Chapter 29 Surrender, or Swim Back to England

Every time the British landing forces were pushed back to the dock area, Logan would unleash a barrage of mortar and infantry fire, causing havoc. Then, he would orderly withdraw his troops, waiting for the next wave of British infantry to land after a fierce bombardment from British warships. However, pure infantry assaults were no match for the German forces with armored vehicles and high-density firepower in urban combat. When the British infantry's assault weakened, Logan would wave his hand and launch a counterattack again. The fierce tug-of-war battles in the past had become a skillful chess game in the hands of this commander who had recently graduated from the rookie level.

After repeated cycles, the casualties of the British in East Cowes Harbor had approached a thousand, while the Germans had only lost a few dozen soldiers and an armored vehicle. Even this partial loss was completely compensated for with the arrival of the second batch of Waffen-SS soldiers from the Newport direction.

When the tanks retreated for the third time to the east of the harbor under the cover of armored vehicles and infantry, Logan finally learned from Garland that several British ships in the outer harbor had been attacked. Since Stuka did not participate in the attack on this side, and there were no long-range artillery deployed on the Isle of Wight, Logan naturally thought of the German submarines. Having had the experience of narrowly escaping death in the later stages of Operation Dagger, Logan already had a good impression of the German Navy's submarine force. After the launch of this operation plan, the two influential figures in the Navy, Raeder and Donitz, did not say much idle talk and dispatched all available submarines in the waters near the homeland. It should be noted that the British had deployed underwater anti-submarine nets at the mouth of the Dover Strait, making vigilance extremely tight. German submarines, as well as the destroyers, minesweepers, and torpedo boats participating in this operation, entered the strait at great risk!

Of course, under the leadership of the "Three Musketeers," the efficiency of the German Air Force also improved significantly: the landing fleet still maintained its main body, and General Richthofen's dive bombers also played a huge role. According to the battle report from the Air Force headquarters, the 8th Air Force dispatched more than 1,500 sorties in the first 10 hours after the battle started, with an average of each aircraft flying two and a half times. This was not only a great test for the pilots but also meant a considerable burden for the ground crew. The performance of the 3rd Fighter Squadron, transferred from the 26th Fighter Wing and commanded by Adolf Garland, was particularly surprising. Adolf Garland alone had shot down eight British operational aircraft, bringing his total personal record to 20! The entire squadron, at the cost of losing seven fighter planes, shot down or damaged 61 British fighters, bombers, and reconnaissance aircraft, setting a record for the battle damage ratio since the outbreak of the British air battle!

Having received this information, Logan lit up another cigarette in a relaxed mood, waiting for those foolish British infantrymen to come knocking again. However, this time the Brits seemed to be gathering at the dock for a long time. During this period, two "Gladiator" planes flew in low along the broken streets, but Logan ignored them. In just a few minutes, more than ten Bf-109E fighters escorted a squadron of Stukas from the Newport direction, driving away the annoying Gladiators and enlivening the atmosphere on the bay side. The anti-aircraft guns on the ships pounded incessantly, and the black smoke in the sky quickly formed into patches. The landing fleet entering the harbor also became lively. After a few minutes, the Stukas, having found their targets, screamed down from thousands of meters in the sky. Their 50 kg bombs under the wings and the round 250 kg bomb under the fuselage were quite deadly for ordinary transport ships and light warships. Moreover, these black birds had surprisingly high accuracy in bombing during steep dives!

The slow-moving transport ships in the harbor were the first to suffer. Four Stukas successively dropped bombs. Among the huge white water columns were mixed black smoke and fragments of ships, and the deafening explosions completely overwhelmed the cries of the British sailors!

The British destroyers and minesweepers lurking at the mouth of the bay finally paid the price for their long-standing arrogance. Their naval guns, used to bombard German troops ashore, appeared powerless against the bombing of the German Air Force. A bomb hit the front deck of a destroyer, and the intense explosion penetrated the top defense layer of the ammunition depot on board, followed by a sacrificial explosion, which shocked the onlookers!

