บท 148: Chapter 226 Crossing the River
In the moments just before the sinking of the HMS Warspite, the 6th Army of the Rhine in the city of Liège, Belgium, was preparing for a strong river crossing of the Meuse.
As Rauschert had just picked up the phone to give the order to open fire, a staff officer hurriedly ran over. "General, a call from the high command. They instruct us not to bombard for now. They say the Guard X Unit is coming."
"X Unit?" Their secret weapons seemed to be quite diverse; who knew what they had in store this time.
Shortly after, he heard the roar of aircraft engines outside. Rauschert walked into the yard, looked up at the sky to the east, and saw several planes approaching.
"Give me the binoculars." Taking the binoculars handed over by his adjutant, he looked up and saw that the Stuka aircraft had the emblem of the Guard X Unit painted on their fuselages, but there were only a meager five of them.
"Only five?" What could these five planes possibly achieve?
Of course, these planes couldn't answer his doubts. They flew directly over their heads towards the Belgian positions on the other side of the river, where sporadic anti-aircraft fire erupted.
The Stuka formation, disturbed by this anti-aircraft fire, became somewhat disordered. One of the Stukas suddenly nosedived.
With a piercing wail, a large aerial bomb attached to the aircraft's belly was dropped accurately, hitting one of the anti-aircraft gun emplacements. Unlike ordinary aerial bombs, this bomb burst open like a burning liquid, exploding with a temperature capable of reaching thousands of degrees. Below this temperature, not just humans but even artillery, tanks, and various steel equipment would melt into a pool of molten iron.
Before the Belgian soldiers could recover from the shocking scene, they heard heart-wrenching cries. Several soldiers around the anti-aircraft gun emplacement, now ablaze, were rolling on the ground in a frenzy, emitting extremely tragic howls that tore at the heartstrings.
"Quick, help!"
Not many would stand idly by and watch their comrades suffer in agonizing cries without trying to help. A group of people rushed over immediately, attempting to pat out the flames on the burning soldiers.
However, before they could pat it out, with the frantic struggles of the burning individuals, sparks flew onto those around them.
"It hurts! It hurts!!"
It was summer, and the soldiers were wearing thin summer uniforms. The moment these sparks touched them, they felt a stabbing pain coursing through their nerves. Many instinctively slapped at the sparks, but this vigorous patting turned the sparks into flames, and the more they patted, the more the flames flared up.
"Help! Help!"
Terrified screams rang out from these soldiers. Some lay on the ground, rolling back and forth, attempting to extinguish the flames, but the flames spread rapidly, soon covering their entire bodies.
Seeing this, the Belgian soldiers around were so frightened that their teeth rattled rhythmically.
"Hellfire! It's hellfire!"
"The Germans have dropped hellfire!"
Of course, no one knew what hellfire looked like. But at this moment, in the minds of these Belgian soldiers, the bombs dropped by the German troops were the dreaded hellfire. To them, these flames seemed to have a life of their own, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't be extinguished.
In the chaos, several Belgian soldiers, their bodies ablaze, screamed and hastily ran towards the nearby Meuse River, plunging into its waters.
However, what happened next was even more terrifying.
These soldiers desperately thrashed in the water, but the flames on their bodies didn't extinguish; instead, they burned more fiercely. After struggling for a while, they became motionless, floating silently on the water, the flames still leaping and burning.
This horrifying scene convinced the Belgian soldiers that the Germans had indeed dropped hellfire. On the opposite side, the German soldiers were equally astonished. "My God, what is happening?"
Staring blankly at the ground where the bodies had turned as slender as matchsticks, the bewildered Belgian soldiers heard the devilish howl from the sky once again.
Looking up, they saw another Stuka diving down.
"Run!"
The surrounding Belgian soldiers immediately became restless; many rushed out of the trenches, sprinting desperately towards the open areas in the rear. After all, no one wanted to be touched by that dreadful hellfire. Who knows, it might roast their souls.
The second bomb fell on the most densely packed area of Belgian soldiers, and the rising flames instantly engulfed hundreds of people, setting dozens more on fire. Dozens of burning individuals, in panic, ran and rolled, quickly splashing the flames onto their comrades.
Before long, the remaining three Stukas also took turns diving, releasing three bombs.
Rauschert covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, but he couldn't block the strange smell permeating the air. Suppressing the urge to vomit, he instructed his adjutant, "Tell the kitchen not to prepare meat for lunch; just make some vegetarian dishes."
"Yes, General." The adjutant, also holding a handkerchief, nodded. "This weapon is too frightening. What on earth is it? Flames that water can't extinguish?"
Rauschert murmured, "Flames that water can't extinguish? I recall now. I heard they used this thing in Warsaw before, dealing with the underground rats. His Highness called it napalm."
Napalm was a luxury for the wartime Germany of the original timeline, which was poor in oil resources. Their frontline troops were somewhat lacking in gasoline, let alone having the opportunity to develop a special bomb using gasoline as fuel.
Now, things were different. Wilhelm had plenty of oil to squander. Not only could they afford various oil-devouring monsters on land, sea, and air, but they could also afford the terrifying incendiary weapon, the napalm bomb. It was undoubtedly a trump card for attacking exposed targets. By simply deploying these weapons in masses, they could ensure that a specific area would leave no survivors. Even those hiding in bunkers or shelters couldn't escape. Although the flames sometimes couldn't penetrate these shelters, the large amount of oxygen absorbed during combustion could create a significant oxygen-deficient environment in the explosion zone, causing those hiding in bunkers or shelters to suffocate to death.
"General, it seems like the Belgian soldiers on the other side have all run away?"
Rauschert carefully observed for a while with binoculars, nodded, and ordered, "Begin the river crossing! Artillery, be prepared to support at any time!"
German soldiers threw assault boats into the Meuse River, soldiers jumped into the boats, started the engines, and maneuvered the assault boats towards the opposite bank. Behind them, German artillery closely monitored the situation on the opposite bank, ready to provide the most intense firepower support if there were any signs of movement.
"Bang! Bang!" Soon, the assault boats reached the middle of the river, and sporadic gunfire echoed from the Belgian positions on the opposite bank.
The various cannons, which had long been in readiness, simultaneously roared, pounding the opposite bank.
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