On the rough sea, the US landing fleet was like a group of steel monsters, slowly approaching Sicily.

The sea breeze was howling, and the waves were hitting the side of the landing ship, splashing layers of white waves.

The soldiers’ faces were red from the sea breeze, but their eyes revealed tension and determination.

“Attention, prepare to land!” The commander’s voice echoed throughout the fleet through the loudspeaker.

When this was mentioned, everyone couldn’t help but think of the sea full of mines and the scene of the landing ship being blown into the sky. Everyone shuddered.

Those tragic scenes seemed to be still before their eyes. The screams and blood of their comrades made them full of fear about the upcoming landing.

“What should we do now? Should we keep moving forward or wait for follow-up troops?” At this time, a captain asked anxiously. He always felt like there was some trap around him, but he didn’t know where it was.

That invisible pressure, like a huge net, enveloped them.

“Go ahead, but we have to slow down and move forward carefully. Our support troops will land soon, and then we will be able to completely strangle these guys on the island.” The major thought for a moment and said with a firm look. He tried to boost morale with words, even though he was also filled with anxiety.

“Well! This is all we can do for now.” The captain nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

“By the way, where is our air force? We have been landing for so long, why is there no air force support?” Suddenly, someone raised a question.

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Normally, the landing had taken so long that the Air Force should have come to support them long ago. Why did it take so long this time?

This question is like a heavy stone, pressing on everyone’s heart.

“Also, where did the first group of landing troops go? Why didn’t we hear any gunfire? Were they wiped out?” someone said in horror, his voice trembling.

“It shouldn’t happen. The first batch of landing troops are all elite. Even if they are surrounded, they have the power to resist. It is impossible for them to be silent. They will definitely not be wiped out.” The US Army Lieutenant Colonel analyzed calmly. He tried to comfort everyone from a rational perspective, but deep down, he was also a little uneasy.

“Yes, they are definitely heading towards the center of the island, sir, shall we continue moving forward now?” The major battalion commander next to him said affirmatively, his eyes revealing his trust in his superiors.

“Forward.” The lieutenant colonel nodded and said. In this way, under the command of the lieutenant colonel, the US troops slowly advanced. The soldiers’ steps were heavy and cautious, and every step seemed to be stepping on unknown dangers.

Of course, the infantry still hid behind the tanks. It was safer to let the tanks lead the way. The huge tanks moved slowly forward, leaving deep tracks on the beach. In order to ensure the safety of the two wings, two well-trained reconnaissance troops, all armed with Thompson submachine guns, were even sent to conduct reconnaissance on the two wings. They were like keen cheetahs, carefully searching for all movements around them, with the aim of preventing them from being surrounded from the two wings.

What they didn’t know was that the Germans were using rocket launchers at this time, aiming at them and preparing to bombard them. In a hidden position in Sicily, the German rocket launchers were neatly arranged, with the muzzles pointed at the direction of the US advance. These rocket launchers had already demonstrated their power on the Eastern Front, but not on the Southern Front. In addition, they were relatively easy to transport, so this time they came to Sicily with the 26th Armored Division, and they were about to demonstrate their great power here.

“It’s a good thing these rocket launchers are for us to use. If they were used by the enemy, I’m afraid we would all die here today.” An artilleryman sighed with a look of relief on his face.

“Yes! Just these one hundred guns are equivalent to a salvo of thousands of guns. It’s simply terrifying.” Another artilleryman echoed, his eyes revealing awe for such weapons.

“The U.S. military is going to suffer a lot this time.” Someone said with a smile, and the laughter was full of anticipation for victory.

“Coordinates XX, position 00, fire.” Following the order, thousands of rockets flew towards the location of the U.S. troops with a sharp whistle. In less than ten seconds, a rumbling sound was heard, as if the earth was roaring in anger.

“My God, this is horrible. With such firepower, I believe no one can escape.” The German soldiers exclaimed as they looked at the area covered in flames and smoke.

