novelnext Page 240
Page 240
This undoubtedly foreshadows a disaster for the North Atlantic Strategic Defense Alliance, which has been established for less than a month.
If Lüneburg were captured by the Britannian army, they could advance westward toward Bremen and Wilhelmshaven, and northward to sever Hamburg's connection with Lübeck and Kiel. The capture of Hamburg would mean that the Britannian navy would be able to operate freely in the North Sea, and the Nordic defense strategy would suffer a devastating blow.
Even more critically, the British forces deployed in Germany were extremely limited. On April 22nd, Britannian troops airdropped tens of thousands of soldiers to both sides of the Lüneburg Bridge, where they encountered the British 11th Armoured Division. This thwarted the latter's plan to launch a flank attack to relieve Lüneburg. A few days later, the 18th Army, along with its heavily damaged airborne troops, joined forces and advanced towards Lübeck and north of Hamburg. [Chapters 311 & 312]
Meanwhile, the British 7th Armoured Division, facing overwhelming numerical superiority, suffered heavy losses while blocking Edward III's army east of Lüneburg. They were only able to escape unscathed thanks to the timely arrival of the American 3rd Armoured Division and air support. [Chapter 313]
On April 26, Lüneburg fell. Five days later, on May 1, the 18th Army reached the outskirts of Lübeck, and Edward III's army defeated the NATO garrison in Buchholz, beginning its offensive towards the southern part of Hamburg and Bremen, thus beginning the Battle of Hamburg.
The severe strategic crisis prompted the Northern Union leadership to take emergency measures: on April 29, British troops stationed in Lübeck abandoned the city and retreated in two routes to Hamburg and Kiel, taking full responsibility for the security of northern Hamburg and the Kiel Canal.
The US forces stationed in Germany also split into two groups. Eight divisions, led by the 1st Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division, rushed to the south from the direction of Hamburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven. At the same time, the 2nd Armored Division and the 4th Armored Division, together with four other US divisions that came from the Mediterranean coast, attacked Magdeburg to tie down the follow-up forces in Britannia.
5月2日，第18集团军进入吕贝克城区，滞留柏林的帝国军天空舰随即也投入了战场。【314、315章】
On the same day, the 3rd Squadron of the North Atlantic Fleet was ambushed by a Britannian submarine while on a mission in the Baltic Sea. Under the personal orders of Field Marshal Cunningham, the 3rd Squadron, under the cover of Danish naval and air forces, passed through Kiel Bay and rendezvoused with the repaired former German naval warships Leipzig and Z34. At the cost of sinking one destroyer, they retreated to northern Denmark.
During this period, US Navy carrier-based aircraft also provided great assistance to the fleet's withdrawal, and in the following period, Hamburg served as the most important air support force for the Northern Alliance in the north.
The complete withdrawal of the Northern Alliance gave the Britannian army more room to maneuver. On May 5, Britannian naval and air forces launched missile and air attacks on Bornholm Island, causing casualties among the Swedish troops stationed there. They then began harassing the coastlines of other Danish-owned islands. [Chapter 316]
The British army's repeated defeats and the ruling party's overly cautious approach, facilitated by frontline journalists and media reports arranged by the United States, ignited the anger of a public shocked by the crisis. For two weeks starting May 3rd, London witnessed continuous protests demanding that the Labour Party fully support the European theater and abandon the "meaningless" reconstruction efforts at home. [Chapter 319]
Under pressure from the public and the top brass of the Northern Union, the Labour Party was forced to compromise and approve the urgent military proposal. Subsequently, on May 10, the 5st Royal Marines Commando Brigade, which had been urgently reorganized and prepared for combat, was immediately dispatched to Hamburg to support the defense of the city.
With support finally secured, the Royal Navy quickly deployed forces, attempting to stabilize the situation in Hamburg before the arrival of the US Navy. The aircraft carriers HMS Colossus and HMS Perseus, which were supporting the Northern Carrier Battle Group off the coast of Norway, immediately sailed south to rendezvous with the aircraft carrier HMS Victory, which was also supporting Hamburg. Meanwhile, the newly commissioned battleship HMS Vanguard urgently arrived at the Elbe estuary, effectively supporting the Marines and other Northern Union troops at the Kiel Canal estuary.
