Chapter 33: Layout

Green gauze curtains, a beauty as precious as jade.

Logan lit a cigarette. As he savored the endless pleasure of passionate encounters, he couldn't help but marvel at his string of good luck. Before crossing over, he would never dare to loudly proclaim "Long live virgins!" It could be summed up with a common saying: nowadays, to find a virgin, you have to go to kindergarten!

Never did he expect that after crossing over to the World War II era, within just three short months, he had consecutively deflowered two maidens, both of whom were remarkably beautiful and graceful. In an era where wealth and power ruled supreme, this was something ordinary men wouldn't even dare dream of!

What luck! He must have stepped in dog poop!

In his moment of jubilation, he couldn't help but ponder: having conquered a French girl and bedded an English girl, following this trend, would he end up sampling all the beauties from the countries involved in the war? Let's count: elegant and mysterious Greek beauties, fiery Ukrainian maidens, lively Russian girls, intelligent American ladies, and charming Italian girls... the list goes on. Ten toes wouldn't seem enough. What's that? Monogamy? That's for ordinary folks. As long as he held the power, who would dare utter a word against him?

Smugly patting the English girl's buttocks, he was just about to adopt the tone of a heroic lover when he said, "Hey, you're mine now. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just mention my name!"

Knock, knock, knock!

The door was gently tapped, interrupting Logan's fantasies.

"Colonel, General Dietrich is here, waiting for you downstairs!" It was the voice of his adjutant, Bren Hartmann.

Huh? This guy sure knows how to time things. Ten minutes earlier, and I'd have lost my temper!

"I'm coming!" Logan picked up his pants and shirt from the carpet, recalling the scene that had unfolded before, not one that could be described as a platonic evening between friends. Doreen, a gift from the heavens, was truly exquisite. With a bit of refinement, the days ahead were bound to be filled with endless passion.

Dressed, Logan made his way to the operations command room on the second floor, where Joseph Dietrich, adorned with the insignia of an SS General (Deputy Commander of the SS, quite a high rank), stood conversing with Stephen Berg in front of the large map.

"Hey, old friend, wasn't that transatlantic journey exhilarating?" Logan approached them with a smile.

Dietrich shook hands with Logan, somewhat grudgingly. "I must admit, Hans, I should have taken your advice earlier—boarding a Junkers plane straight to the island! The journey was not only tumultuous with the waves, but the English were relentless too. One moment it's bombers, the next it's destroyers. When we approached the harbor, they even sent a whole fleet. If not for the concerted efforts of the Air Force and Navy brothers, hmm, I reckon my troops and I would've been fish food by now!"

Logan always appreciated Dietrich's frankness and candor. He chuckled, "This operation is all about adrenaline. Others wouldn't dare to join in!"

Dietrich said earnestly, "When the fleet sailed through the English Channel, I could faintly see the grandeur of the Roman Empire at its peak!"

Despite the English Channel being considered an insurmountable barrier today, both the Roman Empire and the French Republic had once crossed it. Compared to the unsuccessful small-scale landing operations by the French during the Napoleonic era, the mighty Roman Empire had ruled over Britain for three centuries!

Having done some homework before, Logan timely praised, "Heh heh, I also see a shadow of Protagius (the Roman general who conquered Britain) on General's persona!"

"Hey, the Fuhrer has appointed you as the overall commander for this operation, my dear Hans!" It was only because of their good rapport that Dietrich said this in a teasing manner. In a less amicable relationship, a Colonel of the Wehrmacht commanding a General of the SS? That would be unheard of!

Logan knew Dietrich wasn't entirely submissive to his command, so he played along, "That's just a title! I contributed to this plan; playing the role of an operational staff member would suit me better. Besides, the Air Force specializes in aerial combat; once we're on the ground, we're all happy to follow your command! For the sake of command coordination, I strongly suggest you move the headquarters of the Guard Flag Unit here to oversee the whole situation. What do you think?"

"Being close to the airport is certainly advantageous for command. But... wouldn't this place be too close to the front lines?" Dietrich skipped the pleasantries and delved into a more practical topic.

Logan had considered this angle, but with the geographical position of the Isle of Wight and its limited space, which corner wasn't considered a frontline? If luck was on their side, any corner could be a death trap! This rural villa not only had a sturdy structure and comprehensive facilities but also was strategically located near Newport Harbor, the airport, and the troop assembly point. It facilitated the coordination of various units and allowed timely updates on the frontline situation—even if telephones and radios failed, sending a signalman would suffice!

Logan explained his thoughts briefly, and Dietrich, after some consideration, agreed.

Next, the two amiably discussed the deployment of air force and SS units. As long as the details didn't deviate from the original plan, Logan readily accepted Dietrich's established arrangements. Finally, lighting a cigarette, he expressed a sense of accomplishment, "Once all the airports are established, the true essence of the Fortress Plan will gradually emerge. This unsinkable aircraft carrier will give the German Air Force significant initiative in the battle for British air supremacy!"

