Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

Page 172

"Report from General Doolittle in the UK: today's bombing of Berlin has suffered heavy losses. We destroyed about seventy enemy aircraft (KMFs) and eight bombers, but we also lost about thirty fighters and about 24 bombers that did not return, with the Royal Air Force bombers suffering the most losses."

"My God, are the enemies getting harder and harder to deal with lately? What about the ground battle results?"

"There is currently no information on the destruction of the enemy's hidden long-range artillery."

“Sigh…” Monty sighed, “It seems we’re destined to be embroiled in a protracted war with the enemy, aren’t we?”

"Do you have any ideas?" Ike looked at him thoughtfully.

"If it was one that crossed the Elbe, unfortunately it wasn't, but if it was that cannon from Berlin... haha."

The marshal slightly curled the corners of his mouth and slowly turned a photograph bearing the stamp of the Royal Air Force over.

Chapter 205, Section 276: Express Delivery Location Tracking

Mustang fighter jets flew in small groups over the treetops, casting fiery roses over distant towns.

Inside the half-track vehicle's cargo bay, an 81mm mortar, set up and protected by its iron armor, continuously spewed smoke and fire.

Captain Drucker looked with satisfaction through his binoculars at the town before him, a sea of ​​fire and clouds—on one side of this vast plain were the American forward positions, and on the other side was a small town of ten thousand men called Schönebeck, occupied by Britannian troops.

The M4 Sherman tanks, scattered all over the ground, began rolling their tracks toward the city. All that was needed was to remove the alien flag currently fluttering above the town hall, and then the next step of the plan could begin.

Heading west, they could join the slowly advancing British army in forcibly cramming the important city of Magdeburg into a three-pronged attack from the Western Allies, from the south, west, and north. The enemy would either die in the streets with their backs to the river or be forced to retreat to the east bank of the river via the bridge in the city.

Heading north, the US forces could control another bridge across the Elbe River, and from there launch a powerful offensive against the transportation lines on the opposite bank, severing the last land link between Magdeburg and Berlin. A tremendous victory would then be laid before the still-developing Union Jack and Stars and Stripes.

However, celebrating prematurely is not a wise move. Making grand pronouncements while keeping things grounded is the style of the Yankees boys.

"Sergeant Jonathan?" The captain placed his binoculars on a farmhouse on the outskirts of town and picked up the radio. "Have you got it sorted out? Hopefully, the two days off for your promotion didn't make you sleepy."

"Oh, you can shut up now."

……

His rank had risen, but his temper hadn't diminished. Following behind were tanks that had just fired their cannons, which ignited the last enemy assault gun still in combat. He then led his men and the rest of his squad forward.

"Those in the rear, take cover and check the ground for any survivors."

This farmhouse, perched on a small hill, served as an enemy firing point, delaying the American advance for about an hour before being heavily targeted by artillery and aircraft.

"Don't go near it, check inside directly." Jonathan pointed to the assault gun that had been hit last and was billowing with smoke, and told everyone to go around it and head into the house.

However, not long after everyone entered the room, the sergeant heard the sound of the car door opening from the side.

"Damn it!" Just as he raised his gun to aim at the guy who was trying to sneak up, the guy suddenly swayed and fell into the car, leaving a rifle shot behind him.

"Oh, that's great." Jonathan smiled with satisfaction, glancing at Pat behind him, whose eyes were still fixed on Springfield's scope, and waved to him from beside the machine gun.

As for the few people who went into the house, they were not affected. As the sergeant and deputy squad leader, Carl followed a wire and found a bunch of strange electronic devices.

"What the hell is this?" After looking around for a while, a soldier next to him helped him find the line of text at the back: "Data link signal repeater? Hey, Jonathan, there's something here."

"Never mind that, didn't they say so?" Jonathan replied over the radio, "Take all the Britannian electronic equipment that isn't broken. The generals have been waiting for them for ages. Hurry up, we need to assemble and prepare to continue the attack."

……

"So, shouldn't we take a few steps forward too?"

Upon arriving at this location, Captain Drucker boarded a truck and began to advance alongside a large group of American soldiers.

The land outside Schönebeck was completely filled with the sounds of tank engines and artillery fire, as full as a harvested wheat field. The captain stood at an angle on the door of the vehicle—as soon as the gunfire from the farmhouse subsided, more than twenty Sherman tanks and hundreds of American soldiers following behind had already roared forward.

"Tsk, it's been so long since I've seen this sight."

