Compared to Major General Burgdorf’s seemingly relaxed demeanor, Lieutenant General Lucius Clay’s face was as terribly gloomy as the sky before a storm.

At this moment, he was taking a deep puff of his cigarette. The smoke swirled in front of his eyes, but it could not dispel the irritability in his heart.

This was already the fifteenth cigarette he had smoked today. Lately, restlessness had been like a demon that he couldn’t get rid of, clinging to him tightly.

“How is the air force’s losses being replenished? How many planes have arrived here now?” Lieutenant General Lucius Clay turned his head suddenly, staring at his adjutant with sharp eyes, his voice filled with a hint of eagerness and anxiety.

The adjutant straightened up, looking solemn, and said in a deep voice: “The replenishment is almost complete. In addition to the replenishment of the air force, five additional infantry divisions have been added. In addition, a batch of lost warships have also been replaced. The current manpower and equipment have basically returned to the pre-war level. In addition, the Indian Ocean Fleet has passed through the Suez Canal and is heading towards us at full speed.”

Recalling those brutal air battles, Lieutenant General Lucius Clay frowned even more tightly.

Those air battles were simply a nightmare. His air force suffered heavy losses, especially when facing the German jet planes. His own propeller planes were like lambs to the slaughter. They had no power to fight back and were slaughtered to pieces.

When the battle damage report was submitted, he was scolded by the president for a full hour.

During that hour, the president’s roar seemed to still echo in his ears.

Fortunately, the president just scolded him. If it were any other general, he would have been dismissed long ago or even sent to a military court for trial.

After all, the losses this time were too great, with 800 fighter planes lost, more than 20 warships, and nearly 10,000 soldiers. More importantly, after spending such a huge price, Sicily was still not taken.

If Sicily had been conquered, the loss of these troops might have been barely worth it.

“How many warships has the navy sent this time?” Vice Admiral Lucius Clay paused and asked again, with some anticipation in his tone.

Since the loss of the Strait of Gibraltar, Vice Admiral Lucius Clay has become increasingly aware of the importance of the Suez Canal.

In his opinion, this place must not be lost. Once the Suez Canal fell into the hands of the enemy, the whole of Europe would be like being tightly clamped in an iron barrel. It would be harder than climbing to the sky to break in.

Although he had been severely scolded by the president before, in order to defend this key strategic location, he still shamelessly asked for a batch of warships, mainly aircraft carriers.

The adjutant quickly flipped open the file in his hand and reported carefully: “There are a total of 500 large and small warships, including 15 escort aircraft carriers, 3 main aircraft carriers, 5 battleships, and hundreds of cruisers, destroyers and other warships. Most of the rest are transport ships.”

Hearing this news, Vice Admiral Lucius Clay nodded slightly, and seemed to feel more confident. With these warships, he would have more bargaining chips in the next naval battle.

“Commander, we have good news this time. A group of jet fighters are about to arrive! We can finally have a head-on confrontation with the German jet fighters!” The adjutant’s voice suddenly rose eight octaves, his face filled with excitement.

During this time, they suffered from attacks by German jet fighters.

The German jet fighters were like demons in the sky, roaring and bombing indiscriminately. Our air force was beaten to the point where it had no power to fight back, and even dared not take off to fight. If it weren’t for the lack of fuel for the German fighters, I’m afraid our air force would have been completely destroyed long ago.

Now, hearing that his own jets were about to arrive, Lieutenant General Lucius Clay felt a little joyful. He took a deep puff of his cigarette, as if he wanted to use the smoke to completely dispel the gloom in his heart.

“Good, it’s finally produced.” Lieutenant General Lucius Clay murmured to himself, with a long-lost smile on his face.

Since the British sold the blueprints of the Meteor jet to the United States, the development of jet aircraft in the United States has entered a stage of rapid development. However, the road to development has not been smooth.

Previously, due to the inadequate engine technology, the Meteor jet was very unstable during flight, just like a drunk person, and could fall headfirst at any time. But American engineers did not give up, they studied day and night and made continuous improvements. After countless trials and failures, they finally succeeded in replacing the new engine.

This improvement greatly improved the stability of the aircraft, and even the speed exceeded 800 kilometers per hour.

At this time, the Meteor jet was fully capable of fighting against the German ME262 jet fighter.

However, American engineers are not satisfied with this and are still working hard to develop engines with more powerful horsepower.

Especially after obtaining the engine technology from the British Empire, the United States has made major breakthroughs in some key technological fields.

The performance of the engine has been significantly improved, and the researchers believe that in the near future they will be able to develop fighter jets with a speed of over a thousand kilometers per hour.

It has to be said that war is like a magical catalyst. In peacetime, a technological breakthrough may take a long time of five to ten years, and also requires a lot of financial and manpower investment.

But during wartime, with the full support of huge amounts of money and a production model that spared no expense for victory in the war, many ideas that originally existed only on drawings could quickly become actual weapons and equipment.

“How many jet fighters are there?” Lieutenant General Lucius Clay pondered for a moment and asked again.

“About a hundred, and the current production capacity is not high. But please rest assured, once the production line is fully mature and the output increases, more jet fighters will be delivered.” The adjutant explained patiently.

“Very good, you must keep a close eye on the production progress at all times. We have an urgent need for jet fighters here, and we need a large number of these advanced fighters.” Lieutenant General Lucius Clay warned in a serious tone.

“Understood!” the adjutant replied firmly.

Although the United States is working hard to produce a large number of advanced jet fighters, surprisingly, this has not had much impact on Germany.

Because at that time, Germany’s domestic industrial production had fallen into difficulties, and the output of jet fighters was extremely low, almost to the point where they could not be produced.

