On the position of the British Australian Sixth Infantry Division, the sleeping Australian "cowboys" were blinded by the sudden artillery fire, and Bernard, a private of the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 6th Infantry Regiment stationed in Taji Town, was no exception. ww.w.yan+kuai.c.om

As soon as the shelling began, Bernard jumped out of bed and fell to the ground with a carp.

Listening carefully to the sound of shelling outside, Bernard concluded that the German artillery was coming.

The Germans went on the offensive, and it was on this special day.

Bernard instantly felt that he had been ruthlessly deceived by his father and uncle.

Growing up, he had heard his father and uncle, who had fought in World War I, say that in the first year of World War I, soldiers from both the Central and Allied powers would spontaneously stop fighting on December 24 to welcome Christmas.

They also listened to the Austrian opera actress Olis from the radio yankuai with the same broadcast. Schumann's Christmas song "Silent Night".

It is said that in some areas where the fighting was not fierce and the two sides got along relatively well, some British people would exchange gifts with the Germans, promise not to shoot the next day, and even hold football games together to celebrate the arrival of Christmas.

Now it seems that these are all fake, all deceptive stories from fairy tales.

The anticipation of Christmas between the Germans and the Commonwealth has nothing to do with football, they only express it with cannonballs.

Bernard cursed and hurriedly dressed, then picked up the MKIII rifle hanging from the bedside and rushed out of the boarding house with his comrades, and ran towards the position north of the town.

Running through the streets of the town and rushing into the traffic trenches outside the town, Bernard and his comrades bent down to the trenches belonging to the second company in the bitter cold wind, and then crouched in the trenches with their mouths wide open and quietly felt the terrifying power of the shelling.

The shaking of the ground was getting louder and louder, and the landing point of German artillery fire was getting closer and closer to the trenches.

The explosion rang out, and the ground trembled stronger than the wave caused by the shockwave, and Bernard felt his teeth shudder and clatter, making a gurgling sound.

Bernard felt a slight pain slowly reach his brain, and his teeth must have been shattered. At least it's a notch.

Before Bernard could figure out what was going on with his teeth, another cannonball landed beside the trench he was crouching in, and the sound sounded like thunder in his ears.

Bernard felt his teeth click together, rumbling and buzzing in his ears. There was an extra hard object in his mouth, and there was a hint of salty smell on it.

The tooth was loosened and shattered.

Bernard spat out the bloodstained enamel and rubbed his slightly aching chin, only to see the horror.

Adams, a comrade crouched to his right, stood up and looked out on the edge of the trench.

"You're crazy. Squat down. Bernard blurted out a shout.

The sound of a violent explosion drowned out Bernard's shouts.

The sand fell into the trench along with Adams' body.

Sharp shrapnel sliced mercilessly through Adams' head, taking half of his head above the bridge of his nose.

The body, missing half of its head, lay slumped in the trenches, twitching and squirting blood at Bernard and the other soldiers nearby.

The blood soon pooled into streams in the trenches, seeping into the dirt, staining the yellow sand black.

"Ahh

Bernard couldn't help but howl with fear in his heart, and the other two soldiers next to the corpse screamed as well, and the three of them desperately ducked to the side, trying to avoid this disgusting place of death.

Shell after shell fell, and Bernard felt the shock wave from all directions hit his body repeatedly like a hammer.

Endure. Be patient, don't run around, or you will end up with Adams.

Bernard stared at Adams' horrific corpse, doing his best to restrain Yankuai, who jumped out of the trench and turned around and fled.

Every minute of the shelling was as long as a year for Adams.

The German artillery fire continued to extend deep into the position, and the shells finally went away, and Bernard stood up slightly and looked to the left and right.

On the left, Private Martin leaned against the back wall of the trench, clutching his right head and grinning, "My ears, my ears are missing." ”

Right. Two soldiers dragged Adams' body and wanted to move it to an underground bunker so that it wouldn't be left to demoralize the other soldiers.

A shrill whistle sounded over the position, interspersed with the shouts of the officers.

"The Germans came up. Prepare for battle. ”

Bernard hurriedly picked up his gun and threw himself in front of the trench to look outside.

The moonlight and flares illuminate the earth in the sky.

Numerous craters of various sizes littered the trenches, the once neat wooden stakes became inverted and crooked, and the barbed wire fence was torn apart.

Bullets rained down and crashed into the barbed wire from time to time, and the curled up barbed wire was clanged. Trembling.

In the distance, huge bodies that looked square and full of mighty aura shook and pounced on them.