Behind them, howitzer shells streaked across the sky and fell onto the battlefield. Smoke from tank guns and tracer bullets from machine guns swirled through the air, carrying with them dust and gravel. Shells from the opposite side constantly landed near the tanks, and winged puppets flew by, but more and more American warplanes flew in from all directions, turning the sky a fiery red.

"Whoa! Whoa! Keep it up, buddy!" The captain couldn't help but pat the roof of the truck—another young man was standing behind an M2 heavy machine gun on the truck, intercepting passing enemies in time with the fighter jets.

The message to the enemy is very simple—they dare to smash the soldiers' bodies with KMF machine guns and cannons? Then let them fall from the sky in their KMF seats and be smashed to pieces, like the unfortunate thing that just landed next to the captain's truck; or let them be smashed to pieces by varying amounts of TNT, like trash thrown into the sky by the shockwave of an aerial bomb blast in the distance.

Looking towards the farmhouse, he could vaguely see Jonathan standing as a machine gunner in a half-track, leading a group of soldiers down the hillside, followed by three other Sherman tanks, their 76mm long-barreled cannons firing as they rushed to catch up with the infantry.

……

"Awesome!" The half-track vehicle was violently jolted along on the cratered ground, and the footsteps of the dozens of soldiers were drowned out by the rumbling thunder echoing through the sky. The sergeant seemed to be able to discern the situation on the battlefield only by his eyes.

Clearly, the initial artillery barrage hadn't wiped out the enemy in the city. Dozens of enemy KMFs and assault guns remained in their defensive positions, fiercely engaging the approaching M4 tanks. American tanks came to a stop one after another, while enemy tin cans and metal toys were wiped out by a single shell—the frontal fire was so chaotic that these young men approaching from the flanks paid them little attention.

"Open your eyes, everyone!" Jonathan yelled desperately amidst the roar of tank cannons behind them, "Be careful of the direction the enemy is coming from, report immediately!"

He was in the vehicle, standing taller than the soldiers on foot, so he could see more clearly how many trenches and vehicle bunkers the Britannian army had built in this outskirts, and of course, what percentage of them were historical targets.

"Ouch!" Suddenly, a shell hit the front of the half-track vehicle, splashing everyone with mud.

"Who saw it?"

Just as the soldiers immediately lay prone on the ground, looking around in a daze, Jonathan seemed to catch a glimpse of something flying towards them out of the corner of his eye.

"Get out of the car!" He had just flipped over and jumped off the side of the carriage when the soldiers in the driver's and passenger's seats didn't even have time to jump out. The second shell lifted the small wheeled mule high into the air, and then it landed heavily on the ground like a sapling, and burst into flames.

"Quickly check the wounded!" Tommy, carrying an M1919 machine gun, called over a few soldiers. "Boss, I see it there!"

Jonathan immediately ordered him to set up the machine gun and lay out tracer ammunition belts into the highly suspicious thicket, then contacted the tank commander behind him via radio.

"'Beautiful Kelly,' respond! Enemy heavy firepower is coming!"

"Understood." The tank commander replied, and while ordering the gunner to rotate the turret as Tommy's machine gun ammunition belt moved, he called out to his two comrades in the other tanks, "High-explosive shells, bearing 320, 600 yards, prepare to fire!"

"Fire!"

The third enemy shell had just exploded nearby when three Sherman tanks simultaneously aimed and fired, firing three shots in quick succession, felling and setting many trees in the grove ablaze.

"It's out! It's an assault gun!" the commander of "Pretty Kelly" continued to shout. "AP, 600 yards, fire!"

"On the way!" The swift warhead streaked through the air and struck the lower chassis of the assault gun. Flames erupted from the gaps in its hatch, turning the entire chaotic jungle into a sea of ​​fire.

"Target destroyed, continue advancing!" In the shadows of the trees burning and fleeing, several KMFs were returning fire with machine guns. The commander could only take a deep breath and guide the gunner to try to destroy those moving targets.

……

The American tanks in front continued their fierce battle with the enemy at increasingly close range, and few could afford to pay attention to the insignificant attacks from the flanks. Jonathan and his men followed the tanks on foot, leaping over shell craters and trenches, and could already clearly see the enemy figures and gunfire emanating from the houses surrounding the city's outskirts.

"Stop here, guys." He gestured for the tanks to halt. "Wait to rendezvous with the main force. We're about to enter the city. Set fire to those houses beforehand, like we burned the forest just now. Follow my instructions, OK?"

