"Smack!" Annoyed and angry, Sidel slapped the third regiment commander in the face.

He could not believe that one of the most elite armored regiments of the 1st French Panzer Division, accompanied by an attack of 100 Renault FT-17 light tanks, was repulsed by 5,000 militiamen! And more than once, thirteen times in a row in 3 consecutive days! You know, on the high ground ahead, there are 5,000 extremely exhausted infantrymen without heavy weapons, without anti-tank weapons!

The most elite armored units in France retreated in front of such a team, and even left the wreckage of 43 tanks on the high ground!

This is not what Siddle is most angry about, what makes him most angry is that he clearly feels that the French army, which has always been proud, has begun to be cowardly in the main force of the 3rd Regiment, which has always made him proud!

After the militia on the opposite high ground continued to fight with their lives, the courage of the soldiers dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye. They are no longer as proud as they used to be. When the ruined enemy showed their desperate side, they turned and retreated, exposing their weak backbones!

If it weren't for Siddle's rigorous training on weekdays, which left a deep tactical reaction to their retreat, I am afraid that such a failure would be even more unbearable!

It's a pity that no amount of rigorous training can add something to their bones. What the current French army lacks, is such an inexplicable thing, even if they have the most sophisticated offensive weapons in Europe, have the best individual combat ability, and have the most rigorous training, they are just a mediocre first-class army!

Looking at the numb and silent commander of the Third Regiment in front of him, Sidel took a deep breath, cheered up his spirits and said in a loud voice: "The First Panzer Division must not allow defeat, you still have one last chance before Marshal Petain personally intervenes." This time, you have to nail me to the high ground, and even if you are the only one left in the end, you have to take this high ground down for me! ”

Speaking of this, Siddle sighed secretly in his heart, and continued, "Go ahead, I'll let the second regiment go with you." ”

Watching the once invincible commander of the First Panzer Division retreat silently, De Gaulle, who had been standing next to him, suddenly felt a little gloomy.

This was actually a compromise in disguise by Siddle, he did not force the three regiments to take the high ground alone and regain their dignity on his own, but sent another regiment. Now these two regiments, with a total of nearly 300 tanks, attacked the infantry positions on the opposite side that were roughly equal to theirs, even if it was a one-to-one ratio, it was time to take the high ground.

No matter what kind of elite division the 1st Panzer Division was in the eyes of its colleagues, it was no longer a reliable force in De Gaulle's eyes.

Now, Glory has moved away from this fledgling armored force in France. Even if this nameless heights were taken, the glory would belong only to those SS soldiers who would rather die than give in, to those Germans who once disdained him in the eyes of Charles de Gaulle, who did not understand romance and lack of elegance, and who only knew how to fight and destroy, not to this team of proud French who won the last world war!

Behind the sortie position of the 1st Panzer Division, the huge engine roar of the Brock 210 bombers, which were mainly equipped by the French Air Force, could be heard. De Gaulle suddenly felt that things were a little ironic, in such a battle, did the French troops, known as the First Army of the European Army, still need the support of the Air Force?

On the sortie position of the 1st Armored Division, the soldiers of the 2nd Regiment who had just assembled in place flashed an indescribable look in their eyes when they looked at each other head-on. The battle for the heights has come to an end, and in a few hours, the terrified Germans will finally be crushed by their torrent of armor!

Thinking of this, all the officers and men of the 1st Armored Division couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

To be honest, this kind of relieved mood was not there when they first received the combat mission.

The French soldiers, who won the world war, have always been proud.

However, the group of militia on the opposite side was too tenacious, so tenacious that it was terrifying!

However, now, this group of militias finally has no capital to continue fighting.

The repeated attacks of the three regiments in the past three days have failed to take the high ground. But it also inflicted great casualties on the Germans on the heights. If it weren't for the fanatical SS soldiers, they would have pounced on the tanks with explosives bags on their backs many times. They couldn't even stop the tanks of the French army.

