"Pursuit! Cruiser, destroyer, entangle me!" Archibald waved his arms excitedly. The French fleet actually retreated, which was beyond his expectations! He was beaten up by the French Atlantic Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet before, but now that the 3rd and 8th Fleets are here, he can be regarded as taking the opportunity to take revenge.
"General! General Aldrich is calling, let us stop the pursuit and join him!" The communications officer came over with a telegram.
"Uh! What? Why did you stop chasing? What a great opportunity this is!" Archibald's eyes turned red all of a sudden. In order to defeat the French, not only the 4th Fleet was almost wiped out, but even his 10th Fleet lost a lot of warships, and even the "Massachusetts" withdrew from the battlefield due to serious damage. The 12th Fleet also lost a lot of cruisers and destroyers. [bsp;"General Aldrich said, can our warships catch up with the enemy? The cruisers and destroyers are just sending them up, just to add to the enemy's battle results." The communication officer said slowly.
Archibald calmed down immediately. Although the French fleet is retreating, its formation is not luàn, and several heavy cruisers are left behind. Once the American fleet sends cruisers and destroyers to pursue it, it will definitely be intercepted by these warships. And the warships of the U.S. Navy couldn't catch up with each other at all, they could only be beaten.
"Order the fleet to turn around and join General Aldrich!" Archibald had to order. The remaining 4 refers to the US fleet, converging again in the waters south of St. Lucia. However, during this day's battle, the U.S. Navy once again lost a fleet. And only sank two capital ships of the French Navy, as well as a group of other cruisers and destroyers. In terms of losses, the loss of the US Navy is much greater than that of the French Navy.
The French Atlantic Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet slowly retreated southward. The two fleets add up to more than 180 battleships. The total number of battleships is not less than that of the US fleet. However, because the difference in the number of capital ships is too large, they have to avoid the edge temporarily.
The two fleets retreated all the way south, and retreated directly to the waters near Barbados Island. They stopped only when they found that the American fleet was not chasing them. At this point, it was already dusk.
"Where are Marshal Hercules and the others?" Clarence asked. He is now also coming from his own flagship, boarding the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet'Azores'. However, after a bitter battle, the situation of the "Azore" is not very good. There are scorched marks in many places, and the superstructure of the battleship is completely out of shape. However, the combat power was basically intact.
"Probably arrive tomorrow morning! The reconnaissance ship that stayed on the battlefield called, and now the US fleet has begun to retreat north. Our reconnaissance ship is tracking each other." Kirkbride said.
Now, almost all the battleships of the Atlantic Fleet are being cleaned up, and almost every battleship is more or less injured. But it was usually a minor injury, and there were very few ships that were seriously injured and lost their combat effectiveness.
"In this way, we can continue to fight northward only after Marshal Hercules and the others arrive." After the Straits Fleet and the South Atlantic Fleet arrive, their capital ships are not inferior to the American fleet. At that time, it will definitely be able to win a battle. As long as these four US fleets can be wiped out, then the remaining US Navy, and even the Canadian Navy, are nothing to worry about.
Similarly, the result of this battle was quickly sent back to the country by both sides. The naval departments of both sides have already received the results of this battle. However, both sides seem to be dissatisfied. The United States once again lost the entire fleet, and at the same time the 10th and 12th fleets were also severely damaged, in exchange for two capital ships and dozens of cruisers and destroyers of the French Atlantic Fleet. The loss of the two sides is obviously too big. .
The same is true for the French Admiralty. You must know that the current French navy, except for the "brilliant" fleet that has not yet entered the field, can be said to have exhausted its strength. Up to now, the U.S. Navy still has 6 fleets, and the Canadian Navy also has 5 fleets. Such a huge enemy is even stronger than the current Straits Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet, and South Atlantic Fleet combined. If the American fleet cannot be destroyed before it is assembled, once the American fleet is assembled, the French navy will be completely at a disadvantage.
Therefore, after the confluence of the four major fleets of the French Navy this time, it will be their last chance. The confluence of the four major fleets will form a huge fleet with more than 200 warships and 18 capital ships. The U.S. 3rd, 8th, 10th, and 12th fleets currently gathered in the Caribbean, whether they are capital ships, cruisers, or destroyers, lag far behind the French fleet.
