Chapter 36: Survival in Peril

"Everyone take your positions, prepare to fire!"

On the bridge, Logan, dressed in the uniform of a British naval lieutenant, shouted loudly. Thomas Miller and his paratrooper gun crew were still responsible for the 76mm gun on the foredeck. They had displayed remarkable performance during the battle, sinking another British minesweeper in the Port of Bombay. However, it was uncertain how effective the naval gun would be against aerial targets. Handling the quad-mounted anti-aircraft machine guns on the aft deck was Lenzin Fritz, Logan's former subordinate. He was skilled in operating various machine guns, as well as driving motorcycles and cars, making him a versatile member of the paratrooper unit. Three soldiers manned each of the machine guns mounted on either side of the ship—one for firing and two for reloading. In total, the ship had four anti-aircraft positions, but overall, its air defense capabilities were still lacking.

Seeing that the soldiers were ready, Logan briskly walked into the wheelhouse and asked the submarine helmsman, Falkenberg, if he had any ingenious tactics for air combat.

"Release smoke, maneuver quickly, and return fire with all we've got!" The helmsman's response was succinct but conventional. As he spoke, he rapidly turned the ship's wheel. Moments later, a bomb fell near the starboard bow, causing another deafening explosion and sending up a towering column of water that washed over the ship's deck and bridge, cleansing them in a torrential downpour.

"Release the smoke!" Logan ordered through gritted teeth. He had seen footage in documentaries of warships repelling air attacks with smoke screens released from their funnels and specially designed smoke canisters. However, doing so would reveal their intention to escape.

Falkenberg freed his right hand and grabbed the handset of the ship's internal communication system. "Dick, release the hot smoke, use fuel to release hot smoke! Hurry!"

Although Logan was ignorant of naval combat tactics, upon his return to the bridge, he soon noticed thick black smoke billowing from the ship's funnel. In a matter of moments, the massive cloud obscured the stern of the vessel.

Logan was relieved that this was an era before the existence of organizations like Greenpeace, which might protest against air pollution. However, his relief was short-lived as he spotted something dark plummeting towards them through the smoke. The sheer force of impact from whatever it was threatened to send everyone to meet their maker!

Was this to be their final stand? Logan's heart sank at the thought.

Fortunately, unlike missiles, bombs of that era lacked precision guidance technology. Under the control of the German submariners, the British minesweeper made a desperate evasive maneuver, causing the bomb to miss by several meters.

However, the tremendous force of the bomb's explosion caused the entire ship to shudder!

Clutching the railing on the bridge, Logan held on tight to avoid being thrown off balance by the violent motion. Nonetheless, he still experienced the full force of a sea battle, with his military cap flying off and his once-neat uniform drenched and clinging to him like a wet rag.

Frustrated by the ordeal, Logan shouted, "Fire! Shoot them down!"

Sometimes, nerves pushed too far could turn into resentment, and the German officers and soldiers on board were no exception. Upon hearing their commander's command, they immediately manned the ship's guns and machine guns and unleashed a barrage of fire, shattering the monotony of the battlefield with deafening blasts. Red flashes streaked towards the audacious monoplanes in the near sky. At that moment, most of the people on board prayed fervently for the enemy planes to be shot down, but even experienced paratroopers were novices on a ship. Without unified command, the ship's guns and machine guns attacked nearby enemies individually, lacking the concentrated and precise firepower needed to effectively combat the British bombers.

The one who truly saved the fate of the minesweeper was Falkenberg, calmly steering the ship in the wheelhouse. Whether his superiors witnessed the scene or not, they might regret not promoting him earlier to submarine captain—Logan reckoned he could handle that role too!

The four Blenheim light bombers carried a total of twelve aerial bombs, with only nine actually intended for the attack on the minesweeper after accounting for those used for warnings. Moreover, the effectiveness of horizontal bombers against ships moving at full speed had long been debated. In the Mediterranean, the Italian Air Force had launched a massive air raid with over a hundred bombers against a British fleet, but the result only lightly damaged British aircraft carriers and battleships, squandering a golden opportunity to inflict serious damage on the enemy!

Torpedo bombers and dive bombers were undoubtedly better options, but not every country had good torpedo bombers and dive bombers hastily thrown into war. In this regard, the Germans had a slight advantage with the outstanding performance of the Stuka.

Perhaps because the minesweeper was unmistakably of British origin and still flew the St. George's flag on its mast, or perhaps because they had seldom participated in true naval attacks before, the British pilots generously dropped seven bombs far away, with only two becoming near misses posing some threat. After dropping the bombs, they seemed somewhat reluctant and attempted strafing with machine guns. However, the quad-mounted heavy-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns on the minesweeper proved to be formidable weapons in close combat. The British pilots not only failed to achieve their goal but were almost shot down themselves. In the end, they could only return home with regret.

As Logan narrowly escaped disaster, he received a report from the lower deck: a near miss had caused a breach in the ship's hull, and seawater was flooding into three compartments on the lower deck. Experienced submariners were working hard to plug the leaks, but they must do their utmost to avoid similar injuries in the future, or they would have to row back to the European mainland in small boats!

Frustrated, Logan instructed his subordinates to continue sending messages urging headquarters to coordinate with the air force to provide cover. However, the disappointing reply came: due to logistical constraints, the air force fighters would only be able to take off within half an hour.

Half an hour! Logan sighed deeply. In that time, the British could send several more waves of bombers. What awaited them next?

In such circumstances, he felt more and more like the whole affair was part of a vast and covert conspiracy. Upon reflection, besides Hermann Goering, who else would have the motive and capability to set such a trap?

So, Logan sought out Mentz Borges, the special correspondent of the Imperial Propaganda Department. The bespectacled man had been "interviewing" captured British officers and soldiers in the lower compartments. It seemed he intended to create a propaganda report portraying the POWs, allowing the entire German populace to savor the unconventional pleasure of victory.

"Do you know the Air Marshal?"

"Logan asked.

"I should know quite a bit, why?" Borges seemed quite surprised by the timing of the question.

"Tell me everything you know, the more, the better!" Logan said earnestly. As the saying goes, knowing oneself and knowing the enemy, one can win a hundred battles without danger. His previous understanding of Hermann Goering was limited to a few absolute derogatory terms like 'arrogant, conceited, ignorant.'