"Start shelling!"

As the firing order was given, the four 240-mm main turrets of the "Emperor Maximilian" made a loud rumbling noise, and a large ball of fire wrapped in brown gunpowder smoke erupted from the muzzles, illuminating the entire sea surface with firelight. The entire warship was shaken and jolted on the water. As a result of the lateral movement, a wave was set off on the surface of the sea, which spread outward from the other side of the warship.

Yankel felt a loud rumble in his ears despite the tampons, and even though he had been in the Navy for twenty-five years, this was his first time in real combat. Although it was only an attack on the island, he couldn't help but feel happy when he saw the shining fire, listened to the rumbling cannons, and smelled the puffs of gunsmoke.

The battle began.

"Emperor Maximilian" was subordinate to the Second Cruiser Fleet, which consisted mainly of two "Radetzky" class battlecruisers "Empress Teresa" and "Moritz" under the command of Rear Admiral Pachner, and their mission was to shell the island of "Gozo" and cover the landing of the 2nd Marine Division here.

Standing on the bridge of the ship, holding a telescope, Yankel could clearly see the shells fired from the 240-mm guns of his warship, with four strings of fiery trails, streaked across the sky and flew towards Gozo in the distance. Bursts of fire rose up over the island, but they were far away from the makeshift defensive positions of the British on the coast.

He was somewhat disappointed that the first salvo of the "Emperor Maximilian" had a bad start and was too far off the target. Gozo is not large, less than 6 kilometers wide, and like a wide-headed scythe, the fleet's firepower can easily cover the entire island.

With the exception of four old forts built by the Maltese to defend against the Ottoman invasion, the British did not build any fortifications on the island. The Austro-Hungarian navy carried out wanton and indiscriminate bombing of the island, but it still had a certain effect.

The 2nd Army Division landed on Gozo very lightly, met with only some slight resistance, and the makeshift fortifications hastily built by the British near the coast could not withstand the bombardment of large-caliber naval guns. Before the Austrians began to land, the British had to abandon the fortifications along the coast due to heavy losses.

At the same time, on the afternoon of 15 December, the 1st Marine Division also landed in Marsaxlok Bay and Melliha Bay on the island of Malta and advanced five kilometers in depth. The only difficulty was that the 3rd Marine Division, which landed in St. Paul's Bay, the British troops defending along the coast, with the artillery support of the fortress of St. Paul's City, pinned down one regiment of the 2nd Marine Division that landed first on a beachhead about 6 kilometers long and about 4 kilometers wide.

In desperation, Lealden had no choice but to ask Admiral Horty to abandon the bombardment of Valletta and transfer the fleet to St. Paul's Bay, where he concentrated sixteen warships and launched a heavy artillery attack on the British forts and defensive positions. At Melliha Bay, improvised steel pontoon docks were built by towers, which Helton learned from the later British, and as follow-up troops and artillery began to come ashore, the 1st Marine Division began to advance in the direction of St. Paul's Bay.

I don't know whether it was out of arrogance or self-confidence in the Royal Navy, after the start of the war, the British did not build war fortifications along the coast of the island, and indeed, the Austro-Hungarian Navy was always blocked in the Otto Lange Strait. But the sudden collapse of the Italians changed dramatically, and it seemed that overnight, the island of Malta was exposed to the guns of the Austro-Hungarians.

Now the British, naturally, have to pay for their light enemy.

On 16 December, after being attacked on the flanks, the British line of defense on the front line of St. Paul's Bay began to crumble, and as the 3rd Army Division continued to advance, the British abandoned the bay.

By 18 December, the battle in Malta had been decided, and the Austrian army had successfully landed 120,000 men on the islands of Malta and Gozo, and now the troops had begun to advance in depth, while the British troops on Malta had only 80,000 men, and were demoralized because they had been cut off from sea communication.

"Report, a telegram was sent from General Stenader's command. The 3rd Army Division has captured the city of St. Paul's Bay, naval engineering units are organizing emergency repairs to the port, and the main British forces have retreated to the front line of Gul. For the time being, we don't see any attempt on their way to organize a defensive line on the spot, and it is estimated that they may retreat directly to Valletta! ”

In the war room of the "Grand Duke of Istria", Heldon's staff officer sent an update on the situation of the battle, and by December 18, the Austrians had captured three ports, and the British began to retreat to the island's towns. With the arrival of heavy artillery, the fall of Malta was largely uneventful.

Admiral Negovan and Admiral Horthy each commanded two battle fleets to guard the waters around Malta against attacks by the British and French fleets.

The die is cast.

Helton returned to China on the armored cruiser "Grand Duke Karl", and he had no intention of attacking the fortified city of Valletta. His aim was to besiege the enemy, and it would be better for the British to send their main fleet to rescue them, and perhaps, the battle would last for several months.

Unless the British no longer wanted their homeland and transferred all their native fleet to the Mediterranean, it would be possible to repel the occupation of Malta by the Austro-Hungarian fleet.

Helton Lee didn't think that was a possibility.

In foggy London, the owners of Buckingham Palace seem to realize that they have made a serious mistake before starting this war. They miscalculated the strength of Austria-Hungary, and in calculating the balance of power between the two sides, they ignored the war potential of the old empire, which had been repeatedly defeated on the European theater for decades.

On land, their army table is indeed somewhat surprising, but even the Serbs have been able to resist them for almost a year, which still feels normal.

The question is, when did their navy become unwittingly capable of competing with the British Empire?

Austria-Hungary, as a traditionally landlocked country, had a navy that became insignificant after the loss of the Venetian base. In their calculations before the war, the British never considered that they would meet challenges in the Mediterranean, which was considered an inland lake. The French may have some ability, but they are allies. For the Austro-Hungarian Navy, it can only retreat in the Adriatic Sea, and it will not be able to get out of the Strait of Otranto at all.

Now they have not only come out, but have become the hegemon in the Mediterranean, and the Anglo-French fleet in this area is no match for them at all.

Terrible things happened that the British had never expected.

Perhaps, we will lose control of the Suez Canal.

That's the scariest thing.

"The Great Siege! Valletta is surrounded by the Austro-Hungarian army! Before the New Year, the news in the major newspapers in London became a bomb, dooming the owners of Buckingham Palace to not be able to live a good New Year.

Helden was at ease in Vienna, where the annexed Romanian government finally agreed to join the Allies, conceiving a plan to dismember the bear in the wake of the Russian Revolution.

The New Year's party at St. Buren Palace is still extravagant, as if it is far away from the war, and the drunken empire continues to be in **.

The blue Danube is almost red with blood.

Thinking of this, he felt resentful, and if it had not been for Falkenhein's insistence on weakening the forces of the Eastern Front and launching a pointless but costly Versailles offensive, he would have been able to crush Russia in 1916.

We have to find a way to get rid of this obstacle.

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