The night is getting deeper and the stars are sparse. The huge Limerick cannot see half of the light, like an abandoned city, but the British did not forget it. After two large-scale air strikes during the day, the British Air Force once again dispatched a huge group of bombers, flew across the St. George's Strait on the moon, across southern Ireland, and followed the sparkling Shannon River to the Irish capital.

At 9:22, an air raid sirens rang throughout the city of Limerick. A large number of searchlights suddenly lit up in the fields. High light columns pierced the sky, guiding anti-aircraft artillery to attack British bombers passing through the coalition air defense line. Find traces of enemy fighter jets, anti-aircraft artillery deployed around Limerick and warships anchored on the Shannon River opened fire one after another. The fireworks performances on St. Patrick's Day have never been so magnificent...

Due to British air strikes, the imperial military meeting held in the Irish royal residence "Forest Palace" was temporarily interrupted. The personnel quickly moved to a nearby emergency shelter. However, Xia Shu and his generals did not follow him into the underground fortifications protected by reinforced concrete, but observed the battle situation in the air defense observation center close to the surface.

"The radar warning station detected that the enemy aircraft that came in this attack was divided into four aircraft groups, each with about 100 aircraft, a total of about 400 aircraft. According to the contact report of the fighter troops, most of the British sent bombers this time were bombers, with a flight altitude of 4,000 meters, thus avoiding our small-caliber air defense weapons. As of the current situation, our fighter jets can only prevent a quarter of British bombers from approaching Limerick, and then shoot down a quarter of them on their return journey. Whether Limerick's losses can be minimized depends on the performance of the ground air defense forces."

After receiving the latest report from the General Staff, Colonel Connolly, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, informed His Majesty the King and the senior officers in a tone of joy or sorrow. During the two air raids during the day, the British army invested nearly a thousand fighter jets in total. The coalition's combat statistics resulted in shooting down 514 British fighter jets and injured more than 300. In other words, more than half of the British aircraft entering Irish airspace were damaged, and most of the returned flights were injured. The air raids in the capital of Ireland paid such a heavy price. British senior officials should re-examine such bombing operations, but they insisted on launching night air raids. It seems that the coalition's occupation of the Isle of Man and landing on the Coen Peninsula stimulated the most sensitive nerve of the British.

The efficiency of the straight-sighted anti-aircraft gun, Natsuki Zhishi Tongjin, he never had too much expectations for ground air defense, nor put excessive pressure on the air defense forces. In response to Colonel Connolly's last words, he said in a frivolous tone: "If we can perform well, our anti-aircraft guns may be able to kill fifty British bombers. If there are more than fifty, I will award medals to the gunners overnight."

The implication is that half of the British fighter jets will break through the heavy blocking and fly to the estuary of Shannon River, but this does not mean that the Irish capital will be destroyed by purgatory fires. During the day, even if hundreds of tons of smoke agent is used, it is difficult to hide Limerick, which has an area of ​​more than 200 square kilometers in the city. However, at night, the conditions for using "war magic" will be much more convenient. In order to disrupt the judgment of British pilots, Limerick garrisons made special arrangements in the northeast of the city. The circular area formed by searchlights and anti-aircraft guns is actually a large area of ​​farmland and several villages and towns. The real urban areas and ports will remain absolutely silent during the night air strikes, and radio monitoring and interference methods will also be used with all their strength.

Limerick's air raid alarm rang from 9:10 pm to 9:55 pm. British bombers dropped hundreds of bombs in anti-aircraft artillery fire. The real bombing lasted less than 20 minutes. Most of the bombs fell in fake target areas set by the Irish army. Only a few blocks in the northern part of Limerick were severely injured, and there were very few British fighter jets shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire. It was observed that no more than 20 were observed.

The officers admire His Majesty the King so much that they say nothing.

During the British bombing, Xia Shu said nothing. After contacting the air defense alarm, he immediately explained to the accompanying Secretary of State: "Notify the cabinet and issue an official announcement tomorrow. Limerick suffered minor losses during the three bombings of the British army. However, a large number of civilian facilities were damaged and countless civilian property turned into ashes. For this reason, the British team was severely condemned the indiscriminate bombing of the Irish capital."

"This method is amazing!" Air Force Commander De Bloni was the first to praise him.

Faced with the praise from his subordinates, Natsuki kept his calm mind as usual: "Fortunately, we are still facing the British Air Force. If we cannot defeat the British local military forces as soon as possible, it will be useless until the Americans intervene in full."