"Tanks, tanks of the Germans, anti-tank guns ready." Bernard heard the shouts of the officers again.

Bernard soon heard the crisp sound of anti-tank guns on the position, and immediately felt a lot safer in his heart.

The sky was filled with the whistling of cannonballs, and the German charging team on the opposite side burst into dazzling flames.

Realizing that the artillery of the 6th Division had finally fired, Bernard's hand holding the rifle no longer trembled, he pulled the bolt to load the bullet, and then picked up the gun.

Uh, where is the infantry of the Germans?

Bernard, who was on the battlefield for the first time, discovered a serious problem at this time, all the tanks that appeared in front of him were Germans, and not a single German infantry could be seen.

Where are the infantry of the Germans? Didn't the Germans fight with infantry?

As if hearing Bernard's call, figures suddenly flashed behind the German tank group, and those figures rushed to the front of the tanks in a serpentine route, holding some strange weapons in their hands.

Unable to figure out what weapon the Germans were holding, Bernard quickly picked up his gun and readjusted the scale, then aimed at a German infantryman and pulled the trigger.

There was a crackle on the ground, and the German soldier was unharmed, trotting a few steps, falling headlong to the ground before Bernard fired a second shot, exploring the mine with the mine detector in his hand.

"I hit!" Martin's excited shouts came from Bernard's side.

Bernard glanced curiously. I saw Martin lying on the edge of the trench with his rifle in his hand, and with every shot he screamed, I had hit.

Boring guys, isn't it just ear quilts

Bernard's complaint was instantly interrupted by a tragic scene.

A string of bullets flew in, and Martin's head jerked back. The steel helmet on his head flew more than two meters away, and even the people with guns fell into the trench.

A bullet drilled into Martin's right eye and exited the back of his head.

The black hole in the corpse's right eye was facing Bernard, who felt that the black hole was like a vortex with infinite suction power, almost sucking his soul out of his body.

A sneering sound reached Bernard's ears. Bernard subconsciously shrunk his neck.

With a clang, Bernard's head shook, a flash of fire erupted from his helmet, and he collapsed into the trench with a crooked body.

Trembling as he took off the steel helmet on top of his head, Bernard saw a crack in the top of the helmet as long and thin as his index finger.

A chill rose from his heels and ran down his lower back and spine to the top of Bernard's head.

If he had squatted a second late, he would have ended up with a German headshot like Martin.

Bernard looked at the torn steel helmet and was stunned for a moment.

Martin's encounter with Bernard was just a microcosm of what was going on on in the positions of the Australian Sixth Division.

The on-board machine guns of German tanks and armoured vehicles threw hail of bullets onto the Australian positions, overwhelming the Australian infantry from their heads.

The anti-tank artillery crews that dared to resist were also destroyed by German artillery fire one by one.

Seeing the German tanks approaching more and more, the infantry of the Australian 6th Division, which had just entered the battlefield, finally couldn't control the fear of death and began to flee.

Bernard first turned into the traffic trench and ran wildly with his rifle in hand. It wasn't until he ran a safe distance that he ran into the crowd and ran south, ready to retreat to the second-line position.

Behind him, the scythe-like fire of German machine guns swept the Australian soldiers to the ground as they tried to resist and ran slowly.

Bernard strode and ran to the death, surpassing his comrades and the bullets of the German army.

The belt was loose, the buttons of the clothes were broken in two, and the steel helmet did not know where to throw it.

It was as if a flame was burning in his lungs, evaporating countless hot gases from time to time, and white steam emanated from Bernard's nostrils and the top of his head.

Why is winter so hot in Iraq? The temperature was only about 0 degrees. Why can't it be a little colder, Bernard complained in his heart about the bad weather in Iraq as he ran.

The town of Taji was obviously unable to hold on, and crossed over.

Bernard fled quickly from the east side of Taji, the west bank of the Tigris River, through Taji, to the south to escape to a reserve position further south.

Running and running. Bernard involuntarily slowed down and looked at the south in confusion.

The sound of machine-gun fire, the roar of artillery and the explosion of shells came from the front, deeply stabbing Bernard and every fleeing Australian soldier.

I definitely didn't run in the wrong direction, but why is there a fierce battle going on here? Bernard stared at the scene ahead of him, dumbfounded.

An explosion was heard as violently as never before, and the flames reddened the sky in front of Bernard's eyes.

In the firelight, a group of people were revealed. Bernard immediately bent down and picked up his gun, nervously looking at the group of figures running towards him.

"@***#%" A strange voice came to meet him.

It's Iraqis.

Bernard heard the person on the other side speak Arabic, and his nervous heart relaxed slightly.

On the right flank of the 6th Australian Infantry Division was the 1st Division of the Iraqi Army, and the people opposite were most likely soldiers of the 1st Iraqi Division.

Why are they here? Could it be that their positions have also been lost? It was the Germans who were fighting fiercely ahead? The retreat is cut off?

Thinking of this, Bernard's heart hung again.

Turning his head to look at his side, Bernard saw that he was followed by a group of comrades who had retreated from the front line, and he suddenly became bold.

Bernard was just about to find an interpreter to ask what was going on, when another violent explosion rang out.

The glare of the fire flashed with Bernard standing on the hair, and the Iraqis on the opposite side scattered and ducked behind the bushes and dirt slopes to set up their machine guns and pose for battle.

"Friend, don't shoot." Bernard hurriedly shouted out a few words of Arabic that he had just learned.

"Da-da-da-da." The fire snakes and bullets spat out from the machine gun replied to Bernard's shout.

With four or five bloody holes in his chest and abdomen, Bernard's body fell limply to the ground.

He did not die at the hands of the Germans, but at the hands of the Iraqis, and with endless resentment, Bernard exhaled the last breath of heat in his chest.

Caught off guard. The Australian troops, including Bernard, were immediately swept down by machine guns, and corpses were strewn all over the ground.

Seeing the relentless firepower of the Iraqi army on the opposite side, and seeing the useless shouts of the translator, the fleeing Australian troops realized that the Iraqis on the opposite side were not accidentally injured by friendly soldiers. Instead, he made a special trip to cut off his retreat.

With the Germans behind them and the Iraqis cutting off their retreat ahead, panic quickly spread among the Australian soldiers.

Except for a small number of Australian soldiers who were bold enough to shoot at the Iraqi troops on the opposite side, most of the Australian infantry chose to switch directions and continue to escape.

Under the flanking of Iraqi troops and German troops, the positions of the Australian 6th Infantry Division were in complete disarray.

It was the Iraqi 1st Infantry Division that cut off the retreat of the Australian 6th Infantry Division.

The battle has just begun. The 1st Iraqi Infantry Division, stationed in northeastern Iraq, was stationed under the command of the division commander Kamil. On the orders of Colonel Shabib, he gave way and allowed the 90th Light Division of the German Army to march unhindered towards Baghdad.

Sparing the German 90th Light Division, the Iraqi 1st Infantry Division then launched an attack on the rear of the Australian 6th Infantry Division on the left flank, destroying the division's artillery positions in one fell swoop, and then cutting off the retreat of the Australian troops on the front line.

The crushing defeat of the Australian 6th Division led to the collapse of the division's left neighbor, the New Zealand Division.

Under the fierce offensive of the German army, the position of the New Zealand Division was already crumbling, and the collapse of the Australian 6th Division became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

For a time, the north and northwest of Baghdad were full of frantically fleeing New Zealanders and Australians, and many more raised their hands in front of the Germans.

Throwing the prisoners who got in the way to the infantry who followed, the tracks of the tanks of the 7th and 10th Panzer Divisions turned without stopping. Heading towards the final destination, Baghdad

Misfortune never comes alone.

The Habbaniah Air Base, west of Baghdad, was also surrounded by bullets.

After a rapid march in the middle of the night, the Iraqi army composed of 2 mechanized battalions, 1 mechanized artillery brigade, 1 field artillery brigade, 12 armored vehicles, as well as a machine gun company, a mechanized signal company, and an anti-tank mixed company, totaling more than 5,000 people, met the commander of the Iraqi mechanized forces. Colonel Said, under the command of Colonel Said, suddenly appeared to the south of the Habbaniah airbase.

The Iraqi army occupied the 45.7 heights south of the base without hindrance, and then set up artillery to bombard the base.

Thirteen 94-mm howitzers, 12 cannons, and four 114-mm howitzers poured shells into the airbase, and the shells contained the endless anger of the Iraqis who had been oppressed by the British.

In the flames and smoke of the shell explosion, one Glasgow "Gladiator" biplane fighter, one Bristol "Burlingham" MK.I bomber, six speed "Oxford" training planes, four Ferry "Gordon" training planes, and seven Hawker "Oddex" training planes were destroyed on the ground by shells.

More than 1,000 officers and men of the British Royal Air Force under the commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Smart, the 1st Battalion of the King of Iraq's Guards Regiment assisting in the defense of the base, and 1,200 Iraqi and Assyrian mercenaries were stunned by the unforeseen artillery fire.

