Battle of the Third Reich

"Sir, the new command of the regiment leader." A motorcycle messenger braked the crotch Cundap next to the company's 250 half-tracked armored transport vehicle. He raised his hand to salute, and then from the rubber trench coat A folded document was pulled out of the chest pocket, and he raised his hand high and handed it to the lieutenant commander who was standing in the rear compartment.

"It's hard." Lieutenant Zeissler took the order lying on the side of the carriage, returned a military salute at will, and then opened the official document and read it carefully.

"Please tell the commander that we have arrived at the celebration trail and have joined the liaison squad of the Second Paratroopers Battalion and are progressing towards the Royal Military School of the Duke of York as planned. The second company is detouring from the North Bakery and after they are in place, we Ready to launch the first tentative attack." Zeissler read the order, refolded it and stuffed it into the map bag behind his waist.

"Follow the order, sir." After paying her respects to the lieutenant again, the commander twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle turned his head beautifully, rolled up the smoke, and roared towards the rear.

Zeissler jumped off the armored car, walked to the front of the car, and laid a map on the hood of the armored car. His three platoon commanders and even non-commissioned officers were all around the front of the car, waiting for the commander to issue a combat command.

"Is everyone in place? When the second company sends a signal, one row advances from the front, the second row starts to impact diagonally from the left to the building next to the building, and then follows the straight path to overwrite the three rows as preparations The team, as the company operated, according to the information of the paratroopers, it was guarded by a group of military school students with rifles and machine guns, and maybe some grenades, let our soldiers pay attention, don’t think that the other party is a child, take it lightly, Don’t forget our lessons when we were in France.

This building is their main teaching building. There are some sandbag bunkers and foxholes in the playground in front. After one row occupied the corner, two rows of mortars and machine guns were gathered to block the main road. Order the soldiers not to enter the building casually. The task of clearing the enemies is to let the second company in the north do the job. Our task is to open the passage for the subsequent troops. The regiment ordered us to establish a defense line on the spot immediately after occupying this campus. We have a heavy responsibility to block the Dover Highway, so we must knock this school down in the shortest possible time. If the other party resists, they will be completely eliminated. Gentlemen. Start acting. "After Zeissler finished speaking, he started shaking hands with his men and wishing them good luck. The officers of the troops trot back to their troops."

Just as the German Navy’s high seas fleet and the British Royal Navy’s local fleet were still fighting in the English Channel, a report from the paratroopers was placed in front of Admiral Bock. After reading the report, Bock couldn't sit still. He immediately summoned all the staff members of the headquarters and the commanders of the regiments who had landed in the army, and held a combat meeting in the conference room in Dillburg.

The paratroopers were full of intelligence, and the content was even more shocking. They relied on the British surrenders and reactivated the Kent County underground command post communication system. Using the seized British military code, radio contact was restored with the forces of Dover and Folkestone. Immediately they were surprised to find that the headquarters of the Dover Fortress had been completely paralyzed, and the British ** team in this area was in a dilemma of command chaos.

The two infantry divisions and the armored division are at the same level. London has not determined the chief commander of this support army. According to the original procedure, they are all under the command of Major General Mason, Commander of the Dover Fortress. No one can think that Major Mason will change. Not only was this the missing person, even his deputy commander-in-chief, the chief of staff, and even the entire theater headquarters were sealed with him in a dark underground tunnel.

Right now these troops. The ranks of the three division commanders are all colonels, and no one is qualified to command each other. Prior to this, they were in contact with the Kent command post. As the highest-ranking officer in the theater, Rear Admiral Rice of the Kent command post took over the command of the troops. Where did the poor naval communications expert have commanding experience? The result was that they were ordered to stand by and wait for London's follow-up instructions.

Although this command sounds speechless, the command is the command, and the troops in the theater finally have a backbone. But the good times didn't last until the teachers who were impatient were asked the Kent Command post again about the progress. The Kent command post could no longer be reached.

These troops were a little panicked, looking at the Germans about to land. Not only did they lose their unified command, they also lost contact with their superiors, and they also lost their intelligence and material support.

The first armored division had just arrived in the Dover port area, and even the station and supplies were not in place. From last night to today during the day, the troops relied on carrying the field emergency rations. Because the fortress chief was almost completely wiped out, the logistics and administrative staff also suffered heavy losses. Without written documents and the chief’s permission, they couldn’t even get a can.

The wounded soldiers could not get first aid. The dead soldiers had no one to converge. They could only be covered with a military blanket and randomly arranged on the side of the road full of gravel and rubble. The morale of the troops is declining rapidly, and the whole army is in a state of panic. Officers and non-commissioned officers are at a loss. Everyone is full of pessimism about the future. This is a precursor to major events.

The officers began to try to report directly to London, report the current situation of the troops, and seek the instructions of the Army Command, but they did not know why and never received a response. So when they contacted Kent again, it was as if the lost child had met their parents again. The overwhelming instructions to the Kent Commandment were completely obedient and immediately executed without hesitation. The paratroopers cleverly ordered them Recalling the peripheral troops, shrinking the line of defense, and giving the Germans a smooth passage.

