novelnext Page 238
Page 238
The workers never expected that so many U.S. Navy warships with their towering turrets would be used for troop transport in the most urgent situation; the soldiers never expected that what would take them to the front lines this time would be a German armored locomotive.
Just as the massive train convoy departed Wilhelmshaven and tank landing ships approached the German coast, several destroyers broke off from the wake of the fleet and followed the aircraft carrier, the Enterprise, which was responsible for the air security of the entire transport convoy, hurriedly heading east towards the Elbe estuary.
Today, the renowned hull number 6 in the Pacific Ocean emptied its deck for the first time amidst the waves of the North Sea, sending F8F fighters, which were on high alert, into the sky beneath French Air Force P-63 fighters that accompanied it.
"The mission that the Victory failed to complete is our mission! Guys, it's time to repay the British this time!"
Chapter 324 Counterattack! In the Name of the North Atlantic Strategic Defense Alliance! (Part 2)
As commander of the 1st Royal Marines Assault Brigade, Brigadier General Robles and his commandos came from the Normandy landings two years ago. Today, they are called upon to take on a critical mission, becoming the first ground reinforcements to land in Germany when Hamburg is surrounded on all sides.
The assault brigade consisted of five assault battalions. He personally led three of them to Hamburg, while the remaining men were tasked with another equally important mission—to guard the confluence of the Kiel Canal and the Elbe River with the support of the Royal Navy, together with nearby Northern Union skirmishers.
Everything was proceeding according to plan. The aircraft of the Victory, along with the Colossus and Perseus, effectively protected the airspace over Hamburg. The garrison at the river mouth even received artillery support from the Vanguard battleship.
However, when HMS Victory was besieged and severely damaged, and even HMS Vanguard's fire control radar and hull were damaged in the air raid, not to mention the damaged destroyers—for these flesh-and-blood vessels with green berets on their heads, it was undoubtedly a catastrophe.
On the north bank of the Elbe River, the ever-flowing blood stained the Royal Marine's crown and lion emblem on the armband.
"The men, women, and children of London are watching us! Fight! For the country! For the King!" Brigadier General Robles gripped his Sten submachine gun and personally led his commandos across the positions of the 2nd Infantry Division and the 11th Armored Division, already prepared to fight to the death.
The Marines and Army were squeezed around the Hamburg Art Museum in a small area of only 1.6 square kilometers, and had completely lost contact with the North Union forces on the south bank.
Nestled on a fortified position built of rotten railroad tracks and bricks, with its back to the waterways flowing through Hamburg and the dikes on both banks, Comet tanks roamed here, 17-pound and 6-pound anti-tank guns hid here, and even every PIAT and bazooka still capable of firing was lying in ambush here.
This historic district is dotted with churches and theaters, and clusters of old buildings stand here—all of which have witnessed the rise of Germany and, more recently, the reign of the British Empire, their lifelong adversary.
They seemed to be using their broken bodies to dissuade the Britannian soldiers who had stormed into the city: You shouldn't have come here, much less engage these warriors. They swore a solemn oath to keep any invaders out of the English Channel, as always...
……
"Prepare the green smoke screen, gentlemen!"
The frantic commodore finally received the long-awaited news over the radio—the USS Enterprise was now ahead of the USS Victory, and her carrier-based aircraft were flying over the Hamburg Museum of Fine Arts together with the French Air Force.
This wasn't just a surprise to the British; just moments before, Britannian soldier Portman had climbed out of the waterways behind their lines. Having painstakingly cleared mines and traps and infiltrated behind British lines, he watched as the beret-wearing and iron-hat-wearing soldiers, who had just been fighting back, all disappeared into the buildings shrouded in green smoke.
Ironically, the Enterprise's original role was to escort the US landing fleet, not to be the core of the main fleet's operations. However, by a twist of fate, she became the first US aircraft carrier to arrive off the German coast, ahead of the Essex-class carriers and following the two Midway-class carriers.
Having witnessed countless islands in the Pacific Ocean turn into battlefields, and experienced the dense forests on countless islands become hells where the Japanese flag and the American flag clashed, the brick mazes on the European continent, similar to my homeland in the Americas, seem somewhat unfamiliar.
Just like four years ago, as they soared through the Guadalcanal marshes, the brand-new Panda fighter jets, alongside French P-63s, swooped down from high altitudes, dropping their bombs on the enemy lining the waterways of Hamburg. The white star insignia of America and the blue eyes and white pupils of France, like seagulls flying alongside sailboats, circled the British positions amidst the rising green smoke, preying on any creature within sight that harbored hostility towards the Union Jack.
