On a moonlit night in early summer, the blue wheat waves in the fields are blowing in the wind, which is the most beautiful picture of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, but the blood-red fire that reflects the sky, the black smoke that spreads everywhere, and the brutal killing all the time change the color of this picture. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

In the wheat field behind the coalition lines, three stiff, well-proportioned chariots stopped, and the fallen wheat clearly marked their tracks. Temporarily out of the battle, the turret hatches of the three chariots were opened one after another, and the sweat-stained Irish soldiers leaned out of them and looked around solemnly.

After confirming that there was no hostile situation, the commanders ordered the members of their respective crews to stand by and stand by. The escape hatches on the sides of the cockpit canopy and turret opened from the inside out, and fresh air poured into the cabin, diluting the remaining smoke and gas, and also relieved the young charioteers.

The world is so beautiful that you can only experience it if you are alive.

However, the sound of gunfire in front of them reminded them that the killing had not stopped, that the battle was still going on, and that their soldiers were desperately resisting the fierce onslaught of the enemy, leaving them little time to breathe.

Three chariots, three commanders, one of whom was wide and fat, and his face was covered with flesh, wiped his sweat and said to his colleagues: "These British cavalrymen are like rats in a barn, they cannot be driven by sticks, we must either find a place to ambush them, or simply ignore them." By the way, can you get a radio signal from the company? ”

On the nearest chariot, the commander with a small goatee had just instructed his communications soldier to switch the radio to the backup frequency, so he didn't answer for a while. On the vehicle a little farther away, the handsome, beardless commander checked the ammunition with his loader.

"4 W shells, 7 A shells, 4 H shells, 3 F shells, there should be two more base numbers of machine gun shells, that's all!" The ammunition hand gives the numbers unambiguously.

The cautious commander immediately turned his head and communicated to his colleagues: "I have little ammunition left, and the next battle will definitely be difficult." Maybe we should return to the beachhead as soon as possible and restock our ammunition before we come back. ”

It was a pragmatic suggestion, but it was not honorable to leave the infantry alone to return to the landing area several kilometers away, so the other two commanders did not respond.

After a few moments, the commander with a goatee said in a tone that first raised and then lowered: "We have received a message from the company, and the latest instructions for us are...... Cover the retreat of the troops! Oh shit, our defenses have been breached by the enemy! ”

In the Irish armored forces, which are known for their elite, radio equipment has been distributed to every combat vehicle, but only the company-platoon command vehicle uses dual-purpose radios for sending and receiving messages, and ordinary combat vehicles are equipped with radios that simply receive radio signals, which can only be used to receive combat commands, and cannot carry out two-way information communication.

The fat captain immediately exclaimed, "God forbid."

Next, the three commanders invariably stared in the direction of the defensive line, three or four kilometers to the east is the main position of the defensive line, if in the daytime, with the help of telescopes, you can clearly see the situation there, but the world under the moonlight seems to be covered with a thin veil, and the light and smoke on the coalition positions are flickering and smoky, making it impossible for people to intuitively judge the changes in the battle.

The goatee-goatee commander looked at the guy whose face had become serious with every piece of fat on his face: "Hey, Fat Jack, what do you think we're going to fight next?" ”

The platoon of these three "Celtic warriors" had their command vehicle destroyed, the platoon commander was seriously injured and left the field, and the remaining three commanders were all sergeants, so it was reasonable for anyone to take the lead.

"Covering the withdrawal of troops" is not a particularly clear instruction, and it needs to be understood and operated by the executor in light of the actual situation. In the complex and rapidly changing battlefield, it is difficult for commanders to make precise micro-manipulations of each unit, which is why having a good team of non-commissioned officers is the key to the army's victory, on the contrary, even if there are talented generals as commanders, it is difficult for the army to win in hard-fought battles.

The fat captain looked around, pointed to the farmhouse in the distance, and said, "Let's go there and lay in ambush." ”

Goatee squinted: "It seems that there is one of our field hospitals there." ”

The fat commander immediately expressed his thoughts: "If you go directly back to the defensive line, nine times out of ten you will have an encounter with the British chariot troops, we have too little ammunition, and there are only three chariots, if you want to play a covering role, the best way is to hide and block the enemy." ”

Goatee grinned: "He is worthy of being the most insidious and cunning chess player in the chariot battalion, he has a good idea, so let's do it!" ”

The best-looking guy unequivocally echoed: "Okay, that's it!" ”

As a result, three Irish chariots covered with field camouflage quickly set up and drove in an irregular "pin" shape towards the farmhouse a kilometer away. These "Celtic Warriors" use a torsion bar suspension system, six pairs of large-diameter load-bearing wheels are its distinctive appearance features that distinguish it from British combat vehicles, the advantages of this type of configuration are long travel, wear resistance, can effectively reduce the bumps caused by the vehicle when driving on complex terrain, but also improve comfort and stability when aiming, and the disadvantage is that maintenance and replacement are more complicated, and maintenance requires special equipment.

