Codegease: Air and Land Warfare 1946

Page 205

But what could be done? Night had slowly filled the sky, and the Baltic Fleet looked exhausted under the setting sun. They also received news that Britannian warships were returning to the waters northwest of Rügen Island and were heading east—it seemed that a naval battle was inevitable.

"Fire!" General Golovko ripped the telegram apart. "The Red Navy can beat the Germans to a pulp even without ships or cannons. Do we have to be beholden to them when we get back to sea?"

"Pass on my orders! After sunset, send the wounded soldiers from the ships to Rügen Island. Also, request some comrades from the army who are skilled in anti-aircraft guns and have experience as loader operators. Once the replenishment is complete, the entire fleet will form a single battle line and advance towards the north of Rügen Island!"

……

The Baltic Sea was cold and dark in the early morning. Missiles flashed across the sky and fell on Rügen Island, marking the end of a silent stage. The firelight on the island reflected the red and hot hammer and sickle flag, making it hard to tell whether it was a battlefield or hell.

The four destroyers formed a column, end to end. Captain Bessall, the fleet commander, was aboard the lead ship, the HMS Annacelle, followed by the HMS Ritzia, HMS Cassero, and HMS Ezogon. They had just received a request from the attacking forces on the island to provide fire support to several villages and towns. Now, it was time to carry out their primary duties.

"OK, all fleets, this is Colonel Bersaner. With the capture of Rügen Island imminent, the generals have ordered us to carry out a daring operation. Therefore, to ensure that everything goes smoothly, let me reiterate our objective for this operation."

"First, the primary objective is to search for and destroy the Soviet naval fleet in the waters east of Rügen Island, weakening its support on the island while attacking the logistical lines of its troops stationed there."

"Second, if the Soviet fleet is rendered combat ineffective, attack the Soviet docks along the island's coast that are used for shipping and loading/unloading."

"Third, be aware of whether there are any other countries' naval forces near Rügen Island. All observation posts should search for enemy targets, and at the same time, no attacks should be launched against any unknown targets."

"Finally, it is important to clarify that due to the heavy losses on the battlefield, we have emptied all the missile reserves in Rostock harbor. Therefore, for the time being, the missiles of each ship must be launched under my unified command and coordination until the threat from the Soviet fleet is eliminated, at which point they may fire freely."

The colonel put down the microphone, and an officer reported that three small boats lined up in the sea north of Rügen Island had been spotted.

"What?" According to the night vision images, the outline of the warship was clearly not that of a Soviet warship, and the enemy's formation did not look like it was about to launch an attack. "All fleet, level one combat readiness. All ship guns are aimed at the unknown target. Missiles are ready. Launch Portman Squadron from the starboard side and continue to advance toward the target position."

Starting from 10 nautical miles, they gradually closed the distance to 7 nautical miles, then 5 nautical miles. When they were close to 3 nautical miles, suddenly the searchlights on the other side were turned on, illuminating the bridges of the four Britannian destroyers with a white light.

The officers, including Colonel Bossall, were immediately blinded by the dazzling light. They had never seen a blue-and-gold cross fluttering on the Baltic Sea in the waves just ten nautical miles from Rügen Island.

"Attention! This is the Swedish Royal Navy destroyer HMS Visby!" In a very short time, three Swedish destroyers pointed all their weapons—120mm naval guns, 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, 20mm Oerlikon cannons, and 530mm torpedo tubes—at us. "You are illegally entering Swedish territorial waters. Return to port immediately, or we have the right to intervene with force!"

As the other side shouted warnings in Swedish and English through a loudspeaker, Colonel Persson couldn't help but scrutinize these small, delicate "children."

The three Visby-class destroyers were all less than 100 meters long. Even among the remaining assets of the Soviet Red Navy after the Soviet-German War, there were quite a few ships larger than these newest Swedish destroyers. They were now like three domestic dogs facing four bison, their trembling bodies gleaming with the sharpness of their teeth in the cold light.

……

"Heh, the Swedes, are they still somewhat docile?" No wonder we haven't been able to catch Swedish fishing boats in our recent sneaky maritime operations. But it's strange that they haven't opened fire.

