Long live Joachim

Chapter 201: Forcing Floris (middle) The setting sun set, and the horizon was ablaze with red clouds. The four German battleships, "Hanover," "Hesse," "Bavaria," and "Baden," were anchored in a row in the southwest waters of Corvus Island, with all their main guns aimed menacingly at Flores Island. At the distant northern end of the island, the large smoke generated by bombing and shelling has dissipated, accompanied by sparse gunshots and occasional small clouds of smoke rising. The light warships escorting the landing ships are still cruising in the coastal waters, but at this time they obviously cannot help much. As Your Majesty expected, the enemy forces in Delgada Port are very weak, and both the Marine and Parachute units have successfully entered the port area. It is expected that the fighting there will soon end On the bridge observation deck of the flagship Hanover, German Army Brigadier General Erich von Manstein spoke with admiration to His Majesty King Joachim I of Ireland in front of him. A little over a month ago, this 46 year old army commander was awarded the Third Class Red Eagle Medal for his excellent performance in the Battle of Edinburgh. However, he still lacks convincing military achievements to advance to the rank of Major General. As the Battle of Britain draws to a close, he will either choose to station his troops in England to gain merit by sweeping underground resistance organizations and maintaining public order in occupied areas, or apply to go to other war zones - the Azores or the Middle East. The former is in dire straits, but the army is currently mainly responsible for island defense there, while the latter's strategic position is not inferior to the Azores. However, due to geopolitical factors, the two camps' forces have not had the opportunity to directly engage in combat. The main task of the Allied forces is to fight against the armed forces of the Great Persian Empire. Play a game of cat catching mouse. Before Manstein took the initiative to find a way out for his future, a special appointment letter was placed in front of him. After careful consideration, he decided to accept the assignment from the German General Staff and go to the Azores to await the dispatch of the 'Hohenzollern genius'. When Manstein arrived at San Miguel Island, the Battle of East Asia, which had a profound impact on the situation, had already ended. King Joachim I of Ireland officially took over the Azores theater and the Allied fleet, and the combat situation had greatly improved. However, from the perspective of ordinary people, the conditions for launching the island capture operation were not yet mature at that time. Marine troops should focus on defense and actively prepare. The Allied navy and air force launched a swift and decisive counterattack, opening up the situation. After capturing Corvus Island, everyone expected that the Allied army would land on Flores Island, but few could predict that the attack would come so quickly and chose to start at an unexpected time. All of this opened the eyes of Manstein, who is somewhat famous in the German army industry. Many people are worried that the more than 3000 soldiers we brought ashore before dark will not survive this night, thinking that they will definitely be submerged by the tide of enemies. In fact, it is completely unnecessary. The enemy will not easily move the main force on the island away from the fortified St. Croix Fortress. In my estimation, it would be great if there were 10000 enemy troops to launch a counterattack tonight. Of course, I would not be surprised if General Davis lost his previous calmness or made wrong decisions under heavy pressure, "Xia Shu said slowly. Before the outbreak of the war, the relationship between Germany and the United States and Britain was in a state of tension for a long time, and military exchanges between the two sides were quite limited. As Manstein did not engage in intelligence work, his understanding of American generals was naturally very limited. Fortunately, at the Azores Theater Command, he was able to make up for this deficiency. If I were General Davis, Your Majesty, I would definitely concentrate my firepower on launching a counterattack tonight, at any cost, to annihilate the enemy troops that landed on the island. Although the troops participating in the counterattack would suffer heavy losses from enemy shelling, the significance of a victory in boosting morale is too important Xia Shu turned his head to look at Manstein and said, "General Davis knows very well what kind of army he is facing, and I also know what kind of army I am commanding. I don't think the German 2nd Marine Division will be shaken by the defeat of the vanguard, and the misfortune that happened to their comrades will ignite their anger Perhaps due to a misunderstanding of the other party's serious expression and tone, Manstein quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I have no intention of questioning you, I am just expressing my understanding of this battle Upon hearing these words, Xia Shu curiously looked at the opponent. In history, Manstein was known for his intelligence, wit, and unique vision, and his skillful use of armor tactics, making him one of the top ten generals of World War II. I don't know if it was due to his shallow experience and limited understanding, or if the external environment constrained his growth. At this moment, the officer standing in front of him did not have the expected demeanor of a famous general, but this did not make Xia Shu underestimate him. Gold needs to be melted, rough jade needs to be carved, and a true famous general will surely shine in the midst of war. So, Xia Shu patiently explained, "The same tactics may be the key to victory in the hands of wise commanders, but they may lead to defeat in mediocre commanders. General Manstein, Jim Davis' military capabilities are far inferior to yours, and his troops