When the C801 crashed into the "Athletic God", there was an extremely violent explosion, the entire aircraft carrier was like a strong earthquake, the whole ship was shaken three times, at the same time, the blazing flames in the rear of the hull transmission compartment and hangar junction spread rapidly, the bottom of the hull that was cracked also began to seep a lot of water, a big black hole like being eaten by a monster, appeared in the back of the hull, thick black smoke continued to rise from it

"The fire is still spreading, where is the fire brigade, the fire brigade"

"Compartments 11 and 12 are flooded, and we can't stop it"

"The damage is too great, our damage management team is understaffed, and we urgently need support"

"The No. 1 propeller shaft was damaged, and the power system could only maintain 40%, and it is still declining"

"Unable to release carrier-based aircraft against the wind, as an aircraft carrier, the 'Athletic God' has lost his due ability"

The "Athletic God" that was hit was like a honeycomb that had been disturbed by an attack, and it suddenly became a mess, and the haze of defeat enveloped the whole ship, and one bad news after another aggravated this feeling of failure, and no one knew how many planes Argentina had sent; no one knew how many anti-ship missiles they still had; and no one knew how many missiles would hit this huge aircraft carrier in the next moment, and thus be buried in the icy South Atlantic

"Why start a war"

"I'm just fed up with this pointless expedition"

"God, forgive me for my sins. Let me hurry home."

"I don't want to die"

"Mom, I'm going home."

The British soldiers on board complained, cursed, prayed, cried, and more. In order to save his precious life and avoid the tragic fate of sinking with the ship, the moment the ship was hit, he jumped from the high deck into the icy ocean, and it can be said that the C801 anti-ship missile hit the "Athletic God" that was protected by layers at the same time, it also completely destroyed the pride and self-confidence in the hearts of the British officers and men, making their fighting spirit completely lost. Morale is lost

"Pluck up your courage, young man, and remember. You're a heroic and glorious Royal Navy!"

"What are you crying for? What is there to cry about? You are not a doll, but a man who stands up to the sky!"

"There is nothing to complain about, and if Nelson had complained during his time at Trafalgar, there would have been no future glory of the British Empire. Hold on. Our ship hasn't sunk yet!"

Rear Admiral Woodward, the commander of the task force, walked all the way, and he didn't know how many morale-boosting words he said, and his face was even more brave and resolute, like a veteran of the battlefield who had gone through the storm and had long been surprised that the flagship had been hit, and his words were both light and sonorous.

It's just that what the officers and soldiers on the "Athletic God" don't know is. Beneath the resolute and calm exterior of the task force commander, the beating heart of the task force commander was already jumping up and down. In fact, the moment he received the incoming missile, he didn't believe it at all, and thought that the soldiers at the observation post had mistaken the low-altitude Argentine plane as missiles.

You must know that the basis for launching this combat operation is to conclude that Argentina no longer has the ability to launch an anti-ship missile attack, otherwise, he would not have risked his home and come to face it hard, but what he did not expect was that Argentina not only launched a missile attack, but also launched two missiles at one time.

Not only that, but also broke through layers of protection and hit the core of the fleet "Athletic" in one fell swoop, which shocked Woodward, but also realized that the information he had obtained before was all fake, and it was very likely that the Argentines laid a trap, thus making the British task force pay an unbearable price, and even die here.

The Argentine positions on Mount Haret on the Falklands are still rock-solid, the elusive Argentine Air Force is becoming more and more courageous, and in addition it has not lost its anti-ship missile attack capability, Major General Woodward does not dare to imagine what the situation will become if it continues to develop, as Chief of Staff George said:

"The Falklands are now a powerful magnet that attracts the entire fleet and attracts all the Argentine attacks, thus plunging the entire fleet into an abyss from which it cannot extricate itself."

"So, we can't go on like this! we can't bury the entire fleet here, at least we're going to bring the children home alive!"

This was the decision made by Rear Admiral Woodward after the "Athletic God" was attacked, but it was not easy to bring the fleet out of the danger zone safely, not to mention the heavy damage to the "Athletic God", the morale of the British army was also hit like never before, and the ship could still be repaired if it was blown up, but if the people's hearts were really blown apart, it would not be easy to repair it.

