Chapitre 325: Chapter 402 Operation Starvation (18)
Before the troops move, provisions must go first. Regardless of the country, elite troops need to be well-fed to fight.
Now, the lifeline of the British Empire is being strangled, tighter and tighter, and Prime Minister Churchill, once the former British Navy Minister, is very clear about what this means. If people can't even get enough to eat, there's no need for the German army to conquer Britain; Britain will collapse on its own.
Due to the lack of supplies, many people can only eat bread with jam, unable to have a balanced diet. Over time, the British military and civilians will severely lack vitamins, protein, and iron. Therefore, Churchill entrusted the important task of ensuring that the people are well-fed to Sir Woolton, the Minister of Agriculture, who had to consult "nutritionists" for the first time: How can we ensure nutrition with as little food as possible?
Finally, after discussions of multiple plans, the British high command decided to implement a national food rationing system.
The core of this system is the ration book. The book contains the holder's personal information and a series of "food coupons." Depending on gender and age, each person can get a specified amount of certain foods. For example, pregnant women and children can get extra milk coupons, and teenagers get extra oranges to consume enough vitamins for growth.
At first, not every type of food was limited. Besides bacon, sugar, and butter, other foods could still be bought without restrictions—if the family had enough spare money and a refrigerator to store food. However, this did not last long, and soon meat was also restricted, followed by jams, syrups, and other condiments. The worst was eggs. Although the government provided egg coupons, the grocery stores often had no eggs at all.
The Spanish ambassador to the UK learned of this situation and took the initiative to find the British Foreign Secretary Eden, indicating that Spain could provide various foods, including eggs.
Eden was initially pleased, but almost threw the Spanish ambassador out when he heard the asking price, which was nearly as high as that of golden eggs; this was nothing but blatant profiteering! How infuriating!
Fortunately, at this time, the new battleship "Prince of Wales" and the aircraft carrier "Illustrious" were finally completed. To finish these two warships as quickly as possible, other shipbuilding projects even had to be halted, and the remaining materials were diverted to these two warships, which were finally rushed out.
Although the warships still needed sea trials and various adjustments after completion, Churchill could not wait. Perhaps by the time the sea trials were finished, Britain would have surrendered, and the warships would be useless. He urgently ordered the "Prince of Wales" and the "Illustrious" aircraft carrier, along with the rest of the warships, to form a fleet and head to Canada to escort a new convoy.
The "Illustrious" aircraft carrier was equipped with "Fulmar" fighter planes, the first type of fighter in the Royal Navy with firepower and weight that could rival the Royal Air Force's "Hurricane" and "Spitfire." It was developed by the experienced Fairey company. Although its design was somewhat outdated, it at least provided the Royal Navy with a reliable, sturdy, and long-range multi-purpose fighter.
During World War II in the original timeline, a total of 600 "Fulmar" aircraft were produced. Apart from a small number equipped by the Royal Navy, the majority served in the Fleet Air Arm. Due to its slow speed, it was gradually replaced by the advanced "Sea Spitfire" after 1942, but it continued to serve in the second-line forces for some time afterward. Surprisingly, one-third of the Fleet Air Arm's aerial victories in World War II were achieved using the "Fulmar." Especially during Operation Pedestal, the "Fulmars" stationed on the aircraft carriers "Eagle," "Formidable," and "Illustrious" shot down many enemy aircraft, making an outstanding contribution to the successful conclusion of the operation.
That night, the fleet quietly sailed out of the harbor.
The captain of the "Prince of Wales," Captain John Leach, stood on the bridge, looking at the dark night outside, feeling deeply moved. Who would have thought that the Royal Navy of the great British Empire would have to act so stealthily?
But before he could continue to reflect, a loud noise suddenly came from below, and the entire battleship trembled violently. Everyone on the bridge lost their balance and fell to the ground.
Having struggled to his feet, Leach bellowed, "What's going on?!"
The executive officer hurriedly contacted the various compartments and reported, "Report! It seems we've hit a mine. There's a big hole in the forward bottom compartment, and we're taking on water!"
Leach was instantly furious, grinding his teeth and roaring, "What is the mine-sweeping team doing?! Bring the person in charge to the military court!!"
After the last surprise attack on Scapa Flow, which resulted in heavy losses for the fleet, the UK took strict precautions at every port. The German submarines had no chance to sneak into British ports to cause trouble again, and they could only lay mines around the periphery of the ports. But the mines they laid were not just the old-fashioned anchor mines; there were also new types of magnetic mines.
These magnetic mines are not suspended at a certain depth in the water but are sunk to the seabed, making them undetectable by mine sweepers. When an enemy ship passes over the mine, it can detonate due to the influence of the magnetic field. The huge pressure generated by an underwater explosion can destroy enemy ships at a considerable distance.
Warships are like floating "big magnets." Those who are careful enough know that a screwdriver that is often struck will become magnetic and can attract small screws and other parts. This is because steel contains countless tiny magnetic domains, and the Earth is a large magnet, with its surface space filled with a magnetic field. This magnetic field acts on the magnetic domains within the steel. When a collision occurs, the magnetic domains inside the steel are shaken, giving them a chance to loosen slightly, reducing the friction, and thus the magnetic domains are twisted in the same direction by the Earth's magnetic force, resulting in magnetism.
Ships take a long time to build in the shipyard. During this time, the steel plates and other iron blocks that make up the hull are gradually magnetized by the Earth's magnetic field due to frequent striking, thus becoming magnetic. After launching, the ship becomes a floating large magnet. When the ship enters an area with magnetic mines, the magnetic needle on the mine is affected by the ship's magnetic field, causing it to rotate and connect the detonation circuit, causing the mine to explode in a predetermined manner. Since magnetic mines do not require direct contact with the mine body, they can be laid at an appropriate depth on the seabed without the need for a chain to hold them. Clearly, magnetic phenomena greatly enhance the power and concealment of mines. The old methods of mine clearance are no longer applicable.
Captain Leach, of course, did not know this. He thought it was the negligence of the mine-sweeping personnel, who had not cleared the mines in the water, causing the ship to hit a mine.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
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