After several single-shot calibrations, twenty MacDonald Model 1895 6-inch guns fired a salvo that accurately covered the target area. Through the binoculars, Roosevelt could clearly see the stones, clods, and logs that had been lifted up by the shells after they landed and exploded. The stout logs were even easily thrown dozens of meters away. Roosevelt couldn't even help but wonder, under such artillery fire, were there still living people over there?

"Well played! How many Spaniards do you think we killed in this round of shelling? Roosevelt asked, taking his eyes off the eyepiece of a fixed high-powered telescope.

"It depends on how well the Spaniards dig their fortifications." Edward replied, "But I don't think their casualties will be particularly large. ”

"Why? Could it be that such artillery could not destroy their fortifications either? Roosevelt looked at the stout barrels of the huge cannons in the distance, glowing with a cold blue glow, and said with a frown.

"That's right. As long as the Spaniards dug some decent anti-gun holes and hid in them, it would be difficult to kill them directly unless our shells fell directly on them. And just now, in order to misjudge the lethality of our artillery, we did not use concrete-destroying shells specifically for fortifications. Edward replied.

The so-called concrete-destroying projectile is actually a semi-armor-piercing projectile, which reduces the charge by three-quarters, adopts a heavier and thicker shell and a time-delay fuse. Able to explode after penetrating a certain thickness of concrete. For example, the MacDonald 1895 6-inch howitzer used a high-explosive shell weighing 110 kg with a charge of 44 kg. The concrete-destroying projectile it used weighed 140 kilograms, and the charge dropped to 10.5 kilograms, and all the extra weight became a thick and solid shell. In the McDonald Infantry Weapons Company's test firing, the projectile achieved a penetration rate of more than 50 percent for a 3-meter-thick concrete.

"I think tonight, they're going to be busy for another night." Edward looked at the high ground that the Spaniards were guarding and said.

"We're going to be busy tonight, too." Roosevelt said, "We need to draw up a new battle plan and launch a new attack as soon as possible." ”

……

Two days later, the Americans launched another assault on the high ground where the Spaniards had entrenched. The way this round of attacks was attacked was markedly different from the previous rounds. First of all, there was a long preparation of fire before the attack. Later, Theodore Roosevelt wrote in his memoirs:

"After this war, the U.S. military formed a tradition. That is, in the face of solid targets, it is necessary to carry out a long period of fire preparation, for example, in this attack, we carried out a full two hours of fire preparation......"

The rate of fire of the 203-mm gun has always been not fast, and the rate of burst fire is only about one round every two minutes, and the sustained rate of fire has to drop to the level of one round every three minutes. But in the space of two hours, the artillery group still smashed more than 400 shells on the positions of the Spaniards.

While the artillery was still firing, the American infantry began to move into the starting position. In addition to these cannons, there are also some new troops that have been added from the United States. Roosevelt knew, however, that the new troops were veterans, and that many of them had already been to Cuba more than once or twice. These names above are Ohio state militias, but in fact, they are all elite mercenaries from Blackwater. And Roosevelt also knew that the main purpose of these people was not to quickly capture the Spanish positions, but to let the Spanish commanders die on the battlefield. to cover up their lie that the Spaniards had slaughtered their captives.

Of course, to get ahead of the Spaniards' commanders, they had to rush to the front. Therefore, the burden of attacking the fortification also fell on these mercenaries.

After an hour and 30 minutes of shelling, there was a temporary halt while the American troops shouted slogans and made a charging stance. The remaining Spaniards stumbled out of the undestroyed bomb holes and prepared for battle. Although they hid in the anti-artillery hole, they were not directly injured in the previous shelling, but the violent concussion still damaged their vestibular function, so that their sense of balance became very poor, and their movements were clumsy like a group of zombies.

The Americans were getting closer and closer, and the distance between the two sides was only about one hundred and fifty meters, and the Spaniards began to shoot differently. It was only because of the impact of the previous shelling that their reaction became much sluggish, and the accuracy of their shooting was greatly reduced. And the American troops on the opposite side were very cunning, they did not rush forward, but used the craters left by the shells as cover, making it difficult for the sluggish Spaniards to hit them.

