Chapter 407: One Step Ahead

In the early morning of February 11th, Führer Akado once again left behind a visibly pregnant Mercedes and traveled to the port of Rotterdam

In the early morning of February 11th, Führer Akado once again left behind a visibly pregnant Mercedes and traveled to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. There, the northbound Army Group A had just arrived, and a fleet of 4,000 transport vessels of various sizes from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark had been assembled.

Germany was determined to fight a decisive battle, landing on the British mainland for the final blow. The operation was codenamed “Overlord.” As the Führer of Germany, Akado would personally oversee the operation. The German army, navy, and air force would unite to execute the largest amphibious invasion in human history.

The air force would deploy 2,000 fighters and 1,500 bombers of various types to completely destroy the British landing grounds in southeastern England. They would obliterate all obstacles on the coastline, bomb all nearby British airfields and defensive positions, and drive every last British aircraft from the skies over the landing zone.

The navy would assemble a fleet of 2 Italian battleships, 3 French battleships, and 17 cruisers to ensure fire superiority over the landing area. These warships had already sailed around Spain and gathered at the naval base in Brest. Although using these warships greatly reduced the secrecy of the landing, Germany had no intention of hiding its plan to invade Britain, so secrecy was not a primary concern.

Of course, the specific time and location of the landing were top secret. The navy assigned liaison officers to every Italian and French warship. In accordance with security protocols, the mission objective would only be revealed after the fleet had set sail.

At the same time, Germany requisitioned nearly every ship it could find. Some were genuine landing ships, some were temporarily converted landing craft, but most were civilian vessels, all for the purpose of transporting the required number of landing troops to the beaches in a single wave.

The first wave to land in Britain would include the renowned 1st Infantry Division of Army Group A, the newly formed 1st Marine Division, a panzer battalion from the 2nd Panzer Division of the 2nd Panzer Corps, the fanatical SS Akado Youth Division, as well as the entire army group’s direct engineering units and 200 special forces troops from the 0th SS Division. The total force numbered around 40,000 men, tasked with the initial beach assault to capture the coastal area needed for follow-on forces to land.

The army was betting everything on this, preparing to smash a sufficiently large breach in Britain’s fortified coastline. Over half of these 40,000 soldiers were veterans of the French campaign, and 1,000 of them were elites from the Reichswehr era. They were equipped with everything they could possibly need, had undergone ten days of high-intensity landing training, and Akado had even issued morphine to some of the new soldiers to use its stimulant effects to overcome their fear of combat.

The landing site was chosen in the relatively distant but exceptionally flat region of Norwich. The advantage was that the terrain was highly suitable for armored operations; the disadvantage, like Normandy in France, was the lack of a major port city.

However, the German Führer had proposed an innovative design for a pontoon harbor, which would allow German landing forces to be resupplied in a wild area without a port. Germany roughly calculated that in good Atlantic weather, this type of floating pier could provide the necessary supplies for 100,000 German soldiers.

Of course, Akado also had massive air superiority and the means to resupply with transport aircraft. Combining these two methods, supplying a force of 120,000 should not be a problem. The only thing that made Rundstedt nervous was the potential strength of the British counter-attack.

Intelligence indicated that the Norwich area had numerous railway lines, and the relatively elite British IV Corps was deployed near the city of Norwich. Although this force lacked the armored units that Montgomery was short on, it was considered a tough and tenacious unit within the British army.

Furthermore, because the terrain was flat, the British defensive positions were very well-developed, with a total of three complete defensive lines in depth. The coastline itself, being a wide-open plain with no natural defenses, was heavily fortified with mines and obstacles. About 200 meters behind the beach was a line of permanent fortifications consisting of machine-gun bunkers and defensive positions, which was the British defenders’ strongest line.

This line was armed with about 40 large-caliber cannons with wide fields of fire. Additionally, two old, open-air gun batteries from the last century had been reinforced to serve as key defensive strongpoints. The entire sector was also supported by two 280mm railway guns. It could be said that the defensive measures were very comprehensive.

The local garrison consisted of a full division. Although it was spread out along the long coastline, at any given landing point, there was at least a full regiment of infantry. The only cause for concern was that these troops were composed of new recruits, and no one knew how effective they would be in combat.

