Chapter 224: The Torpedo Bomber
Carter's flying club required little oversight. Charles issued an order for heightened vigilance and began training all pilots as combat pilots. Meanwhile, Gallieni commenced a broad recruitment effort for new pilots, and began establishing a dedicated aviation academy to train young people eager to join the air force. Only through such efforts could they ensure a steady supply of pilots for future combat.
Charles went straight to the aircraft manufacturing plant and found Eric there. Eric invited Charles to sit in the factory's break room and prepared hot coffee for both of them. After listening to Charles' update, Eric couldn't help but exclaim, "My God, we need to develop a single-seat aircraft as soon as possible!"
The Avro was a fine plane, but as a two-seater, its extra seat was unnecessary for a fighter. But Charles felt this issue was not urgent.
"The Germans don't have a dedicated single-seat fighter either," Charles replied. "It's something we'll need to address, but we can afford to wait a bit."
"Wait?" Eric asked, puzzled. "But what else could we focus on?"
Charles didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "How's the engine development going?"
Eric was quick to nod enthusiastically. "They're doing a fantastic job, Colonel! You were right about them. You assembled a team of absolute geniuses, especially Dorn…"
"The one who speaks French?" Charles asked.
He remembered Dorn well—one of the few who brought his family to Paris, intending to settle permanently. When Charles asked him why, Dorn had explained, "My view is different from others. I don't believe Paris is in any real danger. The Germans missed their chance to occupy it, so there's no reason to worry."
Charles hadn't known whether to commend his foresight. While Dorn was correct regarding the First World War, things would be very different in the Second.
"Yes, that's him!" Eric replied, clutching his coffee mug. "The team chose him as their lead…"
"Shouldn't there be an R&D director?" Charles asked.
"They prefer calling him the 'head.' They're a casual bunch—they just yell 'hey, boss' whenever they need him. They call me 'Old Man,'" Eric chuckled.
"What about me?" Charles asked, curious.
"They call you 'The Boss,' but more often, they call you 'The Little Corsican,'" Eric replied, laughing.
Charles froze, recognizing the name. After a moment, he recalled that it was a rather cheeky nickname given to Napoleon by the British.
"Not a bad nickname," Charles mused, smiling faintly. It was British humor, after all.
"They've only been here a few weeks, but they've already managed to increase the engine output to over 100 horsepower," Eric said admiringly. "It's a huge improvement, and they're still pushing the limits."
Charles nodded, satisfied. An engine with 100 horsepower would meet their immediate needs.
Then he took a file out of his briefcase and handed Eric a set of schematics. "Our next step is to produce this type of aircraft."
Eric examined the schematics, his eyes widening. "This… this is a big one, Colonel."
Charles nodded.
Eric continued to flip through the pages, then looked back up. "It has three engines?"
"Yes," Charles said, sipping his coffee. "One on each wing, with a third in the back, which serves as a pusher engine."
Eric looked at the diagrams, somewhat perplexed. "I'll be honest, Colonel, I've got no concerns on the technical side. You provide the schematics, we'll build it. That's what we do best."
"But…," he hesitated.
"But what?" Charles asked.
"Perhaps it's not my place to say," Eric said, looking slightly uneasy. "But if you intend for this to fight in the air, it shouldn't be so big. You'd have to think about its maneuverability… Something this large might not be able to turn quickly, leaving it exposed to enemy fire."
"I know," Charles interrupted. "That's why it's not meant for aerial combat. It's for bombing."
He pointed to a section on the blueprints. "This here is for the bomb racks."
"Ah, I see," Eric nodded, smiling. "Dropping bombs on the enemy—good idea!"
He didn't ask further, understanding that it was likely classified. Not that military secrets held much weight for Eric, who already held the most critical piece of information: the blueprints. But Charles kept quiet about some details, knowing they wouldn't make much sense to Eric anyway.
The blueprints Charles handed Eric were for a variation of the famous Italian Caproni Ca.3 bomber, a design chosen because it could simply add engines to carry heavier loads. Early in World War I, aircraft engines typically produced only 80 to 100 horsepower, making it challenging for bombers to carry substantial payloads. The Caproni solved this problem by adding a third engine, enabling it to carry up to 800 kilograms of bombs.
Later, when engines improved to 150 horsepower, they could easily upgrade the bomber with more powerful engines. Most importantly, the Caproni could be modified to carry torpedoes; near the end of the war, it was adapted for naval use, and an entire torpedo-bomber squadron was outfitted with these planes.
Unfortunately, the war ended before it could prove itself in combat, so the Caproni torpedo-bomber had no record of achievements.
This bomber was well-suited to Charles' needs. The only issue was that he only remembered its general shape and layout, not the specific details. Fortunately, test flights could fill in those blanks.
"This is just a preliminary design," Charles said. "You'll need to work with the team to finalize it."
"Understood, Colonel!" Eric replied confidently, still absorbed in the blueprints. As an aircraft manufacturing expert, he could tell that the core structure was sound, requiring only minor adjustments.
As he rode back to headquarters in the car, Charles thought about his next task: he needed Steed to manufacture aerial bombs. This would be straightforward for Steed—essentially scaled-up mortar shells.
Then, with any luck, they could bomb the German airfields first! A few well-placed bombs would decimate the ranks of Germany's elite pilots and newly-equipped fighter planes, undoing weeks of German preparation.
(End of Chapter)
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