The early production of the Celtic Warrior was equipped with a liquid-cooled inverted V-12 diesel engine produced by Daimler, and the powertrain was later localized by the introduction of this engine production technology at the Royal Vehicle Manufacturing Plant in Limerick. In addition to being noisy, the Irish military was pleased with the diesel engine's low fuel consumption, high output and low risk of fire after being shot, and the 330 hp power output made the 20-ton vehicle as fast as a cavalry march in the wilderness.

The Cohen Peninsula is a flat terrain full of farmland and pastures, and there are no large woods here, only patches of trees and small villages scattered among the field departments of the coalition command, logistics, and medical forces. The British were not stupid, during the daytime air raids, they selectively attacked some densely vegetated places, and the houses of the villages and towns where the coalition forces were entrenched were also attacked, but the farmhouses in front were not bombed, the key reason is that people spread a large red cross flag on a white background next to it, and the British who are knightly on the battlefield usually do not attack such targets.

Today, the field medical clinic, which has 10 operating tables, is overcrowded, with hundreds of wounded soldiers waiting to be taken to the rear after initial treatment. Almost everyone was startled by the roar of chariots from far and near, and the soldiers with weapons were on guard, but they were too few and weakly equipped to fight the enemy chariots, so the soldiers were basically prepared to fight with desperation, and many cheered with joy when they saw that it was a small group of Irish chariots.

Ireland's most elite chariot units were well-trained, mostly in France, and the commanders were already familiar with the deployment of offensive or defensive arrangements according to local conditions, and relied on the terrain to set up defensive formations without having to meet to deliberate. The place seemed to be dominated by German officers and soldiers, but the highest rank of the combatants was an Irish major, who took the initiative to inquire about the purpose of the tank squad.

It was said that the fat man who could enter and exit the chariot freely was not too fat, and this was true, and the slightly fat commander in front of him got off the car with quick movements, and came to the major in three steps and two steps.

"Sir, we are part of the 1st Tank Battalion of the Irish Army. The defensive line has been breached, and we were ordered to cover the withdrawal of troops. If enemy cavalry passes by in the vicinity, we will strike them hard. If an enemy chariot unit comes, we'll find a way to kill them all. ”

The major spread his hands in surprise: "But we have not received an order to retreat. ”

The fat commander was a little surprised, but he immediately said uncontrollably: "Actually, we only got in touch with the company headquarters a few minutes ago, and to tell you the truth, about twenty minutes ago, the British cavalry broke through the defensive line, and we rushed to support in response to the call for help from the artillery unit, but it was a step late, and those British cavalry had already slipped away without a trace." ”

The major had no reason to question what the other party said, and he looked back at the place where a large number of wounded soldiers had gathered: "Then we should immediately organize a retreat to Abersoch?" ”

"I don't have any advice for you." The fat commander replied, "If you are not met by friendly forces, you are likely to be attacked by British cavalry on your way back, and we cannot give you any guarantees if you remain here." ”

"Got it!" The Major nodded, "I'll see if I can use the field phone line to get in touch with my superiors, and if the line doesn't work, can I borrow your radio?" ”

The fat man shrugged helplessly: "I'm sorry, we don't have a company-platoon-level command vehicle here." ”

The major was dumbfounded, then turned and walked towards the farmhouse.

The fat man sighed lightly, and by the time he returned to the chariot, his crew had already found some branches nearby and disguised the chariot simply. The enemy is not feared, the 50mm KwkL/56 gun of the "Celtic Warrior" has a trustworthy accuracy and power, capable of destroying any target within two hundred meters, and what worries him at this time is the wounded soldiers here everywhere. If they can't get out in time, it's not a good idea to ambush the enemy here.

On the front-line positions not far from each other, the signal corps shuttled through the various trenches, conveying the order to hold on to the spot and not to withdraw without permission to each company and platoon. Most of the Allied soldiers may not have lost their desire for victory to defend their homeland, but on this bad night, they were not involved in a fair showdown. Without the naval artillery to suppress the battlefield, and without the field artillery with accurate firepower, the Allied soldiers had to use their flesh and blood to resist the British offensive and block the repeated onslaught of British chariots and cavalry. Although the signal corps was still passing orders to hold their positions, some units had already begun to retreat with no hope of defense. The Germans and Irish huddled together without distinction, covering each other, supporting each other, and bringing the wounded and light and heavy weapons back to the beachhead near Abersoch as much as possible.

(End of chapter)