But after the swift but brief air raid, the Panda and King Cobra, having run out of ammunition, could only hastily take off and leave, or return to land to reload their ammunition, or participate in air superiority operations to stop enemy aircraft from attacking.
Clearly, those "illegitimate children" who had the advantage in manpower were enraged, or rather, unwilling to accept defeat in Hamburg, and quickly launched another desperate attack on the Hamburg Museum of Fine Arts, which was flying the Union Jack.
All the cannons they could muster were fired recklessly and without regard for accuracy in front of the Union Jack. The British lads had lost their last 25-pound howitzer, and the mortars could only tremble in the gaps between the ruins. Iron hats, berets, and corpses littered the ground.
No one raised a white flag! No one raised their hands! They clutched their last remaining anti-tank grenades. Brigadier General Robles, still wounded, stubbornly remained on the battlefield beside his radio, holding a red smoke grenade, ready to pull the pin—if his entire force was wiped out, this would be the last means to indicate the target to the Enterprise carrier-based aircraft that were about to fly in again.
……
The earth was unusually quiet for a moment. The coughs and wheezes of the British soldiers sounded like rustling in his ears. He couldn't tell whether the shells landing in the city were exploding next to him or hitting the Britannian army. The brigadier general felt as if his soul had left his body and heard the sound of ship whistles coming from the Elbe River.
A boat horn? Why would there be boats on the Elbe at this hour?!
"Calling! Calling all British troops in Hamburg!" The brigadier was not dreaming; the radio operator pulled him up.
The British soldiers hiding among the ruins were clearly unable to accurately grasp what was happening outside—at that very moment, the Britannian army inside and outside Hamburg was completely thrown into disarray in front of a massive formation on the water.
Five warships flying the American flag—the destroyers USS Gearing and USS Kiat at the head and stern, flanked by three Cleveland-class light cruisers, USS Columbia, USS Montpellier, and USS Denver—formed a long line and, risking concentrated fire and running aground, burst into the Elbe River from the North Bay, heading straight for the city of Hamburg.
Thirty-six powerful and swift six-inch naval guns, and five warships, like oil tankers spewing out waves of fire, ignited the banks of the Elbe River. With the surrounding walls of water falling, they crushed any Imperial ground troops that tried to block them on the beach.
Even worse were those who, upon hearing that their retreat had been cut off by the familiar "Great Red First Division," and facing countless American troops surging towards the mainland from the coast, were driven mad by the extraterrestrial visitors from beyond the heavens. The main guns of the three Cleveland-class ships had already launched an artillery barrage on all villages and towns within 15 kilometers of the interior, following the map's guidance.
As soon as they heard that enemy ships flying the Stars and Stripes were entering the war zone, 152mm shells were already streaking across the sky and landing all around them. The banks of the Elbe were being pulled closer and closer to the River Styx by the gunfire of five warships.
……
There was good news that excited General Robles even more, and bad news that terrified the Lion and Snake Flag.
The five ships that broke into the Elbe River were merely a cruiser squadron of the First Fleet of the North Atlantic Combined Fleet that had just arrived.
It wasn't just the British troops in Hamburg who received the call; the Royal Marines guarding the Kiel Canal junction also received a radio call as they ran out of ammunition and supplies. At that moment, a forest of American destroyers stood behind them on the sea.
Further out to sea and sky, the simple, large white hull numbers 63, 64, 55, and 56 were written on the bows of four massive ships, receiving responses from the Marines on shore. The USS Missouri, USS Wisconsin, USS North Carolina, and USS Washington—the four battleships—pointed all their guns to each other.
I wonder if any of the enemy forces on shore still remember the October Revolution ship on the Baltic Sea, which survived its bombardment. And today, they are not chasing retreating Soviet soldiers on land—Hamburg will be saved, and the Kiel Canal will be saved.
"All guns, prepare for salvo! Coordinates YT-5-0-5, bearing 96, range 37, fire!"
The sea raged like lightning, and the sky descended like a blizzard. Eighteen MK7 and eighteen MK6 main guns spewed fire, igniting the sky above the Elbe estuary. Hundreds and thousands of massive shells leaped from their 16-inch muzzles at twice the speed of sound, flying over the turbulent estuary and across the Kiel Canal. Against the backdrop of the bomber formations arriving in the sky, they spun and wove together into ropes, landing on the open ground in front of the British Marines.
