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“Mr. President,” Nimitz said urgently, “but there is one thing I am very clear about—do you know how many Hiroshima and Nagasaki are equivalent to in the German-occupied territory of Britannia right now? Mr. Paterson, can you tell me how many bombs we have that can completely destroy a city?”
"Furthermore, I need to add something." Strangely, the Secretary of the Navy became quite talkative once the topic of atomic bombs came up. "Using all nuclear weapons and using the entire navy are not contradictory, Mr. President. You should also understand that right now, the only thing that can possibly overcome a nuclear strike is the navy, right?"
This statement did offer some insight to Truman—indeed, due to the war with Britannia, the planned nuclear test at Bikini Atoll this year was indefinitely postponed under the strong pressure of General Nimitz. Most of the warships intended for the test were returned to their anchorages for training and transport, and the question of whether the Navy could survive a nuclear strike remained unresolved for the time being.
“I must emphasize again that the navy is of paramount importance to our presence in all our bases across Europe.” Nimitz raised his voice. “Everyone knows very well that the navy can solve the army’s problems, but nuclear weapons may not be able to completely solve the problems of Britannia, nor are they suitable for solving the naval problems at this time.”
"If the President insists on continuing nuclear testing, there are two possible outcomes. If the fleet cannot withstand a nuclear strike, we will lose a large amount of our naval power, perhaps even less than if the enemy had sunk us, and our control of the Atlantic will not be guaranteed. If it can withstand a nuclear strike, we will have wasted some atomic bombs to achieve such a predictable result. Furthermore, we cannot rely solely on the surrendered warships of the Axis powers for testing, as the size and number of warships are insufficient. How can we draw appropriate conclusions?"
Yes, the Japanese only had Nagato, Yukikaze, and Hosho left. The Germans hadn't even properly divided up their ships when Britannia started causing trouble. The United States couldn't possibly take them all by itself, right?
……
Bradley sat quietly across from him, watching Nimitz excitedly lay out everything he had to say to everyone.
He understood Nimitz's intentions perfectly well—due to the end of World War II, the navy's budget for maintaining its fleet had been drastically reduced. If an atomic bomb were to become the final straw, he, as Secretary of the Navy, would certainly find it difficult to accept. Moreover, Europe was in dire need of ground troops, and it was perfectly normal for the navy to use this opportunity, under the guise of fully assisting with transportation, to argue for its own interests.
“Minister, perhaps this is just the Navy’s tradition?” Even so, Bradley couldn’t help but make a comment.
"Tradition?"
“Be cautious.” Bradley smiled slightly. “It’s much easier to carry a pair of controversial punches and discard them later if we find we don’t need them, than to rebuild them later—I’m suddenly reminded of the story of the two aircraft carriers.”
Yes, that's right. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea in 42, the 127mm guns that the USS Lexington was fitted with at Pearl Harbor were meant to replace the 203mm guns that had been used for over a decade and ultimately proved to be extremely useless.
“However, this does not mean I fully support your idea, Mr. President.” But Bradley did not use this as an opportunity to contradict the Navy. “Indeed, you mentioned that Britannia has a large force, but that’s because we don’t know exactly how much of their strength they have left. Past battles have shown that our opponents always have enough capacity to bring back more counter-strike force before they are completely defeated, and we do not yet know where the limit of this ‘more’ is.”
The generals' words calmed Truman down—indeed, he realized that the U.S. military currently had no nuclear weapons available for combat, apart from air-dropped bombs, and the only suitable aircraft was the inflexible Superfortress B-29.
Most importantly, Germany at this time was not like Japan in August 1945, which was no longer capable of fighting. The possibility of successfully intercepting the nuclear bomb carrier aircraft was extremely high. If the nuclear bomb, which was intended to turn the tide of the war, failed to detonate and fell into enemy hands, the situation in Europe would be even worse.
"And there's one more thing. Just like when we landed in Europe and carried mustard gas, we weren't going to use it ourselves, but rather we were waiting for the Germans to use it." General Marshall finally spoke. "General Eisenhower already knows from the enemy that they also have poison gas, and as for something like a nuclear bomb, how can we ignore the fact that it nearly wiped out an entire bomber group and its escort over Berlin in one go? As Bradley said, where are their limits?"
……
Truman remained silent for a long time, so much so that Marshall and Bradley whispered to each other for quite some time.
"Oh, if the President has concerns about the long-range delivery of nuclear weapons, I think there are two more realistic solutions. One is to increase the strength of the entire army to regain the initiative on the European continent and make the flight paths of the aircraft safer. The other is to fully support the research and development and production of new fighter jets."
In Marshall and Bradley's words, there is also Eisenhower's voice—as the supreme commander of the U.S. military, there is one thing that must be implemented, and that is the independence of the Air Force, a step that will begin with the new eagle of America.
