratte stared at Charles for a long time, speechless.
So that was Charles's real intention.
He was, in a way, losing sleep over the German Navy.
(End of Chapter 645)
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