Imperial Overlord

If it is said that there is still an espionage department in this world that can detect such hidden intelligence, then there are still people who believe it.

But if it is said that it is a joke to calculate the endurance of the opponent's generals and accurately determine how long the enemy will endure after the ultimatum.

However, Li Le not only "presumed" the exact time of the outbreak of the Battle of Oran, but also pinpointed it to the time of 17:54 in the afternoon.

Because Li Le has not changed any decision that is enough to determine the direction of the war, the British H-fleet came to the waters near Oran completely according to the previous historical script.

"Don't worry! The Führer has obtained accurate information, and the other party will not fire before 17:00 in the afternoon! Trust me!" The SS officer from Germany said confidently.

He didn't believe that the Fuhrer could make such an accurate judgment yesterday, but when the British fleet arrived as scheduled at 9 am this morning, he had already decided to take the Fuhrer as a god.

"How is this possible! You know, the British ultimatum has passed! You haven't done anything but sent a very regular telegram requesting support." The French officer was about to be driven mad by what he saw .

He is not a strategist Li Le, of course he doesn't know when the British will open fire. He could only wait anxiously, grasping the last straw that the Germans gave him.

M? Jean Sur waited anxiously as well. The fleet dispatched by the British this time was quite large, and of course it was not something the French could face alone.

The entire British H fleet includes the battleships Warrior and Resolute, the battlecruiser Hood, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, as well as 2 cruisers and 11 destroyers.

As for the French battleships of the French Navy in Port Kebir, only the two battleships of Brittany and Provence, as well as the battlecruiser Dunkirk, can be considered combat power.

On the other hand, even if the French had as many fleets as the British, they did not have the courage to fight the British head-on.

A hundred years of maritime hegemony has allowed the British to discount the backbone of the French and German navies. This is the advantage of the British navy, and this advantage is quite huge.

…

On the other hand, the Italian fleet was also taken aback by the size of the British fleet, even though it was known before that there were two battleships and one Hood battlecruiser, but when it was really faced, the Italian naval commanders Still very nervous.

"Will the French really attack the British with us?" the commander of the Italian fleet asked hesitantly, looking at the German officer beside him.

His worries are also very obvious. If the French make a mistake, surrender the British, and fight against the Italian navy with their backs to the harbor—then the Italian navy will be completely over.

"We still have a trump card, what are you afraid of?" The German officer put down his binoculars and said pretendingly.

In fact, the distance between them and the British fleet is still very far, and they can't see each other with binoculars.

And the primary task of their fleet is not to go up to fight the British fleet, but to prepare to enter the field later to "grab the head".

However, the commander of the Italian Navy still felt that this combat operation was very dangerous, and people had to make their own decisions carefully.

What he was holding in his hand was all the belongings of the Italian Navy. If something happened, even if Mussolini hanged him, it would not help.

The so-called flanking attack by the French actually had no hope at all. His best hope was for the French fleet to sit on the sidelines and not interfere.

The Italian commander knew that he had prepared a trump card in advance. If it wasn't for these trump cards, he might have ordered the fleet to turn around and retreat.

In his opinion, instead of fighting a war of attrition for the French, it would be safer to directly sell the French fleet.

If the French fleet can still sink or seriously damage some of the British warships in the process of resisting, it is a situation that will satisfy the Italian Navy.

As for the matter of saving the French fleet, the commander of the Italian Navy felt that it really had nothing to do with him.

Unconsciously, in the process of everyone's nervousness, time has reached the more tangled position of 17 o'clock.

The French in the port have been waiting to the brink of collapse. They know that the battle may start at any time, but all they can do is wait anxiously.

Two battleships and one battlecruiser were loaded with shells, waiting for their battle.

In the same way, the British Navy's H fleet, cruising on the sea, can't wait.

The spies they planted in Italy have already confirmed a terrible news at this time: the main force of the Italian fleet has left the naval port, and it is still unknown where the other party is.