The colonel hesitated. Neither Her Highness Elizabeth nor the Swedish bastards had yet issued a formal declaration of war, nor had any Swedish military forces appeared on the front lines.

The enemy is definitely ready to unleash their full firepower. If they strike first, even if I can annihilate all three destroyers, at such close range, it will be difficult to control my own losses, and the mission to attack the Baltic Fleet will be ruined.

If he were to fire first, it would constitute an undeclared war on Sweden, which would be extremely dangerous for his fleet and the army on Rügen Island. According to the confessions of the Swedish fishermen he had previously captured, Sweden possessed a formidable naval and air force. Dawn was fast approaching, and the Swedish navy and air force across the Baltic Sea were undoubtedly poised for action. If they were to launch a large-scale operation to support the Soviet Union, Rostock port might be in grave danger.

"Each Portman squadron, maintain underwater observation of the Swedish warships. All warships shall maintain a single line and continue to advance toward the sea area 30 degrees north-northeast."

……

The colonel knew that this place was actually quite far from Swedish territorial waters, and the Swedes were just trying to intimidate him. But he probably didn't know that the Swedes had won this gamble.

Just as the four missile destroyers came and went, HMS Visby, braving the danger of being torn to shreds by superior firepower, kept sending the location of the Britannian fleet to Admiral Golovko and the Royal Navy in the distant Kattegat Strait.

Now, the Britannian flag flashes from a corner of the reef on Rügen Island, and as the Red Navy flag is seen, the roar of propeller engines echoes in the distant strait like a deep lion's roar from the bushes.

Admiral Cunningham had not commanded a Royal Navy carrier strike group in a long time. He was about to retire, but now he stood on the bridge of HMS Formidable, looking at HMS Unicorn in the distance, whose deck was also full of fighter jets, and gave the order for a full-deck attack.

In an instant, a headwind suddenly rose in the strait, and the Seafire fighter jets swept over the St. George flag above the bridge. One Barracuda attack aircraft after another, carrying torpedoes and bombs, flew towards the eastern battlefield against the storm and the rising sun.

Chapter 265, Section 346: The Welcoming Ceremony at Sea (Part 2)

"All fleet, listen up! Assign battle formation!"

At General Golovko’s command, the fleet, which had been lined up in a single file, split into two groups: the battleship October Revolution at the rear of the formation turned hard to starboard and began to rotate its main gun turrets, while the destroyers, led by the cruiser Gorky at the front, continued to approach the unsuspecting Britannian fleet.

"Fire! Fire!"

The roar of artillery fire surged towards the beach and into the distance like a tidal wave, waking the drowsy Baltic Sea. Only then did the four missile destroyers begin to turn their bows, and terrifying fountains sprang up from the surrounding sea.

"Maintain formation! Don't panic!" Colonel Persson was a little nervous on the bridge. Just now, after the destroyers and cruisers' firepower landed around them, the 305mm main gun shells of the October Revolution hit both sides of their fleet evenly. The fountains, dozens of meters high, were like boxers punching left and right, making the Annacelle beneath them shake violently.

"Soviet warships locked on! 9.8 nautical miles away, one cruiser and six destroyers, main guns ready!"

"shooting!"

As the Soviet fleet drew closer, it was necessary to teach them a lesson with naval guns. At the same time, the colonel immediately ordered all destroyers to open all the hatches on both sides. KMFs crouched down and fired from the flat hatches, while all the armed helicopters took off and went forward.

In an instant, the coastline of Rügen Island was shrouded in flames and thick smoke. The cruisers and destroyers of the Red Navy intermittently fired their 180mm and 130mm naval guns into the distance, while the anti-aircraft guns and machine guns of all sizes were also busy. Even if Colonel Bersanne covered his ears, he could clearly hear the chaotic ringing of each bullet and fragment hitting his ship.

In contrast to the Red Navy crew members who were busy in the bow and stern gun turrets, the gunners of several missile destroyers were quite content, sitting behind the bridge, using handles and optical sensors to aim, fire, and automatically load ammunition, maintaining firepower output during the gaps in the enemy warships' firing, even though each only had one naval gun.

