20demayo Page 567
Page 567
……
At this moment, the fierce tank battle has started in full swing!The first to fire was 65 No. 601 tanks. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Bingjun, commander of the 65 Heavy Tank Battalion, they ambush in a woods that had been plowed several times by French artillery fire. Sixty-five tanks lined up, pointing their 88mm guns at the slowly approaching opponents in the rain.According to Zhang Bingjun's order, all No. 800 tanks will fire at the same time when the opponent enters within [-] meters.
"All! Fire!" Following Zhang Bingjun's order, the sound of explosions exploded almost simultaneously across the entire front line, completely suppressing the sound of howling wind and rain.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..." Explosions and fire balls rose one after another in the French tank phalanx. Even the officers and soldiers of the 88 Heavy Tank Battalion were a little surprised by the power of the 601mm gun coupled with the tungsten steel armor-piercing projectile.Those Char B1-bis tanks that look extremely solid, but actually have thick steel armor, are like paper paste under the 88mm armor-piercing projectile, and they are directly exploded into fragments and parts flying all over the sky.
The French tank phalanx, which was suddenly hit, seemed to be stunned for a moment. There was no response for about 30 seconds or longer, and it was still advancing slowly at a speed of 5 to 10 kilometers per hour.Taking advantage of this time, the 601 No. 65 tanks of the [-] Heavy Tank Battalion fired three or four shells each. These tanks did not fire indiscriminately, but took a few seconds to aim and adjust in a calm manner, and then Fire again.Of course, firing after aiming is a basic requirement in all shooting training, but it is definitely a veteran who can do this on the battlefield.For example, most of the Chinese tank soldiers who drive the No. [-] heavy tanks are from the Chinese Eighth Armored Division, which became famous in the "Anti-Soviet War", and all the commanders have destroyed more than three Soviet tanks. record!
However, what is surprising is that they found that they were French tanks that were being attacked, and they did not fire back indiscriminately. Instead, they all stopped advancing, and then raised their muzzles...Suddenly there was a flash of fire, and then it was shocking Earth-shattering bang.Hundreds of 75mm or 47mm shells dragged orange-red tail flames, slid across the sky at an extremely fast speed, and fell around these 65 Chinese tanks!The roaring shock wave, engulfed by the shrapnel after the shell exploded, hit the thick steel armor of the No. [-] tank one after another, causing every member of the tank crew inside to be shaken to this side, and at the same time, it was a little inexplicable.
"Mother Xipi! Why are these Frenchmen bombarding us with high-explosive bombs? Are they going to fight?"
Someone's yelling came from Zhang Bingjun's earphones.When he thought about it carefully, that was really the case. Aren't those French guys just bombarding with high-explosive bombs?It turned out that in their panic, they took the 65 tanks that were hiding and firing behind the rain curtains as 65 anti-tank cannons!So there was a salvo of high-explosive rounds.He twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, showing a mocking smile, and shouted loudly at the intercom next to his mouth: "Attention all units! Attention all units! Free fire for 30 seconds, and then retreat 30 meters after 500 seconds!"
Just when the 88mm gun of the Chinese tank roared for the second time, Charles de Gaulle, the commander of the French armored group, also found that something was wrong.The opponent is not an ordinary 88mm anti-aircraft gun!Rather... an 88mm assault gun refitted from the site of the Panzer III!And there are at least 60 more!
Due to the good secrecy of the Germans, France still does not know that there is a No. 88 tank equipped with an 45.5mm tank gun and weighing [-] tons in the armored forces of China and Germany.Therefore, de Gaulle mistook them for the Stug III.
"Report the loss!" De Gaulle stood tall in the armored command vehicle, raised his binoculars through the rain curtain, and began to observe the blurred battlefield ahead.I saw at least 30 fires burning in the heavy rain, probably all French Char B1-bis tanks!In front of the 88mm gun, this tank with 60mm frontal armor is no different from a paper toy.
The remaining French tanks also began to fight back with armor-piercing shells, and countless orange-red rays of light passed through the rain curtain at an extremely fast speed, flying towards the big guys who vaguely showed their figures.Groups of fireballs quickly rose around those "No. 70 assault guns", and some of them hit their frontal armor, making a clanging sound... but they didn't penetrate!What's the matter?The Stug III is just 1mm angled armor, there's no reason it can stand up to the 75mm cannon of the Char B35-bis tank?Even the 47mm tank gun of the S1000 should be able to threaten them at a distance of less than [-] meters.