After a swift and efficient bombing, the German aircraft group departed triumphantly, and Logan and his soldiers applauded.

Just as the commotion on the sea surface subsided, some sounds finally came from the rubble heap that had been silent for a while. German paratroopers guarding the front in panic shouted: "British tanks!"

Tanks?

Logan subconsciously glanced at the No. 4 tank hidden behind the ruins. Since the airdrop, it had only encountered one British "colleague," and it was not even in the same league. This time, finally, there was a chance to meet a worthy opponent?

"Matilda, it's Matilda!" the paratrooper responsible for vigilance shouted again.

This time, in addition to picking up the binoculars, Logan also deliberately looked at the two "Thor's Hammer" not far away. The second batch of Waffen-SS convoys brought rocket launchers and new rocket launchers, and in the priority of airborne equipment, Logan unhesitatingly classified them as the most important category!

The original intention of developing the "Iron Fist." Wasn't it to deal with Allied tanks?

Thinking of this, he felt relieved.

The armored vehicles and infantry withdrew, the tanks were on standby, and the "Thor's Hammer" lay in ambush.

With the arrival of the second batch of Waffen-SS convoys, which brought three 75mm infantry guns, Logan had already deployed five of these artillery pieces with a range of up to 3.7 kilometers around East Cowes Harbor. Although there was still a big gap between this and the powerful artillery group he had envisioned to break the British fleet, it was more than enough to carry out leapfrog shooting against the attacking British forces.

The rare sustained shelling made the British commanders somewhat puzzled, but amidst the flames and smoke of the exploding shells, the figures of British tanks still appeared on the streets littered with rubble and debris. Logan almost recognized the type of tank from the gunner's mirror: Matilda II.

Frontal armor thickness exceeds 80+?

Hmph, the smirk at the corner of Logan's mouth had almost become his personal symbol.

Relying on their powerful defense, the Matilda IIs advanced steadily. The mortar shells that fell nearby hardly affected their thick armor. Since the German artillery was out of sight, the previously arrogant German armored vehicles and infantry had disappeared without a trace. The 2-pounder guns on the turrets of the "Battlefield Queens" seemed idle, and as they moved forward with a crunching sound, the dark muzzles of their guns also moved slightly left and right in the narrow alleyways.

Known as infantry tanks, they were always accompanied by "great" infantry during their operations. However, due to the German infantry cannon's rapid fire, this time the British infantry was slightly farther away from the tanks—some daring ones followed closely behind the Matilda tanks, but once a shell landed on the flank or rear, they fell in droves!

300 meters?

Logan calmly had the accompanying paratroopers retract their field glasses and took cover behind the ruins, while the mortar team hidden behind the large warehouse began firing. In the complex environment of urban warfare, even experienced soldiers found it difficult to determine the location of the mortar launchers amidst the high-angle mortar rounds!

200 meters?

Logan signaled for the "Sledgehammer Troopers" beside him to prepare for combat, ready to act on his command. While the "Iron Fist" was formidable, its lower version's effective range was only a pitiful 50 meters; however, once it became a true RPG, both its range and power would greatly increase!

100 meters?

The two MG-34s deployed nearby opened fire, mowing down a group of British infantry trying to closely follow the tanks. Before the British tanks could clumsily rotate their turrets, the German machine gun teams swiftly changed positions, allowing the bullets to blindly pelt the collapsed houses and damaged flower beds.

50 meters? 50 meters!

Logan calmly drew his Luger 08 from its holster. To him, it was an exquisite signaling pistol, though somewhat underutilized. Nonetheless, it was much better than those never-used weapons or those used only for wanton killing!

Bang! Bang!

Logan fired two more shots into the air. While the soldiers further away might not have heard clearly, seeing the nearby "Sledgehammer Troopers" leaping out of cover and firing at the British tanks on the street, they wouldn't lag behind either!