"And the British must also hope to see the North Sea filled with bright American flags." Seeing that the atomic bomb issue had taken a turn for the better, Nimitz began to reinforce his argument. "Moreover, judging from the literal meaning and people's usual understanding, the support of a massive army, navy, and air force is clearly more psychologically comforting and supportive than a few bombs the size of an airplane cabin. Mr. President, you should understand that, right?"
"We can deploy atomic bombs, but we must never rush to use them," Bradley added as a final reminder.
“Yes, you are right, generals.” Truman took a deep breath; sweat was already beading on his forehead.
"Furthermore, Mr. President," Marshall began to conclude, "the atomic bomb is certainly one of our greatest assets, but it can only be held by the United States. The Soviet Union and Great Britain do not possess it now, and if they were to acquire it in the future, it could be very dangerous."
"You mean, if I insist on deploying the atomic bomb, I absolutely must not let the Soviet Union and Britain know about it?"
"You should understand the consequences of doing this. And don't forget that the British let the Russians know about their jet engines, and we all know what the three countries have done to each other since the Berlin Incident."
While Marshall was explaining things to Truman, he also intended to do the Navy a favor.
"Neither the European continent nor the British Isles are entirely safe places. On the contrary, secretly deploying the atomic bombs to the Atlantic Fleet before dropping them and then secretly transferring them to airfields before dropping them would be more beneficial than harmful to the United States from any perspective."
……
Seeing that Truman finally relaxed, Marshall felt a weight lifted from his shoulders—and thankfully MacArthur wasn't present at the meeting, otherwise he would have definitely been arguing with everyone, giving the president his full approval.
"Mr. President," an official said as he entered, "your Chinese guests have arrived."
"Oh? That bald lady?" In the past few months, the Red Flag and the White Sun on the East Asian continent have clashed repeatedly with guns and bullets, so a new war and new aid are naturally unavoidable.
Faced with this question, Truman suddenly felt much more relaxed and cheerful. He looked at Marshall, who had been there long ago, with a pleased expression, and their eyes and thoughts immediately clicked.
"What do you think I should do in a more respectable manner, General?"
"Just don't give her more than half an hour."
Chapter 261, Section 342: The Unpredictable and Interlocking Crates
Ekaterina and Ilya were hiding in a thicket of bushes, while in the distance, Lieutenant Zilinkov's men were hiding in several foxholes, watching the open space in the distance.
The fighting on the island has now entered its fourth day. To the Soviet soldiers, the land appears calm, like the calm before a storm—the enemy has not launched a large-scale, rapid advance, which must be because they are concentrating their forces outside their sight.
Meanwhile, they continuously sent out small teams to scout and probe the hammer and sickle flag defenses. The comrades naturally began playing bridge with the enemy, risking their lives. As for how to play, that was for Colonel Kojelevsky to decide; the comrades' responsibility was simply to count their cards.
The ordinary comrades and snipers had clear objectives, but the engineers were a bit confused; recently they had acquired a lot of strange gadgets.
Yes, it looks like a regular anti-tank mine, but why does it have a small tube on top? And why do the engineers carry so much sturdy wire? And why is it buried in those deep craters that armored vehicles would never normally go to?
"The way you asked why sounds like a brat in elementary school deliberately arguing with the teacher."
If it weren't for the sniper's skill, Ilya would have almost hit him with the butt of his rifle.
……
Luckily, the Britannian reconnaissance team that was about to pass by consisted of a dozen or so infantrymen and a KMF. However, before they could even get into optimal firing range, the enemy noticed and opened fire—who could blame them when the place was so open?
The infantrymen in black lay down on the spot or found a roadside or a large rock, slowly retreating, waiting for KMF to become a problem for their opponents.
It's worth mentioning these giants, who are over four meters tall. Recently, they've become increasingly difficult to deal with in front of Soviet soldiers—don't worry, their raw strength remains the same; they're just more cunning in their behavior.
Look, just like the one in front of us. In the past, KMFs would often charge randomly into the Soviet positions in a scattered manner, or they would block the way and be followed by infantry. Now, the men in black are using their brains when facing pure enemy infantry, and KMFs will more often seek cover behind their formation.
That's exactly what it did. First, it didn't enter the range of the RPG-1, and second, it didn't stand still in the open. Instead, it continued to retreat towards the shell crater behind it, preparing to do what it always did: expose half its body and raise its machine gun to fire at the Soviet soldiers.
"So, can we just coax these robots into obediently taking the beating?"
"See? It went over by itself."
That's right, KMF was cunning. So the comrades had to come up with an even more unconventional method. Because anti-tank mines have a limited size and a limited triggering range, they changed the pressure-activated fuses of a batch of anti-tank mines to wire-controlled tripwires and placed them at the bottom of the craters where KMF often huddled.
