Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 74: An eye for an eye!
"Da da da~ da da da~ boom boom~"

The dense barrage of MP15 submachine gun fire echoed continuously throughout the fortress's gun emplacements, occasionally interspersed with the sound of a grenade exploding.

Capturing both security fortresses was easier than the airborne commander had anticipated before the battle—the enemy had deployed almost no heavy machine gun positions to block the tunnels inside these connecting tunnels.

When the German commandos got close, the French sailors could only offer limited resistance, relying mainly on rifles and bayonets. At most, they could only throw grenades randomly to slow the enemy down, just like the Germans.

In the battle inside the tunnels, it was a fight between submachine guns and rifles; the outcome was decided from the very beginning.

This cannot be blamed on the French army. Firstly, these fortresses were guarded not by the army, but by the navy. Secondly, the purpose of these fortress cannons was to defend against enemy ships coming from the sea and to protect French ships anchored at Dunkirk.

How could a coastal fortress possibly expect to be suddenly forced into close combat by the enemy? Could the enemy's warships really fly over and land their soldiers right next to the fortress?
Therefore, this kind of fortress was never designed with close combat in mind. Once a few points of the tunnels were infiltrated, the entire area was quickly destroyed.

In addition, there were no anti-aircraft guns at all during this era.

To be honest, the process of capturing the fort in this battle was much easier than the later airborne operation at Eben-Emar fortress in Earth's history.

Except for a few independent bunkers and firing positions, which required explosive charges or flamethrowers to eliminate, the other interconnected main gun turrets were basically captured by fighting their way through the tunnels, and were all taken within half an hour.

The ground operation officially commenced at 6:10 AM. Around 6:35 AM, Major Rommel, stationed at the northern Malolesban battery, and Captain Model, stationed at the southern Ronan battery, both realized the same thing and adjusted their operational orders:
"Be careful to make a forced landing when assaulting the heavy artillery turret! Throw a few grenades as a warning first, don't start spraying bullets right away! Only take decisive action when encountering enemies blocking the way, outside of the turret! We also need to capture enemy gunners to operate the cannons!"

Before this battle, some of the assault team members had undergone emergency heavy artillery operation training. Major Lelouch even borrowed a few technical soldiers from the heavy artillery regiment to parachute in, just in case they could successfully capture the fort and directly operate the French army's giant cannons.

However, these soldiers who received only brief and emergency training could at most learn how to fire the cannon, how to load ammunition, and how to rotate and elevate the cannon.

As for expecting them to be accurate shooters or to be able to calculate the firing time, that's wishful thinking.

Moreover, the artillery of the German and French armies had different performance characteristics, and the German army could not know the ballistic characteristics and firing tables of the French artillery in advance.

Therefore, it is best to capture or force the French artillerymen to surrender alive.

Each assault team immediately carried out the order, rushing all the way to the turret room. They didn't dare to use flamethrowers to spray directly into the gaps, but instead used explosive charges to blast open the steel door and then ordered the enemy inside to surrender.

Most of the artillerymen only had pistols and were not skilled in close combat. After the gun room door was blown open, they basically had no choice but to give up resistance and were subsequently disarmed and taken into custody by the assault team.

Some stubbornly refused to surrender, and some even tried to sabotage the cannons; the assault team promptly executed them by firing.

After capturing all the main gun turrets, Rommel and Model continued to divide their forces to clear out the outer bunkers and firing points, while also quickly setting up communication radios to contact each other and establish contact with the rear.

Within ten minutes, both sides had a clear understanding of the situation: all six twin-mounted 340mm armored turrets had been successfully captured. Of the 16 single-mounted 240mm coastal defense guns, 11 were successfully captured, two were damaged by explosive charges during the assault, and three were self-destructed by the defending forces.

Those French artillery crews who destroyed their cannons did not survive either; they were the most die-hard resisters and were all killed in the battle.

Finally, about 70% of the dozens of 140mm guns were captured, and the remaining 30% were destroyed in the fighting.

……

The German troops captured the fortress batteries and brought order under control in less than 40 minutes.