Look at the Brock 210 bombers whistling overhead, and listen to the sound of artillery fire that the artillerymen do not remember to consume. Every French officer and soldier present here believed that the Germans could not hold on.

……

Hans. Feng . Furmanred, as the only SS commander alive after the Battle for the Heights. Hans glanced back at the French bombardment, then turned his head back with a sneer, and then gave the order to retreat.

Since the last time he repelled a French attack, Steve, as commander-in-chief of the SS, ordered a withdrawal from the heights. After checking the losses of the SS forward troops, Steve estimated that the remaining few hundred SS remnants would no longer be able to repel the next French attack.

As a result, Steve decisively withdrew this group of troops with rich combat experience.

As the highest-ranking SS commander at the front, Hans . Feng . Furmanred was tasked by Steve with the task of organizing the retreat.

Hans, having received the order, immediately summoned all the ten and hundred men who were still alive and gave the order to retreat. Immediately afterwards, countless SS officers and men in black uniforms left the trenches and lined up to leave their positions. One after another, the black "dragons" merge into a forest behind the highlands. Within thirty minutes, there was not a single SS soldier on the heights.

After another thirty minutes or so, the French air force and artillery jointly bombarded the empty position, and the high-intensity bombardment lasted for nearly forty minutes.

Hans wondered what the French would have on their faces when they found that there was nothing on the ground.

To the accompaniment of the French bombardment, the corners of Hans's mouth rose slightly. I heard that Commander-in-Chief Steve had gathered 20,000 fresh troops that had arrived one after another, and that the new anti-tank guns brought from the rear had also arrived in the Ruhr industrial area.

The French, who have wasted countless hours on this nameless plateau, are destined to return empty-handed in the future.

……

"Yes, Marshal! We have taken the high ground occupied by the enemy. Yes, marshal! This area is completely in our hands. Siddle wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and reported to Marshal Petain who had questioned him.

That is, for three whole days, you did not move forward. Until now, you have stayed ten kilometers in the industrial area of Liruhr! Marshal Pétain on the other end of the line paused, and then asked in an even deeper voice: "And you finally poured a base shell on the empty high ground, and even mobilized the bombers of the air force to play with you!" ”

At this moment, Siddle shouted loudly with a red face: "Marshal, I will be responsible for this!" I'm willing to take all the responsibility! ”

Petain, who was on the other end of the phone, naturally couldn't see Siddle's red face. However, after hearing Siddle's loud answer, Petain also threw another chance at Siddle: "Tomorrow, I will fly to the front command in person." Until then, I hope that your troops can launch a round of fire reconnaissance against each of the two remaining units on the German heights. ”

Knowing that Marshal Pétain, who had a good knowledge of him, was giving him an opportunity, Siddle immediately assured: "Rest assured, Marshal, our 1st Panzer Division will find out the disposition of the Germans within this afternoon." ”

If Siddle could see it, he would have noticed that Petain was not as calm as the voice on the phone. At least, Pétain's hand that held the phone hard and showed his muscles revealed Pétain's anxiety.

However, Petain on the phone still spoke in a steady voice: "Don't be careless, if you have read the daily casualty reports of the Battle of Verdun, you will appreciate how terrible the tenacious will of the Germans is." ”

After listening to the old marshal's teaching, Siddle's eyes gradually dimmed, and he replied helplessly and slowly: "I think, I have already experienced it. ”

The Battle of Verdun, which decided the life and death of the two empires, has always been regarded by Siddle as the proud battle of Fa Lancei. He always believed that holding on to the fortified area despite the casualties of 380,000 was a symbol of the brave national spirit of the French army.

But when he thinks about it now, aren't the Germans, who inflicted 380,000 casualties on the French army at the beginning, tenacious and brave? Compared with the battle of the 1st Panzer Division under his command, Siddle was a little afraid to find that the real horror should not be the Germans who stormed the fortress of Verdun?