The intense street fighting, which lasted for nearly half an hour, finally ended with heavy casualties inflicted on the British landing forces and the advance units withdrawing to hold the dock area. When the British destroyer and minesweeper near the shore covered the German positions with firepower, Logan promptly ordered his paratroopers to retreat to the outskirts.
The ground combat entered a brief halftime break, inevitably turning the airspace into a battleground for honor between British and German soldiers. The third wave of British bombers roared across the strait. Logan didn't bother counting, but it seemed like there were more than the previous two waves combined. The German fighters, numbering thirty or forty, were the first to take to the sky for interception. Adolf Galland and his brave pilots engaged in continuous combat, yet this didn't hinder their efficiency in increasing their personal records. The low growl of the aircraft during rapid maneuvers, the screech of machine guns and cannons firing, and the wail before an aircraft crashed formed a symphony of tension and release. Whenever a British bomber with twin engines crashed and exploded, Logan's paratroopers would cheer slightly. That sound was much more pleasant to their ears than the relentless barrage of British warships!
"Sixteen... Sixteen... Sixteen... Ah-ha-ha, seventeen!"
Sitting next to Logan, Bren Hartmann counted the number of British planes shot down like an innocent child, tallying them on his fingers. And when a German aircraft was unfortunately hit, he would eagerly watch to see if the German pilot parachuted in time. If a white parachute blossomed in the sky, he would actively remind Logan to send out reconnaissance troops on motorcycles for rescue!
Logan instinctively pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and absentmindedly lit his eleventh one of the day. In recent times, as this fortunate officer's rank and position skyrocketed like a rocket, so did his addiction to smoking. While staying up late to plan operations, he would even smoke two packs a night, along with a cigar, leaving him smelling of smoke even after taking a bath. While smoking was tolerated in the rear, conditions were obviously worse on the front lines, especially in airborne operations. The paratroopers could only carry two packs of cigarettes in their combat uniforms' pockets and personal pouches. Logan was a bit luckier because his young adjutant, Hartmann, who didn't smoke, could carry a few packs for him. But at the current rate of consumption, it wouldn't be long before they ran out.
Seeing Karen Molt and another young communication soldier tinkering with the radio equipment nearby, Logan tossed the remaining half-pack of cigarettes to them. Speaking of German radio equipment, the most well-known is the Enigma, or the "silent Enigma." This type of transmitter is mainly used for long-distance communication and document transmission. Real-time communication on the battlefield relied on Siemens-produced voice communicators, which, apart from being bulky (not by a small margin), were comparable in function to the US military's Motorola walkie-talkies. They had already been widely distributed to frontline units as early as the Polish campaign. As for the air force and armored units, it went without saying! These sophisticated battlefield communication devices were truly the adhesive and lubricant of German blitzkrieg tactics!
Karen Molt was responsible for the cumbersome Enigma machine. As the operational commander, Logan had to maintain close contact with the rear. The young communication soldier was using a handset that effectively covered the battlefield. As soon as the young man lit a cigarette, there was activity in his earpiece.
"Sir, Tank Unit 8 reports that they and the heavy machine gun unit have damaged two British ships and killed several enemies. The remaining ships have retreated to the bay mouth. They're asking if they should promptly withdraw to the main road?"
Considering that the British ships hovering at the bay mouth could launch retaliatory shelling at any time, Logan said, "Have them withdraw immediately!"
Not long after, intense gunfire also came from the north. The paratrooper platoon ambushed in the bushes along the northern coast seized the opportunity to greet the small groups of British troops climbing ashore with machine guns and "panzerfausts." In just over ten minutes, they managed to kill over fifty enemies. When the British ships in the distance unleashed fierce artillery fire, they quickly retreated to the farmland, utilizing the uneven terrain of the fields to set up another small ambush. Only after that did they return to the harbor area to rendezvous with Logan's main force.
Assembling the two deployed units, Logan had the officers tally the numbers. It had been two hours and fifteen minutes since they occupied East Cowes Harbor. Tank number four remained unscathed—due to minimal movement, fuel was relatively abundant, but ammunition was depleted by two-thirds. Four paratrooper platoons still had 127 combat-ready personnel, with 21 lightly and severely wounded, and casualties exceeding forty. Ammunition-wise, each machine gun team had an average of two 50-round belts left, with riflemen having more redundancy, averaging twenty rounds each, while the "panzerfaust" wielders had nearly exhausted their anti-tank rockets—limited to two per soldier due to the nature of airborne and mechanized operations, and the need for foot marches. Before the resupply convoy arrived, they had no choice but to use pistols or the weapons left behind by the British to continue fighting!