"Reporting, Colonel! The Cassell has been hit by naval gunfire, and the second hatch on the starboard side is on fire!"

"The size of the sea waves?" Bersaner didn't care about this battle damage report.

"The situation has stabilized, Colonel."

"Follow my instructions! Hurry up!"

"Yes, sir!" the captain quickly ordered. "Anna Selene calling Rizia, joint strike target confirmed! 11.6 nautical miles away, enemy formation B, Soviet battleship, two missiles, ready!"

"Calling USS Cansrow and USS Ezogon, missile target confirmed! Distance 8.7 nautical miles, enemy fleet A, ships 1, 2, 4, and 6, four missiles from both ships to engage evenly, please respond!"

"Rizia is ready!"

"USS Canero is ready!"

"The Ezogon is ready!"

"Fire!—"

Before the words were even finished, the vertical launch systems of the four destroyers roared to life, each sending two missiles into the sky. These missiles drew several elegant arcs above the colorful, crisscrossing fire lines on the sea surface as they flew toward the Baltic Fleet.

Just then, the black smoke from the main guns of the battleship October Revolution dissipated, and a rapid gust of air, like a drill, descended from the sky and struck the midships of the Ritzia at a great angle.

"We've been hit... Oh no!" Who would have thought that this armor-piercing shell would smash through the deck, all the upper decks, and the bottom of the ship in one go, exploding underwater, and the huge waves, like a cascading sand, submerged half of the ship.

Perhaps due to the lingering damage from the previous grounding, the hull of the Ritzia was like a cucumber wilted in the summer sun, teetering on the brink of collapse amidst the waves stirred up by 305mm shells, with thick smoke rising up almost obscuring the huge wound on the warship.

……

However, tragedy does not belong to only one side in most naval confrontations.

The fiery trails created by the eight missiles drew ever closer in General Golovko's eyes, and the entire fleet's anti-aircraft guns were already aimed at the sky.

"One taken care of! Second one sorted!" The observers' shouts echoed from the bridge of the October Revolution. "Three targets are still closing in! 1.1 kilometers away!"

"All ships prepare for impact defense!"

Just as General Golovko bent down to steady the ship, the lead missile crashed into the wake close to the port side, while the other two instantly slammed into the stern of the battleship. The 25,000-ton October Revolution, fully loaded, sank sharply to the stern, then lurched upwards by the buoyancy of the waves, resembling a dying seal struggling amidst the spray and fireworks.

"Damage report!" In an instant, half of the battleship was engulfed in flames, and the billowing smoke seemed to completely obscure the damaged hull behind it. "Turret No. 3 is disabled! Turret No. 4 is on fire and under control! All four secondary guns on the port side are unable to fire! Speed ​​has dropped to 19 knots!"

However, this was only the beginning of the Baltic Fleet's disaster. Of the remaining four missiles heading towards the cruiser-destroyer squadron, one exploded in mid-air, and another crashed into the sea as the Gorky made a sharp evasive maneuver. As for the other two destroyers, the Fierce was mercilessly ripped open on its port side by a missile, and the already damaged Splendor had its stern blown off by a single missile, flying high into the air amidst the shockwave and flames.

"Damn it, damn it all." General Golovko anxiously pressed his face against the bridge glass, watching the Fierce and the Glorious, now completely powerless, drift on the crest of the waves like a lone bird falling from the sky.

"Order the Fierce to move closer to the shallow waters near Rügen Island, the October Revolution to assist the crew of the Splendor in their evacuation, and inform the Gorky and other ships to continue to advance in an evasive manner, and not to let the enemy escape our sight!"

……

"Colonel, we are evacuating some of the crew. The propulsion system can still be saved. We are preparing to reverse and move towards the island."

The Britannian fleet fared no better. The remaining three ships had all been hit by the main guns of destroyers or cruisers, but continued to maintain their formation and drift at sea. Only the Ritzia was nearly paralyzed after being attacked by battleships.

The Red Navy still possessed considerable fighting power and showed no intention of withdrawing from the battlefield. However, just as they were preparing to launch another attack, thin white lines began to slowly converge.

"It's a torpedo! All fleet, take evasive action!"

