"Boom!" A loud explosion echoed from a distance, followed by faint, heart-wrenching screams. Fred, who had been sound asleep, was startled awake. He muttered to himself, "Those idiots are at it again with the mines."
After overcoming countless obstacles, British forces had finally advanced to the outskirts of Bumare, only to be met with a long, wide anti-tank trench. Behind the trench were three more lines of trenches, manned by German paratroopers who were well-prepared.
The British immediately launched an attack, but daylight assaults were met with fierce resistance from German attack planes taking off from Bumare airfield, resulting in heavy casualties. Nighttime attacks, on the other hand, saw several tanks destroyed by buried anti-tank mines.
In this manner, the British lost over a dozen tanks and hundreds of soldiers before even getting close to the anti-tank trench.
They considered using bombers to strike Bumare, but the Germans had set up a radar station on a nearby hill, albeit a small one with limited detection range. However, it was sufficient to scramble fighter planes to intercept the British bombers before they could reach their target.
Artillery bombardment was also attempted, but German reconnaissance planes constantly circled above Bumare. Even gathering a few large guns risked being attacked by German fighter planes.
With no other choice, the British were forced to continue their ground offensive, but they had to clear the minefields first.
There were many ways to clear mines. The simplest and most brutal method was artillery bombardment, using various shells to detonate the mines in the area. However, this method was not entirely effective, as some mines might remain unexploded. The safest method was to send soldiers out with tools to clear the mines manually, but this was also the slowest and least efficient method, particularly in the heat of battle.
Nevertheless, the British had no choice but to send their engineers to clear the mines.
But the German mines were not so easily dealt with.
First, there were the anti-tank mines. Ordinary anti-tank mines were relatively large and required a significant amount of pressure to detonate, making them easier to clear manually. However, to prevent sappers from clearing them, the German anti-tank mines were equipped with two fuses. The primary fuse was designed to detonate the mine when a tank rolled over it, destroying the tank. The secondary fuse was usually a pull-wire anti-personnel fuse, modified to use a secondary detonator to detonate the mine when it was being cleared manually, killing the sapper and increasing the minefield's survivability.
To make matters worse, the Germans had not only buried anti-tank mines but had mixed various types of mines to create a massive minefield.
Among the most notorious was the S-mine, a bouncing fragmentation mine. Nazi Germany produced a total of 1.93 million S-mines during World War II. These mines caused severe casualties to the enemy and delayed or even halted their advance. The S-mine was particularly diabolical because it could be equipped with a triple fuse interface, allowing a single mine to have three detonation modes, including an anti-handling shear wire fuse specifically designed to counter Allied sappers.
This mine's design was so successful and deadly that it became one of the iconic weapons of World War II and a nightmare for Allied infantry. The Allies gave it a rather cute nickname: "Betty." Due to its excellent killing effect, the S-mine was widely imitated and improved by other countries.
When triggered, the S-mine would first ignite the propellant at the bottom of the warhead (some S-mines had a delay of several seconds to explode in the middle of a formation), simultaneously triggering the short-delay fuse inside the mine body. As the mine was launched into the air, the short-delay fuse ignited the explosive, propelling over 300 steel balls on the outer surface of the warhead, which would then shred anyone nearby. It was a particularly cruel weapon because it exploded at about waist height, and the wounded often lost the ability to walk for the rest of their lives, which was a living hell for a man.
However, this type of mine was easily detected by metal detectors, and once found, it was relatively easy to disarm. Sappers could insert a needle into the small hole of the pressure sensor. If the S-mine used a tripwire or electronic initiator, the wires could be cut.
To counter this, the Germans also developed ceramic mines, glass mines, and even wooden mines. Since these were non-metallic, they were difficult for sappers' metal detectors to detect, and these bizarre mines caused the British sappers a great deal of trouble.
However, judging from the sound of the explosion, it was probably an anti-tank mine that had detonated. Fred turned over and continued to sleep soundly.
While he slept soundly, Churchill, far away in the basement of the Prime Minister's residence in London, was suffering from insomnia.
"Why, why haven't we wiped out those damned Germans yet?!" he gritted his teeth, his eyes red and wild, looking utterly insane. He hadn't seen the sun in a long time, and his skin was an unhealthy white.
Outside the office, listening to Churchill's hysterical shouting, several secretaries looked worried and whispered to each other. "Should we go get Dr. Smith?"
"Didn't Dr. Smith already prescribe him some medicine?"
"I think the Prime Minister might not be taking his medicine."
"Why don't you go in and remind him?"
"I'm not brave enough."
In an article about World War II, Churchill wrote: "When I stand on the platform, I dare not look at the passing trains. I try to hide behind a pillar. When I'm on a ship, I dare not go to the ship's side to look at the sea below. If I did, I think it would all be over (I would jump)."
Churchill was a severe depressive, and he would be plagued by sudden, dangerous thoughts throughout his life. He used the code name "Black Dog" to disguise this illness. From the medical records left by his personal physician, it can be seen that Churchill experienced various strange symptoms, but the treatment section was blank, as there was no better treatment for this disease in that era other than sleeping pills.
In 1911, one of Churchill's friends suffered from this disease and improved after being treated by a German doctor. Churchill wrote in a letter, "I think this doctor would be good for me too. My Black Dog hasn't been visiting me lately. When he's far away from me, I feel like the colors have returned to the paintings." This letter shows that depression caused Churchill to have temporary hallucinations.
The "Black Dog" would frequently appear in Churchill's writings. Churchill chose this name with a deep meaning because dogs could eventually be tamed. However, contrary to his expectations, his battle with the Black Dog lasted from the age of 35 until his death at 90, and he never managed to subdue it. Official records show that Churchill would suddenly take to his bed, sometimes for more than two months, and no one knew what was wrong with him. When he returned to work, it seemed as if nothing had happened, but after a while, he would disappear for a few days without warning. In fact, whenever the Black Dog returned, Churchill's body would become stiff, and it would take a lot of courage for him to get out of bed. His mind would be filled with all sorts of strange thoughts, and he would even feel that death was the best release.
At the same time, the Black Dog also brought miracles. The most glorious period of Churchill's life coincided with the darkest moments of his depression. Every time his condition improved, his judgment became more accurate, and his will became stronger. Experts from the London Society for Psychical Research gave a scientific explanation for this phenomenon: "Depression itself is painful, but fundamentally, it can give the body a whole new experience. It can make us respond positively to challenges. It can remind you that your old thoughts and ways of doing things are wrong. In order to alleviate the pain of depression, people have to take the initiative to change their thinking patterns and habits and stop wasting time on melancholy. They become more pragmatic and more clear about their goals."
After venting his anger, the office finally quieted down. Just when the secretaries thought the Prime Minister had fallen asleep, the office door opened, and Churchill walked out. "Get ready, I'm going to give a radio speech."