Throughout the process, the French sailors' resistance was fairly solid and not spineless.

Unfortunately, because the Burgh and French armies were not under each other's command, their communication was very slow in the event of an emergency.

The Burkina Faso sailors in the port of Dunkirk and on the ships at their berths did not receive a distress call immediately.

The Burkina Faso army in the city on the shore only figured out the situation and received the French army's report 15 minutes after the artillery fire began.

A few minutes later, Lieutenant General Allenby, commander of the 4th Army Corps, received a report from his subordinates.

Allenby was shocked: "What? The fort's defenders can't hold out anymore? The enemy came down from those airships? How can there be so many enemies? Immediately send the ANZAC 4th Division, which is closest to the port, to reinforce them!"

Among the various units under Allenby's command, the 29th Division of the Burkina Faso, composed of Burkina Faso soldiers, was positioned directly in front of the southern part of Dunkirk, facing off against the German attacking forces. More than half of the ANZAC troops were also filling in the gaps south of the city.

The only units remaining in the northeast of the city, relatively close to the port area, were the Indian 13th Division and the ANZAC 4th Division, which had been decimated a few days earlier and was now resting.

After a brief moment of thought, Allenby realized that those Indians from South Asia were completely unreliable. Those trash could only be used to fill gaps; expecting them to reinforce friendly forces and launch a counterattack was simply suicide.

Therefore, the Indian 13th Division cannot be moved; the only option is to move the ANZAC 4th Division. Even if this division has been decimated, with only 7000 to 8000 men remaining, they have no choice but to send them out first.

Allenby was genuinely startled when the German airships bombed him from above, but after calming down, he concluded that those dozens of airships couldn't possibly carry too many people. Even if they all parachuted down like the pilots, there would be at most a little over a thousand people.

As long as the French army continues to resist, and the ANZAC forces are prevented from being forced into a direct assault on the positions, it is certainly possible for seven or eight thousand men to push back more than a thousand men!

After a brief preparation period of a few minutes, the battalions of the ANZAC 4th Division rushed toward the two forts in the port area without even having time to assemble.

By the time they arrived, it was already past 6:30.

Although the German commandos had not yet fully controlled all the heavy artillery, they had already established defensive lines, allowing them to hold high ground and utilize the tunnel network.

The counter-attacking force first attacked Ronan Battery on the south side of the port—because that place was closer to the ANZAC's defense zone.

However, before the ANZAC troops could advance, the German observation posts spotted the enemy from afar and reported it to Captain Model, who was in charge of the area.

"Captain! Enemy reinforcements are arriving!"

Upon hearing this, Model raised his binoculars and observed the westward direction for a while, his expression grave: "Our army only has submachine guns. We can let the enemy get close and fire, or even let them into the tunnel entrance before we fire!"

"What? Let the enemy into the tunnel?" Model's platoon leaders were still incredulous.

"Of course! What if the enemy uses heavy machine guns to suppress us from a distance if we resist on the surface? What if we attract artillery fire? Since submachine guns have a huge advantage only in tunnels, let's be bold and give the enemy a section of the tunnel entrance!"
However, radio a call to friendly forces, instructing Major Rommel's unit to seize control of the enemy's 140mm cannons and immediately fire directly overhead! Don't worry about friendly fire! We'll all take cover underground! We'll fight a tunnel war with the enemy!

Model's bold idea truly inspired his men. Everyone felt that although this move was unheard of, it was indeed extremely daring.

……

Major Cook is the battalion commander of a battalion in the ANZAC 4th Division.

At 6:36, it was his battalion that was the first to rush to the vicinity of Ronan Fort, which was billowing with thick smoke.

Before setting off, he received direct orders from his division commander that each battalion should rush directly to reinforce Ronan Fort and other places without assembling.

When he rushed to the foot of the hillside south of the Ronan Fort with more than 500 soldiers (out of a full strength of more than 800, but only 500 were left after being decimated), the hilltop was still fiercely fighting, with various sounds coming from all directions, as if the French sailors were still putting up a desperate resistance.