"General, we lost 35 Char B1-bis tanks, all of which were blown up by the enemy's 88mm guns!" At this time, the chief of staff had already counted the losses and came to report to de Gaulle.
"How many enemies are there?"
"About 62 to 65 Stug IIIs."
"Are you sure it's number three?"
"This... I'm checking." The chief of staff was stunned for a moment, and he also found that the No. [-] assault guns were not normal.At this moment, another staff officer in charge of contacting the front line shouted loudly: "Sir! Sir! The enemy is retreating, they are fleeing!"
"Are you running away?" De Gaulle was startled, and quickly raised his binoculars to watch.Sure enough, only the French tanks were left firing on the front battlefield, and the Chinese assault guns were no longer firing back.There is no way for tanks and assault artillery of this era to fire while driving, which means that the opponent is retreating.
"General, let's catch up and use the Char B1-bis tank to get close to it! Whether they are the No. 75 assault guns or something else, our [-]mm cannons can deal with it." The chief of staff suggested loudly.
De Gaulle hesitated for a moment, feeling that something was wrong somewhere, but now that the situation of the battle has taken a turn for the worse, the only way to turn things around is to fight a beautiful turnaround in the Ardennes Forest.He raised his binoculars and stared at the rain for a long time, finally nodded heavily, and ordered: "Chasing! Let's catch up and fight. Also, order the 35st Tank Regiment to dispatch two S35 squadrons to outflank the enemy's left flank. The Second Tank Regiment dispatched two S[-] squadrons to outflank the enemy's right flank."
Using faster medium tanks to outflank the opponent's heavy tanks is indeed the way T34 and Sherman have dealt with Tigers in history.De Gaulle realized this method at the first time, and it really has the qualifications of a famous general.It's just that his S35 tanks are a bit disappointing. Although it is a 20-ton light tank, its speed is slower than that of the opponent's 45.5-ton heavy tank.Moreover, these Chinese are too cunning, they don't give the French tanks a chance to get closer, they just shoot with 88mm guns from a distance, and they will back up as soon as the French tanks approach.Unknowingly, hundreds of French tanks have gradually been drawn into the sight of the ambush troops commanded by Pan Ershen.
……
In the headquarters of the Ninth Grenadier Brigade in the northwest of the small Belgian town of Othon, Pan Ershen and Wang Yaowu, the commander of the 65st Grenadier Division who had just arrived, watched for a long time the two tank units slowly approaching in the rain.Pan Ershen's eyes were bloodshot. "Here we come! French tanks are here! Hundreds of them are here! We're going to make a contribution!" Wang Yaowu put down his binoculars and exhaled lightly.After all, these Frenchmen are inexperienced, and they were actually led into the ambush circle of the 57mm gun by 108 No. 57 vehicles! If the 65 700mm guns are fired well, hundreds of French tanks can be killed in a few minutes. In addition to the record of the 57 Panzer IV tanks, at least half of the French armored divisions can be accounted for!Moreover, the deployment of the group army headquarters is not the only one. Behind the front where I am, there are two full armored divisions, more than [-] tanks and assault artillery are ready!As long as the ambush of the [-]mm guns is over, they will swarm out and completely annihilate the French armored division, and then perhaps take the opportunity to sweep the French infantry and artillery on the south bank of the Maas River...
At this time, Zhang Bingjun's 601 heavy tank battalion was still fighting and retreating. His tank battalion destroyed at least 60 French tanks along the way, and his own loss was only a No. [-] tank destroyed by French artillery fire. Abandoned after the track.However, those Frenchmen were stubborn enough, after suffering such a huge loss, they pursued them relentlessly!Didn't feel anything wrong at all.
Zhang Bingjun pushed open the top cover of the tank turret, poked his head out and looked around.It was still raining outside, and the surrounding forests and hills seemed to be covered with a layer of tulle. Everything was blurry, and it was surprisingly quiet, as if there was no army ambushing at all.
"601 calls 09, 601 calls 09." Zhang Bingjun turned on the car radio and began to contact the brigade headquarters of the Ninth Grenadier Brigade to confirm that the enemy had entered the ambush circle of the 57mm gun.In order to facilitate the aiming of the 57mm anti-tank gun, after the enemy enters the ambush circle, the No. 601 tank of the [-] Heavy Tank Battalion will stop retreating and start an artillery battle with the opponent to entangle the opponent.
