Chapter 92 Zeppelin Airship

It is not difficult to install additional rockets. It only needs to tie the selected rockets to the vertical pillars between the two wings, which can be completed in more than half an hour.

If there was any difficulty, it was lighting the fire.

"How should we light the fire?" The question was still raised by Major Verscher. This may be related to his usual management of the operation of the entire airport. He always habitually considers whether the whole thing will get stuck in a certain link during operation. superior.

Eric looked at the wires on the rocket and said: "If we use wires to ignite, we can't be sure when it will fly out, and it will be impossible to seize the time to point the nose of the aircraft to the target!"

The pilots agreed.

Aviation combat is different from infantry combat. In infantry combat, there is no shortage of time. Rockets can always fly to the enemy group and play their role.

Aviation combat is on a high-speed flying aircraft. The time for the aircraft to dive and point at the target may only be a few seconds. During this period, if the rocket fails to be launched due to a delay in the fuse... it means a mission failure.

But this is not a problem for Ciel.

"Detonate the detonator with electricity!" Charles turned his attention to Major Verscher and asked, "Do we have any?"

(Note: Electric detonators, also called electric detonators, were invented in 1876)

Major Verscher was stunned for a moment, then nodded in surprise: "We don't have it, but the engineers should have it. I've seen them use wires to detonate bridges! I'll contact them right away!"

So this problem was solved perfectly. Major Fisher even called a group of engineers to help. The engineers were not happy at first. They had their own things to be busy with.

But Major Verscher said: "Do you know who is commanding the squadron now? It's Charles. You should have heard of him, right?"

Then the engineers immediately sent people. Because they didn't know the situation, they even sent an engineer company with more than 200 people!

…

In the operations office of the fortress headquarters, the hanging clock leaning against the wall dinged twice. It was exactly two o'clock in the afternoon.

There are small flags of different colors on the map, which represent different troops. Several attack routes are also drawn with pencils. There are several documents piled next to them, which are the battle plans that have just been recorded.

General Giese looked at this with confidence and said: "We will succeed. We are familiar with the terrain but the Germans are not. They will not expect that our troops will go around the path to the rear and attack them from both sides!"

General Winter asked hesitantly: "Should we let Charles take a look at the battle plan? After all, last time, he saw the problem with our defense line at a glance!"

General Winter had no confidence in himself... to be precise, he had no confidence in himself or General Guise. Albert I was not in the discussion. He had never commanded an army and had no knowledge and experience in this area.

General Winter knew this was not good, he could not rely on Ciel.

But this is a war, and a single thought may kill many people, especially when this may be their last chance!

"No!" General Guise refused without thinking: "We don't need the advice of a man who is ready to escape, Winter!"

Albert I said nothing, he still did not believe that Charles would escape.

During this period, Albert I wanted to go to the airport to see what Charles was doing, but he suppressed the urge.

What if Ciel is really planning to run away?

Although Charles is a person who has made special contributions to Belgium, and he has received a Kingdom Crown Medal for his meritorious service, this does not mean that he can sacrifice the life of a Belgian pilot for his own life!

This is a matter of principle.

Therefore, if Albert I found out, he would have to stop Charles, and then Charles would not be able to escape!

So he can't go.

If you don't go there, you won't know. Without knowing, everything Charles did was in accordance with the procedures, and Albert I didn't need to stop him.

It might be a good thing that Charles could escape, Albert I thought. He was still a child after all. The war had already endured too much for him, he had done enough, and he had a clear conscience!

What's more, he will be needed in future wars. There is no point in him staying here and waiting to be captured by the Germans!

Just when General Giese was about to rehearse his sneak attack plan, a communications soldier hurriedly opened the door and came in to report: "General, airship, German airship!"

The expressions of several people changed drastically, and they dropped everything in their hands and rushed out of the office.

To the east of the fortress, under the gloomy white sky, a German airship is slowly sailing towards Antwerp. Its hull looks like a huge cloud, so light and slow that it is almost impossible to detect it moving with the naked eye. , but it is clearly approaching Antwerp.

Albert I put away the telescope with an expressionless face and asked the staff beside him: "How long will it take before it reaches our sky?"

"I'm not sure, Your Majesty!" the staff officer replied, "it will take about two hours!"

Two hours, that is, around 4 p.m.

General Gies looked at the direction of the airship, then turned his aperture to the Wavre Fortress on its extension line, and made a judgment: "Its target is Wavre Fort, and the Germans plan to bomb it with airships and heavy artillery at the same time!"

Albert I shook his head: "No, its target is the water supply system behind Wavre Castle!"

General Guise accepted this statement instantly.

Water systems are much more fragile than fortresses; they are completely exposed to the ground and can be disabled even without a direct hit.

General Giese's expression changed again and again, and he immediately ordered the signal troops: "Immediately organize firepower to prepare to block it, and we must not let it get closer!"

"Yes, General!" The signalman responded and left.

Albert I smiled bitterly and shook his head. Everyone knew that this would not work.

The airship was more than a thousand meters high. Antwerp's artillery that could reach it was all in the fortress. Rifle bullets might be able to reach it, but the damage they could cause was just to poke a few invisible holes in its skin.

General Winter couldn't help but sigh: "What a terrifying big guy. They actually made such a thing!"

"Yes!" Albert I sighed: "The Germans called it the 'invincible cannon', and some people called it the 'unsinkable battleship'. They thought it was an invincible weapon, and it was indeed the case. The only thing that can stop it may be the unpredictable weather!"

Due to their light weight and large size, airships are often blown away by the sea breeze and eventually disappear on the sea and can never be found again.

But now...

Albert I looked at the sky. Although the weather was not very good, there was no sign of wind.

"Only God can save us!" Albert I's tone was full of helplessness and sadness.

(The picture above is the Zeppelin airship, and the traces of the aluminum keel can be clearly seen)