Whether it is "Kitchener" or "Vickers", or a four-wheeled armored car, the German "Teutonic Knights" can be easily handled like a hammer smashing a walnut, which is where the technical advantage of Krupp steel and artillery lies, but on the Cohen Peninsula in North Wales, the 3rd Tank Regiment of Greater Germany, known for its elite, has fallen into the predicament of many ants biting elephants, and thousands of British infantry are entrenched in the positions left by the coalition forces, and their own tanks and field artillery cooperate with each other. Use all available weapons to stop the Germans. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 The wedge-shaped attack formation of more than a hundred Teutonic Knights looked unstoppable, but as they were wounded, destroyed, and disgraced one by one, the Wedge of Steel gradually began to waver, advancing more and more slowly, until it came to a complete halt.

The 203rd, 449th, and 723rd Infantry Regiments of the German Army, and the 79th Light Infantry Regiment of the Irish Army, these four well-organized infantry units were ordered to join forces with the 3rd Tank Regiment of Greater Germany to counterattack. After recovering about four kilometers of defensive line, more than half of the nearly 10,000 new forces that had been put into the battlefield had been consumed, and Hugh said that it would be a problem to hold even the existing positions if they continued to advance.

As dawn approached, tens of thousands of British troops on the front line on the Cohen Peninsula launched a general attack on the Allied defensive line from the east and north, and in less than 40 minutes, the recaptured defensive line of the Allied forces was shattered, and a large number of British light infantry poured in from the breach, wrapping the main force of the 3rd Tank Regiment of Greater Germany and thousands of Allied infantry in large dumplings, and sweeping away the tactical support points behind the Allied defensive line -- except for the artillery units deployed in the two beachhead landing areas, the Allied landing force had no field artillery.

The situation of the battle changed so quickly that the front-line officers and men were caught off guard, and the rear commanders were also overwhelmed. In Dublin, less than 150 kilometers from the front line on the Cohen Peninsula, the largest fortified city on the east coast of Ireland, the German Task Force Command was quietly in full swing with an atmosphere of tension and anxiety, and urgent telegrams swept away all the previous light-hearted factors, and sent the corps commander General William Greiner and Chief of Staff to General ****** von Bergmann and below, almost every officer put on a poker face.

Wilhelm Glener was a general in the German Army, and most of his achievements were actually achieved in civilian positions such as railways, quartermasters, and military production, and it was the first time he had served as a corps-level commander. The reason why such a senior general who lacks actual combat experience was entrusted with a heavy task is mainly because he has very excellent organizational skills, can manage such complex military operations as joint landing operations in an orderly manner, and also has the experience of serving in the German General Staff, and will not be unfamiliar with military command affairs. In the future, I am afraid that there will not be any chance to lead the troops into battle for this 66-year-old veteran, and the glittering marshal's scepter will also become the biggest regret of his life.

Like Greiner, the 69-year-old von Bergmann is eager for the highest rank in the German military, and is just one step away from that goal. These two orthodox Prussian soldiers, serious, rigorous, tenacious, and resolute, did not hesitate in the case of identifying the target, and only a dozen hours ago they were confidently looking at the largest - and perhaps most significant amphibious landing operation in history. After the landing operation was launched, the German and Irish naval and air forces threw themselves into the front line without hesitation, and with considerable sacrifices, they won relatively ideal landing conditions for the ground troops. With each additional soldier, machine gun, artillery, and chariot on the Cohen Peninsula, the Coalition's hopes of holding a foothold in the face of a British counterattack increased. Now it seems that all the complacent thoughts stem from a misjudgment of the situation, and a contempt and underestimation of the determination of the British to defend their homeland.

"Four corps, two hundred thousand people, and at least one hundred and fifty artillery squadrons and two hundred tank squadrons? Such a large-scale troop movement must have begun during the day, but it is hard to believe that our air force is unaware of it. Holding the secret telegram sent by the German General Staff, Glenner, who had a thick mustache, said to his partner suspiciously.

Von Bergmann, his eyes down, a little tired and a little lost, said in a low tone: "Even if this information for some reason exaggerates the facts, the intensity of the attack on the Cohen Peninsula by our landing force is still much greater than expected, which shows that the air force's reconnaissance has not achieved the desired results, and the bombing report is exaggerated - if the railway facilities in North Wales and West England had been damaged to sixty per cent, it would have been impossible for so many tanks and artillery to reach the Coen Peninsula in one night, And the enemy could not have captured our positions with infantry alone. ”

"Although the situation is not in our favor, it is far from the point of pessimism and despair." Glainer deliberately aroused his partner's emotions, and he immediately instructed his adjutant: "Colonel Stein, urge our 22nd Corps and the 4th Irish Heavy Infantry Division to speed up the boarding of troops, and the fleet must leave the harbor before dawn." ”