“Yeah, it’s horrible, this weapon is so perverted.”

“Hehe, you don’t have to be afraid of the US military next time you see them. This alone can blow them to death.”

On the other hand, the advancing U.S. troops were in a state of misery. In the rocket rain, except for a few who survived, all the others were blown into pieces. Screams and shouts intertwined and filled the entire battlefield. Even the Sherman tanks could not escape the fate of being blown into scrap metal. The huge tanks were overturned by the blast, and parts were scattered all over the ground.

“What kind of weapon is this? It’s too scary, too unbelievable.” The surviving American soldiers looked at the mess on the ground and said madly. Their eyes were full of fear and despair. This sudden attack made them completely at a loss.

“Could it be that the first batch of landing troops were completely wiped out?” Someone murmured to himself, his voice full of disbelief.

At this time, the commander of the US Fifth Division was leading the main force of his Fifth Division on landing craft to land on Sicily.

“What’s that explosion sound?” The commander of the Fifth Division said in surprise as he looked at the fire in the distance. The flames and smoke that shot up into the sky were like a huge demon, giving him an ominous premonition.

Like him, all the soldiers of the Fifth Division on the landing ship were attracted by the huge explosion and stared at the smoke-filled Sicily. Their faces were full of confusion and worry, not knowing what was waiting for them ahead.

However, before they could come to their senses, the explosions stopped again. Then the entire Sicily Island fell into silence again, without any sound. Even the coastal defense artillery that had been fighting back intermittently before stopped attacking. The entire sea surface, except for the sound of the sea breeze and waves, was left with the sound of the landing ship. This strange silence made everyone feel uneasy.

“Did something happen to our troops?” the commander of the 5th Division of the US Army asked anxiously. Such a huge explosion could not be caused by the landing troops, it must be the enemy. If the second batch of landing troops were really in the explosion range, it meant that they had been completely wiped out. Even if they were not completely wiped out, they were estimated to have suffered heavy casualties.

“Commander, that seems to be the location where the Second Regiment sent the telegram back.” The chief of staff said hurriedly, his face turned very ugly. “Asshole, FUCK, quickly contact the troops on the island, use the radio and signal gun.” The commander ordered loudly, his tone full of anxiety and anger.

“Yes, sir!” The chief of staff immediately replied in a loud voice. Then the chief of staff contacted the signalman and asked them to call the US troops on the island immediately.

However, the commander of the 5th Division of the US Army suddenly felt an ominous feeling, which made him uneasy. He paced back and forth on the deck, staring at the direction of Sicily, as if he could see the situation on the island.

Soon, the chief of staff came back with a very ugly expression on his face. He said hurriedly: “Sir, we can’t contact the troops on the island, and there is no response from the signal gun.”

“FUCK, no response at all?” The commander of the Fifth Division said in shock. He couldn’t believe his ears.

“Yes, commander! We have contacted the people on the island many times, but no one responded to us. I think something must have happened to them. Just like the first landing troops, they should have been wiped out.” The chief of staff said anxiously, with a slight tremor in his voice.

“Damn it, is it possible that the troops on the island didn’t see the signal gun?” The commander of the Fifth Division asked hurriedly. He still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that the troops on the island didn’t see the signal gun, or that the radio was broken and therefore didn’t receive the signal.

Unfortunately, the chief of staff shook his head and said, “Sir, we have already sent out ten signal guns. I believe they should be able to see it.”

“Damn it, what kind of weapon could destroy our two infantry regiments in an instant?” The commander of the Fifth Division said in disbelief. That was nearly two infantry regiments, and they were all wiped out in an instant by the artillery fire. This was incredible.

“I don’t know. It could be the German rocket launcher. They’ve already used it on the Eastern Front. Maybe they launched it from Sicily,” the chief of staff guessed.