Just when the distance between the two sides was only one hundred and twenty meters, the artillery group on the opposite side suddenly opened fire again. However, the Spaniards did not hear the first shots fired. Because the velocity of the shells is much faster than the sound when they are first discharged, and it is only when the shells rise to their highest point that their velocity is lower than the speed of sound. And when they fall headlong, they keep accelerating. So the first thing the Spaniards heard was the whistling of shells piercing the air as they fell in the air. But by this time, they had no time to react effectively.

The MacDonald's 1895 8-inch gun used high-explosive shells with a kill radius of up to 80 meters, and twenty shells slashed down the head and face, plowing the Spanish position...... As a result, the Spaniards naturally suffered heavy losses. When the round of artillery fire was over, and the American troops shouted that they were going to rush up, a few of the remaining Spaniards who were not bombed went out and took their heads for a while, and then they were covered by another round of artillery fire. Then the cannon stopped, and the Yankees began to shout again. Then the machine gunners who were hiding in the remnants of the pillboxes that had not yet been destroyed also shouted: "The Americans are coming!" ”

However, at this time, those infantry were no longer willing to go out and be fooled. Although there was urging from above, everyone still didn't dare to go out of the anti-artillery hole, for fear that as soon as they went out, shells would fall from the sky. As a result, the cannonball did not fall, but a fire dragon swooped in.

Yes, a fiery dragon. This is the most effective and cruel weapon used to deal with tunnels and bunkers in later generations - the flamethrower. The technical difficulty of this weapon is actually not high, but the effect is first-class. The oil sprayed by the flamethrower forms a fierce pillar of fire, which can splash everywhere, adhere and burn along the trenches and tunnels, kill and injure targets in hidden places, and have a spiritual shock effect. Because the combustion consumes a large amount of oxygen and produces toxic fumes, it can suffocate the personnel in the fortifications. When attacking strong fortifications such as pits and caves, flamethrowers have a unique role not found in other direct-fire weapons. MacDonald's flamethrower was able to shoot flames at a distance of eighteen meters, which was not at all comparable to those flamethrowers with a range of more than 70 meters, but in this era, it was already a good result. By the time of World War I, the Germans had built the world's first flamethrower, with a range of only 10 meters.

Of course, too close a range can put the Pyro in extreme danger. In later generations, if there was any soldier on the battlefield who was most hated, it would be the Pyro. For the vast majority of people, if they have only one bullet in their gun and two enemies on the opposite side, one with a gun and one with a flamethrower, then it is almost a question of who to shoot. Generally speaking, the vast majority of people would rather have their enemies shot to death than be burned alive. So in later generations, the Pyro was always the first target of the opponent. And once you are hit, especially if you are hit by the fuel tank you are carrying, it is a terrible death.

However, this is the first time that flamethrowers have been on the battlefield in this era. So although my comrades-in-arms know that the comrade with the flamethrower on his back is a disaster (both friend and foe. Because once the flamethrower is hit and explodes, it is not necessarily only the flamethrower who is unlucky, but also his comrades who are closer to him. But the Spaniards did not know. Coupled with the fact that Blackwater's mercenaries are well-trained, the infantry artillery plays quite well together. As a result, the Spaniards' defence, which had been impregnable in the previous attacks, was poked into a big hole almost in the blink of an eye.

Blackwater's mercenaries had an important mission, which was to kill the Spanish commander, thus making the Spanish killing of the captives unproven. However, this task seemed to have become redundant, as the Spaniards' main fortification, the large pillbox on the high ground at the top of the hill, was directly hit by at least six 8-inch concrete blasting shells. Although the Spaniards added a three-meter-thick composite structure of wood and rammed earth to the already half-meter-thick concrete roof, they were unable to withstand the 8-inch concrete bombs. The entire bunker was blown to pieces. It is said that the Spanish commander Leonardo and others were also in the strongest bunker at the time.

After the fall of the highlands. The Americans began to requisition a large number of Cuban laborers and began to build a road to the top of the mountain. Roosevelt understood what he meant, which was to find a way to drag those cute 8-inch guns to the top of the hill, and then he could happily bombard the harbor. Relying on the advantage of high position, these 8-inch guns could even destroy all the Spanish warships hiding in the harbor.

In this case, the fleet of the Spaniards had to force its way out of the port, trying to break through the blockade of the American fleet. R1058