Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 107 Tactical Bombing
Ryan's words almost immediately left Schmidt speechless.

The commander of the air force fleet was silent for a long time, changing the cigarettes in his hand several times, and then he spoke in a tone that was full of regret, helplessness, and deep sighs.

"When it comes to not being a human being, Lieutenant Colonel, you are the most formidable officer I have ever met."

"Why are you swearing at me when you can't just talk nicely!" Ryan immediately got angry.

Then he heard Schmidt's second sentence: "You really should come to our Air Force. We need bad, oozing idea makers like you."

Oh, I even scolded myself, so it’s okay.

Ryan was immediately relieved and said, "Let's stop joking here. Marshal Schlieffen can handle the Air Force, but as for the ammunition..."

At most, there must be 1,200 tons, and at least 900 tons of bombs. This is not something that is easy to collect.

The current Imperial Air Force mainly relies on 50 kg and 25 kg small sweet potato bombs. After all, the bombers can only carry six 50 kg bombs.

The Farlan biplane bombers could carry more, 48 25 kg rounds per sortie, or 12 50 kg rounds per sortie.

It was with these biplanes that they attacked that day, and succeeded in inflicting extremely severe damage to the Empire.

The problem is that now, whether it is the Empire or Farlan.

In fact, bombers are rarely used.

Firstly, bombers are slow and can carry less explosives.

Secondly, the bombing accuracy was poor, and it was common for a group of planes to fly over but not hit a single bomb.

Some people had thought of using airships for bombing before, but it was too obvious, and coupled with the two reasons mentioned above, it was ultimately abandoned.

But things are different now.

Ryan can mobilize 20 Zeppelin-class airships at a time. With such a scale, he can definitely blow the enemy into the sky even with his eyes closed.

But this bomb...

Just as Ryan was thinking about it, Schmidt said, "The navy should have it."

"navy?"

The smallest caliber artillery currently equipped by the Imperial Navy are 88mm and 75mm guns. This is because warships currently do not need to guard against the presence of air forces, so these two levels of artillery are used as the minimum configuration.

But similarly, apart from these artillery pieces, the Imperial Navy only had some torpedoes.

Ryan raised his eyebrows after hearing Schmidt's words: "How did they get the bomb?"

But Schmidt waved his hand: "It's not a bomb, but something else."

He quietly sat down next to Ryan and asked in a low voice: "Lieutenant Colonel, do you know anything about submarines?"

"Then why don't you know?"

Ryan rolled his eyes at Schmidt: "Stealing things from other boats in the water."

"Hahaha, don't let those people in the navy hear this."

Schmidt laughed a few times before getting down to business. "I heard from the people in the Equipment Development Department that the Navy recently commissioned a new batch of weapons to counter submarines. They're called water bombs..."

"Depth charge?" Ryan glanced at Schmidt and immediately thought that this was indeed a good idea.

Unlike conventional artillery shells, depth charges are mostly just iron tubes filled with explosives, so the actual charge equivalent is very large, often reaching more than 70% of the total weight.

"I know that stuff."

He said, "The yield is not low, and the power is also acceptable. It seems that they are currently using a time fuse?"

"That's right!" Schmidt nodded. "You don't even need to modify it. Just set the time beforehand and throw it down."

Ryan was a little confused: "Is there any way? This is not a small number."

Then he heard Schmidt say, "That depends on whether His Excellency the Marshal will give you face, doesn't it?"

"You guy..."

Ryan was speechless about what Schmidt said.

Marshal Schlieffen's connections were indeed useful. The old marshal had a very high reputation both in the army and the navy.

But this relationship is not without cost.

Ryan remembered the last time he sent the battle plan and equipment application to the old marshal.

Schlieffen was lying on the hospital bed, dying, but he still forced himself to pull out the few remaining theories about airborne special operations from Ryan's mind.

He looked like someone who insisted on discussing politics with group members even though his phone was out of battery. He was very fanatical.

But Ryan was really afraid that the old man would get too excited and kill himself, so after that fight he never went to find Schlieffen himself again, and always let Brinkman go on his behalf.

"I'd better try to discuss it with Marshal Tirpitz."

He forced himself to put the events of their last meeting behind him and said, "If all else fails, I can also borrow some explosives or something from General Hellingen in Episode 7."

However, before Ryan could finish, Brinkman's voice came from behind them: "If it's a depth charge, I have a way."

Ryan and Schmidt were almost scared to death by this little girl. The two big men, weighing nearly 400 pounds in total, jumped high like kangaroos. After landing, they gasped for a long time before finally recovering.

"Lieutenant! When did you get here?" Schmidt touched his chest, his face pale. "Oh my God, I was scared to death."

Brinkman immediately said, "There are 20 Zeppelins."

"Wasn't that there from the beginning?"

Ryan covered his eyes with his hands, leaned back against the landing gear, and sat down again: "So, what's your connection?"