So far, the strength of the United States is only reflected in the economy and industry. Their concessions in the Azores crisis have made it generally believed that the United States' military strength only exists on paper. Once a head-on battle with the Allies' camps, the US team will inevitably be severely repaired. Therefore, the officers did not care much about Xia Shu's "American Threat Theory". The current commander of the Irish Army and German general William Brandt changed the topic:

"The situation in the Isle of Man is calm, and the British seem to have given up on it completely. On the Coen Peninsula, the British team's counterattack was very strong and invested in a lot of chariot troops. I am worried that the coalition line can survive tonight. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

In name, the King of Ireland was the supreme commander of the coalition forces and fully commanded the military operations of the Irish theater of war, but the battles on the Isle of Man and the Cohen Peninsula were under the direct control of the Joint Operations Command from the very beginning, and rather, they were operated on the chessboard of the German General Staff. All deployments were carried out according to the German plan. The Irish army was subordinate to both the strength, the equipment and the battlefield role. Within the Irish army, the generals were generally dissatisfied with this arrangement, even very

Dogerian officers also had objections to the excessive autocracy of the German General Staff. They believed that the Irish king was more competent in the position of military commander than anyone else. However, the parties themselves remained silent and never expressed dissatisfaction on any occasion. Regarding the concerns of the army commander, Xia Shu responded calmly: "If we can defend the defense line, it means that the fighting spirit of the frontline soldiers is stronger than we imagined. Even if the defense line is broken, the landing troops may not be driven into the sea by the British. I will find a way to regain the position tomorrow."

Brandt was obviously unwilling to accept it: "Although you are right, we invested in the most elite 1st Paratrooper Battalion and 1st Chariot Battalion in one go. If there were serious losses in the first day of the battle, it would inevitably cause a blow to our morale. Moreover, excellent soldiers cannot be trained in a few weeks."

Natsuki looked at him and asked, "What is an excellent soldier?"

Brandt did not answer because he knew that what His Majesty the King wanted was not a well-known answer.

Excellent soldiers on the training ground and excellent soldiers on the battlefield seem to be related to each other, but perhaps not the same thing at all. The former depends on the military system and personal attitude, and basically you will gain as long as you pay. Nowadays, Germany, Ireland and Britain each have a large number of excellent soldiers who have received formal training. They are clear about conventional skills such as shooting, marching, trenching, fighting, etc., and can implement orders in most cases. They can be as powerful as a rainbow when the weather is smooth, and may lose their fighting spirit in adversity. The latter is through the grinding of war.

The understanding obtained by paying blood and even the price of life, soldiers who grew up in the war have the temperament of not being arrogant when they win or not being discouraged when they lose, and can calmly deal with various situations, be afraid of danger and remain calm when they are in danger. In recent years, the Allies have lost tens of thousands of soldiers in France and consumed countless funds. The biggest gain is to allow the soldiers of the front-line troops to receive actual combat in advance. This is a major advantage of the coalition forces over the British army, but most of the coalition soldiers returning from France are not yet considered "excellent" because only a very small number of people have encountered real tests there.

In Xia Shu's eyes, the Battle of the Cohen Peninsula was the first tough battle in the early stages of the war, and it was likely to become a watershed in the evolution of the mentality of the soldiers on both sides. Therefore, he advocated a steady combat strategy, that is, on the first day of landing, with the support of the air force and the navy, and expanded the landing field during the day with the support of the air force and the navy, establishing a circular defense line with a certain degree of defense. Relying on the position at night, strictly guarding the death to resist the British team's counterattack. As a result, after the battle started, the British troops stationed on the Cohen Peninsula were vulnerable, and the coalition forces took steps and implemented the third combat goal in advance, that is, establishing a cross-and-a-half-straight forward.

The island's defense line. If the goal is achieved, the landing troops will soon be able to open up several field airports in the western part of the Cohen Peninsula, which has very positive significance for the coalition forces to seize the battlefield air supremacy as soon as possible. However, judging from the battle reports sent back from the front, this step is too risky. The coalition landing fleet failed to complete the scheduled transportation mission. The landing troops held the defense line too wide and the anti-chariot weapons on the positions are insufficient. These are just external influences. If the coalition forces suffered a defeat on the Cohen Peninsula, the most critical reason is probably that the German generals underestimated the British's preparations for war.

At this moment, on the battlefield in the central Cohen Peninsula, fierce fighting between the two armies was still in progress. Seeing that the British chariots were crushing with a scattered momentum, many coalition soldiers, including Gallach, quickly retracted back to the trench, waiting for the British chariots to crush them from their heads, and then re-used the same trick, using various anti-chariot weapons to attack their relatively weak rear.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this is a choice of knowing advance and retreat, and understanding gains and losses, but the privates beside Gallah did not understand it so. The young Irish paratrooper threw his rifle aside and threw anti-tank grenades outwards one after another at the risk of being hit by enemy guns. The close-range explosion made people's organs hurt and their blood surged. Seeing the robes around him so bravely, Gallah felt ashamed. He clenched his fist and smashed the ground, threw the fear and cowardice in his heart aside, grabbed the rifle, put an anti-armor grenade in a squat position, and resolutely got up and started fighting again.

It doesn't matter if he raised his head, and his head was almost kicked by the horse's hooves flying through the sky.

Under the moonlight, the sharp saber flashed with a cold light, and a crisp sound was heard. The private beside Galah fell on his back in a strange posture.

