The continuous rainy period finally came to an end. As the German bomber squadrons eagerly flew northward, the high-altitude reconnaissance planes equipped with sophisticated optical equipment also took off. They flew over pre-designated areas, aiming to capture the entire Scottish Highlands along with surrounding waterways and ports — a colossal undertaking!
At the aristocratic estate located in the southern outskirts of Liverpool, the technical intelligence organization of the Western Front Air Force was already fully operational. The young Chief of Operations of the Imperial Air Force, evidently intrigued by aerial reconnaissance technology, occasionally visited the brightly lit rooms, even during tea breaks, where curtains were drawn and lights were on during the day. Sometimes, he would sit down and study freshly taken aerial photographs using seemingly simple optical magnification devices.
These processed photos were not as large as one might imagine, often initially only eight inches in size. They would only be enlarged into actual maps when deemed necessary by staff officers or senior commanders. Prior to that, individuals needed to study them through optical instruments with certain magnification efficiency — though not as continuous as electronic maps, they were considered the Google Earth of their time in terms of authenticity, timeliness, and coverage!
For any German armored commander, the rugged mountains, lakes, and ravines of the Scottish Highlands would be a headache. Not only were tanks difficult to maneuver, but infantry units faced challenging logistics, ceaseless cold and sniper fire, and winding roads. According to conservative estimates by German army generals, it would require at least 200,000 troops experienced in mountain warfare to secure the area. To achieve a decisive result, that number would need to increase by at least fifty percent!
Logan's gaze didn't linger long on the towns and road hubs that had already been subjected to repeated bombings but rather focused on ports with docks and piers. There were no large ports in northern Scotland like Glasgow, but dozens of medium and small-scale ports still existed along the winding coastline and deeply indented river estuaries. While these aerial photos may seem lacking in fresh content, careful examination often revealed valuable insights. After all, the Chief of Operations of the Imperial Air Force wouldn't waste time on a pile of meaningless pictures!
"Look here, at the port of Alep, such a small harbor, but more than twenty freighters are hiding in the nearby waters! During the day, they hide outside to avoid air raids and enter the port at night for loading and unloading goods!"
With these words, Logan handed the photo to Colonel Schultze, the Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Speer, who had come in with him. Each photo here had been carefully selected by junior technical officers, so there were no worthless scenic shots.
In the military, staff officers undoubtedly exerted the most mental effort. Colonel Schultze, in his early forties, though not as bald as his superior, had a fair share of prematurely gray hair mixed in. Taking the photo, he studied it for a moment with a magnifying glass nearby. "Let's just bomb them directly into oblivion!"
Violent means were often direct and effective. Logan didn't interfere with the specific operational deployments of the Western Front Air Force headquarters, but he reminded, "The enemy has hidden anti-aircraft positions on the east coast. Low-altitude bombing would incur unnecessary losses, and high-altitude bombing lacks precision! Most importantly, I want to know what the British are importing and exporting through their few remaining ports!"
"They're importing American-made weapons and personnel from the Federal States and exporting various valuable items along with civilians and wounded soldiers!" Schultze replied somewhat dismissively.
"And the ratio?" Logan inquired.
"The ratio? For every ton of supplies imported, maybe less than a ton of personnel and equipment is exported!" Schultze pondered for a moment.
Logan chuckled lightly and pulled out a photo from the stack beside him. In the undulating sea straits, there were many grayish-white dots resembling stains. When viewed through optical equipment, the outlines of ships weighing thousands of tons or less could be distinctly discerned. At the bottom corner of the photo, someone had written, "Rase Strait, 40 kilometers from the shore, fast and medium-speed vessels."
In general, whether a ship was fast or slow, if specific grades and models couldn't be identified, judgments could still be made based on factors such as ship type, chimneys, and track. In this regard, the staff officers of the Air Force were not professionals, so even before the British conflict began, the German Air Force had borrowed a group of officers who had been responsible for maritime reconnaissance flights from the Navy. These individuals were often able to make quick and accurate assessments in this regard.
The handwriting Logan saw was what they had written when they initially selected the photos.
"If I were the British commander, the limited fast ships would undoubtedly be used to transport the most important personnel and goods!"
"But I've heard that... the hard currency accumulated by the British royal family and government over the years has long been transported to North America by cruisers, and now most of it has been exchanged for American military supplies! What ordinary fast ships can transport is probably only private wealth and some relatively valuable goods!" Speaking of matters related to wealth, Naval Colonel Aljote, sitting diagonally across from Logan, raised his head from a pile of photos. Although many people believe that the wealth accumulated by the British Empire over the past two hundred years cannot be transported by just a few cruisers, and nearly half of the Royal Navy's cruisers have sunk in the English Channel, before German soldiers set foot on British soil, they still have time to transfer wealth!
"Hey, just talking about it! Look at this!" Colonel Schultz pulled out a photo he had observed from under the optical device, which did not show a dark sea surface but an inland town.
"I've seen that one, what about it?" Logan asked puzzledly.
Schultz smiled triumphantly. "General, you might have overlooked the hill at the northeast corner of the town. There's a monastery-style building there! What does it mean when British trucks appear there?"
"Trucks?" Logan reached out and took the photo from Schultz, then carefully examined it under the light. Sure enough, there were two trucks almost obscured by branches on the side of the quaint monastery, but their colors and surroundings were slightly different.
When it comes to monasteries, people always tend to associate them with mysterious treasures, especially in Spain. During the Age of Discovery, the treasures plundered by the Spanish fleets from the Americas did not make the country of matadors truly rich; instead, they gave rise to countless beautiful legends about monastery wealth!
"They must be delivering some valuable items to the monastery, or... hiding important figures!" Schultz speculated.
"Perhaps! But unless the British government surrenders voluntarily, we can't attack such distant targets! Paratroopers... no, too far away! Without direct assistance, it's difficult for them to evacuate!" In just a dozen seconds, Logan had calculated the likelihood of success of various common tactics in his mind, but they were all basically unacceptable!
"That's a pity!" Schultz said regretfully.
The two men looked silently at several photos, intending to leave, when Naval Colonel Aljote suddenly said, "General, Colonel, come and look at this photo!"
"About what?" Logan walked over without haste.
"It's probably related to the Russians!" Aljote stood up and gave up his position, leaving the photo still under the adjusted optical magnifying device.
"The Russians?" Logan was somewhat puzzled. This aerial photography did not include any Russian territory, and as he carefully studied the photo, he couldn't see anything unusual— it was about a coastal area in northeastern Scotland, where a small fleet consisting of 4 freighters and 2 warships was sailing away from the coast. Although the Royal Navy's main force had suffered heavy losses, there were still many small vessels sailing on the homeland and the Atlantic, avoiding attacks by the German navy and air force, and transporting personnel and supplies to designated areas. Along the way, they overcame many difficulties and obstacles with the unwavering will and spirit of the Royal Navy!
"You didn't notice that the two warships belong to the Soviet Navy?" Aljote's words had a hint of pride, a common attitude among technical officers.
"Oh?" Logan pondered over it. This aerial photo did not show the flags of those ships, nor could he see the names on their hulls. As for the ship shapes seen from above, the square main gun turrets and semi-circular gun mounts were different from those of typical British destroyers!
"Pay attention to the gun mounts on both sides of the main bridge and the three torpedo launch tubes behind the funnel; this is a very unique design! It's the Aljom class of the Soviet Navy!" Aljote confidently made his judgment.
"The Soviet Navy escorting transport ships to Scotland? What could be their intention?" Logan looked at the Naval Colonel, his face filled with confusion.