Long live Joachim

Chapter 201: Attack on Elsden Fortress (Part 2) At the forefront observation post, officers can clearly see various details of the battlefield ahead through the artillery unit mirror: according to the pre trained attack tactics, the artillery is responsible for clearing and suppressing enemy fortresses, and using special minesweepers to extensively clear the minefield. After the attack begins, the engineers responsible for battlefield operations carefully use minesweepers to detect residual landmines in the minefield, and use specially designed detonators to detonate them one by one. When the passage opened, the tank group slowly crossed the minefield in a compact formation, followed closely by tracked armored combat vehicles and half tracked armored personnel carriers As the coalition attacking forces approached the outskirts of Elsden Fortress, several horizontally fired shells whistled into the tank group, and two coalition tanks were instantly hit and caught fire. Immediately after, the massive fortress was awakened! The defensive firepower points hidden throughout the fortress began to intercept and fire continuously, weaving a dense network of artillery including howitzers, field guns, and anti-aircraft guns. The Allied armored forces were caught off guard when exposed to open areas, with tanks being hit one after another, catching fire and even exploding violently. Armored vehicles were also busy reversing and retreating - in this situation, it was difficult for various calibers of tank guns and vehicle mounted mortars to find and destroy the fortresses constructed using terrain! The battle lasted less than a quarter of an hour, and the first batch of attacking troops of the coalition lost more than 20 tanks and armored vehicle wreckage, hastily withdrawing from the starting position of the attack. Witnessing the formidable defense of Elsden Fortress, the Crown Prince Louis heard a wave of astonishment around him, and the Allied generals were assessing the difficulty and cost of this assault with unprecedented caution, especially in terms of time span. It seems that we must use our family's magic weapon to solve the problem! "Said a general wearing a double breasted military uniform from the Austro Hungarian Empire at the Frontier Observatory. Don't be fooled by the outdated style of the officers' uniforms in the Austro Hungarian army, which seem like antiques left over from World War I, their large caliber artillery is truly remarkable. The "Karl Mortar" named after Emperor Karl I of Austria is a super self-propelled gun that can move on its own and has off-road capabilities. Apart from its short range, its power is not inferior to that of any battleship's main gun. Not long after, two thunderous explosions echoed from the attacking phalanx, followed by two even more intense explosions from Elsden Fortress. About ten kilometers apart, one could still feel the earth shaking! I saw two huge columns of smoke rising from the north side of Mount Els, which was dark brown in color. When I was about to stop, there was only a rumbling sound! The participation of the giant mortar in the battle revitalized the Allied generals, but these two formidable weapons did not undergo a second round of shelling until ten minutes later. In order to adapt to the needs of the battlefield, the Austro Hungarian army even equipped them with ammunition transport vehicles modified from tracked tank chassis. However, due to the heavy weight of the shells and the need to restore the lifted artillery to a horizontal position after each launch, the firing speed was not much faster than that of ordinary train guns! The joint artillery observation points deployed on the front line have also transmitted the intelligence of the defending firepower points observed earlier to the nearby deployed howitzer and artillery positions. Although these 105mm and 150mm caliber Army conventional artillery pieces were not sufficient to penetrate thick concrete or even armored fortifications, considering the multitude of small fortresses at Elsden Fortress, it was necessary to ensure a victory. The Joint Staff still proactively dispatched four heavy artillery regiments and prepared sufficient ammunition in advance. Following the attack of two "Karl mortars", the coalition artillery group began a fierce two-hour bombardment. The shelling scene is certainly spectacular, but over time, aesthetic fatigue is inevitable. Under boredom, some officers even played cards in the fortress Two hours later, the coalition artillery group, including the "Karl Mortar", poured tens of thousands of shells at the Scottish fortress. The scene of volcanic ash once again appeared in the originally beautiful Elsden. The artillery fire seemed to hit a defending ammunition depot, causing a long-lasting fire on the south side of the fortress. However, after the shelling stopped, Scottish soldiers were faintly seen coming out to put out the fire. Taking advantage of the shelling, the coalition ground forces decisively launched a truly fierce attack! More than a hundred tanks belonging to the 1st Armoured Brigade of the New United Kingdom flowed like a black river rushing towards the sea over the open area south of Elsden. The brave armored soldiers were completely fearless of the fierce firepower from the Scottish fortress, allowing shells to constantly land around and explode violently. Every tank and armored vehicle was pushing forward at a speed close to sprinting. With a piercing friction sound, the steel tracks spun rapidly, raising waves of dust in a majestic manner. As the fortress approached, a group of coalition tanks charging towards the front finally stopped. They adjusted their gun ports slightly and fired at their respective targets - a distance of only three to four hundred meters was no less than bayonet fighting between infantry. Hand to hand combat quickly revealed its cruelty and brutality, with Scottish fire points that were originally spraying