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Page 260
Seeing Sasley nod, Kelly followed Sophia and the large stack of documents she was carrying, half believing and half doubting, to the main conference room.
"Before I officially took office, I exchanged information with the officers and soldiers on the Skyships such as the Archivk, and gained some understanding of the mainstream naval forces in District 45... emmmm, actually, that is, the navies of the United States and Britain. But before that, I would like to ask Your Highness, are you fully aware of everything about the Skyships since their inception?"
……
Indeed, to ordinary people seeing the Skyships for the first time, such a massive creature, whose mere silhouette is enough to be suffocating, coupled with its powerful cannons, must surely be an existence that looks down on everything in the sky.
However, this is not the case. Apart from serving as VIP transport vehicles for people traveling across states and oceans, the main war applications of the Skyships are almost entirely concentrated in the sky.
To answer this question, we need to draw the outline of the front and side of the Skyship, and then mark the positions of its guns. We can then see that almost all the guns are arranged in a ring around the core hull.
Each time the Sky Fleet launches a large-scale operation, it is almost never simply to deal with anything on the ground, nor to deal with enemy fleets at sea. Their target is precisely the enemy aerial formation that is slowly approaching and confronting them in the sky.
When you sit aboard a Britannian Skyship and hear the roar of the cannons while simultaneously hearing "Front shields at maximum power" from the shield control room, you'll understand that Skyships were born purely for this kind of aerial combat. The shields concentrate all energy on the most vulnerable front of the hull, while the cannons arranged in a ring around the hull are not blocked from most of their firing channels, maximizing the Skyship's offensive and defensive capabilities without interfering with each other.
It was precisely for this reason that Dr. Lloyd was extremely reluctant to have the Skyship Avalon follow behind when Suzaku Kururugi charged alone into the ranks of the "Japanese Restoration Army" that had landed on Kyushu Island a year ago.
The logic is very simple: even if nothing on the ground can withstand the Avalon's naval guns, if the enemy's firepower is enough to damage the ship's own armor, then the shield must be on one side to ensure the safety of the skyship. In this way, the naval guns' fire line to the ground will be blocked by the shield, making it difficult to use.
While this could create openings in the shields, how dangerous would that be? Not to mention that each turret on the Skyship is independent of the shield control center, the most critical issue is that there is a significant time difference between the opening and closing of the shields.
To put it simply, the activation of a naval shield is like the two rows of teeth in a person's jaw, and firing a naval gun is like sticking your tongue out of your lips. Both of these actions are controlled by the brain, which is why we can quickly open our mouths, stick out our tongues and pull them back in, close our mouths, open our mouths again, and stick our tongues out again.
Now, these actions have to be handled by a number of crew members who operate the "teeth" and "tongue." Even without operational delays, the required level of coordination and the extremely low margin for error mean that the tragedy of ship guns hitting their own shields—a "teeth biting the tongue" scenario—would likely occur every day. As for creating an opening in the shield that is perfectly oriented so that one's own shells can pass through, current technology simply cannot achieve that.
Now, let's turn our attention to the issue of the Skyships attacking naval vessels. First, the guns mounted on the hull would be wasted if they couldn't reach the sea surface. Second, when the shields are activated to defend against incoming naval anti-aircraft fire, there's a high probability they'll obstruct the Skyships' own fire. Moreover, this time, the Skyships are facing a firepower network far more terrifying than their own Imperial Navy; they're probably trying to get the gunners and shield-bearers into fighting each other first.
Even worse news is that the core of the US and British fleet consists of aircraft carriers carrying a large number of planes. While the rockets carried by these planes are futile against the shields, they can easily destroy the armor of the airships.
Moreover, the US and UK now largely know that the shields of the airships cannot protect all directions at the same time. In this way, they would have to throw their existing 80-plus airships at a huge numerical disadvantage between the well-prepared Northern Fleet and the enemy aircraft that were swarming the sea and air battlefield like a locust plague...
……
"I can fully understand Her Highness's desire to break through the North Sea blockade, but we cannot let her have her way right now, even though the cannons of the Calian-class Skyships are currently the only ones that can be confirmed to penetrate the armor of American and British battleships under normal combat conditions."
Marshal Sophia calmly and patiently comforted the prince for quite a while. Seeing that Kelly understood her intention, the marshal unfolded a roll of blueprints.
