"Don't panic, don't panic, closer!"
Behind the open gun mount, German Air Force Unteroffizier Thomas Müller stared intently through the optical sight, raising his right hand to signal his gunner to hold steady.
The more they said "don't panic," the more apparent the tension became. Even Logan, who had stepped down from the bridge, was sweating, while Stephenberg, holding a pair of binoculars, couldn't stop observing the situation on the enemy ship.
The small harbor was no more than two hundred meters wide, and the subsequent British minesweeper had already sailed to the center of the harbor, albeit at a slow speed. Perhaps because of the intact appearance of the "J-36," their vigilance seemed to relax. They didn't show any signs of firing but instead had a signalman waving flags on the mast - as for the content, Logan no longer had any interest in knowing!
"Fire!"
Thomas finally shouted, and the gunner behind him immediately pulled the firing lanyard. With a loud roar, the artificial silence on the sea surface was instantly shattered into fragments!
Twelve pairs of eyes looked toward the approaching British minesweeper. Some of the British sailors on the deck hadn't even turned to see what was happening. On the bridge, the neatly dressed British officers and their aides were dumbfounded!
With an even more piercing boom, all doubts ended in less than a second! In their line of sight, a brilliant fireball erupted on the deck of the British minesweeper - at first glance, it looked like fireworks at a festival. Upon closer inspection, it was a peculiar flower with black edges and orange buds, filled with the beauty of war!
For a moment, the British sailors standing around the open gun mount resisted gravity in various exaggerated poses. Two unlucky ones, too close to the explosion, even threw away parts of their bodies and leaped alone...
"Excellent!"
Logan shouted, the excitement and pleasure brought by real combat were something that couldn't be experienced just by watching a blockbuster in the cinema!
Two paratrooper gunners quickly opened the breech, letting the smoking empty shell slide out, while another picked up a shell from the side and quickly loaded it into the breech. Thomas, the Unteroffizier, didn't say much, only waiting for the breech to return to its position. After a brief aim, he shouted, "Fire!"
In just a few seconds, there was no significant change in the relative positions of the two minesweepers. The shells whistled out and raised another fierce fireball on the solid bridge of the opposing ship!
"Excellent!" Logan praised again. He picked up his binoculars, leisurely watching the chaos on the front and middle decks, watching the frantic British sailors. Faced with this sudden bombardment, the minesweeper began to turn blindly to port - at such a close distance, a direct collision might be the best choice!
As the minesweeper turned, its starboard side and stern gradually came into view for Logan. Suddenly, he noticed the quad machine gun turret at the rear of the enemy ship rotating.
"Thomas, the rear anti-aircraft machine gun!"
"Got it!"
Thomas responded, vigorously turning the circular handle on the gun mount. Like most tank turrets of the time, small and medium-caliber naval guns still used this primitive manual aiming. Sometimes even a one-second timing difference could be the key to deciding the outcome of a battle!
Ratatatat...
Hearing the machine gun fire from the opposite side, Logan's heart almost jumped to his throat. He instinctively pulled Stephenberg down, and several bullets whizzed past overhead!
Fortunately, the enemy's anti-aircraft machine gun failed to find Thomas and his makeshift gun crew in the first instance. Almost at the same time as the rain of bullets hit the deck, the 76mm naval gun roared again.
When Logan looked up, the enemy machine gun had fallen silent, and thick smoke billowed from the rear deck of the minesweeper!
Thomas's gunner picked up a shell from the deck and shouted after loading it into the breech, "Last one!"
It was only then that Logan realized that the paratroopers sent to fetch the shells might have been delayed because they were not familiar with the equipment layout of this British warship.
Although three close-range shells had been fired, fires were erupting all over the ship's surface, but the minesweeper was still trying to turn. If they couldn't stop it in time, it would soon escape the harbor. Even more extreme, if they decided to block the harbor entrance, these German paratroopers would be at a loss!
Feeling the urgency of the situation, the German paratroopers worked together under the urging of the gunfire, and it only took 20 minutes to move all the radar equipment on board. However, because they were in a hurry, all the boxes were temporarily placed on the deck and in the corridor.
Falkenberg, controlling the helm, did not rush. With the steam boiler maintaining sufficient pressure, he quickly got the minesweeper started. By now, the British minesweeper that entered the harbor later was listing and sinking in the bay, its deck engulfed in flames and thick smoke, with survivors occasionally crawling out and jumping into the water.
Seeing this scene, Logan had no mood to capture more prisoners. He checked his watch; it was already 6:12 in the morning, with daylight, nothing could be hidden on the sea surface, and the burning minesweeper in the harbor was like a beacon, sure to attract more British ships.
At such a critical moment, people often unleash far more power than usual. Under the urgency of the gunfire, German paratroopers worked together, and it took only 20 minutes to move all the radar equipment on board. However, because they were in a hurry, all the boxes were temporarily placed on the deck and in the corridor.
"This, Captain, we found this below!"
When Corporal Karen Molt - proficient in radio technology and who had followed him in the "Potassium Chloride Operation" - reported with the captured British codebook in hand, Logan couldn't help but miss Tobias, Grot, and several other comrades who had fought together and were now lying in hospital beds. If they could come, they would probably help alleviate some of the pressure!
Logan took the little book and looked at it. If they could get such a codebook from the enemy without their knowledge and without making any changes, it would be like having a pair of X-ray glasses, perfect for looking at beautiful women. But since the attack on the British Expeditionary Force headquarters, the British had promptly changed their original telegraph code, so the previous British codebook obtained by Logan and his team had not played a significant role. Rationally speaking, the British were probably not going to take it lightly this time!
"Is the transmitter on the ship working? Can we try to contact our headquarters?" Logan handed the codebook back to the young corporal, indicating for him to keep it safe. Between deciphering enemy messages and making contact with their own, the latter was clearly more important now.
Molt carefully put the codebook back into his portable file bag. "The transmitter is fine. I'll try it now!"
"After establishing contact, ask them to send fighters to cover us! Let's go..." Logan thought for a moment, then turned to Falkenberg, who was concentrating on steering the helm. "Shall we take a direct course to Seborg?"
The submarine officer pondered for a moment. "Before leaving submarine school, the instructor gave me a saying: 'The shortest route may not always be the safest; sometimes, patiently navigating around a small bay may yield unexpected rewards.'"
The phrase sounded like a Western proverb. Logan's gaze drifted towards the porthole. The minesweeper, still flying the flag of the British Empire Navy, was slowly leaving the harbor. Perhaps behind a window at the dock, a pair of beautiful yet melancholic eyes were watching it depart with indescribable emotions...