The air in the early morning carried a dense chill as Logan, wrapped in a long military coat from the British arsenal, followed Lindemann to a trench located to the east of Cardiff. The rain had finally stopped, but the mist lingered thickly, reducing visibility to less than 500 meters. To expand their alert range, the German forces had deployed several outposts at the forefront of their main positions, connected by field telephones. With this setup, sentries could sound the alarm at the first sign of trouble.
Days of rainfall had left the trenches muddy. Like their predecessors entrenched in the Western Front, the German soldiers had to rely on their imagination: some set up marching tents directly in the trenches, others covered sections with canvas, while some dug hiding holes in the trench. Some even hung waterproof sleeping bags directly in the trenches.
Wading through the slow-moving water and mud in the trenches, Logan continuously shook hands with the National Defense soldiers stationed there (paratroopers also belonged to the National Defense). The soldiers appeared spirited, with high morale. Every ten meters or so, Logan spotted a metal stove brewing tea or coffee—stoves, coal, and beverages, all confiscated from the British arsenal, mostly labeled "Made in the USA." In early September, Americans earnestly played the role of "transportation captains."
In the crisscrossing trenches, within a hundred meters, one could spot five or six emplacements specially constructed for machine gun fire. Most of these emplacements housed MG34s, their roar already a hallmark of the German Army. In other emplacements, Logan saw the legendary Maxim, also "Made in the USA." These water-cooled heavy machine guns, despite being aged, still played an active role in defensive battles, surrounded by piles of muddy spent shells—a result of the repeated large and small-scale attacks launched by the British over the past few days!
To save their own ammunition and extend their operational reserves, the German soldiers also deployed some of the weapons captured from the British. Browning light machine guns, British-made Vickers heavy machine guns, and even some Boys anti-tank rifles—not effective against Matilda tanks, but more than enough to deal with British armored cars—were stationed on the positions. As for groups of infantry, they were absolute terrifying penetrating weapons!
In addition to weapons, ammunition, and clothing, the German soldiers also found large quantities of food in warehouses throughout Cardiff. Canned sardines from Canada, canned mutton from Australia, and canned fruits from other colonies greatly enriched the diet of the German soldiers!
In the German trenches, about three to four hundred meters apart, there were command posts at every level. They were not large, accommodating only four or five people, with a thick layer of wood and earth covering the top, equipped with observation holes and periscopes. Seeing the two generals approaching, the officers hastily put on their caps and straightened their uniforms.
"Everything okay last night? Any action?" Lindemann, as the overall commander of the Cardiff operation, inquired about the situation at the front line.
A moderately built, mature-faced army lieutenant replied, "Same as usual, General! The British have deployed many snipers up front and occasionally fire small-caliber mortars or mountain guns! Last night... one of our outposts was ambushed, and two soldiers were killed!"
Lindemann nodded expressionlessly. If the British supported maintaining this level of harassment, there was nothing to worry about. But would they watch indifferently as this sharp dagger was thrust into their backs?
The answer was obvious.
Logan walked to the trench periscope. This device was much simpler than the periscope on a submarine but worked just as effectively. At the moment, the area in front of the position was quiet. The moist grass seemed like a sponge full of water; stepping on it squeezed out a large amount of moisture. The bushes were lush, but the thought that there might be British snipers behind them made the deep green seem eerie.
"The river... it's risen these past few days, hasn't it?" Logan asked in a non-military tone.
"At least half a meter higher, but with so many British snipers around, we can't go out to measure!" the lieutenant replied, turning around.
Lindemann had been observing for a slightly longer time than Logan. The army lieutenant said, "The terrain favors the defenders, but the British are more familiar with this area than we are, so we still need to strengthen our vigilance! Lieutenant, how many mines are left in front of the positions?"
On both sides of the riverbank, less than two meters wide, there were many blackened craters on the grass. These were landmines that the British had trampled during previous offensives. Since the Germans had intended to fight a defensive battle from the beginning, they had brought in a hundred thousand mines using landing craft, which sounded impressive, but spread over more than 50 kilometers of long defensive lines, the density was limited.
"Um... General, probably less than a hundred left!" the lieutenant replied with some difficulty.
"Well, send someone to the quartermaster to get 200 more and lay them tonight! I have a strange feeling that the British will make a big move in the next few days!" Lindemann said without hesitation.