"I regret to inform you that the Skyship modification plans collected from the engineers were originally intended to be shown to Her Highness Elizabeth first."
"So many plans? When did the engineers of the Skyship become monsters?" Kylie's eyes widened in disbelief.
“Actually, we can roughly divide them into two categories.” Sophia pointed to the two stacks of blueprints on the left and right. “One method is to remove the firepower on the top of the Calian-class ship and replace it all with shield generators to protect against possible enemy aircraft attacks from above. At the same time, we can change the layout of the large naval guns to reduce their conflict with the shield area at the bottom of the ship.”
"Another option is to have the skyships abandon the tactic of targeting enemy fleets, remove their original top-mounted cannons and all shields, and then install a large number of rapid-fire weapons, turning them into flying fortresses capable of self-defense and focused on targeting land targets. This is something that both the Calian-class and the Roglis-class can do."
"Wow! I don't even know how to praise you enough!" Kelly exclaimed excitedly, but noticed that Marshal Sophia didn't seem particularly pleased.
"Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but even without considering the enormous time and manpower costs required for the two types of modifications, I am not very optimistic about the cost-effectiveness of the modified skyships. The hulls of the two types of skyships were not designed for the extremely special battlefield of Sector 45. After all, even if the zebras shaved the bones of their companions into short spears to hold off an equal number of lions, it was a desperate measure."
"Really?" Kelly exclaimed as if she'd been fed a mouthful of cold, bitter gall. "You're that insecure?"
“Tell me about the plan to convert it into an anti-aircraft flight fortress, Your Highness.” Sophia shook her head. “The people of District 45 had already developed this habit of mounting anti-aircraft guns on every corner of the warships like a hedgehog, and they have much more experience than us. But do you see them still daring to leave their fleet in the Baltic Sea, letting our aircraft attack them at will?”
……
"I will discuss naval strategy with Duke Rabinowitz, who is the fleet commander, later. You and Her Highness Elizabeth need not worry about this. As for the suggestions made by Marshal Manslitt and the others, I suggest you consult with the generals at the front who are more familiar with the situation on both sides."
"Alright, alright, then I'll go and comfort my sister?" As if his thoughts had been calculated, Kelly was stunned by the words of this newly met Sky Fleet Commander.
It was already completely dark when they finished chatting, and suddenly a military officer carrying a PDA ran in from outside.
"Your Highness, intelligence has been sent from the occupying forces on Bornholm Island that an enemy fleet is advancing along the Swedish coast toward the eastern Baltic Sea."
"Hmm?" Kelly took the PDA in surprise and looked at the photos it had received. "Before this, was Bornholm Island attacked?"
“No, Your Highness, the sea and sky have been calm.” The officer said, pointing to the outline of the fleet in the photo, “It consists of about 10 warships, including a scaled-down aircraft carrier and two cruisers with different turret sizes.”
"Wait a minute? How did the word 'shrinkage' get associated with aircraft carriers?" Kelly frowned. "Are you sure you're not mistaking a cargo ship for a warship again?"
“Your Highness, we will not repeat the mistakes we made with the aircraft carrier Zeppelin, even though this scaled-down ship is much smaller than the Zeppelin.” The officer’s face was sincere. “Besides, this ship has an island superstructure similar to that of American and British aircraft carriers, so there’s no mistake. Duke Rabinowitz sent me here to ask for your opinion: to attack or not to attack?”
"Besides being used as bait, what's the point of sending so many ships into the Baltic Sea?" The prince frowned, shook his head, and handed the PDA back. "Tell the Duke we'll talk about it next time we see him..."
……
Tonight, the Baltic Sea, accompanied by howling winds and rain, sweeps across the steel outlines shrouded in gloom on the waves, rising and falling to the sound of propellers that have never been heard in Europe.
A Sikorsky R-4 helicopter with ammunition boxes swayed erratically in the sea breeze. The pilot used all his strength to try to align his landing gear with two light sticks that swayed between his hands, aiming them at the steel deck that was so close at hand.
The plane followed the hoisted container and slammed heavily onto the deck, almost tipping over. The two people sitting on it finally breathed a sigh of relief, watching the Arabic numeral 28 painted in white on the deck being constantly washed away by the rain.
"Welcome back to the USS Cabot, brave gentlemen." The air traffic controller on the aircraft carrier deck, dressed in U.S. Navy attire, ran up to greet them first.
