The battleship *Normandie*, the flagship of the French Navy, loomed amidst the chaos.
Admiral Lame paced anxiously within the command tower. Though the thunderous roar of cannon fire echoed around him, it offered little comfort. Despite the numerical superiority of five French battleships against just two German warships, victory seemed as elusive as ever.
"Damned! How could this be? Five of our battleships against two German ones, and we still haven't landed a single hit! What are we to do if this continues?" Admiral Lame bellowed in frustration.
The other French naval officers on the bridge remained silent, all too aware of the Admiral's growing fury. None dared provoke him further—there were few things more perilous than igniting the wrath of Lame.
While the French Navy held an absolute advantage in numbers, they were outclassed in nearly every other respect. The French, having long abandoned the ambition to expand their naval power, lacked the means to construct advanced battleships. Their vessels, when compared to those of Britain and Germany, fell short in performance. Even more dire was the disparity in the quality of their naval personnel, who could not hope to compete with the elite crews of the British and Germans. This, in essence, explained the dire situation they now found themselves in.
"Admiral, a message from General Jellicoe. He urges us to sink the two German battleships as swiftly as possible," reported a communications officer.
"Damn it! I would love nothing more than to sink the Germans' battleships! But if it's beyond our capability, what am I supposed to do?" Admiral Lame roared in anger.
The officer lowered his head, silent, knowing better than to speak further.
"Send a message to all ships," Lame commanded. "Tell them that time is running out. We must sink the German battleships at once. If we fail, we'll share the same fate as the others we've seen sunk by the Germans. We will be nothing but wreckage at the bottom of the sea! Fight with all you have if you wish to survive!"
Suddenly, a violent tremor rocked the *Normandie*. Lame stumbled and fell to the deck, unceremoniously crashing to the floor.
"Damned! We've been hit! Report the damage!" Lame shouted hoarsely, his thoughts swiftly turning to prayer, hoping the damage wouldn't be too severe. If the ship couldn't continue, the battle would be lost.
"Admiral, the bow deck has been struck, the armor pierced. Two compartments on the second level have been destroyed, and a fire has broken out!" The officer quickly assessed the damage.
Lame exhaled in relief. "Order damage control to begin immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
An explosion rang out aboard the German *King Albert* battleship, flames engulfing the command tower.
"My God! We've hit their command tower!" Lame cried, a rare moment of exultation piercing his frustration.
Though the shot had not come from *Normandie*, any blow to the German fleet was a victory for the French. The shell had been fired from the *Gascony* battleship, and by some stroke of luck, it had struck the *King Albert's* command tower. However, despite the impact, the French 340mm cannon, facing the formidable 350mm armor of the German ship, had proven insufficient. The shell failed to breach the armor, exploding on impact and knocking officers in the tower senseless. But, mercifully, no further damage was done.
As the smoke cleared, Lame was struck dumb. The *King Albert* was still intact.
"Damned! What is this? How could we not penetrate their command tower's armor? How thick is that armor?" Lame cursed bitterly.
The *King Albert* showed no sign of weakening. In fact, within five minutes, it delivered another devastating blow.
A 343mm shell struck *Normandie*'s aft turret, its 340mm armor unable to withstand the power of the German 343mm cannon. The armor was breached, and the explosion within the turret obliterated the entire structure. Worse still, a few hundred kilograms of powder, recently brought up to the turret, detonated in a catastrophic chain reaction. The aft of the ship was engulfed in flames.
The French captain immediately ordered water to be pumped into the magazine below, fearing a catastrophic explosion.
Despite losing a turret, *Normandie*'s firepower was significantly reduced, and the morale of the crew suffered greatly.
"Damn it! Send a message to the *Gascony* and *Flandre*, demanding to know what they're doing! Unimpeded, they've been firing at the enemy, but their accuracy is abysmally poor!" Lame's frustration boiled over.
With *Normandie* drawing the fire of the *King Albert*, the other ships should have had an easier time landing hits, but the reality was far from Lame's expectations.
Lame's outburst did little to improve their situation, only worsening it as the French fleet's position grew more precarious by the minute.
Meanwhile, the French battleships *Bretagne* and *Gloire* had scored several hits, but their 340mm and 305mm guns stood little chance against the thick armor of the *Luitpold Prince Regent* battleship. Yet, the German response was swift and overwhelming.
A 343mm shell struck *Bretagne*'s second funnel, severing it completely. The fallen funnel crushed the third turret, causing a devastating explosion that set the upper structures of *Bretagne* ablaze.