The newly rearranged formation was thrown into disarray again. The three missile destroyers continued their hurried passage through the cold, silent battlefield, enduring the gunfire of the Red Navy and suffering heavy losses. The Ritzia, with its engines stalled, was like a prisoner on a noose, with stones added to the rope. Soon, two torpedoes struck her starboard side, and before long, half of the capsized ship sank into the sea.

The black smoke billowing from the Red Navy's side barely concealed the mess on and off the warships. The Gorky stubbornly led the remaining four destroyers in continuing the attack, but due to the obstruction of vision, the falling shells were not so accurate.

But in the blink of an eye, a shell grazed the top of the Annacelle. The colonel looked closely and saw that the Splendor, whose stern had disappeared, was still floating on the water. What shocked him even more was that it was still firing!

Bersan could not see whether any crew members of the Splendor were abandoning ship and jumping overboard, but there were definitely still people on board in combat mode. This dying destroyer was still using its last breath to disrupt the Britannian fleet's operations as a floating gun emplacement.

"Colonel! The Ezogon reports a torpedo sighted on the port side!"

"Port side? Could it be... the Swedes?" Berson exclaimed anxiously. "Ahem! Continue to evade, maintain distance from the Soviet fleet!"

He and several officers walked out of the bridge, enjoying the hot and noisy sea breeze, and began to observe the surrounding sea conditions.

The Ritzia now only has most of its stern above the water. The Annacelle is relatively unscathed, while the Cassrow and Ezogon are battered and bruised. Although they can still fight, no one knows how much longer they can hold out.

The Red Navy's situation wasn't much better. Apart from the Gorky, most of the surviving ships were damaged to some extent. The October Revolution had lost its offensive posture, and the Fierce was teetering on the brink of collapse as it crawled toward the shore. As for the Splendor, it finally succumbed to its fate, its bow raised high as it was slowly swallowed by the sea.

Only the Red Navy flag fluttering on the bow railing remained, waving in the sunlight like the shouts of soldiers, but to Colonel Bessard, it seemed to be pointing him toward hell.

"Colonel! Colonel! Report from the Cassrow! Enemy aircraft are approaching at high speed and low altitude in the northwest sea! 20 kilometers away!"

Chapter 266, Section 347: The Welcoming Ceremony at Sea (Part 2)

The last patch of land on the Annacelle bearing the Britannian flag was riddled with bullet holes by the Hispano cannons. The KMFs crouching on either side of the ship were moles, like those hit by golf balls, either falling into the sea or rolling back to the hangar in fragments, trailing sparks and flames, as the Seafire fighters attacked them at close range.

"This is terrible!" Initially thinking it was a sneak attack from the Swedes, but then a pair of concentric red and blue circles flashed before his eyes, and Bersanne realized it was the British. "Where's our air force? Where's our air cover?"

"Colonel, General Trossa has sent us a message: this morning, British and American forces launched a large-scale air attack on our positions along the Elbe River. Most of the remaining KMF aircraft that could help are also tied down by Soviet warplanes coming from the Polish direction."

"Is... is the heavens against me?" Bersaner went completely mad. "Quickly tell the Ezogon and the Cassero to retreat to Rostock at full speed!"

The three missile destroyers continued their retreat, evading the relentless pursuit of the Red Navy and its aircraft. With their backs to the enemy, they couldn't lock onto and fire all their missiles, forcing them to fight independently, occasionally launching one to their rear. The Red Navy's anti-aircraft gunners, mostly unscathed from the previous engagements, slowly destroyed the approaching missiles one by one, like an old woman stringing candied hawthorns on a skewer.

“Colonel, these British planes…” an officer reminded him, “I think I understand why they’re flying so low.”

"I understood long ago." Baisang threw his hat aside in anger and took over the ship's course from the injured helmsman. "I never thought that the 'Sea Mine Soul,' which used to bombard our ships with deadly weapons by planes and warships from Area 11 every day a few years ago, would actually be reincarnated and sent to Area 45?"