"Ah, a close call, Major Dickinson." The co-pilot of the helicopter was a young man with a Norwegian accent.
"The rain is too heavy. Let's go down to the deck and take shelter, and dry our clothes."
“Don’t worry, Major, both my clothes and I love water, especially the heavy kind.” At this point, the Norwegian lad couldn’t resist cracking a joke: “If Hitler were still alive, he would be eager to squeeze the remaining water out of my clothes to build the atomic bomb he dreamed of.”
The young man ran non-stop to the aircraft carrier's deck elevator, and together with the R-4 helicopter whose propellers had already been stowed, he and the special forces members from the SAS, SBS and other units who had come to pick him up from the elevator went down into the hangar.
Ludwig looked around from the deck. The Independence-class light aircraft carrier beneath him was surrounded by several US destroyers, and directly in front of the Cabot was the Baltimore-class heavy cruiser Helena—whose name was inherited from a legend off the coast of Guadalcanal four years earlier.
The rain gradually intensified, and the water flowed along the undulating deck of the Cabot, creating ripples above the dozens of R-4 helicopters in the hangar before finally falling into the sea with the spray.
"McCluskey!" Dickinson ran onto the bridge, calling to his comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside him on the Enterprise at Midway and was now an aircraft carrier captain. "The helicopter has been successfully stowed away."
"Notify all escort vessels to proceed at full speed and move away from the visible range of Bornholm Island as quickly as possible."
In the blink of an eye, lights and signals blared, and the Union flags and Stars and Stripes on the masts of the warships danced in the wind amidst the flashing lights, except for a touch of a different color on the left flank of the fleet.
Eight 15-inch main guns were mounted in four twin turrets at the foremost point of the deck. On the mast of this Revenge-class battleship, which had the blood of the British Empire, flew the name of the Soviet Red Navy and a name that had long wandered in the Arctic Circle—Arkhangelsk.
Chapter 363, Section 461: The Balance of Power (Part 1)
The day after her sister argued with several generals and marshals, Kelly summoned the people who knew about the incident the previous day, along with several other high-ranking officers.
“I find it strange that such a thing could happen to the core of the expeditionary force yesterday…” The prince cut to the chase, “As my younger brother, I don’t want my sister to suffer a relapse of her old wounds. As for the million soldiers outside this room, they certainly don’t want their commander, who gives them orders, to be unable to think calmly.”
“Let’s get down to business.” Kelly ordered Karonville, who was standing beside him, to unfold the map. “All night I’ve been weighing the information from every general who knows the front lines, and what we can be certain of is that the Soviet Union, Poland, and Czechoslovakia currently have absolutely no intention of attacking or have the suitable geographical conditions to do so along the German border.”
"Meanwhile, on the western front, the countries under the so-called White Star in the ocean have been actively confronting us, and they have already outmaneuvered us once in the Hamburg direction. So, compared to the once-noisy enemies in the east, only those who have experienced the past six months are qualified to speak on whether the threat posed by the US, Britain and their allied small countries is higher or lower."
“Ah, of course, I understand Marshal Manslitt’s thinking. It’s true that we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket.” Kelly smiled slightly and shrugged. “But for the sake of the bigger picture, opening the door to the Baltic Sea and freeing the navy’s hands and feet is something that cannot be delayed any longer. In other words, conquering Sweden and Denmark a day earlier is even more important than swallowing up the German interior or even the whole of Europe.”
“I have already discussed it with Marshal Sophia. Let’s start with the Sky Fleet.” Kelly coughed and formally gave the order. “In a few days, we will send a small Sky Fleet to Denmark. The main purpose is to reconnoiter Denmark’s coastal defense deployment and test the air and sea defense capabilities of the United States and Britain. This will also be the first step in the strategic deployment of the Sky Fleet in the future.”
"Soon I will also be with Duke Rabinowitz of the Navy, and Rear Admiral Trossa, who will later lead the Scandinavian landing forces... I misspoke, she's already been promoted to lieutenant general." The prince scratched his head. "The landing operations in Sweden and Denmark will begin soon, maintaining the pace and speed of the offensive in southern Germany."