cannot be compared to the elite German army. Do you understand Manstein was so clever that he immediately understood, and then responded respectfully, "I understand, Your Majesty As the night grew darker, the sound of gunfire at the northern end of Flores Island gradually subsided. According to the battle plan planned by Xia Shu, the Irish paratroopers and German naval infantry who landed should organize defense on the spot after capturing the port of Delgada. The Allied navy's minesweeper units also launched simultaneous operations, striving to connect the sea route to enter this area in the shortest possible time, so that more soldiers and supplies can be transported ashore. If the progress of the mine clearance operation falls short of expectations, the Allied forces can still transport reinforcements and combat materials through the landing site north of Delgada Port, and the efficiency is closely related to the counterattack of the US and British defenders. It cannot be ruled out that the landing may be temporarily suspended during intense fighting. When night fell completely, Steve Quinn and his companions were regrouping by the ruins of the dock. At the time of boarding and departure, there were 45 people in the queue, but now only 29 people have been counted. However, the reduction is not entirely due to downsizing. Every airborne operation, there are always some people who, due to objective or subjective reasons, scatter from the team, resulting in fighting while searching for their own troops. If there is enough rest and waiting time, these fallen guys will eventually return to the team, but it seems that the American and British defenders on Flores Island do not intend to let the attackers stand firm calmly. As soon as their vision darkened, their cannons immediately launched a bombardment on the landing beaches of the Allied forces and the port of Delgada. As soon as they heard the whistling sound of shells piercing through the air, the exposed Irish paratroopers and German Marines quickly searched for cover. According to the established combat plan, after capturing the port of Delgada, the German troops should quickly build a defense line around the port and stabilize their position with the support of the navy and air force. The participating officers and soldiers of the Irish 5th Airborne Battalion should remain in the dock area as a mobile reserve. In the past few years of occupying the Azores, the Germans have spent a huge amount of money from a military defense perspective to build the "Great Ocean Fortress". The Delgada Port has also built new breakwaters, docks, and warehouses, and the size of the port area has expanded, but various types of housing construction are still only a hundred. Three months ago, the American and British armies landed here and the battle destroyed half of the harbor area. Now, the Allied fleet and aviation forces are bombarding and repeatedly sweeping, and there is no decent building in the entire harbor area. The rubble and craters can be used as battle cover, but they are not an ideal choice to avoid enemy artillery attacks. So, the Irish and Germans near the dock rushed into the coastal defense fortifications and infantry trenches built by the German army and reinforced by the American and British armies, waiting for the shelling before deploying. Flores Island can be described as small or large. The Allied forces' continuous shelling and bombing for a week caused significant losses to the American and British forces on the island. In addition, due to the location and range of the artillery deployment, the defending forces did not bombard Delgada Port fiercely. Once these cannons were fired, the flashing flames immediately exposed their positions. At this time, Allied bombers flying from Corvus Island were still hovering in the northern part of Flores Island. Although dive bombing and low altitude strafing could not be carried out at night, their attacks were still quite threatening. In order to facilitate night direction finding, the Allied navy deployed two submarine hunters outside Delgada Port, causing them to turn on searchlights at their calculated positions during the day. Allied planes flew in at this time. Taking these two searchlights as reference,By recording the relative angles of flying over the defensive artillery positions, a more accurate position can be calculated, which can then guide the Allied fleet to implement suppressive shooting - a scientific method that has rarely been used on the battlefield in the past, and cannot be imagined and put into effect on a whim. Without sufficient theoretical research and advance preparation, the result may be that a tiger cannot be turned into a dog. With the rumbling sound of artillery coming from the sea, the artillery fire of the American and British armies quickly ceased. Taking advantage of this gap, the soldiers of the German 2nd Marine Division quickly left the temporary shelter near the dock and rushed to their designated defensive positions. The powerful firepower of the Allied navies not only effectively suppressed the defending artillery fire, but also made their combat troops deeply wary. As the evening approached 9 o'clock, the American and British armies that launched a counterattack advanced from the rear to the outskirts 5-6 kilometers away from Delgada Port. After crossing the mountain ridge, they launched an attack from a high position. Although their momentum was fierce, before they could approach the defensive positions of the Allied landing forces, dazzling illumination flares bloomed above their heads. The searchlight columns from the sea instantly confused their sight. The Allied light ships hovering in the coastal waters were like a group of efficient life harvesters, killing the defending officers and soldiers with violent artillery fire and bullets, let alone flesh and blood. Even those armored vehicles cannot survive under the storm of Allied naval firepower