Chapter 44: Making Cann

Under the baking of the propellant, the originally cool air gradually warmed up. After ten minutes of shelling, Logan wiped his forehead and temples with a handkerchief for the second time. There wasn't much sweat, but the white handkerchief was stained with some black ash.

The true purpose of the artillery observation mirror should be for observing the effects of the shelling from a distance. However, since the German positions were located on a hill about two meters above the plain, running east to west, from this position, only the flames and smoke from the exploding shells could be seen. As for whether the shells caused bloodshed among the British infantry, that information could only be obtained firsthand from the field command post located in the forward area via wireless radio.

Seventeen Type 18 105mm howitzers were dispersed across the large artillery position. These were the main artillery pieces of the German Army. The gunners repeated the action of loading, firing, and extracting the breech, sweating profusely. Once calibrated, the firing parameters could remain constant, but even slight differences in propellant could cause variations in the impact points of shells fired under the same conditions. This was what the veterans meant when they said, "Once a shell hole is created, the second shell won't fall into it."

"There's a joke: which branch of the military is the most tragic? The artillery—cuckolded, blamed, and only able to watch others fight!" Watching the busy gunners, Logan whimsically translated this Chinese-style joke into German to express its meaning. However, the surrounding officers looked at each other, completely unaware of what this young commander was talking about.

Folding the handkerchief neatly and tucking it into his pocket, Logan reluctantly changed the subject, saying, "Alright, guys, can we stop the shelling now?"

"Almost!"

The burly SS major, Petter Erhoff, finally tore his gaze away from another pair of binoculars mounted on a tripod. He glanced at his watch, then turned to the soldier standing nearby, holding a blue flag in one hand and a red flag in the other, and said, "Heidler, ceasefire!"

The soldier with the erect posture waved the small flags in his hands. Each howitzer had a gun captain responsible for command. Upon seeing this signal, they immediately issued instructions to the gunners. A few seconds later, the 105mm howitzer positioned furthest to the east of the position let out its final roar, followed by complete silence on the battlefield.

Petter calmly issued a second command: "Everyone, move out!"

Without using high explosive charges, the Type 18 105mm howitzers had a maximum range of 11 kilometers, whereas the 8-inch guns on British heavy cruisers had a range of 28 kilometers, 6-inch guns on light cruisers had a range of 23 kilometers, and 4-inch guns on destroyers had a range of 18 kilometers. This meant that the British fleet at sea could conduct covering fire on the German artillery positions beyond the range of the howitzers. If the Germans had placed their howitzers in sturdy concrete bunkers, they might endure the British naval bombardment, but temporary dugouts would provide no effective protection for the guns and gunners against artillery fire.

The soldiers waved their small flags again, using the primitive but highly effective means of communication to relay the orders to each gun position. Trucks and armored vehicles parked nearby quickly started up, and the eight members of each howitzer crew worked together to hoist the nearly 2-ton heavy guns onto their mounts, then packed up the surplus ammunition and supplies. In less than a quarter of an hour, all seventeen howitzers, along with all the gunners, were timely withdrawn, leaving only pockmarks all over the ground. If this were the age of cold weapons, perhaps spikes could be inserted into the pits and wooden boards placed on top to create large-scale trap formations.

"Your soldiers are very efficient!"

Sitting in a half-tracked armored vehicle driving at full speed, Logan said emphatically to Petter, the artillery expert who Dietrich admired the most. This colonel had already demonstrated his outstanding command ability during the Battle of Arras. Although Logan was somewhat itching to interfere, he had to bury his affection in his heart due to Dietrich's much higher rank and his much closer relationship with Petter. Now that the "Leader of Fanatics" had been seriously injured, Logan was in command of the "Führer Guard Battalion" landing on the island, and it was natural for him to take this opportunity to cultivate relationships.

Petter grinned, revealing his two prominent canines, and answered Logan's question with another question: "Although both of our transport ships carrying Type 18 150mm howitzers sank, it doesn't matter, as their combat effectiveness is actually not as good as the Type 18 105mm howitzers... Colonel, have you ever thought of using armor-piercing shells and anti-tank high-explosive shells on howitzers to deal with warships?"

The young Knight's Cross recipient shook his head. "Pet, you know I'm clueless when it comes to artillery!"

The SS major, wearing the Knight's Cross First Class on his chest, looked at his companion sheepishly. "Colonel, you're always so modest. But I really can't figure out how an officer who knows nothing about artillery would think of using an 88mm flak gun to deal with tanks. Is it just based on hearsay from the Spanish Civil War?"

Logan shrugged. "But that's exactly how it happened!"

Pet shook his head. "Alright, alright! Colonel Logan, please take a look at this map!"

In the swaying compartment, Pet gestured while looking at a waterproof map made of parchment. "British naval commanders are adept at exploiting the range advantage of their ship cannons. At the moment, unless we position our howitzers in the harbor, we can't even get close to their fur. But they can easily bombard us!"