"I don't quite think so, sir. The Japanese from Area 11 seem to have learned a smattering from this world full of naval guns, air raids, and torpedoes before coming out to cause trouble for us..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud bang came from the stern of the Anna Seiler. The cracked deck seemed to be ignited like an oil gushing from a hotbed, with flames bursting forth under the guns of the Red Navy behind it. The wake that had been cut off by the high-speed bow slowly became smooth again.

……

Only the Cassell and Ezogon sailed further. Although they were badly damaged, their speed was not significantly affected. Torpedoes dropped by the three Barracuda attack aircraft in front of them grazed the hulls at very close range and exploded in the waves.

"OK, soldiers, take a deep breath." The captain of the Ezogon gripped the bridge window, constantly maintaining order on the warship. "Gunners, fire in the direction the enemy planes are coming from! Use water walls to disrupt them! All non-combat personnel on deck, concentrate all firepower on the incoming planes! We can't let them lock onto us!"

Finally, a few KMFs came to help from the sky. The Seafire fighters rushed to drive them away, and the Barracudas also needed to make some evasive maneuvers in time. Back and forth, the silhouette of Rügen Island outside the porthole became smaller and smaller, and the Red Navy had been pushed out of the effective attack range.

"Wait... Hey! Hey! Enemy plane on starboard! Enemy plane on starboard!"

It was unclear whether it emerged from a wave or a plume of smoke, but suddenly a lone Barracuda appeared, skimming the waves and splashes of gunfire, sideways as it charged across the sea and dropped a torpedo at the Ezogon, which was ruddering hard to port.

"Don't let go of the rudder! Continue evasive maneuvering! Full speed ahead!" The captain's voice was hoarse with excitement. If a torpedo hit his ship, would he be able to escape?

However, things did not go exactly as he had imagined. The torpedo did not hit his ship, nor did it explode in the destroyer's wake. Instead, it flew out of the wake again and headed towards the Cassrow on the left!

"Hey!" he quickly called out to his friendly ships, "Starboard! Starboard! You're about to be hit!"

"what?!"

It was too late. None of the crew members on the Cassell were aware of the knife that was at their throats. The torpedo struck the stern hard, and the airstrip and the side hatches at the mid-to-rear were all submerged in a Christmas tree of waves.

……

"It's over..."

Just as Bersanne was preparing to abandon ship with the captain of the Annacelle, she spotted the Cassrow in the distance turning sharply to starboard after being hit by a torpedo—no, this wasn't a warship turning at all! The Cassrow was like a piece of driftwood on a lake, slapped on the backside by a brown bear that had jumped in, its momentum propelling it into a full-speed right turn and hurtling towards the Ezogon.

The thunderous roar could be heard across half of the Baltic Sea. The crew members on the two missile destroyers were like beans sealed in a can, floating in mid-air along with their ships, each with a displacement of several thousand tons. They were tossed about, sparks flashed, and debris flew everywhere, plunging the bright passageways into darkness and chaos in an instant.

"Help... Is anyone still alive...?"

Captain Ai, clutching his bruised head, scrambled to his feet. The gray bridge was littered with fallen and injured officers and sailors. Looking out the porthole, he saw the bow of the Cassrow, like an axe chopped into a tree stump, deeply embedded in his flagship. His bow guns, of course, hadn't escaped either; the gun barrels on the deck had been uprooted, exposing the various components of the gun turrets to the damp, salty air.

"We can't move anymore!" The destroyer was completely stuck in place, spinning in circles. He hurriedly communicated with the captain of the USS Canelow, "Hey! Reverse gear now! Otherwise, none of us will survive!"

"We're already down! Oh damn it!" Two more loud explosions came over the radio. "We've been hit by two more torpedoes!"

"Oh, Your Majesty, someone help me!" the captain cried out in despair. "Someone get this damned piece of trash out of my way!"

No one answered him from inside the ship's cabin, but there was a response from outside.

At that moment, two more Barracudas flew past his bridge, taking with them the roar of their propeller engines and leaving behind a trail of torpedo wakes as they swam towards him.

……

"Oh, it's so beautiful..."

At that moment, the captain of the cruiser Gorky, along with the Red Navy destroyers and the British air force, had just slowly towed the Anna Seychelles into the sea with gunfire. Suddenly, a raging inferno rose from the horizon to the west, like an erupting volcano.