novelnext Page 191
Page 191
The mission that the B-17 failed to complete perfectly will be taken over by the Superfortress.
Enemies that the "Guardian Angel" Mustang failed to defeat will be swept away by the turbo engine.
The Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic, soon to turn red, will continue to fly the flags of struggle.
The innocent blood that has dried up on the European continent will be used in a more cruel and bloody way, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
-
-
Volume 4, The Burning Rhine, Completed
Section 314, Part Six: The Oder River – Operation Elbe, Part Two
By late January 1946, the war situation in the Berlin area had become increasingly complex, while the German Baltic coast, which was a secondary strategic objective, was slowly entering a period of true upheaval.
On January 20, the Royal Navy Baltic Task Force, mainly composed of the heavy cruisers HMS London and HMS Norfolk, was conducting a night patrol and surveillance mission within 10 kilometers of Rostock when it was attacked by Britannian missiles from land. One of the three missiles caused minor near-miss damage to HMS Diaden, and another hit the superstructure of HMS Norfolk, causing it to catch fire.
This was the second targeted attack the task force had suffered since the Soviet evacuation north of Germany began. Given the importance of this attack with new weapons and the significant damage sustained by HMS Norfolk, and adhering to the Royal Navy high command's order to prioritize intelligence, HMS London led the fleet temporarily away from the Baltic region. [Chapter 221]
The missiles were launched by the Britannian naval advance force stationed in Rostock. After more than a month, this former Nazi German naval base has been more than half-repaired, and this shore-based anti-ship operation has proven that missiles and warships are a cornerstone of Britannia's survival in the country.
Even so, the Britannian Empire, being simultaneously targeted by three forces, still saw a glimmer of hope in its campaign south of Berlin. Faced with the undeniable reality of a large-scale deep offensive by the Soviet army [Chapters 223 & 224], it had no choice but to immediately formulate relevant withdrawal plans to ensure that each army group and corps could cope with the impending annihilation [Chapter 222].
In the Elbe River basin, although the siege of Magdeburg by the British and American Allied forces was not yet complete, the city's outer defenses had been largely dismantled, signifying that the Allies had completely controlled all the towns and villages west of the Elbe that had been captured by Britannia [Chapter 225]. The situation was settled, and time was of the essence. On the 22nd, Marshal Zhukov issued the order to launch a full-scale offensive [Chapter 226].
Despite having prepared a plan and mental preparation, the Soviet offensive was more fierce and unstoppable than ever before. In a short time, it divided and surrounded the six army groups and corps units of the Britannian army deployed there. At the same time, the news of the fall of Magdeburg on the 23rd quickly reached the gates of Brandenburg [Chapter 227]. They had no choice but to launch the last rescue plan - to send all the veterans who were originally planned to be trained as new recruits to the front line.
Cruel reality showed little mercy. Under the heavy encirclement of Soviet ground forces and relentless pursuit by Allied aircraft, Britannia's army either succumbed to the mud, slowly decaying within the encirclement, or was swallowed up by the onslaught of fierce attacks. Blood from another world stained the roads and houses that had been stained crimson by the Iron Cross the previous year within just eight days. [Chapters 228, 229, 230]
Saving the expeditionary force with precious veterans and countless lives was far from enough. To buy more time and space for reinforcements and to prevent the Soviet forces in Szczecin from launching a timely attack, on February 1st, Elizabeth ordered two destroyers that had recently arrived in Rostock to launch a night raid on Rügen Island, while simultaneously ordering the railway guns "Poseidon's Halberd" deployed around Berlin to continue bombarding Szczecin. [Chapter 231]
Although they successfully damaged some facilities on the island, and the bridges and streets of Szczecin were also affected, what they did not expect was that on the same night, the Royal Air Force boldly bombed Rostock harbor under the cover of darkness. Not only were most of the port facilities destroyed, but a large number of mines were also deployed to block the waterways in and out.
Unable to return to port, and with daytime conditions in the Baltic Sea too unsafe, the two largely intact destroyers were forced to run aground. The plan to launch a surprise attack on the Soviet forces in the north suffered a severe setback. The expeditionary force then urgently dispatched the airship Archivk, which continued its sabotage operations against Szczecin on February 3rd, finally bending the Soviet army's soon-to-be-drawn sword. [Chapter 233]
Good fortune smiled upon Britannia this time. On February 4th, just before the last line of defense in the south collapsed, Elizabeth received the long-awaited vanguard of reinforcements. She immediately deployed them, along with her personal guard, to solidify the offensive positions, finally halting the advance of the American and Soviet forces within thirty to forty kilometers of the Brandenburg Gate. [Chapter 234]
After several days of patching up the gaps and counterattacks, and with the continuous influx of reinforcements, all offensive operations by the American and Soviet forces were completely halted. Overjoyed, the Britannian high command implemented their long-planned strategic offensive, launching a full-scale expulsion attack on February 12th. The Soviet army was forced back step by step, and the British troops, who had just consolidated their positions in the villages and towns east of the Elbe River, were soon forced to retreat along with the American forces back to Magdeburg. [Chapters 235, 237]
The successive defeats had a significant impact on the high-ranking officials of the three countries, especially the British army. In order to demoralize the Britannian army and eliminate a long-standing threat, Field Marshal Montgomery approached the high command of the Royal Air Force to devise "Operation Stonebridge" to remove Poseidon's spear.
