Chapter 819

The gentle sunlight shone on the land, and the warmth was intoxicating. At the docks, the sound of the boilers could be heard. It was another busy day.

"Tom, did you know? We're at war with the Austrians. "

Everyone was already used to the grey-clothed man's opening remarks. The work at the docks was dull and boring, and they needed some entertainment to relax.

Chatting was undoubtedly the cheapest way to pass the time. Coincidentally, the docks were crowded, and it was the most well-informed place. There were many topics for them to talk about.

Tom rolled his eyes and put the goods in his hands on his lap. "John, isn't that obvious?

I also know that it's not just a war with the Austrians, it's a war with all the European countries. The big shots have been talking about it since we started work today. I'm not deaf.

But what does this have to do with us? We still have to work. Do you want to join the army? "

In Britannia, there was a threshold to join the army. It was not just about being strong and having a clean background.

There were only a few lobster soldiers in peacetime, and there was no need to recruit them on a large scale. The navy had higher requirements, and illiterate people could forget about joining.

Now that the war had broken out, the lobster soldiers had indeed started recruiting, but they would only be cannon fodder if they joined now.

At the same time, the Royal Navy was not afraid of a naval battle, but on the ground, they would die wherever they fought.

The common people might not be very knowledgeable, but they still had the basic knowledge.

"Tch!" John said disdainfully. "Tom, that's all you know. Do you think I'm an idiot to join the army at this time? "

After pausing for a few seconds, seeing that Tom did not reply, John continued, "Don't think that the war has nothing to do with us. Once the war starts, the prices will definitely rise.

Don't forget, we import millions of tons of agricultural products from the Holy Roman Empire every year. Now that it's gone, how can such a huge gap be filled?

Also, once the war starts, our trade with the European countries will be cut off. I reckon that the jobs at the docks will also be reduced. "

Everything else was not important, but the rising prices and the lack of jobs at the docks deeply affected everyone.

All of them started to calculate how much food they could stockpile. Now that there was no work to do at the pier, what else could they do next?

The more they thought about it, the more serious the problem became. For a moment, everyone's faces darkened, and they lost interest in chatting.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound rang out, followed by a swarm of airplanes that blotted out the sky and earth.

Due to the limitations of technology, aviation fuel was also very expensive these days. Due to the limitations of technology, aviation fuel was also very expensive these days.

The workers on the port haven't reacted yet, but the Royal Navy stationed not far away has noticed the problem.

Bricks, mud, tiles, and even human limbs flew in the sky. Cries, and cries for help could be heard.

Bricks, mud, tiles, and even human limbs flew in the air. Cries, shouts, and cries for help rang out incessantly.

Looking down from the sky, the whole world was reduced to three colours: the azure of the sea, the splashing greyish black, and the dazzling scarlet mingled with it.

The scene unfolding before his eyes caused Major General Winston, who was on duty, to turn pale with fright. When he regained his senses, he immediately ordered, "Quick, order everyone to board, set sail, and leave the port!"

".

This is the Port of Liverpool, located in the northwest of England, hundreds of kilometers away from the European mainland.

No one had thought that there would be an air raid here. Even if they were preparing for air defense, it would be London.

However, London was saved by the winter smog. Liverpool, a port city that was thought to be safe, was hammered by the Shinra Air Force.

It could not be helped. They happened to be within the bombing range of the Shinra Air Force. If they were further away, such as Aberdeen, Scotland, they would have escaped due to distance.

If it was just distance, then Hastings and Margate, which were located in the Strait of Dover, were less than 100 kilometers away from the European mainland. They should have been bombed.

Unfortunately, Hastings and Margate were small places in the countryside. Rather than calling them cities, it was better to call them larger towns. There was no need to specifically target them.

In contrast, Liverpool was different. Perhaps in the future, London would dominate, and this port city was very inconspicuous. But now, it was the core city of Britannia, second only to London in importance.

As the commercial center of Britannia, it was also the second largest commercial port in the country. Its foreign trade accounted for 1/4 of the country's total trade. Its exports were the highest in Britannia, and its imports were second only to London.