"Yeah, the disparity is indeed significant!"

At this moment, Logan had no idea how far the naval guns of British warships could reach. He had recently brushed up on his knowledge of air force equipment, but naval matters were still mostly unknown to him. If he could go back to his own time now, even if it was just for a day, he could use the wonders of the internet to gather all the information he needed. However, in the midst of World War II, he found that not only were the data about his adversaries restricted, but much of the equipment and technology of his own country's other branches of the military were also kept strictly confidential.

"While I was in Portsmouth, I looked at a few aerial photos provided by the Air Force, taken outside Portsmouth Harbor yesterday afternoon. Cruisers, destroyers, gunboats, transport ships... there must be at least a hundred different types of ships! Oh, the British are the British, they lack nothing in terms of ships! By the way, did two heavy cruisers slip into Southampton this morning?" Pet asked thoughtfully.

Logan was not unfamiliar with these numbers, but Pet's use of the word "slip" left him somewhat speechless. After all, this was still British territory. Who would "slip" into their own backyard?

"Well, they were hit by our bombers, but it's hard to judge the extent of their damage. They might return to the sea tonight and shell our positions! According to the pilots' identifications... they should be a Kent-class and a Hawkins-class!" Although these treaty-class heavy cruisers were generally considered no match for the German Navy's Deutschland-class armored ships in a one-on-one scenario, their weak armor did not prevent them from using their 7.5 or 8-inch guns to bombard targets on the Isle of Wight from a distance. Currently, apart from calling for bombers, the defending German forces seemed to have no more effective means of counterattack. This also meant that once night fell, German soldiers could only cower in their trenches like poor mice, dodging the bombardment of the British fleet!

"Have you thought about completely taking them out, or at least... giving them a taste of their own medicine?" Pet looked at the map and suggested.

Logan didn't think much about Pet's cryptic question and responded pragmatically, "As long as they dare to leave the harbor during the day, our Stukas won't miss the opportunity. But I'm worried that after being hit in the morning, they'll only come out at night from now on. And the large number of barrage balloons and anti-aircraft guns around Southampton Harbor hinder the Stukas from conducting dive bombing. High-altitude bombing is unlikely to be effective. Torpedo attacks... I mentioned it to Admiral Heyer before, but he felt that the chances of success were very slim!"

Vice Admiral Hermes Heyer was the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the German Navy, responsible for coordinating and deploying naval forces in the "Fortress Plan." Logan had dealt with him several times. The "Mask Tactics" were implemented through this energetic young naval officer, and it was precisely because of this novel maritime tactic that Pet and his gunners safely arrived at the Isle of Wight. Otherwise, according to the initial speculation of the German naval officers, apart from the surprise attack on the first day, the subsequent maritime transportation would have to suffer considerable losses. Marshal Räder believed that the loss rate could easily exceed that of the "Weserübung" in attacking Norway, and the transportation fleet might even suffer a devastating blow. He even prepared a second plan, which was to mobilize all the navy's seaplanes to airlift personnel and equipment.

As for the number of ships lost in the maritime transportation on the second day, the sunk ships did indeed account for nearly two-fifths of the ships departing from France, but fortunately, due to the efforts of the "Mask Tactics," the tonnage of lost supplies only accounted for a quarter of what was embarked from France that day, especially since almost all the important supplies were transported to the island.

"I've calculated it. The Isle of Wight is 36 kilometers long from east to west and 22 kilometers wide from north to south, which means British warships can cover any part of the island with their gunfire. However, to accurately cover a target, the distance can't be too far. During the Battle of Jutland, the average firing range of warships on both sides was between 8,500 and 11,000 meters. Nowadays, technology has advanced, but I believe that if the British fleet wants to attack our artillery positions, the distance won't exceed 20 kilometers! This means that the closer the target is to the center of the island, the closer their warships' firing positions are to the coast. That's undeniable!" Pet looked up at Logan. "Although we're using howitzers instead of field guns with longer ranges, I still think we have a chance!"

Finally understanding what Pet meant, Logan, who was not bound by traditional thinking as a Time Traveler, replied cautiously, "Major, I have a big question. Can our howitzers, with just high-explosive shells, penetrate the armor of British cruisers?"

Pet grinned, revealing his two prominent canines once again. "That's the same question I asked you at the beginning. Have you ever thought of using armor-piercing shells and anti-tank high-explosive shells on howitzers to deal with warships?"

"No!" Logan answered truthfully.

Pet looked quite pleased. "Heh heh! I'm afraid the British are thinking the same as you, so this is our opportunity!"

(German 105mm Type 18 howitzers using armor-piercing shells can penetrate 46mm thick armor at a distance of 2000 meters; the armor-piercing capability of 105mm Type 18 field guns at a distance of 2000 meters is 33mm; while the legendary British County-class heavy cruisers' turret and gun mount armor are both 1 inch, or 25.4mm...)