When low-flying UAVs finish mapping a safe passage for the Marines' Pumas and hovercrafts, the High Sea Fleet sends in some of their surface vessels to set up an invasion corridor. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Donitz's U-boats patrol beneath the surface, watching for any active enemy warship. Other than providing security for the Marines, Belkan destroyers and cruisers also aid Erusean survivors who are still stranded in the sea. The humanitarian gesture is accomplished by dropping inflatable life rafts into the water alongside some supplies. Afterward, the Eruseans are gathered into large groups that float near the Belkan warships. The Belkans refuse to bring aboard the wrecked survivors barring those who are critically wounded, however. This is to prevent the Erusean sailors from trying to stage an offensive to capture or hinder the amphibious invasion. There's also the consideration that smaller vessels like the Elbing-class destroyers lack large enough facilities to take care of hundreds of survivors.

To enact order and to prevent any attempt at foul play, Belkan ship security units regularly patrol their vessel to prevent boarding parties. Despite the potential duress the action may cause to the Erusean survivors, Belkan security units still rack the charging handle of their vessels' HMG-14.5. Mounted along the sides to act as anti-boarders and anti-piracy emplacements., these heavy machine guns are now used to police the Eruseans on their lifeboats.

While this is a bit heavy-handed, current circumstances dictate this level of caution.

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"Report! The fleet is in position, Admiral!"

Tallulah nods grandly, arms crossed. "Good! Before the Marines get ashore, let's give the Eruseans a wake-up all to remember us by..."

Swinging an arm down in the direction of Dunkirk's beach and harbor, Tallulah smirks. "Light them up!"

Captain Lindemann nods affirmatively before speaking over the High Sea Fleet's comms channel. "All vessels, support the amphibious assault. Begin bombardment of enemy land installations!"

Having been waiting for ages for Tallulah's order, the entire High Sea Fleet seemingly erupts at the same time as shells of all sizes are launched into the air.

Closer to the shore of Dunkirk are some Belkan destroyers, light cruisers, and even heavy cruisers. These vessels are among the first to fire and have their shells landing on Dunkirk's hastily fortified shoreline. They're tasked with suppressing and softening enemy resistance more than outright destroying them. This is to prevent a situation where too much firepower will crater the beach so much that even the Pumas of the Marines will have a hard time crossing over. Too many large craters may also lead to the ingestion of seawater, thus forming a swampy terrain. Assaulting a muddy beach is expected to be a Marine's worst nightmare, after all, so a certain degree of care is to be had when bombarding the shore. This is why gun calibers of 203 mm and smaller are used instead of the gigantic Bismarck-class's 432 mm.

As for the High Sea Fleet's dreadnoughts, while they aren't allowed to bombard the Eruseans on the beach, they're given free rein to hit the Dunkirk's infrastructure instead. The city's harbor, sitting on an elevated position and more well-defended than the beaches around it, is a prime target for demolition work. At around the same time as the rest of the fleet, the Bismarck-class dreadnoughts unleash full salvos on the Erusean-held harbor. Unlike the arguably more gentle systematic destructions created by the destroyers and cruisers, the dreadnoughts directly inflict absolute carnage on the harbor proper. Buildings are decimated and concrete piers are sunk with little to no effort. Eruseans, hunkering inside warehouses, utility buildings, and even a church, are experiencing being blasted apart or are fleeing under a hail of supersonic fragmentations and shockwaves. The harbor collapses into the sea, bit by bit, as the dreadnoughts walk their artillery inland until there's nothing left standing.

While other surface combatants are doing Yggdra's work and hammering the Allied forces six feet underground, Bayern-class battlecarriers aren't staying idle in the back. Opening their VLS, the Bayerns unleash multiple Exoscar missiles, poising them to strike at the heart of Erusean land artillery installations. Even before the Allied forces can finish calculating a firing solution on the Belkan war fleet, cruise missiles are already landing on their heads. The combined explosive power of the Exoscars and artillery munition caches going off proved to be heavy enough to collapse some of Dunkirk's city blocks and apartment complex. As the Eruseans and Loyalist Ustians are still rearing from the massive alpha strike, Belkan battlecarriers flood open their rear loading ramps and flood their well decks. From inside their spacious holds, Class B and Class C Pumas roll off onto the ocean surface. Utilizing their water jets, the Pumas are swift to form invasion formations and swim to Dunkirk's shoreline. Covered by the nearby destroyers and cruisers, the Pumas sail unimpeded under the shocked gazes of Erusean sailors.

