Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 585 Tianma Fortress

  The Key to the Throat in the Mande Strait, Greater Hanish Islands

  Hanish Islands From north to south, there are four main islands: Zugar Island, Little Hanish Island, Big Hanish Island and Suyul ​​Hanish Island.

Among them, the largest island is Zuger Island, with an area of ​​about 100 square kilometers, but most of the island is flat sandbars and grass beaches, as well as a large area of ​​swamp mangroves. It is a paradise for seabirds and fish. , But uninhabited, not suitable for building a strong fortress.

  Greater Hanish Island is the second largest island in the Hanish Islands. It covers an area of ​​90 square kilometers. The peaks on the island are towering and continuous. The lush forest vegetation covers the whole island. It is a typical marine humid climate.

It is located in the middle of the southeastern end of the Red Sea, 40 kilometers from Yemen to the east and Eritrea to the west, 68 kilometers from the nearest city, Assab, 234 kilometers from Humen Town, and about 110 kilometers from the southeast exit of the Red Sea. It is the Hanish Islands. The real main island has dozens of other reefs nearby.

The Mande Strait is the main throat of the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. The Grand Hanish Island is located in the middle of the entrance of the Mande Strait. It is of far-reaching strategic significance. The upper can be used as the core and support point of the archipelago.

  With its superior geographical location, the Grand Hanish Fortress can closely monitor the ships passing by the Red Sea, and the southeastern end of the Red Sea can be completely sealed off with large-caliber shore guns.

  Now the Hanish Islands are under the jurisdiction of the Somalia Province, an overseas colony of Queensland. They have 4 companies and about 570 officers and soldiers stationed on the Greater Hanish Island all the year round.

  From 1884 to present

  The Red Fort forces nominally own the Hanish Islands and have been widely recognized by the international community after the Berlin Conference. The Red Fort has been under continuous construction on Greater Hanish Island for 5 years.

  Relevant construction funds were directly allocated by the inner library. At no cost, they almost dug through the interior of the main peak of the Great Hanish Island, and built an amazing-scale cave base and more than ten forts.

  This area is a military forbidden area, and it is strictly forbidden for any ships to approach it.

The commander of the fortress is the 36-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Friedman Kopf. He is the youngest brother of the Tiger Cavalry Division Commander Brigadier General Suvarz Kopf. He once served as an officer of the Leopard Cavalry Guard and was one of the first guard officers to follow the Lord Earl. First, he is loyal and rigorous, and the execution of military orders is so rigid that he does not know how to adapt.

Li Yong, the most famous mercenary leader and smuggling businessman in Xi'an, once served on the island. Out of emotional factors, he once sent his men to transport a ship of materials and labor, using milk powder, toffee, cigarettes, white rice noodles, and Australian sausages. Tea, etc. Who knew that the ship was detained as soon as it approached the pier, and the ship's crew was almost shot.

  Fortunately, I did not land on the island at that time, otherwise it would be difficult to end.

  Later, the cause was traced to the fact that a low-level officer of the Somali garrison headquarters did not send the information of the ship’s labor supplies to the island due to negligence, causing the garrison on the island to be like a big enemy and almost causing disaster.

  It is said that at that time, Lieutenant Colonel Friedman-Kopf had ordered the heavy machine gun positions to be ready to fire. The artillery positions had torn off the gun jackets and filled the shells, and it was possible to send a ruthless shot to the transport ship at any time.

  After the incident, the low-level officer was dismissed from the military and transferred to the military law for trial.

  From then on, no one dared to approach Greater Hanish Island without authorization.

  The cruiser "Nanisuke" was docked on the pier. Wu Mozhou and the senior military and political officials from the African colony, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Friedman Copf, inspected the entire fortress base.

  Today's fortress base can be divided into two parts, one is the built-up area, and the other is the planned construction area.

  Standing on the high fort and looking around the open area.

Since the highest peak of the Great Hanish Island is more than 480 meters, it rises suddenly from the sea, so standing at a high place, there is quite a wide view of the mountains. In clear weather, you can see 20 kilometers away with the help of a telescope. Sea horizon.

  The wharf is located at the bend in the northern gorge of the island, which is located in the triangle area between Zuqel Island, Little Hanish Island and Big Hanish Island. The sea surface is relatively small and the terrain is flat and broad.

From the wharf about 5 meters above sea level to the fortress area about 50 meters above sea level, it is a plain and hilly area with a width of about 7.7 kilometers and a length of about 5 kilometers. The total area is 39 square kilometers, with lush forest vegetation growing and numerous wild animals.

