Chapter 436 We are surrounded again
"Blitzkrieg" means "attacking the enemy when they are unprepared" at the strategic level, and "attacking the enemy when they are lazily retreating" at the tactical level.
It means never attacking the enemy's well-prepared defenses, as that will only put you in a terrible quagmire from which you cannot extricate yourself.
A tank is not a turret. Its greatest advantage is mobility. It can bypass strong cities and fortifications and use its thick armor, artillery and machine guns to deal with infantry that has almost no resistance.
This is what was called the "pincer attack" in World War II.
At the same time, the German front-line commanders had a lot of freedom. They could choose to fight or not fight according to the situation, or choose their own attack routes. As long as the general direction was correct, there was no problem.
Therefore, many orders are issued sporadically, with almost no rules, leaving the opponent at a loss.
At this time, Charles was bypassing Mons, which the German army had prepared with great effort and even paid for with blood and lives.
Originally, Falkenhayn thought that all this was worth it, but after being led around by Charles, all of Falkenhayn's efforts and preparations were in vain.
A gap in the encirclement?
Charles had already built another encirclement on the outer layer, and Mons was in it, so it certainly couldn't be called a "gap".
Is urban warfare the grave of tanks? Buildings and ruins make it difficult for tanks to move?
Charles' tanks didn't even get in, so there was no grave, let alone being unable to move forward.
…
Pourville is a small village that has almost been forgotten by time. There are more than a hundred households in the village, with a total population of only more than three hundred. The only tall building in the village is the church on the west side, but it is made of wood like other houses.
A few days ago, a large number of Germans poured into the village, breaking its tranquility.
It is located exactly ten miles east of Mons and can serve as a rendezvous point and supply transfer station for the German army's breakout.
Thousands of wounded soldiers evacuated from Mons also gathered here, and the number of wounded soldiers was still increasing. The field hospital was overwhelmed and urgently needed cars, carriages and other possible means of transportation to transport them away.
The first to be stationed here was an infantry regiment, reinforcements coming from Charleroi. They were made up of several logistical units, and most of them were facing the battlefield for the first time. When they heard that they had to defend against Charles' troops, their faces turned pale with fright.
“This is not a fight we can handle.”
"We had no training for it, and I hadn't even seen a tank."
"If the Ciel can defeat our tank division, what makes them think a few of us can stop the Ciel?"
…
This was the dilemma within the German defense line. With insufficient manpower, it was difficult to organize an effective defense.
But they still built a field defense line outside the village, with the mission of defeating all pursuing enemies and covering the retreat of the main force.
Soon, German troops withdrawn from the encirclement also gathered here, more and more, finally reaching more than 20,000 people. They were organized to strengthen the fortifications.
After several days of preparation, the defense line extended from the small river in the north to the nameless mountain in the south. The trenches were built in several layers, and barbed wire and widened trenches were laid to prevent tanks.
Apart from digging like crazy, they didn't know what else they could do.
Major General Jonnes, who commanded this force, looked somewhat disheartened. His 109th Infantry Division was stationed in Cambrai a few days ago, but was divided into several parts and completely dispersed under the attack of the French army.
Now he is commanding a group of scattered soldiers who are gathered together from all over the place.
However, Major General Jonas is still confident in his defense line.
"We don't expect to stop the Charles army." Major General Jonas said, "Our goal is simple, to delay the Charles offensive and cover the main force's retreat. Just cover the main force's retreat!"
Taking into account the possibility that a large number of friendly troops would withdraw one after another, Major General Jonas also opened a passage in the barbed wire in front of the defense line. It was large enough for infantry to pass through, but too narrow for tank attacks.
In addition, he laid thick wooden planks on the widened trenches to serve as bridges.
The thickness of the wooden boards was carefully considered so that soldiers and cars could pass through them but could not support the weight of tanks.
Major General Jonas also arranged demolition experts nearby who would use explosives to blow up the wooden bridges when necessary.
Major General Jonas set up his headquarters in the village. He chose the church at a glance because it was the only commanding height in the village and the surrounding area was flat. As long as he arranged a few lookouts, he could have a clear view of the situation within a few miles, unless it was at night.
Unless it's night!
…
Early that morning, Major General Jonas fell asleep on his desk.
Since taking over the defense, he has been trying to find his own shortcomings and thinking about what other ways he can use to block Charles' possible attacks.
Although the artillery was not brought out of the encirclement, burying explosives might be a good idea.
Or organize a demolition team to blow them up with cluster grenades!
Damn, where are our tanks? What about the planes?
Why can't we find them when we need them?
While he was drowsy, Major General Jonas was awakened by the barking of a dog. He looked out of the dark window vigilantly and saw a few vague figures.
"What's going on?" he asked the signalman.
"It's the villagers," the signalman replied. "They said they were going to worship. We occupied the church, so they had to gather somewhere else."
Major General Jonas said "Oh", today is Sunday.
He looked at the candle behind him and silently made the sign of a cross on his chest.
This was a situation that forced us to do so, and God would not blame those who only wanted to save their own lives.
Soon, the village became quiet and empty without any sound, except for a few early birds chirping on the branches.
Major General Jonas suddenly felt something was wrong. He took out his pocket watch and looked at it. It was 5:30 in the morning.
"Do the villagers usually go to church so early?" asked Major General Jonas.
The signalman looked confused: "I don't know, General, maybe they are going to a far place, maybe to the church in the neighboring village."
Although it is just speculation, it is reasonable. We can't gather in the wild!
Major General Jonas didn't take it too seriously, but he felt a little uneasy.
He lay back on the table and after thinking for a while, he decided to make himself more comfortable, so he simply took a few steps and lay down on the church bench.
Just then, a rumbling sound was heard faintly in the darkness.
Major General Jonas initially thought it was an illusion, but the sound became louder and louder.
He suddenly opened his eyes, sat up from the bench, and listened carefully.
Then his face changed drastically and he shouted to his subordinates:
"Damn it, it's Ciel's troops, it's tanks!"
"We were deceived. Instead of worshipping, the villagers received a message to withdraw from the battlefield."
"Prepare for battle, everyone enter the trenches!"
…
Before he finished speaking, the lookout on the roof responded: "But General, the enemy is not coming from the front, they are behind us!"
"What?"
Major General Jonas was stunned. The enemy was in the rear?
Are they surrounded again? !
(End of this chapter)
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