"601, I'm 09, you go back 500 meters to the southeast, and then 500 meters to the southeast." Pan Ershen's voice came from the earphone, and Zhang Bingjun let out a sigh of relief.Fortunately, I didn't go astray. After all, this is Belgium, an unfamiliar place!
The 601 No. 64 tanks of the 400st Heavy Tank Battalion continued to spit out white smoke and retreated roaringly. Nearly 108 French tanks and a motorized infantry brigade behind them led to the ambush circle.At this time, in the woods, hills, and villages on both sides of the road, 27 Min 57-type 400mm anti-tank guns have adjusted their muzzles, and shiny armor-piercing bullets are held in the arms of the ammunition hand, waiting for the French People enter within 6 meters.In addition to these six anti-tank artillery battalions, there is also a whole regiment of grenadiers ready.Nearly 3000 officers and soldiers waiting to attack are scattered on an arc-shaped ambush position. MG37 general-purpose machine guns have been erected, Min-25 automatic rifles are also loaded, and there are some 57mm recoilless guns assigned to the Grenadier Corps. And the 82mm mortars are also in place.Hao Boxiong, the head of the 9th Grenadier Regiment, also fought in the anti-Soviet war and had seen big scenes, but he still felt a little nervous at the moment.After all, the opponent this time is a French armored division with more than 400 tanks!
The uneasy wait before the battle did not last long, and the tracks of the 64 rumbling back Panzer IVs stopped rolling almost at the same time. The 64 steel-cast turrets began to rotate slowly, and each turret was equipped with an astonishingly powerful 88mm cannon.
With a sound of "Boom!", the cannon of the No. 1 car driven by Zhang Bingjun roared first, and an 88mm armor-piercing projectile was ejected from the muzzle at a speed of more than 800 meters per second, passing through the air, dragging an orange-red tail flame straight towards the gun. A French Char B800-bis tank 1 meters away!
With a loud noise, a burning tank turret was lifted into the air, before it fell heavily on the wet ground.The roar of cannons and the explosion of tank ammunition rang out across the battlefield.Countless orange-red and fiery-red rays of light shot out from all directions, rushing towards more than 300 French tanks in the center of the battlefield at a fast speed.The machine guns, recoilless guns and mortars ambushed in the forest, on the hills and in the villages were also fully fired, and the fire flowed towards the French army...
For the French army, this raid was absolutely devastating. 64 Panzer IV tanks and 108 57mm anti-tank guns fired thousands of shells in a very short period of time, and more than 200 French tanks were shot and caught fire in just a few minutes!What made de Gaulle even more depressed was that his motorized infantry brigade was shot by a Chinese artillery group who didn't know where it was ambushing before it had time to deploy!Immediately the loss was heavy.Seeing this situation, Major General de Gaulle had no choice but to grit his teeth and make the decision to withdraw and regroup the troops.
However, as soon as the order to retreat was issued, the roar of rumbling motors came from the forest not far away... The counterattack of the Chinese armored forces began!
Chapter 0862 The Ardennes Offensive in 1939 ([-]) Playing Bigger and Bigger
The famous General Fronville, where Charles de Gaulle's armored division was ambushed by the Chinese army, is a flat land between two hills.A total of 108 57mm anti-tank guns and an armored grenadier regiment were deployed on the hills on both sides and the small town of Fronville. The 601 Panzer IV tanks of the 64st Heavy Tank Battalion were lined up, blocking the passage On the road to Otton.In this way, a circular semi-encircling circle with a width of 3 kilometers and a depth of 4 kilometers was formed.The anti-tank guns on the hills and towns on both sides, together with 64 tanks, formed a crossfire, covering the entire French tank phalanx.The 6 324mm/105mm self-propelled howitzers of the 150 self-propelled artillery regiments deployed in the south of Autong City used powerful firepower to cover and shoot the motorized infantry brigade following the French tanks.At the same time, the Chinese [-]st and [-]nd Armored Divisions assembled on the east and west sides of Autong City, and then outflanked the rear of the French Armored Division of Fromville from both wings.
For a while, the French First Armored Division was pushed to the verge of annihilation.Major General Charles de Gaulle, commander of the French First Armored Corps, who was on the front line to supervise the battle, and his staff members were a little at a loss as they watched the firepower coming from all directions, not knowing what to do.