In addition to the prosperity of commerce, it was also the manufacturing center of Britannia. In particular, its shipbuilding industry ranked in the top three in the world.

Unfortunately, this heavy industrial city was also one of the main bases of the Royal Navy. With so many conditions gathered together, today's tragedy had brewed.

Air defense could not be counted on. It was simply unrealistic to rely on a few anti-aircraft cannons and anti-aircraft machine guns to deal with the overwhelming number of bombers.

Warships could run away. As long as they moved, their survivability would be greatly increased. However, the docks and ports could not run away. They could only stay in place and become targets.

The telegram asking for help had already been sent out. Now Major General Winston could only pray to God that the enemy's accuracy was not good enough to cause too much damage to the ports and docks.

In the depths of his heart, Winston had already greeted the defenders and bureaucrats of the cities along the way.

Hundreds of enemy planes had passed through, but they had not even sent out a warning. It was clearly a dereliction of duty.

In fact, Major General Winston had thought wrong. The warning had been sent out, but it was sent to London, not Liverpool.

In the era without radar, air defense could only be seen with the naked eye or heard with their ears.

When the enemy planes were discovered, the enemy was already above their heads. Not everyone was a strategist who could determine the enemy's strategic target at a glance from the direction.

Once the enemy planes were discovered and sent out a warning after confirmation, the bureaucrats also needed time to react.

In addition to the time it took for the various levels of reporting, the time it took for the Government of London to make a decision would not be any faster than the time taken by the enemy planes.

If Major General Winston was willing to wait patiently, perhaps he would receive a telegram warning of an enemy attack in a short while.

Of course, he might not receive it this time, because at the same time as Liverpool was being attacked, London had also become a battlefield.

Although the presence of smog was not conducive to air attacks, bombing London was of great political significance. Whether or not it could achieve results was secondary.

As the capital of the British Empire, London's air defense was naturally not something an unguarded Liverpool could compare to.

The air defense sirens had long been blaring. Accompanied by the sound of bombs exploding and the roar of cannons, the entire city fell into chaos.

The effects of the smog were two-way. The Shinra Air Force could not accurately locate the target below, so they simply relied on luck.

They dropped bombs at high altitudes. Whatever they hit, the result of the battle depended on God's will.

Those in the sky could not see the ground clearly, and those below could not see the sky clearly. The British anti-aircraft artillery and machine guns were also firing randomly.

It was estimated that the results of the battle might not necessarily be as great as the losses caused by the falling shrapnel after the bombs exploded.

However, they had to shoot. Everyone needed to be comforted. Moreover, only when the shells were fired could they prove that they were air defense.

For the sake of their lives, the Government of the United Kingdom had been forced to move into an air-raid shelter. At first, Prime Minister Campbell refused, but the enemy's bombing was too fierce. A shell fell on the government office building.

Fortunately, the quality of the building was strong. Only the top was damaged, and the entire building did not collapse.

The capitalists probably knew what this place was and did not cut corners. Otherwise, the Government of the United Kingdom would have been wiped out.

Of course, the greatest credit was due to the smog. Because of the low visibility, it was impossible to accurately aim at the target below. The Shinra fighter jets that participated in the bombing were all equipped with ammunition that focused on killing range. The lethality against single targets was limited.

They avoided a disaster, but no one dared to guarantee that they could avoid the next. In the face of the cruel reality, they had to move even if they did not want to.

It was definitely not because they were afraid. It was mainly to ensure the smooth flow of the British Empire's command system. Everyone had to sacrifice themselves …

After entering the safe zone with a face full of dust, Campbell was naturally not in a good mood. He glanced at the Minister of Air and asked sternly, "Our air force, where is it? Why haven't they taken to the air to intercept?"

Faced with the Prime Minister's question, Minister of Air Force Attilio explained helplessly, "The fog in London is too thick. The airport in the city has long been closed. Our air force can only be transferred to the airport in the nearby city.