The brave German paratroopers even sent a capable team to sneak into the British army under the name of the front line contact group of the Kent command post. At present, they have been stationed in the division of the British First Armored Division. So far, there are no signs of being discerned. They are continuously relaying the collected intelligence of the British military deployment and garrison to the German landing command through the Kent command post.

Bock found that his long-awaited fighter had arrived, and now it can no longer be conserved. The timing must not wait. The Germans must respond immediately. Before the British army regroups, the mobile force that is in a fragile state is scheduled to be destroyed. Area.

Bock understands that he has no time to wait for the next batch of troops to land. All he can use now is the two and a half infantry divisions and an armored division on hand. The armored division still lacks an infantry battalion, but he can add a new climb. A tank destroyer ashore. That's a total of 28 No. 3 assault guns, or the latest improved version with a long barrel 75 mm gun that can penetrate the front armor of the Matilda tank a thousand meters away.

Although Bok's character tends to be conservative, as long as he is determined. He will never look back and look forward, he will spare no effort to complete the set goals. Guderian, as the chief commander of the assault force, Bock granted him the front-line command, and he can handle the situation according to the situation at that time, modify the tactics and change the direction of the attack. Without obtaining permission from the Landing Army Command, at the same time, Guderian has full authority to dispose of all the troops involved in the attack. He can freely withhold and even arrest all commanders he thinks guilty.

Bock expressed unreserved trust to Guderian, and Guderian was also very moved and admired. After paying a solemn salute to Bock, Guderian left the headquarters with the commanders of the troops. .

According to the plan, an infantry regiment of the 6th Infantry Division of the German Army will serve as a vanguard to clear a passage for the follow-up troops, and the 52nd Infantry Division will follow up. Search and clear the various small British strongholds around Dover, and then set up a defensive line north of the port area to lock the British military's retreat to Canterbury and London.

Goodry installed the Division A from the 52nd Division controlled passage into the Dover area, along the Agam Highway straight into the back of Folkestone, blocking the British retreat to Ashford, will be stationed on the outskirts of Folkestone The two infantry divisions squeezed towards Dover.

The two infantry divisions were stationed in the barracks of the Folkestone Port area at the time, but were caught unprepared during the early morning shelling. The soldiers and supplies were greatly lost. Most of the weight and ammunition have not yet been available from the transport vehicle. Unloaded on the road, all turned into a pile of coke with those precious trucks.

Now the remaining troops of the two divisions, which add up to less than 20,000, have retreated to the outskirts of the city. They temporarily settled in abandoned farmhouses and villages in the surrounding area. They kept asking the Kent command post to mobilize supplies, claiming that if they were not replenished tonight, the troops might be caught in a food shortage.

The material storage warehouses in Folkestone Port have all been destroyed by shelling. The materials in the underground shelter of the government are not enough to rescue the disaster. The citizens who survived the shelling are evacuating the city with their last belongings. It is completely impossible to obtain supplies from the local area.

According to Bock and Guderian’s expectations, the two infantry divisions could not effectively resist when they were attacked by the German armored forces. They would be obediently driven to the port of Dover according to the German baton. Area.

The 22nd Infantry Division of the Germans will fill the gap between Dover and Folkestone. A strong blockade line was established in the north. They will cooperate with the Goodry Division to install the armored division, shrink the scope of the encirclement, and finally squeeze the British mobile forces into a narrow area of ​​10 kilometers around Dover, forcing the other party to surrender. Or wipe out in situ.

The company of Zeissler was fortunate to assume the responsibility of the German vanguard in this battle. This infantry company was the first batch of fully mechanized experimental units of the German army. They had abandoned the usual mule vehicles. The company now has 15 and a half. Tracked troop carriers and four off-road vehicles, as well as three tricycles.

They belong to the 37th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Infantry Division. According to the meaning of their superiors, the entire infantry division will be converted into a mechanized unit. According to the head’s intention, he is planning to classify this organization as a new unit. The head of state named it an armored grenadier.

Armored Grenadier, Zeissler liked the name very much. He was proud that his company could become the pioneer of this new class of arms. The task of the test unit was to find the tactics suitable for this unit in the battle and find out the advantages. And deficiencies, especially to discover the weaknesses and defects of this unit, and to make superior commanders familiar with the use and use of this unit, to understand it tactically and strategically, and to promote this unit and the whole army for the future Dress up and pave the way.

"Look, sir!" Zeissler's company sergeant shouted loudly. Zeissler stood in the car and looked very far, and the two bright red spots in the sky between them were falling rapidly.

"It's a signal from the second company. They are already in place. Sergeant Franken immediately fired a green signal flare. The second row in the first row immediately began to attack as planned, and the third row followed the company." Zeissler stood with his chest firmly. In the armored personnel carrier's compartment, the left hand supported the steel plate on the roof, raised his right hand high, and then swung forward with force. "Armored Grenadier! Advance!"

With the roar of the engine, the first row of four 251 half-tracked armored vehicles quickly rushed out of the bushes, and the team quickly transformed into a sagittal formation. The manganese steel track was spinning rapidly, rolling over the soft soil in the British wilderness. , Rushed toward the military school campus 100 meters away. The prestigious German armored grenadiers ushered in their first battle here. (To be continued.)