The soldiers began to find cover on the spot, while the tanks chose some cover that could be used as shields from gunfire or the wreckage of enemy vehicles. The sergeant jumped forward about ten meters and chose a suitable shell crater to take out his binoculars.

……

"At 12 o'clock, in the red house, there's a KMF (King MF) lying there sniping!"

"Got it! HE, 1100 yards, ready!" Upon hearing this, the tanks simultaneously aimed their cannons at the barrels, and three shots were fired. The poor doll, along with the wooden roof, fell to the ground like shattered tiles, becoming a bundle of firewood in the backyard.

"At 2 o'clock, there are enemy tanks hidden inside the three-story hotel!"

"Confirm! AP, 0.5-second delay, 1300 yards, uniform elevation angle 8 degrees, prepare!" Three warheads streaked through the air and entered the small building, then detonated the walls of one floor like time bombs. The walls collapsed like building blocks, burying the unsuspecting tank completely.

"At 2 o'clock, there is infantry anti-tank firepower inside the white two-story residential house!"

"Roger that! All, white phosphorus smoke grenades, 1300 yards, ready!" The deafening roar heated up every wisp of air around the tanks and soldiers, and as the white phosphorus grenades shattered windows and breached walls, the houses that were set ablaze burned red inside and out like beacon towers, eventually turning into flickering campfires that were pushed into the sky.

"Phew, all done." Jonathan wiped the mud off his face and switched the radio to another location. "Captain? Can the captain hear me? When do we attack?"

"Wait for my order."

What is Drucker doing over here? He left a message and then ignored the sergeant, instead busy playing with the PDA he had picked up earlier, switching the interface to a map—yes, this was a function included in the enemy's equipment. However, the electronic map on the handheld device had to go through a series of background processes before it could be displayed on the screen. Fortunately, Britannia had previously occupied Schönebeck and had already figured out the ins and outs of the streets through maps and on-site investigations, so the rest was very simple.

"Do you see them now, sir?" The captain called his battalion commander over to his PDA as if making a phone call, then marked several points on the map on his interface—key locations in the city where the enemy was blocking the American forces, which he and several other company officers had jointly designated after discussion.

What's going on with the other end of the PDA? Well, since the captain can pick one up and use it, why not get one from the enemy for the commander as well? Right now, the battalion commander is a bit slow to receive the coordinates marked on the PDA by the captain, and then he passes this information on to the artillery commander.

"You did a fantastic job, Captain. Wow!" Suddenly, a rectangle popped up on the map, revealing Captain Drucker's face and the vaguely visible chaotic battlefield behind him, all of which were displayed in the battalion commander's wide eyes.

"How about this, sir? I can see you seem to have bumped your nose, huh?"

"OK, brother, I'm afraid I'll never hear you desperately calling out the location of artillery support on the radio again, huh?" The battalion commander chuckled, making do with the video call, and raised his PDA high, pointing its camera at the several M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers that had recently arrived not far from him—among the soldiers busy on and off the vehicles, he slowly raised the gun barrels.

"They'll help us ask God for victory, won't they? Amen!—"

……

The roar of the 105mm howitzer, transmitted through the connection between the two PDAs, crossed the undulating ground and the thickets, reaching every inch of the battlefield, where steel and blood were spilled.

Jonathan, who had been anxious and helpless just moments before, was now like a person awakened from a deep sleep by an alarm clock. The city ahead had once again become a fiery, rain-bomb cloud filled with lightning and thunder, engulfing everything that stood in the way of the white pentagram's advance. As for the Sherman tanks that were breaking through head-on, they had already rolled over the wreckage of the last infantry fighting vehicle outside the city, crossed the trenches, and plunged into this fierce battle fog filled with artillery fire.

"Haha, let's go, boys!" He smiled and tapped the magazine of his Thompson submachine gun in his hand. "Let's have dinner in Magdeburg tomorrow!"

Chapter 206, Section 277: First Encounter with the Black Dog

"It's alright, it's good that she's alright...it's good that she's alright..."

The colorful KMFs once again rose into the western sky of Berlin amidst the whooshing of their vectoring nozzles.

Griffin didn't say much, but he felt uneasy. Juliet, who had just returned to the team, told everyone that Ypel was fine and only needed to rest in the hospital for a while, but her landline might need to be replaced.

