In the front self-command headquarters of the US army, Howell was furious and reprimanded the commander of the 75th Army. After the commander of the 75th Army slipped away. , Howell said to the commander of the 82nd Army, who had just arrived: "After dark, your division will send two divisions to attack, so that the enemy will not be able to breathe for a moment." "Yes, I will never slack off." The chief of staff said: "The reconnaissance unit found the main force of the enemy in Ryktin, and they marched very slowly, and it is estimated that they will arrive in about 4 days. The enemy dispatched three armies, which was really a big deal. Howell's face turned black and red and asked, "When will the Salt Lake City breakout force reach the west side?" ”

The chief of staff said: "General Wilson has reported that the 65th Army has set off, but they have been attacked by enemy air, and it is estimated that they will reach the west side at noon tomorrow. "It seems that the enemy forces have judged the breakthrough of our troops in Salt Lake City. This is evidenced by the sudden intensification of the enemy's attack. Time is running out and we must take Rock Springs within 3 days, and we must give the order to die. At this time, Major Kuhl walked in and said cautiously: "Your Excellency, there are only 12 tanks and combat vehicles left, and my subordinates are either killed or captured, please leave me some blood and bones!" ”

Howell said with a tiger face: "No, you have to personally go into battle to launch an attack, and now it is more important than anything to meet the breakthrough of the defenders of Salt Lake City." Seeing the commander's unquestioning face, Kuhl had no choice but to raise his hand and salute and leave. The chief of staff said: "The enemy soldiers are so terrible, they actually approach the tank with an explosives pack, and it is unbelievable that an explosive pack can destroy a tank." Howell was speechless, he knew in his heart that it was not easy to build a chariot in such a short time. In time. But how much time can God give?

At night, guns and cannons are thundering, the sky is full of flowers, and a brutal fierce battle is staged. Provisional Division Headquarters of the 4th Division. The division commander seemed to be deaf to the roar of guns outside and was sleeping. The chief of staff walked in with red and swollen eyes and dust, and gently woke up the division commander and said: "Division commander, the reserve 7th Division is building a defensive line on the west side, and it seems that the US army in Salt Lake City is going to break through and form a north-south flank attack." When the division commander heard this, he said: "When the main force arrives, the situation is not optimistic. I immediately went to the military headquarters to ask for war? ”

The commander of the 2nd Army in the military headquarters is learning about the situation of the battle. Telephones rang one after another, and the operational staff officers were busy. "Commander, the 7th Division is building a defensive line on the western flank. Is it that the U.S. military in Salt Lake City is going to break through! "The commander of the 4th division walked into the military headquarters and spoke bluntly." Yes, the Corps Command telegraphed that the Air Force had discovered that the U.S. forces in Salt Lake City were massing forces on the east flank, and the intention was very obvious. "Commander. I asked to go into battle. "How many soldiers do you have that can fight?" "Less than three thousand!" The commander pondered for a moment and said, "The U.S. troops in Salt Lake City will arrive at noon tomorrow at the earliest. Your unit should first have a good rest, so that the officers and men can recuperate their spirits! ”

The army commander continued: "The headquarters of the expeditionary force has called to commend you, and your division is the honor of the whole army. Go back and rest, and use it as a reserve. After the commander of the 4th Division left, the commander said: "The 4th Division has left us valuable defensive experience. The U.S. military in front of us is different from before, they are crazy, but we can't be crazy. All divisions and brigades were ordered not to devote all their forces to battle, but to retain a certain number of counterattack troops. We've got to be here like nails. ”

Another round of American attacks was repulsed, and then retaliatory artillery fire began. The soldiers of a certain position quickly entered the anti-artillery hole to hide. "Damn, the Americans are so rich, this artillery fire has never stopped. Listening to this artillery sound is almost like thunder, it is estimated that there are at least two artillery divisions. The soldier teased and drifted off to sleep. A few people next to him also fell asleep. The soldiers were so tired that they slept soundly under the deafening sound of artillery.