The German Air Force, which was once invincible on the battlefield, gradually lost its former advantages due to the lack of advanced fighter jets and fuel.

Lieutenant General Lucius Clay looked out the window at the sky baptized by war, and his heart was filled with emotion.

War, like a huge meat grinder, ruthlessly devours countless lives and wealth. But as a soldier, he shoulders the expectations of the country and the people, and he must stick to it no matter how difficult it is.

In the days that followed, Lieutenant General Lucius Clay devoted himself to military deployment.

He carefully studied every piece of intelligence and repeatedly discussed battle plans with generals from various departments.

He knew very well that every subsequent battle was crucial and any carelessness could lead to overall failure.

As the Indian Ocean Fleet gradually approached, the entire military base entered a state of high tension.

The soldiers were busy day and night, conducting final inspections and debugging of their weapons and equipment.

The supplies on the transport ships were continuously unloaded and replenished to various troops.

At the air force base, ground crews are carrying out maintenance and servicing work on the fighter planes that are about to be put into combat in a tense and orderly manner.

In the distant United States, factory workers were working overtime day and night. In order to meet the needs of the front line, they gave up their rest time and devoted themselves to the production of weapons and equipment.

The machines on the production line made a buzzing sound, as if playing a passionate battle song for the war.

In Germany, despite facing numerous difficulties, they did not sit still and wait for death. German scientists are still working hard to develop new weapons and technologies to try to reverse the unfavorable situation on the battlefield. Domestic factories are also trying their best to improve production efficiency. Despite the shortage of resources, they still grit their teeth and persevere.

At the same time, other European countries were also closely watching the development of the war.

Under the shadow of war, some neutral countries carefully maintained their neutral stance.

Those countries that have been drawn into the war are struggling in the vortex of war, hoping to end this cruel war as soon as possible.

Lieutenant General Lucius Clay stood in front of the map in the command center, staring at the markings on it for a long time.

He knew that a more intense battle was coming.

The newly added troops and equipment in his hands would be the key to his victory in this battle. He secretly vowed to make good use of these resources, deal a heavy blow to the enemy, and win honor for the country and the people.

As time went by, the Indian Ocean Fleet finally arrived at the designated sea area. The huge fleet was lined up on the sea, creating a spectacular scene.

Vice Admiral Lucius Clay personally boarded the flagship and reviewed the fleet. He was filled with confidence as he looked at the majestic warships and spirited soldiers.

At this time, the German army also noticed the actions of the US army.

They quickly adjusted their deployment and strengthened their defense in the relevant sea and air areas. A thrilling sea and air showdown is about to begin in this war-torn sea area.

Lieutenant General Lucius Clay returned to the command center and held another emergency meeting with the generals.

He analyzed the current situation in detail and formulated a detailed combat plan. He decided to first use the advantage of the air force to launch a round of fierce bombing on the German defensive positions to weaken the enemy’s defensive power.

Then, the naval fleet launched an attack, gradually breaking through the German defenses. Finally, the army landed and completely occupied the target area.

After the meeting, the generals returned to their respective posts and began to prepare for the battle. The pilots of the Air Force arrived at the airport early and carefully checked every part of the fighter plane to ensure that there would be no mistakes in the battle. On the Navy’s warships, the soldiers were also making final preparations, loading shells into the gun barrels, and adjusting the radar and communication equipment to the best condition.

When the first rays of dawn shone on the sea, the battle finally began.

The US Air Force was the first to go out, with hundreds of fighter planes roaring towards the German positions. The German air defense forces also responded quickly, and the roar of anti-aircraft guns suddenly resounded through the sky. The two sides launched a fierce exchange of fire in the air, with the roar of fighter planes, the whistling of missiles and the sound of explosions intertwined, like a symphony of death.

In the air battle, the US military’s jet fighters finally showed their advantage.

Relying on their high speed and flexible maneuverability, they quickly broke through the German defense lines and launched fierce bombing on German ground targets.

Some German air defense positions and military facilities were instantly reduced to ruins under the bombing of the US military.

At the same time, the US Navy fleet also began to approach the German defense line. The huge guns on the battleships and cruisers roared, and the shells rained down on the German positions. The German warships were not to be outdone and fought back. The sea was filled with smoke and flames. The warships shuttled through the gunfire and were in danger of being hit and sunk at any time.

During a fierce naval battle, an American destroyer was unfortunately hit by a German torpedo.

The violent explosion instantly set the destroyer on fire, and the crew jumped into the sea to survive. But the other warships did not retreat, and they continued to attack the German defense line.

After several hours of fierce fighting, the U.S. Army finally broke through the first line of defense of the German Army. Lieutenant General Lucius Clay saw that the time was ripe and immediately ordered the Army to start landing operations. The landing craft carried the soldiers to the beach. The Germans set up many obstacles on the beach and used intensive firepower to block them. But the U.S. soldiers were not afraid. They braved the enemy’s artillery fire and rushed forward bravely. After a fierce battle, the U.S. Army finally landed successfully and established a beachhead on the beach.

As the battle continued, both sides paid a heavy price.

The battlefield was littered with ruins and the bodies of soldiers. However, Lieutenant General Lucius Clay was not intimidated by the difficulties in front of him. He kept adjusting the battle plan and commanding the troops to continue to move forward.

In the following days, the battle entered a white-hot stage. The two sides launched fierce battles on various battlefields, and every inch of land had to go through repeated fighting before it could be won.

Although the U.S. Army had a certain advantage in terms of manpower and equipment, the German Army’s resistance was also very tenacious. With their solid fortifications and tenacious fighting spirit, they caused great trouble to the U.S. Army. (End of this chapter)