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Today, the escort destroyer delivered by the Northern Alliance will pass through this dangerous area. The colonel led his men through the night to repair the only operational radar station. To ensure the success of the operation, the Swedish Royal Navy has brought three destroyers from its reserves. The two ships of the Elensk-class are on standby near the island, while the single-class destroyer Klaas is lingering more than 30 nautical miles from Rügen Island.
"I know you're tired, Colonel," came a comforting telegram from the Claes. "Please cheer up, the Britannian navy has already made its move."
……
Indeed, the Baltic Sea has a new "master of the sea"—when neither the Swedish nor the Soviet Red Navy could muster 30 destroyers capable of going to sea, Duke Rabinowicz led more than 10 missile destroyers, which made up half of the expeditionary force's naval strength, from the German coast toward the islands of Lolland and Falster in southern Denmark.
There was another guest on the flagship's bridge—General Trossa, who had previously planned the landing on Rügen Island, was also with him. They weren't here simply to bombard the Danish coastline; they also wanted to observe where a landing force could storm this weak little country backed by the US and Britain.
They also didn't need to worry too much about the presence of the Northern Union Air Force. Not only were most of the newly arrived destroyers equipped with anti-aircraft gun turrets, but the two Danish islands were also not far from Germany. No matter which direction American and British aircraft came from, it would be difficult for them to strike first and gain significant advantage. The Britannian military was always waiting for their previously arrogant carrier-based aircraft to fall into a trap.
"By the way, we also have a submarine. Why don't you keep it with you?"
"Are you talking about the Yudrian?" Rabinowitz said to Trossa, referring to the large underwater vessel that had previously failed to raid a British battleship. "We've been getting annoyed by the small submarines in Sector 45 lately, so before we set off today, I sent it to patrol the northern waters."
“But submarines can detect ships underwater, but airplanes…” Trosa retracted her words, “Oh, no worries, the Swedes haven’t brought out many decent birds.”
Listening to the smoke billowing over Denmark outside the porthole, and the roar of naval guns and anti-submarine rockets splitting into warheads falling to the ground from the sea—the sailors had accidentally discovered that these weapons used to attack submarines were more effective than ordinary shells at covering scattered targets.
"I don't want a repeat of the passive situation we faced during the Battle of Rügen, General," the Duke said with a calm smile. "I only hope that you will be more accommodating during future landings..."
"Your Grace!" At that moment, the communications officer reported news of the submarine: "They have basically ruled out the possibility of a submarine threat in the northern waters. In addition, an unidentified vessel is entering the Baltic Sea in the Øresund Strait from Copenhagen!"
"What?!" Rabinowitz thought something terrible had happened, but he had a good feeling. "Reply to the Yudrian, provide accurate information about the enemy fleet, and also inform all ships docked in Rostock to set sail immediately with full armament."
……
"Klas calling Bornholm Island: Britannian air power is approaching your location!"
"Reply, enemy aircraft size? Enemy aircraft composition?" No matter how Colonel Yodman called out over the radio, he received no response. In a panic, he ordered the two Elensk-class destroyers lingering near the island to head for Rügen Island at full speed.
The Swedish high command's strategy was somewhat misguided—according to the initial plan, when five American-made escort destroyers entered the Baltic Sea and Bornholm Island happened to be attacked by air, the two Elensk-class destroyers would act as "sacrificial pawns to save the king," preventing Britannia's air power from detecting the presence of the escort destroyers.
Now everything is over. Just as the colonel was about to reply, the USS Claas, which was on guard duty, was immediately hit by a barrage of swooping fire. Now, all that remains where the radio waves were emitted are clusters of increasingly larger black clouds rising from the sea into the sky. As for the two decoys, they not only failed to catch much, but are still struggling to escape under the completely exposed sky.
This time, Lady Luck was not on the side of the White Star of the Atlantic. The intelligence the submarine provided to Duke Rabinowicz was almost entirely accurate; the submarine collided with five short-bodied destroyers flying the NATO and Swedish flags, as well as a transport ship.