It was as if the entire continent was trembling, with billowing clouds of fire and smoke leaping from the coast to the inland, much like a tsunami with giant waves tens of meters high surging in the ocean, and also much like the ancient city of Pompeii trembling and wailing at the foot of Mount Vesuvius more than 1800 years ago.
Water and fire are inherently incompatible, and life and death are inherently separated by vast distances. Under the unstoppable bombardment of warships and the raging fire of warplanes, the purgatory buried nine layers underground was uprooted by human creation and spread towards the lands in Hamburg that had been occupied by the lion and snake flag.
The already desolate land was crushed by the scorching smoke of war, leaving only the purest death for the withered grass, fallen trees, and creations from another world—no one could resist, no one dared to resist. For two whole hours, not a single fish in the estuary dared to leap out of the water amidst the raging waves of steel and gunpowder.
……
[Note 022: The following passage is best enjoyed repeatedly with the Battlefield V soundtrack "I Vow To Thee My Country"]
"They're retreating! The hamburgers are still in our hands! We've won!"
Brigadier General Robles lay on the bricks and tiles, almost never hearing the Marines' cheers again. Dizzy, he only felt himself being helped up, and he paced around in a daze.
As he stepped out of the dark, ruined buildings, sunlight fell on his brow, gently waking his sleepy eyes.
He nearly lost his footing in his panic—several German SDKFZ.251 half-track vehicles had somehow appeared in front of the bridge leading to the other side of the river.
Having lived through World War II, he was about to gasp in shock, but the red cross affixed to the vehicle was rather conspicuous, and the MG42 machine gun at the front of the cab wasn't pointed at him.
Upon closer inspection, he was even more shocked to see that the young man who was helping him slowly walk towards the special ambulance was wearing the uniform of a German Wehrmacht lieutenant—he had never before had a German man have such close physical contact with him.
"Hmm? Is there anything you want to ask, sir?" The lieutenant's English was fairly fluent. A small piece of blue cloth was sewn onto the front of his uniform, obscuring some of the Third Reich's past. It was painted with a white five-pointed star representing the Northern Union. He gave the exhausted brigadier general a bright smile.
Robles racked his brains to recall. In all those years, he seemed never to have seen such a beautiful scene on German soldiers—in Caen, on the Arnhem Bridge, in the Ardennes Forest, even in Berlin where resistance had ceased, the German faces left to these British men were always cold and indifferent.
But if we go back in time, it seems that in the past footage, on that Christmas in the European battlefield in 1914, among those British and German soldiers shaking hands and playing around, there must have been some who smiled as beautifully as the lieutenant in front of us.
“So…” the brigadier general raised his hand to wipe his eyes, “where did you come from, Hans?”
“When I was a child, my father and I used to row boats here together.” The lieutenant gestured with his chin towards the grey Elbe River in front of him. “This used to be a beautiful place, didn’t it?”
"There's plenty of glucose solution in the car, General. Take your time; we won't go anywhere until you've rested."
……
Throughout the entire ordeal, Brigadier General Robles never knew the name of the German lieutenant.
The last image I had of that day was him limping as the lieutenant helped him onto a half-track vehicle to sit down and get bandaged. French P-63s and Enterprise carrier-based aircraft were slowly flying overhead, heading towards the city center and past the Hamburg City Hall as the two men turned to look back simultaneously.
The white star flag, representing the North Atlantic Strategic Defense Alliance, still flies atop the city hall, overlooking the land where the smoke of war still lingers and the flames of conflict have not yet died down. This city, steeped in the blood of many nations, continues to fly.
"All human wars are civil wars," because when the whole world faces life and death, all human beings, regardless of country or ethnicity, are brothers.
Chapter 325, Section 414: Gathering Under the White Star of the Ocean
On May 21, 1946, Hamburg began its midday siege with the lone KMF aircraft approaching in the sky.
In the afternoon, this final probing reconnaissance, and even somewhat playful air raid, ended with the successful destruction of three US aircraft carriers, led by the USS Leyte Gulf.
F4U fighter jets returning to base flew over the makeshift airfield on the banks of the Weser River, overlooking a C-47 transport plane parked beside the runway. Unlike the Willys Jeeps that American soldiers often rode in, several VW82 barrel trucks were used, and VIP passengers dressed in former German military uniforms returned to their seats from the transport plane's gangway.
