Chapter 492: Exploration
After reaching an agreement, McCain and the others immediately took action. The officers and soldiers of the U.S. 7th Fleet began to check the warships to ensure that all warships could function normally when the battle broke out. George's Marine Corps reinforced the fort, and at the same time moved boxes of shells out of the ammunition depot and moved them to the fort. And Eun's infantry division began to drive away the ordinary people in St. Paul City, and forcibly collected food from the people. After two days, the entire city of Sao Paulo was emptied. In addition to the American army, there are only 20,000 strong laborers and 10,000 young women left. Strong laborers can be used as porters and cannon fodder on the battlefield, and young women can let them treat the wounded. At the same time, when soldiers need them, they will also serve as a tool for soldiers to vent their desires. Of course, the beautiful ones have been selected, and they will be used by officers, or rewarded as prizes for soldiers who have made military exploits on the battlefield. Of course, McCain and the others also used their power to keep the most beautiful women among them.
As time went on, the French army was getting closer and closer to St. Paul. And Sao Paulo's various preparations are also proceeding in an orderly manner.
On October 5, the French naval fleet took the lead in appearing less than 150 kilometers away from Sao Paulo. The news was quickly known by the agents sent by St. Paul City, and they quickly notified McCain and the others.
After getting the news, McCain immediately mobilized all U.S. troops. The mobilization was also very simple. After McCain briefly said a few words that were fierce to everyone, it entered the substantive stage. The 10,000 young women were all taken to the barracks. Before the war begins, the soldiers will be allowed to vent their exuberant energy. It's just that because of the U.S. military plus the Navy and Marine Corps, a total of 50,000 people have entered. Except for those women who enjoyed by the officers, there were less than 9,000 left. Therefore, the U.S. military usually assigns a woman to several talents, so that these energetic American soldiers have to queue up. However, this is already very rare. In normal times, they simply do not have this opportunity.
And those South American women, under this fate, have already become numb. Their eyes were empty, without a trace of expression, allowing those rude American soldiers to lie on top of them and shake.
It was not until the afternoon that the mobilization ended. The women were taken away again. However, McCain promised the soldiers that if they tried to kill the enemy, they would have another chance to do so. The morale of the American soldiers suddenly rose. It seems that the most primitive desires of men are the driving force behind their fighting spirit.
For all this, McCain was very satisfied. He never thought that those women could play such a big role. At the same time, he is also confident that he will be able to persist until the arrival of reinforcements.
On the morning of October 6, the French fleet finally appeared in the St. Paul waters. McCain knew that the U.S. 7th Fleet could never be a match for the French Navy. Therefore, the naval fleet was ordered to stick to the port and not to fight at sea. Instead, under the cover of coastal fortresses, it competed with the French fleet.
On the French Atlantic Fleet flagship "Poseidon", Admiral Kirkbride, commander of the French Atlantic Fleet, frowned. "Those timid Americans didn't rush out to the sea to fight. It seems that they have completely given up the honor of the Navy." Kirkbride said bitterly.
"Your Excellency, what should we do?" asked Rear Admiral Vitry, the captain of the "Poseidon".
"What else can we do? Since they are hiding in the military port like a shrinking turtle, then we have to smash their turtle shells first," Kirkbride said.
"However, near the Naval Port of St. Paul, the Americans have 28 turrets. They even have fortress guns with a caliber of 305mm. According to our information, this kind of large-caliber fortress guns are not large, and there are only about 5 in total. And due to technical limitations, this American fortress gun is not comparable to our 305mm naval gun not only in terms of range and power. But the 280mm caliber fortress gun in the entire São Paulo has nearly 20 guns, which is not a small threat to most of our warships. Fortress guns of other calibers, Sao Paulo has a total of nearly 600 guns. If we force the attack, I have no doubt that we will win , but the price to be paid must be quite high. But if we want to take advantage of the artillery to pull out the US coastal defense batteries bit by bit, we don't have enough time at all." Vitry said very embarrassingly.