Unless they were just squatting by the pit to defecate, they would inevitably bump into the wires hanging in the air on the pit wall, and then, like a cannon shot, they would become a pile of flying scrap metal in the panic of the black-clad infantrymen.
"I've been catching a lot of fish with this bait lately, haha."
……
The officers at the front lines were naturally troubled by this, and when they relayed the news to General Trosa, it was practically a mental pollution to the commander-in-chief of the island attack.
"Damn it, Emperor, have you taken this Minesweeper game to this extreme?" The general was truly terrified. "It's a good thing I was tasked with attacking the island. If I were in charge of crossing the Oder River... tsk, calm down, calm down, this is training..."
“What do you think, General?” a subordinate officer asked. “News keeps coming in from the front lines that the casualty rate of KMF pilots is almost on par with that of the infantry, even though they are indeed very suitable for things like traversing terrain and climbing buildings. Everyone is wondering whether we should continue to send these steel knights to the front lines to provide fire support.”
"If we do that, the psychological treatment unit will be overwhelmed by the sappers." Yes, if infantrymen have to go into every crater with mine-clearing equipment to inspect it, the Soviets aren't stupid enough to just watch you clear mines. Those mine-clearing equipment are huge; snipers aren't blind. And what if they add wooden anti-personnel mines to these craters later…
"Even farmers hate gophers and burrows, but they wouldn't go this far. We must be the people in the world who hate digging three feet into the ground..."
While they were talking, Britannian forces on Rügen Island had already deployed multiple long-range fire support points near Samtens, and their air power had been preparing for some time.
"So, General, will your plan to lure the enemy into a trap proceed?"
"Ha, why not? Tell those officers that their long-awaited promotion opportunity has arrived."
……
"Colonel Kojelevsky, we have received firsthand information that Britannian forces have launched a major offensive toward Putbus."
The sand on the ground bounced up and down like soybeans in a frying pan amidst the sudden bursts of artillery fire in the distance. The colonel walked to the map and roughly sketched out the village in the southern part of Rügen Island.
How strong is the enemy?
"They deployed at least twenty KMFs and armored vehicles, along with hundreds of infantrymen, and some armed helicopters to accompany them. We just received news that the enemy's indirect fire has also begun to fall on our comrades' positions."
"Show me where they've hit... Hmm, the outpost, a bit far from the second and outskirts positions, and outside the Baltic Fleet's firing range." The colonel was stumped. This time, the enemy was definitely serious, and if Putbusch fell, Bergen's southeastern shield would be gone. "Get all artillery ready and attack according to my instructions."
"Okay, I'll request air support from Poland again."
……
At this moment, in front of Putbus, black spearheads were slowly trying to pierce the cracks between the Soviet trenches.
It was almost like a dream. It was rare for them to have such a firepower advantage over the Soviet army, especially since they were attacking a key defensive position where they couldn't see the Soviet tanks. They only needed to focus on the anti-tank guns in the distance and the Soviet infantry carrying RPGs in the nearby pits.
Soon, a series of low, chaotic roars echoed from the distant jungle and hills, as the belated barrage of howitzer shells finally arrived, targeting their immediate vicinity. The artillery, which had been lying in wait for many days, had finally awaited the moment when their enemy was willing to take a heavy blow.
As ordinary soldiers, they should be prepared to save their lives, while the officers in the attacking formation seized this opportunity.
With the guidance of these frontline commanders and the efforts of the armed helicopters, the Canterbury and assault guns, which were waiting in the rear island occupied area, quickly established the approximate coordinates and began to send shells back to the Soviet artillery positions.
That's all? Of course not. Before the full force was unleashed, no one in the world could have guessed how many artillery pieces the Soviets had prepared in one location. Once the counter-fire from Britannia's rear began, it wasn't long before the same ominous thunderstorms roared again from another forest, another hill, and the coastal dock positions, returning the massive steel elephant of Canterbury with a destructive force surpassing that of any lion or crocodile, turning it into a field of mangled limbs and fragments.
The busy Samtens suffered the same fate. In addition to the artillery raids, the Soviet Air Force was also not far behind. The ground troops gathered there not only had to deal with the projectiles flying from afar, but also had to deploy anti-aircraft formations in the cold and bloody rain of fire from the sky.
Then came the Britannian armed transport planes and jet fighters that had come to bomb the Soviet rear, as well as numerous KMFs that had been waiting in the air for a long time. The ballet of death in the air rose higher and higher, larger and larger, along with the dust rising from the ground, until it reached the airspace above the Baltic Fleet, which was on high alert off the eastern coast of the island.
The sea also echoed with plumes of black smoke from birds being hunted. There were no noteworthy holidays today, but Rügen Island seemed to have unwittingly stepped into a grand surprise event of its own. Like a bell, all the creatures of the Baltic Sea, from birds to fish, were brought to their knees by its fiery, turbulent tremors.
