Three days later, a report titled “On Low-Altitude Diving Machine Gun Strafing” was placed on Governor Veitslauf’s desk. Recording battlefield events and summarizing the gains and losses had always been a proud tradition of the Austrian military. It was also a unique trait in this era. Documenting the course of a war may seem simple, but not everyone is capable of doing it. At the very least, nations without compulsory education are unlikely to succeed in such an effort. The benefits of doing this are self-evident. Perhaps most of the recorded combat experiences are repetitive and without much value, but if even one-thousandth of the content proves useful, it is already a gain. This is especially true when it comes to the deployment of new weapons and the exploration of new tactics. Materials like these are exceptionally important. As a result, in the army only officers are required to write reports. For the newly formed air force, however, every member must submit one. Low-altitude dive bombing and low-altitude strafing are not new terms. Similar concepts had already been proposed more than a decade ago. This has nothing to do with His Majesty Franz. While Franz may be a novice in military matters, he clearly understands that even sound modern military theories are still built upon specific conditions. Take dive bombing for example. It is not as simple as flying low and dropping bombs. Not all aircraft are capable of such maneuvers. Even if an aircraft’s performance meets the requirements, the exact definition of “low altitude” still has to be determined through real combat experience. The tactic must produce results while also ensuring the safety of both personnel and aircraft. Otherwise, it is simply a new version of a Kamikaze Squad. Therefore, the grand strategic concept of using airships for low-altitude dive carpet bombing was certainly not one of Franz’s ideas. The emergence of this concept in the Austrian military was not baseless. It was backed by real combat experience. When airships were first deployed for military use, Austria’s airship units tested this approach against the Ottomans and achieved significant results. At that time, the strategy even became mainstream and received widespread endorsement from many prominent military bigwigs. However, with the advent of anti-aircraft weapons, people realized that low-flying airships were nothing more than easy targets. This theory was quickly shelved. The failure of airships did not mean airplanes were also unsuitable. At least for now, the threat posed by anti-aircraft weapons to airplanes remained minimal. In theory, low-altitude dive attacks became feasible. Due to the limited payload capacity of airplanes, dive-bombing turned into strafing with machine guns, which significantly reduced its impact. With the airship failure as a precedent, General Veitslauf did not rush to make a decision. Instead, he fell into deep thought. Whether this was just an isolated case or a military concept with long-term value and application prospects remained a mystery for the time being. Seeing that Veitslauf was still hesitant, Air Force Major General Andrew McCarthy added more fuel to the fire. “Commander, regardless of the long-term potential of dive-strafing, it is effective in the short term. We have conducted numerous drills, and the current anti-aircraft weapons pose very little threat to airplanes. Dive-strafing can easily achieve results. Even if the French discover the weaknesses of this tactic, it will take time for them to respond. Until then, there's nothing stopping us from promoting it.” Major General Andrew’s enthusiasm was, in fact, a product of pressure. Compared to the army and navy, the air force was like a younger sibling. If the air force were strong enough, it would not need to report such independent tactics to the theater commander. It could implement them on its own. Military reputation still depends on battlefield achievements. The Austrian air force had only been recently established and lacked any noteworthy accomplishments, so its voice naturally carried little weight. Without Franz’s support, they would still be part of the army’s aviation units, with no capacity to stand as an independent branch. In this context, the entire air force was driven by a strong desire to prove its value on the battlefield. This was why they were the most proactive in promoting new tactics. Otherwise, they would not have attempted to verify the feasibility of a tactic right after receiving a single battlefield report. After a brief moment of reflection, Veitslauf agreed, “In theory, it is indeed feasible, but it still requires more combat data before it can be promoted throughout the entire military. In the coming days, I will allow the air force to operate independently to test and, more accurately, refine this tactic.” The development of military technology has never been smooth. A major power like Austria could afford to pay the price for progress. Every new tactic was built upon countless failures. This was also why many weapons and concepts, even after their creation, could not be adopted right away. Without real combat results to back them up, no one could feel confident. … With the support of the theater commander secured, the Austrian Air Force stationed in the Sinai Peninsula immediately sprang into action. Things became “lively” in the Egyptian region. Not only were frontlines and fortresses heavily bombed, but the streets, alleyways, and even the farmlands also turned into hunting grounds for the Austrian Air Force. In order to gather more combat data, the air force no longer cared about costs. They had to test their tactics in every possible environment. As for the consequences, those were no longer within Major General Andrew’s scope of concern. After all, the bullets were landing on enemy soil. It was simply a matter of how effective the results would be. … Ever since the airship fleet was destroyed, the skies over Cairo had become the domain of the Austrian Air Force. Every day, combinations of airships and airplanes would show up at irregular times like clocking in for work. For the sake of his own safety, Governor Jacob had no choice but to move his command post underground. In truth, his initial idea was to find a more secure anti-air bunker. Unfortunately, Cairo was located deep in Egypt’s heartland. The French had never seriously considered any threats from external enemies. The last time they faced any real military danger was when the rebel forces laid siege to the city. The poorly organized native rebels had, at most, a few crude cannons. Their shells couldn’t even reach the governor’s palace. With no demand for