More notably, when the submarine left, these warships did not rush over in a horizontal anti-submarine formation as they should have – indicating that this small fleet was not actually targeting the submarine.
"Okay, since we've been doing these large and small target practice tests for almost a month, I'll give the new missiles a graduation exam." After determining the course of the Swedish warships, the destroyer fleet, which had sailed from Rostock on the Duke's orders, quickly arrived in the waters north of Rügen Island. Missile after missile rose into the sky from the vertical launch system at the bow of the ship and were delivered to the approaching aircraft.
The Swedes, in their escort destroyers, had received warnings from their allies, but these small boats, generally no faster than 20 knots, simply couldn't go fast enough. Returning the way they came or continuing their escape were both options.
While more Royal Navy carrier-based aircraft failed to arrive on time, Britannia's armed transport planes were already approaching from the southern sky, carrying rows of missiles emerging from the clouds.
The early formation of anti-aircraft array was insufficient; the five escort destroyers, with only a dozen or so Bofors guns and forty-odd Oerlikon guns, were like ants swarming across a pond against the descending KMFs and jet fighters. Alongside their escorting aircraft, the British Seafires gradually began to falter due to their superior numbers, and the Danish pilots flying Hurricanes found no openings in the air battle.
When the Swedish Royal Air Force sent a squadron of FFVS J22 fighters to defend Karlsruhe to the rescue, these mediocre aircraft, built by the Swedes and with a speed of only 600 kilometers per hour and carrying four 13.2mm machine guns on their wings, arrived, they saved the lives of some foreign friends, but could only watch helplessly as the Britannian behemoths had already turned back, and the missiles guided by the latter had already been aimed at the warships at sea.
Missiles were shot down every now and then, as usual, but this time, even though the anti-aircraft gunners tied their ammunition belts into a sturdy rope, they had already lost the chance to pull themselves back to shore, with one foot already in the River Styx.
Missiles struck the bow, missiles struck the main gun turret, missiles struck the bridge. In the blink of an eye, the three escort destroyers and cargo ships were like four balloons filled with hydrogen and ash, ignited by a welding torch, and exploded into countless jagged wrecks floating on the sea.
Royal Navy carrier-based air support, witnessing the tragedy below, arrived belatedly and drove away the enemy aircraft. The only two lucky survivors at sea, battered and bruised, struggled to escape amidst the smoky hell around them, between the recoilless guns of the KMF and the rockets of jet fighters.
……
But none of them knew that another calamity awaiting Scandinavia was only just beginning.
"The three destroyers deployed south of Bornholm Island have all lost contact, sir. There are also very few escort destroyers left that are sailing close to the coast."
Ignoring his subordinates' reports, Strömbek, filled with grief and indignation, made his way back to Karlsruhe—he may have been lucky enough to escape death, but many more Swedish soldiers did not.
Just as the escorting destroyers were suffering a terrible fate, Britannian armed transport planes, sensing that the air defenses of Karlsruhe might be weak, once again swarmed out, boldly bypassing the defenses of Bornholm Island and flying over the heart of the Swedish Royal Navy with cargo holds full of bombs.
The warships anchored in the harbor could not escape the shackles of anchors and mooring lines. Even though the naval base's anti-aircraft fire had been strengthened, it almost resembled the morning in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.
They gazed at the ancient naval port with utter despair. The inferno, like a blood-stained butcher's knife, raged, burning warehouses and buildings of all sizes, scattering crimson across the ground. Fuel spewed from the wrecked tankers, and flames, driven by the strong wind, climbed the flagpole that had long stood cold and silent on the Nordic land, igniting the blue flag with a gold cross that struggled to fly over the naval port.
Chapter 337, Section 430: A Storm is Brewing, Winds Fill Northern Europe
The best way to remember a military force is to make its debut in a war and capture a unique spotlight, especially for the navy.
The United States and Great Britain relied on their large and powerful fleets to dominate, while Germany and Japan each had their own stories worth savoring, such as the Bismarck-class battleships and the attack on Pearl Harbor. France, on the other hand, wrote a history of humiliation for a powerful nation with the tragedy of Toulon, and Italy, as the victim of the Taranto attack, witnessed the rise of aircraft carriers in naval warfare.