Fortunately, whether it was the British bombers flying in formation or the lone attacking fighter-bombers, they were either focused on Newport Airport and the Isle of Wight's eastern ports or were unable to engage effectively due to the entanglement with German fighter planes. Moreover, the British forces stationed on the Isle of Wight had not adopted guerrilla tactics but had gathered to defend the ports, leaving the main roads, especially the route from Newport to East Cowes and Cowes, largely open. In Logan's anticipation, two Panzer III tanks, two wheeled armored cars, and six half-track armored vehicles belonging to the Fuhrer's Guard Regiment finally arrived at full speed, bringing with them ample ammunition (especially the "panzerfausts," hehehe), a fully armed SS infantry platoon, and four 37mm caliber infantry guns!
"Aha, lads, let's launch a splendid counterattack and drive those Brits back into the sea!" Logan raised his fists high, rallying the exhausted and somewhat demoralized paratroopers—with heightened concentration, fatigue set in more easily than usual; in just four hours, they had experienced three battles, coupled with the morning's airborne operation and the fight for the airfield. Even Logan himself felt physically drained.
In such times, the role of morale was paramount, and German soldiers were recognized as warriors of will. Under Logan's encouragement, the replenished paratroopers rallied again, and the four tanks, which had been conserving strength for a while, rumbled into the harbor area. Next, leaving only one platoon to ambush the enemy landing from the north, Logan committed all his main forces to the counterattack: the robust Panzer IV and agile Panzer III tanks took on the role of breakthrough, while the paratroopers armed with mp38s and "panzerfausts" accompanied by SS machine gunners and mortar crews rode in half-track armored vehicles, flanking through the ruins. Additionally, the SS assault riflemen and riflemen joined the fray. With over a hundred troops, they plunged into the counterattack. Facing them were over four hundred British infantrymen already ashore, with the arrival of the third wave of landing craft expected to further increase the British numbers.
Seemingly outnumbered and outgunned, Logan remained confident. This rookie officer, who brought two "secret weapons" to the German paratrooper unit, had matured in his role as a German commander through multiple battles. Some seemingly casual actions often turned out to be clever strategies based on past experiences.
Just a block away from the dock, British Bren guns, resembling Czech ZB26 light machine guns, opened fire. The crackling sounds echoed in the streets, where vantage points were scarce. In sight, British infantrymen wearing Tommy helmets used rubble piles or half-standing walls as cover. Mortar shells followed, seemingly warning the Germans: the British army was also a well-equipped fighting force!
However, with the imposing presence of the Panzer IV (indeed the most powerful in the German armored force before the Tiger and Panther appeared, as for the formidable Tiger and Panther, whether they would appear ahead of schedule with the protagonist's arrival, hehehe, stay tuned for the subsequent plot, not too long though), especially when its sturdy turret slightly turned, the British soldiers behind the rubble piles revealed extreme terror.
Boom! Boom!
The 75mm caliber shells effortlessly threw several unlucky fellows clad in khaki uniforms out of their positions. In infantry-tank confrontations, the infantry were mostly victims, especially in the British Army at this time, where effective individual anti-tank weapons had not yet emerged—anti-tank rifles were ugly and ineffective, and anti-tank grenades and satchel charges had limited range, often costing the lives of infantrymen when used.
If it were just one German tank, British infantrymen still had a chance, but the two armored cars following closely behind continuously sprayed the resistance of British machine gunners and riflemen behind the rubble with the 20mm machine guns known as "infantry killers," while on other half-track light armored vehicles, SS soldiers operated mg-34 machine guns equipped with small shields, firing frantically with their 250-round belts providing far more sustained firepower than the 50-round belts in the hands of infantrymen. Meanwhile, mortar crews concealed in the vehicles fired their more powerful 80mm mortars in the direction of the dock while on the move!
At a street corner to the north, a group of British infantrymen attempted to resist the German advance using a half-collapsed warehouse building as cover. In the fierce battle, the crisp sound of Lee-Enfield rifles firing rapidly stood out. This ten-round magazine bolt-action rifle had caused considerable trouble for German infantry equipped with Mauser 98 rifles on the battlefields of the First World War. Unfortunately, times had changed. The descendants of British soldiers wielding Lee-Enfields once again took to the battlefield, facing a large number of German soldiers equipped with tanks, armored cars, as well as advanced equipment like the mg-34 and mp38. The Panzer III responded with accurate shots from a distance. Several anti-tank rockets flew in, and the already tottering building collapsed further, and those British soldiers who were fortunate enough not to be crushed faced the merciless onslaught of German machine gunners and assault riflemen...
With tanks leading the charge, "panzerfaust" wielders demolishing obstacles, mg34s suppressing, mp38s assaulting, relying on this simple and practical tactic, the Germans advanced comprehensively, quickly driving the British infantrymen back to the dock area— in urban combat, the combination of tanks, armored cars, and infantry, machine guns, and mortars with anti-tank rocket launchers easily dominated the battlefield. Perhaps while British commanders complained about the lack of armored assault power, they should also consider the firepower allocation of grassroots infantry—however, the Royal Navy's dominance inevitably meant sacrifices in funding for other branches, and currently, the German focus was on building up the army and air force.