Chapter 695 Amphibious Tank
The 52nd Engineer Regiment, which had only more than 2,000 troops, replaced the 96th Infantry Division.
This resulted in a serious lack of firepower density on the defense line, with an average of only about 2 rounds per meter per minute.
(Note: Under normal circumstances, the density of firepower should reach more than 10 rounds per minute per meter. During World War I, it relied on large numbers of people, while in modern times it relies on automated equipment)
But Lieutenant General Nicolas didn't think there was anything wrong with this.
"Charles' troops have almost no chance of crossing the river." Lieutenant General Nicolas pointed to the Meuse River on the map and analyzed:
"Now is the time when the ice and snow are melting and the river is surging. The water level has overflowed the embankment and is 2 kilometers wide."
"Even if the Shire took the risk of building a bridge across the river, they wouldn't be able to build it in such a short time."
"So, as long as there is someone stationed there, it will be enough to fire a warning shot when something unusual is detected!"
The staff officer also thought that this idea was fine.
The river was a natural barrier and an insurmountable obstacle. It was impossible for Charles to suddenly appear and successfully land when the German army sent reinforcements.
So, Lieutenant General Nicholas' order was implemented.
…
At the position of the German 52nd Engineer Regiment, soldiers were shivering in the river water that was over their knees, holding their rifles.
It was torture, and they dared not stand up straight for fear of becoming a target for enemy fire.
But they didn't dare to squat because the ground was full of water.
All they could do was move a stool to sit on to keep their upper bodies dry.
But even so, their feet still had to soak in the freezing water.
Lieutenant Jeremiah was unlucky. While inspecting the defense line, he tripped over a branch in the water and got soaked.
He could only hide in an abandoned hut and take off his clothes one by one and wring them out, which made him feel better.
"You should change your clothes, Lieutenant," the guard said to Lieutenant Jeremiah.
Lieutenant Jeremiah replied helplessly: "I put the backpack on the chair when I came here, and guess what happened? When I came back, the water level had risen and it was floating in front of me."
The river water is sometimes magical. You think it will not change, but suddenly it is higher than you can imagine.
The guard suggested: "Then you should build a fire to dry your clothes, otherwise you may not make it to dawn."
Lieutenant Jeremiah refused without hesitation: "That would only give the other side a target, and their artillery fire would blow me up into the sky."
As he said this, he hung another set of clothes outside the house, hoping that it would be dry by dawn tomorrow.
Then, he hid in the house, shivering, lit a cigarette and smoked greedily, which made him feel a little warm.
After enduring a whole night, Lieutenant Jeremiah was very glad that he did not freeze to death.
The sky gradually brightened, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the gray sky, penetrating the thick fog over the river and bringing a touch of warmth to the world.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the cold night was finally over.
But no one spoke. They looked up at the sunlight, hoping it would jump out soon.
At this moment, Lieutenant Jeremiah heard an unusual sound amid the sound of artillery fire, coming from the center of the river.
Jeremiah looked towards the river in confusion, but it was all white and he could not see anything.
At first Jeremiah thought he had misheard, but the sound became louder and clearer, and the soldiers noticed it and cast their puzzled eyes towards the river.
"Alert!" Jeremiah shouted and gave orders: "Enemy attack, prepare for battle!"
The soldiers became nervous. They didn't care that their pants were wet by the river water. They knelt on the ground, aimed their rifles at the river, and looked over the crosshairs at the fog nervously.
Closer and closer.
It was obviously the sound of the propeller hitting the water, and the paddling.
Lieutenant Jeremiah wondered, would Charles be so foolish as to risk crossing the river by force? Using a fishing boat or a wooden boat?
This is almost impossible to succeed, they will be used as targets and eliminated in the middle of the river, and their bodies will be washed away by the cold river water!
Suddenly, a square ball of white cloth appeared in front of everyone. Three hundred meters away, it was almost invisible because of the fog.
Then one after another, they appeared one after another, and the river was everywhere, densely packed.
"Fire!" Lieutenant Jeremiah shouted.
“Bang!”
“Da da da!”
…
Rifles and machine guns roared, but there was almost no reaction when the bullets hit the white cloth. They just shook a few times without even slowing down, and still slowly approached the German coastal defense positions.
"What is that?" the German soldier exclaimed:
"Is this Ciel's new equipment?"
"Our weapons are completely ineffective against it!"
…
Lieutenant Jeremiah remained calm. He shouted to the signalman: "Artillery, contact the artillery immediately!"
But it was too late to contact the artillery, because the "square regiment" had already reached a position one hundred meters in front of the defense line. Then it started with a "boom" sound, which was actually the roar of a tank motor.
In fact, they were tanks, as several of them had already driven onto the shallows and revealed their tracks and chassis underneath.
Some of them even fired a shot forward after stopping, penetrating the tent in front and revealing the turret hidden inside.
At that moment the Germans were stunned:
“God, their tanks can drive through water!”
"Their tanks are crossing the river!"
"How can we stop this monster?"
…
(The picture above shows an amphibious tank modified by the US military based on the "Sherman" during World War II, model "Sherman DD". Its structure is very simple, that is, a tent like a lifebuoy is installed around it to make it float, and it is driven by two external propellers below)
(The picture above shows the tent when it is folded up.)
…
Tanks landed successfully one after another. They were not afraid of the German weapons at all. The bullets hitting the armor had no effect other than making a "clang" sound.
Several tanks were stuck in the mud and could not move.
This is the risk that Charles is worried about. The road surface is soaked by river water and may not be able to bear the weight of the tank.
However, because the water level overflowed the river bank, the tanks that had successfully reached the shore were not in danger and could still rotate the turret to shoot at the German army with 37mm guns or machine guns.
Behind them, teams of French soldiers rowing wooden boats and rubber dinghies followed.
The long-awaited sound of German artillery finally rang out. The shells exploded in the river, creating towering columns of water that threw several wooden boats into the sky and tore them into pieces.
But this doesn't change anything...
Charles' biggest concern was the tanks coming under fire while in the river.
These amphibious tanks, which use tents as buoyancy, are very fragile. A wave can sink them to the bottom of the river. They obviously cannot withstand the bombardment of artillery shells, even if the shells do not hit them.
Fortunately, this did not happen.
The tanks had successfully landed and were covering the infantry as they opened a breakthrough in the defense line.
Their next mission was to penetrate the artillery positions behind the German defense line...
(End of this chapter)
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