Chapter 894 Selective Rescue

The situation of the US Army is not much better than that of the British Army.

Patton was confused by this situation and had no idea how to fight. He kept recalling in his mind every tactic he had learned from Charles, as well as Charles' past battles with tanks, but none of them matched.

"We should stop." Patton complained to his staff: "It is impossible to occupy Saarbrücken under this situation. The Germans have a hundred ways to kill us!"

Not to mention the defense line composed of mines in front of them, even if the tank troops broke through it, they would still face street fighting.

What is needed for street fighting is the 75mm gun in the "Char B1" vehicle body.

British and American tanks, whether it is the "Charter A1" or the "Whippet", or the "Independence" that the British army is proud of, only have small-caliber artillery.

It is difficult for them to cause effective damage to enemies hiding in buildings, let alone blow up buildings.

"We can't stop." The staff officer replied: "The order from our superiors is to attack."

Patton hummed and had no choice but to obey, even though he saw no hope of winning.

There is a possibility in battlefield command: the front tank troops are carrying out an impossible mission, while troops on the flank or rear are launching a surprise attack on Saarbrücken.

If this happened and Patton disobeyed orders and refused to attack, it would lead to the failure of the entire campaign and he would be sent to a military court.

However.

The "Char A1" was also unable to withstand the explosion of mines. Most of them were trapped in the minefield, and some were destroyed by anti-tank guns at close range.

The battlefield was littered with smoking tank wreckage and the bodies of British and American soldiers.

The soldiers launched charges under the cover of the tank wreckage, again and again, but were beaten back each time by the intensive firepower of the German army.

Occasionally they captured a line of defense, but were immediately pushed back by a German counterattack, who seemed determined to trap them in front of this mine-lined line.

Then Patton understood why.

Amid the rumbling sound of engines, German tanks appeared on both wings of the British and American impact surface.

"Bastard!" Patton cursed. "Where are the troops protecting our flank?"

"They may have been defeated by the Germans." The staff officer reported, pointing into the distance.

Patton raised his telescope and saw countless British soldiers wearing disc-shaped helmets fleeing in panic under the impact of enemy tanks.

The Germans were familiar with the terrain and had already planned their attack routes to outflank the British and American forces.

Patton realized that the battle was already lost and no one could save it, including Charles.

"Retreat!" Patton did not hesitate at all.

The staff officer asked: "Where to retreat to?"

"Retreat to where you came from, back to Freman!" Patton cursed.

It’s a blessing to be able to retreat alive now. Damn those British. I should have known not to trust them!

…

The British and American Allied Forces were defeated and fled by the German Army, and were pursued by the German armored forces throughout the process.

Fortunately, the U.S. military is wealthy and equipped with a large number of armored vehicles. They are faster and more bulletproof than German tanks, and their light weight allows them to easily bypass roads and travel on frozen soil.

They were also equipped with a 75MM truck-mounted gun, and the soldiers were surprised to find that this thing was actually a magical weapon when they were escaping: they fired randomly backwards while retreating.

Because of the firing rate of the 75mm gun, the German tanks did not dare to catch up easily.

As a result, the main force of the US military successfully escaped the encirclement, with more than 30,000 casualties. The newly equipped "Charr A1" was basically left outside the city of Saarbrücken. Among them, only about 30 vehicles that were rushing to reinforce turned back halfway and were preserved.

The situation of the British army was much worse than that of the American army.

Of the total strength of more than 60,000 armored and mechanized troops, only more than 7,000 returned, and 170,000 infantrymen were killed or missing.

(Note: Many people entered the forest to fight and their bodies could not be found, but their deaths could not be confirmed. In addition, there were also captured people whose numbers could not be counted for the time being.)

What hurts the British government the most is that most of these soldiers are British native troops.

The British media therefore issued a cry of grief:

“While it doesn’t break the Somme’s single-day death record, it’s likely to be the deadliest day ever.”

"In just a few days of attack, 230,000 people were killed or wounded. This rate is far beyond what we can bear. If we continue to fight like this, it won't be long before we have no young men left to fight on the battlefield."

"The Germans consumed bullets and shells, while we consumed people!"

…

When the British and American troops were fleeing, Pershing called Charles for help.

"Lieutenant General, you are right, this is a trap." Pershing spoke anxiously and quickly:

"We are now surrounded by the enemy, and the exit is blocked by German artillery fire."

"Please provide us with reinforcements immediately, otherwise casualties are inevitable!"

"I know this is our fault, but please consider the overall situation..."

Ciel asked back, "How can I help you, Brigadier General?"

Pershing replied, "I remember you had incendiary bombs before. They are very advantageous against enemies in the forest."

Charles did not answer but asked: "Have you ever considered that there are a large number of British troops fighting the Germans in the forest? And we don't know where the Germans are and where the British are."

Pershing was silent for a moment.

Yes, the shortcoming of air power is that it is difficult to distinguish between friend and foe in the dense forest.

Charles said, "All I can do is send fighters to try to drive away the bombers that are pointing targets for the artillery. What do you think?"

"Of course, Lieutenant General." Pershing's voice was full of gratitude: "Thank you very much!"

Charles did more than that. He ordered the Snipe fighters to provide as much air cover as possible for the fleeing American troops.

Fighter planes frequently dived and strafed to suppress the German pursuers, while bombers slowed down the speed of the German tank forces.

The rescued soldiers waved and cheered towards the sky in gratitude.

Of course, the vast majority of those rescued were American soldiers.

Saving a part of the British troops was to demonstrate the "fraternity" of the French army.

"Fraternity" means all human beings, and should not distinguish between American and British soldiers.

The reason for saving more American soldiers is that they are the financial backers and we can get more money from them.

As for the poor people in the UK who are in huge debt, they only want to benefit from others all day long. It’s useless to save them more.

…

At the Metz headquarters, Tijani held up the battle report from the front and waved it at Charles: "You were right, Lieutenant General. Now, is it our turn to take action?"

Seeing the failure of the British and American forces, Tijani had an urge to fight himself.

When others lose and you win, you feel a greater sense of accomplishment due to this strong contrast.

"We take action?" Charles replied calmly: "What is the purpose?"

"Not taking action?" Tijani asked, "Then now..."

"Negotiate." Charles did not hesitate: "Now is the best time."

The British and American troops were defeated, so they will definitely not agree to negotiate.

Therefore, France is truly "great" and "fraternal".

That is the only hope to stop this war.

The middle and lower-level military and civilians in France, Britain, the United States, and even Germany!

(End of this chapter)