, the Ardennes offensive in 8701939 is getting bigger and bigger

The place where de Gaulle's Panzer Division was ambushed by the squadron was General Fronville, a flat area between two hills. A total of 108 57mm anti-tank guns were deployed on the hills on either side and in the small town of Fronville, as well as an Panzergrenadier Regiment (Chapter 864 Junction), and then flanked the French Panzer Division in Fronville from both flanks.

For a time, the French 1st Armored Division was forced to the brink of total annihilation. Major General de Gaulle, commander of the French First Panzer Corps, and his staff officers, who were on the front line to supervise the battle, looked at the fire coming from all directions, and they were also a little at a loss, not knowing what to do.

The order to retreat had been given, but the squadron's artillery fire covered the French motorized rifle brigade and blocked the retreat of the French armored forces. Moreover, after the First Armored Division of the French Army was ambushed by the squadron, there were only more than 100 tanks left, and they were all S35 types with relatively weak firepower and armor.

"General! Order the troops to shrink, and we'll be here at Ververon, relying on the remaining more than 100 tanks to form a ring of fortifications, and stand by for reinforcements! Major General Michel, the commander of the 1st Armored Division, finally came to his senses at this time and made a suggestion to his commander.

De Gaulle, however, could hear timidity and panic in his trembling voice. Although de Gaulle couldn't think of a clever way to reverse the defeat, he knew that the 1st Panzer Division must not stay here, and under the artillery fire of the squadron, this flat land could not be defended at all. The only way now is to break through the siege, withdraw the troops from this dangerous place, and then make plans.

"Major General Michelle, we can't stay here! The Chinese will not have only these means, their two armored divisions must have been dispatched by now! Therefore, we must break through as soon as possible, otherwise we will all be prisoners of the Chinese! De Gaulle looked around the mountains on both sides, then pointed to the hill on his left and said to Michel: "Go to the 201st Motorized Rifle Brigade at once, see if you can organize a little force, and then attack the hill on the left, seize there and cover the retreat of the main army!" ”

After sending Major General Michel to gather his troops and seize the hill, de Gaulle recruited his chief of staff, Colonel Amy, to come forward. "Send a telegram to Lieutenant General Lawrence and ask him to send the 3rd Light Division to relieve us and let them advance to the Somme. Ryoze, ready to pick us up! Let our artillery group open fire again, and bombard the hills and roads next to the hills on the west side of the town of Fronville, and we must suppress the Chinese for me! ”

"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, and tell them that they must ...... quickly."

Xu Yunlong's armored command vehicle was already marching on a road in the Ardennes Forest at this time, and the first and second armored divisions that were put into the counterattack today were all subordinate to the First Armored Army. Therefore, after handing over the overall command of the Northern Front to Hu Lian, the commander of the Second Panzer Corps, who was temporarily his deputy, he took a small number of staff officers and retinues to act with the First Panzer Division. More than 300 tanks of the 1st Panzer Division were now forming a marching column and were advancing north along an improvised road, ready to penetrate the flank of the French Panzer Division that had been ambushed. In addition, the 2nd Panzer Division is saved from the other direction, as long as the other side has the slightest hesitation and does not break through in time, waiting for them will be completely annihilated! Even if these French guys were quick to smear the soles of their feet, the two Chinese armored divisions would be able to shake the entire French defense line on the south bank of the Maas River by pursuit.

But at this moment, the French cannons, which had been silent for a while, suddenly began to cover the sky again. The defeat at the front and de Gaulle's request made Lieutenant General Lawrence not dare to take it lightly, and hurriedly used all the artillery groups in his hands to bombard the hills and roads west of Fronville!

Although the heavy fire of the French army could not hurt the Chinese tanks on the march, it still played a certain role. The squadron's 57mm anti-tank gun positions on the hills west of Fronville suffered heavy losses, and all 36 57mm guns of the two battalions were destroyed or damaged by French shells! The casualties were equally heavy, with the commanders of two anti-tank artillery battalions all killed, three of the six company commanders killed and one seriously wounded, and more than 150 other junior officers, non-commissioned officers and ordinary soldiers suffered casualties. Moreover, the French artillery bombardment also had an unexpected effect, and the four anti-tank artillery battalions deployed in the town of Fronville and on the hill east of the town also hurriedly moved their positions...... As a result, the suppression of the firepower of the French tanks was significantly reduced. De Gaulle seized this opportunity and hurriedly ordered the whole army to break through to the northwest, and finally withdrew part of his troops and tanks before the Chinese 1st Panzer Division blocked his retreat.

