Ambush in the four rains of the Ardennes offensive in 8691939

April 28, early in the morning. As soon as six o'clock passed, thunder and lightning began to roll in the dark clouds over the Ardennes Forest, and torrential rain began to fall, as if a curtain of rain had fallen on the entire Ardennes battlefield, and the scenery a little farther away became blurred.

The real blocking position of the squadron was in a hill and woods about 6,000 meters away from the breakthrough area of the French tank troops, hidden behind a curtain wall woven by a torrential rain. The six anti-tank artillery battalions, which were originally deployed on an average of 60 kilometers of front, have now been towed here by half-tracks and jeeps. An improvised anti-tank artillery position was being built, and two battalions of engineers and a grenadier from the Panzergrenadier Regiment worked there under the command of the officers, with their heads and shirtless, and in an hour at most, the phalanx of French tanks consisting of more than 400 tanks would be led by more than 60 No. 4 tanks of the 1st Heavy Tank Battalion. Six anti-tank artillery battalions equipped with Min-27 57mm anti-tank guns will take advantage of the favorable terrain here and today's rainstorm weather as a cover to fight a beautiful ambush battle!

The commander of the 9th Panzergrenadier Brigade, Major General Pan Ershen, wore a black military raincoat in the heavy rain, and patrolled between the various anti-tank gun positions with a straight face. To use anti-tank guns against tanks, we can only rely on ambushes, and we must not expose the target in advance, otherwise it goes without saying that the enemy's artillery group, even the tank guns on those hundreds of tanks can beat their 108 Min-27 anti-tank guns into a pile of scrap metal. Then there is no way to win this battle today. However, for today's weather that is convenient for ambushes, Pan Ershen is a little mixed, although such a heavy rainy day with low visibility is conducive to the cover of anti-tank guns, but it is not conducive to the gunners to aim and shoot. And the only solution is to put the opponent closer. Therefore, after receiving Xu Yunlong's order to "fire within 500 meters", he took it upon himself to shorten the distance of firing to 400 meters!

Thanks to the efforts of well-trained Chinese panzergrenadiers, a very simple anti-tank blocking position was quickly set up. The 108 60x caliber 57mm anti-tank guns were all positioned, some behind sawn trees, some in low bushes, and some in an abandoned Belgian town on the side of the road, all carefully camouflaged. Long, pointed-nosed shells had been removed from the wooden rectangular ammunition boxes and stacked next to the guns. Don't underestimate these 57mm armor-piercing bullets, these armor-piercing bullets are the sharpest tungsten armor-piercing bullets of this era! If the fascist Germans in history were to see that every shell here was a tungsten steel armor-piercing shell, they would probably go crazy with jealousy. Of course, the German ** in this time and space also have enough tungsten steel shells like the Chinese National Defense Forces. After all, most of Eurasia is now under the domination of the Sino-German alliance.

With these tungsten armor-piercing shells, plus 60 times the caliber of 57mm anti-tank guns, and hundreds of well-trained gunners, Pan Ershen is naturally full of confidence in the upcoming battle. The only thing I am worried about now is whether the 1st Heavy Tank Battalion will be able to successfully complete the task of luring the enemy...... Isn't it too ostentatious to use more than 60 No. 4 tanks, armed with 88mm guns and weighing 45.5 tons in battle, to lure the enemy? Will it scare the French away?

Thinking of this, Pan Ershen turned his head and looked at the northern sky. There was already a faint flickering fire, and there was a muffled thunderous sound. The battle between tanks has begun, right?

……

At this moment, the fierce tank battle has started in full swing! The first to fire were 65 No. 4 tanks, which were under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Bingjun, commander of the 601st Heavy Tank Battalion, in an ambush that had been plowed several times by French artillery fire. Sixty-five tanks lined up, using their 88mm guns against their approaching opponents in the rain. According to Zhang Bingjun's order, all No. 4 tanks were to open fire at the same time when the opponent came within 800 meters.

"All! Fire! With Zhang Bingjun's order, the explosion suddenly exploded almost simultaneously on the entire front line, completely suppressing the roaring wind and rain.

"Boom! Rumble! Boom ......" explosions and fire balls rose one after another in the phalanx of French tanks. The power of the 88-mm gun with tungsten steel armor-piercing shells even surprised the officers and men of the 601st Heavy Tank Battalion. The Charb1-Bis tanks, which looked extremely sturdy, but actually had thick steel armor, looked like papier-mâché under 88mm armor-piercing shells, and were immediately blown into a flurry of fragments and parts.

