My Italian: Chapter 621 Battle of Malta 4

The preparations of the British Empire's Mediterranean Fleet in Alexandria are so grandiose that Italy can sense it as long as it is not blind.

Not to mention the intelligence agencies of Italy and Austria, they can't wait to keep their eyes on their warships, so when the Mediterranean Fleet is still preparing, the radio waves transmit the news to the Port of Taranto, where the United Fleet is stationed.

Faced with the change of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Lieutenant General Lefer, as the commander of the joint fleet, of course attached great importance to it, and then he called the commanders of the formations and the captains of the ships to hold a meeting.

After some discussions, Lefer decided to let the United Fleet also prepare for the battle.

So in the port of Taranto, the United Fleet was also busy. The officers and soldiers prepared the battleship and replenished ammunition and other materials.

However, the United Fleet has not moved yet, and they are still waiting for the Mediterranean Fleet's action before making a move.

However, although the United Fleet did not do anything, it can force the Mediterranean Fleet to move first, because in Malta, the competition for it has already begun.

Marsaxlokk Bay is a bay in the southeast of the island of Malta, which is only five kilometers away from Valletta, Malta's most important port. However, due to the terrain, the coastal defense fort located in Valletta could not provide effective support for it.

Therefore, the bay has also become the most important landing site for the first division of the Italian Marine Corps.

On the sea, small boats were lowered from the loading and unloading ships. This is the world's first landing craft, the Barracuda-class landing craft. After being launched into the water with the help of the crane, the landing craft immediately approached the ships carrying the landing officers and soldiers.

On these ships, a Marine Corps officer and soldier climbed onto the landing craft along the rope ladder, and after being filled with officers and soldiers, these landing craft rushed to Marsaxlokk Bay. On these landing craft, the Marine Corps officers and soldiers held weapons in their hands, Sitting nervously in the boat.

A platoon of officers and soldiers can be placed on a landing craft, so under normal circumstances, it is the second lieutenant platoon leader who appeases these officers and soldiers. These platoon leaders used different methods to appease the soldiers. Some encouraged them, others insulted them, and some even directly attacked them.

No matter what these low-level officers do, it is to relieve the pressure on the soldiers and allow them to calm down on the upcoming battlefield. Only by calmly responding to various situations can soldiers have the best chance of survival.

While the landing craft was rushing towards Marsaxlokk Bay, tall and mighty warships on the sea were aiming their muzzles at the coastline for shelling.

Under the loud noise, one after another powerful shells roared towards the position of the British army in Marsaxlok Bay.

"Crash~"

A huge explosion hit a certain section of the trench, and when the smoke cleared, a large pit of more than ten meters appeared. As for the defenders in this trench, there is no need to look for them, they have already been vaporized. Only some fragments of clothes and weapons were scattered within a range of tens of meters around, silently telling the tragic image.

Experienced officers and soldiers can tell at a glance by its power that this is at least caused by a cannon over ten inches (254 mm). Facing the attack of this kind of giant shell, you don't need to run at all, because you can't run. The only thing you can do is to pray silently, pray that the shells will not fall on your head, or you will only see you in heaven.

At this time, the tragic experience in the big pit is not the only one. The warships from the reserve fleet are constantly projecting firepower to the position and its surroundings.

Although these warships have fallen behind the times, under the threat of the lack of coastal defense artillery, these warships lined up one by one, firing continuously so that the coastal defense positions in Marsaxlok Bay were shrouded in artillery fire.

In fact, it is not right to say that there is no threat. Fort C in the Port of Valletta, with its 305mm coastal defense gun, can get a reserve fleet in terms of range.

But how to put it, because of the terrain, its No. C turret cannot be aimed directly, and someone needs to mark it and then use the map mark to counterattack the artillery.

However, the indirect bombardment of more than ten kilometers requires extremely high technical requirements, and it is difficult for the officers and soldiers on the elite warships of the Italian Navy to do it, let alone the coastal defense artillery officers and soldiers, so the bombardment effect is touching. (The most outstanding batch of battleships will almost be diverted to small and medium-sized warships, and then other warships. Only the worst ones will be reserved for coastal defense guns. This is the consistent practice of navies of various countries)

"Boom~"

The sound of a violent explosion sounded from the side of the artillery formation, and the huge splash made experienced officers and soldiers estimate that it was caused by shells over 300 mm.