……

In the temporary command post of China's First Armored Army south of Aotong City, there was a noise of telephone ringing and human voices at the moment. All the situation on the northern front of the Ardennes Forest was summed up in this Belgian manor by means of improvised wired telephones and radio waves. The news of the successful breakthrough of the French armored forces also walked to Huang Guyu, who was lying on the edge of the map and studying the overall situation of the European war, with a depressed face, and sighed: "Chapter 864 Regiment Army, push the battle line to the bank of the Maas River." You're thinking about ......"

Huang Guyu smiled and waved his hand: "It's not what I think, it's Ganmalin, it's Ironside that they have to think about!" If we advance to the south bank of the Maas, Guderian will break through the French line on the west bank of the Maas...... Seagull, what do you think the top brass of the Anglo-French coalition will think? ”

"We advance to the south bank of the Maas River...... Dai Anlan sorted out his thoughts and said thoughtfully: "Originally, the British and French forces estimated that Guderian's armored forces would break through from the direction of Sedang, and then turn around and go north, cutting off their retreat. And we are only covering Guderian's flank in the northern part of the Ardennes Forest. If we had broken through the French Chapter 864 regimental army and advanced the front to the Maas River, the Anglo-French forces would have been confused. ”

"Confused?" Huang Guyu glanced at Dai Anlan and said slowly: "What kind of confusing method?" ”

"They will wonder about the direction of our main attack, and if we defeat a French army group that includes armored forces, it will look like a main force." Pointing to the map, Dianlan explained: "Guderian's road is a big encirclement, and we are a small encirclement. If Guderian succeeded, the main forces of the Anglo-French army would have made dumplings for the Germans in Belgium. If we break through the Maas River, it will be more than 60 kilometers away from Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and all the way to the plain, which is exactly the battlefield where our armored troops gallop. At that time, we will be caught between Army Group A and Army Group A, and the main force of the Anglo-French coalition will also be finished.

In other words, as long as we reach a breakthrough with Guderian all the way, the more than 2 million Anglo-French troops will almost be wiped out! However, it is now difficult for the top brass of the Anglo-French forces to judge which way is the real main attack between us and Guderian...... Moreover, they do not have enough reserves to block both directions at once. ”

"And what will Gammarin and Ironside do?" Huang Guyu asked again.

"They will ......" Dai Anlan stared at the map, his eyebrows gradually twisted, as if he was deducing the change in the situation of battle in his mind. From Bastoni, it was feasible to attack the Belgian plains from the north and to attack France from the west...... For the Anglo-French forces, if it is just to deal with one road, there may be a way. It is absolutely impossible to divide forces to defend us and Guderian, and at the same time cope with the onslaught of Army Group A. Their only way out is to retreat! Abandoning Belgium, and even the northeastern part of France, the main forces retreated in great strides, retracting to the vicinity of Paris to regroup and fight again. ”

"So what do we do next?" Huang Guyu asked with a smile.

"Attack! Attack on all fronts! Taking advantage of the panic caused by the defeat of the 1st Panzer Division of the French Army, he launched a fierce attack and threw all the forces available into it. It would be better to get the 1st Panzer Division of the German SS, which had just taken out Bastoni, to also engage in the offensive on the northern front, to sweep the Anglo-French forces south of the Maas River as quickly as possible. ”

Huang Guyu stood up and ordered loudly: "Let the 1st Armored Division assault along the road from Bastoni to Namur, and if possible, seize the bridge over the Maas River outside Namur." The 2nd Panzer Division assaulted along the road from Otong to Yuyi, and also fought all the way to the banks of the Maas River! The 1st and 2nd Panzergrenadier Divisions were ordered to immediately engage in a counterattack against the enemy in front of them. ”

"Then send a telegram to General Guderian requesting the transfer of the 1st SS Panzer Division to the Northern Front. Then send a telegram to the German 46th and 47th Motorized Rifle Divisions, ordering them to speed up their advance and be sure to reach Otun and Manet by 5 o'clock this afternoon. ”

……

To Huang Guyu and Dai Anlan's expectations, the headquarters of the French Army's Chapter 864 Regiment Army in the Belgian town of Elon on the north bank of the Maas River was also planning a new counteroffensive at this time! Several of the commanders of the French Army's Chapter 864 Regiment stood in front of a huge military map in high spirits, smiling and calm, as if they did not care at all about the urgent telegram sent by de Gaulle. Beside Lieutenant General Lawrence and Major General Miller, there were several British Army generals wearing yellow-green uniforms and large-brimmed hats, led by a somewhat short stature, with an angular face, a pair of high cheekbones, and a large, pointed nose, and a pair of deep-sunken eyes that radiated a brilliant light.