On May 11, while intercepting the Britannian Sky Fleet heading to attack Hamburg, US fighter pilots inadvertently discovered a possible vulnerability in the airships' shields. Upon learning this, the Northern Alliance high command immediately notified all British and American land-based and sea-based air forces to abandon their planned concentrated attack tactics and instead launch a dispersed attack. [Chapter 320]
On May 12, with the support of the French Air Force, the US 5rd Armored Division launched a strong offensive from the southwest towards Buchholz. During this time, they also received assistance from the Royal Dutch Navy and the Belgian Army Air Force, which had completed their combat readiness. The situation on the southern front in Britannia became extremely uncertain. [Chapter 321]
On the morning of May 13, the U.S. Navy's Pacific transport fleet began transiting the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. On the same day, Marine Corps air wing took off urgently from an airfield near the canal to be stationed at field airfields on the German front.
The American offensive and the British defensive posture enraged the Britannian Expeditionary Force leadership. After assessing the threat posed by the carrier strike group centered on HMS Victory and the North Union carrier battle group in the Kattegat Strait, they launched a surprise attack.
On May 15, Britannia deployed more than 200 fighter jets and KMFs to fly over the northern suburbs of Hamburg and launch a fierce attack on the carrier group accompanying the HMS Victory. They then sent a Skyship to advance over Hamburg to create the illusion that they wanted to annihilate the carrier group.
The Northern Union leadership, which attached great importance to the HMS Victory, quickly mobilized air forces, sending aircraft from Denmark, West Germany, and even the British Isles to support the Victory. At the same time, the carrier battle group in the Kattegat Strait was also ordered to provide support as planned.
The arrival of the Northern Air Forces was exactly what the Britannian military wanted. After learning that the feint attack had succeeded, the three airships, under the cover of nearly a hundred aircraft, began to force their way through the airspace over Denmark to attack the Northern Carrier Battle Group.
However, a dramatic turn of events occurred. Due to an elevator malfunction, the USS Midway in the carrier strike group was unable to launch its aircraft squadron immediately. While the carrier's air squadron was forming up in the air after the malfunction was resolved, it learned of the arrival of the Skyship from a land-based radar station in Denmark.
Immediately, the carrier battle group made an emergency northward retreat at full speed. With the help of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish fighters that rushed to the scene, the aircraft of the USS Midway successfully intercepted the air fleet. After a brief bombardment of the fleet, the Britannian forces were forced to retreat.
However, this surprise attack still had serious consequences for the Northern Union. With aircraft carriers such as HMS Victory damaged and forced to retreat, the naval forces supporting Hamburg were greatly weakened. Within just three days, the British forces in Hamburg were overwhelmed by the overwhelming 18th Army, losing most of their positions and being forced to retreat to an area of less than 2 square kilometers on the north bank of the Elbe River. The Kiel Canal entrance was also on the verge of falling.
The American forces advancing towards Buchholz were also affected. The Skyship Landius, which was serving as a feint attack, briefly shelled the advancing American lines on its return journey. Britannian reinforcements, led by the 35th Army, then arrived, completely delaying the American offensive.
After three days of arduous fighting, the battlefield finally saw a turning point.
On May 19, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Armored Division, which were stalled near Buchholz, were supported by the newly formed 101st Airborne Division and the Polish 1st Armored Division, and also received cover from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Force, which ultimately cut off the east-west communication between the Britannian forces on the southern front.
On the same day, a U.S. military transport convoy from the Americas arrived in Wilhelmshaven and Bremerhaven, and tens of thousands of U.S. troops successfully landed near Hamburg. The USS Enterprise, responsible for the air security of the transport convoy, also received an emergency order to provide air support to the British forces in Hamburg, together with the French Air Force.
Arriving alongside the transport convoy was the First Fleet of the North Atlantic Fleet. While the Enterprise provided support to the British forces, the First Fleet, centered around four battleships, provided concentrated and devastating firepower to the Royal Marines at the Kiel Canal entrance, preventing their annihilation.
Three cruisers and two destroyers belonging to the same First Squadron were also ordered to break into the Elbe River to provide close support to the Hamburg defenders. Finally, under the attack of American and British bombers, the Reich 18th Army, which was besieging the British forces, withdrew from the Hamburg front due to heavy losses.
On May 20, the Combined Fleet's Task Force 45.8 and the Second Fleet arrived slightly later off the coast of Germany, providing the Northern Defence forces with support of three more aircraft carriers and two battleships. The American landing forces intensified their offensive, joining forces with Buchholz's four divisions to encircle the enemy.
The collapse of the attacking force ultimately forced the Britannian high command to abandon their plan to storm the city. After May 21, the main force of the Empire's southern front withdrew urgently more than 5 kilometers eastward to the vicinity of Lüneburg for defense, marking the end of the Siege of Hamburg.
