Napoleon in 1812

17. The Great – 4

So far, the history of the French Navy had been paved with many defeats. Although they had superior ship manufacturing technology, courageous sailors, and superior wood and artillery than any other European country, the French hardly won.

This was because their opponent was none other than the British Royal Navy, the king of the ocean. The passionate and competitive French had been learning and growing up constantly reflecting on their defeat. However, the British Navy continued to widen the gap as it evolved at an even faster rate.

Entering the 19th century, the French Navy had become nothing more than a meal for the ferocious British battleships. The French admiral instructed his subordinates to run away without looking back if they saw battleships displaying the Union Jack.

“It’s pathetic and miserable. France, which conquered the continent, cannot breathe at sea.”

The British Navy was by no means invincible. Napoleon knew it better than anyone else, because he had learned it from his own experience.

In fact, in the world where he originally lived, Horatio Nelson, an invincible admiral who was incomparable to the current generals of the British Navy, was holding out.

Nevertheless, the French Navy, which had continued to grow tremendously, eventually succeeded in blocking Nelson’s fleet.

This was the result of leading the sailors in the right direction, making continuous investments and giving them faith in victory, despite the lack of talented people that happened due to the purge of naval officers.

But would Napoleon, who had already proved once that the French were not weak at sea, be able to do the same here?

“The instructors’ evaluation papers are full of favorable reviews of cadets. It’s not a trick to flatter me or inflate my achievements, is it?”

“On my faith in God and the honor of my country, I declare to Your Majesty that this is by no means such a shameless move! The cadets are all passionate about learning, and their abilities are excellent and exceptional, they deserve to be called warriors of the sea! They are showing infinite loyalty to the Empire and to Your Majesty, and are looking forward to getting on the deck as soon as possible and commanding the battleships.”

The report by Major General D’Autriche, vice-principal of the Nantes Naval Academy, was full of confidence, without an inch of falsehood.

The principal of this military academy was Lieutenant General Pierre de Vaugiraud de Rosnay, an old royalist nobleman whom Napoleon had had a hard time getting under his command.

In peacetime, he would pretend to be a retired admiral working as a teacher, but in the event of a war, he would immediately command the elite fleet of the Empire. No one would be more suitable than Lieutenant General de Rosnay, who did not lose against Admiral Nelson.

The face of Denis Decrès[1], the Minister of the Navy and the Colonies, who was listening to the report with Napoleon, also showed satisfaction. It was natural that the stronger the French Navy was, the stronger his voice in the cabinet would be. The reason why the British Navy was strong was that it had skilled officers, sailors, and marines with countless combat and sailing experiences.

They did not lose or suffer much damage in the maritime war against France, so they survived while accumulating experience.

And by passing that valuable experience and know-how to their successors, the virtuous cycle was repeated, and the strength of the British Navy was maintained over generations.

On the other hand, France lost every time it fought, so it was unable to maintain a force of skilled officers and soldiers.

In the end, later generations often climbed to the deck without proper education. This was how the gap between the two countries widened.

After all, excellent manpower was the basic foundation to achieve strong maritime power.

The Nantes Naval Academy was a newly created naval academy that implemented naval policies that had been successful in the world where Napoleon originally lived.

Naval officers learned about artillery, deck shooting, maritime signals, and loading, which were essential for them, and were trained countless times in combat practice.

In this process, cadets could experience leadership that they must have as officers while leading sailors and non-commissioned officers assigned under their command, and develop their ability to respond to unexpected events at sea.

As the educational curriculum was revised to be as close to practice as possible and money and time were generously invested for combat training and navigation practice, satisfactory results were coming out in a short time.

The cadets were gradually transforming into ‘sea men’ as they adapted to the harsh environment on the deck.

Napoleon was receiving a bunch of papers containing grades and instructor evaluations of naval cadets from Major General D’Autriche, who came to Paris himself for reporting, and read them one by one. There was a common intense desire felt from them.

It was the young people’s ambition to someday surpass Britain and establish Europe’s best maritime empire, and to stand tall as the leader of the era. The young people of the Empire at their peak were so determined that they could do anything.

“There’s a separate reason why I called the minister and the vice-principal, who must be already busy.”

After reading the last report, Napoleon’s words made their heads tilt.

“Since the armistice negotiations that ended the Peninsular War, there have been a number of good investment proposals received by the imperial government. Among them, there were projects that were considered to be so powerful that they were regarded as top secret.”

When Napoleon clapped his hands and sent a signal, the door to the office opened and a man with his servants entered. His uniform showed his rank, indicating that he was an artillery officer.

“My name is Henri-Joseph Paixhans[2], from the 17th Battalion of the Imperial Guard Artillery. I salute Your Majesty the Great Emperor of the Empire!”

“Welcome, Lieutenant Colonel. I would like to ask you to present the new weapon you made.”

“It would be such an honor, Your Majesty!”

“Then let’s go to the demonstration hall. Everyone, get ready to be surprised.”

Napoleon and Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans left the office first, and Major General D’Autriche and Minister Decrès shrugged and followed.

===

“I’ve already said it, but once again, pay attention. I think this new project is an innovative weapon that will change the situation on the sea, so you should strictly think about its confidentiality as I do.”

The place where they arrived was an ownerless site in the south of Paris. However, although there was no name to it, it belonged to the imperial family, and Napoleon had been strictly controlling access to this place for several years.

“This is it. Lieutenant Colonel, please explain it to them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

There was one very huge cannon in front of them.

“It’s too big to be a field cannon, right? It’s not one. It’s a cannon that can be used in battleships on the front line. But of course, it’s still big even for a ship.”

Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans began explaining with a triumphant look.

“So far, cannons have been useful by carrying iron balls and sending them through enemy lines and units. Modifications were made, and the cannonballs varied depending on the purpose of artillery fire, such as shotguns, grape bullets, and chain bullets. Artillery officers have learned to use them in the right place, and so have their subordinates. But this new cannon and its cannonballs are fundamentally different from those used by the imperial army so far. In particular, I am confident that they will be able to give a fatal blow to wooden sailing ships.”

What on earth was this cannon and the shells contained in it for a lieutenant colonel to be so condescending in front of them? Major General D’Autriche and Minister Decrès looked grim.

Watching them, Napoleon smiled inwardly. He used to be like that, too. But he changed his expression immediately after confirming the power of this innovative cannon.

“It would be better to see a demonstration than to hear a hundred explanations. Well, get it ready.”

Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans ordered subordinate noncommissioned officers and researchers to operate the huge cannon. Ammunition was brought, loaded, and then the chamber was adjusted. At a glance, it was undergoing a much more complicated and difficult process than ordinary cannons.

It was not until some time that it was possible to install the ignition detonator, the final step before shelling.

“Cover your ears tightly.”

“Yes, yes? Your Majesty?”

“Fire!”

“Aaahhhhh!”

Even if lightning struck at a close distance, it would not be as loud as this. Like Napoleon, who was covering his ears with his hands, Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans, the noncommissioned officers and the researchers, who had covered their ears with cotton balls a while ago, were safe, but the two were very surprised by the unimaginable sound.

In particular, the wig of Minister Decrès flew off, revealing his bald head ridiculously. But he was so astonished by what happened in front of his eyes with his mouth wide open that he did not even think of picking up his wig.

“Woaaaaahh!!”

The bullet fired from the cannon hit the abandoned house that was chosen as target. If it had been a regular cannon with regular bullets, whether iron or shot, the demonstration would have been completed by breaking down the house with physical force or by making a large hole in it.

However, the purpose of the shells produced by Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans was different. They were designed to explode. A red-yellow flame that rose with a roar hit the abandoned house and black smoke swallowed up the surroundings.

When the smoke subsided, the house had disappeared, and only traces and debris of the explosion were left scattered around it.

“Your Majesty! Were there any flammable substances in the house, like gunpowder, sulfur, or oil!?”

“The researchers would know better than that, wouldn’t they?”

“Th-then…!?”

Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans continued to explain to the two, their surprise making them forget the pain in their ears.

“The shell I made is not an iron cannonball that passes through the target, but an ‘explosive shell’ that hits the target and then explodes.”

That was right. This was the reason why Paixhans, who used to be a captain, was promoted to lieutenant colonel at once, and why Napoleon provided him with an open space to conduct top-secret research.

When Napoleon heard about the research plan for this cannon and shells from Captain Paixhans, he judged that this would be a decisive weapon in the times ahead.

He immediately invested generous resources in it, and two years later, Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans faithfully met his expectations.

“To briefly explain the principle, the shell is equipped with a fuse that ignites when the cannon is fired, and that makes the shell explode when it reaches its target.”

The principle of the explosive shell was relatively simple. Similarly to conventional cannonballs, a charge behind the warhead exploded, allowing the shell to fly to the target.

However, the main difference was that high-performance explosives were concentrated in the warhead of the shells produced by Lieutenant Colonel Paixhans.

When the shell hit the target, the impact activated the detonator inside the warhead, stimulating explosives and causing a huge explosion.

The resulting high heat, flames, and blow would devastate the entire area and cause great casualties and damage to the enemy.

“Special cannons are needed to use these explosive shells. They are composed of much more precise and complex devices than conventional cannons. Unfortunately, this cannon, which contains such devices, is too big and heavy to be used as a field gun. However, if it undergoes a slight miniaturization and weight reduction process, there is a sufficient possibility that it can be used on a ship.”

Napoleon was convinced that due to the nature of the explosion, it would have a stronger effect in maritime warfare than in land warfare.

A sailing ship made of wood, on a deck where there was not much space to avoid, was a huge and slow target. In naval battles where ships on the first line fired artillery shells, this cannon would bring disaster to the enemy.

What if French officers, who had been reborn as ‘sea men’ through an efficient and combat-oriented training process, were given a battleship armed with these guns and explosive shells? Minister Decrès and Major General D’Autriche, who were listening to Napoleon, also had their heads twirled.

Decrès was from the northeast, the political center of France, and D’Autriche was from a southern coastal city with a very strong regional feeling.

The country itself was so wide that there were many quarrels and disputes between regions, but all of them had one thing in common: the French gathered under the flag of France.

Through the blood of all the French was flowing the same feeling since the Hundred Years’ War, after having been brutally beaten by the pirates of that island country.

They had a great dream of conquering Britain by breaking down the wooden walls blocking the Dover Strait and landing France’s Grand Armée (Grand Army). Their eyes reflected such a strong desire.

The two naturally felt joy from finally acquiring a reliable weapon that could break down the British fleet dominating the sea.

“I named this cannon Paixhans Cannon after its creator. Aren’t you looking forward to it? The day when a French fleet of warships armed with Paixhans cannons and explosive shells fires mercilessly at the British Royal Navy.”

“…!”

“I’ll ask the minister and the vice-director. Are you ready to defeat them who hold the world’s maritime hegemony, and achieve France’s long-cherished dream?”

They had only one answer to this.

TL notes

[1] Denis Decrès

[2] Henri-Joseph Paixhans