The phalanx of French tanks, which had been hit suddenly, seemed to be stunned for a moment, and did not react for about 30 seconds or more, still slowly advancing at a speed of 5 to 10 kilometers per hour. Taking advantage of this time, the 65 No. 4 tanks of the 601st Heavy Tank Battalion fired three or four more shells each, and the tanks did not fire indiscriminately, but unhurriedly spent a few seconds aiming and adjusting before firing again. Aiming before firing is of course a basic requirement in all shooting training, but when you really go to the battlefield, you can definitely do it with veterans who have been in battle for a long time. For example, most of these Chinese tank crews who drove the No. 4 heavy tank to fight were from the Chinese Eighth Armored Division, which broke through the prestige in the "Anti-Soviet War", and all the commanders also had the record of destroying more than three Soviet tanks!

However, what was surprising was that the French tanks, which found themselves under attack, did not fire indiscriminately, but all stopped moving forward and raised their guns...... Suddenly, there was a flash of fire, and then there was a loud bang that shook the world. Hundreds of 75mm or 47mm shells, dragging orange tail flames, glided across the sky at breakneck speed and landed around the 65 Chinese tanks! The roaring shock wave carried the shrapnel that exploded and slammed into the thick steel armor of the No. 4 tank, causing every tank crew member inside to be staggered, and at the same time a little inexplicable.

"Niang Sipi! Why are these French bombarding us with high-explosive shells? Will they fight? ”

Zhang Bingjun's headphones came from the sound of scolding who didn't know who. When he thought about it, what was the case, weren't those Frenchmen bombarding with high-explosive shells? It turned out that in a panic, they took 65 tanks hidden behind the rain curtain and fired them as 65 anti-tank cannons! So there was a salvo with high-explosive shells. The corners of his mouth hooked slightly, revealing a somewhat mocking smile, and shouted at the walkie-talkie next to his mouth: "Attention units! Attention units! Free fire for 30 seconds, and after 30 seconds, everyone retreats 500 meters! ”

Just as the 88mm guns of the Chinese tanks roared for the second time, the commander of the French armored group, Charles de Gaulle, also noticed that something was wrong. The other side is not an ordinary 88mm anti-aircraft gun! But...... An 88mm assault gun converted from the turf of Tank No. 3! And there are at least 60 more!

Due to the good secrecy of the Germans, France was still unaware of the existence of a 45.5-ton tank equipped with an 88mm tank gun in the armored forces of China and Germany. Therefore, de Gaulle mistook them for the No. 3 assault gun.

"Report the damage!" De Gaulle stood tall in the armored command car, raised his telescope through the rain curtain and began to observe the vague battlefield ahead. I saw that there were at least 30 fires burning in the heavy rain, and it was estimated that they were all French Charb1-BIS tanks! In front of an 88mm gun, this tank with 60mm frontal armor was no different from a papier-mâché toy.

The remaining French tanks also began to return fire with armor-piercing shells, and countless orange-red rays flew through the rain curtain at great speed, towards the large ones that vaguely showed their figures. Fireballs quickly rose around the "Three Assault Guns", and some of them hit their frontal armor with a clanging sound...... Just no breakdown! What's going on? The No. 3 assault gun is nothing more than 70mm beveled armor, there is no reason to withstand the 75mm cannon of the Charb1-BIS tank? Even the S35's 47mm tank gun should be a threat to them at a distance of less than 1000 meters.

"General, we lost 35 Charb1-Bis tanks, all of which were blown up by the enemy's 88mm guns!" By this time the chief of staff had already counted the losses and came to report to de Gaulle.

"How many enemies are there?"

"There are about 62 to 65 assault guns No. 3."

"Are you sure it's Three?"

"This ...... I'm confirming. The chief of staff was stunned for a moment, and he also noticed that the No. 3 assault guns were a little abnormal. At this moment, another staff officer, who was in charge of liaison with the front, shouted: "Sir! Sir! The enemy is retreating, they are fleeing! ”

"Ran away?" De Gaulle was stunned, hurriedly raised his telescope and began to watch. Sure enough, only French tanks were left firing on the battlefield ahead, and the Chinese assault guns were no longer firing back. Tanks and assault artillery of this era had no way to fire while moving, which showed that the opposing side was retreating.

"General, we caught up and hit with the Charb1-bis tank closer! Whether they're three assault guns or whatever, our 75mm cannons can handle it. The chief of staff suggested loudly.