He had given up the idea of ​​reasoning with this noble lady. Work was more important at this moment.

Brinkman glanced at Colonel Schmidt, and only after confirming that he wasn't about to have a heart attack did he look at Ryan. "My father is the director of the Empire's Equipment Development Institute, specializing in ammunition. He proposed the idea of ​​depth charges after the Seabuckthorn War of 04-05, but this is the first time I know that this thing has been put into use..."

Is this what your dad does?

Now it was Ryan's turn to be shocked.

He originally thought that his cheap adjutant was just the daughter of a wealthy noble family, but now it seems that this identity and background is much more powerful than that of any noble family.

The Imperial Equipment Development Institute is said to be a development institute, but in fact it is similar to a procurement department, mainly responsible for purchasing military supplies for the empire.

However, the purchasing staff are basically scientific researchers. Although they cannot prevent kickbacks and the like from happening, their professionalism also ensures that the empire will not spend a lot of money on waste in procurement.

The reason why Ryan knew of their existence was mainly because the testing and improvement of Esco's explosion-proof wall was the responsibility of the people in the development institute.

Of course, the person in charge of the test would definitely not be Brinkman's father, because he had to avoid suspicion.

"Specifically, how many can be transferred?"

Colonel Schmidt forced himself to speak calmly to Brinkmann, "If it's a development institute, it should have a lot of authority..."

"That depends on who signed the order..."

Brinkman's expression suddenly changed to the same one he had when he saw Ryan holding Catherine's hand last time. "After all, this is an operation that will deduct money from the Navy's account books. If they really are transferred directly, it will be beyond our ability to handle."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, which immediately calmed Schmidt down.

"That's... true."

Schmidt touched his head and put on his hat awkwardly: "Then..."

Brinkman then turned to Ryan and said, "Lieutenant Colonel, if we only want to arm the four Wave-class warships and the air liaison boats, it should be very simple given the authority of the 502nd Regiment."

"Oh? Is there anything to talk about?"

Ryan immediately looked at the young lady in the army: "If that's the case, then it won't be a problem."

"Then, what are the specific specifications of the bomb?"

Brinkmann: "One hundred and fifty kilograms, with a charge of about one hundred kilograms. It's mechanically timed, but because the shell is just an iron barrel, there's no way to use a percussion fuse."

This sentence is actually very professional.

Because few people understand that the reason why the equivalent of an aerial bomb is only half of the total mass of the bomb is actually to ensure the strength of the bomb so that it has a chance to trigger the fuse.

After all, it takes time to trigger the fuse, and if the shell is too brittle, the bomb may break immediately, making it impossible to trigger the fuse.

Ryan still remembered that a few years ago, there was a popular online question about whether a goblet could blow up a Yamato. One of the original explanations was that the Yamato's armor was very thick, and if the goblet hit it, it would likely shatter itself, making it impossible to successfully detonate. Of course, for Ryan, the most important thing was the specifications of the bomb!

One hundred and fifty kilograms, this equivalent weight is neither too high nor too low, just the right level that two people can operate.

The explosive equivalent of one hundred kilograms immediately gave Ryan a new use for this bomb!

And this usage may be more efficient than letting Zeppelin operate it!

He asked, "How much can you get?"

"It shouldn't be too much."

Brinkman shook his head, indicating he wasn't entirely sure. "But if nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to muster two or three hundred rounds."

"so much?"

Ryan and Schmidt were startled for a moment, but were immediately relieved.

After all, this is a bomb, not a shell.

Two or three hundred artillery shells are not cheap, because the shell body is cast and the shell casing is made of brass, both of which are very expensive.

But this depth charge is different.

An iron barrel, a fuse, explosives, and a stabilizing device. There is no technical content at all.

Even if it's two or three hundred rounds, the equivalent is only a few tons at most.

"If that's the case, then that's easy to say."

After thinking about it, Ryan slapped his thigh and stood up.

"Lieutenant, if it's convenient, could you help me arrange a meeting with the Lord? If there's anything I need to prepare, please let me know and I'll ask someone to take care of it."

Then he saw Brinkman frowning and looking at him with an unhappy expression: "Wasn't it me who had to deal with it in the end?"

"Oh, that's right."

Ryan realized it later and slapped his head: "Then I'll leave it to you, Lieutenant."

"Yes." Brinkman immediately stood at attention, then turned and left, leaving only Ryan and Schmidt.

"You are not really going to see the Lord?"

Schmidt's voice was dark: "That's a guy with a daughter."

Ryan knew exactly what this meant. "Fuck! I've already lost my life fighting and dealing with the Farlans, and you actually think I'd still be willing to do something like this?"

"Isn't this human nature?" Schmidt didn't care about Ryan's rebuttal at all: "When I joined the naval service, the old captain asked me if I was married, and I said no."