Commander of Fleet H, James Somerville, had ordered the Ark Royal to take off two reconnaissance planes to alert the Italian Navy to where it might be, but to no avail.

In his opinion, since he gave the French fleet an ultimatum at 9:00 in the morning, there is a high possibility that the French really joined the Axis and called the Italian fleet.

"Can't wait any longer! We are in danger now!" Somerville frowned and said to his deputy.

Li Le still didn't know that his mobilization of the Italian fleet eventually aroused the vigilance of the British and changed some important decisions in the Oran naval battle.

If he knew that such a slight change would cause a butterfly effect, he would not be sure that the naval battle would break out at 17:54.

The British Navy began to prepare its own artillery bombardment, and Somerville gave the order to its fleet to launch the shelling on time at 17:30.

At the same time, the Italian fleet began to outflank the Spanish coastline, making a detour to block the British fleet's retreat.

If the combat power is raised, there is actually a certain gap between them and the British fleet. Even in terms of the quality of the warships, the Italians do not have much advantage.

They only rely on the pre-prepared killer weapons and the cooperation of the French fleet.

"Boom!" At 17:31, the battle cruiser Hood finally broke the silence and fired the first shell at the French battleship in the port with her terrifying 381mm main gun.

After a long distance, the shell landed on the water in Kebir Harbor, splashing a column of water as high as dozens of floors.

Everyone was nervous, and at the same time, everyone's dangling heart finally let go. The process of waiting for the war to start is torturous, but when it really starts, it is more relaxing.

Because the battle has already broken out, there is not so much expectation, and the rest is simple, only fighting back and praying.

"Boom!" On the battleship Warrior, flames were also fired from the 15-inch caliber cannon, and a shell also fell into the French port of Kebir, hitting the sea not far from the French battleship.

Apparently the British were adjusting their shots to attack fixed targets, and the warships on the sea were very accurate, thanks to the expensive and huge sighting systems on the warships.

Of course, part of the credit belongs to the British reconnaissance planes that are correcting and firing over French ports.

The French were also the same as in history. They did not sit still, but began to use their artillery to attack the British warships violently.

It is a pity that their counter-attack accuracy is not as high as that of the British. After all, the gap between the French navy and the British navy is not small.

"The British opened fire! The British opened fire!" In the port, the French soldiers screamed loudly. They couldn't believe what they saw.

A few weeks ago, they were identified with the British, and now the British are attacking their ports and warships.

"Fire back! Those **** British guys!" M? let Sur know that the British were really going to attack him this time.

Before, he still had many options to choose from, such as surrendering to the British, or choosing to believe in the Germans' commitment, believing that the Germans' support would arrive as scheduled.

Now it seems that he has to rely on himself to get through the difficulties in front of him.

After his country was defeated by the Germans, he had to endure the betrayal of his former allies, and was lonely like Joan of Arc, relying on his beliefs to fight on.

"The Germans and Italians are unreliable! What they think about every day is the annexation of our French warships!" M? Jean Sur cursed bitterly.

He looked at the shells that landed next to his battleship, and added: "The British are also a pack of wolves! They have forgotten even the basic morals!"

The British obviously paid more attention to the French battleships, and the shells were concentrated on the French battleship Brittany. The battleship didn't last long before it was hit by a British shell.

Although the huge explosion could not really damage the French battleship, it also shocked the French navy soldiers into a cold sweat.

Because the distance of the explosion was too close, the steel plates on the side of the Brittany were somewhat deformed, but the arrogant French were still firing violently in the direction of the British fleet.

Although these shells did not cause any substantial damage to the British, it showed the attitude of the French Navy. They were a group of arrogant Gallic roosters and would not bow their heads to anyone.

At 17:34, the advancing Italian naval fleet received the exact news of the outbreak of the Battle of Oran.

At this time, they are still a long way from the battlefield.