Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire city of Le Havre groaned and wailed under the relentless bombardment of the German artillery. The British Expeditionary Force's outer defensive lines had already been repeatedly torn apart by the German guns. The fortifications they had painstakingly constructed were nearly obliterated under the onslaught. Trenches collapsed, barbed wire was shredded, and various fire positions were all but annihilated.
In such a situation, there was little hope that these defenses would play any significant role in the upcoming battle. It was clear that once the German assault began in earnest, it would be nearly impossible for the British to rely on these defenses to withstand the German attack. They would be forced to pay a grievous toll in casualties under the German offensive.
As if to ensure the effectiveness of their bombardment, the German artillery continued to pound the British outer defenses for the entire morning. It wasn't until later that the artillery commander sought permission from General Crook to extend the bombardment into the heart of the city of Le Havre.
Crook immediately authorized the artillery to fire upon the city itself. The thousands of German cannons then resumed their relentless bombardment.
In an instant, under the fierce German artillery barrage, Le Havre began to crumble, slowly but surely, into ruins.
The German shells fell upon the city as if they were of no cost at all, relentlessly pounding Le Havre.
Streets, buildings, everything was torn apart by the ferocious bombardment. Inside the city, the British and French forces were suffering devastating losses as the German shells continued to rain down.
Most of the city's civilians had fled long ago when the Germans began their siege. Those who remained were mostly British soldiers, which meant that the Germans, with no concern for civilians, could unleash their full fury without hesitation.
"Damned Germans! Their shelling seems endless. Do they truly mean to turn the entire city of Le Havre into a heap of rubble?" General Haig muttered, sitting in his command office, feeling the tremors from the explosions above, with dust falling from the ceiling, covering everyone in the room with a grimy layer.
"Sir, the Germans have already destroyed our outer defenses with their artillery. Now they're likely aiming to make us pay an even greater price with their shells," one officer remarked.
Haig nodded. He had been deeply shaken by the Germans' overwhelming firepower during the earlier engagement at Rouen. Logically, such a tactic would expend vast quantities of ammunition and place immense pressure on logistics, but the Germans had mastered it. Every assault was preceded by a thorough artillery preparation. The reason for this was clear: the immense destructive power of their shells, which would inflict significant casualties on the enemy and reduce their own losses in the following infantry assault.
However, for the British Expeditionary Force, this was no blessing. They were now the ones being ravaged by the Germans' relentless bombardment.
"This cannot continue. If the Germans keep up this constant shelling, we will suffer catastrophic losses. This will be disastrous for our defense of Le Havre!" Haig said, standing up and heading straight for Sir French's office.
"General Haig, what is it?" Sir French, too, was in a dire situation. His office was filled with dust, and the cup of coffee on his desk had a thick layer of dust on it, making it completely unappealing.
"Sir French, the Germans' bombardment is too intense. We are suffering heavy losses under their relentless fire. I believe we cannot allow them to continue with this assault. Otherwise, we may as well surrender now. The Germans could wipe us out with nothing but their artillery," Haig declared.
"But General Haig, what can we do? We still have a certain number of guns, but the disparity between our artillery and the Germans' is enormous. If we recklessly counterattack, we'll quickly lose our guns. That would be a disastrous trade," Sir French replied.
"Indeed, Sir. Our artillery cannot take the offensive without careful consideration, but that does not mean we are completely without recourse against the Germans," Haig retorted.
"Oh? General Haig, do you have another plan?" Sir French asked, eager to find a solution, as it would greatly aid the British Expeditionary Force's defense of Le Havre.
"Sir, while our artillery cannot directly confront the Germans, we can look for assistance elsewhere. Le Havre is located at the mouth of the Seine River, and we can request help from the Navy. We can have them send warships to bombard the German forces attacking Le Havre. I believe that even the Germans' formidable artillery will be no match for the Navy's large-caliber guns," Haig explained.
"The Navy's large-caliber guns?" Sir French's eyes lit up. Indeed, the Navy's main guns were often over 300 millimeters, which would certainly have devastating power against ground targets. If the British Royal Navy were to deploy its capital ships to bombard the German forces, it would deal a heavy blow to the Germans.
However, Sir French quickly realized the problem. The Royal Navy's main fleet was already in preparation for its final confrontation with the German Navy. There were no extra ships to spare for reinforcement.
"General Haig, I fear the Royal Navy has no ships to spare for us," Sir French said.
"No, Sir, I believe you misunderstood my suggestion. I'm not asking the Royal Navy to send their newest and most powerful ships. That would be unnecessary. All we need are some older pre-dreadnoughts or armored cruisers. These ships are no longer suitable for the decisive battle with the German Navy, but their large-caliber guns can still provide us with much-needed fire support. In fact, they are practically useless for naval combat at this point, so it would be more practical to repurpose them to help us. It's a way to make use of resources that would otherwise go to waste," Haig said.
Sir French nodded in agreement, his confidence restored.