Britain’s Montgomery and Churchill had both guessed the direction of the German landing incorrectly. They were convinced that the main German assault would come in the southern regions of the Isle of Wight, Southampton, Brighton, or Dover.

Brighton and Dover, in particular, were heavily reinforced by the British defenders. Britain’s only armored force was also deployed in this direction. Churchill feared a German assault on Brighton because of its proximity to London, while Montgomery and the naval commanders believed the Germans would land at Dover, as the strait there was at its narrowest, which would be most advantageous for German transport.

However, after repeated confirmations and comparisons of intelligence reports and reconnaissance photos, Akado and Rundstedt both concluded that landing in the southeastern region of Norwich was the most prudent option. If the German army could capture the cities of Norwich and Ipswich, they would have a solid foothold in Britain, and London would be within their grasp.

Of course, landing in the Norwich area had one significant complication: the range of the Stuka bombers meant they could only loiter over the area for a short time. This was one of the main reasons the British military had not paid much attention to Norwich’s defenses. Montgomery believed that if the Germans landed at Norwich, half of their air superiority would be nullified.

But no one knew that the German Luftwaffe already had a new type of attack aircraft, the Stuka Type 2, in service. No one knew that German paratroopers had been ordered to drop into the Norwich area to seize several nearby British airfields and establish forward airbases to ensure more timely air cover.

And no one expected that the German Navy’s High Seas Fleet, with 5 battleships, had already sailed around into the North Atlantic, preparing to head to the designated landing zone to cover the German forces. The naval air arm, formed from 4 carriers, had more than 130 Stuka bombers, enough to offset the problems caused by the distance to the Norwich area.

On February 12th, the German air force launched a large-scale bombing of Dover, reducing the port city to ruins. Two hundred bombers of various types ravaged the coastal defense positions near Dover. The British government ordered the military to go on full alert, and the relevant departments estimated a 90% probability of a German landing the next day.

But on February 13th, the large-scale German landing at Dover that the British had been anxiously awaiting never came. Instead, due to bad weather, not a single German plane was seen. However, on that same day, the 100,000-strong German army in the port of Rotterdam sortied in full force. A massive fleet, composed of everything from thousand-ton cruise liners to hundred-ton barges, surged towards their designated target.

The wind was biting cold, and the waves were monstrous. Soldiers clutched their weapons, vomiting incessantly on the pitching decks. No one knew if this landing operation would succeed. They could only wait quietly, and wait, and pray for good weather the next morning.

“Report!” an officer burst into Montgomery’s office and slapped a telegram onto the general’s desk. “Sir! An urgent message from our intelligence agents. The German army units stationed in Rotterdam have put to sea!”

Montgomery shot to his feet, walked to the map, and stared at the possible landing sites, stroking his chin and muttering to himself, “It’s finally here! Where, where will it be? Dover… or Brighton?”

“Order all troops to cancel their leave! All officers must return to their posts within the hour! Notify the air force to send out reconnaissance planes; they must find the German transport fleet! Also, coastal artillery is to be on first-level alert, prepare to engage the German landing force!” Deciding to react as the situation developed, Montgomery snapped out of his thoughts and issued his orders.

“And! Telephone the air defense command. Tell them there’s no need to hold anything back. Bring out everything they’ve got and prepare for battle. Call the Prime Minister. The probability of a German landing within the next 24 hours is one hundred percent! Tell him to be ready to command the entire British anti-invasion operation. Victory or defeat hangs on this!” He paused for a moment, then added, “That’s all for now. Go and make the arrangements immediately!”

Just as the German meteorological department had predicted, the weather cleared on the evening of February 13th, revealing a cloudless sky. Akado stood in what was once Queen Wilhelmina’s royal palace in Rotterdam, gazing at the horizon where the sea met the sky, his heart filled with heroic spirit. After a period of agonizing, he had finally placed his bet. The fate of Germany would be decided in tomorrow’s battle. Whether he would become the master of the world or end up taking his own life in a bunker, the answer would soon be known.

Anna came up from behind him with a coat and draped it over his shoulders. She was now more content to be the woman who leaned on the great tree that was Akado, her greatest desire to simply wait by his side, to watch an outcome that, to her, no longer mattered.