Chapter 432 Parachute Drop

The German bombers carried out a massive bombardment over the southern region of Scotland.

The British Air Force remained timid, not daring to take to the skies for battle. The idle escort fighters dove from high altitudes, attacking any seemingly valuable targets on the ground with their mounted rockets or machine guns and cannons.

After two rounds of bombing, the third wave of bombers dropped a large number of mines.

The German air-dropped mines were mainly SD 2 bombs, which resembled butterflies after being deployed, hence the nickname "Butterfly Bombs"; they weighed about 2 kilograms each. These bombs were not used individually but were scattered in containers, typically holding 6 to 108 submunitions.

During World War II, Germany extensively dropped these bombs over Britain. Before deployment, an SD 2 Butterfly Bomb resembled a round can of pork. Ground crew had to install special containers under the aircraft to hold the SD 2 bombs. When the aircraft reached the target area, the Butterfly Bombs would be released, slowly fluttering down to the target area like butterflies.

These weapons caused severe damage to Britain. Unlike conventional bombs, the SD 2 did not explode upon impact but became highly sensitive trigger mines. Accidental contact with a Butterfly Bomb would result in a violent explosion, causing casualties within a radius of several dozen meters. Moreover, these Butterfly Bombs could be fitted with various types of explosives, including high-explosive and incendiary options.

Even the German Army was well aware of their potency, hence their nickname "the devil's eggs." The areas where they were dropped, even the German Army, would try to avoid entering.

For a time, these Butterfly Bombs caused great panic in Britain. The British government printed a large number of leaflets on how to deal with these bombs to teach the public how to avoid unnecessary casualties. Despite this, many civilians still lost their lives to these bombs.

A British officer who experienced World War II once said in his memoirs that these bombs were everywhere—on rooftops, beds, and even ceilings. Dealing with them relied solely on courage! Sometimes these bombs were also used as booby traps to slow down the repair work of cities after bombings.

Now, such Butterfly Bombs littered all the roads leading to Bumare.

An hour later, the Ju 52 transport planes carrying paratroopers arrived over Bumare. The pilot of the Ju 52 that Fred was on saw signal flares rising one after another ahead.

"It seems that's the place!" He pressed a button, and a red signal light in the cabin came on, accompanied by several shrill bell sounds.

Fred, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. "Stand up! Prepare to jump!"

All the soldiers stood up on the shaky plane, heavily laden with supplies, making it very difficult to get up. With mutual assistance, they finally managed to stand in the cramped cabin, and Fred forcefully opened the cabin door next to him.

Whoosh!

A bone-chilling cold wind poured into the cabin, causing everyone to shiver involuntarily.

Fred struggled to stabilize himself in the airflow and shouted, "Hook up the parachute release! Check and then report!"

"Ready!" The first soldier hooked the parachute release onto the cable above the cabin, pulled hard, and reported loudly. Then the second and third did the same, and soon after the last paratrooper reported readiness, the red light above the door turned green.

"Start jumping! Don't forget the technique!"

The first soldier jumped out of the cabin at his urging, followed by the second, then the third.

After confirming that everyone in the cabin had jumped, Fred also leaped forward, stepping out of the cabin door. All he could hear was the whooshing of the wind, and in a fraction of a second, he felt a great force tug at him. It was the sensation of the parachute hook attached to the plane pulling open the parachute under the force of the plane's flight and his body's descent.

White blossoms opened one after another in the sky, then formed a continuous expanse, dense and numerous.

As he got closer to the ground, he could clearly see the gathered British soldiers below, who were pointing at the paratroopers in the sky.

"Incredible!" All he could do now was pray that what the higher-ups had said was true; otherwise, they would have come specifically to be captured, becoming the enemy's Christmas gift.

Soon, his feet hit the ground hard, and before he could unhook his parachute, a gust of wind blew, dragging him four or five meters away. Fortunately, a quick-reacting British soldier nearby grabbed the wildly flapping parachute, allowing Fred to awkwardly stabilize himself and unhook the parachute.

"Thank you." Fred nodded in slight embarrassment to the British soldier who had helped him with his parachute, noticing a prominent scar on his face.

"You're welcome." The scarred man was Andrew. "I'm Andrew, the acting camp commander. Thank you for coming to support us in time."

Acting camp commander? Was he the one who led the mutiny?

Fred held the handle of his Skorpion submachine gun, looking around warily to ensure that the surrounding British soldiers had no hostile intentions before he relaxed slightly and spoke. "Commander Andrew, is there an airstrip here?"

Andrew shook his head. "No."

"Then we need to build one now. We need a flat area, about 500 meters long and 30 meters wide, as flat as possible; then compact it, the harder, the better."

"No problem." Andrew nodded and instructed a soldier nearby. "Adair, take a few men to find such a flat area, and report back when you find it."

Watching the British soldiers leave, Fred asked, "How's the defense here? A large number of British forces may soon come to attack this place." It felt odd to say this since these men were also British.

"We've taken control of the radio and cut the phone lines; the news shouldn't have gotten out yet. But your parachute drop must have been spotted," Andrew pointed to the surrounding mountains. "It would be quite difficult for the British main force to cross these mountains; to launch a large-scale attack, they would have to come from the front. We've dug an anti-tank ditch at the entrance to the town and two more trenches. Unfortunately, we don't have any anti-tank weapons here."

Fred replied, "We brought some anti-tank weapons; none of this will be a problem once the runway is built. What about the civilians in town?"

Andrew shrugged. "Most of the civilians in town are family members of these soldiers. What can they do now? Can they still turn against their own kin?"