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

Chapter 274: A Missed Opportunity

The Defense Command was filled with cheers, and the staff officers even started placing bets—not on the fleet's overall success, but on whether they would break through the Dardanelles today or tomorrow to reach the Sea of Marmara.

Lieutenant Colonel Fernand approached Charles with a sly grin. "Colonel, aren't you going to join in?"

Charles responded coldly, "What's the payout for failure?"

Fernand blinked in surprise, then laughed. "Failure? No one thinks the fleet could lose. If someone did, I'd give them odds of 1 to 100..."

"As you wish," Charles replied, pulling out every franc he had in his pocket—11 francs—and slapping them on the table in front of Fernand.

Fernand hesitated, studying Charles's confident expression. But then he reasoned that such a defeat was unthinkable—this was a fleet of 18 battleships, and even Germany only had 17. This armada alone could bring a nation to its knees, let alone the Ottoman Empire.

With a chuckle, Fernand took Charles's 11 francs, lifting them in a mock toast. "I'll consider it your treat for a drink!"

Just then, a signal officer burst in, shouting, "General! The Bouvet has been sunk!"

The Bouvet was one of the four French battleships sent to join the British fleet. Perhaps due to national pride, the French were eager to see their warships outshine the British, and expectations for the Bouvet were high. No one anticipated that the first news they'd hear would be of its sinking.

The command center fell into dead silence. Everyone, including General Gallieni, paused, turning in shock toward the signal officer. Only Charles sat calmly, sipping his apple juice—a ten-sou treat from the officers' club.

After a long silence, Fernand stammered, "No, that's impossible. How was it destroyed?"

The signal officer triple-checked the report before finally handing the telegram directly to Gallieni.

Gallieni glanced at it and read aloud, "At 1:54 PM…"

He checked his watch; it was now three in the afternoon, meaning the sinking had occurred about an hour earlier. This left little room for doubt—the information came directly from Central Command, which would have verified its accuracy.

Gallieni continued reading, "The Bouvet sank following an unexplained explosion, likely near the ammunition hold. The event was so sudden that the ship went down in just 2 minutes and 35 seconds, leaving no time for a proper rescue. Out of a crew of 648, only 5 officers, 9 petty officers, and 33 sailors survived."

Once again, the command center was silent, as if paying tribute to the fallen.

But the moment passed quickly. The staff had grown accustomed to high casualty counts, and 600 deaths were hardly staggering for them—typical battles cost thousands, even tens of thousands of lives. It was the fact that a battleship, an emblem of invincibility, had sunk in just over two minutes that left them briefly speechless.

"It was probably an accident," Fernand speculated with a sigh. "Improper handling or a freak shot that hit the ammunition hold."

Others nodded in agreement. They couldn't believe the Ottomans could sink a battleship, not even one.

Charles, however, shook his head slightly. Neither the fleet nor the command center yet realized that the cause was a mine.

But it was understandable; a massive explosion rocked the Bouvet from within, visibly shaking the ship before it sank in minutes. Even the officers on board couldn't immediately discern the cause.

An accident? Or a direct hit from an enemy shell?

No one thought to suspect a mine, since a mine would typically explode beneath the hull.

This misunderstanding would soon lead more ships into danger.

An hour later, another message arrived at Command: "Battlecruiser Inflexible has struck a mine and sustained heavy damage."

Three minutes after that: "Battleship Irresistible has struck a mine, taking on significant water. Abandoning ship."

Half an hour later: "Battleship Ocean en route to assist struck a mine. Severe list to one side. Crew forced to abandon ship."

A series of mine-related reports left the staff officers utterly dumbfounded. They could scarcely believe that their supposedly indestructible battleships were falling one after another in the face of these mines.

As night began to fall, the operation had to be abandoned. The battleships could not continue safely in the dark, as they would be unable to spot floating mines in the water.

The final outcome: three battleships sunk and three others heavily damaged and withdrawn from action. This all happened in a single day. Out of an 18-ship fleet, six battleships had been either sunk or critically damaged within hours, not counting the cruisers and destroyers also lost to the enemy.

At this rate, the Allies' supposedly unstoppable fleet—meant to force the Ottomans into surrender—would be depleted in just three days.

Fernand turned to Charles, handing him back the 11 francs, his voice heavy. "And now... I owe you 1,100 francs, Colonel."

Charles gave a slight smile. "Keep it, Lieutenant Colonel. Let's just say I was buying you a drink."

Fernand's eyes went wide—1,100 francs for a drink? Too bad he wouldn't get to taste it!

Charles stood, carrying his daily report to Gallieni.

Since his promotion to colonel, Charles's duties included a daily analysis of intelligence, a task intended to summarize the overall situation.

Gallieni accepted the report, glancing over it. "I don't see any assessment of the navy's battle in here."

Charles looked momentarily puzzled. "I assumed it was beyond our jurisdiction, General. We are the army, after all."

"Any intelligence that comes through this operations center is your responsibility," Gallieni replied sternly. "The navy's actions may well affect our army. Their strategic objective could be to open a new front behind our lines. Why else do you think we're being kept informed?"

"Understood." Charles's tone was resigned. "The reason for the navy's failure is simple: they missed their chance. Had they fought like this on the first day, the Ottomans might have already surrendered."

Gallieni fell silent, nodding slowly in agreement. "Indeed, on that first day, there were hardly any mines in the Dardanelles—the strait was still open to navigation just the day before."

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