Chapter 598: And He Still Thinks He Can Compete With Charles?
At this moment, Major General Eden and Lieutenant General Aivis had both returned to their respective headquarters.
Major General Eden's headquarters was set up at the center of the fortress cluster, specifically at the "Bueno" Fort, which had previously served as Charles's command center.
To be precise, it wasn't the central point of the entire fortress system, but rather the center of the line facing the German offensive. From there, one could observe the battlefield more directly and more conveniently coordinate the surrounding fortresses.
More importantly, it was less than a kilometer away from the underground supply depot.
However, Major General Eden seemed completely powerless.
A dense swarm of German aircraft loomed overhead, almost blotting out the entire sky as they roared past the fortresses—fortresses that had no anti-air capabilities—and dove down to strafe the cars on the roads.
(Note: The fortresses were built before aircraft had been invented. Even after their invention, no one believed they would become weapons of war. As such, fortresses from this era had essentially no anti-air defenses.)
Only then did the drivers on the ground react, belatedly and in panic, trying desperately to drive their vehicles to safety.
But the roads were too congested to maneuver. Like headless flies, the vehicles crashed into each other or got stuck in the snow, unable to move.
The German planes seized the opportunity to open fire.
Amid a hail of gunfire, some vehicles burst into smoke, others overturned as their drivers were killed, and ammunition and supplies were scattered all over the road. Only a few managed to accelerate, but even those were riddled by enemy fire trailing close behind.
Finally, with a thunderous explosion, an ammunition truck detonated. A fireball erupted, blasting the vehicle to pieces. Soon the flames spread to nearby trucks, and drivers scrambled to leap out and flee.
But the German fighters didn't let them go. They climbed, looped, dove, and used their machine guns to carve lines of fire through the snow, hunting the fleeing drivers and soldiers.
Bright red blood stained the white snow everywhere—horrifying to see.
...
More than twenty minutes later, Lieutenant General Aivis finally hurried back to his headquarters.
But he quickly realized that he might've been better off staying at the front line. There, at least, he could see what was happening. In the headquarters, he was completely in the dark.
Aivis's headquarters was located in the city center, over ten miles from the front. Because his forces had collapsed in the first wave, no reports had come back from the front lines.
"Where is the enemy?" Aivis asked, pointing at the map.
"We don't know, General," one staff officer replied in panic. "Our units are in complete disarray. They were overrun before they could report anything."
"What about reconnaissance aircraft?" Aivis ordered, "Get them in the air!"
"General," the staff officer answered with difficulty, "all of our reconnaissance planes have lost contact. The airfields were hit hard by the enemy. We have nothing left that can fly."
"Then what do you know?" Aivis roared. "Do you only know we're under attack!?"
The staff officer had no answer. That was indeed the reality.
Only now did Aivis begin to grasp the importance of air power.
With air superiority in the enemy's hands and communication still relying mostly on field telephones, it was easy to end up in a situation where you didn't know where the enemy was—nor where your own units were. There was no way to command effectively.
Another ten minutes passed before scattered reports started coming in.
But most were already outdated—delivered by couriers and based on information that was half an hour old.
Or they were insignificant: for example, reports that convoys in front of the underground depot had been attacked by German aircraft.
Suddenly, one staff officer had a flash of insight: "General, why don't we ask the Belgians?"
Aivis lit up immediately: "Contact Major General Eden right away!"
The Antwerp fortresses were all in fixed positions, and each had telephone access. Obviously, they had a clearer picture of the front.
Soon the call went through. Major General Eden spoke gravely over the line:
"The situation is very bad, Lieutenant General.
"Your army has already collapsed. Fleeing soldiers are overrunning our defensive lines.
"Everywhere we look, all we see are deserters. The Germans seem to be deliberately driving your troops toward us. Their tanks are practically chasing them down. If we open fire, we'll inevitably hit your men too."
Lieutenant General Aivis replied without hesitation, and with determination: "Fire, General. Don't worry about friendly casualties. Some losses are unavoidable."
If they didn't open fire, even greater losses would follow. The entire line might fall.
"One more thing," Eden added. "The German 'Storm Assault Units' have already breached the fortress lines and are operating in the rear."
"They've broken through the fortresses?" Aivis was shocked.
"Yes," Eden confirmed. "They must have infiltrated during the night under cover of darkness and then remained hidden. I don't know how they did it, but they're everywhere."
Aivis's face turned pale: "Their target might be the supply depot. General, you must secure those supplies at all costs."
"God, you're right," Eden exclaimed. "I heard our convoy at sea took heavy losses—German submarines have blockaded the shipping lanes?"
"Yes," Aivis answered.
"Then we cannot lose the supplies we have on hand!" Eden stressed. "If we lose them, we're finished!"
With the front shattered and massive amounts of supplies already lost, and the sea routes cut off, if the underground depot also fell, all remaining forces would be left without supplies and collapse would be inevitable.
Just then, a staff officer ran in, panic-stricken: "General! The depot is under attack—must be the Storm Assault Units!"
Aivis immediately relayed the message to Eden: "They're attacking the depot. Can you send reinforcements?"
"Of course," Eden agreed without hesitation. After a pause, he added, "But tell your people not to destroy the depot. It's better to surrender than to blow it up!"
Aivis found that reasonable.
As long as the depot remained intact, there was still hope. Even if it fell into German hands, the Belgians might take it back.
But if it was destroyed, the Antwerp defense line would collapse due to a total lack of supplies.
Aivis didn't think too hard about it. He quickly agreed: "I agree, General. Please dispatch reinforcements as soon as possible."
Then he turned to his staff and ordered: "Secure the supplies at all costs. Even if you have to surrender, do not destroy the supplies!"
"Yes, General!"
What Lieutenant General Aivis didn't know was that this was exactly what Major General Eden had been waiting for. When he heard Aivis's command, a slight, mocking smile appeared on his lips.
That fool—so willing to hand over the supplies.
And he still thinks he can compete with Charles?
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