tongues of fire being shot directly at close range, and the shattered cover being bloody and the guns twisted;The coalition tanks manufactured using welding technology look majestic, and when pierced by large caliber armor piercing bullets, they instantly become iron coffins for burying tank drivers. In just a few minutes, the number of Scottish artillery batteries that were blasted and the number of destroyed coalition tanks were both increasing at an astonishing rate! It was during these oppressive minutes that tanks equipped with flamethrowers and armored vehicles carrying infantry quickly crossed the open area south of the fortress. The former rushed straight to a distance of tens of meters from the Scottish fortress, and dazzling fire dragons mercilessly sprayed towards the shelters built on the mountain terrain. Many infantry were shot down by flying bullets or even large caliber machine shells as soon as they left the armored vehicles. Shooting on the spot did not help prolong their war life, and hiding behind tanks and armored vehicles could also become burial objects in a few seconds. The wisest way to get involved in this cruel arena is probably to follow your companions and charge forward! Once they entered the blind spots of most of the enemy's guns, well-trained allied infantry quickly used various blasting tools to blast open the defending fortress and the tunnel entrance sealed with steel gates, and then advanced towards the interior of the fortress through narrow and dark passages. For the coalition soldiers fighting on the front line, the danger inside the fortress is not less than outside. The struggle around the maze like tunnels may continue for a long time, but the gates of Scotland have indeed revealed cracks, and magical holy light is shining from them, baptising every "pilgrim" who comes here. Look! We have knocked on the enemy's door! "Exclaimed Major General Dimmy Keys, the English Army commander in charge of the ground, excitedly. Our troops have already attacked the fortress? "Prince Louis quickly returned to the artillery mirror. Following the tradition of the Hohenzollern family, this heir entered a military academy from a young age to receive education, and officially entered the military service as an adult. During World War II, he landed in Britain as a staff officer and was supposed to participate in the military operations of the Allied forces in Central and North America. However, just as the Battle of Britain was coming to an end, his adjutant unfortunately stepped on a landmine, and Louis, who was then only a prince, almost lost his life. Upon hearing the news, Emperor William II personally intervened and transferred Louis back to serve in the General Staff. Since then, he has never been to the battlefield again. Unfortunately, our secret weapon was used in the first battle, "said the double breasted general of the Austro Hungarian Empire in a high voice, implying that a large part of the credit for the Allied forces breaking into the fortress goes to those two powerful self-propelled mortars. Prince Louis ignored the person and asked, "Which army was the first to attack the fortress Lieutenant General Keith cleverly replied, "I saw Irish armored forces and English infantry assault groups attacking enemy fortresses side by side We have to thank our 'Karl molars' for knocking on the enemy's door, "muttered the Austro Hungarian double breasted general relentlessly, completely ignoring that they had joined the battle without declaring war on Scotland. The battle inside looks very intense, with many artillery bases still firing. It's best to prepare the reserve team to be ready for battle at any time. "The new United Kingdom general present, General Zille, who has mixed German and Irish heritage, brought everyone's attention back to the main topic with practical reminders. Compared to the famous fortresses widely known during the two World Wars, the defense front of Elsden Fortress is narrower, with a depth of more than ten kilometers, like a super warship anchored on land. The extensive use of reinforced concrete has endowed this "warship" with high defensive strength, while many of the original buildings in the town have been preserved and transformed into ground firepower points. Drainage ditches and underground pipelines have also been utilized, forming a criss crossing internal defense system. Even if coalition tanks and infantry break into the fortress, it is difficult to easily capture the remaining firepower points of the defending army. Before noon, the coalition attacking forces had basically removed the peripheral firepower points of Elsden Fortress, allowing combat and transport vehicles to freely move through the open area in the south of the fortress, while the fighting inside the fortress was intensifying. Just in the southern region of the fortress, the two armies fought back and forth for four rounds. Not only did the attacking side extensively use flamethrowers and rocket launchers, but the defending troops were also equipped with these close combat weapons, resulting in a much higher intensity of the battle and casualties among the participating troops than expected by the command. To be handsome, vision, judgment, determination, and courage are indispensable. In the afternoon, Lieutenant General Dimmy Kees of the English Army, who was serving as the ground commander, ordered the reserve forces to be deployed to the battlefield. The 7th Infantry Division of England took over the main attack from the 1st Infantry Division, which had been fighting for a long time. The 20th Special Service Regiment, which was modeled after the Irish Special Forces and trained by the Irish side, also joined the battle along with the armored forces. General Keith ordered all participating troops to take down this border fortress, which is of great significance to the Scots, before nightfall, and completely remove the hard nail buried by the Scottish army in the border defense line.