Major Chur commanded the last 12 companies of tanks to attack in the center. Their task is still to cover the infantry, and the old routine has not changed. Kuhl ordered the tanks to rush to the front of the enemy position and then stopped advancing. And continuous strafing with machine guns. Suddenly, dozens of mortar shells flew out of the enemy trenches, and the American soldiers who followed behind were suppressed. Cook realized that it was not good, and hurriedly used a serpentine form to evade it, but soon there was still a violent explosion in his passage. Violent shocks, Kuhl lost consciousness. It turned out that the enemy soldiers did not go out of the trenches at all, but hid in the craters.

When Coote woke up, he found a female soldier in a white lab coat visiting: "You're awake, don't worry you're okay just stunned." I now officially inform you that you have been captured. The female military doctor's soft voice made Kuhl seem relieved. He closed his eyes again and realized how beautiful it was to be alive, and that the damn war had nothing to do with me. Almost all captured American soldiers quickly became disgusted with war, and their loyalty had long since been thrown out of the sky. In particular, the expeditionary force explicitly stipulated that prisoners should not be treated badly, which made the American prisoners of war lose the heart to resist.

At night at the station on the east side of Salt Lake City, the commander of the US defense personally sent the commander of the 65th Army on the expedition. During the day, the Air Force of the Expeditionary Force wantonly and indiscriminately bombed the US military assembly area, making it difficult for the US troops to make the trip. Wilson held the hand of the commander of the 65th Army and said: "The enemy has deceived us by using tactics to deceive us, and now our 300,000 troops are in danger of being surrounded and annihilated." General Howell personally commanded three corps in a fierce battle against Rock Springs, and the air force, tanks, and combat vehicles still failed to attack in turn, which shows how strong the enemy army is. ”

"The High Command has decided to abandon Salt Lake City and let us break out to the east. However, the enemy's heavy forces suddenly launched a major attack, and the main force troops withdrew. Your troops should quickly rush to the west side of Rock Springs, attack from the east and west, and assist the troops on the east side to quickly take Rock Springs and ensure the safe retreat of our army. The commander of the 65th Army nodded, raised his hand and gave a military salute. Originally, the defense of Salt Lake City was a great success, but the battle turned down, and Salt Lake City became a dead place in the confusion. At this moment, Wilson seemed to realize the catastrophe.

The sun was shining, the main force of the 1st Corps was still moving slowly, it was almost dusk, and in the military jeep, Zhuang Lei closed his eyes to recuperate, and the steel helmet on his head covered the upper part of the company and could not see any expression. The chief of staff put down the map and said: "The 2nd Army repelled 16 US charges from yesterday night to noon today, and the officers and men fought very hard. Zhuang Lei raised the steel helmet and rubbed his eyes.

"As soon as the 2nd Army arrived, it was ready to fight, and one can imagine how much pressure they were facing. But we also hear good news. At midnight yesterday, the US military finally dispatched 12 tanks, and after all of them were blown up, the US military did not dispatch tanks again. It seems that the tank regiment of the American army was reimbursed. Although the U.S. troops dispatched from Salt Lake City at noon launched an attack on the western flank, the U.S. troops were in a hurry, and the artillery units could not arrive in time, so the pressure was not great for the time being. The Expeditionary Force Command telegraphed that the 4th and 5th Corps had broken through the surface positions of the US forces in the southwest of Salt Lake City after a fierce battle during a day. ”

"The 6th Corps took Logan in the north. I estimate that the U.S. forces in Salt Lake City will not be able to increase the number of breakout troops. During the day, the US air raids intensified, and the defensive difficulties of the 2nd Army were mainly from the threat from the air. "The commander of the 2nd Army called, due to the relatively weak offensive of the American forces on the western flank. Therefore, the 7th Division was ordered to devote half of its forces to defense and reserve half of its forces for emergencies. The chief of staff said. Zhuang Lei said: "The 4th Division suffered heavy losses, and I can't bear to let them start fighting again, but the defensive strength is limited. The 2nd Army was ordered to have the 4th Division form a corps assault force. Use it when it matters most. ”