Major Cook had no idea what was going on up there, nor did he know which positions were still in friendly hands or which had been captured by the enemy. But he had no choice; he had to race against time. So he charged forward without waiting for reconnaissance or cover fire.

The high ground isn't very high, only about 100 meters above sea level, which is considered a high point in a coastal city.

Major Cook rushed down the hillside for a short distance of 300 meters, gaining an altitude of fifty or sixty meters, until he arrived at the entrance of a blasted tunnel. The surroundings were quiet, but shouts of battle could still be heard from the depths in the distance.

He observed for only a few seconds before realizing that the friendly forces might have been forced deep into the artillery positions and were probably still holding their positions in the various artillery chambers. Without thinking too much, he immediately ordered 500 soldiers to rush in along the tunnel.

After running several dozen meters further into the tunnel, they encountered the first T-junction, where the road split to the left and right. Major Cook decisively ordered his troops to split into two companies on each side to try to control the tunnel position.

But his good days came to an end in that instant.

As the Australian soldiers continued to advance, several submachine gun barrels immediately protruded from the corner of the wall further ahead, indiscriminately spraying bullets along the tunnel.

The person firing the gun didn't even show their head, only the hand holding the gun, as they unleashed a torrent of bullets.

In the tunnel warfare environment, there was absolutely no way to hide. The Australian soldiers, who did not expect the enemy to deliberately let them into the tunnels, were immediately caught off guard by the German army's tricky tactics.

These inexperienced cattle and sheep herders, with pitifully little combat experience, fell down in a daze, screaming in agony, their blood immediately soaking the tunnel floor.

Amidst the chaos, several explosions rang out, sending the Australian soldiers flying and crashing to the ground in a gruesome display.

When Model ordered the enemy to get closer, he had extra flamethrower fuel canisters and surplus small explosive charges thrown into the corners of the walls along the enemy's attack route. These items didn't need any sophisticated triggering devices; they would naturally detonate from stray bullets once the fighting intensified.

The entire ANZAC battalion was decimated by Model with far fewer troops and had no choice but to retreat.

A few minutes later, another regiment of Australian and New Zealand soldiers arrived. Upon learning that their ally had suffered heavy losses, they quickly changed tactics as well.

"The Demanians actually set up an ambush in the tunnels? That means those useless French sailors have all been wiped out by the enemy! No! We can't fall for their trap again. We should attack from the ground and take the high ground first!"
"Let them hide in the tunnels like rats, we'll wait until we control the high ground and block all the exits, then we'll slowly kill them all!" That's how the Australian regimental commander countered their moves.

The soldiers of the two battalions quickly deployed according to the new tactics, charging up the ground positions.

This time, the German troops indeed acted like rats in the sewers, not daring to come out and obstruct them again. They only dared to occasionally fire a burst of sniper fire from a certain hole, and then immediately retreat to another place.

This level of harassment did nothing to deter the Australian commander's determination. His soldiers were only delayed for a few minutes before they quickly reached the high ground.

But these Australian soldiers didn't have long to be smug before a new change occurred.

Suddenly, a burst of 140mm armor-piercing shells flew over and landed directly on the ground of Ronan Battery. The roar immediately resounded throughout the entire position, blasting the exposed ANZAC soldiers to pieces, with limbs flying everywhere and blood and flesh splattering.

"Marfad! These Demacians are insane! They're even blowing up their own people? They've already taken control of those heavy artillery pieces?"

The Australian team leader was completely stunned by this crazy fighting style.

In the vast, sparsely populated continents of the Southern Hemisphere, the competition for survival was not fierce. Where had those shepherd landlords ever seen such a desperate fighting style?
They could hardly understand that Model dared to do this because he knew that armored turrets and underground fortifications were not afraid of the surface being covered by 140mm artillery.

In just a few minutes, the ANZAC infantry battalions were completely destroyed again. Weapons were scattered all over the ground, and those who survived all scrambled down the mountain, not wanting to stay on the hillside for even a second longer.

