273 Chapter 351 The V-3 Cannons

"Damn it! Damn it!"

In the Prime Minister's office at 10 Downing Street in London, the room was in chaos. Except for things that couldn't be smashed, almost everything else turned into a pile of wreckage. However, Churchill was still not relieved, muttering curses under his breath.

Due to the incident with the "New Jersey" liner, the UK faced condemnation from the entire world. No matter how the UK explained and defended itself, it felt like the more they explained, the less clear it became. After all, the Germans presented a heap of evidence: distress signals sent by the "New Jersey" liner before sinking, the bodies of victims riddled with bullet holes, ship debris, and the wreckage and sailors of the sunken British submarine.

There is an old saying, "facts speak louder than words." Relying solely on eloquence made it difficult to convince people. Moreover, the UK had done quite a few questionable things before: attacking the original ally, the French fleet, instigating Mussolini to assassinate the Italian king, and so on. It seemed entirely plausible for them to commit such an attack on a neutral country's liner.

The pressure from public opinion even caused the postponement of the equipment the United States was preparing to sell to the UK. This incident also implicated President Roosevelt, leading the US Congress to convene hearings to reconsider the modification of neutrality laws. The opposition party went crazy attacking Roosevelt, claiming that his foolish policies had caused the death of innocent American citizens.

Washington even saw demonstrations by the families of the victims, demanding that the US declare war on the UK and severely punish these damned murderers.

Of course, declaring war on the UK was impossible, but Churchill also knew that it would probably be a long time before they could buy anything from the US again.

After a hysterical vent, Churchill gradually calmed down. The incident had happened, and there was no way to reverse it. He somewhat tossed the matter aside, approached Dowding, and asked, "If the Germans really send planes to bomb us, can we hold our ground?" If they believed the German threats, London, with its population of millions, would descend into complete chaos, with traffic congestion being a major issue.

Dowding confidently assured, "Your Excellency, we have deployed the latest radar. If the Germans dare to offend, our pilots will surely make them regret it." After the losses and failures on the European continent, the UK's existing fighters were relatively advanced, with Hurricanes and Spitfires boasting high combat effectiveness.

Churchill eased his mind slightly and urged, "We must be on high alert and must not let a bomb fall on London."

Little did they know that Wilhelm intended to bomb London, not with planes but with large cannons.

This is not a wild fantasy. In the late stages of the war in the original timeline, as the Allies' air raids on Europe increased, Germany fervently sought solutions to make the distant British experience the terror of bombardment again.

The V-3 super cannon was born out of this pursuit. It is a multi-stage artillery, assembled by connecting multiple gun barrels together. When in use, these barrels are arranged with a certain angle on a slope, with the optimal angle being 55 degrees. The barrels form a multi-sectioned shape from bottom to top, with a powder chamber on both sides of each section. Many sections are connected together, resembling a multi-sectioned centipede. When firing, the bottommost powder chamber is ignited first, initiating the projectile's movement. As the projectile rapidly passes through the powder chambers of each section, each section's powder chamber ignites in sequence, continually accelerating the projectile. This way, an 83-kilogram projectile can achieve an initial velocity of 1800 meters per second, with a maximum range of 300 kilometers. Bombarding London is naturally within its capability. It is said that after the cannon is operational, it could launch 600 tons of projectiles towards London every day.

In September 1943, the British and American air forces discovered the V-3 cannon launch site. In November of the same year, the US 9th Air Force carried out a destructive bombing of the launch site, causing the experimental work to pause for a while. However, due to the protection of 6-meter-thick concrete structures, the V-3 cannon suffered no damage.

In March 1944, the US Air Force again bombed the V-3 launch site. Although the launch site suffered only minor damage, the experiments could still proceed as usual. Afterward, the project accelerated, with about 60% of the V-3 cannon's launch slope completed. The projectile loading machinery was also installed, gradually approaching the live firing stage.

The Allies were unaware of what the Germans were up to in that area but confirmed it as a highly important military facility for the Germans. To deal with this, the British Royal Air Force decided to send Lancaster bombers carrying the latest 5.4-ton super bombs to bombard the V-3 cannon launch site.

On July 6, 1944, the V-3 launch site was severely damaged, with one launch slope completely destroyed. Shortly after, the Calais area was occupied by the Allies.

After occupying Calais, the Allies discovered the V-3 cannon launch site and were astonished by this new type of weapon. Long before the fall of Berlin, a senior Allied general inspected the V-3 launch site and exclaimed, "If the V-3 plan were implemented, it would undoubtedly destroy London." Shortly afterward, the launch site was destroyed by the Allies.

"What about the defense of the V-3 cannon base?" Once the V-3 cannon starts raining projectiles on the British mainland, the British will undoubtedly try every means to destroy this launch base. The most convenient and expedient method would be to send planes for bombing.

"There are already three anti-aircraft positions arranged there, with four field airfields nearby, deploying 200 fighter planes. It can be said to be foolproof."

If the British intend to air raid the V-3 cannon base, it will turn into a trap for themselves.

Wilhelm nodded in satisfaction. "Have Dr. Goebbels use the radio to inform the citizens of London. Tell them that we will begin bombing London tonight at eight o'clock, and advise them to leave the city and seek refuge elsewhere."

"Yes!"

At the V-3 cannon base in the Calais area:

A messenger hurriedly entered the office of Kunda, the overall supervisor of the V-3 cannon. "Report, Your Highness has ordered the bombardment of London tonight at eight o'clock!"

Kunda, who was discussing cannon data with his assistant, pounded the desk in excitement. "Excellent! Is all the launching preparation completed?"

The assistant was equally excited. "It was finished the day before yesterday, just waiting for His Highness's order."

Kunda instructed, "While there's still time, go check it again. I don't want any issues with the years of effort we've put into this."

"Sure, I'll go immediately." After the assistant left the office excitedly, Kunda walked to the window, gazing at the ten V-3 cannons arranged along the slope in the distance. He sighed, "Truly an outstanding work of art!"

In the original timeline, due to the Allies' air superiority, the V-3 cannon had to be constructed in underground tunnels. The launch platform had to be covered with a 6-meter reinforced concrete protective layer to ensure that the cannon wouldn't be damaged by bombings.

Now, with the German Air Force being arguably the world's best, the V-3 cannon didn't need any protective layers. It was boldly arranged along the slope at a certain angle, pointing towards England, without any camouflage.