Chapter 853 Alaska (6)
The first wave of German attacks two days ago targeted the nearby air defense positions. The fierce bombing destroyed almost all of them. At this moment, there were only a few anti-aircraft shells fired into the sky. The German aircraft group ignored the anti-aircraft firepower that posed no threat to them. They dropped more than 300 tons of napalm bombs at low altitude and then left.
The fire ignited by the napalm bombs covered the US military positions in this area. The raging fire burned for more than an hour before gradually extinguishing.
Only after the fire was completely extinguished did the troops in the rear dare to approach and found that this place had become a hell on earth. Everything that could burn on the ground had turned to ashes, the soil was burned black and hard, and the cement fortifications were burned and cracked everywhere. The seemingly thick cement would fly dust everywhere with a slight touch.
They opened the door of a seemingly intact underground fortification and saw a whole platoon of soldiers crowded inside, but there was no living person. And their deaths were quite horrible. Most of them had purple and blue faces, their bulging eyes were full of fear, and many of them even scratched their throats.
"Oh my God!" Several veterans could barely hold back and didn't vomit. The rest of the recruits couldn't bear the visual impact. Some of the timid ones had never seen such a bloody scene, and couldn't help but lie on the ground and vomit.
Such a situation can be seen everywhere in this position. Most of the American soldiers in the underground fortifications died of suffocation. The original strength of a regiment was reduced to less than a company of soldiers.
Soon, the news was sent back to Washington.
"Is there no way to deal with the Germans' incendiary bombs?" The Germans' incendiary bombs were too tricky. Their own soldiers hid in the underground fortifications, but they still suffered such heavy casualties.
"According to the report from the front, many soldiers in the underground fortifications died of lack of oxygen. It seems that the German incendiary bombs consume a lot of oxygen when burning. As long as there is enough air in the air-raid shelter, the soldiers hiding inside should be able to survive. This requires the installation of air ducts when building underground fortifications. Use these air ducts to continuously transport air into these underground fortifications. However, the air inlet of these air ducts must be far away from the underground fortifications, at least three or four kilometers. Or you can store enough oxygen cylinders in the underground fortifications to support until the fire outside is extinguished."
The method to deal with incendiary bombs has been found, but another question makes Americans more anxious. "Are the Germans ready for landing operations?" Their fierce bombing seems to be paving the way for the upcoming landing battle.
"Well, we have to be vigilant that the beaches bombed by the Germans are not necessarily the places where they are going to launch landing operations." The Germans used hovercraft and the technology of quickly building docks to carry out landing operations as long as the beach is slightly flat; this is quite passive for the defending side.
In previous landing operations, the enemy would choose a landing point near the port. After all, only by seizing the port can the subsequent troops and supplies be replenished in time. The defenders will also deploy heavy troops to guard the port. As long as these strategic locations are guarded, the enemy's landing operation will not succeed. Even if they cannot defend, they can destroy the port and delay the enemy's landing operation.
Now, to defend all beaches suitable for landing operations, more troops and materials are needed. And if there is a mistake in any defense point by accident, the enemy will take advantage of it, which will be a complete failure.
Not only the defense of Alaska, but also the Atlantic and Pacific defense lines that the United States is stepping up to build are facing the same problem. They spend a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build these defense lines. If the Germans suddenly land from some inconspicuous place, all the previous efforts will be in vain, and their popularity will be killed.
"But the Germans will not conduct landing operations at this time?" It is now the end of September, and September to March of the following year is the winter in Alaska.
The Germans don't seem to like fighting in winter, at least they don't like launching landing operations in winter. The last time they launched a landing operation against Britain, they waited until the spring of the following year.
"The Germans never play by the rules. We can't be careless."
At this time, someone suddenly exclaimed. "Will the Bering Strait freeze in winter? Will the Germans rush directly from the ice?!" The Bering Strait is located between Cape Dezhnev in Siberia, Russia, the easternmost end of the Eurasian continent, and Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska, the westernmost end of the North American continent. The narrowest part of the strait is only 35 kilometers. The latitude of the Bering Strait is near the Arctic Circle. In winter, the sea surface will freeze and freeze, and the ice surface can connect Asia and North America. Today, the Soviet Far East has colluded with Germany. If the Germans launch an attack from the ice, wouldn't it catch them off guard?
"!!" Everyone looked at each other in surprise. They actually overlooked this possibility and immediately contacted the commander of the Alaska garrison to inquire about the relevant situation.
After asking around, I learned that in winter, a thick layer of ice will indeed form on the surface of the Bering Strait, and the thickness of the ice can reach 1 to 2 meters. This thickness of ice should be enough to support cars, but it is impossible for a convoy to pass through the Bering Strait. First of all, the thickness of the ice in the Bering Strait is not uniform. Secondly, the sea ice in the Bering Strait may not be a complete piece. Due to the tidal movement of the sea water and the movement of the sea water in the strait below the ice surface, the surface sea ice will break and break, resulting in a large number of cracks. Thirdly, the sea ice in the Bering Strait is not flat, but there will be a large number of ice obstacles, making the ice surface uneven, and sometimes it is even difficult to move, let alone cars.
After hearing this explanation, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but some people were still worried. "But we can't relax. The French also thought that the Germans could not cross the Ardennes Forest." At the beginning, the Ardennes region of Belgium was the most likely route for Germany to attack France, but it was also a rugged area with high mountains and dense forests. The French believed that it would be difficult for German armored forces to pass through the Ardennes Mountains, so there was no need to set up defenses. As a result, they suffered a great loss and were defeated.
"This is simple. We only need to send an artillery unit to be on guard. Once the Germans try to pass through the Bering Strait, we can open fire to break the ice."
"This is a good idea." The ice surface one or two meters thick naturally cannot withstand the bombardment of artillery shells. When a few rounds of shells hit it, the ice surface will be broken into pieces.