From the dock to the fortress area, there is a wide forest road, about 5.3 kilometers long, paved with high-quality asphalt from natural asphalt lakes, and there are several tall reinforced concrete bunkers built along the way, separated by barbed wire, revealing a quiet atmosphere .

  After more than 5 years of construction, today’s coastal defense fortress has gradually taken shape.

Along the seaside wharf to the terrain at the foot of the hill, there is an unobstructed small square, surrounded by many bright hills and dark fortresses, I saw a fortress wall with a width of more than 700 meters rising from the ground, like a giant dragon It generally stretches to high places, and the cold gray-brown reveals an extremely heavy feeling, which makes people feel chills.

From here to more than 300 meters from the mountainside, a narrow fortress with a width of more than 600 meters and a length of 5.5 kilometers has been built. Area C.

  Each independent area is separated by a thick wall, and the high-lying area has a wider shooting range, and has unquestionable control over the next level.

  Can imagine;

  Standing on the top of the building and manipulating heavy machine guns and artillery to cover and shoot at the targets on the playground below is almost such an advantage.

  Because the entire fortress is built on a basalt mountain with a gentle slope, it occupies a high degree of advantage and has strong control over the entire island, and any movement can be seen in full view.

This is a built-up area. There are 4 large forts in Zone B and Zone C, equipped with 305mm and 343mm long barrel artillery. The specific figures are highly military secrets. Even Gu Kaizhi, a senior Somali official, has no way of knowing. Let alone others.

  From 300 meters up, there is a large cave reservoir area. This is an unbuilt area. You can see the railroad tracks laid in the tall cave entrance, and a large number of black coolies push the mine carts full of stones in the meantime, dumping the stones to the edge.

  There are a large number of black coolies on the edge. The stones are piled up, and they are jointed with concrete, showing the prototype of two large platforms on the left and the right.

In the next step, after the platform is completed, it will be covered with a reinforced concrete layer of more than 1.5 meters, and then a mushroom-shaped main fort will be built on it. Cover with a thick layer of soil and plant low bushes to form a completely harmless green vegetation cover.

  Looking at the past from afar, it is in harmony with the mountain.

  The scale of these two platforms is quite large. According to reports, they will become the main fortresses of the fortress, and they may be equipped with huge guns over 343 mm...

  Between the main fortresses of the two fortresses, there are railroad tracks connecting tightly guarded cave and ammunition depots, all of which are located in underground passages.

  This fortress design is almost impossible to break unless it runs out of ammunition and food.

  At the entrance of the tall cave, there are four large characters on the left and the right; the red sea lock and key, the eternal mountains and rivers.

  At the top of the cave library are two vigorous and powerful characters; Tianqi.

  These words come from the handwriting of Lord Earl, and the front of the brush reveals the majestic atmosphere. A group of senior officials from the African colonies burned incense and worshipped here with admiration, wishing the mountains and rivers last forever.

  Wu Mozhou held up the incense in awe-inspiring respect, then stepped forward and inserted the lighted joss stick in his hand into the incense burner, and said flatly;

  "Yellow sky and thick soil is on top;

  Standing on such a long Xiongguan Pass is exciting.

  Yu et al. only wished to follow in the footsteps of Lord Piaget, unswervingly follow in the footsteps of Lord Piaget, and create a flourishing age for our overseas Chinese, and do their best, even though we die without regrets.

  Now I worship the Red Sea Lock and Key. May the mountains and seas last forever, and the world will be peaceful. May the ancestors bless my overseas Chinese homeland forever and peace. I only wish to cry to the mountains and rivers and take an oath as a testimony. "

  All the people who followed came forward to burn incense and worship, their expressions were pious.

  After the worship

Everyone came to a partial indoor rest near the cave. The cave storehouse built in the belly of the mountain was at a suitable temperature. It was decorated with traditional Chinese wooden tables and chairs. The soldiers retired after serving tea and closed the door of the room. "The sound of cave building is blocked.

Wu Mozhou stretched his legs and feet comfortably, took a sip of the tea cup and felt comfortable, and said happily; "I really admire the foresight of Lord Earl. We firmly control this place and control the busy Eurasian trade throat. Dao, this is very important for enhancing our right to speak and influence. It can be described as far-reaching and far-reaching. I can’t wait."

   "The head of the seat is very true, but I have a question. I don't know if I can ask General Mo to answer the question?" Senior official Gu Kaizhi asked.

  Major General Mo Rufeng slightly owed his body and said; "Senior official Gu said it's okay."

  "I think it’s such a large scale, so much waste. Why are there only 4 soldiers to defend? If such a thin force is a sneak attack by the enemy, shouldn’t it be handed over to others?"

