Chapter 401: A Tangled Dilemma

Recently, Akado had not been in a good mood; the issue of British strategy was causing him endless worry. His subordinates had compiled all

Recently, Akado had not been in a good mood; the issue of British strategy was causing him endless worry. His subordinates had compiled all sorts of outlandish plans, but most of them were utterly impractical.

Akado had considered using the familiar American island-hopping tactic against Britain. By establishing a foothold on the relatively vulnerable Iceland, it seemed Germany could easily starve the British Isles. However, this seemingly promising plan concealed a pitfall that most would overlook.

Firstly, what does the island-hopping tactic rely on? In other words, what is it that truly strikes the opponent? To put it plainly, it’s transport capacity—a colossal transport capability that overwhelms the enemy.

Island-hopping involves bypassing some islands to attack less-prepared ones further behind, thereby isolating and strangling the bypassed islands. Once this tactic is implemented, both sides are essentially island-hopping, each having controlled zones behind the other’s lines. What does the contest come down to then? Logistics and resupply, of course! Iceland is separated from the United States and Britain by the sea, and similarly, it is separated from Germany by Britain. The question becomes whether Britain or Iceland would starve first.

Did Germany have the capability to maintain a regular supply line between Iceland and Norway? Did it have enough escort vessels to protect such a long route? If British submarines were to wreak havoc along this supply line, wouldn’t Germany’s precious resources end up at the bottom of the North Atlantic, feeding the fish?

Even if British submarines failed to replicate the success of Germany’s wolf packs along this vulnerable route, Akado had little confidence in a simple contest of endurance. Analysis suggested that Britain’s domestic resources could last for three months; if they tightened their belts, four months wasn’t impossible. It would take Germany at least a month to capture Iceland, build up its bases, and begin the blockade. This would effectively grant Britain nearly half a year of breathing room.

Taking a step back, even if Iceland were captured, would it completely sever Britain’s maritime supply lines? Not at all. Iceland is not situated directly between the United States and Britain but rather to the north. Therefore, American transport ships could simply shift their routes slightly southward to completely evade German aircraft based in Iceland. The only thing that could be reliably cut off was the aerial transport route via Iceland, and that was all.

Furthermore, Britain still possessed 13 battleships and battlecruisers. If these warships were recalled to the British mainland in waves and employed guerrilla tactics to wear down the German navy, only God would know how long the war against Britain would last. If Britain could hold out for a year, new American and British aircraft carriers and fighters would join the war. Germany’s technological advantage would vanish, and at that point, Germany would be truly finished.

By this calculation, the British could hold on for at least half a year using their remaining supply lines. No one could predict whether the United States would have entered the war by then, or if the Soviet Union would have turned on Germany. This effectively handed Britain the best possible scenario: if you don’t attack me, I’ll stay right here and be a thorn in your side.

It was now clear that the island-hopping tactic required at least three conditions: superior combat forces, ample time for the campaign, and a transport capacity several times greater than the opponent’s. Simply put, it was a tactic for bullying an opponent when one already held an absolute advantage. Applying it to a battle where the outcome was uncertain would lead to a host of problems.

The 6th aircraft carrier remained hidden in Wilhelmshaven for its final outfitting, daring not to attempt any risky maneuvers after the recent sinking of the 5th. After a brief peak of six carriers, the German carrier fleet had quickly fallen back to a strength of four. The only small comfort for Akado was that the once-prevalent claim of being the “world’s number one navy” within the German Navy had vanished without a trace.

The two newest guided-missile destroyers dispatched a few days prior were not equipped with particularly advanced weaponry. They were merely an early experimental product combining Germany’s long-standing rocket research with guidance technology.

This new type of anti-ship missile weighed over 7 tons, roughly the weight of two fighter aircraft. It could fly towards its target at a speed of 850 kilometers per hour, requiring guidance from the destroyer’s radar to correct its flight path for a precise hit.

Moreover, because its attack trajectory was a slanted dive, its armor-piercing capability was not ideal. In theory, it could only effectively engage targets up to the size of a heavy cruiser. Unless luck was on its side, the missile’s effectiveness against battleships was very limited. Due to a compromise made for its 20-kilometer range, the missile’s warhead weighed just over one ton, similar to the Air Force’s secret weapon, the “Fritz X” guided bomb.

It must be noted here that the Fritz X’s historic achievement in sinking the battleship Roma in another timeline was largely due to incredible luck. Judging from the Fritz X’s other combat records, the bomb’s actual performance against battleships was somewhat lacking—it had many records of damaging cruisers and destroyers, but very few of sinking them.

So why did Akado insist on developing this anti-ship missile? The reasons were not complicated. It served as a technological foundation for the next generation of more effective anti-ship missiles; it allowed for testing the feasibility of using guided-missile destroyers to escort carrier fleets at night; and while it was inadequate against battleships, it was an excellent new weapon against other types of ships.

By deploying his still-immature guided-missile destroyers, Akado harbored a fantasy that some small change might become the final straw that broke Britain’s back. If Britain could be forced to surrender, the various difficulties facing Germany would be resolved.

Fantasies aside, Akado had not given up on the preparations for an invasion of Britain. He coordinated with smaller French Navy minesweepers to sweep several key landing zones, destroying 17 British minefields of various sizes.

To meet the need for ground support, the Air Force began production of a new type of aircraft. It was named the Stuka Type 2, though it had no relation to the original Stuka. This aircraft used a civilian engine, giving it low power and a slow flight speed. It had straight wings and no fancy design features.

However, the pilots who test-flew it were full of praise. The plane was as easy to handle as a family car, making it simple to train a large number of pilots. It had a large fuel tank and a significant bomb load, allowing it to loiter over the target area for longer. Most importantly, it was easy to produce and used almost no precious aluminum alloys. Once in production, it reached a terrifying rate of 15 aircraft per day.

This aircraft could carry 10 small bombs and was equipped with two 30mm cannons on its wings. This armament was said to be an improvement based on suggestions from Stuka pilots. Compared to the complex, multi-functional Stuka dive bomber, this new plane had only one mission: to attack any low-value mobile targets it saw.

The task of bombing bridges, large bunkers, and fortresses was left to the battle-hardened Stukas. The new aircraft’s mission was to destroy smaller enemy targets: tanks, vehicles, positions, personnel… and everything else.

Meanwhile, in the ports of Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, Germany was extensively modifying its Hercules transport ships. The Hercules fleet was now divided into several key groups: one part transported vital steel along the route from Norway to Germany; another delivered manufactured goods to regions like the Netherlands, Belgium, and France; the remaining portion was being converted into landing craft capable of transporting tanks.

The German Army was also drilling. Approximately 200,000 soldiers were repeatedly conducting landing exercises on the French coast. General von Rundstedt was in command of the operation, with his Army Group A serving as the main landing force for what would be the largest amphibious invasion in human history to date.

Due to tonnage limitations, the 2nd Panzer Corps and the 5th Light Panzer Corps would form the main thrust of the landing force, sent ashore on the British coast. Since most of the tanks would be Panzer IIIs and older, lighter Panther models, losses were projected to exceed 50%. However, they would be immediately followed by the elite 11th Panzer Corps, which would swiftly turn the tide of battle in Germany’s favor.

On several Hercules transport ships, five launch positions were set up on each vessel, with 10 Friedrich rocket launchers secured by ropes. These ships had two purposes: one was to support the landing forces with suppressive fire; the other was to use saturation bombardment to destroy British minefields along the coastline.

Under Akado’s direction, Germany made the most thorough preparations for the invasion, compensating to some extent for its lack of amphibious experience. This included unit coordination in chaotic conditions, communication equipment, the mix of light and heavy firepower, fire support arrangements, the use of paratroopers, and suppressive operations by the superior air force. After extensive training, the German soldiers poised to invade Britain were arguably the most experienced amphibious troops in the world at that moment.

In the bustling month of February, Germany was actively preparing for the invasion of Britain in terms of equipment, personnel training, and tactical planning. On the other side of the coastline, the British were also on high alert, waiting to give the German landing forces a day to remember.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for a single command from the Führer, Akado. Then, blood would stain the British beaches, millions would fall, and the British Isles would be turned into a living hell.

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/caleredhair