After the US troops attacked from the east and west, the defensive pressure of the 2nd Army began to increase. In particular, the US offensive on the eastern flank began to intensify, and after dark, the US army ordered the 82nd Army to launch an offensive with a division. Although the US Air Force was unable to enter the battle after dark, the ground offensive did not weaken in the slightest. After the U.S. military launched an offensive on the western flank, the morale of the U.S. troops on the eastern flank was greatly boosted, and a tidal wave of offensive began to be staged with the help of strong troops. Within the military headquarters, the battle situation at the front line was constantly reported. The atmosphere was unusually tense. "Commander, the U.S. military is attacking fiercely. At least 3 artillery divisions were used in the frontal battlefield, and the main attack was still on the left flank? ”

"The U.S. forces had broken through the left flank of the 4th Division, and they thought that the terrain on the left flank was easy to attack and difficult to defend, and this was true. The 5th Division was ordered to strengthen the defense on the left flank, to increase firepower, especially to let the mortars exert their power. The 4th Division, which was ordered to standby, hit all mortars and send them to the defensive positions of the 5th Division. "The commander decisively ordered. On the frontal battlefield on the east side, the U.S. troops charged in a skirmish line, and the defensive positions continued to spew tongues of fire. Due to the continuous attacks of the American army, the dead soldiers were everywhere, and both sides simply did not have time to bury the bodies. If you are in the scene, it is like entering the earthly Shura field, or the slaughterhouse is more accurate.

On the west side of Rock Springs, in the US military headquarters, Howell was very dissatisfied: "Order the 65th Army to intensify the attack and not hold back." The enemy is already quite tired from continuous battles, and we must seize this opportunity. "Your Excellency General, the 65th Army reports that the enemy forces in Salt Lake City have strengthened their offensive, and at present the outer positions on the southwest side of Salt Lake City have been broken through by the enemy, and the northern front Logan has been captured by the enemy, and the enemy forces have suddenly increased their attack, intending to drag our army from breaking through in Salt Lake City. General Wilson reported that artillery units could not be mobilized into the breakout operation, so the 65th Army Corps attacked weakly. ”

"The lack of artillery support is the reason, tell the commander of the 65th Army, victory or defeat in this move, let him launch a fierce attack at any cost, and ask the 65th Army to advance 5 kilometers tomorrow morning." Howell was restless. "Report, the 82nd Army's attack was repulsed again." An operational staff officer made an urgent report. "Sue the 82nd Army Corps, the enemy's left flank is a weak point, and order the 82nd Army Corps to form an echelon and launch continuous attacks. I don't want to hear how hard the attack is, and I don't want to hear the battle damage figures, I want the number of attacks, understand? At this moment, Howell didn't care about the casualties of the soldiers.

The U.S. 82nd Army participated in the battle after dusk and served as an attack on the enemy's left flank position. The 82nd Army came from a long distance and launched an attack without waiting for a respite, and came to the front line to see the commander of the 55th Army being shot dead, especially when he learned that the 55th Army had more than 40,000 troops, and the battle losses had reached half, and the number of soldiers killed in the battle reached 10,000. He knew in his heart that even if he broke through the enemy's defense line in such a battle, the losses would be unbearable.

The commander of the 82nd Army, a pragmatic general, received an order from Commander Howell to attack at all costs: "The 251st Division launched 4 charges in a row, and the two regiments completely lost their combat effectiveness. The left flank is the enemy's weakness, but our opponents are equally aware of their weaknesses. At this time, an operational staff officer said: "General, the enemy army is a long-distance attack, and I think the enemy's weakness is ??????。 ”。 (To be continued......)

PS: The battle situation has become dangerous again.