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As Belkan naval barrages die down, the Pumas get close enough to start using their primary weapons. Using their superior optics and gun stabilizers, the amphibious Pumas engage visible enemy installations and troop movements ashore using a combination of 30 mm and 105 mm shells. Erusean soldiers under Royal Navy Admiral Addison's command are torn apart by airburst munitions while makeshift bunkers, fighting positions, and tall buildings with windows are swiftly obliterated by 105 mm multipurpose shells. The Erusean defenders try to put up a measure of retaliation, yet they're too sporadic to hamper the Pumas. Ultimately, the amphibious AFVs make landfall before deploying a sizeable smoke screen. Lowering their ramps, Class B Pumas disgorge numerous Belkan Marines that swiftly use their armor companies as cover to advance.

Now that a stake has been made ashore, some Bayern-class battlercarriers deploy the hovercrafts that carry even more Marines and heavy armaments. Ospreys are also sortied, bringing along the famed Ravens, even more Marines, and the Sea Witches that act as an aggressive recon unit for the Belkan Marine Corp. While the Mechanized Marines are seizing a swath of fortifications on the beach, the hovercrafts make landfall before deflating. They then deploy some Leopard MBTs to act as an armored spearhead. More than that, a pair of Sunburst thermobaric rocket artillery are brought ashore. Very swiftly, the pair of Sunbursts acquire a firing solution before unleashing all of their thermobaric rockets on the rear line of Admiral Addison's defensive force. Exploding in large, engulfing fireballs, the majority of Addison's fighters perish even when they use buildings and shallow trenches as cover. Addison himself barely escapes with his life, his appearance has gone from being a wet cat to a scorched rodent.

After the explosive display that basically eliminates all of Addison's front and rearliners, and with it Lord Gort's reserve force, the Belkan Marines have achieved a buffer zone to cover their next batch of force deployment. Flying through the Fog of War, some Ospreys land to deploy numerous Marines, while others continue on their flight path. Ravens and Sea Witches, none of them need the Ospreys to touch down. These two elite units straight up jump out of the Ospreys' rear ramps, either free-falling or unfurling their wings.

While the Allied forces are still rearing from chaos, both at their front and back, the Belkan elites have already been deployed among their lines. With prejudice, these soldiers will hunt and eliminate high-priority targets. Munition dumps, messengers, officers, and even AA, AT, and armored vehicles... All are fair games, as long as the targets are still part of active combat units.

Though the Allied forces expect to see the likes of Angels and Devils flying above them, they never anticipate seeing hulking armored supersoldiers, each with glimmering shields that absorb projectiles fired at them. Most of the Eruseans or Loyalists that come across a Raven straight up throw away their weapons and scatter like rats. The feats of strength and power that the Ravens conduct, when viewed at close range and being on the opposition force, are terrifying. Can you expect some grassroots soldiers to stand with courage against a skull-faced mass of metals and muscles that just punted a Matilda II through its front armor, then pull out the scared shitless driver before tossing him away?

Yeah, I am afraid not... While the Sea Witches handle more delicate tasks like sniping enemy field officers or weapon crews, the Ravens can bulldoze through everything, using shock and awe to strongarm the opposition into being subdued. Nothing short of overwhelming firepower or a well-placed heavy weapon may bring a Raven down, and even then, they have to hit and eliminate the Raven's protective barrier first. Feats that are easier said than done.

Due to the mayhem caused by the Witches and Ravens, the already struggling cohesiveness that Lord Gort managed to hold together by hopes and dreams collapses entirely. Right now, it's every man for himself, but even then, the Belkans are expecting the seizure of Dunkirk will be an arduous endeavor. Even with the damage they have taken, the Allied forces, or in other words the EEF, still have a sizeable presence in the city. Disarrays as they may be, their sheer numbers mean that the Belkans will have to clear out every building slowly and methodically lest they be surprised by roving or hidden enemy war bands. The process would have been made easier if they didn't have to maintain their agreed-upon code of honor, but it is what it is.

War is not just about the ultimate victory, after all, it's also about how one conducts it.