In contrast, Sweden, which remained neutral in both world wars, is not as well-known, and people have almost forgotten that it was arguably the strongest navy in Europe, apart from the core of the Axis and Central Powers.
除开零碎舰艇，8艘海防舰航速缓慢却有装备210mm或283mm主炮，23艘驱逐舰虽身材较短但拥有30节以上高航速且皆为自研自造且武装精致。
With the addition of three cruisers of varying ages, and given Sweden's strength and national circumstances, while they dared not speak of long-range operations, if they were deployed to the Normandy landings, the German officers and soldiers on the shore would likely have had a difficult time.
Compared to the Netherlands and Poland, calling the Swedish Royal Navy the dominant force in the Baltic Sea is like choosing the best among the worst—but a dwarf is still a dwarf.
In this battle, Britannia not only destroyed four of the five escort destroyers provided by the US military, but also sank all three of its own destroyers that were originally intended as decoys. In addition, many of the ships moored at the Karlsruhena naval base were damaged or sunk.
There was no need to needlessly sacrifice the lives of sailors and the nation's resources to fight a single aggressor who outnumbered Sweden. After witnessing the tragedy at the naval base, Vice Admiral Strömbeck immediately returned to Germany to consult with the US and British navies.
This time, he had a change of heart and stopped asking for long-term air support. He decided to move all the ships in Karlsruhe to another location, some heading east to cities like Stockholm or Finnish ports, while others would be moved west of Sweden, or even closer to the North Sea.
“We don’t need to trouble you with the warships heading east.” The lieutenant general presented his plan: “The Swedish Navy has a total of 5 coastal defense ships, 1 cruiser, and 11 destroyers heading west. Please find a good day and have you provide air cover for us to reach the vicinity of Copenhagen. After that, you can either ask us to do odd jobs or approve our assistance to Norway and Denmark. It’s up to you.”
……
Even without the ravages of World War II, Bornholm Island is now teetering on the brink of collapse, and the lieutenant general could easily guess what these extraterrestrial visitors were up to next.
"Since the goal is to open the Baltic Sea, we should avoid the direct confrontation with Britain and the United States and go through Sweden. From Bornholm Island to the Swedish coast, we should thoroughly exhaust the country's naval and air power, and then attack Denmark and Norway from Scandinavia. The only things that can stop us along the way, besides the British and American aircraft carriers hundreds of nautical miles away, are probably the Soviet Red Navy that will be retreating with its tail between its legs."
Elizabeth could take this time to step away from the command center and use her regular life and German affairs as a remedy to clear her mind of the blockage. She handed over the new battle plan to the generals, those capable generals who had gradually become well-versed in the art of war in the 45th District.
"So, it seems inevitable that we will take Bornholm Island and then land in Sweden?" Trosa and Hohenzollern handed the princess the action plan devised by the generals.
"Yes, Your Highness. Due to the lingering resentment from the Battle of Rügen, we may have misjudged the strength of the Swedish Navy."
"Then I hope you don't misjudge Sweden." Elizabeth sighed meaningfully, turning her gaze to the next chapter, which concerned how to handle the main British and American forces and the main Soviet forces. "The only army group I've received so far, the one Marybelle assigned to me, why is it being sent to the Hanover direction?"
“Duke Rabinowicz told us that the recent sea activity has been strange,” Trosa explained. “After we ripped them off, the Swedes have actually started to withdraw their troops from Bornholm Island.”
"That's it?"
"They understand how much panic the navy's missiles have caused them, and similarly, I believe that most of the warships we sank off the coast of Scandinavia were reinforcements from the British and Americans." Trosa frowned. "However, when the Swedes withdrew, they paid for all their own naval and air escorts, and there wasn't a single Danish aircraft in sight."
"Moreover, since Sweden is a member of the Northern Alliance, their withdrawal would at least prompt the US and Britain to launch large-scale air raids against us, if not send warships into the Baltic Sea themselves, to draw our main air force forces southward from Northern Europe and relieve the pressure on Sweden. But this time, they have hardly made any move..."
