I Became a Tycoon During World War I: Saving France from the Start

Chapter 622 622: The Involvement of the French Navy

At the Brest Shipyard, General Winter spread out a naval chart in front of Charles, explaining the difficulties currently facing the Royal Navy.

"After the war began, we made some adjustments to our blockade strategy against the Germans," said General Winter, pointing to Heligoland Bay. "Before the war, we maintained a close blockade, but after it started, we shifted to a distant one. Our main fleet withdrew to the northern sector."

(Above: Location of Heligoland Island; the sea to its east is Heligoland Bay, Germany's most important outlet to the sea.)

Charles nodded. This adjustment made perfect sense.

Despite the Royal Navy being much stronger than the German Navy, maintaining a blockade too close to German waters was unsustainable and strategically unwise.

The reason was that Germany could deploy large numbers of torpedo boats to fight small against big. Over time, they could whittle down British destroyers and even battleships, allowing their larger warships to break through the blockade and potentially defeat the Royal Navy.

But if Britain employed a distant blockade, Germany's torpedo boats—designed only for near-shore operations—would be rendered useless. They posed no threat to British warships from afar.

General Winter continued pointing at the chart:

"We've divided the fleet into three parts."

"The battleships and other main vessels are positioned in the north. The narrow English Channel in the south is sealed with small ships and naval mines. The central area is patrolled by faster ships like destroyers and battlecruisers."

"At the same time, they escort merchant ships and try to strengthen the connection between the northern and southern blockades."

(Above: simplified diagram of the British naval blockade against Germany, divided into three main sectors: upper, central, and lower.)

"What's the issue, then?" Charles asked.

To him, this layout and division seemed logical—he couldn't spot any obvious flaws.

General Winter responded, "We always assumed the German fleet would try to break out from the north, because the south—the narrow English Channel—is basically a death trap for them."

Charles raised his head and looked at Winter with a slightly surprised expression. "You mean the Germans chose to break out from the south?"

"Yes." Winter nodded. "Lately, German destroyers have been harassing our southern blockade. They've cleared mines, broken through nets, and even sunk a few of our minelayers and torpedo boats."

Charles was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. "A clever tactic. They know your main force is in the north, and the south is your weakest point."

"Exactly, Lieutenant General." Winter spread his hands in frustration. "The problem now is that our southern blockade is in a very passive position. In that sector, we don't just lack superiority—we're actually at a disadvantage. But we can't shift forces from the north, or the Germans will punch through."

This was the classic problem with maintaining a blockade.

Even though the Royal Navy was nearly twice the size of the German Navy, once it was divided into three, only the northern fleet was superior to the Germans. The other two parts were actually weaker.

If the southern route weren't strategically important, they could simply mine it heavily and forget about it.

But the English Channel was the most vital supply line for the Western Front. If the Germans managed to reverse the blockade and seal the route themselves, the consequences would be disastrous.

"This doesn't seem to have anything to do with your interest in the 'echo detector,'" Charles said.

"We have a plan," General Winter explained. "If our ships are equipped with enough echo detectors, we can suppress German submarines while gaining an edge in underwater warfare. This might help shift the situation in the south."

Charles understood.

The British plan was to counter the Germans' strategy using their own approach—deploying destroyers, submarines, and small ships like torpedo boats to wear down the German fleet.

Therefore, having destroyers with echo detectors to suppress German subs became crucial.

Without them, the German submarines alone could run the Royal Navy ragged, leaving them no capacity to organize effective fleet responses.

"This might work," Charles acknowledged, but he still refused, his tone firm: "However, I can't agree. You know why."

General Winter gave a helpless smile, indicating he understood.

The echo detector was tied to control over strategic supplies. If Charles agreed, it would be like willingly handing the British a noose to tighten around France's neck.

Charles smiled faintly, a hint of pride in his voice. "We seem to have another solution—why not have the French fleet assist the British in blockading the English Channel? That could make up for your southern weakness. What do you think?"

Before General Winter could respond, Charles added:

"As you said, we're allies, General."

"And we possess the echo detector, with mass production soon to follow."

"You can safely delegate anti-submarine and escort duties to the French fleet. That would free up your ships to focus on the Germans."

General Winter didn't answer. He took a sip of coffee to cover his awkwardness.

As a naval admiral, he had naturally considered this option.

It would indeed enhance the Allied naval strength and significantly bolster the blockade against Germany.

However, doing so would undoubtedly be a major boost to the French Navy, allowing it to play a growing role in naval warfare—and perhaps even evolve into a powerful fleet capable of rivaling the Royal Navy.

That was something the Royal Navy had no desire to see.

Even more troubling, a French Navy equipped with echo detectors would be better suited to escort duties because it could locate and destroy submarines.

But providing escorts for merchant ships was not as simple as it seemed.

Over time, the Royal Navy would be squeezed out of that role, and the French would assume control—effectively monopolizing access to strategic materials.

Why should they allow that?

The Royal Navy was risking their lives to protect the supply routes—only for the French Navy to control the materials?

The British would be the ones hunting the wolf, but the French would be the ones eating the meat?

Charles saw right through General Winter's thoughts. Calmly, he said, "It seems you don't have many other options. Either let the French fleet participate, or take the risk of failure—or of the German fleet breaking through."

"No need to worry, General," Winter replied coldly. "We can handle it ourselves. You seem to forget—the Royal Navy is the strongest navy in the world. There's nothing we can't manage."

"Is that so?" Charles still wore his smile. He was in no rush.

"Absolutely!" General Winter nodded firmly. "However, if your navy could spare a few destroyers to ease our anti-submarine burden, we could consider that."

Adding a few ships was one thing; full participation was another. This approach favored the Royal Navy.

"No problem," Charles agreed at once. "Then how about adding twelve more destroyers to form another anti-submarine detachment? Would you be alright with that?"

General Winter hesitated for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.

In truth, twelve more destroyers would still be far from enough.

It was a maddening situation.

On one hand, there was a dire need for enhanced anti-submarine capabilities. On the other, they couldn't allow the French Navy too much involvement.

Damn it—how did Charles manage to invent the echo detector?!

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