Those soldiers who managed to escape should be grateful to Rommel on the other side, as he had occupied a coastal artillery fortress. All the cannons were equipped with armor-piercing shells, intended for attacking warships; Rommel had no choice but to make do with what he had.
If Rommel could find the high-explosive stockpile immediately and use it for fire support...

Of those two ANZAC camps that managed to escape today, probably less than 30% are left alive.

With the temporary collapse of this ANZAC force, the Burkina Faso expeditionary force's counterattack on the fortress was also temporarily contained.

……

They wiped out the French sailors and also defeated the first wave of Burgundian army reinforcements.

Rommel and Model were finally able to free up their hands to deal with the fleet anchored in the port area.

Despite the exciting and elaborate descriptions, the entire process, starting from when the paratroopers landed, only took about 50 minutes.

Fifty minutes is barely enough time for the boilers of an old-fashioned coal-fired warship to even be started. Add to that the chaos within the harbor, and it will take even longer.

That's enough for Rommel and his men to pull off a big heist.

They immediately ordered all the turrets that had been taken over by the assault team to turn their cannons inward, pointing them directly at the docked ships.

At the same time, Rommel decisively issued an order to the French artillerymen who had just surrendered and been captured:

"Have them adjust the firing table and follow the procedure for firing at a fixed target, and sink all those warships flying the Burkina Faso naval flag!"

We just exchanged fire with 140mm cannons at the ground above our friendly forces. Since it was a direct-fire attack within 3 kilometers, anyone could fire at it without needing to calculate the indirect trajectory.

However, to attack warships docked in the harbor, one has to do some calculations, especially considering the elevation difference.

To achieve results more quickly and to conserve ammunition and avoid complications, having the professional French artillery fire was the best option.

Not only did Rommel do this, but Model in the south, just a few minutes later, naturally thought of doing the same thing.

"Impossible! We won't shell our own troops! We've just been captured! We're to be treated as prisoners of war! You can't force us to kill our former comrades!"

Immediately, a group of gunners protested and tried to seize the weapons.

Such acts of armed resistance were certainly unforgivable, and the submachine gunners guarding them immediately fired several short bursts, killing the enemies who tried to seize weapons and escape.

Rommel had no time to waste with them, so he ordered the officers monitoring each turret to issue commands according to this explanation:
"It's fine if you don't want to cooperate! Anyway, the range is only five or six kilometers at most, and we might not miss even if we aim directly! If we miscalculate the elevation difference, we can just adjust it with the next shot! But if we hit a civilian ship or transport ship flying the Frankish flag in the harbor, we have nothing to say, that's just an accident!"
"But if you cooperate and help us target those warships flying the Burkina Faso naval flag, we can guarantee that we will only fire on those Burkina Faso warships for the time being! After sinking them, we will not harm your own ships! Of course, the condition is that they are not allowed to fire on us or engage in any hostile acts!"

"You are devils! We will never cooperate!" some French officers shouted angrily.

However, since there were no further attempts to seize weapons or escape, the commandos guarding them were relatively restrained, only knocking the shouters unconscious with the butt of their rifles instead of immediately taking their lives.

The remaining artillerymen finally couldn't withstand the pressure, especially when they saw that the turrets had turned towards the ships in the harbor. They only took a quick look before preparing to fire their loaded ammunition.

If they don't help, they might actually attack Frankish ships, and in the end, it won't change the outcome; it will only increase casualties.

"We'll help! We'll help you spot Burkina Faso ships! But we'll never help you spot ships from our own country!"

Given the centuries-long history of animosity between Bhufa and Burma, although the high-level officials of Bhufa have now formed an alliance, there are still many uneducated soldiers in the civilian population who don't care about offending their "ally" across the strait.

Now that they were being forced into a corner by the enemy with submachine guns and their own country's ships as "hostages," these French gunners had a way out and reluctantly gave in.

"Huh? Those shallow-draft heavy gunboats actually moved first? Are they diesel-powered? They started up so quickly! Target those heavy gunboats first! Don't let them leave port!"