She still vividly remembers the scene from just a few days ago: when she finally caught up with Ypel's rapidly descending plane, and learned that her parachute wouldn't open, she had to rely entirely on the power of her wingsuit to counteract the acceleration caused by gravity. In the midst of a chaotic battle, this was undoubtedly an act of walking on a knife's edge.

If they slowed down, neither she nor Ypel would die from the crash, but they might become easy targets for the relentless diving fighter jets—in aerial combat, without energy, there is no survival. And if they maintained this escape speed, the two young women might end up buried in the ruins of Berlin, along with two pieces of scrap metal weighing over seven tons, creating a large crater.

In the end, everything came to a successful conclusion, thanks to the rescue efforts of friendly forces.

“Over there,” Angelina continued, reminding the somewhat bewildered captain, “we need to rendezvous with those aviation KMFs.”

Good morning, Captain.

"Hmph? It's you again, Major Mayer? What a coincidence!"

"It would be a pleasure to work with you on another aerial interception mission."

"Ahem, don't be so rigid." Griffin chuckled a few times. "This time, our mission is to intercept a bomber formation again, right?"

"Yes. The Americans and those strange British seem to have realized something. Before the bomber formations at the front could send us their warnings, they launched an air raid on the small towns and villages around Berlin, which affected the takeoff of many of the KMFs. Of course, the armed transport planes that were supposed to take off to participate in the interception also needed repairs because the runways were damaged by the bombing, so we had to rely on ourselves today."

"What the hell?? Damn it, explain yourself! We..."

"Please be quiet, Captain. I just received information from the front." The major paused, then sent something new to the screen of Griffin's team's mobile phone. "These are the heading parameters of the enemy bombers from the front. Confirmed, they are all British four-engine bombers, no more than 80 in number. The escort force is a bit small, but something's not right..."

“This direction isn’t right,” Shisian noticed first. “If they fly in a straight line, aren’t these bombers heading towards Berlin? Why would they need to detour to Berlin? And 80 bombers is a lot less than before, isn’t it?”

“That is a bit strange,” Angelina agreed. “And they’re not heading towards Rostock or Stralsund. We’re renovating ports that will later be used by the navy… Wait a minute, we have two brigades on the ground along their routes?”

“Hmm? Elbe River…” After looking at the location, Xixi’an suddenly realized, “Major, I think we need to head west quickly.”

"How?"

"The enemy is going to treat our front lines the same way they treated Berlin."

……

By the time they had sped over the Elbe, it was too late—if they had wanted to descend and form a bombing formation as they usually did after the bombers reached Berlin, it would have been perfectly sufficient. But now, they had spent another five or six minutes, only to witness a scene that left everyone breathless.

The British escort fighters exchanged fire with their allies who had arrived earlier, and some of them were already rushing towards the area. However, their numbers were not particularly overwhelming, so they didn't move the crew as much. The Lancaster bombers that had previously bombed Berlin had already opened their bomb bays, and all the pilots could see were the afterimages of falling bombs and the land below, which looked like a sea of ​​flames swept up by volcanic heat.

That feeling is no less than watching your opponent stand on the other side of a treacherous valley, staring at you, slowly raising the thing you cherish most in their hand, then gently moving a few joints in their hand, making you watch it disappear from your sight.

"OK, let's get started and teach them a lesson!"

“It’s simple, Captain.” The major calmly pulled up his plane. “We’re very hospitable. Leaving the bombs isn’t enough; we also need to keep the people.”

Everything proceeded smoothly as before. The red and blue concentric circles did not gain much advantage from the first strike. The sky was still in chaos. Griffin and Lilizia's Vincent took the lead and broke through the middle, flying straight into the dense but not very threatening .30 self-defense machine gun fire of the bomber group.

"Quick, before the fighters catch up!" The two Vincents, one on each side, focused on the same large bird and opened fire on the cockpit and engine.

"Angelina? How are you all?" he asked with concern about the situation back home.

"Fortunately, we have some new guests." She described to the captain what she was facing while twisting the control stick with a high degree of tension. It was the same size as the fighter jet, but it had a large mouth under its nose, and the more horizontal wingtips were busy scattering rockets all over the sky.

"Shit, what if this thing hits our transport plane..."

"I don't think so... Wait, Captain, I've received a distress signal from the ground. Here are the coordinates. I'll establish a communication link for you now. Ah!"

Be careful! Don't get hurt!

……

"This is Lieutenant Coughlin, distress call! We need backup!"

"Captain Griffin, what difficulties have you encountered?"