"They can mobilize more than ten or twenty aircraft carriers and battleships, and provide Sweden with five destroyers in one go, yet they are doing nothing at this critical juncture," Hohenzollern continued. "Therefore, Your Highness, we believe that the Northern Alliance may, after holding Hamburg, gather strength to launch a counterattack against us on the western front."
"Next, we plan to launch an offensive in the Hanover direction. This is partly to disrupt any potential reserve forces that the US military might have on the front lines, and partly to divert the US military's attention. After all, our vision is not limited to the Baltic Sea."
“Yes, and the whole of Germany, including Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Munich in the south, isn’t it?” Elizabeth smiled; the generals now truly understood what she was thinking.
Once the Northern Alliance's attention is completely focused on the north and cannot be distracted, the million-strong army that will come from the Imperial homeland to reinforce the expeditionary force can take advantage of this opportunity to quickly move south, occupy Munich, penetrate Austria, then penetrate the weak point of Czechoslovakia which is blocking the way in Tolstoy, and finally penetrate Poland from the south.
“Although those who are afraid of failure will surely fail.” She put down the plan with satisfaction, walked to the sunny window and looked into the distance, “I still believe that we can wait until that day—Schneizer can’t solve the problems of Germany and Poland in the EU, but we can sweep across the European continent in the 45th district.”
……
With a major battle imminent, the expeditionary force was naturally conserving its strength and resources. Despite the dire situation of not having enough reserve troops, they were still trying their best to put together a complete attacking force by robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Even the Knights of Agincourt, who hadn't seen any new recruits for months, couldn't escape this fate—that evening, Angelie and her group were discussing in the barracks what that sturdy, ferocious, slow-moving giant tortoise they had encountered in downtown Hamburg might be, when Daimler, an acquaintance, came to visit.
"What does this mean?" Ipel asked in surprise. "They want to take Juliet away as part of the plan to take Bornholm Island?"
"Some of the troops attacking the island are new recruits from Area 11. It is said that more than a thousand people were exchanged for 100 veterans of the Expeditionary Force." Daimler stated the reasons he brought with him from his superiors. "Sergeant Juliet is one of the more outstanding members of the Knights. She has strong teamwork skills, is conscientious and dedicated, and is low-key. She is very suitable for leading the new recruits to improve their abilities."
“This…” Ypel clung tightly to Juliet’s arm, looking unwilling. “Every time I fire my hadron cannon, I entrust my safety entirely to the shield in her hands. I… I don’t agree!”
"Relax a little, okay?" Xixian patted Ypel's head gently. "Daimler made it very clear that you will be with the assault gun squadron responsible for long-range fire support this time. There's no need to stick to Juliet and guard her like glue on the second line."
"Lieutenant Angeli, please handle the ideological work. That's all for now." Daimler shrugged helplessly. "Please remember to go to Magdeburg in seven days to meet up with Lieutenant Sindra and Sergeant Kan Hu, who will be your partners."
"Um... wait a minute." Just as he was about to leave, Xixi'an stopped him. "I've heard that our Knights Order has recently been sending men to the German-Czech border to infiltrate and sabotage the enemy's defenses in the mountains, right?"
"Your information is pretty accurate, Lieutenant." Daimler gestured with his chin. "But you can all sit down, and besides, didn't your team already have someone?"
Chapter 338, Section 431: The Beginning of Ragnarok (Part 1)
Inside the command center in Berlin stood a needle as thin as a hair, which would fall over at the slightest fluctuation in radio waves.
The submarine Idriss was cruising about 20 nautical miles from the Swedish coast in the deathly silent Baltic Sea; thousands of officers and soldiers were on standby along the line between Lübeck, Lüneburg and Hanover.
Following the generals' orders, the former guarded against the appearance of any ships, while the latter prepared to draw their swords against the American and British forces at any moment. The sun and moon rose and set alternately in the strange Nordic sky, like a spinning winch that gripped the soldiers' hearts high.
