"The news that has just come back from the 55th Division is that the Germans have formed a breakthrough on the south bank of the Maas River, and the opposing side has a large number of tanks and armored vehicles, and it can almost be concluded that this is their main elite. In any case, we must regain our positions, and we must not allow the Germans to succeed in their attempt to break through in the middle! ”

In the front headquarters in Longsen, northern France, the French chief of staff Wei Gang exclaimed loudly in front of the map, while the French commander Gammelin and the commander of the British expeditionary force, Lord Gott, were also full of solemnity, and their eyes were only staring at the inconspicuous small city of Sedan. Although there were five rivers from the Maas River to Paris, including the Aisne River and the Marne River, as a natural obstacle, the Germans did not need to continue their offensive to the southwest: they only had to turn to the southeast to go around the rear of Nancy, Belfort and other places, and cooperate with the Austro-Hungarian army attacking in Alsace to crush the French defenses; And if the German army turns to the northwest, it will be able to weave an unprecedented net against the main forces of the Anglo-French forces on the left flank!

"We have an infantry division in Meziers that is preparing to be deployed on the south bank of the Maas River, less than 20 kilometers from the German bridgehead positions, and if they can launch a counterattack, they will buy us a day or two. In the meantime, our army must gather a strong enough force to reclose the door that is now open. Gan Molin spoke in a deep voice, and his words couldn't help but carry a hint of anxiety. The German army's breakthrough at Sedan can definitely be said to be a bolt from the blue, instantly splitting his heart, which had been somewhat relieved by the smooth progress of the Belgian war in the past few days, into the unfathomable abyss again. Faintly, Ganmalin had a premonition of extreme danger. It was as if the other party had already understood the situation. And I'm jumping into that trap that I've dug up!

Wei Gang's body was suddenly shocked. "Yes! Our army still has 2 tank divisions in Giz, Cambrai and other places as reserves, but fortunately due to the solidity of the left flank defense line, it did not follow north to Belgium; We could have concentrated it as a fierce counterattack after the German breakthrough. The newly landed British infantry division and an armored brigade also marched to the vicinity of St. Quentin and were able to strike together with our tank units. If the Germans had dared to turn to the northwest to outflank the main forces of our army, we would have been able to strike a hard blow to this lone force in the flanks and take advantage of the situation to establish a new line of defense. ”

Gan Molin was shocked when he heard this. The current situation, as Wei Gang said, was that there were several tank divisions in his own depths that had not been on the front line, and these mobile units, built up with the strong support of de Gaulle, would have been considered useless luxuries. I didn't expect it to be the only hole card in my hand that can make up for the crack. In the last battle, Gallieri defeated the unstoppable attack of the German right flank from the flank of the city of Paris, and finally stabilized the battle line like an avalanche. And today, with reserves in hand, I have every chance to achieve this battlefield goal!

Seeing the expectant gaze cast by Gan Molin, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, Gort, couldn't help but curse in his heart. Due to the location of the deployment, only two of the four tank divisions of the current French army with a full lineup can be put into battle nearby; And the task of providing infantry cover for this armored unit naturally fell on their own troops who were going to the front one after another. Fearing that the French would not be able to withstand the German-Austrian attack, the British Army began the war with its best of its best: the 6th Infantry Division, commanded by Auchinleck, was the two units mentioned by Weygand. or the 10th Armoured Brigade led by Slim, which can be called the pride of the British Army. I was originally going to let them recharge for a while longer. I didn't expect to be about to go to war so soon!

"The soldiers of Britain will accompany the French warriors." Got gritted his teeth slightly, and finally agreed. Anyway, his mission is to fight side by side with the French, and it is also his mission to be on the front line; Moreover, the collapse of the French battlefield was no less disastrous for Britain. Compared to the situation in the last war, the current situation does not allow for any hesitation!

On the night of 17 May, while the German sappers were still under the light of searchlights, they struggled to build a pontoon bridge over the Maas River, and the Allied High Command immediately issued new operational instructions. The 71st Infantry Division switched reinforcements to an offensive, trying to capture several bridgeheads and hinder the enemy's further river crossing. Although this order did not correspond to the French idea of defensive warfare, it was clearly no longer important. Half an hour later, the French 4th and 5th Tank Divisions, which had received the order, also began to move, and the battle camp was full of hurried figures; They began to make many pre-war preparations for their cars, such as refueling, loading, and overhauling, and drove to the designated place overnight after these tasks were completed.