"This is indeed a difficult problem for us. If the guys from the Air Force are here, everything will be easy to solve." Kirkbride said with a sigh.
Kirkbride explained: "The large airships of the Air Force can directly bomb the Americans from above their heads. I heard that the Air Force has developed an aerial bomb weighing 750 kilograms. If they shoot If so, I believe that these fortresses in Sao Paulo will be completely destroyed in a short time. But it is a pity that the air force did not participate in the landing in South America. Otherwise, it would be much easier for us to capture Sao Paulo."
"But I heard that the air force's bombing is not accurate. In addition, the United States also has anti-aircraft guns and other weapons. I think even if the air force comes, it will not play a big role." Vitry said disapprovingly. Unlike Kirkbride, he is a complete believer in naval supremacy. I think that at sea, the navy's giant ship and heavy artillery are the most powerful,
"That's right. The air force's bombing hit rate is indeed not high. This is also the biggest problem that plagues the air force. Although the country has conducted long-term research, no effective solution can be found. Start to reduce the distance from the ground. But in this case , will pose a serious threat to the airship. However, the Air Force has invented a tactic to increase the hit rate of the bombing. That is, during the bombing, dozens of hundreds of airships are dispatched at one time. A black cloud is formed in the sky. One piece, covering all the sky above the target. I have to say, this is indeed a good way to improve the hit rate. But the ammunition is a bit wasted." Kirkbride said. As a senior executive of the French military, he still has a good understanding of some of the conditions of the various French military branches.
"However, even if the air force is indeed useful in dealing with these fortresses, it will not be able to quench the thirst of the near. We can't wait until the air force arrives to attack Sao Paulo. If this is the case, the time must be too late." Vitry said.
"Yes! We have to find another way." Kirkbride said with a sigh.
"Order the 'Tuileries' and 'Elysée' to approach and launch a tentative attack. How about the American firepower?" Kirkbride ordered. The 'Tuileries' and the 'Elysée' were two of several battleships in the Atlantic Fleet. With their heavy armor and powerful firepower, they are the most powerful combat force of the French Navy. With their thick armor, I believe that even if they are hit by the artillery of the US military fortress, nothing will happen.
Kirkbride's orders came quickly. The 'Tuileries' and 'Elysee' began to break away from the formation of the French fleet and head towards the coast.
At this time, in the coastal fortress of St. Paul. McCain and the others are gathering together, watching the situation on the sea. When seeing the two largest warships in the French navy fleet approaching the coast, McCain immediately ordered all coastal defense batteries to be on alert. As the commander of the naval fleet, McCain is also very familiar with the warships of the French Navy. He knew that those two warships were the most powerful "Giant Whale" class battleships in France now, and their combat effectiveness was more than one level stronger than the most powerful "North Carolina" class battleships in the United States.
When the 'Tuileries' and 'Elysee' were still 12 kilometers away from the coast. The US military's fortress artillery suddenly fired ping-pong-pong. However, since the 'Tuileries' and 'Elysee' are too far away from the coast, except for the fortress guns above 280 mm~www.mtlnovel.com~ all other shells fell far away. The fronts of the 'Tuileries' and the 'Elysee' did not damage the 'Tuileries' and the 'Elysee' at all. And those fortress guns with a caliber of more than 280 mm also had a very low hit rate due to the distance, and bombarded them once, but none of them were named 'Tuileries' or 'Elysee'.
"Damn it, who ordered the firing. Don't you know we have to save shells now?" McCain roared with red eyes. The shelling just now wasted at least ten tons of shells, which made McCain very angry.
After a while, George came running. "General, no one gave the order to fire. It was two recruits who were too nervous and fired involuntarily. And because of this, the other forts also fired." George explained.
"Damn it. Pull those two soldiers out and shoot them," McCain yelled.
"General, this is not good. I'm afraid it will affect the morale of the army." George persuaded.
McCain calmed down his anger. However, although the two soldiers who were overly nervous escaped their lives by chance, they were also transferred to the rear. If he did it again, McCain would not have so many shells to waste on them.