The order to retreat has been issued, but while the artillery fire of the Chinese army covered the French army's motorized infantry brigade, it also blocked the retreat of the French army's armored forces.Moreover, after the first armored division of the French army encountered an ambush by the Chinese army, there were only more than 100 tanks left, and they were all S35 types with relatively poor firepower and armor. With these tanks, how could it be possible to highlight the strength of the Chinese army? Surrounded?
"General! Order the troops to shrink. We are here in Furviron. Relying on the remaining more than 100 tanks to form a ring fortification, stand by and wait for reinforcements!" Major General Michel, the commander of the [-]st Armored Division, finally When he came back to his senses, he made a loud suggestion to his commander.
But de Gaulle heard timidity and panic from his trembling voice.Although de Gaulle couldn't think of a clever plan to reverse the defeat, he knew that the First Armored Division must not stay here. Under the cover of the Chinese army's artillery fire, this flat land could not be defended at all.The only way now is to break out of the encirclement, withdraw the troops from this dangerous place, and make plans again.
"Major General Michelle, we can't stay here! The Chinese don't have only these means, their two armored divisions must have been dispatched now! Therefore, we must break through as soon as possible, or we will all be prisoners of the Chinese! "De Gaulle looked around the mountains on both sides, then pointed to the hills on his left and said to Michel: "Go to the 201st Motorized Infantry Brigade right away to see if you can organize some troops, and then attack the hills on the left. Launch an attack on the top of the mountain and seize it to cover the retreat of the main force!"
After sending Major General Michel to gather troops to seize the hill, de Gaulle recruited his chief of staff, Colonel Amy, to step forward. "Give power to Lieutenant General Lawrence, let him quickly dispatch the [-]rd Light Armored Division to rescue us, let them advance to Somme Lez, and prepare to meet us! Then let our artillery group fire and blast the west side of Fronville Town The hills and the roads beside the hills must suppress the Chinese!"
"Also, order all the tanks that can still move to move closer to the division headquarters, prepare to cover the division headquarters to break through, and then retreat to the northwest, tell them, we must hurry..."
Xu Yunlong's armored command vehicle was already traveling on a road in the Ardennes Forest. The 300st and [-]nd Armored Divisions that launched the counterattack today belonged to the [-]st Armored Army. As the commander of the army, Xu Yunlong should of course Supervise the battle!Therefore, after he handed over the overall command of the northern front to Hu Lian, the commander of the Second Armored Army who was temporarily his deputy, he took a small number of staff officers and entourages to act with the First Armored Division.At this time, more than [-] tanks of the [-]st Armored Division formed a marching column and were advancing northward along a simple road, preparing to pierce the flank of the French armored division that had been ambushed.In addition, the Second Armored Division saved from another direction. As long as the opponent hesitated and failed to break through in time, waiting for them would be annihilated!Even if these Frenchmen slipped quickly with oil on their feet, the two Chinese armored divisions could shake the entire French defense line on the south bank of the Maas River through pursuit.
But at this moment, the French cannons that had been silent for a while suddenly began to cover the sky and the sky.The defeat on the front line and the request from Charles de Gaulle made Lieutenant General Lawrence dare not take it lightly, and hurriedly mobilized all the artillery in his hands to bombard the hills and roads west of Fromville!
Although the fierce artillery fire of the French army could not hurt the marching Chinese tanks, it still played a certain role.The 57mm anti-tank gun positions deployed by the Chinese army on the hills west of Fronville suffered heavy losses. The 36 57mm guns of the two battalions were all destroyed or injured by French shells!The loss of personnel was equally heavy, the battalion commanders of the two anti-tank artillery battalions were all killed, three of the six company commanders were killed, and one was seriously wounded. In addition, the casualties of other junior officers, sergeants and ordinary soldiers exceeded 150 people.Moreover, the French bombardment also had an unexpected effect. The four anti-tank artillery battalions deployed in the small town of Fromville and on the hill east of the town saw that something was going wrong, so they quickly moved their positions... As a result, the suppression method The firepower of army tanks was greatly reduced.De Gaulle seized this opportunity and quickly ordered the entire army to break out to the northwest. Before China's First Armored Division blocked his retreat, he finally withdrew some of his troops and tanks.
