Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 94 The First "Airborne" Operation

"It's still 20 kilometers to the target location."

When Ryan opened his eyes, the first sentence he heard was the report from Colonel Schmidt's adjutant.

With Brinkman's help, he crawled out of the rest area in the corner of the bridge and stood beside the porthole wrapped with aluminum alloy. He looked through the dim red cabin lights and looked at the dark night sky outside.

"Where are we?" Ryan asked.

"Sint-Idesbald, a city west of Ostend."

Captain Schmidt jumped down from the captain's seat, which had been hoisted into the air. He walked over to Ryan's side and pointed to a city illuminated by lights below. "They are about 20 kilometers from Ostend. We have just corrected our course and estimate that we will arrive in Ostend in ten minutes."

"How is the guidance of Honor Communications?" Ryan walked to the starboard side and looked in the direction of Belgreen.

But he couldn't see the two bright red beams of light. The night sky was full of dark clouds, and there was still a trace of water on the porthole.

Colonel Schmidt's voice was somewhat helpless. "As you can see, there was a heavy rain just now, so we couldn't see the guidance beam of the Glory Communication sent from the Imperial Capital at all."

"Then there's no way."

Ryan shook his head and put his hand on the holster at his waist.

With the help of the helmsman beside him, he was able to see the lights on the Ostend dock and the harbor.

Under the bright lights, two iron-gray cruisers were docked side by side at the pier in the inner harbor.

Can see the enemy.

Ryan immediately closed his eyes, and the map that had not been used for a long time immediately appeared in front of him.

On the map that was not affected by time, the entire port town called Ostend appeared before Ryan's eyes.

This is a port city facing the English Channel. The dock is built at the mouth of a river leading to the sea. Because it is in enemy-occupied area, dense red dots can be seen almost everywhere.

But there are some differences.

The red dots in most areas are not dense. If you zoom in, you can find that these are just local residents, and their number is not large, only a few tens of thousands.

The most densely populated area is actually at the port of Ostend.

Ryan could confirm on the map that there were more than 200 tents set up about two kilometers away from the pier. According to the map he called up before departure, it used to be a resort area exclusively for nobles from various countries and the royal family of the Kingdom of Perijie.

The advantage of this location is that it is actually some distance from the coastline, and the campsite is close to the pier, making it easier to get to Ostend's train station.

But Ryan actually thought that these soldiers would spend the night on the ship and then set off directly from the train station before dawn the next day.

Then he found out that he was wrong.

The guys from the United Kingdom didn't actually want to use such a small force to fight the Empire. Therefore, although they were a group of elite Royal Marines, their actual mission was to fool the Empire's General Staff and the people of the Empire and make them misjudge the current war situation.

Shaking his head, Ryan stepped out of the map.

The outline of Ostend has become increasingly clear.

Now he can confirm the overall outline of the town from the air.

On the side, several observers were holding telescopes, constantly searching for anything related to the United Kingdom in Ostend.

"It's southeast of the pier, about two kilometers away."

Ryan pointed out the location directly.

"Confirmed!" one of the observers shouted immediately, "On the north bank of the river, two kilometers from the port! Next to the park!"

The navigator behind him immediately pinned a thumbtack on the aviation map next to him. Ryan took a look and found that the location was not much different from the one he saw on the map.

He then came to the map and confirmed the original landing location - it was a woodland about five kilometers away from the river estuary in Ostend, moving in a straight line along the coastline.

This landing location was originally decided by Colonel Schmidt himself. Firstly, it was because he had been married in Ostend before and had some knowledge of the place. Secondly, it was because the woodland could provide a certain degree of cover for the airship fleet during landing.

"We need to move the landing site two kilometers further."

Ryan circled the map with a pencil.

But Colonel Schmidt immediately rejected Ryan's proposal: "No, it's too dangerous! We can directly see the two United Kingdom cruisers from there!"

"And then?" Ryan looked at Colonel Schmidt with a flat tone.

Colonel Schmidt hurriedly followed up, "We'll be discovered by their cruisers! Given the capabilities of the United Kingdom's sailors, they can sink us all with just one salvo!"

Ryan was silent for almost half a minute before he asked:
"Colonel Schmidt, are you saying that people from the United Kingdom could see an airship landing several kilometers away, facing the ocean, from a brightly lit harbor on a rainy night like this?"

For a moment, everyone in the bridge was silent.

They understood what Ryan meant almost immediately.

Colonel Schmidt, the supreme commander, looked at Ryan, then at the entry and exit routes he had carefully drawn before the attack, with an embarrassed expression.

Fortunately, the red warning light for combat was on in the bridge, otherwise everyone in the bridge would be able to see Schmidt's red old face.

After a few seconds, Schmidt spoke: "You are right, Major Flig."

"Then do it."

