Chapter 33 Hated Giant Ships and Big Guns

After the fourth round of roaring from the two 88mm cannons, there wasn't a single intact Somua S35 left in sight. Yet, as Logan turned around, he saw Pet still commanding the gunners to load shells.

"What is he doing? Using 88mm guns against FT-17s? It's like using a rifle to shoot ants, a waste of ammunition!" Logan's puzzlement was quickly answered: in just a moment, the two heavy guns fired in unison, but the shells didn't head directly for armored targets; instead, they exploded mid-air several tens of meters away from the French troops!

This...

The paratrooper officer stood dumbfounded, not by the beauty of the "fireworks," but by the countless fragments that burst forth after the explosion. Propelled by inertia and the force of the explosion, the high-speed rotating shrapnel scattered forward like bullets. In an instant, a vast area of land and the French infantry upon it were enveloped in the cloak of death!

Several seconds passed, and equally astonished Stephenberg sighed, "They're using delayed fuses, attacking infantry as if they were planes... My God, it's brilliant! This is even more effective than scattering shrapnel grenades!"

As amazement gradually turned into admiration, Logan finally understood why Dieterich had "stolen" Pet from the Wehrmacht: this guy was truly a genius in artillery tactics!

However, the French forces committed to the assault seemed to have resolved to fight to the death. Even as their tanks were destroyed one after another and their infantry fell under the fire of the German artillery, the survivors continued to advance toward the German positions — in order to preserve their dignity, they threw themselves into the arms of death without hesitation!

At 1000 meters, the soldiers in the German positions were chambering rounds; at 800 meters, the German soldiers were aiming intently; at 600 meters, the long-silent trenches erupted with a dense barrage of gunfire, the sounds of MG34s and Mauser 98Ks blending together, composing an unusually crisp battlefield symphony!

Watching this scene, Logan knew that the battle had turned into a one-sided slaughter! He even saw Dieterich leave Jankel's headquarters and walk towards the 88mm gun crews, perhaps intending to commend these outstanding gunners in advance?

Minutes later, the sounds of gunfire on the positions resembled a passionate bed scene, reaching a climax before quickly tapering off, eventually falling completely silent, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

In the wilderness ahead, not a single moving figure could be seen, reminding Logan of a movie he had watched many years ago about the Battle of Changban: seemingly formidable Takeda cavalry almost completely perished under the volley of Oda-Tokugawa allied forces, and when the last cavalryman who had lost his horse looked around, his eyes were filled with confusion, fear, and despair...

Just when everyone thought this noisy night would end with a total retreat of the Allies, a strange whistling sound suddenly came from the sky, somewhat resembling a Stuka dive, yet also like a boiling kettle, disturbing the deep calm of the soul.

"Damn!" Stephenberg exclaimed, and just then, Pet, standing not far away, shouted loudly:

"Artillery barrage! It's the enemy's heavy artillery! Everyone, be careful!"

"Heavy artillery?" Logan stood still, listening to the sound, which seemed to come from the direction of Dunkirk. But didn't they see any Allied heavy artillery there yesterday?

Before the rookie lieutenant could think any further, three huge fireballs rose successively from the wilderness to the northwest. Amidst the deafening explosions, the ground underfoot could be distinctly felt shaking!

"Oh my God!" Logan was dumbfounded. The explosions happened at least a kilometer away, yet their momentum was far stronger than the bombs dropped by Stukas. How big were those guns?

As the smoke from the previous explosions rose, the piercing steam whistle sound could be heard again! Under the stunned gaze of the German officers and soldiers, similarly massive fireballs rose from the slightly eastward fields, the tremendous roar still deafening!

"God, it's the British battleships! Quick, take cover, their artillery fire will be here soon! The outer perimeter of the British troops must be guiding them with marker rounds!" Pet shouted in terror.

"Those are battleships?" Logan asked Stephenberg.

"Unfortunately... yes! Damn British battleships!" The lieutenant spat, "Even if they're old ships, we're powerless!"

Suddenly, Logan remembered the hugely popular World War II alternate history novel "Resurrection of the Battle in the Third Reich" from many years ago. He remembered the protagonist deliberately luring British naval battleships closer to Dunkirk, then inflicting heavy blows with fortress guns, railway guns, and artillery using extended-range shells, ultimately finishing them off with torpedo bombers, not only breaking the backbone of the British navy but also capturing some warships. That was definitely the most exciting naval and land battle he had ever read about!

Unlike the young Deputy Chancellor named "Xu Jun," Logan now was just a negligible little shrimp. Even if he were given command of the entire Chancellor's Guard, he couldn't replicate such a miracle — he couldn't even catch a glimpse of the enemy warships!

"Take cover, quickly! Secure your soldiers and equipment, especially ammunition and fuel! Hurry, move!" Under Dieterich's command, everyone was busy, and it seemed only Logan and his assistant were left idle. Although he knew he shouldn't disturb at this time, Logan couldn't help but find a moment to ask, "Can I help with anything?"

Dieterich stared at him for two seconds, "Follow my guard squad!"

Although it was called a squad, forty-six sturdy, blond young men in SS uniforms and eight brand-new armored vehicles were bound to make many army commanders of the same rank envy. It could be imagined that this small but elite force was one of the focal points of attention at every parade!

Explosions came in waves, like a giant swinging a big stick, gradually approaching the town step by step. Logan quickly gathered his four paratroopers who were still fit for combat. They first helped transfer the wounded onto vehicles and then hurried towards the headquarters set up to the east of the town.

Amidst the sharp steam whistle and the roaring explosions, some hurried figures could now be seen in the otherwise empty town. On the way to the headquarters, Logan accidentally collided with someone running diagonally towards him.

"Hey, watch it!" Logan bore no ill will; in the midst of a great battle, getting into conflict with one's own people was absolutely foolish, especially when the other person was lighter and fell harder than oneself!

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" The other person apologized repeatedly before even getting up.

Logan reached out to help him up. The tall, thin young man was wearing a Waffen-SS uniform, and he even wore round glasses on his nose!

The SS recruited nearsighted people?

Seeing the camera hanging around his neck, Logan suddenly understood: he was a war correspondent attached to the army!

"Oh, are you an Air Force officer? A lieutenant? So... you're Lieutenant Hans Logan?" The young man with glasses asked in surprise after seeing Logan's uniform and insignia.

"That's me!" Logan replied calmly.

"Oh, it's really you! I thought you had already returned to the rear! I never expected that I could interview you. Could I? It's mainly about the raid on the British command post and disrupting the British deployment..."

"Ahem... How did you come to know about this classified information?" Logan asked cautiously.

"Hehe... Let me introduce myself, I'm Mentz Borges, a senior embedded journalist assigned by the Imperial Propaganda Department!" The bespectacled man quickly showed Logan the ID card hanging around his neck, then added, "The SS headquarters has granted me special battlefield interview rights, so..."

Although Logan had no prior interaction with media personalities, he didn't particularly like them: "Well, regardless of whether you obtained this information legally or not, the situation is really critical right now. You'd better find a place to hide! Keep a low profile!"

With that said, Logan continued on his way to the headquarters with his paratroopers. The bespectacled man didn't make any fuss, but quietly followed behind them. It seemed like he had identified Logan as his next interview target, and he was willing to become an annoying tagalong if it meant achieving that goal!