Chapter 500 Landing
After the French fleet withdrew, the remaining soldiers of the US 7th Fleet couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and everyone felt a sense of survival after the catastrophe. Without the attack of the French fleet, McCain and others finally retreated to the St. Paul Naval Port in despair. After getting off the ship, McCain immediately asked the maintenance personnel to repair the damaged warships, and it was extremely important to restore these warships to combat effectiveness as soon as possible. After all, the French fleet has only temporarily retreated, and they may make a comeback at any time.
After returning to St. Paul's Fortress, McCain immediately asked George to take over the command of St. Paul's Fortress. He could rest assured that the fortress was in his own hands. After all, after the strength of the US 7th Fleet was greatly damaged, the strength of Sao Paulo has also changed now. It had previously been McCain's 7th Fleet and George's Marine Division that combined to form a decisive advantage over Ewan's Army Infantry Division. That's why You En endured everything. But it's different now. The U.S. 7th Fleet exists in name only. It's hard to say whether Ewan can still obey McCain's orders as before.
Youn also knew McCain's thoughts, but he knew that now was not the time to fall out with McCain and the others, after all, there was still a Marine Division under George. The marines are all selected elites. Youn can't guarantee whether his infantry division can beat George's marine division, so after McCain gave the order, he handed over St. Paul's Fort very obediently. Take people back to Sao Paulo. However, in his heart, he also had other plans. After the US 7th Fleet was severely damaged and the St. Paul Fortress also suffered a very large loss, the French will definitely land next. He did not believe that George's Marine Division could withstand the French attack. When the strength of George's Marine Division is damaged, there is no need for him to bow his head to McCain and George as he is now.
After You En left St. Paul's Fortress, George immediately took over the fortress. and. Immediately set about repairing the destroyed fortress. No one can tell when the next attack of the French fleet will be. However, the St. Paul Fortress was severely damaged by the artillery attack of the French fleet, and it was very difficult to repair it. The U.S. military was only able to repair some minor damage, and by the way reinforced the remaining forts, focusing on the preparations of the Marine Corps. Now all fools know that after the fort was destroyed by the French fleet, the French marines should start landing. Although there is also a US Marine Division deployed in Fort St. Paul. But the combat effectiveness of the troops of both sides is obviously not at the same level. Moreover, the French army still has artillery support. It is basically impossible for George's marine division to resist the French army's attack. The most they can do is delay a little time. And the best result is to be able to delay the arrival of reinforcements from the US military, but this seems to be an extravagant hope at all.
At this time, on the flagship of the French Atlantic Fleet, Poseidon, Kirkbride and Vitry were also making relevant deployments.
"Marshal, now the US 7th Fleet has been severely damaged by us, and most of the St. Paul Fortress has been destroyed by us. See if we can launch a landing." Vitry said very excitedly.
"En." Kirkbride also nodded, but his tone was relatively calm. This is probably the reason for being more sophisticated. "It is impossible to land today. The navy soldiers are very tired after a high-intensity battle. Although the Marine Corps did not participate in the battle, the St. Paul Fortress has not been destroyed. In order to reduce unnecessary losses, it must Wait until the navy destroys the St. Paul Fortress before landing. And when the marines land, they will also need the naval artillery support." Kirkbride said calmly. In his opinion, since the victory is already within easy reach, why is there any need to worry?
"The soldiers have started to rest now. It is estimated that they will be able to recover their combat power tomorrow. The supply ship is also replenishing ammunition for the warships to ensure that all the warships can be put into battle tomorrow." Vitry said.
"When will the 1st Infantry Division of the 2nd Iberian Army arrive?" Kirkbride asked. If he can cooperate with the 1st Infantry Division of the 2nd Iberian Army, Kirkbride will be more confident in taking St. Paul as soon as possible.
"Just contacted them this morning. It is estimated that they will be able to arrive in Sao Paulo tomorrow afternoon. They will be able to invest in the day after tomorrow." Vitry replied.
"It's better to be young. I believe that the boys in the navy can recover as long as they sleep. But I, an old man, can't do it. Leave the fleet to your command for the time being, and I'll go to rest." Kirkbride said, His face was tired again. After all, he was old. After such a high-intensity battle, he was really tired as a commander.
