As the main force of the British home fleet found itself entangled in the German naval minefield and unable to extricate itself, a massive fleet consisting of over 200 vessels was assembling in the vicinity of Brest. In terms of quantity, they outnumbered the British home fleet twofold. However, in a naval encounter, the British might achieve victory with hardly a ship lost. Apart from the German light cruiser "Emden" and one Z-class destroyer, along with four large torpedo boats barely fit for battle, the latter lacked the capability to confront large British vessels, whether armed merchant ships with temporary artillery installations or fast liners.
Direct confrontation wasn't an option, but "when the cat's away, the mice will play." With the entire British fleet now in the English Channel, German minesweepers stealthily entered the western entrance of the English Channel, laying mines and cutting off the retreat route. Meanwhile, German submarines, originally cruising in the Celtic Sea, converged at the Strait of St. George's to prevent a potential surprise attack from British carriers. With meticulous planning, the massive German fleet set sail unafraid, targeting not the heavily guarded Lime Bay (a bay in southwest England, opposite to Cherbourg Harbor), nor the beaches at the southern tip of the Cornwall Peninsula, but Bristol Bay, which the British had almost deemed invulnerable to invasion. There lay the last intact large port in southwest Britain - Cardiff!
At 10 PM that night, the airfields in the area between Cherbourg and Caen in northern France suddenly became lively. Junkers Ju 52s were fueled up and ready to fly, while the newly formed German Luftwaffe's 11th Airborne Division, comprising over 9,000 paratroopers and airborne infantry, had already assembled and awaited orders. Under the cover of darkness, the 42 "Gigant" gliders had awakened from their slumber, already loaded with lightly modified Panzer III and IV tanks. However, due to the insufficient number of four-engine transport aircraft available for towing these behemoths, some of them would have to be towed by two Bf 110 heavy fighters. Such a formation posed a significant test of skill, nerves, and cooperation for the pilots.
"General, best of luck to you!"
Beside a 230-type assault glider, Rend Stephenson, clad in the uniform of a German Air Force captain, bid farewell to his former superior, Major General Puchel. Since taking over as the commander of the newly formed 11th Air Force (which included the 7th Paratroop Division, the 22nd Airborne Division, and the still-forming German 1st Airborne Division), Stuttgen had been stripped of his acting divisional commander title and officially appointed as the commanding officer of the 7th Paratroop Division. As for Stephenson, thanks to the favor of the Deputy Director of Airborne Troops Technology, he had been promoted to the rank of exemplary paratroop battalion commander. The previous night, one part of this airborne battalion had successfully conducted a parachute drop operation with allied forces across from the Isle of Wight to Lepe. However, due to the intimidation of "Churchill's asparagus," the heavy equipment company and their gliders had to participate in the airborne operation against Cardiff. There, due to its distance from the southern coast, the fields still retained their original appearance.
"Wishing you good fortune, young man, with your limitless future!"
Smiling kindly, the slightly bald Puchel turned and entered the cabin.
For the needs of commanding operations, senior commanders of the airborne forces, along with their staff and communication teams, boarded gliders for the airborne assault to ensure they could maintain communication with rear headquarters and airborne units upon landing.
Amidst the deafening roar, one after another, the Junkers Ju 52s took off, destined to traverse the English Channel and the Cornwall Peninsula via high-altitude flight. The distance to Cardiff was only 200 kilometers in a straight line. In contrast, the army officers and men traveling to the third landing site by sea would have to endure nearly 11 hours of long voyages. The Cardiff they would see at dawn the next day might already be a port flying the flag of the German Reich!
Finally, it was time for the glider carrying Stephenson to take off. As the towing aircraft began to accelerate, the sensation of movement inside the cabin became more pronounced. Silently, the young captain made the sign of the cross on his chest, praying for his own fate and for the rising empire!
As for the essence of the German "Wrath of Neptune" plan, British home fleet commander General Charles Forbes not only remained ignorant but also found himself overwhelmed by the German minefield. Since the formulation of the "Wrath of Neptune" plan, the German Navy had utilized torpedo boats, mine-layers, and some civilian fast boats to lay over 6,300 mines in an area about 25 nautical miles west of the Isle of Wight, forming a large minefield 10 kilometers long from north to south and 3 kilometers wide from east to west. The mines had varying depths of 6 to 8 meters and were categorized into acoustic and magnetic types, with both bottom and anchor types. It's worth mentioning that traditional anchor mines were mostly seized from French warehouses, while the acoustic mines were the latest product developed by the German Navy, deployed for the first time in actual combat. Together with magnetic mines, there were over 800 mines in total, and mixing them with traditional anchor mines maximized their effectiveness!