anti-air defense, no such bunkers had been built. After the outbreak of the Franco-Austrian War, Governor Jacob only focused on the defense of the canal line. He never imagined that threats would come from the skies. By the time the crisis arrived, it was too late to dig new shelters. Constructing an anti-air bunker capable of accommodating the French command post was no simple matter. A big cave simply wouldn’t cut it. “Governor, the enemy air force is becoming far too arrogant. They’re acting as if France doesn’t even exist. We must retaliate.” A statement like this naturally wouldn’t come from a French officer. Every officer present knew full well that it wasn’t a matter of unwillingness. They simply had no capability to fight back. Looking at the furious middle-aged man, Governor Jacob furrowed his brows. After a long silence, he slowly said, “Official Abraham, please take a look at the battle reports, or at least pay some attention to the political news back home. It’s not just us. Even the homeland is powerless against the Austrians’ air force. Just a week ago, Paris itself was struck by an enemy air raid.” Upon hearing that Paris had been bombed, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically. Clearly, it was the first time they had received such news. Seeing their reactions, Governor Jacob realized there was something wrong with his assumptions. Before the war broke out, news from Paris could reach Egypt in just a few hours. France’s telegraph operations were run by capitalists, who prioritized maximizing profits over anything strategic. In this context, it was naturally unfeasible to lay a dedicated undersea cable from mainland France to Egypt. Instead, the connection passed through Algeria via landline routes, crossing territories under Austrian control in Africa, in cooperation with the Austrian Telegraph Company. This arrangement conformed to international practices. The reason telegrams had spread across most parts of the world in just a few decades was due to regional cooperation. If everyone acted independently, no single telegraph company would have the capability to connect the entire globe. The outbreak of the continental war had been too sudden. After only a few months of buildup, fighting broke out unexpectedly. Even the French government was caught off guard, let alone the telegraph companies. Economics had to give way to politics. Once war erupted, the previously cooperative Austrian Telegraph Company naturally ceased all services for France. Now, communication between Egypt and the homeland mainly relied on naval vessels traveling back and forth between the two regions. Even those who used to be best informed were now struggling to receive any news from home. After a brief pause, the startled Official Abraham asked in shock, “Governor, are you sure this isn’t a joke?” In this era, Paris held a sacred place in the hearts of the French people. The news of an attack on Paris was too shocking, far more alarming than the daily bombings in Cairo. Jacob nodded solemnly and replied, “Do you really think I would joke about something like this if it hadn’t happened? But the situation is not as severe as you might imagine. The enemy only passed briefly over Paris and didn’t inflict any major damage. Surely you’ve all noticed that the enemy air force isn’t as terrifying as it seems. Aside from its imposing appearance, the actual destruction from bombing has been relatively minor. The homeland is already preparing to manufacture aircraft. As long as we can hold out through this period, the enemy’s advantage will disappear. Now, we…” Bombing was both terrifying and not. Although the French military’s anti-aircraft units were poor in quality, they still existed. With these outdated weapons, they at least managed to keep Austrian airships from flying too low. Dropping bombs from several kilometers up resulted in a hit rate so low, it was almost like winning the lottery. In terms of pure lethality, aircraft conducting occasional dive-strafing runs inflicted more casualties on the French army than the inefficient bombings by airships. Official Abraham interrupted, “Governor, I must correct you on that. The enemy air force has caused us considerable losses. Since the bombings began, factories, shops, and entertainment venues across Cairo have been unable to operate normally. Civilian panic has set in. Anyone with some means is doing everything they can to flee the city. According to rough estimates, nearly 15,000 people have left Cairo in the past week. It’s not just Cairo’s economy that has taken a heavy hit. Other parts of Egypt have also suffered varying degrees of damage, especially in terms of civilian casualties, which are truly shocking. Based on the information gathered from various regions, preliminary estimates suggest that the number of civilian casualties from enemy air attacks has already exceeded five digits.” There was no helping it. Even inaccurate bombing would have some effect as long as bombs were dropped. Troop movements were limited to specific zones, and soldiers knew how to protect themselves under bombardment. Aside from the initial losses, military casualties were not particularly high. Civilians, on the other hand, were in a completely different situation. In this era, people’s first instinct during air raids was to run. Very few had any concept of air defense. When crowds panicked and fled in chaos, the casualty numbers naturally increased. The situation grew even worse once Austrian aircraft began low-altitude strafing. Slamming his palm on the table, Governor Jacob rose in anger. “The Austrians are truly despicable. How can civilians be dragged into a war like this? Official Abraham, you are to gather all relevant information. We will expose their atrocities to the international community.” Upon hearing this, the room once again fell into silence. In this day and age, diplomatic protests were the last form of resistance left to the weak. The great powers preferred direct threats. No one in the room placed any real hope in Jacob’s proposal to apply political pressure through the international community. There was no other way. In this era of declining morals, every colonial empire had a dark and shameful past. If one started pulling at the threads, no country would escape unscathed. By comparison, civilian casualties caused by war were nothing. Especially when the fighting was taking place in Africa, its impact on European public opinion was even smaller.
*** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH) Support the translation and read more chapters at https://ko-fi.com/dragonlegion
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment