Chapter 949: Defeating the Tank Force
The sound of cannons rumbled.
Dense shrapnel exploded like saffron over the German positions, hurling dead bodies and limbs into the air.
Shrapnel and metal fragments splattered the ground like a thin layer of hail.
When the whistling bomb pierced the ground, the ground suddenly collapsed towards the center, and then exploded violently, throwing up a cloud of radioactive dust, like a sudden burst of black fountains.
The thick smoke was mixed with a terrifying devilish yellow color, which rolled in the air and formed a dirty dark cloud of smoke together with the dust.
The air was filled with the smell of death. German soldiers screamed in despair, but machine gun bullets continued to whistle and hit their positions.
This is the artillery preparation of the 1st Armored Army.
Unlike other troops, the 1st Armored Army was able to achieve a barrage of bullets advancing about 1,000 meters in front of the troops.
Then, the barrage of troops pushed forward and followed behind, leaving almost no time for the enemy to react.
This benefited from the routine training of the 1st Armored Army and the unified command of the "radio plane" in the air.
At this time, the "radio plane" had been upgraded from a "Caproni" bomber to a "Jenny" transport aircraft.
Compared with the former, the "Jenny" transport aircraft is more convenient and safer. It can not only carry a larger radio station but also be equipped with three signalmen and three observers.
In particular, adding an observation pod under the head of the cabin can provide a more accurate and timely downward perspective, and the pilot does not need to press the nose down for observation.
(The picture above shows the hemispherical machine gun pod under the aircraft during World War II, which was the most dangerous type of soldier.)
The German army had no power to fight back throughout the battle.
The anti-tank gun was blown to pieces by the whistling shells just after it was pushed out, the machine gun was suppressed by the enemy's infantry artillery before it could fire a few bullets, and the mortar disappeared in the sound of the rocket explosion before it could even fire.
"Stop them!" Major General Bernhard shouted, "Mortars, aim at the minesweepers..."
Major General Bernhard's command direction might be correct. As long as the mine-clearing tank was destroyed or at least the mine-clearing device in front of it was damaged, the mines would not be cleared quickly and the German army would be able to stop the French army's steel torrent.
However, the one equipped with the minesweeper was the Char B2.
A mortar shell can only make a groove on its 40MM thick front armor. The mine-sweeping device is more resistant to attacks. Some of it has been deformed, but it can still rotate and detonate mines.
This is due to the simple structure. In principle, as long as they can move, they can work normally when hung with chains.
Major General Bernhard thought about organizing a demolition team to blow them up with cluster grenades and explosive packs, but the position in front of them was full of mines and they could not move forward at all.
What a irony.
The enemy could come and go freely in the minefield, but we were blocked by the minefield and could not move.
Major General Bernhard could only watch the minesweeper tanks getting closer and closer...
Finally, the arm-thick iron chain on the mine-clearing device "rolled" into the trench with a whistling sound when rotating and a "clang" sound when impacting.
There were screams as the German soldiers who had no time to dodge had their brains splattered. Some of the soldiers had horrific dents all over their bodies, as if they had been run over by a car. The wounds were covered with minced flesh and broken, protruding white bones.
Major General Bernhard didn't say anything. He picked up a bundle of cluster grenades from his feet, straightened his chest and looked straight ahead at the iron chains "rolling" towards him, then gritted his teeth and lit the fuse.
…
Fremen Command.
Charles received a telegram from Tijani: "We successfully broke through the enemy's first line of defense. Five of our minesweepers were injured, two Charles A1 tanks were destroyed, and there were about 300 casualties."
Charles nodded with satisfaction and handed the telegram to the stunned Pershing.
Pershing asked puzzledly: "Mine-clearing tank? What is a mine-clearing tank?"
Heiger, who was pretending to work at his desk two meters away, pricked up his ears. Although he was isolated by the two men, he was still very curious about how Charles broke through the enemy's minefield.
"It's very simple." Charles took a folder from behind him, opened it and handed it to Pershing.
It was a sketch of a mine-clearing tank.
"We just need to add this device to the front of the tank, General," said Charles.
"It can open up an offensive lane for troops."
"The only disadvantage is that it blocks the driver's view, and the smoke and dust from the mine explosion also makes it difficult for the commander to see clearly."
"But this is not a big problem. The 'Char B2' is equipped with a telephone, and the army can coordinate with it via the phone."
Pershing looked at the sketch carefully and couldn't help but praise it:
"Excellent device, Admiral."
“It’s simple and practical, and it doesn’t even require much time or money to modify!”
"I didn't expect that the minefields laid by the Germans with great effort would be defeated by this rotating iron chain."
After looking at it for a while, Pershing turned to Haig and handed him the sketch, saying sarcastically:
"Take a look, dear general."
"It brings you down. I mean, it makes war easy."
“This will be another victory that will attract worldwide attention!”
It is in the interest of Britain and the United States to see both Charles and Germany suffer losses, or at least to damage Charles' prestige and image, but what is happening now is the opposite of what they want.
Haig glanced at the sketch and immediately understood how it worked.
He pretended not to understand Pershing's words, looking embarrassed but trying to act as if nothing had happened:
"It's a very good device indeed, and I'm glad to hear the news of the victory."
"But I have to remind you that the Germans still have tank units on both flanks of the minefield."
"They may launch a pincer attack on the First Armored Army at any time..."
Before he finished speaking, the signalman delivered the message: "General, we have defeated the German tank unit."
Haig's face changed: "What? How... did you do that?"
He turned his gaze towards Ciel.
The tanks of the 1st Armored Army were attacking the minefield, how could they defeat the German tank forces at the same time?
"Nothing is impossible." Charles said calmly, "You don't need tanks to defeat the German tank troops. Motorized troops can do it too."
Haig was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped. Charles' troops were so strong that even motorized troops could defeat the enemy's tank troops?
Pershing also looked at Charles in confusion.
Charles shrugged noncommittally.
Normally no, motorized troops find it difficult to resist the impact of tank troops.
but.
If there was a "radio plane" monitoring in the air and reporting the position of enemy tanks in a timely manner, and then using the "75 truck gun" combined with the "105 truck gun" to fight and retreat, the German tanks would be destroyed by more than half without even having a chance to fire.
The only tanks that could withstand the bombing were the German K-Wagen super-heavy tanks, but without exception, all of them were broken down because of the destroyed roads.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