After several days of strategic deception, luring a large amount of enemy air power to other theaters of operations, on the evening of the 15th, while the Britannian army was basking in the afterglow of its pressure-relieving advance, dozens of Royal Air Force Mosquito fighter-bombers, guided by ground troops, successfully arrived over Oranienburg and delivered a precise and swift blow to the Poseidon's Halberd. Ultimately, at the cost of more than ten Mosquitoes, this ultra-long-range artillery piece came to an end. [Chapter 236]
The Eastern allies suffered a crushing defeat, and the failure of Operation Reef drew serious attention from the United States, far across the ocean. The Stars and Stripes now clearly indicate that the war is far from over. The Pentagon has prepared everything for the soldiers still fighting in Europe. Now, the real battle begins. [Chapter 237]
-
-
This concludes Part Six of the series: The Oder River - Operation Elbe, Part Two.
Chapter 239, Section 319: Visiting Again
This is an hourglass, finely crafted, taking 5 minutes to complete one cycle with minimal error. Even when placed in a shaky carriage, the deviation of a few seconds is not enough to wipe one's hands.
Yes, that's it. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it should have been functioning perfectly normally, but from this moment on, it suddenly became like a cancerous cell.
Four and a half minutes once, four minutes once, three minutes, two minutes—it suddenly became terrifyingly fast. It seemed that from that moment on, time was like a stubborn horse that had broken free of its enclosure, moving so fast that it could no longer be restrained.
……
"Here you go, sir, consider it a gift for our meeting."
Clark, who had just been addressed as "Uncle Sam," received such an object from Baron Holt, who knew nothing of the story that had unfolded months before the hourglass began.
No one knows what went wrong with the Baron's hourglass, but everyone remembers the date—October 28, 1945, on the timeline of District 45.
And everything seemed to become increasingly unsettling as the hourglass deteriorated.
……
3 days, 5677 people.
15 days, 48561 people
61 days, 205438 people.
79 days, 419122 people.
After the giant light gate in Berlin's 45th district shone brightly, these two rows of numbers grew larger and larger over time, but why did the second row expand at such an exaggerated rate?
Just a minute ago, the number was still rising, and what's even more unbelievable is that it's not fabricated—yes, these Arabic figures were accurately tallied by the medical staff of the 45th Expeditionary Force, from the blood on stretchers, the mentally unstable patients, and the corpses in body bags, one by one.
Pick up the hourglass again, rub your eyes and stare at it, but you feel that the golden sand has become as terrifying as the eyes in hell, as if the dripping sand is the souls that sleep in the other world. The original icy water droplets have become like a surging river flowing into the underworld, dimming into the soil and disappearing underground.
And what did the Britannian Empire gain when it visited Clark's world?
“Speaking of which, there are a lot of civilians brought over from District 45?” Baron Holt was talking to several other knights earlier. “75 is not a small number. Honshu Island is only so big. We should be able to filter out some of the useful ones.”
“This is already a pool of labor selected from millions of civilians in Germany. Most of those who cannot be moved have stayed in the small towns of the 45th district. I think it would be better to discard the bones in our plate than to have Her Highness Elizabeth conduct a more rigorous selection process.”
"You mean, people from Area 11?"
"You all should know who is more diligent and less likely to cause trouble between the people of District 45 and District 11. Now, in our Siberian vassal state, Britannia in Europe, we need manpower to restore some of the damage caused by Xia Yingge. Those friends who have been established for less than 10 years need to further strengthen their urban construction and improve the hard conditions for maintaining the army. Of course, we also need to send more unstable factors out of District 11."
"But when they got to Eastern Europe and Siberia, they were the same..."
"Still what? The sky's the limit, but the emperor isn't far away either. Even ZERO can't escape Area 11. The information they receive while staying on the North Asian continent is even more limited. Naturally, they won't be as easily incited to rebel as before. Oh, of course, the premise is that they can conquer themselves who are not used to the environment. If they die there, perhaps feeding the polar bears can be considered as making a contribution to environmental protection."
"That's right, we need to really tough it out on these scumbags. Let the whole world see that even without a country, the people of Area 11 are still willing to work, hahahahaha!"