De Gaulle hesitated for a moment, and seemed to feel that something was wrong, but now that the tide of the war had taken a turn for the worse, the only way to turn things around was to make a beautiful comeback in the Ardennes Forest. He raised his binoculars and stared at the rain curtain for a long time, and finally he nodded his head and ordered, "Chase!" We caught up and fought. Also, the deployment of the regimental headquarters in Chapter 863 is not the only one, behind this front where he is located, two entire armored divisions, more than 700 tanks, and strong artillery are ready! As soon as the ambush of the 57mm guns is over, they will swarm out and completely annihilate the French panzer division, and then perhaps take the opportunity to sweep the French infantry and artillery ...... on the south bank of the Maas River.

At this time, Zhang Bingjun's 601 heavy tank battalion was still fighting and retreating, and his tank battalion destroyed at least 60 French tanks along the way, and his own loss was only one No. 4 tank was abandoned after the tracks were destroyed by French artillery fire. But those French were stubborn enough to chase after such a huge loss! I didn't notice anything wrong.

Zhang Bingjun pushed open the top cover of the tank turret, poked his head out and looked around. The rain was still falling outside, and the surrounding forests and hills seemed to be covered with a thin veil, and everything seemed to be vague and strangely quiet, as if there was no army in ambush at all.

"601 call 09, 601 call 09." Zhang Bingjun turned on the on-board radio station and began to contact the brigade headquarters of the 9th Grenadier Brigade to confirm that the enemy had entered the ambush circle of the 57mm gun. In order to facilitate the aiming of the 57mm anti-tank gun, after the enemy enters the ambush circle, the No. 4 tank of the 601st Heavy Tank Battalion will stop retreating and engage the opponent in an artillery battle to entangle the opponent.

"601, I'm 09, you guys go back 500 meters to the southeast, and then 500 meters back to the southeast." Pan Ershen's voice came from inside the earphones, and Zhang Bingjun sighed softly. Fortunately, there is no fork in the road, after all, this is Belgium that is unfamiliar with life!

The 64 No. 4 tanks of the 601st Heavy Tank Battalion continued to spew white smoke and roared back, and nearly 400 French tanks, along with a motorized rifle brigade behind, led to the ambush circle. At this time, in the woods, hills, and villages on both sides of the road, 108 Min-27 Type 57mm anti-tank guns had adjusted their muzzles, and one after another shiny armor-piercing shells were held in the arms of the ammunition man, waiting for the French to enter within 400 meters. In addition to these 6 anti-tank artillery battalions, a whole regiment of grenadiers was also ready. Nearly 3,000 officers and men waiting to attack were scattered in an arc-shaped ambush position, MG37 general-purpose machine guns had been erected, Min-25 automatic rifles were loaded, and some 57mm recoilless guns and 82mm mortars for the grenadier regiment were also in place. Hao Baixiong, the commander of the 9th Grenadier Regiment, had also fought in the anti-Soviet war and had seen big scenes, but he still felt a little nervous at this moment. After all, this time the opponent is a French armored division with more than 400 tanks!

The unsettling wait before the battle did not last long, and the tracks of the 64 rumbling back tanks of No. 4 stopped rolling almost simultaneously. The 64 steel-cast turrets began to rotate slowly, and each of them was equipped with a powerful 88mm cannon.

"Boom!" With a bang, the cannon of the No. 1 car driven by Zhang Bingjun first roared, and an 88mm armor-piercing projectile sprayed out of the muzzle at a speed of more than 800 meters per second, cutting through the air, dragging an orange-red tail flame straight to a French Charb1-BIS tank 800 meters away!

With a loud bang, a flaming tank turret was lifted into the air, and before it could land heavily on the wet ground. The sound of artillery roaring and tank ammunition detonation has been resounded throughout the battlefield. Countless orange-red fiery rays of light rushed out from all directions, rushing towards the more than 300 French tanks in the center of the battlefield at a rapid speed. Machine guns, recoilless guns and mortars in ambushes in the forests, hills and villages were also fired at full power, and fire flowed towards the French......

For the French army, this raid was absolutely devastating. 64 No. 4 tanks and 108 57mm anti-tank guns fired thousands of shells in a very short time, and more than 200 French tanks were hit and caught fire in just a few minutes! What made de Gaulle even more depressed was that his motorized infantry brigade was covered and shot by a Chinese artillery group that did not know where to ambush before it could be launched! Immediately there were heavy losses. Seeing this situation, Major General de Gaulle had to grit his teeth and make the decision to withdraw and regroup.

However, as soon as the order to retreat was given, the rumbling roar of the motor came from the forest not far away...... The counterattack of the Chinese armored forces began!

!#