14 Februar 1918. 6000 metres above the Western Front
Leutnant Dietrich Von Eschenbach leaned over the side, the large camera steadied,as the ice cold wind blasted him. The Rumpler could easily remain above enemy interception over the target, allowing the luxury of an uninterrupted, steady series of photos. What they would show would of course not be known precisely until the film was developed and enlarged, and the analysts with their lights and magnifiers could pore over its every detail. He just knew they were on target, and the clear cold air offered unparalleled opportunity to capture images this day.
18 Februar 1918. Luftstreitkrafte headquarters.
The photos were grainy, but there were several of them, and the implications were unambiguous and serious. The only questions in Kogenluft’s mind was could we intervene in time to remove this threat.
Big Bertha.The Paris Gun. Krupp was synonymous with land-based artillery of extreme performance. There was no doubt that other nation’s industries had the potential for game-changing technologies. But only they had seen it through to full operation. The British could clearly field large artillery – the Royal Navy was richly supplied with it – but they had never seemed to have the desire to field a land-based equivalent. Until these photos showed up.
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HMS Furious' sisters had put to sea with 4 x 15 inch guns in two twin gun turrets, but Furious was to be even more heavily armed, with the largest British Naval guns ever developed, the 18”/40 Mark I. Three had been produced at the Armstrong Works at Elswick, the only manufacturer capable of producing a weapon of such size. They had actually been designated as the “15 inch B” to hide its real size and destructive potential during development and production. Testing on the Furious showed the Cruiser to be unable to weather the massive overpressure, so the second turret was never installed, and Furious was to move on to other duties.
The guns, too, moved on, one each to a pair of coastal monitors, the General Wolfe and theLord Clive. The third was thought to also be headed for a third monitor, but intelligence had lost track of it.
Until now.
Facing the center of the German defenses was a weapon that could outrange anything else on the line, and overcome the need to be moved forward under a rapid advance.It could also be sited back farther than any counter battery fire. Only the Luftstreitkrafte could hope to reach it and put it out of action. Before it becomes operational. We would need more overflights to identify the nearby defenses and plan appropriately.
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“So, Hauptman Becker, your mission is to provide the attacking aircraft and necessary escort.The target is the highest priority. Your men must not know the nature of the target or its location until they are ready to depart. No chance can be taken to reveal what we know. They were not thought to be operational when photographed, and we are making regular overflights in the area, including decoy flights, to keep track of progress and to not reveal our true interest.This mission must be prepared immediately, and the larger single bombs will be delivered the night before your flyers take off. They are expected to take off well before dawn and arrive just prior, giving just enough light for proper target identification, but before normal patrols are likely to be up.” The Hauptman leaned back and scratched his neck. Herr Major leaned forward across the desk. The men would know Something Was Up. These visits were rare, and usually accompanied to falling in for inspection. Here he was with no warning,no ceremony, and no inspections. “Ja, Herr Major. You will have my plans for review this evening, and we can be ready to fly the mission in 24 hours. Can we get the bombs in time?”
“Danke, Hauptman. General Hoeppner and the staff will be pleased to know that. And yes,they are already loaded in a truck and standing by for orders. They will need to be fastened externally to your zweistizers – all of that will be explained to your Werkmeister. You will have to sacrifice some fuel to handle the extra weight. I will send my man with the bombs to ensure proper installation. Have your men standing by at 2200.”
20 Februar 1918. Adler Aerodrome, 1400 Hrs
Giving the Hauptman time to finish his phone conversation, Ziebell waited to enter the room to bring the readiness report. Mission preparations were proceeding apace, crews assigned, preliminary briefings conducted, and aircraft were being prepared for tomorrow morning’s raid. With the sound of the phone being placed in the handset, he entered. Herr Becker sat in his chair, eyes closed, lips drawn up tight, rhythmically rapping his empty pipe against his knee. “News, Herr Hauptman?” the Adjutant queried. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. “Change in plans, Adolph.” He leaned forward, made a tent with his fingers and peered over imaginary reading glasses, his voice nasal, in imitation of the Major: “The pride of reducing the Englischer Kanone to rubble has been given to Artillerie. You will support that mission aggressively.” “What – how?” Zielbell asked, confused. *“It seems, meine freund, that someone at OHL used their favors to bump us from the mission and advance themselves.”
“But Sir, surely this means one less risky low-level bombing mission….”
The Hauptman chuckled without mirth “You would think so, but no, es wird besser…..” Due to the great range involved, accuracy is compromised. Extra-large powder charges increase the variability even further. We will provide artillery spotting until All Of The Suspected Targets are destroyed.
“Suspected Targets, Sir?”
“Seems the incontrovertible photo evidence wasn’t as definitive as at first reported. To be sure they will be shelling several locations. We will overfly those locations and use the wireless to correct fire until we confirm their destruction.”
“Mein Gott.”
“Indeed. We will need His favor to bring the boys home from this one, Adolph.”
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