They had just put Hugo Speer and several other former German Luftwaffe generals, who had been released on bail, onto this plane bound for Eastern Europe. According to the British and American military, these men were responding to the Soviet Union's request for assistance from the NATO to help organize the remaining German Luftwaffe assets in Eastern and Central Europe.
The large group that returned to the car were also those released on bail: Field Marshals Manstein and Rundstedt, General Guderian, and Air Marshal Kesselring. They were now traveling to Bremen, where seats were waiting for them.
……
However, at the Bremen Library, the person presiding over the meeting of military and political leaders of the Northern Union was neither Eck nor Monti—De Gaulle and Tassini had volunteered to help share some of the work when the former two were overwhelmed.
The purpose of the meeting was, of course, to help these countries deal with the threat of the Britannian Empire—the Battle of Hamburg proved that the Northern Union, led by Britain and the United States, could face this outsider, but this was only a short-term victory, and defeating a huge opponent required long-term planning.
They certainly wouldn't give up easily. Not only would Britain and the United States maintain a considerable force, but they would also have tens of thousands of Wehrmacht soldiers assembled by German generals. They needed to defend Hamburg, the jewel on the Elbe River, and the several German weapons factories that had been reorganized and reopened in Wilhelmshaven also required their protection.
Similarly, in the near future, the Jutland Peninsula and Scandinavia will remain the Empire's primary targets, as evidenced by the fact that Red Navy submarines have spotted transport ships flying the lion and serpent flag along the coast.
On the army front, Sweden, as a country with a well-developed military industry, can naturally produce and sell its own hardware. However, its officers and soldiers have basically not personally experienced the pain of world wars and national subjugation. They have already sought help from Mannerheim for this issue. Due to its special geographical and military industrial conditions, Sweden is allowed to contact and cooperate with Finland, which is an outsider.
As for Denmark and Norway, one has excellent military training and the other is hardworking and resilient. In theory, with sufficient hardware support, they could also muster some high-spirited and capable troops. Although Belgium and the Netherlands are somewhat decadent, the war is still far away from them, at least enough time to prepare for battle.
So the next task is for the smaller countries to release the German prisoners of war they still hold for evaluation, to confirm whether they still have "Nazi genes" in their bodies, and then return them to the German generals serving the NATO. The US and Britain will then send guns, cannons, planes and tanks to them.
French officers who had served in Free France would be responsible for training Belgian and Dutch soldiers; Denmark and Norway would be left to the British troops undergoing reorganization to be stationed in those countries, so that they could train new recruits while the reorganization was underway.
In addition, Tassini specifically requested the help of German General Steiner—this was not a decision made on a whim. He was the creator of the 5th SS Panzer Division, the famous Viking Division, whose officers and soldiers were drawn from the four countries mentioned above. Apart from Allied generals, it is hard to say that anyone else understands how to teach according to aptitude better than him.
Steiner was also present at the meeting. He readily agreed to help several countries mobilize training efforts, but declined to appear in public.
"To give an example, if I wanted to go to Copenhagen, I would need a ship full of bicycles." Back then, German soldiers stationed in Denmark often stole bicycles from local residents, ultimately because they were afraid of being pelted with eggs by the locals, which would affect unity.
Moreover, Steiner's military affiliation wasn't with the Wehrmacht; on the contrary, he was an SS general, which made things even less respectable. Of course, with the passage of time and effective public opinion guidance, these issues have become less of a problem.
As for Sweden, given the unique nature of its weapons, such as the 6.5mm rifles that cannot be loaded with .30 Springfield ammunition, the best course of action is to ensure the well-being of both Sweden and Finland while also sending some training rifles to Norway.
……
The land-based negotiations are only halfway done. The Norwegians surely don't want Oslo's harbor to be without even a single warship sailed by their own navy, let alone the Danes, who are surrounded by water and currently in the eye of the storm.
Tassini, carrying an order signed from the Pentagon, brought great news to the Nordic and Western European member states: the U.S. Navy planned to lease, sell, or even give away more than 100 old but usable Clemson-class and Vickers-class destroyers from the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets to the member states of the Northern Alliance at low prices.
The U.S. Navy Command meant that these destroyers were still busy transporting troops from the U.S. mainland to Europe, and if the mission was completed while the war continued, they would remain in Europe as a reserve force for the North Atlantic Fleet.
Similarly, about 200 escort destroyers are also being considered, and even 10 intact Omaha-class light cruisers are under consideration by the Navy.