Ryan nodded and began to repeat the countermeasures discussed before the battle to Schmidt for the last time.

"After completing the personnel deployment mission, the Wave-class fleet immediately returned to an altitude of 180 meters at maximum speed and continued along the coastline for 40 kilometers. They then made a -degree turn and, as they returned, launched a bombardment of the United Kingdom cruisers using the mm guns mounted on ships three and four."

"The purpose of the bombardment is to force the United Kingdom's cruisers to leave the port, or to cut off the enemy's land forces, right?"

Colonel Schmidt stroked his stubble and muttered to himself, "But the enemy's armor is very thick. They're not small boats like destroyers. They might be a bit tricky..."

But Ryan shook his head: "It's not a big problem."

"Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that the cruiser does not rashly open fire in the port, as doing so could very well affect civilians. The Empire has no intention of engaging in a full-scale war with Perijie, as this would put us in a passive position."

As he spoke, Ryan pointed to the pin on the map again:
"Our people will launch an attack on the United Kingdom's Marine Corps camp from the opposite direction. Ships One and Two, under the cover of Ships Three and Four, will launch an artillery bombardment towards the United Kingdom's camp from the coast."

"As for the ammunition type, I believe we should primarily use high-explosive rounds in the early stages, switching to less lethal armor-piercing rounds in the mid-term. After all, the primary objective here is deterrence, not annihilation."

Schmidt immediately understood what Ryan meant. "So you want to capture some of the soldiers and take them as prisoners?"

"That's pretty much it."

Ryan nodded. "After all, this action is a deterrent to the United Kingdom. If we go too far, the consequences will outweigh the gains."

"Is it an order from the General Staff?" Schmidt was a little surprised that Ryan would make this decision.

Because at the beginning he and Ryan confirmed that they would completely annihilate the enemy troops, not take prisoners.

After all, the airship cannot carry so many people.

But Ryan immediately retorted: "No, I changed my mind at the last minute."

"The General Staff is still unclear about what we are going to do, because Marshal Moltke is currently busy dealing with the affairs of the Eastern Front."

"Right now, the only person who knows that we are launching an operation against the United Kingdom is Lieutenant General Draven, but I asked him to report to Marshal Moltke after the operation is over, so..."

Schmidt finally understood what Ryan meant: "Major, you are really giving up."

"But the can hasn't fallen to the ground yet, has it?" Ryan smiled, turned his head and looked at Brinkman: "Do you have a recording gem? Leave one for them." At the same time, the navigator on the side shouted the command to slow down and descend.

Everyone held onto the handle closest to them, and then the Wave-class boat began to roar.

A large amount of hydrogen was squeezed out of the ship's airbag and leaked into the air, and the six engines around the airship immediately adjusted their angles and began to press the two-hundred-meter-long behemoth towards the ground.

Ryan could feel that his weight seemed to have dropped a lot. The light feeling, coupled with the ever-expanding scenery outside the window, was so stimulating that he even wanted to shout out loud.

He suppressed the urge to howl and said to Schmidt, "Then we'll leave first."

"Ah."

Schmidt didn't waste any time. After saluting Ryan, he stepped forward and took control of the airship.

Ryan checked his service gun and after confirming that there was no problem, he went into a side passage leading to the warehouse.

After delivering a gem used to record combat footage to Schmidt's first mate, Brinkman also went into the cargo hold with Ryan.

McIver had been hiding in the warehouse. He was not Ryan's adjutant, so he had never gone out.

But he was always guarding the door, so much so that as soon as Ryan entered the warehouse, he shouted at the top of his voice: "Everyone stand at attention!"

Ryan immediately slapped him on the back of the head: "What are you shouting about? Stop shouting!"

"From now on, you are not allowed to shout "Stand at attention" when you see the commander!"

"Yes!" McIver immediately saluted in response.

Then he was slapped on the back of the head by Ryan again.

Ryan was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. After all, many things take time to get used to. The most important thing now is the subsequent battle.

Standing in the middle of the warehouse, Ryan looked at the two rows of soldiers in front of him.

"The combat mission is the same as what we said before we set off."

"After we leave the airship, each of your platoons will split into ten teams and advance quickly at intervals of thirty meters!"

"The enemy's position is southeast of the dock, about two kilometers away. It's in a park built around a lake. You should be able to confirm their location on your map."

Several squad leaders and two platoon leaders immediately took out maps and used the lights in the warehouse to confirm the specific location.

Ryan waited for a while, until the squad leaders and platoon leaders had confirmed their positions, before speaking again: "Also, don't forget the objective of this operation."

"Early on, we'll annihilate them. In the middle and late stages, we'll focus on capturing enemy soldiers!" McIver said again, his voice cheesy. "We've all remembered that."

"Did I ask you to speak?"

Ryan immediately reached out and slapped the boy on the back of the head again. He always felt that McIver was jumping too fast after getting the new equipment.