The adjutant replied in a loud voice: "Yes, General!" ”

Glenner's eyes were staring at the miniature sand table that marked the movement of the battlefield, the soldiers on both sides of the front line troops were crowded in the middle of the Coen Peninsula, seemingly evenly matched, the coalition side had actually been defeated, and near Abersoch in the south of the Coen Peninsula, the coalition forces still had a large number of troops, some of which were withdrawn from the front line, some had just been transported and landed, and the semicircular defensive positions built around Abersoch were only more than four kilometers long, which was more than half shorter than the previous defense line across the Coen Peninsula, and the defense density was increased accordingly. But the depth of defense has also been greatly reduced. Once the last line of defense was breached by the British, the nearly 100,000 Allied troops who had landed and countless weapons and baggage could fall into the hands of the enemy, which would definitely be an extremely heavy blow to the morale of the German and Irish troops.

There are three main ports of departure for the coalition landing force: Dublin, Wexford, and Watford, and the closest to Abersoch is Waterford, and it only takes half a day for the landing ships to go back and forth, and Dublin, which is the farthest distance, is only more than 200 nautical miles for a round trip. The ships that were the first to unload the landing personnel and equipment had already returned to their respective ports of departure, and since the night ferry was likely to be attacked by British submarines and torpedo boats, the ships carrying the second wave of the landing force were scheduled to depart after dawn, arriving in the morning from Watford and Wexford, and the troops from Dublin in the afternoon, and if all went well, the landing should be completed before dusk.

Finally, Glenner took out a golden pocket watch from his pocket, opened the case and looked at the time, and then asked in an affirmative tone: "After a night's rest, the boys of the Air Force should be able to return to the battle in good spirits, right?" ”

The question was apparently addressed to the only officer at the sand table who wore the uniform of a Luftwaffe general. The man looked to be forty-two or thirteen years old at most, with a finger-length scar on his face, heroic but not rugged, confident but not arrogant. It is rare for the German Army and Navy to have such a young general, but in the Luftwaffe, which was only two decades old, young and successful talents abound.

Just now, both Glenner and Bergman questioned the performance of the Air Force the day before, and the Air Force officers present all looked gloomy, and although the Air Force Major General had a calm expression, his expression was also a little unnatural. Hearing the culture of the regimental commander, he immediately replied with his head held high and full of energy: "Yes, General. Not only the pilots, but all of our fighters have been carefully maintained and overhauled, waiting for dawn to ensure that they are in the best possible condition for battle. ”

Glenner thought for a moment and said in an inquiring tone: "In the first attack after dawn, we dispatched two-thirds of our light bombers to launch an all-out attack on the British targets on the Cohen Peninsula in one go, focusing on the British front-line airfields, artillery positions, railway facilities, and fighter units to cover them all. The fighters that had been transferred to protect Limerick were divided into three and sent to the Cohen Peninsula in turn, and the air guard duty was handed over to the Irish Air Force. What do you think? ”

Bergman calmly thought for a while: "Today's battle is the key to this battle, the British commander must be prepared, I think the first attack only needs to send a quarter of the light bombers, if the British fighters are full of strength, we use light bombers as bait to lure them to fly low, and our fighter units take the attack on British fighters as the first task, relying on the superiority of numbers to inflict heavy damage on them." As long as you win a good battle at the beginning of today, the next move will be much smoother. ”

Without waiting for Glener to speak, the Air Force Major General said in a serious voice: "My idea is basically the same as that of General Bergman: first use light bombers to lure out British fighters in batches, use our fighters to hit them hard, and then attack British ground targets, which can not only reduce our losses, but also reduce the resistance of bomber troops when attacking ground targets." As for the repatriation of the fighter unit sent to protect Limerick, I personally have no opinion. ”

Glenner nodded: "Now that the battle has begun, no matter how many fighter units we invest, Limerick will not escape the fate of being bombed." When we have defeated the British, a large part of the British overseas trade market will naturally be compensated to Ireland, and with the diligence of the Irish, a great city will be built on the ruins in a few years. ”

In response to the British air raid on the Irish capital, the air force major general analyzed: "Based on the British Air Force's loss rate in the bombing of Limerick yesterday, I don't think they may have the courage to continue to launch such air raids in the near future, otherwise, they will soon consume their medium and heavy bombers, so that the British Air Force will not pose any strategic threat to the German mainland, and for the losses suffered by the Irish, His Majesty the Wise Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will certainly compensate for the losses suffered by the Irish." ”

Bergman was hesitant at first about the transfer of fighter units, but after listening to the two men's answers, he quickly changed his mind and agreed that the air operation would soon be launched in accordance with the Air Major's vision.

(End of chapter)