"Then they told me to find a girl to marry quickly, so I wrote a letter home to a distant uncle who had a daughter and whom I had known since childhood."

"Then I got married without thinking, and now my children are in school."

"You're quite capable." Ryan was speechless after hearing what Schmidt said. "Let's get down to business."

He looked at Schmidt. "What I'm thinking is that the Wave-class ships, without any crew, will be fully loaded with howitzer shells, carrying out ground bombardment support missions from an altitude of 400 to 500 meters."

"The original personnel transportation task was handed over to the air liaison boat."

"They pick up our infantry from the Zeppelins and transport them to the front. It only takes about ten trips to complete the transportation of the entire force."

"What about the bomb?" Schmidt frowned.

"Just leave it to those air liaison boats."

Ryan's tone was much more relaxed than before: "We can let the Zeppelin be responsible for transporting those bombs. Each Zeppelin can provide bombs and fuel supplies to the two liaison boats."

"When the battle begins, our aerial liaison boats, guided by the Wave-class, will drop modified depth charges into the center of the enemy camp!"

"This way, we can not only ensure Zeppelin's safety, but also improve the troops' combat efficiency on the battlefield."

Ryan's remarks basically treated the small air communication boat as the helicopter of later generations.

The only difference is that the helicopter does not carry missiles and machine guns, but ordinary timed air-blast bombs.

This is a very pleasing operation. After all, in this era when no planes dare to take off at night, airships and other things that do not need to worry about fuel problems can be said to be the most beautiful things in the sky.

In addition, their noise is very small, so as long as they fly high, they will not be discovered at all.

And Ryan's troops would only attack at night.

All these conditions combined make it possible for them to launch a preemptive, all-out attack.

If you are lucky, you can even steal the enemy's command post directly!

Look at Schmidt.

As the commander of the air force fleet, Schmidt almost immediately understood that what Ryan said was a highly feasible operation.

“This trick works!”

He said excitedly, "If we use this plan, then unless the Farlans on the front line go crazy and shoot their guns into the sky, they will definitely not last until daylight!"

"The problem is, there aren't enough bombs."

"You heard it too. The lieutenant just said two or three hundred rounds..."

Schmidt's expression darkened as he spoke. "This means we can only strike at important locations... Attacking common targets would only be a waste..."

Suddenly, Schmidt shut up.

He figured out what Ryan was going to do and looked at him as if he was a madman: "You want to blow up their artillery position!?"

"That's right!"

Ryan nodded vigorously: "The forces deployed by the Farlanes in Verdun must rely on artillery cover to hold Verdun."

"We can find their artillery positions from the sky after they start fighting the Fifth Army!"

"When night falls, we will immediately move out and bombard their ammunition depot!"

"As long as we bomb quickly enough, these Farlanders will be unable to maintain their artillery support for the front line. Our troops can then take advantage of this opportunity and, together with the Fifth Army, directly break through the Farlanders' fortress and occupy all of Verdun!"

Ryan's words made Schmidt's blood boil!

The main reason is that the operation decided by Ryan this time is the same as the previous operations, both of which use airship troops and air forces as the main forces.

It can be said that the entire operation was based on air power.

"But what about the infantry?" Schmidt looked at Ryan excitedly.

The focus of the 502nd Airborne Infantry Regiment is ultimately infantry. In previous operations, because the number of troops that could be deployed was small, most of the credit was taken away by the Z331 fleet.

Many of Schmidt's men received medals for that battle, but Ryan's infantry company was considered to have made a low contribution, so only some officers and non-commissioned officers received medals.

This made Schmidt and his men feel a little embarrassed when they saw the people from the assault company. After all, this was a merit that they had earned in vain.

Even the people in the assault company had no objection to this at all.

Schmidt's voice was hesitant. "Will the infantry regiment still head to the front lines as before?"

He had a hunch that if these infantrymen really went to the front line, it would most likely be just a formality, just like before.

However, Ryan went straight to the point.

"All operations must not commence until the location of the enemy headquarters is confirmed."

"Our infantry regiment will immediately set out after confirming the headquarters' location. Assisted by the Wave-class and some Zeppelin-class tanks, they will reach the enemy headquarters' rear. Afterwards, some airship units will immediately return to their base to exchange equipment!"

"The infantry regiment will prioritize decapitation operations against the enemy headquarters, and then the remaining artillery positions can be dealt with by the airship force."

"The target of the attack is not only the Farlan artillery units on the front line, we also need to eliminate the Farlan artillery positions set up in Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux."

"That's where their fortresses are located. Only by destroying these positions can the Fifth Army successfully enter Verdun!"

"This is not an easy battle."

"The entire operation cannot take more than an hour. We must destroy the enemy's headquarters, the artillery units stationed on the front line, and the artillery positions of the surrounding fortresses within an hour!"

(End of this chapter)