Chapter 200 Breakout
I was delayed today by something, so the third chapter will be released later. I'm very sorry!
…
Before the war, Major General Christian maintained an infantry combat mindset and habitually ignored the quarry.
The quarry poses little threat to infantry, who can easily cross it and even gain more cover here.
However, the special terrain of the quarry was fatal to the CA-1 and Saint-Chamond tanks. As long as there was a stone on the ground, their protruding heads could be stuck, and then the tracks would be suspended in the air and unable to cross.
(Note: It is not easy for a tank to pass over a stone slab. Please refer to the Korean tank passing over a cement slab for details.)
The area around the quarry was littered with waste discarded by workers, some of which was even dumped in piles on the roadside.
This area looked empty on the surface, but there was only one road through which tanks could pass. As long as the Germans blocked the road with artillery fire, the French army would be unable to penetrate.
“Boom boom!”
The sound of artillery fire rang out near the highway.
Amid the sound of artillery fire, Christine loudly ordered his troops to organize a defense. He knew that this was an enemy trap and the best way to deal with it was to conserve their strength.
However, due to Joffre's previous order and the fact that everyone thought victory was in sight, the signalman who was riding a horse had no time to pass the order to "organize defense" to the front, and the First Regiment at the front could not wait to launch an attack together with the tanks.
Rows of infantrymen in red military trousers rushed towards the enemy, but bullets and shells whistled in the rain, and before they could see the enemy, they were swept to the ground row by row.
"Tanks, we need tanks!" someone shouted.
Soon the tanks were brought up, but the infantry found that they were completely ineffective. The tanks had to move around among the rubble and craters, carefully avoiding every obstacle, and if they were not careful they would get stuck and unable to move.
Finally, a few tanks squeezed in, but the soldiers were surprised to find that the German bullets could easily make holes in the front armor of the tanks.
What's more serious is that the Germans have summed up their experience from previous battles and they know that the fuel tank of the CA-1 tank is on the roof.
(Note: CA-1 does not have a fuel pump. Its fuel tank is completely dependent on the weight of the gasoline, so the fuel tank is installed on the roof.)
So they aimed their K bullets and anti-tank rifles at the roof of the CA-1, punching holes in its fuel tank.
Gasoline was sprayed along the way and the French soldiers were unaware of it.
On the tense battlefield, no one would pay attention to whether it was rain or gasoline sprayed down from the top of the tank. They still charged towards the enemy's defense line while shooting and shouting.
The commander waved his sword and shouted:
"Victory is at hand, boys!"
"Break through this line of defense. Our people are waiting for us over there! Go ahead!"
…
After a few "boom" sounds, the shells finally ignited the gasoline.
A burst of fire suddenly emerged from the rain and surrounded the soldiers. The soldiers let out bursts of terrifying and shrill screams. They flapped their hands in panic at first, but soon they could not bear the pain and ran wildly waving their arms desperately. Some ran and jumped, as if trying to escape from it all, but the flames always wrapped around their bodies and entangled them like a devil.
Finally, they fell to the ground one after another in different postures and stopped moving. The flames were still burning on their bodies, and the air was filled with a suffocating burnt smell.
But this is just the beginning…
Soon, the fire spread along the oil pipeline to the source, and the CA-1 tank exploded with a "boom". It was a ball of bright red and huge flames. The nearby soldiers were instantly wrapped in it. The tank that originally protected them became the source of death.
The CA-1 tank, which was already on fire, was even moving slowly forward, like a moving fire coffin, continuing to bring death and danger to other areas.
One CA-1 tank after another was ignited, and they burned a perfect wall of fire in the open ground, blocking the sight and attack of the follow-up troops. However, the Germans used the fire as a target and continuously poured bullets and artillery shells on the French soldiers who were blocked in the rear.
Several "Saint-Chamond" tanks were also trapped in the sea of fire. The tank soldiers were unable to escape and could only climb to the top of the tanks and make desperate calls for help, but in the end they were still engulfed by the merciless flames.
Major General Christian, who was trying hard to gather his troops, was shocked by this scene. He could hardly believe his eyes. This was simply purgatory, a purgatory tailor-made for the French infiltration troops.
He knew that this mission had completely failed. To be exact, it was not a failure, but that they had been surrounded by the enemy and it would be difficult to get out alive!
At this moment, the signalman guarding the radio station reported loudly: "General, the commander-in-chief ordered you to continue moving forward. He said that as long as we break through the enemy's defense line, we will win!"
…
At the French General Command, the sudden turn of events caused the staff to fall into tension and panic.
One after another, telegrams for help flew onto Joffre's desk like snowflakes:
"Tram is under enemy attack!"
"Rhodes has been lost."
"The 1st Special Artillery Division was ambushed and trapped in the Bol Quarry, suffering heavy casualties."
"The 2nd Special Artillery Division is trapped near Carlos Town and cannot move. They have encountered enemy tanks!"
…
The 2nd Special Artillery Division walked along the highway into a narrow section with highlands on both sides. The German army had built fortifications on the highlands and was attacking France from both sides from a high position. The exit was blocked by artillery, and a German tank regiment suddenly appeared on the retreat route.
Joffre's forehead was immediately covered in cold sweat as he finally realized that Gallieni was right. This was a trap set for the infiltrating troops.
"General!" Kanais swallowed nervously, "Give the order. Our army is an infiltration force. In order to move quickly, we didn't bring much ammunition..."
Xia Fei nodded helplessly: "Break out!"
This means that all the victories have been shattered, leaving only a joke.
"But where can we break out?" Kanais asked nervously, "Tram and Rhodes have been reoccupied by the Germans."
"Then take them back!" Joffre replied angrily, "We still have tanks, send them up!"
Joffre also retained a reserve force in the Cape Town area.
To be precise, it was not a reserve force. It was used to attract the German army's attention and make the enemy believe that the French army would launch the main attack from here, but the Germans obviously did not fall for it.
Kanais replied: "General, intelligence from the front shows that the German rifles can penetrate the 17MM frontal armor of our tanks, although we don't know how the Germans did it."
Joffre was stunned.
This shows that tanks are useless and it is impossible to use tanks to reopen the retreat route and rescue the infiltrated troops.
After thinking for a while, Joffre gritted his teeth and ordered: "Break out from Cape Town, attack from both sides, and we will definitely be able to rescue them!"
"Yes, General!" Kanais responded and went to convey the order.
But he thought in his heart that now, perhaps only Charles could save them!
(The picture above shows a Korean tank getting stuck on a concrete pier during an exercise, but eventually choosing to bypass it)
(End of this chapter)
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