"Marshal! The Admiralty is calling." The communications officer walked in and handed the telegram to Kirkbride.
"It seems that the Admiralty is not very satisfied with our battle today!" Kirkbride said. To be honest, the Atlantic Fleet has done its best today, and exchanged two capital ships for the opponent's five capital ships. The score of 2 to 5 is already a very good answer.
"There is no way around this. The last two fleets of the U.S. Navy are also heading south quickly, and the other two Canadian fleets are also heading south. Once these four fleets also arrive at the front line, we will have no chance. Now, We can't afford to lose." Clarence looked bitter.
If the French navy cannot defeat the US and Canadian navies, then there is no talk of landing in North America and completely defeating the enemy. I am afraid they can only retreat to Europe.
"After converging the Strait Fleet and the South Atlantic Fleet, I will go north immediately. Before the French reinforcements come, try to kill their four fleets first." Kirkbride said. Although they are still at a disadvantage, they still believe that the final victory will inevitably be the French navy.
The American fleet did not pursue the French fleet, but chose to retreat to Martinique. The previous battles, except for the 10th and 12th Fleets, were exhausted and needed to be replenished. In addition, the 1st and 2nd fleets from China have also arrived in the Bahamas. It can arrive at the battlefield on the 30th. On the 31st, Canada's 4th and 6th fleets can also arrive. By then, the US Navy will have an absolute advantage. Even if the French Navy launched an attack before the arrival of the 1st and 2nd U.S. fleets and the 4th and 6th Canadian fleets, it would probably have to pay a heavy price to annihilate a huge fleet with fifteen capital ships. Naturally, it will not be the opponent of the subsequent fleets of the United States and Canada.
For this result, Davis, who was far away in Washington, couldn't believe it. Is this the powerful French navy? The French Navy, which was once overwhelmed by the United States and Canada, was out of breath. He always faintly felt that something was wrong. But just can't figure out why.
During regular strategy meetings at the White House, Davis reported on the Navy's current engagement and the balance of power between the two sides. Both Adams and Zominsk showed happy expressions.
"Davis, maybe the navy will win us a huge victory, isn't it?" Adams asked excitedly.
"Perhaps, it's time for the army to prepare a plan to land in Europe." Zominsk was also full of agitation.
"President, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff. Before the war is over, I dare not make a conclusion. However, I always feel that something is wrong. This should not be the strength of the French Navy. I am worried that they still have hidden power that we have not discovered. Otherwise, in the past two years, we have been increasing the strength of the navy, while the French navy has only recovered its previous strength. This does not make sense." Davis raised his own doubts.
"Perhaps, the French think that they can defeat us with their current navy. In addition, the French are also aggressively expanding their army. Perhaps they have spent a lot of resources on the army. Therefore, the navy has not expanded!" Bu Lane explained. His statement was supported by others.
"Mén, the Ministry of Intelligence, has not received information about the hidden naval power of the French." Zominsk said bluntly.
"Davis, there is nothing wrong with UU Reading www.uukanshu.com being cautious. But don't delay the fighter plane because of this. No matter what, I hope the Navy can give us a surprise this time!" Adams finally said. Originally, he was already a little desperate for the navy, but he didn't expect this to be the result in the end.
Davis nodded. He had no choice but to bury his doubts deep in his heart. Is it really the arrogance of the French? Do you think you can defeat us with this fleet? Or was the French misjudged? Overconfident in his own strength. The torpedoes of the French Navy are indeed a great threat to the US Navy, especially capital ships. But after providing each capital ship with two or three destroyers for close protection, the U.S. Navy has minimized this threat, and the effect of sending back from the battlefield is quite good. Or, the French Navy really has an unknown hidden fleet, but the secrecy work is quite successful, and it has not been discovered by the intelligence personnel of the United States and Canada.
However, no matter what, the war has to continue. In order to avoid accidents, Davis ordered the 1st and 2nd Fleets to speed up their journey south. Colleagues also contacted the Canadian Navy and asked the Canadian Navy's 4th and 6th Fleets to also speed up their journey southward.
3 a.m. on October 29. Four fleets of the French Navy converged in the waters west of Barbados. After that, this huge fleet began to head to Martinique, preparing for another battle with the US fleet.