The combat order was issued as soon as the air raid occurred. Our fighter jets have begun to take off and are on the way. "

There was no other way. London's winter was so difficult. Under the thick fog, there was no problem for the plane to fly out, but it was awkward when it came to landing.

No matter how experienced a pilot was, there was no way to accurately find an airport to land in a world where visibility was less than 50 meters.

As a last resort, the air force could only place the airport in the surrounding cities. It was not a problem during normal times, but it was troublesome during wartime.

Whether it was to issue the order or take off, it all took time. It was highly efficient to be able to arrive at the battlefield within an hour.

Every minute on the battlefield was precious, not to mention an hour. In such a long time, the enemy would have completed a round of bombing and fled.

The main reason was that they lacked experience and a perfect early warning mechanism. However, with London's terrible weather, in the era without radar, it was really difficult to give an early warning.

In the original timeline, the Germans' airships were able to sweep through London's airspace, let alone airplanes.

Although the actual lethality was not great, the psychological damage was great! After such a wave of torment, it was estimated that the confidence of the Londoners in the war would fall to the bottom.

Prime Minister Campbell said cautiously, "Order the air force to hit the enemy head-on at all costs. Let the Austrians know that London is not a place where they can come and go as they please! "

…

Potential was forced out. Under the military's order, the British Air Force erupted with unparalleled potential. They completed the takeoff in the shortest time possible and rushed to London at the fastest speed.

The Third Air Force Regiment led by Colonel James was one of the best. As the representative of the British Air Force, they were the first to arrive in the sky above London.

However, what greeted him was not fresh flowers, nor was there any applause. Instead, he was greeted by enemy aircrafts.

There was no other way. The military's order was too urgent. There was no time to assemble and they swarmed to London.

The Third Air Force Regiment, which was the closest and had the fastest reaction time, suffered a tragedy. After arriving on the battlefield, there were enemy planes as far as the eye could see.

"F * ck!"

After cursing, Colonel James hurriedly ordered a retreat. Ten enemies were common, but a fighter plane that could fight ten enemies at once had not been born yet.

At least the Third Air Force Regiment led by James did not have such strength. There was no shame in running away if they could not win. Anyway, the fog in London was thick enough that the people below didn't know what was happening in the sky.

Unfortunately, it was all too late. Fighter planes were flying at high speed, and it took time to turn around. In such a short time, the enemy's fighter planes were already close.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Colonel James immediately ordered, "The enemy's fighter planes are faster than us. We can't escape. Prepare for battle!"

The battle began. Almost every British fighter plane was surrounded by two to three Austrian planes. It was a tragic scene.

The whistling bullets brushed past his ears. Colonel James, who had just escaped death, didn't have time to heave a sigh of relief before he saw two less fighter planes in his team.

Immediately after, two waves of violent explosions were heard from below. The power of a plane crashing into a building was incomparable to a regular bomb.

It was estimated that these were the two most powerful attacks since the air raid. Whether or not they could achieve victory depended on God's will.

Colonel James couldn't care less about his compatriots below. Right now, he could only hope that his teammates would arrive faster. Otherwise, his Third Air Force Regiment would be finished.

The second round of battle had already begun. There were more enemy fighters participating in the attack, but his teammates hadn't appeared yet. Colonel James' heart was filled with despair.

At the critical moment, a miracle didn't happen. The absolute difference in strength couldn't be made up for with luck. Furthermore, Colonel James' Third Air Force Regiment wasn't lucky to begin with.

If God had a shred of mercy, they wouldn't have been the first to arrive and be surrounded by the enemy.

After holding on for three rounds, by the fourth round, Colonel James' Third Air Force Regiment only had two fighter planes left.

If one looked closely, they would notice that the outer shells of these two fighter planes were already full of bullet marks. They were able to hold on until now because they were professional enough to avoid fatal injuries.

At this moment, the shadows of his teammates finally appeared in the sky. However, Colonel James only felt depressed.

"Another one is coming to die!"

Although he knew that he shouldn't think this way, his true thoughts couldn't be controlled by his will.