BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1673: Vulnerable
However, under the influence of factors such as the aid of the artillery sighting radar and the relatively short distance, it was still easy to achieve a hit.
The shells of the 210mm main gun easily tore apart the hull of the merchant ship. Amidst the cries of the British soldiers, the merchant ship gradually sank into the sea.
"Damn it, launch the torpedo and stop the Germans!" The captain of a British destroyer ordered with a black face.
They must find a way to stop the massacre of the Germans in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Otherwise, the British Army will pay a huge loss. At that time, let alone resist the German attack in Newfoundland. I\'m afraid we can\'t even defend Canada itself.
"Yes, sir!"
The destroyer quickly launched a torpedo, but unfortunately, not only did it fail to achieve any effect, but instead put itself in it.
In order to guard against attacks by torpedo boats and submarines of the British Navy, the German Navy\'s fleet kept sailing at high speed after entering the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Although this will have a certain impact on the hit rate, it is a good protection for your own safety. Even if the British army launches a lightning strike, it is difficult to hit the German warship sailing at high speed.
The artillery formation of the German Navy entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the Cabot Strait, and then sailed out of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the Bell Strait. Along the way, the British Army, which attempted to cross the sea to reinforce Newfoundland, suffered heavy losses.
Five infantry divisions and one armored division, more than half of the troops died in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The remaining half landed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the other part retreated to Canada. This also means that the British worked hard all night, not only suffered heavy losses, but also sent less than 20,000 people to Newfoundland.
At this time, nearly two divisions of the German Marine Corps have already landed. And, the 3rd Division of the German Marine Corps is attacking St. John\'s. Once the 3rd Division of the Marine Corps takes St. John\'s, other units of the German Marine Corps will land on Newfoundland sooner.
British Army Secretary David Magson felt like crying after receiving the loss report.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, we paid tens of thousands of losses, and finally sent less than 20,000 people to Newfoundland. Such a loss ratio is really too big. If this continues, we may pay even more At that time, not only will they not be able to defend Newfoundland, but they will also be unable to defend the mainland because of the loss of too many troops." David Magson suggested.
Several divisions have been lost one after another. Such a loss was already unbearable for the British Army. After all, Britain is no better than the United States now, and their army is far from comparable to the US Army in terms of size. The loss of several infantry divisions in succession has made David Magson very distressed.
Prime Minister Churchill frowned. He didn\'t agree with giving up like this. However, he also knows that the current loss is very large, and if it continues, their loss will become greater and greater.
"Look at today\'s battle first, and then talk about it!" Prime Minister Churchill said.
Because there were not many troops landing on the island, the British army originally planned to launch a large-scale counterattack. But now it has to be postponed.
But the postponement of the British offensive does not mean that the German offensive will be delayed.
Although St. John is 50 kilometers away from Tripe West, the 3rd Division of the German Marine Corps arrived at St. John on November 24. With a large number of trucks and armored vehicles ashore, the maneuvering speed of the German Marine Corps is no slower than the mechanized units of the German Army.
Although the British Army also has an infantry division stationed in St. John, the German Marine Corps is not afraid at all.
That afternoon, after the German Navy\'s artillery formation and carrier-based aircraft fired on St. John\'s for an hour, the 3rd Division of the German Marine Corps officially launched an attack on St. John\'s.
Dozens of amphibious tanks, with the cooperation of hundreds of armed helicopters, launched an attack on the British positions. Following the tanks were the infantrymen of the Marine Corps. In the sky, there are dozens of fighter jets and dive bombers supporting them.
Although, the 3rd Infantry Division of the British Army has been operating in St. John for a long time, and has built a lot of fortifications.
But under the powerful firepower of the German army, these fortifications have been damaged a lot.
Coupled with the joint attack of German tanks and armed helicopters, they were even more unable to resist.
Some anti-tank fire points, before they had time to fire, or only had time to fire one or two shots, would be spotted by German helicopters and then hit by rockets.
It is precisely because of this that the British army was unable to form a powerful counterattack during the battle. Their line of defense was easily torn apart by the Germans.
"General, the German offensive is too fierce. Our defense line has been torn apart by German tanks. It is estimated that they will hit our headquarters in a short time." The commander of the 2nd Division of the British Army told Campbell The Lieutenant General reported.
"What? The battle started less than two hours ago, and we can\'t resist it?" Admiral Campbell\'s face was very ugly, as if it was difficult to accept such a result.
"General, the Germans not only received fire support from naval guns on the sea, but also a large number of carrier-based aircraft to provide them with air support. In addition, the Germans also have dozens of tanks and a large number of helicopters. We don’t have it. The air force can’t guarantee our air superiority, so we naturally can’t resist the German attack.” The major general said helplessly.
Although Lieutenant General Campbell knew that the Germans were very powerful, once the Germans landed in Newfoundland, it would be difficult for them to defend. However, he did not expect that they would lose St. John in such a short period of time.
"General, let\'s evacuate St. John\'s and go to the west. We still have enough troops there, and it is easier to get support." The major general suggested.
Lieutenant General Campbell thought for a while, then nodded.
Immediately, the British army attempted to escape here before the German army completely captured St. John\'s. Unfortunately, the German advance was too fast. So that only a small number of troops of the infantry division of the British army managed to escape. The rest of the troops were surrounded. Moreover, they fell into the hands of the Germans before they even had time to blow up the port of St. John.