"Furthermore, should we disclose the existence of District 45 to the public? Just as the Aryan Special Forces said, if we are to conquer the world beyond the portal, a world willing to fight to the death with the full force of its nation, we naturally need to provide more ordinary citizens with military training..."
……
The knights were there, discussing what they were going to propose to the princes and governors, leaving Clark aside—after all, the latter was just a minor official who supplied special drugs to the army, with little power to offer any advice.
But that didn't stop his ears; the more he listened, the more uneasy he became.
They started talking about prisoners of war, saying that the Russians were righteous and difficult to assimilate, that their own Yankees were foul-mouthed and stubborn, and then they went on to talk about how the gentlemen trained by Montgomery were different from themselves, and how excellent they were... Well, it was a bit like holding a mirror in one hand and a beauty camera in the other, praising the beauty in the camera while cursing the ugly ghost in the mirror.
However, Clark couldn't laugh. His displeasure simmered inside him because this amusement was based on the fact that there were more than 4 soldiers from various countries in the Area 11 POW camp. His laughter now couldn't solve the problem of his comrades' personal freedom. Moreover, not everyone had the same courage and opportunity as him to secretly oppose the enemy.
……
Just then, a familiar-looking young man with a creamy face walked past the jazz musicians.
“Hmm? Colonel Caronville?” Holt called out to him, scanning him up and down with his eyes. “Why are you wearing a raincoat? Is the sun in the Tokyo Concession very humid?”
"It's raining in Berlin, Your Excellency, and I'm on my way there."
"Is that so? It seems you're about to embark on another long journey?"
“That’s right, sir.” The colonel smiled shyly. “This was Her Highness Elizabeth’s strong request. I’ve finally completed all the tasks here. Now, it’s time to say goodbye to Area 11 for a long time.”
“It’s alright, we’ll meet in District 45 soon.” The Baron comforted them. “Rather than blaming, everyone would rather experience what’s happening there firsthand. I’m sure the new recruits heading to that battlefield will be grateful for all those astonishing photos and battlefield videos.”
"Oh? It seems what I taught in class was very effective. Thank you for the praise."
“Alright, we’re heading to the City Hall now.” The Baron smiled and said goodbye. “It seems Her Highness Elizabeth has returned and has some matters to discuss with His Highness Schneizel, so it’s necessary for us to accompany her.”
"I hope Her Highness brings us good news." Caronville was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. "Also, Your Excellency, there is one last thing that you may need to pay attention to."
"Ok?"
"A long time ago, one of our captured American soldiers went missing in a fire. Since the body was unidentifiable, he remains missing. Recently, based on the various verbal 'harassments' from the Aryan Special Forces, it's quite possible that the soldier is still alive. Please remind the newly arrived patrol forces in the Tokyo Concession to keep a close eye on him. Ah, although, we can't rule out the possibility that they're just making assumptions."
"What are his characteristics?"
"Very young, probably only a few years younger than me. Also, his left leg is a semi-automatic prosthesis... Hey, who is that?"
……
That was a fatal mistake. Clark was quietly smoking a cigar and fiddling with the hourglass when he was startled. His hand holding the cigarette trembled violently, and the scattered ash inappropriately drew the colonel's attention.
He quickly pretended to cough a few times because he was choked by the smoke, raised his head and glared fiercely at the colonel. Thanks to the makeup techniques his men had taught him, the few wrinkles he drew really made this young man in his early twenties look like a man over thirty, which intimidated the colonel's seemingly suspicious gaze.
“Well, gentlemen.” After the Baron and his men had left Caronville, he put down his cigar. “For reasons you all know, I’ll be going to the nearest hospital to check on things while I’m accompanying Princess Elizabeth and His Highness Schneizel. After all, the wounded soldiers returning from the 45th district deserve care, both physically and mentally, right? Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting for you all in front of the City Hall before the meeting ends. Afterward, we’ll go to the 45th district together to visit Berlin’s underground infrastructure.”
Damn it, Clark was still not mature enough. It took him a long time to calm down after walking away. He was thinking about how to cover up this flaw in his lower body in the future.
"Halt!" Before he knew it, he had walked to the front of a mental hospital. Strangely, there were KMFs and fully armed infantrymen standing guard there.
"Relax, relax, soldiers. I've come to visit the wounded."
“I’m very sorry, sir.” The soldier glanced at the business card Clark handed him. “You are not allowed to enter this area.”
"Why?" He was a little surprised. "You noticed, young man. I'm a drug supplier directly under that department of the military, and..."
"Sir, your name is not on our list of authorized persons. I'm sorry, but according to the directive jointly issued by the Duke of Sassler and the Earl of Rosenberg, those who fail to meet the requirements are not allowed to approach this court."