Hearing this, the Fifth Division Commander’s face turned very ugly. He didn’t expect that the island’s garrison had such powerful weapons, which put him in a dilemma. He looked at the seemingly peaceful but dangerous island, and his heart was full of entanglement.

If they continued to land, they might encounter the same devastating blow; if they did not land, they would not be able to complete the combat mission and would not be able to report to the Allied Command.

“Sir, should we continue the landing operation now?” The chief of staff looked at the silent division commander and asked. He also understood the difficult situation of the division commander at this time, but the situation on the battlefield was urgent and did not allow for too much hesitation.

“Wait a minute, I’ll call the commander.” After thinking about it, the commander of the Fifth Division decided to report. After all, the situation on the island was unclear, and landing rashly at this time might lead to an ambush.

“Yes!” the chief of staff said respectfully, then stepped aside and waited for the division commander’s instructions.

The commander of the Fifth Division walked to the communication equipment, picked up the microphone, and reported the current situation to Lieutenant General Lucius Clay. The sound of electricity coming from the microphone was like the echo of the battlefield, which made him feel even more depressed.

When Lieutenant General Lucius Clay received the call and listened to the report, he also frowned. He knew the importance of the Battle of Sicily and could not retreat because of this setback, but he could not blindly let the soldiers die. After a brief thought, he immediately ordered: “Land first, but do not rush forward. Wait until the main force has landed.”

“Yes!” the commander of the Fifth Division responded. He put down the microphone, took a deep breath, and then turned to the chief of staff and said, “Convey the order and prepare to land, but everyone must remain vigilant and fight back immediately if there is any situation.”

“Understood!” The chief of staff turned quickly to convey the division commander’s order.

The landing craft slowly approached Sicily again, and the soldiers clenched their weapons and stared at the coastline ahead. Their heartbeats accelerated, and everyone knew that what awaited them next would be an unknown battle.

When the landing craft touched the beach, the soldiers quickly jumped off and sought cover on the beach. They moved forward cautiously, with every step full of vigilance. The beach was filled with a tense atmosphere, as if the air was on fire.

At the same time, the German strongholds on the island were also closely watching the actions of the US military. They hid in the dark, waiting for the best opportunity, ready to give the US military another fatal blow.

On a high ground, the German observation post clearly saw the US landing operation through a telescope.

“Report, the US troops have started landing again.” The observation post reported to the commander.

“Prepare for battle, and open fire when they get close.” The commander ordered calmly. He knew that the strength of the US military should not be underestimated, and he had to deal with it with caution.

As the U.S. troops continued to advance, the distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, and a war was about to break out. Suddenly, the German machine gun positions opened fire, and dense bullets rained down on the U.S. troops. The U.S. soldiers looked for cover and fought back. For a moment, the sound of gunfire and explosions resounded throughout Sicily again.

After landing, the U.S. troops did not advance rashly, but they also faced stubborn resistance from the Germans. They tried to break through the German lines and get in touch with the troops that had landed before, but every attack was met with a fierce counterattack from the Germans.

“We can’t just passively take the beating like this. We must find a way to break through their defense line.” A US military company commander said anxiously.

“But their firepower is too strong, we can’t rush forward at all.” A soldier said helplessly.

Just when the US military was in trouble, their air force finally arrived. Fighter planes roared through the sky and launched a round of bombing on the German positions. Explosions came one after another, and the German defense line began to loosen a little.

“Good opportunity, charge!” The American company commander seized the opportunity and led the soldiers to charge. Under the cover of the Air Force, the US military finally broke through the German army’s first line of defense.

However, the Germans did not give up. They quickly adjusted their deployment and continued to resist tenaciously on the second line of defense. At the same time, the German rocket artillery units were also reloading their ammunition, preparing to strike the U.S. troops again.

“We can’t let their rocket launchers work again. We must find their launch positions.” The commander of the 5th Division of the US Army realized the seriousness of the problem and issued an order to search for the German rocket launcher positions. (End of this chapter)