This person is the famous British general in World War II. Bernard . Montgomery. Now he is the commander of a temporary British armoured group, responsible for directing the British 3rd and 1st armoured divisions south to reinforce the French Chapter 864 regimental army. Half an hour earlier, he and the commander of the 1st Armored Division, Major General Wimberley, had just arrived at the headquarters of the French Chapter 864 Regiment in Elon.

"General Montgomery, as you can see," Lawrence picked up a whip, pointed to Fronville on the map, and said slowly: "Our 1st Panzer Division was attached by the Chinese there, and suffered great losses, but now they have broken out of the encirclement and are moving towards the Somme. Lez direction shifted. It is 28 kilometers away from Yuyi, and the roads along the way are basically intact, and if your 3rd and 1st Panzer Divisions set out now, it is estimated that they can resist in 3 hours. Our 3rd Light Mechanized Division is also rushing there. I hope that we can launch an attack on Marsh by 5 p.m. today, with the 3rd Light Mechanized Division of the French, the 1st Panzer Division of the British Army, and the 3rd Division of the British Army. ”

"You mean another attack?" Montgomery's thick eyebrows frowned, and he hesitated: "The Chinese have just defeated a French armored division, and their strength is probably very strong, right?" ”

Lawrence smiled slightly and said, "The French First Armored Division was caught off guard by the Chinese ambush, not how strong their forces were. According to the report of Major General de Gaulle, the 1st Panzer Division encountered only 65 new Chinese heavy tanks in front and behind......"

"A new heavy tank?" Montgomery's eyebrows furrowed even tighter. "How much does it weigh? What caliber is the main gun? How thick is the frontal armor? ”

Major General Miller took the question and replied: "The 1st Armored Division found a heavy tank abandoned after the destruction of the tracks in the pursuit of the Chinese heavy tank, according to the estimates of our technicians, this tank has a full weight of about 45 tons, the main gun is a 50 times caliber 88mm gun, and the frontal armor is 110mm high-quality bulletproof steel plate arranged at an oblique angle. ”

"110mm armor, 88mm caliber artillery...... Our Matilda 2 simply can't deal with it! Hearing the basic data of the No. 4 tank, Major General Wimberley, commander of the British First Armored Division, gasped, "The 40mm tank gun of the Matilda 2 type can't hit the 110mm armor at all!" And there are no tanks that can hold back the bombardment of 88mm guns! ”

"There are not many such heavy tanks and they can be destroyed with a 17-pounder gun." Major General Miller said in a deep voice: "Your 1st Panzer Division has more than 400 tanks, our 3rd Light Mechanized Division has 156 tanks, and in addition, your 3rd Division has 52 tanks. This time we can put in a total of 676 tanks! And there are 1,500 cannons, nearly 35,000 elite infantry. With such a strong force, it will definitely be able to defeat the Chinese and close the gap in the Upper Ardennes Forest tomorrow, which is crucial for the entire war situation! ”

"But the Chinese also have two armored divisions, and one of the Germans has captured Bastoni and can go north at any time. In addition, there were two Panzergrenadier divisions in Chinese...... Their total strength is up to 5 divisions! At least 1,200 tanks and 60,000 infantry! Montgomery retorted with a solemn expression, "We have no chance of winning if we attack rashly. Unless more troops can be committed. ”

"There will be more troops." Lawrence glanced at the two "timid" British major generals and took a deep breath. "The French Third and Fourth Armies will also strike back at the same time, so that we have five infantry divisions in place...... In addition, I will also ask Joseph . Admiral George asked for help, asking him to reinforce us with the 2nd and 3rd Panzer Divisions. These two divisions will be in place by tomorrow morning. ”

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