"As for you, Marshal," he bent down, crossed his arms over his chest, and rested his head on the table, staring into Manslitt's eyes, "I understand that you are gnashing your teeth and eager to fight the Soviet Union because of the war reports from too long ago. Now, 10 army groups are withdrawing from the border between Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. So you and your generals, along with hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers, will take over their garrison duties there to ensure that the enemy's ground forces in the East do not cause any problems during the critical period of the landing in Northern Europe."
“Yes, Your Highness.” Manslit bowed respectfully, but his tone was off. “We understand your thinking. After all, in your view, the Soviet Union is still a troublemaker that you want to take action against but lack the energy and courage to deal with.
"What makes you say that?" Kelly was about to leave.
"If the Swedes can drive General Trossa into the sea, will we have to keep sleeping in on the banks of the Oder River forever?"
"Then, if I could speak on behalf of every veteran of the expeditionary force, and if you weren't a high-ranking marshal, wouldn't I slap you across the face for your stubborn and absurd arguments?"
Kelly walked out without looking back, and Caronville quickly gathered his documents and went out to catch up with him.
"Excuse my bluntness, Your Highness, but you've failed your 'test' of capturing Princess Elizabeth's temperament again, especially with that last sentence..."
"That's enough, I almost actually hit him..."
……
The Kattegat Strait was calm, and the HMS Unicorn quietly sailed among the escort ships, while in the distance was the Royal Navy's carrier battle group consisting of all four of its Illustrious-class destroyers.
Now, Field Marshal Cunningham has left his flagship HMS Illustrious and is inspecting HMS Formidable, which he previously commanded. During the Battle of Rügen, he heard from the captain that the Formidable's anti-aircraft gun crews seemed to be still somewhat rusty with their duties.
"I understand the situation the US strike fleet encountered in previous naval battles, and I assure you that everyone here can be a stable cog in this massive machine," the captain declared confidently.
"To be honest, I haven't been able to sleep well since the Cabot went into hiding in the Baltic Sea a few days ago," Cunningham rubbed his temples. "Even though they went to a place farther than Stockholm..."
“You’re not the only one who’s worried, Marshal.” The captain understood. “If the enemy successfully lands in Sweden in the future, they will be the only hope for the entire Northern Alliance, and even all of Europe, for all enemy intelligence, including information related to the teleportation portal.”
“Yes, yes, whenever I close my eyes, I can easily picture the special operations team struggling in the water with the HMS Cabot slowly sinking behind them.” Cunningham sighed. “We all feel that way, let alone the Swedes who were restless all night. Fortunately, things didn’t turn out badly. It’s clear that the enemy navy hasn’t recovered yet.”
"Besides, shouldn't we guess about the Soviets?" the captain thought of something else. "The Sovereign came all the way from Murmansk with a Russian name, hitching a ride on the Cabot while also having all the other ships accommodate her top speed of 21 knots... Don't they want to get away with this?"
“I don’t think the Russians will make any rash moves.” Cunningham raised his binoculars and looked out. “But even if the Sovereign is sunk one day, it will be fully armed, not like its sister ship, which was rendered useless and ended up rotting in the naval port because the Royal Navy was short of funds.”
Just then, the radio officer on HMS Formidable sent a message that had just been received: the Danish land-based radar station had detected Britannian air forces approaching Danish airspace, including several airships.
With no other option, Cunningham had to temporarily hand over the flagship duties to the USS Formidable, ordering all carrier-based fighters to intercept it immediately while sending a telegram to the US Navy carrier strike group nearly 200 kilometers away to request support.
"What? They still dare to come here?!" The chief engineer, who was on the bridge reporting to the captain, said casually when he heard this—it seemed that everyone knew about the Midway's aircraft's achievements, to the point that everyone was extremely confident.
Of course, such utterances clearly displeased the captain, and Marshal Cunningham's expression immediately turned serious upon hearing them.
"Where did you serve before, Captain?"
"Ah..." The captain was a little taken aback. "The HMS Arlington Castle frigate, from October 1944 until the Nazi surrender, sir, was on convoy escort missions."
“Very good, I heard you well, young man.” Cunningham said to him with earnest eyes and a hint of expectation, “Five years and six months ago, the engine crew of the Radiant risked their lives to maintain her power under the scorching heat of countless German bombers overhead, so that she did not take us to our final rest in the Mediterranean… I hope that your confidence will one day bless everyone here.”