During the month-long battle, the Britannian army initially estimated its losses at approximately 192,000 soldiers, including 30,000 southern troops who were forced to surrender between May 19 and 22 under American siege and attack. In addition, one Skyship was completely destroyed and another was severely damaged, and thousands of vehicles were lost in the fighting.
In contrast, the British and American-led Northern forces suffered approximately 120,000 casualties, exceeding the losses in the Ardennes Offensive at the end of 1944. Although the losses were relatively small, they came at the cost of severely understaffed units, particularly the British 7th Armoured Division and the Royal Marines 1st Assault Brigade. This is why the British did not launch an attack on the Americans, resulting in Britannian casualties on the northern front being only about 60% of those on the southern front.
The navy also suffered some losses in the Battle of Hamburg. Within a month, the US and Britain lost four destroyers, the aircraft carriers HMS Victory and HMS Perseus were rendered combat ineffective due to deck damage, the battleships HMS Vanguard and HMS Howe had their fire control radars damaged and were hit in the hull by Skyships, respectively, the cruiser HMS Kenya and seven destroyers were damaged to varying degrees, and Denmark and Sweden also suffered losses of several small boats and transport ships.
The Battle of Hamburg was the first large-scale military operation centered on the western front for the Britannian Empire. In terms of the participating countries and the naval, land, and air forces deployed, the Battle of Hamburg surpassed the Elbe-Oder Operation in January and February, becoming the largest battle in the first half of 1946.
Although the Northern Union was ultimately unable to recapture Lübeck and Lüneburg, Britannia was forced to abandon all offensive and subsequent plans against Hamburg. This battle was not only the first major battle since the establishment of the Northern Union, but also a major blow to the morale of the Britannian Expeditionary Force. Unlike the previous outcome of "deploying enough troops and suffering enough casualties to win the victory", the Battle of Hamburg was the first time that Britannia had suffered even greater casualties and ultimately failed in its operation.
The Battle of Hamburg proved that the North Atlantic Strategic Defense Alliance, led by Britain and the United States, was capable of resisting an attack from outer space, and it also greatly boosted the confidence of the people of European countries in resisting the invasion. The Netherlands and Belgium decided to conscript their youths into the army, and similarly, disbanded German Wehrmacht soldiers responded to the call of the NATO and joined the ranks.
Besides hindering Britannia's land advance into the Jutland Peninsula, this battle further solidified the Imperial Expeditionary Force's high command's view of the Northern Alliance as a primary strategic objective superior to the Soviet Union. Objectively, this also gave Eastern European countries, including the Soviet Union, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, more time to reorganize their armaments.
The long and brutal naval and air war in the Nordic theater has officially begun.
-
-
Part 8 of the compilation: The Battle of Hamburg, now concluded.
Chapter 328, Section 418: The Sleeping Bear
In their spare time, Eisenhower and Montgomery made a phone call to Warsaw.
However, the person on the other end of the phone was Marshal Rokossovsky, who was currently in charge of the situation throughout Eastern Europe, while Zhukov, who had been unlucky in the past few months, had gone to the front lines to take charge of the work.
"I understand your situation very well, so please give us some time to build up our counter-offensive forces, okay?"
Ike and Monty wanted the Soviets to give them some time to integrate the Allied forces, which is understandable, but obviously, "letting the Soviet army retake Germany" cannot be the solution.
One issue was that a large number of new weapons and equipment had not yet been fully installed. Secondly, just as the Soviet troops stationed in Poland were unable to assist Germany, most of the bridges over the Oder River had been destroyed, leaving insufficient channels for a counter-offensive, unless they waited until winter and prayed that the river would freeze over.
More importantly, both the North Union offensive and the ASEAN offensive are worried about repeating the humiliation of a few months ago—every time they got closer to the center of Berlin, Britannia would somehow bring in more troops to counterattack, and back then their opponents were just like now, looking on their last legs.
On the contrary, Rokossovsky said that he and several generals had persuaded Stalin before he allowed them to reveal an even worse message to the West: Ukraine might experience a drought this year, and with agricultural facilities in Eastern European countries not yet fully restored, a famine was inevitable.
Moscow was prepared to distribute food to the constituent republics according to their needs, but in Eastern Europe, especially among the Poles, the Siberian-origin rye bread was not to their liking, which was a concern for the Kremlin.
"I hope that more American soldiers will be eager to see the Spam cans they hate so much being happily sent on cargo ships to aid the civilians who need them more." Rokossovsky can only beg from the West today—after all, Comrade Stalin had worried for more than a week that this move would bring Poland and Czechoslovakia closer to the West.
Upon hearing this, Eck and Monti couldn't help but exchange a smile—it seemed that the Polish government-in-exile had already learned about the famine and had given the Northern Union an unrealistic suggestion: that Britain and the United States transfer all the Polish civilians to the west for unified resettlement.