"Hans, I've always been curious, does the Empire Air Force need the Isle of Wight as a stepping stone to win the aerial battle?" Dietrich's question represented the attitude of many traditional commanders. Even a considerable portion of the German Air Force commanders believed that with twice the number of aircraft compared to the British Air Force, winning the Battle of Britain was a foregone conclusion. Fortunately, Hermann Göring, the bumbling fool, temporarily stepped down from his position as the head of the Air Force. His temporary replacement, Kesselring, was a military talent with strategic foresight and relatively straightforward integrity. He accepted Logan's analysis of the air combat capabilities of both the British and German sides and promptly adjusted the attack deployment, giving full support to the "Fortress Plan"—something Logan wouldn't have dared to imagine during Göring's reign!

"It's not necessary, but the cost would be quite heavy! I'll explain this to you in detail sometime later!"

As Logan was speaking, Stephen received a paper report from a communications officer, glanced at it hastily, and reported to the two commanders, "British infantry has begun landing on the outskirts of Wootton Harbor! Lieutenant Jansen has withdrawn all his forces to the Wootton Harbor area!"

"Hmm, they've finally arrived!" Turning to Dietrich, Logan asked, "General, how about we lure them deeper?"

"You mean let the British troops occupy Wootton Harbor and then launch a beautiful counterattack while they're still off balance?"

Among the senior commanders of the SS, Dietrich was known for his aggressive nature. Given such an opportunity for battle, his eyes lit up.

"Exactly!" Logan explained while pointing at the map. "There's an ancient saying from the East: 'Attack when the enemy is halfway across.' It means it's better to attack the enemy while they're crossing the river rather than confront them directly. We can capitalize on the instability of their forward troops and the vulnerability of their rear forces still crossing the river. Our air force can't support us at night, and trying to stop them at the beachhead will only subject us to heavy naval bombardment from the British. So, let's set up a pocket and wait for their landing troops to come in. Our counterattack, if swift and decisive enough, will leave both armies mixed up, and the British fleet won't stand a chance!"

"Good, very good. Let's do it this way then!"

Dietrich almost instantly made the decision, perhaps having already resolved to give the British a hard time while he was still being tossed around by them at sea.

Subsequently, the mixed force of paratroopers and SS troops commanded by the unlucky Lieutenant Jansen continued to hold Wootton as bait. The British infantry landing at Fishbourne and Woodside needed to march a full three kilometers along the narrow bay to reach Wootton Harbor. If they couldn't secure the docks here, heavy equipment like tanks would have to build temporary bridges for direct landing, exposing them to intense bombing by the German air force until dawn. Moreover, the landing troops would find it difficult to push forward without tanks and heavy weapons. The Battle of East and West Coates had surely taught the British the astonishing power of the small armored units of the German Army!

Since the German Air Force couldn't operate at night, and the British couldn't conduct aerial reconnaissance either, Dietrich drew two armored companies and five infantry companies from his already landed troops to form a pincer movement. The left wing advanced from Newport to the west side of Wootton Harbor, while the right wing departed from Brighstone directly to the east side of Wootton Harbor. They would wait until the British landing troops at Wootton Harbor were exhausted from street fighting before launching a decisive counterattack, cutting off their retreat. If all went well, they could have a decisive battle in Wootton before dawn!

As the gunfire from the direction of Wootton Harbor gradually subsided, the German soldiers stationed at Coates and East Coates ports dared not slack off in the slightest. The sentries kept a vigilant eye on the sea outside the harbor, fearing that the mighty British fleet might suddenly erupt from the darkness with a deadly uproar. After a day of fighting, the paratroopers and SS soldiers were ready, but the faint starlight was not enough to reveal the periscope that was faintly visible on the water—a small, unidentified submarine slowly and quietly entered the mouth of the Medway River, not in a hurry to attack the unsuspecting German soldiers on the docks, but continued southward along the river until it reached a depth too shallow for submerged navigation, resurfacing to a semi-submerged state.

The submarine's conning tower, visible above the waterline, looked like a floating barrel from afar.

With Newport Harbor just a stone's throw away, more than a dozen guys wearing German-style helmets and uniforms quickly emerged from the "barrel." They swiftly unpacked the large bags fixed to the submarine deck and, armed with weapons, paddled quickly towards the shore. If one were to observe closely, they would notice among them not only army sergeants and lieutenants but also individuals dressed in pilot uniforms, albeit with few weapon variations. Aside from a few Mauser rifles and MP-38s, most seemed to be equipped with pistols—mostly Luger 08s. It's worth noting that in the German army, lower-ranking sergeants and ordinary soldiers usually didn't have access to such "high-end" equipment. After landing, these individuals concealed the inflatable rafts in the bushes and then disappeared into the darkness like agile cats.

Almost simultaneously, on the desolate coast of the northwest of the Isle of Wight, small units of British troops who had landed by motorboat or small torpedo boats also climbed up the several meters high sea cliffs using various tools. In addition to Webley revolvers and Lee-Enfield rifles, their weapons consisted mostly of bulky Thompson submachine guns—this American-made submachine gun had played more of a gangster role in the 1920s and 1930s and only gained significant attention from the military after the outbreak of the war. However, in 1940, compared to the US Army's 20,000 orders, the British government's 107,500 orders had the arms dealers ecstatic. Shortly after the fall of France, the first shipment of "Thompson" and a large quantity of guns and ammunition arrived in Britain, allowing the British expeditionary forces evacuated from Dunkirk to not face the Germans with just old hunting rifles...