Gallach was stunned by the scene. Before he could recover, the creaking sound of the crawler turning came from the top of his head. He felt his vision dark, and the scene where he was run over by the British chariots was reappearing as it was. The difference was that this time the British cavalry kept up with the rhythm of the attack. Their existence made it difficult for the coalition soldiers to use their old tricks and eliminate the British chariots that had crossed the trenches in isolation.

British chariots drove through the trenches, and the blocked moonlight was sprinkled in the trenches again. Galach quickly leaned over to check his companion's injuries. The privates covered their right neck tightly with their hands, and blood gushed out from their fingers, their bodies continued to tremble, and deep astonishment and reluctance were revealed in their eyes.

Every Irish paratrooper carries a double first aid kit on his body. Gallach took out the hemostatic powder and hemostatic bandage as fast as possible and moved the private's hand away. It was really unlucky to say that this guy was actually injured by cold weapons on the battlefield in the early 1930s. The British cavalry's sword left deep bone-visible scars at the base of his neck and right shoulder. Just as Gallach sprinkled the hemostatic powder upwards, the private suddenly stopped trembling, his eyes lost their last vitality, and became empty and unsightly.

Gallach did not cry, scream, or roar. He silently raised his head, and the British cavalry were crossing the trenches one after another. Under the intimidation of the cavalry sword, the coalition soldiers in this section were already suppressed in the trenches.

Can't defend the position anymore?

As soon as Galah sighed in his heart, someone in his ears whipped his cowardice with a sonorous and powerful voice.

"Apart from the grenadiers, everyone is bayonet ready!"

This is the combat command of the German team. The pronunciation of the words is somewhat similar to that of Irish Gaelic. Most Irish soldiers should be able to understand it. After a moment, Gallach heard the same Irish language and saw the riflesmen of the same paratrooper combat group pulling out bayonets to install rifles. He saw the second-class soldier who replaced the light machine gun and squatting on the ground, replacing the light machine gun magazine. He saw Corporal Reilly leaning against the wall of the trench and carefully observing the situation outside the trench.

When he was suppressed by British cavalry and chariots, everyone was preparing to fight back. Gallach was even more ashamed of his idea of ​​seeking everything. The grenade used a trigger fuse and could attack any target within the range. Therefore, instead of removing the grenade launcher and changing into a bayonet, he was preparing to give a heavy blow to the enemy in front of him.

After a while, the command to open fire sounded from the German troops next to each other. The German soldiers fired forward with bayonets, and the defense fire suddenly exerted force like a pressurized spring. Amid all kinds of shouts and shouts, many soldiers stood up resolutely, trying to stop the British army's follow-up troops; the grenadiers threw magnetic anti-tank grenades and incendiary bombs at the British tanks.

Gallach held the rifle in his hand tightly and waited for Corporal Riley's order, but the next second, the harsh metal friction and dull engine roar covered everything.

With the experience of being crushed twice before, Gallach knew that a British chariot was right in front of him. If no one could stop it, it would drive through the trench for at least half a minute.

Thinking of the fresh life that had just disappeared in front of him, Galach suddenly stood up and aimed his gun at the British chariot.

This is a Vicks MK-ii, with not many cavalry behind it, but a considerable number of "Vicks" and "Kitchener" were rumbling over the wreckage of the destroyed chariots, and the artillery fire of the coalition forces had been significantly weakened by this time.

The defense line can no longer be defended!

Gallach whined in his heart, aiming and shooting without any hesitation. The grenade shot accurately hit the British chariot more than ten meters away. The front of the chariot was the thickest part of its armor, but the thickness was only 20 mm, which could not stop the attack of an anti-armor grenade. The damaged chariot continued to move forward, and its speed became slower and slower, and finally stopped completely five or six meters away from the trench.

The weapons in the car did not fire again, and no crew members abandoned the car and escaped. Are they afraid that they would be beaten into sieves, or were they killed? Gallach had such doubts, but he didn't have time to think too much. He lowered his head and loaded the grenades, and did not pay attention to Private Hart stumbled to his side.

"The corporal was killed!" Hart said with a sad face, "It was hacked to death by the British cavalry!"

Gallach was shocked, which meant that something he was reluctant to see happened. Although he was mentally prepared, the current battlefield situation was extremely complicated. The coalition might be able to defend its position after a hard battle, and might immediately face a disaster-like defeat.

Before Gallach could speak, Hart said again: "The position on the north side seems to have been completely broken!"

Looking around, the flames of guns on the north side of the position were weakened, and the resistance of the coalition forces there seemed to have been greatly weakened.

The coalition soldiers retreated from the north side of the position soon appeared in the trench. Not only were they covered in dust and had a low morale, but they also brought frustrating news that they were attacked from both sides and were beaten by the British, so they lost a large area of ​​positions in just a few minutes. The British cavalry rushed into the coalition's field artillery position in the dark, and most of the artillery was destroyed. The only way to survive was to retreat quickly, retreat to the beachhead position, rely on the support of the naval artillery to defend the position, and wait for an opportunity to counterattack under the cover of the Air Force until dawn.
Chapter completed!