"I will tell Mr. Nimitz to wait for the fleet to arrive in Murmansk." Eisenhower's reply relieved the Marshal—now Moscow could hand over the "packaged" supplies to the Polish People's Government.
……
However, in reality, the Soviet Union had already done everything it could.
Not long ago, Britannia's attack on the city of Szczecin was repelled with minimal losses on both sides. The civilians in the city were evacuated, and there was little air combat over the Oder River.
Meanwhile, along the Baltic coast, Soviet Navy submarines patrolled the German coast daily, and Soviet Air Force fighters awaited orders to assist the Swedish garrison when the Britannian fleet sailed to Bornholm Island—after all, a direct assault on the anchorage could result in significant losses.
On the mountain ranges along the border between Germany and Czechoslovakia, due to the air blockade and counter-fire from Soviet, German, and Czechoslovakian troops, the enemy now mainly relies on small-scale infiltration to advance up the mountains, and no longer organizes large-scale artillery bombardments and assaults.
It's clear that Britannia no longer intends to wage war against the Soviet Union—consider those four airships; if it weren't for the British and American aircraft carriers and battleships pushing them to their limits, those behemoths would have already stormed over Prague.
However, another matter caught the attention of the Soviet marshals: as the fighting on the German-Czech border reached a stalemate, the Britannian army's attack center gradually shifted westward along the border, and most recently, they even captured a group of infiltrated Imperial soldiers near a mountain road.
This highway seems ordinary on the surface, but once you head south and it merges with the main road, you will soon arrive at a small town called Yashimov.
Here lies one of the oldest uranium mines in all of Europe—an element and plutonium, followed by the numbers 235 and 238 respectively, which would be familiar to any major power that had just experienced World War II.
"Does Britannia have nuclear weapons?" With this question in mind, the Soviet army interrogated several officers of the rank of colonel in the prisoner-of-war camp. The answer they got through the interrogation was that their superiors had told them that if uranium ore was found in District 45, it should be marked immediately for use in medical equipment and agricultural food supplies when the district was colonized in the future. That was all.
However, everyone was still worried. Marshal Konev and the Czechoslovakian side were now jointly considering blasting and burying the uranium mine in Yashimov.
……
Besides that, there are quite a few amusing things happening among the Soviet soldiers now, like when they were evacuating from Germany.
As Anton and his group retreated, they happened to ambush a convoy of trucks that were delivering emergency supplies to the scattered Britannian troops.
There was a huge amount of medicine, of course, but the Soviet soldiers found something interesting in the two food trucks.
Chocolate and canned goods are commonplace, and compressed biscuits might catch your eye, but it's a bit strange to see bacon sandwiches on the front lines. Even more strange is that cooked chicken and beef are sealed in vacuum packaging. The comrades never expected that these extraterrestrials would be so particular about the things they cook. It's not hard to understand why they are in such a hurry to use uranium to serve food.
But this was just the beginning. The comrades discovered that there was no stove in the vehicle, and the enemy rarely lit fires. So how did they keep warm?
While helping Anton count the trucks, Sheva found a square plastic package in a crevice. Inside was a bundle of golden, white curly hair that had been pressed dry and compacted into a brick-like shape. He smelled the aroma of flour and took a bite without thinking much about it.
"Hey comrade! What are you doing!" The crunching sound caught Anton's attention. One of the few people in the crowd who understood English, he picked it up and looked at it: What? This thing is noodles?
He pulled the pasta out of Sheva's mouth and examined the packaging closely—sheva hadn't even finished opening the package; inside were seasonings and a plastic fork. The correct way to use it was to soak the noodles in boiling water, drain the water, add the seasonings, and then it could be eaten as spaghetti.
"What the heck? Do we have such bizarre things in our world?"
As for how to get hot water, the comrades found another box of sealed bags in the car. According to the instructions, they put the bag into cold water and the water would boil itself.
Is this really food for soldiers on the battlefield? The Soviet soldiers never imagined that they would be driven out of Germany by these picnickers. But thinking about it, back in late 45, weren't these guys who were driving Nutcrackers and trying to charge into T-34s the same way they died as high as haystacks in front of the Soviet army's iron cavalry?
So that means that even before 46 arrives, their supply trucks might not have canned food, and might even have fresh raw meat.
Amidst the laughter and bewilderment of his comrades, Anton stood alone beside the truck, seemingly lost in thought.
"If only these things were there..."