Just as Rommel and Model were coercing the captured French gunners to submit, several newly built shallow-draft heavy gunboats from the Burkina Faso were already moving in the port area!
It turns out that these ships are small and slow, but they have one advantage: they are powered by diesel engines. The advantage of diesel engines is that they save on the length of the ship compared to turbine engines, and the engine room can be made very short, which makes them very suitable for small boats.

However, the disadvantage of diesel engines is their low power density, meaning that the number of horsepower that each ton of engine can provide is relatively low, making it impossible to achieve a large power output. Therefore, the most common type of diesel engine used is for submarines, because the total installed power of submarines is very small.

These shallow-water heavy gunboats in front of us have a speed of only 6 to 8 knots. The reason they are so slow is because they are equipped with diesel engines, which have a very small total power output.

Originally, diesel engines started quickly, giving them the opportunity to start immediately and then turn their guns to fire at close range at the coastal defense batteries. They were the only type of ship in the harbor's naval fleet that had a chance to counterattack.

Unfortunately, another fatal flaw of these ships blocked this possibility—because the hull of shallow-water heavy gunboats was too light and narrow, and they still had to carry super heavy guns, the traverse of the main gun turret was very poor.

The main gun turrets of these ships could only be rotated 10 degrees to either port or starboard, unlike battleships which could rotate 90 degrees.

In other words, these ships could only fire their cannons towards their bows. If they were allowed to fire sideways, the recoil of the giant cannons would be enough to capsize the ship.

Therefore, when these ships are anchored in the harbor, they are completely unable to rotate their turrets to attack the coastal defense batteries!
They can only leave the berth, turn around, and align the bow with the target before they can fire.

Unfortunately, Rommel and Model certainly wouldn't give them that chance.

Just as several shallow-water heavy gunboats were starting up one after another, intending to sail out of the breakwater, turn around on the open sea, and point their bows toward the gun emplacement.

The 240mm shells on the turret were already raining down.

The German army didn't even need to use its heaviest 340mm artillery. They relied on their much faster 240mm rapid-fire guns, capable of firing four rounds per minute.

That would be enough to completely destroy these deformed warships that are weak in armor and power, but strong in firepower.

A warship with an empty displacement of just over 6000 tons is, in terms of tonnage, just a light cruiser. Being hit by a 240mm armor-piercing shell would be fatal.

"Boom~ Boom~" Shells fell on the sea near the warship, and just 15 seconds later, another round came, with the impact points getting closer and closer.

Within a minute, the USS Grant, a shallow-draft gunboat, was hit squarely on the aft deck by a 240mm armor-piercing shell, which penetrated the engine room and blew up the diesel engines.

Just two minutes later, two 240mm armor-piercing shells landed almost simultaneously on the USS Robert E. Lee, blowing off its stern. A torrent of seawater rushed in, causing the bow of the USS Robert E. Lee to tilt upwards and its stern to plunge into the seabed, sinking completely.

These two fierce rivals, who had fought tooth and nail throughout the American Civil War, met their ends in this way, both beside the breakwater of Dunkirk.

Even worse, the two shallow-draft gunboats were sunk halfway through their attempt to escape and turn around, blocking the exit channel. The remaining two shallow-draft gunboats, along with two pre-dreadnoughts, were now unable to leave.

This is a classic case of being trapped in a cage.

The 340mm coastal defense guns were positioned high above them, pointing straight at their heads, and they had no way to escape.

"So this is how you fight a war! This is so exhilarating! Is this the thrill of firing a coastal defense gun right on top of a warship? Quick! Aim at those two 'Formidable-class' pre-dreadnoughts!"

"This time, of course we'll use the 340mm guns! 240mm guns can't penetrate battleships! Yes, let's aim straight at their heads and fire!"

Rommel and Model, respectively, issued similar orders from the two forts on the north and south sides of the port.

P.S.: The image above shows a Formidable-class battleship, which was started between 1998 and 2001. It's a 6,000-word chapter, and today it's over 10,000 words.

(End of this chapter)