To prevent injuries from shrapnel and shock caused by mine explosions, Fox and his captains were reluctantly confined to the bridge command room, watching the eerie sea through thick observation windows. Under the dim starlight, the sea was pitch black, and ships with signal lights moved slowly. Apart from the war, they formed a different kind of Milky Way.
Boom!
The piercing explosion once again reminded Fox that his fleet was being devoured by enemy mines, although a considerable number of them were manufactured by their former ally, France. This could be considered revenge for the French naval officers and sailors who perished in the Battle of Mers-el-Kebir!
"Oh my God, General, we can't continue forward anymore. We must stop the ship immediately, or those mines may be triggered at any moment! I can't understand why, in waters so close to the coast, our forces didn't detect such a large number of German mines laid by the Germans?" Captain Dart complained angrily and helplessly. The Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were once the most powerful surface vessels in the world, boasting thick armor and 15-inch guns that made the Royal Navy proud. However, like other warships, they were still unable to withstand minefields. It should be noted that a typical German mine had twice the explosive charge of a large-caliber torpedo and was specifically designed to target the vulnerable undersides of battleships!
"No, we can't stop the ship! German torpedo bombers could appear at any moment! Their torpedoes..." Before he could finish, there was a thunderous explosion, causing the huge battleship to tremble violently. Its severe rocking easily knocked down many officers, almost scattering General Forbes' old bones!
"General, are you okay? You look pale." Dart struggled to get up, just helping the poor old man when someone shouted:
"Hit on the port side, flooding in the No. 1 magazine!"
"Damn it! Close the watertight doors!" Dart shouted.
A staff officer grabbed the phone and shouted, "Close the watertight doors!"
Forbes suddenly grabbed Dart's arm like a madman and shook it, "Retreat! Retreat quickly! Damn it, we've been thoroughly outmaneuvered by the Germans! If we lose the fleet, we'll lose hope altogether! Hood, Hood must go out! And Repulse, they must be used to counter the new Bismarck served by the Germans!"
Dart finally managed to calm the little old man down and then ordered the communications officer to issue the retreat order to the fleet. Shortly thereafter, a somewhat good piece of news came from the forward compartment: the watertight doors were working, and the seawater was being controlled inside the No. 1 magazine. Apart from two main guns temporarily out of action, the overall situation of the ship was still relatively good.
The huge fleet was already on the brink of chaos. Upon receiving the order to turn, each ship was busy with self-rescue in the absence of enemy attacks. However, the German acoustic mines were triggered by the sound of engines and propellers. Within five minutes, two more vessels were hit: the Southampton-class light cruiser "Birmingham" detonated one, with severe flooding in the lower compartments; and the destroyer "Shadow Wind" detonated one, with seawater rushing in through the breach. Seeing the situation was irretrievable, the captain had to reluctantly announce the abandonment of the ship!
Forbes, who was supposed to retire to the second line smoothly in another month, had been muttering about Hood and Repulse all along. Perhaps in his eyes, the once mighty Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were no longer able to keep up with the pace of the German main battleships. Only the three battlecruisers of the Royal Navy and the upcoming George V-class could still be effective.
Hood was still somewhat commendable. After completing the turn safely, under the cover of two destroyers, it gradually left the minefield area. As for Repulse, its luck was much worse. It happened to touch an old-fashioned French anchor mine without deviation, and the violent explosion almost blew the bow of the battlecruiser into the air. The crew struggled to close several watertight doors, barely saving the main body of the warship. However, with a large amount of water flooding the forward compartment, the warship tilted severely forward, and the speed could no longer exceed 10 knots!
Four mainline ships were damaged, two escort destroyers and cruisers suffered heavy losses and were in chaos, while German torpedo bombers seemed to arrive at the sound of the explosion, undoubtedly putting the British fleet in an even more dire situation.
"General, a large number of German bombers have appeared in the south!"
The staff officer looked at the old general eagerly, hoping he could continue to play the role of this fleet's guiding light.
With a vacant look, Forbes glanced at his subordinates, "Fire, fire at full force! Don't let them get close to Hood and Repulse!"
"Fire illumination flares to the south!" Dart suggested from the side.
Forbes repeated without hesitation, "Yes, fire illumination flares to confuse their vision!"
With the issuance of the order, the pitch-black sea instantly turned into daylight, and the British fleet vigorously organized anti-aircraft fire. However, the Germans were well-prepared. Several Heinkel He 111s took turns dropping parachute-illuminated flares over the fleet, exposing the trapped British fleet. Immediately afterward, a significantly larger number of German torpedo bombers bravely swooped in low, dropping a large number of torpedoes within effective range. Watching the densely packed torpedo tracks on the sea surface, the officers finally realized the sorrow of the Nelson last night...