"Well, you go to rest. I will command the fleet." Vitry said. Although he is also very tired now, he is much younger than Kirkbride, so he gritted his teeth and persisted.
"In addition, order the cooking soldiers to prepare some delicious food for all soldiers." Kirkbride added at the end. The soldiers fought very hard and bravely today, and the results of the battle were indeed brilliant, so we should reward everyone.
"Okay, I'll give orders," said Vitry.
Afterwards, Kirkbride couldn't hold on any longer, and when he arrived at his special bedroom on the 'Poseidon', he fell asleep.
Vitry, on the other hand, assumed the duties of commander of the fleet. "Immediately send a report to Paris and report the results we have achieved to His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Admiral of the Navy." Vitry ordered. In his opinion, it is a bit unreasonable not to report to the Ministry of the Navy if the results of the battle have been achieved. After all, this is the first time that the French Navy has wiped out a whole fleet of the US Navy since its re-emergence. Although the U.S. 7th Fleet still has a few warships, it has basically become nothing. So it was ignored by Vitryo.
The day passed quickly. By the next morning, the French navy soldiers went to combat positions in high spirits. The rest last night and the rich dinner last night not only allowed them to replenish their exhausted physical strength, but also boosted their morale. Kirkbride promised them that after conquering Sao Paulo, the soldiers could even go into the city to 'relax'. As for 'how' to relax, I believe that any man can understand.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, after enjoying a hearty breakfast, the French fleet started a new round of attack without haste. The two "Giant Whale" class battleships "Tuileries" and "Elysee" are still the first, and on both sides of them are another 9 heavy cruisers. These 11 warships are still the main force of the attack. They will use their powerful cannons to completely destroy the American St. Paul Fortress and clear the way for the Marine Corps to advance. Behind them and on their flanks were dozens of light cruisers and destroyers. When heavy cruisers and battleships bombard the fortress of St. Paul, they will be responsible for defending the flanks of the fleet and monitoring the movement in the St. Paul naval port. To prevent the remaining warships of the US 7th Fleet from suddenly breaking out at a critical moment in the battle, affecting the artillery formation. In the last part of the entire fleet, there are ten Poseidon and a large number of transport ships. On these transport ships, the 1st Division of the French Marine Corps, their equipment and a large amount of supplies were loaded. After all, it is impossible for warships to rush ashore. It is still up to the Marine Corps to conquer the St. Paul Fortress.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, after an hour of sailing, the French fleet came to the waters of the St. Paul Fortress again. Without any prelude, Kirkbride directly ordered the attack on St. Paul's Fortress. The 'Tuileries', 'Elysee' and 9 other heavy cruisers~www.mtlnovel.com~ immediately advanced to a place less than 8 kilometers away from the St. Paul Fortress, and launched a fierce shelling. The remaining 8 forts of St. Paul's Fortress also immediately launched a counterattack. It's just that these surviving forts have long been severely damaged, and their combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced, so that they were completely suppressed by the French warships during the shelling, and the entire battle situation showed a one-sided state.
Seeing the impotent counterattack of St. Paul's Fortress, a triumphant smile appeared on the corner of Kirkbride's mouth. The US military generals McCain and George felt bitter in their hearts. After the destruction of St. Paul's Fortress, the US military could not prevent the landing of the French army at all.
After an hour of intense shelling, the US military's St. Paul Fortress was basically dumbed down. As for the French navy, there was no other damage except that a heavy cruiser was hit by a shell and suffered a little injury. Of course, this does not count as a near-miss bomb that exploded near the 'Elysee', and the flying shrapnel scraped off a piece of paint on the battleship's hull. However, the impact of the 'Elysee' and the 'Tuileries' on the US military fortress of St. Paul was very huge. Often a 305mm shell would go down, and a corner of the US military fort would be missing. If more than 10 shells hit the For the US military forts, the US military's forts are completely finished.
Immediately after the destruction of Fort St. Paul, Kirkbride gave the order to land. A battalion of the 1st Division of the French Marine Corps immediately entered the landing craft and rushed towards St. Paul Beach.