Compared to the cacophony of gunfire nearby, the "Iron Fist" fired quietly. Before the "Fortress Operation" began, Logan had added a course for the newly formed special airborne regiment on the use of the "Iron Fist" anti-tank rocket launcher. Technicians dispatched by Krupp separately instructed on the correct posture and operating procedures, particularly cautioning the soldiers that due to the "Iron Fist's" current power, attacking the tanks from the side, rear, or tracks would be much more effective than a frontal assault!

Despite the limited time and the limited number of newly produced rockets, the German soldiers in combat could only explore the ballistic characteristics of this weapon in real battles. At this moment, the benefits of Logan's previously extravagant "Sledgehammer Troopers" became apparent: Over a dozen "Iron Fist" rockets fired in succession, successfully immobilizing the leading two Matilda II tanks. The two large iron lumps instantly became obstacles left by the British themselves. The tanks that followed had to detour around them, exposing their weakest undercarriages to the German anti-tank shooters. Like a hedgehog revealing its belly to the enemy, death was not far behind!

Logan turned his head and witnessed a brave paratrooper raising his "Iron Fist," aiming slightly and firing at a Matilda II approximately 30 meters ahead, trying to climb over an obstacle. The rocket hit the left track directly. The "Battle Queen" immediately began to rotate counterclockwise like a half-paralyzed patient, irreversibly exposing her left side to more "Sledgehammer Troopers." Another paratrooper decisively attacked; at this distance, the massive 5.6-meter-long, 2.5-meter-high tank was a quite ideal target!

The rocket hit the lower part of the turret. The intense explosion made people 30 meters away cover their ears in agony. A large ball of flame almost instantly engulfed the front-middle part of the tank, thick black smoke billowing from the blast point. Upon closer inspection, smoke was also emanating from the top cover!

In a few minutes, out of the nine British tanks charging furiously, four were crippled, two were destroyed, and three hesitated between advance and retreat. In an instant, numerous German infantry magically emerged from the farther ruins, MG-34s roaring like uncontrollable beasts. The legendary Number IV tank, dropped by parachute, rumbled out from behind a warehouse that hadn't completely collapsed yet. Dealing with the front armor of the Matilda II with its short-barreled 75mm tank gun would be troublesome, but armor-piercing shells could still penetrate other parts of their armor. As for the armor of Matilda I and "Covenant" (MkV) tanks or any previous cruiser tanks (MKI, II, III, IV), it could easily be pierced at close range!

Within two minutes, the continuously adjusted German IV tank fired four rounds in succession, blowing up two British cruiser tanks moving, destroying one immobilized Matilda II due to track damage, then engaging in a splendid duel with another immobilized Matilda II— the 2-pounder gun (40mm caliber) of the British tank was defeated by the armor-piercing shell of the IV tank's frontal armor, and the 75mm armor-piercing shell of the IV tank also failed to penetrate the opponent's vehicle armor. The final blow came from the "Sledgehammer Troopers" charging diagonally under machine gun cover, as a rear-fired anti-tank rocket destroyed this inexpensive yet distinctive British infantry tank.

As the last British tank caught fire and burned, the German armored vehicle combat group, unable to confront enemy tanks head-on, returned to the battlefield. As if to vent the frustration of hiding helplessly, their machine guns and firepower were particularly fierce. Under the glorious illumination of the IV tank, the morale-high German infantry charged forward bravely, driving all the British infantry back to the docks!

This time, Logan no longer stopped politely. Seeing the intense German air raids on the British ships and transports outside the harbor, he seized the opportunity and ordered all combat units to continue pushing towards the docks!

Just as in tactics on the field, resolute defense required full dedication, and decisive oppression demanded everyone's wholehearted involvement! The valiant German warriors, facing the British hail of bullets, advanced relentlessly, and advanced again without hesitation!

When the Germans' proudest achievement—the IV D-type tank—rumbled into the street closest to the docks by 1940, the British infantrymen who had withdrawn to the docks and quaysides, all injured, terrified, and soulless, looked at the hundreds of German soldiers swarming in like extraterrestrial monsters. In their eyes, besides fear, there was despair: The last ships to return home were either sunk or hastily departed. Faced with the swarming German armored vehicles and infantry, they had no choice.

Surrender, or swim back to England!