"What exactly is the Northern Union planning? When can we safely advance into Sweden?" The expeditionary force could only react passively from then on, guarding against the main American force before more reinforcements arrived, while also harboring resentment over the Union Jack they had lost at the Hamburg gambling table.
……
"We have spotted three warships entering the Baltic Sea, in the direction of Copenhagen!"
Two days later, at dawn, Berlin quickly received an urgent report from the Udrian.
The three ships were lined up in a straight line. Their outlines, shapes, and armaments were quite different from the Swedish destroyer that had been sunk not long ago, but were exactly the same as those used by the British and American navies to protect battleships and aircraft—this time, they were no duds.
Just as the Yudrian was ordered to retreat and escape the danger zone of anti-submarine warfare, Berlin received an even more alarming and perplexing message—the KMF squadron, which was patrolling and reconnaissance in the Kiel Canal airspace, discovered a total of 10 warships entering the canal from the direction of Hamburg and heading towards Kiel.
After confirming and analyzing the detailed information, the generals were even more confused.
Firstly, when Hamburg was already in imminent danger, the British army had already either destroyed all the bridges or laid mines and obstructions in the canal to prevent them from advancing north of the canal. However, recently the British army has not begun repairing the bridges, nor has it made any significant effort to clear all the obstacles!
Secondly, these warships have no air cover whatsoever. Aren't they afraid of running straight into our own guns? Keep in mind that there are no British positions on either side of the canal, but there are quite a few Britannian troops advancing to this point on the south bank.
Finally, upon closer inspection, all the original cannons on their decks were gone—these 10 Clemencen-class destroyers had four bare, straight smokestacks on their backs, and if they were hiding in the fog, they would probably really look like a slender steam engine cruise ship.
This is the most stupid bait imaginable, isn't it? Sinking this completely helpless piece of meat would be an easy task, but this place is less than 100 kilometers from the North Sea, and the Northern Alliance's carrier-based aircraft are definitely lying in wait.
Then news came from the Baltic Sea that ultimately made the generals decide not to "take the bait"—the three destroyers seemed to have spotted their own submarine, but they kept their distance and soon sailed away, circling between Denmark and Rügen.
The Northern Alliance must be engaged in some major naval activity to have acted this way. Duke Rabinowitz had anticipated this; his 20 destroyers had already left Rostock and headed east of Rügen Island, outside the effective strike range of American and British carrier-based aircraft. Equally prepared were the air forces escorting the fleet and guiding its missiles.
……
But the first news the generals received was not from the enemy's advance—it came from the Kiel Canal.
The ground troops planned to use heavy firepower to sink two of the destroyers, which had broken away from the other eight and gone the furthest, reaching a broken bridge 30 kilometers from Kiel.
Suddenly, the two ships changed from being one in front of the other to being side by side. The river, which was already only 40 meters wide and barely wide enough for one ship to pass, became even more crowded. However, when the sailors on board jumped into the river and left, the two empty ships, whose power systems were still running at full capacity, continued to speed through the river, reaching a top speed of 35 knots, and rushed to the bridge ruins.
One of the boats, attacked by the crowd, veered and swerved onto the riverbank, crashing into a bridge abutment at one end of the bridge; while the other boat went straight into the pile of bridge bricks in the riverbed, its bow being pulled out of the river by the powerful reaction force, and it continued to glide along with its inertia.
Two deafening roars, like grinding mountains, were followed by an even more earth-shattering explosion—both destroyers were loaded with massive amounts of explosives. One of them burst open and broke in two, while the bow of the other was instantly reduced to fragments scattered across the river.
By the time the soldiers on the shore crawled out of the rain of falling debris, the two Clemson-class destroyers had already turned into charred ashes filled with smoke, piling up along with the equally shattered bridge ruins to form a series of steel reefs rising and falling from the Kiel Canal.
Similar, less radical but equally astonishing events unfolded repeatedly in the canal over the next few minutes. The same destroyers that had entered the waterway, either alone or in small groups of two or three, either opened their sea valves or detonated explosives in their hulls, sinking one after another in the current near nearby bridges and ferry crossings.