……
"...This is the Glorious. Uh, we're over Yılm Bay. We can see few defensive positions on the nearby Danish beaches, but along the southern coast of Zealand, the enemy has set up what appear to be artillery positions in at least six locations and is transmitting coordinates... Oh damn, another wave of enemy aircraft is approaching! They're US carrier-based aircraft! Retreat, retreat!"
Kylier was currently discussing with Duke Rabinowitz how long it would take for the navy to recover when he suddenly received this latest news through Marshal Sophia.
"At least another crew member from the Skyship has either perished at sea or become a prisoner of the enemy." The Marshal's dejected tone betrayed his expectation. "Your Highness, you..."
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll tell my sister." With that thought, Kylier suddenly had a whim and called out to Manslit, who was now in the direction of Dresden, facing the Soviet troops and Czechoslovaks on the other side of the Erzgebirge Mountains.
However, after calling for a long time without any response, Kelly became a little anxious—what the hell, no communication for a few hours and the person was gone.
“Ahem, Manslit replied…” It took a long time before the old voice came from inside. It sounded like the marshal had just crawled out of under the table in fear, and the sound of propellers echoing in the sky could be heard in the background.
"Everything is normal, everything is normal, Your Highness. We...we are just gathering and confirming a lot of information about the enemy. Speaking of which, were the Czechoslovakian planes dropping exploding air raid sirens?"
"That's a truly significant discovery. So as a reward, I'll send someone over tomorrow to record the sounds of these sirens and then replace them all with your legion's telephone ringtones."
Kyle sneered, shrugged, and used his vocal imitation skills to mimic the so-called air raid siren—the Goliath horn of the Stuka bomber—into the marshal's ear on the other end of the microphone. After finishing, he hung up the communication triumphantly.
"Ha, damn it, that's it?" The prince put his hands on his hips and raised his chin with a lingering sense of satisfaction. "If my brother Schneizel had followers like this, he would have been the one playing drums and making noise during the military parade in the capital."
“You’ve been too outspoken lately, Your Highness,” Caronville said, shaking his head slightly. “Besides, you may not remember, but General Marendor and General Windsor were like that at first too.”
"Then, can we talk about them together?" The prince paused for a moment, then put on an arrogant look. "We were the first to try this. Manslitt is still copying others to this day. He's just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat and never learns from his mistakes."
“That’s true, Your Highness.” The colonel nodded subtly. “It’s impossible for everyone to be so nonchalant when they first arrive in the 45th district. For example, the night the American bombers first visited Berlin, Her Highness Elizabeth couldn’t coax you out of the Reichstag’s basement and back to bed no matter what she said…”
"Shut up! Get out of here!"
Chapter 364, Section 463: The Balance of Power (Part 2)
Skåne is the southernmost province of Sweden. Its flat land and the combined effect of the Atlantic Ocean current have made it the "breadbasket of Sweden"—crop farmland and pastures account for at least 60% of the province's land.
But today, as June 1946 draws to a close, families are fleeing their homes in terror.
Ranch owners could herd pigs and cattle, but the unripe barley and oats could only be uprooted and the land turned over, leaving the fields in a mess—above the heads of the large group of people who had left their homes were Britannian warplanes that lingered like swarms of mosquitoes.
The people of Skåne province had only two options: either stay at home and await their unknown fate.
They fled north, where the Swedish army and Swedes from other provinces would meet and settle them.
They could flee to the western coast, where the British troops stationed in Malmö and Helsingborg would help defend their homeland, or they could be sent to the safer countries of Denmark and Norway.
……
"Tell those farmers not to block the entire road, leave room for trucks to pass, and hurry up!"
Colonel Jodman, who had been withdrawn from Bornholm Island, appeared with his officers at the provincial border sign of Skåne Province—he was the commander of the East Gotland Air Defense Regiment and was now in charge of this transportation hub leading to the northern provinces of Sweden.
As for the infantry and armored units that guarded the island together, some are still with him, while others have been transferred to other directions.
The highway was in chaos. The refugees were able to follow instructions, but the herds of livestock needed soldiers to help herd them away from the middle of the road—a dozen Scania trucks were about to approach, loaded with production equipment that had been pulled from the military factories of companies such as Saab, Volvo, and Bofors and were being urgently transferred north.
"Colonel!" A sergeant jumped off the truck as it sped past. "The convoy has moved safely, and we've burned the crops in the fields along the way."
"Longger?" Jodman stared at him intently for a moment. "Are you cured?"
"of course."