Early the next morning, the German armored units began to attack again. After a night of continuous rushing, six of Guderian's nine armored regiments had reached the other side of the Maas; When the almighty air force dropped massive diesel supplies, the steel behemoths were able to roar back on their way. Guderian gave the order to "march to the sea", and all the armored forces advanced to the northwest in full force until the last drop of fuel was exhausted. Although the German armored troops only rested for a few hours, they were all full of energy and fighting spirit. Yesterday's hearty crossing of the Maas River greatly boosted their confidence, and the fact that the Luftwaffe dominated the war zone like a god made them fearless; Even without the cover of the infantry, they dared to boldly open their horsepower. What's more, Guderian, who is the leader of the first army, also walked with them in the armored command car, since the commanders dared to ride into the enemy's hinterland in an almost naked convertible, what doubts did he have about being protected by the heavy steel armor of the tank?

Shortly after the German tanks drove north, they collided head-on with the French 71st Infantry Division. Relying on the sheer superiority of the Luftwaffe, the French troops, intent on recapturing the bridgehead, were once again dealt a heavy blow to the German front: after a day of fierce fighting, nearly 2,000 men were killed, wounded, missing, or captured. The French commander was forced to give the order to retreat, once again moving away from the German tanks. In the middle of the battle, the French infantry, who had not built a complete fortification, had little to do in the face of this torrent of steel that was not afraid of guns, and the German fighters roaring in the sky brought a breathtaking threat of death. In order to keep their morale from crumbling, the French officers had to declare to their frightened soldiers that their planes were coated with a "special material" that made them difficult to observe from the ground as they soared through the sky. As a matter of fact, the planes of the French Air Force have long been extinct from the skies over the main theater of operations, and in the face of the powerful fighters of the German army, the air force has lost the confidence to strike again from top to bottom.

German tanks rumbled across the field, leaving behind a mess of fire, corpses, and miscellaneous debris. On 18 May, Guderian's troops rushed nearly 60 kilometers west in the battle to reach Ilson, another important French town, a situation that would never have been possible in the previous war. In the face of the French soldiers who came to surrender in despair, Guderian, who pursued a breakthrough, did not even accept it; He simply told the French to throw their weapons under the tank tracks and leave on their own, so as not to slow down their own advance. And the advantage of the German tank's itinerary has also been vividly reflected in the recent battles, as long as the external auxiliary fuel tank is filled with diesel, they can drive all the way from Sedan to the English Channel!

The glimmer of the morning dispelled the darkness, and the day once again replaced the darkness and ruled the lands of Western Europe. The German armored soldiers woke up from their cars, only to find that a summer rain had arrived unexpectedly; The sky was surrounded by dark clouds, thick and low, and a dense curtain of rain fell in the face, quickly soaking the dry ground into a muddy ground.

"Damn, why didn't this ghost weather come last night?" On the armored command vehicle, which had already propped up the tarpaulin roof, Guderian was roaring loudly at the raindrops in the air. The rain not only made the roads muddy and slippery, causing considerable inconvenience to the advance of our troops, but also caused the air support that had been guarding them to be interrupted. In fact, Guderian's luck was good enough: summer was the peak of the year for rainfall in France, as evidenced by the fact that he had crossed the Maas River, which was far faster than usual. If this shower had arrived on the 17th, it would have been difficult for Guderian's troops to force the crossing of the Maas River, even with the strong support of self-propelled artillery.

After a moment of contemplation, Guderian gave the order to move on. At present, it is a great opportunity for himself to penetrate in depth and encircle all the elite of the French army in the Belgian theater of operations, and if the advance is stopped because of such a mere rain, it is unreasonable from any point of view. The German Army has always been known for its well-trained, tenacious and tenacious European land, and has never been afraid of fighting under any circumstances; Even if you don't get air support for a while, you have every reason to continue to rush forward!

With the roar of the engines, the German tank continued on its way in a splash of muddy water. Since the roads built by France are also quite good, the muddy ponds like those of Russia do not appear here. Before noon, the armored reconnaissance company located on the flank of the front suddenly sent an urgent telegram to Guderian that a large French armored unit had appeared less than 15 kilometers away from the team, with at least 200 tanks, and was expected to meet his own team in an hour.

Guderian suddenly stood up from his seat, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and excitement. (To be continued......)

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