Chapter 985 The flying dragon is in the sky (Congratulations to all book friends for a prosperous Ye
In fact, Austria's losses were not small. All four forts were destroyed, and more than a dozen artillery squads hidden on both sides of the strait were almost completely wiped out. The port was a sea of fire, and all military and civilian facilities on the dock were destroyed.
The losses of the British army were simply a drop in the bucket for this fleet of more than 200 ships, but Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. was furious because he had never suffered such a heavy loss in his life.
"Let the soldiers on the gunboat transfer to the transport ship, and then use the gunboat to open the way. We must take Crete today!"
Although the total amount of floating mines used by the Austrians is large, it is still possible to clear a channel in a small area if the ships are concentrated.
Moreover, even if the light gunboat hits a mine and sinks, it will not turn into a reef like those large ships and block the progress of the ships behind it.
So the British fleet, which was about to escape the trap, fought back again. Old Edward Hobart Seymour's tactics were indeed very effective. When the gunboat hit the dense group of drifting mines, an explosion triggered a chain reaction, causing The entire minefield failed together.
The Austrian soldiers on the dock were frantically throwing floating mines into the water, but the British warships were not for nothing.
After destroying the turrets and firepower points on both sides, the British ships could confidently and boldly launch an attack formation, firing a round of broadside fire, and countless black spheres flying towards the dock as gunpowder smoke spewed out from the muzzles.
High-explosive bombs are not a secret. The Austrian army has them, and the British also have them. The dense rain of bullets fell on the pier, setting off a dense explosion.
Some carriages transporting mines were blown up into the sky with people and vehicles. The mines that were directly hit also exploded. Even some mines that had just been launched into the water were pushed to the dock by the wave caused by the explosion of the shells.
The triggering device in the mine does not matter whether you are British or Austrian, let alone a ship or a trestle, as long as the impact is strong enough, it will explode.
"Victory! Victory! Our British Empire is indeed invincible!"
The soldiers on the British ships suddenly cheered as they all saw the remaining Austrian soldiers fleeing.
Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. also breathed a sigh of relief. He exchanged a minimal loss for a big victory. This is much better than stopping the loss in time or running away hastily. After all, the story of turning defeat into victory is always the most exciting.
However, before he had time to be happy, the lookout hand on the mast fell from the top with a strange scream.
"Is this how extreme joy leads to sorrow?"
The lookout who fell on the deck did not die immediately. Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. wanted to show his gentlemanly demeanor, so he stepped forward and asked.
"I am Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour. Son, do you have anything you want me to bring to your family?"
The lookout hand fell so hard that he was speechless. He reluctantly raised his finger and pointed at the sky.
Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. looked up and was stunned on the spot. It was a sight he had never seen or imagined.
Huge floating objects in the sky were over the fleet, and a huge shadow shrouded everyone's mind.
"what is that?"
Old Edward Hobart Seymour asked subconsciously. Although he knew hot air balloons, these huge floating objects in front of him were obviously beyond his knowledge.
This is true for a highly educated and well-informed fleet commander, let alone ordinary soldiers who can't even recognize the English alphabet.
"It's a dragon!"
I don’t know who shouted the first call, but there were endless responses immediately.
"It's a dragon!"
"dragon!"
"dragon!"
"dragon!"
"Run! The dragon is about to breathe fire!"
In traditional Western stories, dragons usually play the role of villain BOSS, such as "Dungeons and Dragons" and "Dragon Quest".
Although "Dragon Quest" is a Japanese game, it is also a derivative of Western culture in Japan, and the Western fantasy flavor is relatively pure.
After the concept of dragons in the sky spread throughout the fleet, the British army fell into unprecedented chaos.
After all, the legend about dragons is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and when human beings face the unknown, they always like to look for substitutes from the things they already know.
"Damn it! That's not a dragon! Shoot it down!"
Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. was the first to react. He immediately issued an order hoping to stabilize the morale of the troops. After all, no matter what it was, it was impossible to withstand the power of the cannon.
But he said it was too late. At this time, the British soldiers had already become a group of frightened birds, and some even chose to jump into the sea to escape.
The rapid spread of panic turned the normally well-trained British troops into a swarm of flies.
As for using cannons to shoot down airships, I'm sorry, I really can't do that!
At this time, the elevation angle of the artillery generally does not exceed 70°, while the maximum elevation angle of naval artillery is usually only 45°, and the artillery shells used are not suitable for attacking high-altitude targets.
So the surrounding officers and soldiers only fell into a brief sinking, and then responded to Edward Hobart Seymour Sr.'s orders with greater chaos.
The artillerymen fired randomly, as if this could scare away the dragons in the sky.
The gunner on the lower deck couldn't even see the sky. He only heard a dragon attacking their fleet. The fleet commander ordered to fire. The artillery below had already started shooting in the distance, causing waves of waves on the water.
Based on the above factors, the gunners on the lower deck felt that the dragon must be attacking them from the sea.
This random shooting and accidental injuries are inevitable.
Then someone shouted again.
"Dragon Flame!"
"It's a fire dragon!"
"Run!"
The number of people jumping to escape increased, which made Friedrich who was watching the battle from a distance confused.
"Why don't the British just run away but continue to attack? Why are they bombarding where they are?"
In fact, the Austrian Navy has more experience in operating airships than the Austrian Army. However, due to performance issues with early airships, these guys were of virtually no use in actual combat.
The climate on the sea is much harsher than on land, and there are fewer places suitable for landing, resulting in a very high accident rate for naval airships.
At the same time, their practicality in naval battles is also very poor. Although the detection range is larger, their performance is unstable, and if the intelligence cannot be sent back, no matter how large the range is, it is useless.
As for the so-called offensive nature, using a rifle on an airship to aim at an object hundreds of meters or even a thousand meters away is no less difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.
If the Austrian Weapons Development Agency had not developed the grenade, its attack power would only exist in theory.
But even so, bomb delivery is also affected by wind force, wind speed, wind direction, the shape of the bomb itself, and even gravity.
But fortunately, here, in this huge bathtub, there are countless British ships.