……
"General Trosa, the Knights of Agincourt are reporting for duty."
"You've arrived just in time, girls. The latest news is that the Silver Dove has appeared on Rügen Island. Besides assisting in breaking through Putbus's defenses, the skies will depend on you."
"Please leave it to us, we will definitely complete the mission."
"Um, your name is Angelie, right?" Before leaving, the general called out to the leader of the dozen or so girls. "I remember you are the adjutant of the Knights' elite squad. May I ask where your captain is? I think he shouldn't miss such an opportunity, no matter how you look at it."
"Captain? All I know is that he can't be on the front lines right now. We don't care about anything else except completing combat missions." Angelie's expression was indifferent.
"It seems like everything has changed quite a bit and quite quickly. I'd like to know what happened to your Knights?"
“These things are no longer important, General. Untimely people and events are like lemon juice that has fallen into the Baltic Sea; you will not taste the bitterness in the seawater.”
Chapter 262, Section 343: The Mound of the Battlefield
"Hurry, hurry! Where are the firefighters? Get the pilots out here right now!"
In a ranch a few miles from the village, a major, as the frontline commander of the attack on Putbus, was busy clearing a space to make room for this KMF, whose wings had turned into roasted chicken wings—there was also a crashed armed transport plane on the nearby open space.
The insignia on KMF's body are the same as the batch that just flew overhead. See that grayish-white La-7 fighter jet in the sunlight? That roasted chicken wing is its latest defeated foe, and the Knights of Agincourt are now busy relentlessly pursuing it with all their elite troops. Of course, this includes Angelie and Shishian.
"Silver Dove is climbing! Catch up with him, you to the left, I to the right!"
This was an enormous problem for everyone. Angelina and her team could barely keep Silver Dove away from the helicopters that needed their protection, while the other teammates who came to encircle and suppress them were either injured, killed, or forced to leave the pursuit by Silver Dove's rearguard fighters.
"Well done, ladies of the Knights." The major looked up at the sky and gave Juliet and Ypelt a thumbs up. "You didn't see how those KMFs and planes died over my head. Silver Doves leave no grass in their wake, this is no joke."
Indeed, the mud the major brought out of the bomb crater was still a bit wet, not to mention the blood that had been spilled while rescuing the wounded pilots.
“Please feel free to leave anything to us,” Juliet replied. “We will do our best.”
“It’s rare for the Knights to speak to us so calmly, so I’ll be direct too.” The major was pleased, as the young woman in front of him seemed much more reliable than the Knights’ usual demeanor. “I need to join our two squadrons in an attack on the Soviet positions on the hill northwest of Putbus. The direct fire there is having a significant impact on our main offensive force.”
"Yes, sir. Is your fire support sufficient?"
"Don't worry, there's enough support from assault guns and helicopters... But speaking of which, where's the girl you were with just now?"
"You mean Ipel? I think she should be in position by now."
While the two were still talking, Ypel moved his aircraft next to the assault guns and then unfurled his weapons.
"On my command, soldiers, prepare to fire!"
Ordinary soldiers rarely witnessed such a scene. Assault guns continuously spat out tongues of fire and ejected spent shell casings, while Ipel's hadron cannons, amidst bursts of crimson lightning, hurled chunks of dark meteorite at the Soviet positions. The hill was a scene of utter devastation, as if struck by a mudslide of lightning and thunder.
"Everyone get ready." Juliet had already climbed into her aircraft. "Maintain combat formation as you advance, watch out for any potholes or hidden enemies on the ground, and no one should act alone until we are within 100 meters of the Soviet positions."
……
"We can't hold out any longer, comrades, retreat!"
Lieutenant Zilinkov and his men were guarding the hill with the anti-tank gun. The comrades, with their bodies buried and guns on their backs, retreated from the front line one by one in an orderly manner amidst the sand and dust covering the battlefield.
Of course, Ilya and her companion were with them, but they hid under the most inconspicuous bushes in the camp.
Now, all the anti-tank guns and heavy machine guns on the position have been silenced, and the indirect fire from the rear is slow to provide support. The sky is also busy, and the attacking Britannian troops are pursuing them at full speed in all directions—their purpose is clear: to turn this position into an outpost for their own strategic offensive.
The retreating comrades were in the trenches, jogging and firing their RPGs back at each other. Not all the enemies were in hot pursuit. A Gloucester was carefully searching for survivors in the trenches, and he happened to be in front of Ilya and his companion, blocking their retreat route.
"Take care of it and then retreat. Don't worry, we'll have enough time." Ekaterina seemed quite confident.
“I gave my RPG to another comrade, you won’t…” Ilya was very worried.
"We've come this far, might as well die with this bastard!"
Damn it, Ekaterina's drunken recklessness seems to have flared up again. She threw away the camouflage net and just picked up an anti-tank mine when the KMF noticed and started to retreat.