……
In the temporary command post of China's First Armored Army in the south of Aotong City, there was a din of ringing telephones and human voices.All the situation on the northern battlefield of the entire Ardennes Forest was gathered into this Belgian manor through the temporary establishment of wired telephones and radio waves.The news of the successful breakout of the French armored forces also reached here immediately.
Dai Anlan, chief of staff of the First Armored Army, walked up to Huang Guyu, who was lying on the edge of the map, studying the overall situation in Europe, with a dejected expression. Part of the 50st Armored Division broke out, with about 35 S[-] tanks, and one and a half regiments of infantry... What a pity."
After hearing Dai Anlan's report, Huang Guyu didn't raise his head, and his face was expressionless, he just kept tapping the edge of the map table with his fingers. "The First Armored Division is not slow to move. The fact that the French can leave shows that they are quick enough. Who is in command of the French Armored Division, do you know?"
Dai Anlan nodded and said, "According to the captives' confession, it was Major General Charles de Gaulle, commander of the French First Armored Army, who commanded the French armored assault."
"Charles de Gaulle, it turned out to be him, no wonder he reacted so quickly." Huang Guyu nodded, he also knew the name de Gaulle.Of course, not because de Gaulle led the Free French Resistance in another time and space, and was the president of France.It was because of a series of military writings on mechanized warfare published by de Gaulle in the early 30s.He pondered and said: "This De Gaulle is also a general, but his luck is not good, he met us...he has no chance to play."
Dai Anlan smiled wryly: "Haven't had a chance to make use of it? Being able to break out from the encirclement of our armored forces is remarkable enough in itself."
"So what if it protrudes?" Huang Guyu patted the map lightly, and said with a smile: "Seagull, come and see, the remnants of de Gaulle's defeated generals are still far from being completely out of danger! In fact, it is not only his first The armored division is in danger, and even all the French troops south of the Meuse River are now in crisis. No! Not only that, it should be said that the main force of the Anglo-French coalition forces in Belgium is already in crisis."
Dai Anlan leaned over and looked at the military map of Belgium and northeastern France on the map platform.There are two large blue arrows extending north and west from the Ardennes Forest.Among them, the northward arrow goes northward from Marche, along the road from Bastony to Namur, crosses the Maas River from near Namur, and then advances to the north bank of the Maas River, inserting into the rear of the British and French allied forces.The arrow extending westward broke through the French defense line on the west bank of the Meuse River, then turned to the northwest, and advanced to the northern coast of France, cutting off the road communication line between the British and French allied forces and the French mainland.
"Mr. Huang, aren't you thinking too far?" Dai Anlan smiled, shook her head and said, "We haven't completely defeated Lawrence's First Army and pushed the battle line to the banks of the Maas River. Just think about it." want……"
Huang Guyu smiled and waved his hand: "It's not what I thought, but Gan Molin, Ironside and the others have to think about it! If we advance to the south bank of the Maas River, Guderian will break through Maas again." The French defense line on the west bank of the Si River...Seagull, what do you think the top brass of the Anglo-French coalition forces think?"
"Let's advance to the south bank of the Maas River..." Dai Anlan sorted out his thoughts, and said after deliberation: "The original estimate of the British and French coalition forces should be that Guderian's armored forces would break through from the direction of Sedan, and then turn around and go north, cutting them off. And we are only deploying defenses in the northern part of the Ardennes Forest to cover Guderian's flank. If we break the French First Army and push the front line to the Maas River, the British and French coalition forces should be confused."
"Confusion?" Huang Guyu glanced at Dai Anlan, and said slowly: "What kind of confusion?"
"They will have doubts about the direction of our main attack (referring to the Sino-German coalition forces). If we defeat a French army group including armored forces, we will be somewhat of the main force." Dai Anlan pointed to the map and explained: " Guderian's road is a big encirclement, but we are a small encirclement. If Guderian succeeds, the main force of the British and French allied forces will make dumplings for the Germans in Belgium. If we break through the Maas River, we will be only 60 meters away from the Belgian capital Brussels. The road is more than [-] kilometers, and the road is plain all the way. It happens to be the battlefield where our armored troops gallop. When the time comes, we will be sandwiched between Army Group A and the main force of the British and French coalition forces will also be finished.
In other words, as long as we and Guderian reach a breakthrough all the way, the more than 200 million British and French allied forces will almost be wiped out!However, it is very difficult for the top leaders of the British and French allied forces to judge which of us and Guderian is the real main attack... Moreover, they do not have enough reserves to block two directions at the same time. "