"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The piercing, shrill whistling filled the air above the German soldiers' heads. As battle-hardened veterans, they knew all too well what this sound heralded. Yet, the sharpness of it felt almost unbearable, as though it might shatter their eardrums. Many soldiers turned pale with dread.
"My God! What is going on? How could the British possess artillery of such enormous caliber?" a German officer exclaimed in horror.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion shook the earth; dust, stone, and debris flew in all directions, carried by the shockwave. A shell had landed in the ruins of a street, obliterating half of it and killing all the German soldiers caught in its path.
"No, this isn't regular army artillery; it's naval gunfire! Only the main guns of a naval fleet could unleash such destruction!"
"Damn it! Have the British deployed their navy? How could they stoop so low?"
The German field artillery, while formidable, could only boast a maximum caliber of 150mm—the largest that could accompany infantry into combat. Although Germany had employed massive siege guns in the assault on Liège, those weapons were too unwieldy to keep up with advancing troops. But now, the British were unleashing the full force of naval-grade artillery in the battle for Le Havre, wielding unimaginable power.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
From the sea, the British Navy's 21 pre-dreadnought battleships and 13 armored cruisers unleashed a relentless barrage. Among them, all but two of the older "Swift" class battleships were armed with dual-mounted 305mm main guns, and each vessel boasted an impressive arsenal of secondary guns—152mm, 190mm, and 233mm calibers, all formidable against infantry.
The 13 British armored cruisers, including the Minotaur and Warrior classes, mounted main guns of 233mm and numerous 190mm secondary guns. Even the Devonshire-class cruisers carried twin-mounted 190mm and additional 152mm guns. Now, all of these ships directed a hail of shells onto German positions along the coast, precisely guided by coordinates from the British Expeditionary Force. For the German infantry below, it was an apocalyptic deluge.
"Boom! Boom!"
Two 305mm shells struck a corner of the street, reducing it to rubble. An entire German platoon sheltering there was obliterated, leaving only a gaping crater.
Under this onslaught, German forces assaulting Le Havre suffered grievous losses. Even the bravest among them found their resolve waning as comrades were torn apart by the unrelenting fire.
"Damn it! Retreat! Withdraw immediately! Those shameless British have deployed their naval guns!" shouted a German officer.
Before the order was fully relayed, a 233mm shell crashed down, annihilating the officer and the soldiers nearby, leaving nothing but scattered remnants.
In the rear, even in the command post, the German officers could hear the explosions clearly. General Kluge and Lieutenant General Ludendorff exchanged alarmed looks.
"What's happening? What is that sound?" Kluge furrowed his brow.
"Huge-caliber artillery. Most likely British naval guns!" Ludendorff's face was ashen.
The sound alone was enough to send a shudder through him. Anyone might feel fear when faced with the destructive force of naval guns.
"Damn it, have the British truly deployed their navy? Weren't their forces nearly defeated by ours? How can they still appear here?" Kluge asked anxiously.
"Our men are still being slaughtered out there. We can't wait any longer—order an immediate retreat! Every moment we stay only invites further catastrophe," Ludendorff urged.
"Agreed. Command the troops to fall back immediately. And contact the air force to launch reconnaissance flights and assess the situation!"
Upon receiving the order, the German troops at Le Havre hastily withdrew, but the British naval bombardment continued unabated. Many retreating soldiers bore expressions of utter terror, as if they had glimpsed hell itself. Such an ordeal had exacted a terrible toll on their morale.
Not satisfied with shelling the front line, the British Navy turned its guns on the German artillery positions further inland. With the extreme range and power of these naval guns, even positions far from the coast were vulnerable. Under the British bombardment, German artillery units suffered heavily and were forced to withdraw even further, beyond the range of the British naval guns.