Because of this, after getting the reaction of the British officers and men on the "Athletic", Woodward handed over the retreat plan to the chief of staff George, and he personally went to the site of the aircraft carrier's damage management and repair, motivating the officers and men, boosting morale, and bringing the wounded battleship back no matter what, so he walked all the way, cheering up the soldiers along the way, and when he came to the damaged area at the back of the hull, his mouth was already dry, but he still did not stop the words of encouragement:

"Don't be discouraged, Sergeant!" Woodward patted a sergeant sailor on the shoulder: "This light anti-ship missile, for a large warship like ours of more than 25,000 tons, is like being bitten by a mosquito, pluck up courage"

"You're right, sir, one missile may be a mosquito bite, but if there are two, three, or even ten, or a mosquito bite?" the young sergeant looked at Woodward with questioning and horrified eyes, and as soon as he finished speaking, another soldier quickly picked up:

"General, as you just said, Nelson's persistence has made the British Empire glorious for a hundred years, but what about us? Can we persist and restore the glory of the British Empire?"

"Yes, sir. What if the Argentines launch a raid now?"

"General, I don't want to die here"

In the blink of an eye, the frustrated officers and soldiers threw all sorts of problems at Woodward. It was a long time before Woodward quieted down the officers and soldiers, then pointed to the damaged area in front of him, and said in a deep voice:

"I don't know if the Argentines will raid or not, but I know it's definitely dangerous to stay here any longer. There's only one way to live, and that's to get the Athletic God alive again, gentlemen. Pluck up your courage and seize our time, and I'm sure the miracle of Dunkirk will happen again!"

Faced with an infinitely low morale of the soldiers, Woodward can only be motivated by the most instinctive desire to survive. Fortunately, Dunkirk, the famous retreat of World War II, became a household name among the British army. So these words quickly resonated among the British officers and soldiers, and Woodward saw that he did not delay, and hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, and soon organized several damage management teams and fire brigades to extinguish the remaining fires, isolate the cabin, and repair the damage.

Fortunately, the training of officers and men of the British Royal Navy is still in place, after being organized. The damage management work was done extremely efficiently, and the other drive system was not damaged. So in less than half an hour, the Athletic God once again had a power of 12 knots.

But before Rear Admiral Woodward could rejoice in the recovery of the "Athletic God", a piece of news shattered the little will he had like a bolt from the blue, and then gave the final order to the staff officer who came to report in despair:

"Quick~~ Notify the entire fleet, turn around immediately, and retreat a hundred nautical miles, quickly!"

After saying this order, Major General Woodward collapsed on his seat like a stinky skin that had been drained of his soul, and the whole person seemed to be more than ten years old at this moment, and he no longer had the momentum of the past, only his thin lips trembled uncontrollably, and he let out a frightened and unbearable sound:

"It can't go on like this, it can't go on like this, it really can't go on like this"

Just as Rear Admiral Woodward was terrified and gave the order to retreat, the destroyer Exeter, which was responsible for the western border of the fleet, was already enveloped in flames eighty nautical miles west of the flagship Athletic, and had been attacked by two A-4C attack planes of the Argentine Air Force ten minutes earlier.

Two 1,000-pound bombs blew the bridge and hangar into a pile of scrap metal, although it did not bury the sea like the "Sheffield", but as a battleship, the "Exeter" also lost all its combat effectiveness, and this also became the evidence that the Argentine Air Force was about to launch a new round of attacks, and became the last straw that crushed the confidence of the task force, so that the morale of the already low morale was even more low, and in desperation, it could only choose to retreat

Three hours later, in the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Drake held the telephone receiver with a gloomy face, and the blue tendons on his forehead burst out:

"It's not fair, Lord Arteskin, the engagement with China, although not ideal, is also fruitful, how"

"Don't tell me anything that is productive, remember, we need a win-win, win-win, you know?"

"I don't understand, sir, what's going on"

"Nothing to understand, but to save our warships from being damaged, put away your poor self-esteem, Mr. Drake!"

"But"

"This is my order, and it is also the Prime Minister's order, carry it out!"

Half an hour later, the two sides had a frank and constructive exchange on a series of issues of interest in a cordial and friendly atmosphere (to be continued). )

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