Where was it? Was it Leningrad, where they successfully survived the 900-day siege on January 27th two years ago? Or was it the Jews rescued from Auschwitz on January 27th one year ago...?
……
Yes, "They are so rich, why do they still invade us?"
In the words of ordinary people, this is a kind of helplessness in the face of war.
In the mouths of millions of Soviet officers and soldiers, this was a form of contempt for the invaders.
"One day they'll run back home with their tails between their legs." Rokossovsky hung up the phone, and Zhukov came in, beaming with good news.
The withdrawn Soviet troops stationed in Germany have all been replenished with personnel, and the various units in Poland and Czechoslovakia are also nearing completion. The Soviet Army has already equipped all personnel of six Guards armies with new SKS and RPD machine guns, and the replaced Mosin-Nagant and DP machine guns are being sent to the second line.
"Speaking of which," Rokossovsky picked up a new gun that had recently been placed on his desk, "we've only produced fewer than 20,000 so far. When do we plan to use them?"
“Then you’ll have to ask when the other side will attack.” Zhukov laughed. “I want to know what the most dignified way for the enemy to die is in their minds when the assault troops who are testing it carry the Panzerfaust modified RPG-1 and rush towards the blindly advancing enemy with assault rifles in hand.”
“That’s right, it can definitely take over from the PPSh-44.” Rokossovsky stroked the spine of the new gun—its outline was somewhat similar to the German STG-44, but the difference was that the gas tube behind the muzzle and the stock had a more Soviet-style angle. “So, what’s it called?”
"AK-46".
Chapter 329, Section 422: German Past (Part 1)
"The situation is not good, Your Highness. Your sister just wants to be alone for a while."
Before Kelly could return to District 45, news of the expeditionary force's defeat at the gates of Hamburg arrived even before her sister.
Another sleepless night.
I could guess what was troubling my sister, but I was helpless—Maribell, as the governor of District 24, was supposed to provide reinforcements for the expeditionary force, but she was being held back by Nanali and Suzaku with other matters.
"What could possibly be more important than troop deployment?" Upon hearing this, Kelly, who had stormed up to the two men, was furious.
Remember the massacre ordered by Maribel in Kofu City after a suicide attack? In that single day of indiscriminate attacks, the Knights of Grinda caused over five thousand civilian casualties in Area 11. That incident already stirred up a huge storm, but then the Chinese Federation broke with Britannia, further fueling the "enthusiasm" of the people of Area 11.
"They demand that you issue a sincere apology for the civilian casualties caused during the massacre." Nanali presented the Japanese demands to Marybelle verbatim, as if the reinforcements would have no place to stay without an apology.
"Huh? How can you be so biased?!" Maribel's mind was already filled with a million rejections, and the prince completely exploded upon hearing this. "From impersonating ZERO to smuggling across the border, to organizing suicide attacks, it's all the work of a bunch of troublemakers! Nanali, you were sent by the Emperor to be the governor, not to turn this place back into Japanese Tokyo!"
……
The Governor's Palace was in constant turmoil, and the streets and alleys of District 11 were naturally filled with public indignation. Davis and Stasevich, who were soldiers and stood on the roadside all day, saw this all too well.
People in Area 11 plastered large banners all over the streets like rats: "Either you sincerely apologize to the innocent civilians of Kofu City, or you must expand the scope of the Japanese Special Zone to the entire Kansai region. Maribel and Nunnally, you decide for yourselves."
It was alright in the Tokyo concessions, but once you got to the special zones of Shizuoka and Yaizu, they truly became "Japanese special zones." All incoming vehicles were blocked off by human walls, not to mention the German citizens holding unregistered resident license plates.
Did the military and police intervene? They did intervene as before, but with Suzaku Kururugi's order pressing down on them, they could only detain the people from Area 11 for a few days, and after releasing them, things went back to normal.
As a result, the civilians living in Area 11 began to come up with their own ideas.
Ordinary Britannians either considered squeezing into central Tokyo or moving elsewhere; while German civilians confined to Honshu, struggling to survive, conceived a new idea.
"Since we are all 'slaves of a conquered nation,' and the 'wise' governor treats all ethnicities equally, how can we only establish Japanese special zones? We also want German special zones!"
A group of German Communist Party members, including Uncle Hanks, prepared banners and waited for the Britannian television reporter. They walked the streets like the people of District 11, and in this way, they were able to get a huge response. All the Germans in District 11 became more united than ever before and began to work for the "German Special District".
Well, now it's time for the people of Area 11 to show off their traditional skills again. While cursing the German civilians as lowly slaves of a conquered nation, they also accused these white people of being too demanding and, without any self-reflection, started fighting with the Germans again.