"Uh... tell me, young man, how unlucky does a patient have to be to get a spot here?"
"You only need to meet one of the following conditions: First, you were brought in by our hospital's medical staff in a stretcher ambulance."
"Second, proof of identity for working in this institution or having a direct subordinate relationship with it."
"Third, you need to carry a pass signed by a member of the royal family or an official from the Tokyo Concession City Hall. Of course, their signatures will also work." The soldier handed over a list of generals and nobles, but he didn't explicitly say that these generals were currently in front of the Brandenburg Gate in that other world.
"Of course, there is also the simplest, and also the most difficult, way: just provide evidence that you have been to District 45."
"Area 45? What does that mean?" Clark asked, feigning ignorance to try and get some information out of him.
"You'd better not know about this place, but since you seem to be someone important, I can give you some information: if you have bullets or shrapnel with the hammer and sickle emblem in your body, or if you hear sounds like an organ blaring and 'Hurrah,' I'll send you to the operating table immediately if you hear the former, and as for the latter... you can stay in the psychiatric ward of this hospital for a while."
Chapter 240, Section 320: Power, Life, and Qualification
"What my elder brother and Dr. Lloyd gave us doesn't match what we asked for at all..."
Elizabeth and her brother Kelly walked through the Tokyo Concession City Hall, followed by the Duke of Sassler and Lieutenant General Wood, along with their pent-up resentment.
“We did receive His Highness’s request to increase the proportion of production resources allocated to weapons and vehicles other than KMF, and we did comply with that order. But for some reason, the other departments have become like this.”
These words were spoken by Dr. Flock, who was waiting to greet the siblings. He led the four of them to the main conference room, where they saw the elder brother, Lloyd, Holt, and several other nobles who had been waiting for a long time.
"I'm so sorry, Elizabeth, I haven't had a chance to visit you in District 45 lately. How have you been?"
"I just want to get to the point, no need for small talk." The princess's attitude was surprisingly cold, and she even interrupted Schneizel when he tried to lead her to a seat. "I'll only stay for a little while, then I'll be back in District 45. Please take a look at this thing I have with you and Earl Lloyd."
"What do you want to say?"
"I clearly requested that the 45th District Expeditionary Force be provided with new KMFs and conventional ground vehicles at a 1:1 ratio. Why is it that, after so long, not only is the proportion of KMFs still 25% higher than the total proportion of conventional vehicles, but the proportion of assault guns has actually decreased compared to infantry fighting vehicles?"
“That’s not a problem, Your Highness.” Lloyd smiled first. “KMF is more flexible than traditional weapons, and this ironclad rule has stood on this land for eight years. And you should notice that not only is Gloucester’s share larger, but there are also new Vincents and Vincent Wards.”
"Yes, yes, you're right. I also remember telling you that the Gloucester and the seventh-generation fighters perform far better in the air than on the ground... But the problem is, why are the KMF flight wings only 35% of the number of KMFs? Do you want a group of birds that are meant to help us take over the sky to be reduced to plucked turkeys on a chopping board, fighting to the death against a swarm of insects?"
"Hmm, let me think... there must be some problems with the transportation scheduling..." The Doctor adjusted his glasses, his eyes darting around nervously, avoiding Elizabeth's gaze. "Well, in my opinion, Her Highness must have encountered some kind of difficulty in Sector 45, right? So..."
"How many times have I recounted the difficulties the expeditionary force encountered? The total number probably exceeds the crumbs of pudding between your teeth!"
Schneizel was somewhat embarrassed, while Baron Holt and the others who followed behind, equally hesitant to take their seats, were even more astonished. They couldn't believe that Her Highness the Eighth Princess was speaking so harshly today. It was so different from her usual self.
"Ahem..." Lloyd chuckled and scratched his face. "Since things have come to this point, it's difficult to fill the gaps in conventional weapons very quickly. So, may I ask Your Highness, is there anything I can do to help with KMF?"
"You still dare to mention KMF to me?" Not only Elizabeth, but Kelly's face also showed extreme disappointment. "According to a Chinese proverb, should I send you and your entire guiding technology department a pair of earplugs and a book of sages?"
Hmm, it seems the atmosphere is turning into an extremely awkward situation. The princess realized that she might have indeed lost her composure, and after thinking for a moment, she made another request to Lloyd.
"The entire KMF force of the expeditionary force must be equipped with flight wings at the same time?" Lloyd could hardly believe his ears. "Oh, you must be joking, Your Highness. Not only is the number too large, but flight wings also consume more Sakura Stone energy, and the logistical pressure will increase dramatically. The consequences of all this, I..."
“Oh? Hmm, that does seem too much. I’ll lower my expectations.” Elizabeth said, holding up one finger. “One thousand.”
"One thousand flying wings, delivered immediately?"