In Logan's understanding, intuition was a mysterious concept. It should be a combination of personal experience, battlefield judgment, and some subjective factors. In the past two days, Logan's sleep had been much more peaceful than before. The rainy weather had affected both sides' actions to some extent, but overall, the Germans still had a slight advantage. In southern England, the German landing forces were expanding at a rate of 6,000 to 10,000 personnel per day. As soon as the weather cleared up, they would launch a new offensive, cutting England into two from south to north. The southwestern part of the Cornwall Peninsula would be completely cut off from their capital defense circle. After setting up defensive lines running north to south, the Germans would gather the forces of two armored divisions and seven infantry divisions to sweep the Cornwall Peninsula and establish a series of battlefield airports on British soil, thereby pushing the control range of the German Air Force northward from Cardiff and advancing eastward, completely isolating the British Greater London defense circle!
According to the revised "Operation Sealion" plan, the German forces would adhere to the principle of steady progress in this stage. Although it would take a little longer, it was more cost-effective for the limited German landing forces to minimize risks. In the upcoming harsh winter, the German forces would focus on the Battle of Britain, and their main land forces would consolidate the victories achieved in the early stage of the Western Front, while resting and reorganizing according to the new operational requirements.
For most of the morning, Logan followed Lindemann to inspect various main positions to the east of Cardiff. The defensive situation was generally satisfactory, but the lieutenant general still pointed out some relatively weak points. When the group was about to return to the headquarters for lunch, alarms sounded from a series of outposts: large British forces were approaching!
The German defense line immediately went into a state of readiness, with the mist slightly dissipating but visibility still not exceeding 1000 meters. At that moment, a familiar buzzing sound suddenly came from the north of the position. Still in the trench, Logan looked up in confusion, and suddenly, an ugly-looking biplane emerged from the mist, with a conspicuous circular emblem under its wings!
"Seaplane? Damn it!"
Watching the seaplane flying at an altitude of less than 100 meters, Logan muttered a curse under his breath. This type of aircraft was the standard carrier-based reconnaissance plane of the British naval forces. Its appearance probably meant that the British fleet was approaching the Bristol Bay again!
Although in recent days, six German submarines that sailed from Brest had arrived at Bristol Bay, significantly strengthening the maritime defense there. However, under such weather conditions, submarines found it challenging to detect targets on the sea surface!
"Dispatch, double the vigilance against enemy artillery bombardment at each position!" Logan quickly ordered his staff to issue warnings to all units.
A few minutes later, the large-caliber shells from the British arrived as expected. However, probably due to the distance being too far, this time their landing points still didn't hit the German trench area accurately. Some shells landed far across the river on the British side, and some only hit the residential area on the edge of the harbor. However, even if only a small portion of the shells landed near the German positions, the intense shockwaves from the explosions deeply shook every German officer and soldier hiding in the trenches and gun emplacements!
Logan checked his watch and calculated that the British fleet had fired 24 salvos within 20 minutes, and the dense explosion points were almost the same as before. But didn't the reports from the submarine forces say that they had severely damaged a British battleship in the southeast of the Irish Sea? Could it be that the British had transferred another battleship from elsewhere?
The artillery fire came from 14, 15, or 16-inch naval guns, but Logan didn't have the ability to identify them. His doubts remained unanswered. As the long-range artillery bombardment neared its end, the British ground forces began shelling from the front of the position again. The number of artillery pieces far exceeded the naval guns, but the damage caused by the shells was much less impressive than that of the naval heavy guns. If they could easily destroy the trenches, then the Allied and Axis forces with large numbers of heavy artillery wouldn't have been deadlocked in the muddy fields of the Western Front for more than three years!
After a long period of preparation, the British ground artillery unexpectedly lasted for an hour, causing Logan to miss his mealtime, and his stomach began to growl. As they endured, the artillery fire finally ceased completely. Before their ears could adjust, they heard someone in the trenches shouting loudly in German, "The British are coming up!"
Leaving the shelter from artillery fire, Logan and Lindemann walked to the nearest battalion-level command post. The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder smoke, and many soldiers wore gas masks. However, since landing in Cardiff, there had been no sign of the British using gas on the positions. There were intelligence reports before the war that the British had stockpiled a large amount of mustard gas to resist the German landing, but for some reason, it had never been used in actual combat.
Through the periscope, due to the smoke caused by the artillery fire, the vision was blurred, and even the bushes a hundred meters away were difficult to distinguish. Faint sounds of footsteps came from the ear, sounding like countless pairs of boots trudging through the mud and water. German officers and soldiers in the trenches began to cock their rifles, and the various sounds intertwined, making people involuntarily excited and passionate.