That's right, this was caused by the 305mm coastal defense gun on the No. C turret from Valletta Port. The huge explosion really scared the officers and soldiers of the artillery formation.

However, apart from being taken aback, it did not have any impact on the artillery formation. Because the artillery shell from the coastal defense fort was really unreliable in terms of bullet point, and it deviated from the artillery formation by nearly a thousand meters.

Considering that this is indirect shooting and the distance is far enough, coupled with the limited level of its operating officers and soldiers, this is purely normal.

Therefore, the reserve fleet ignored this low-threatening shelling, but concentrated on shelling possible coastal defense facilities in Marsaxlok Bay.

To say whether the British army has defensive facilities in Marsaxlokk Bay, there must be. Italy knew that the harbor was an excellent landing point. Wouldn't the British army stationed on the island for a hundred years not know it?

Therefore, in Marsaxlokk Bay, the British army built a lot of fortifications and forts in the past 100 years. However, most of these fortifications and forts were built in the past 100 years, so they are already outdated. Only a few fortifications and forts were built by the United Kingdom in the past 20 years.

Among these Marsaxlok Bay coastal defenses, the most deterrent is the 6-inch (152 mm) coastal defense gun. These coastal defense guns are not bad against small and medium-sized warships, but in front of the former dreadnought battleships, these coastal defense guns are not as good as tickling.

Therefore, the firepower of the defenders would rather endure being constantly hit by naval guns than fire. They waited for the Italians to come ashore.

As for the landing troops who were concerned about them, they drove towards the coastline in a landing craft.

Well, the speed of twelve knots is not extreme speed, but it is much better than a wooden boat that needs to be paddled by hand and has no protection measures.

So soon these landing craft rushed to the coastline. At this time, when the defending British army saw the marines who were about to dock, they immediately opened fire. Machine guns, rifles, and some small and medium-caliber artillery fired one after another.

Immediately, these defenders were surprised to find that, except for the artillery, the machine rifles in their hands had no effect on the square landing ship at all, and were all blocked by the baffles around it.

And when these landing craft approached on the puffing sea, the machine guns they were equipped with were also counterattacking.

As soon as the landing craft docked and the hatch opened, the Marines who stayed in the cabin rushed out immediately. Because staying in the landing craft is more dangerous. At this time, another advantage of the flat-bottomed landing craft is also reflected. Most of the Marine Corps officers and soldiers who rushed out of the landing craft only have knee-high water when they disembark, and some even land directly on the beach. Of course, some are waist-length and chest-deep.

There is also a reason to talk about this specifically here. Because the resistance of sea water is not small, in the time-consuming landing operation, not to mention slow movements in sea water, it is impossible to do basic movements such as lying down without cover, and it will only become a living target.

So soldiers want to reduce their own danger, so getting to the beach as soon as possible is the most important thing.

Therefore, the Marine Corps officers and soldiers who landed rushed to the beach one by one at this time.

Even though the British army was condescending and fired at them constantly, and the comrades around them were shot down from time to time, the officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps didn't pay attention to these at all. At this time, the anti-wave lift on the beach was their ultimate goal.

Of course, it must be very difficult to rely on them alone in the landing operation. Xin Hao and they still have help. At this moment, eleven destroyers and small cruisers approached to a distance of a kilometer from the coastline~www.mtlnovel.com~The various naval guns they equipped with continued to undertake the task of suppressing firepower for them.

Although these naval guns are nothing in the navy, they are a proper killer for the army. Its 150mm, 120mm, 105mm, 75mm and other various naval gun firepower provided fire support for the officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps.

At this moment, the various pre-dreadnought battleships that were originally shelling, stopped before landing again, but they were afraid of hurting friendly forces, so they no longer attacked the fortifications near the coastline, but extended their firepower under the guidance of the airship. Fight against enemy reinforcements.

Now that they were assisted by the firepower of a large number of warships, the officers and soldiers of the landing marines certainly did not miss this opportunity, took the opportunity to expand the landing field, and wiped out the surrounding defense strongholds one by one.

Of course, in addition to the first batch of landing troops, the second and third batch of landing troops also joined them.

In the evening, Rome received the news that the marines landing on Malta had opened up and defended the landing site.

(end of this chapter)

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