"Now we know why the cannons were dismantled! It was for this reason?!" The expeditionary soldiers were so angry when they saw this that they beat their chests and stamped their feet.
The people in District 45 are still using the same disgusting tactic as booby traps—if you don't destroy these ships, they'll sail to important bridges and ferry crossings and cause damage; if you sink them, the canal will be blocked even more, and whether air or ground troops come, they'll just be walking into the Northern Alliance's trap.
Most importantly, even if the expeditionary force controlled the airspace over the entire canal, these ten destroyers could still paralyze the canal by blocking its entrance—it would have been better to have the entire force fight the Northern Alliance's aircraft to the death in the first place.
……
[022 Friendly Reminder: The following text is best enjoyed with the Battlefleet Gothic Theme from the game Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (available on NetEase Cloud Music)]
Suppressing its furious anger, Berlin continued to wait, wait, until new news arrived from the Baltic Sea.
The three destroyers departed, and the submarine Yudrian remained patiently silent for a long time before slowly drifting into the waters near Denmark with the ocean currents. In the reef-strewn area, it once again saw that figure it had met briefly, and many more figures that accompanied it.
The three ships returned to the coast of Copenhagen and joined the Royal Navy fleet waiting there—two light cruisers, two anti-aircraft cruisers, and eight destroyers. Guided by the three ships, they sailed through the Øresund Strait and entered the Baltic Sea.
At this time, Field Marshal Cunningham's battle group, consisting of four Illustrious-class aircraft carriers, was still quietly waiting on the sea north of Denmark, having received news from the forward fleet.
"Your Excellency, the Royal Navy's support fleet entered the Baltic Sea at 7:24 a.m. He then sent a coded telegram to the Swedish Navy: "Please report your position and rendezvous with them at approximately 8:45 a.m. in waters 16 kilometers south of Üstad."
He soon received a reply: "The Swedish naval fleet, which is preparing to withdraw from the Baltic Sea, is in Hanne Bay and is on alert in anti-aircraft formation. We will rendezvous with the British fleet on time and successfully carry out this operation. May God bless us."
After sending the telegram, Colonel Moyer, the commander of the Swedish fleet, actually felt quite guilty.
If the Royal Navy is willing to send so many warships to help them, that's fine, but the report that Vice Admiral Strombeck gave to the Northern Alliance leadership was exaggerated—the vice admiral gave a scale of 17 warships, but in order to attract the attention of Britain and the United States, he also forced several warships that were no longer able to set sail to be included.
Sweden had 23 domestically built destroyers, plus four purchased from Italy in 1940, for a total of 27. Three were lost in the attack on Britannia at sea, five were sunk in port or temporarily unable to sail, and of the remaining 19, after deducting the 13 left in the Baltic Sea, the last six, neither new nor old, were the ones that left home.
The remaining ship was the light cruiser HMAS Gotland, which served as the flagship of the evacuation fleet. She was a single-ship class ship and the only large warship in the Swedish Navy to have undergone modernization. Among the three cruisers that sank in Karlsruhe, she was the only one that suffered only minor damage.
Although named a cruiser, its displacement and length were comparable to those of the Red Navy's destroyer leaders, such as the Tashkent-class, but its anti-aircraft firepower was more powerful than any warship in the Baltic Fleet.
Vice Admiral Strömbek initially wanted her to stay with the seven surviving, newer destroyers to cooperate with the Soviet Red Navy in the future, but Moyer refused: the aid Sweden was asking the US and Britain for was already a considerable sum, and the Gotland could join the joint fleet to contribute in return; she shouldn't think too much about herself.
Just as the colonel was still hesitating about how to explain to the puzzled Royal Navy why the heads were scattered after the meeting, his fleet had already passed Cape Sandhamaren. The British fleet was already faintly visible in the distant mist. Swedish Air Force FFVS J22 fighters, along with American and British Mustangs and Spitfires, and telegrams from air defense radar stations hovered over the near sea.