Could it be that Baghdad has been lost, and the Germans have already hit here? Lieutenant General Smart's mind immediately fell under a dark cloud.

"Send a telegram to Admiral Wavell immediately to report the enemy situation here, and a copy to Lieutenant General Taylor in Baghdad. Ask him what is the situation in Baghdad now?

Everyone else is going to organize defenses right away, don't all stand here and watch me. ”

Lieutenant General Smart shouted to the flight instructors and rookie pilots around him with a straight face.

Through the window, Lieutenant General Smart could clearly see dazzling fireballs flashing on the flat runway of the airfield outside, and the wreckage of the plane was on fire. The black smoke drifted away in the wind, turning into a black cloud over the airport.

Lieutenant General Taylor's reply was quickly sent to Lieutenant General Smart.

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Lieutenant General Smart's body temperature instantly dropped to freezing.

The content of the telegram was concise: part of the Iraqi army had mutinied, and positions on the outskirts of Baghdad had been lost. The embassy and the Iraqi royal palace have been occupied by the rebels, my military headquarters has been surrounded by the rebels, you yourself find a way to break through.

Although it is impossible to see Baghdad. Lieutenant General Smart still looked up in the direction of Baghdad to the east.

What do you want me to break through?

South of Basra Port. British Middle East Garrison Command, in Wavell's bedroom.

Wavell slowly sat up from the bed, fumbled to turn on the bedside lamp, put on his black blindfold and said, "What's the matter?" ”

"Urgent telegrams from Baghdad and Habaniya. The Iraqis defected. ”

Wavell jumped out of bed, didn't care about putting on his shoes, ran barefoot to the door and opened the deadbolt to open the door.

"The Iraqis have mutinied, the rebels have seized the palace and the embassy, and are now besieging General Taylor's military headquarters. The rebels also colluded with the Germans. They flanked and routed the Australian and New Zealand forces on the outskirts of Baghdad, and the Germans were now marching towards Baghdad, according to a telegram from General Taylor.

Another telegram was sent by Lieutenant General Smart, who had also been attacked by the rebels and were in dire need of reinforcements. The adjutant said as he handed the two telegrams in his hand to Wavell.

"Damn Iraqis, how can they do that?" Wavell changed his cold face and cursed.

"What should we do?" The adjutant asked.

Wavell leaned against the door frame and frowned.

After more than ten seconds, Wavell suddenly looked up and said, "Immediately transfer the contents of these two telegrams to Yankuai Dun, and tell them that we need to retreat immediately, and let the navy send ships to meet us in advance." ”

"How are we going to get back to General Taylor and General Smart?" The adjutant asked.

"You go and inform General Taylor and General Smart. Let them figure out how to break out on their own, I don't have any reinforcements here to send to rescue them. Wavell said hurriedly.

The adjutant wanted to say something, but he chose to remain silent under Wavell's one-eyed gaze, turned around and left the newspaper.

Wavell returned to his bedroom and complained bitterly as he put on his military uniform: "Is the British Empire so hated except rebellion or rebellion?" ”

London, 10 Downing Street, London, United Kingdom.

The door to Churchill's bedroom was once again rudely pushed open from the outside, and two figures entered the bedroom one after the other, slamming into Churchill's bed.

The bedside lamp was turned on, and a blinding light shone on Churchill's peaceful face.

Churchill's rhythmic purring came to an abrupt end. The peace on the face is gone.

His eyelids twitched unusually a few times, and Churchill opened his eyes, bewildered by the fact that he was looking at his secretary, who was leaning over to look at him.

"Mr. Prime Minister, the War Department has received an urgent military intelligence from Iraq. Mr. Aiden can't handle it alone, and he needs your instructions. ”

"What emergency military intelligence? The Germans attacked? Churchill immediately looked at the secretary with wide eyes.

"We don't know, you have to answer Mr. Aiden's call right away."

The secretary picked up the phone on the bedside table and said to the operator, "Got here." ”

Churchill nervously picked up the microphone and asked, "I'm Winston, what's going on in Iraq?" ”

Aiden's equally nervous voice came from the phone: "The Iraqis have betrayed us, and they have joined forces with the Germans to attack. Our forces in Baghdad are all finished. ”

*********

Some readers questioned the ability and courage of the Iraqis to launch an uprising.

I didn't make up this uprising, but in the original history of Iraq, the uprising in Iraq took place in April 1941, but unfortunately it was suppressed by Britain because of the lack of cooperation of the Axis powers.

Now launch it in advance according to the changes in the battle situation, so that Qiu Fatzi knows that he will have to pay back sooner or later. (To be continued.) )xh118