Then everyone saw McIlwain being slapped by Ryan and fell into the corner. He screamed and never got up again.

The platoon leader of the third platoon hurriedly pulled him up from the ground, but found his hands covered in blood. He immediately checked McIver's pupils, patted his mouth, and finally looked at Ryan: "You've hit your scalp, and you might have a concussion..."

"I fuck you."

Ryan, who was already furious with McIver, was even more furious, gritting his teeth, but the temporarily installed attack warning light on the side began to flash at this moment - this meant that they could attack in another thirty seconds.

In desperation, Ryan said to the soldiers in the third platoon, "Bandage him, tie his hands and feet, and throw him on the boat. We'll deal with him after daybreak."

After saying that, Ryan walked directly to the front of the cargo hold and pulled the hatch open.

In an instant, a hot and humid sea breeze with a salty smell squeezed in from the cabin door, blowing away all the turbid air that had been accumulated in the cabin.

Ryan didn't bother to appreciate the scene outside. He kicked the rope wrapped in the corner out neatly and began to check his equipment again.

A Luger, six grenades, three magazines and a pouch with eight 9mm clips.

But the airship continued to descend. Colonel Schmidt, who was at the helm, glided the airship forward at a speed slightly faster than walking, and lowered it to a height where it was almost flying close to the ground.

Ryan immediately understood that this was Colonel Schmidt taking care of himself and his men.

"Everyone, move! Don't let your ass fall to your death from this height!"

Ryan shouted into the cargo hold, and then he gave the first landing spot to Brinkman.

After taking a look at the height, the girl didn't even grab the cable with her hands, but rolled directly on the edge of the cargo hold, and then fell into the sand below with a plop.

The other soldiers realized that the height was not even up to their waists, so they followed Brinkman's example and jumped out of the cargo hold one by one.

As soon as they landed, they began to rush towards both sides of the main road leading to the dock according to the route they had planned in the camp.

Ryan was the last to land, so he watched the soldiers in front occupy the main road before he met up with Brinkman and moved forward with a young officer from the communications department.

During the movement, the other three airships also completed the troop deployment operation in the same way as the flagship Z331.

The entire process took less than five minutes. Although it was not as good as Ryan wanted, it was fully qualified for the current troops.

He was now leaning in the shadow of a civilian house, with a floating battlefield map in front of him and a signalman and Brinkman at his side.

Among the soldiers who landed earlier, the fastest one had already rushed forward nearly two kilometers, but they quickly slowed down and eventually stopped, waiting for their companions behind them.

This is because the United Kingdom's camp is located on the other side of the river. If they advance rashly, it is likely that the front line will have already started fighting, but the friendly forces in the rear are still on the way.

On the other hand, these guys also knew that they had to wait for air fire support.

Long before the battle began, Ryan told them that the airship troops would cooperate with them in the attack.

The reason for doing this is that the only force currently capable of quickly building fortifications on the front line is the Imperial Army with the Esco explosion-proof wall, and the enemy is now in their rear - in theory, they cannot be attacked at all.

Therefore, once they were bombarded by the airship fleet from the sky with the onboard 40mm rotary cannon, they would inevitably fall into absolute chaos.

In this era when there are no special counter-weapons developed for the Air Force, these soldiers who can only rely on bolt-action rifles to launch attacks obviously have only one choice when facing the airship fleet, which is to flee in panic.

Taking a final look at the map, Ryan confirmed that Colonel Schmidt had already reached an altitude of two thousand meters in the airship. They were currently sailing twenty kilometers away and it would only take five minutes to turn around and enter the ground attack route.

"Let's go, it's almost time."

After getting up from the ground and folding the butt of the P08 back from the front, Ryan said to the two people beside him.

at the same time.

At the forefront of the troops.

The fourth platoon, led by Lieutenant Perris, has advanced to the south bank of the river. She and the soldiers of the fourth platoon took a very short time to confirm that there were no enemy troops stationed on the south bank.

The only problem was that they met a policeman from the Kingdom of Perije on the way, but before he could draw his gun to warn him, Richter, the platoon leader of the fourth platoon who was lying in ambush on the side of the road, punched the unlucky guy in the chin, knocking him unconscious.

Other than that it's all good news.

Because current intelligence shows that the people of the United Kingdom did not expect that the Empire would be so bold as to send troops to launch an attack.

Likewise, considering that the purpose of this unit's existence was to deceive the Empire and the Imperial State, they did not feel the need to participate in the battle.

This led them to choose a piece of land close to a lake when building their camp, simply because it would be easier to get the water they needed for living and drinking.

But in order to ensure that the troops could better grasp all the intelligence, Perris decided to occupy a commanding height and conduct a final reconnaissance of the United Kingdom troops' camp before attacking.

(End of this chapter)