"Oh...hehe..." Mo Rufeng chuckled slightly, looked at Lieutenant Colonel Friedman-Kopf, and gestured with his hand up; "Since Senior Officer Gu has this question, please ask Lieutenant Colonel Kopf to answer. Well, if there are some omissions, I will add it later."

   "Yes, Your Excellency General."

  Lieutenant Colonel Friedman-Kopf maintained the Germanic rigor on his face and explained it methodically;

  "The Tianjiao Fortress is still under construction, and its overall power is less than 50%. The experienced battery of shore artillery is incomplete, and it still depends on the navy to supplement and improve it. This will take time.

  As everyone knows, an experienced battery is not an overnight success. Now that the size of the navy is expanding, the demand for experienced battery is quite strong. It is difficult to draw a high-level battery to join the fortress defense sequence.

  In this regard, our gap is relatively large.

  For this reason, the fortress has been requesting full battery packs to the peak. We may be equipped with two more battery packs this year, which still cannot meet the defense needs of the fortress.

In terms of troop strength, the scale of recruits this year has increased by 40% compared with previous years, and the army will reach 12,200. The sky fortress will be strengthened to a certain extent, mainly the infantry defensive force.

  From the wargame deduction

  Invading troops with a scale of less than ten thousand people, in fact, it is difficult to pose a threat to the fortress.

  This is because we have a complete firepower configuration. Heavy machine guns and small-caliber fast artillery are generally equipped with front-line troops, which can cause significant damage to the landing enemy. From this perspective, it is meaningless to simply compare the advantages in the number of personnel.

  In the surrounding area

  The threat of capability only caused the French and Italian armies, provided that...they would forcibly land at the heavy loss of the main battleship, otherwise, the siege of the fortress would be just a false proposition.

  Because you can’t even land, and the ship from the rafting is sunk in the sea, how can it threaten the fortress? "

  Oh...it turns out to be that way.

  Gu Kaizhi nodded thoughtfully, and after thinking about it for a while, he asked; “Isn’t the gun rig in the fortress incomplete?”

this……

  Hearing this question, Major General Mo Rufeng and Commodore Zhu Qingxi smiled at each other, and Commodore Zhu Qingxi took the initiative to say; "My lord, I will answer this question.

  For any naval power, the main iron armoured fleet is an extremely precious core force. Unless it is a last resort, it is impossible to use naval guns to actively attack the coastal fortresses, because this is really a disadvantage.

  On the turbulent sea, the accuracy of the navy’s best armored ship’s main guns is an order of magnitude worse than that of shore guns.

  Each main iron armored ship is piled up by Jinshan Yinhai, which is a lot of waste. The earth and rock defenses used to bomb the coastal battery are really not worthwhile.

  The naval gun hit the shore and it was a big pit, which was harmless, but on the other hand, if the armored ship hits a large-caliber heavy round, the fun is great. If it hits the ammunition depot and causes an explosion, the battleship may be sunk.

  Generally speaking

Even for artillery of the same caliber, the shore gun has a heavier weight, longer barrel, and a higher range. It has a longer range and is more accurate. In normal training, the shooting elements are calibrated in the relevant sea area, and the firepower is directly covered during the war. Is extremely threatening.

  So, in the confrontation between the coastal battery and the battleship, the coastal battery occupies an absolute dominant position.

  As for the incomplete battery equipment you are worried about, it is not a problem in the current stable situation.

  If the fortress is fully equipped, I am afraid that the powerful Royal Navy of the British Empire in the Third Battle Fleet in India will not dare to force it. The price is too great. "

  This in-depth explanation can be understood clearly even by a layman.

Wu Mozhou smiled with relief and said, "There is Humen Pass on the land and the sky fortress on the sea. These two tricks have eliminated the European threat and pushed the defense line thousands of miles away in the Red Sea, which is enough to protect our Australian mainland. Safe and worry-free, hahaha... well, great!"

"Master Zuo, it's more than that..." Commodore Zhu Qingxi smiled proudly and said humorously; "Hold the throat of the Red Sea and prevent enemies from Europe from bypassing the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. This is a point. Don't fail.

  We have also responded to this early. The African fleet stationed at bases on Mozambique and Ibo is the first hurdle for the enemy to pass.

  If you want to pass the Mozambique Strait, it is impossible unless you walk on the corpses of the African fleet. "

   "Okay... what a corpse of the African fleet, you and the **** soldiers defending thousands of miles of sea frontiers, Australia is safe and sound." Wu Mozhou applauded and laughed.

  The atmosphere in the room became relaxed and happy. Everyone was talking and laughing, and the confidence in it was more abundant.

  (End of this chapter)