There couldn't be better news. But just as everyone was overjoyed, Nimitz poured a little cold water on their enthusiasm in his personal letter: before allocating ships on a large scale, it was necessary to make use of the existing legacy of the former German Navy.
There are currently 14 Z-class destroyers docked in and around Wilhelmshaven, belonging to the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The UK and the US hope to have these five countries utilize them first, and then discuss receiving US destroyer aid when the time is right—the UK and France are clearly not among them.
The Z-class destroyers may be somewhat inadequate in the eyes of the US, UK, and France, but giving them away for free to countries where even cruisers are a luxury is clearly a considerable gift.
Before long, a plan was drawn up: the Netherlands and Belgium took Z5, Z6, Z10 and Z14 respectively, which were the four ships with the earliest hull numbers among all the surviving Z destroyers; the remaining 10 ships were split 50/50 between Denmark and Norway.
The reasons for the division are quite simple. The former two countries need a symbol to recruit citizens into the military, and symbolically, two relatively early models would be enough for each. However, Norway and Denmark are currently facing significant maritime defense threats and their available maritime defense forces are also strained. Therefore, both countries have requested two and three additional US destroyers respectively, and are preparing to submit their applications soon.
As for why Sweden didn't ask for a single Z-class destroyer, but instead proactively requested five slow escort destroyers—firstly, the Z-class destroyers were still equipped with German-made anti-aircraft guns, while the US destroyers were all Bofors and Oerlikon, which Sweden could produce and maintain themselves, so it was a win-win situation for everyone.
Secondly, there is the threat from beneath the surface. Given that Britannia's massive submarines nearly destroyed Royal Navy battleships, not to mention the troublesome Portman destroyers, American-made destroyers with excellent sonar and anti-submarine weapons are clearly more suitable for Sweden's current needs.
……
However, when asked whether the US, UK, and France could guarantee the security of the North Sea, just as De Gaulle and Tassini were wondering how to make such a guarantee, Field Marshal Cunningham unexpectedly entered the conference room.
"Good news, gentlemen. I have just returned from Scapa Flow. Shipyard reports that HMS Victory and HMS Perseus will be repaired in about a week, the damaged fire control radar of the Vanguard will be installed, and HMS Illustrious, the aircraft carrier that accompanied me throughout my Mediterranean years, has been refitted and is ready to return to the battlefield."
“That sounds good, Marshal,” Tassini chuckled. “However, I personally think that what you just said doesn’t seem to be convincing enough for everyone.”
“Don’t worry, my dear friends, the Royal Navy will still fight to the death,” Cunningham said, placing a thick North Atlantic Fleet ship register from his briefcase on the table. “They will admit who the masters of the North Sea are after their crushing defeat.”
Section 415, Chapter 326: Maritime Germany, Land-based Iron Cross
While de Gaulle and Tassigny were meeting in Bremen with a group of people, General Lemounier, as the supreme commander of the French Navy, accompanied by two distinguished guests, drove to the hillside on the northern outskirts of Port Wilhelm in a truck carrying French officers and soldiers as escorts.
Beginning with the fervor of Kiel and ending in the desolation of Wilhelmshaven, the 14 desolate Z-class destroyers marked the end of the Third Reich Navy during World War III.
Now that all the Z-class destroyers have been given to other countries, it doesn't mean that the prodigal sons of the German Navy will give up on themselves.
On one hand, the German arsenals are now being relocated under the coordination of Britain, the United States, and France. From small workshops and machine tools for the 98K and MG42 to large parts factories for tanks and aircraft, they are all being transferred to West Germany and other Western European countries. Meanwhile, the shipwrights and technicians who took care of these German warships are still responsible for the logistical production of Z-destroyer weapons, ammunition, and other supplies.
On the other hand, it's not just destroyers and submarines that can benefit the North Atlantic Fleet.
As he stepped out of the car, Lemonnier glanced meaningfully at the sea below the hillside and personally opened the car door for the two people sitting in the back seat—the French probably didn't resent these two names as much as the Royal Navy did: Erich Raeder and Karl Dönitz.
Before the three men, beside the breakwater extending from the coast, stood two warships that had once flown the Iron Cross flag.
One of them was the light cruiser Leipzig, which was recently escorted back from Kiel by the Royal Navy, while the other was the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which had spent nearly a year of hardship with the Z-class destroyers in Wilhelmshaven.