"Well done, lads!"
The aircraft of the *Vanguard* and *Victory* carriers were engaged in the tense process of landing after completing their bombing and torpedo runs. As the planes returned to the carriers, they touched down on the decks, then were swiftly moved below to the hangars by elevators. There, they would be refueled, rearmed, and prepared for the next wave of attacks.
In the meantime, the pilots had a brief respite, where they could rest, grab a bite, and take care of necessary personal matters, readying themselves for the upcoming assault.
In the first wave, the aircraft from both carriers had successfully sunk five battleships of the Allied fleet, a result that greatly pleased Prince Heinrich, the fleet commander. He hoped that in the second wave, the aircraft would once again achieve such a devastating outcome, bringing the total sunk to ten battleships.
Afterward, the aircraft would pause their offensive. The pilots, already exhausted from the first round, would need to rest before launching a third wave in the afternoon, which might still yield further success.
At 10:30 AM, all aircraft took off again from the carriers, initiating their second round of attacks on the Allied fleet. During the first wave, three aircraft were lost—two bombers and one torpedo bomber. While the torpedo bomber was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire, the other two bombers failed to pull out of their dive in time after releasing their bombs, crashing into Allied warships.
Despite the loss of three aircraft, Prince Heinrich was undeterred, as these casualties paled in comparison to the damage they had inflicted. After all, the death toll from sinking a single battleship could easily reach into the thousands.
The second wave of attacks began, with the targets once again focused on the French and Italian fleets, as though the British fleet's capital ships were entirely disregarded. Even though the British had deployed several smaller ships with anti-aircraft capabilities to assist, they proved no match for the German aircraft, whose strikes only caused minimal losses to their forces.
The first casualty of the second wave was the Italian battleship *Caio Duilio*, the strongest in their fleet. With a full displacement of 25,000 tons, it boasted three triple-barreled 305mm turrets and two twin-barreled 305mm turrets, its firepower formidable. Yet, despite its strength, the battleship was sunk before it had a chance to demonstrate its power, overwhelmed by the German air assault.
Next, the French battleship *Lorraine* was also sunk. A bomb pierced the deck armor near the turret, and even more disastrous, it ignited the ship's ammunition storage, setting off a massive explosion that destroyed the bow. The ship sank rapidly, its bow down, as seawater poured into the wreckage.
The Germans continued to ignore the British ships, focusing on the French and Italians, whose fleets were deemed more vulnerable. Even the British capital ships, equipped with anti-aircraft weapons, were not the primary targets, as the Germans knew that their fleet could not be completely destroyed by airstrikes alone. The remaining British ships would eventually become the next target for the Luftwaffe.
In the aftermath, the French *France* and Italian *Da Vinci* were sunk, further escalating the losses on both sides.
During the battle, the British *Arkansas* was also destroyed. Already heavily damaged in the previous day's engagement with the German *Blücher-class* battlecruisers, the battleship was now hit by five torpedoes and sank, adding to the mounting destruction.
After two waves of attacks, ten Allied battleships had been sunk, forcing the German aircraft to return to base. Despite this victory, the Allies had only 26 capital ships remaining, a severe disadvantage compared to the Germans' 34.
The question loomed—would the Germans launch a third wave? How many more ships would be lost?
"My God! We've lost half our battleships, and we haven't even seen a German warship yet! This can't go on. We must retreat now, or our fleet will be wiped out by their planes!" Admiral Lamey raged in despair.
With only ten battleships to begin with, France had already lost five, a devastating blow. Admiral Lamey had lost the will to continue, fearing that pressing on would only lead to the total annihilation of their fleet.
"Yes, the Germans are too powerful. With just their planes, they can sink all our ships. There's no point in continuing this fight. We must retreat now, while we still can!" Admiral Paul agreed.
The Italians, having already lost four of their six battleships, were in an even worse position. The German aircraft had wiped out two-thirds of their fleet, and morale had plummeted. The sailors, terrified, longed for nothing more than to retreat immediately.