Battle of the Third Reich

After nightfall, Dover and the surrounding area began to have heavy downpours. This climatic condition had a great impact on the night march. The headquarters accepted the suggestion of the landing cluster headquarters and changed the original plan accordingly. ≤,

However, the overall strategic framework remains the same as before, and the headquarters' pursuit of quick wins has not changed. As the British judged, Guderian and Bock did not attempt to attack overnight. Although the number of landing troops has reached the standard of the battle, there is still a lot of finishing work to be completed in the previous battles, and the troops need to be reinstated In addition, the follow-up landing team will be placed and organized. These tasks cannot be completed in one day, and the port area of ​​Dover and Folkestone is still a messy scene until midnight.

New changes have taken place in the German command system, and Longde Stede and his staff joined the Landing Cluster Command. The headquarters has given this headquarters a new establishment. It is essential to maintain a unified command, especially before the new battle is about to begin, the uniqueness and validity of the order must be guaranteed, which is related to the victory of the entire landing force. The loss of honor and disgrace, the command headquarters and front-line officers have a clear understanding.

A brand-new command team has been established, and the headquarters has given the landing troops a designation of the e-group army group. Now, Longde Stead and Bock each lead the establishment of a group army. Bock continued to nominally control the highest command of the German troops, had the right to randomly deal with the problems that occurred during the battle, and to manage all the operations of the German landing troops. However, in general, it is necessary to obey the command of the headquarters to ensure that the battle is carried out within the framework predetermined by the headquarters. The headquarters did not appoint a specific group army commander. It is said that this position is reserved for the great head of state. No one can prevent him from obtaining the honor of the British conqueror.

The German commander's mood at this time was that euphoria and worries coexisted. This rain was a day earlier than the time planned by the German army, disrupting the sequence of actions of the original landing plan. However, due to the adequate preparation by the Germans, reality shows that the heavy rain did not cause much obstruction to the operations of the landing forces. The headquarter’s expectations can still continue in accordance with the original framework, but the time may change. For example, some scheduled perimeter occupation operations can no longer be completed according to the original schedule.

One thing is for sure, the heavy rain has also caused considerable trouble for the British army. The British army, lacking motor transport vehicles, struggled in the rain. At present, the only thing that can be effectively operated in the British military transportation system is their railway network, because the landing of the German army can also be used. The destruction of the British railway network by the Luftwaffe was limited to several secondary technical hubs in the coastal area, and the transportation network between the inland and London remained intact.

What made the German military headquarters somewhat unexpected was that the British side did not seem as panic-stricken as they expected, and they behaved as if they did not care about the German landing. So far, the British government has shown no signs of evacuating from the capital. A large number of high-ranking officials including the royal family still remain in the city without leaving.

Churchill is still mobilizing reinforcements to London. The defenders continue to expand their defensive positions on the basis of permanent fortifications outside the city. With reliable information, the British government is also preparing to organize citizens to build and excavate trench systems on the outskirts of the city. All this shows Churchill was determined to defend the imperial capital. He was preparing to fight a protracted trench defense against the Germans outside of London.

Although it is not clear where Churchill came from, the confidence and confidence of the British, but the British did indeed have more kind than the French, which makes the Germans very pleased.

Except for the part of the trench war, the rest is very good news for the Germans. The main concern of the headquarters was that the British would give up London and move to the north. Even fleeing overseas to set up an exile government is not a difficult problem for Xu Jun, but it is always a headache. It is the most appropriate solution that can kill the trouble in the swaddle, and now the British clearly provide this opportunity for the Germans.

In the original plan of the headquarters, the Germans should launch the next stage of the battle on the evening of the 22nd. The two army groups each set off from Dover and Folkestone and went hand in hand, preparing to advance 20 kilometers into the British inland in one night. Follow the road straight to the two major towns of Canterbury and Ashford. And strive to win these two important cities before dawn.

The surrendered Lieutenant General Mason was very cooperative with some of his subordinate officers. They provided all the intelligence they knew to the Germans. These officers were different from those captured by Dunkirk, and they had lost their retreat at this time. What happened in Dover will eventually be made known to the world. The Germans have no obligation to cover up the scandal for them, so only the Germans won the war. The current British government fell, and Churchill and his party members completely disappeared from the British political arena. These talents There is hope to regain a career and future within the new government supported by Germany. Otherwise, all they have to do is to travel overseas and find a country that has no extradition treaty with Britain to spend the rest of their lives incognito.

Canterbury can now be said to be an undefended city. Although there are a number of army outposts and civic garrison teams around him, these troops are not even turkey dogs in front of the Germans. The heavy artillery troops stationed in Canterbury may cause some obstacles to the troops' offensive, but the gap in numbers is still a hurdle that the British cannot cross.

Ashford is an important railway hub, from where you can board a train to London directly. Of course, this is just a speculation. The British will definitely block the railway network between Kent and the London metropolitan area, but mastering Ashford is strategic for controlling the southern part of the UK. This hub is just in the vertical line of the southern railway network. In the middle position, the German army can easily use the British railway transportation network to transport troops and supplies to the entire southern coastal area.

At the same time, it is also the logistics supply aorta of the Germans when they launch the Battle of London in the future. The efficiency of rail transportation is much higher than that of road transportation, and it will not be affected by weather and terrain. As long as appropriate troops are sent to protect it, it can fully guarantee the supply of supplies Security, this supply line will be the guarantee for the Germans to win the final victory.

According to the original plan of the headquarters, after seizing the two cities, the Germans will continue to work hard. The two army groups continue to advance inland during the day and day, and meet at Maidstone at noon to complete this in an afternoon. Seat of the South Gate of London. And break through and occupy.

According to available information, Maidstone’s British garrison will not exceed two infantry regiments, and lack artillery and anti-tank weapons. It is not an opponent of the huge e-group army. This battle will be crushing. The commander's opinion is that the integrity of the city is not considered at all, which means that German troops can use firepower to completely level the area of ​​resistance. The command headquarters and the landing group army headquarters are in agreement. The Germans do not need to spend too much time and strength in this city. The significance of this city to the Germans is limited to an important part of the supply line. As the south gate of London. The longitudinal line of the Southern Railway ends here, and the suburbs of the city are only 50 kilometers away from the center of downtown London.

In terms of the speed of the German advance, this is only a two-hour journey. According to the planned plan, the Germans will enter the suburbs of London day and night. According to the earlier weather forecast, the weather in southern England will begin to deteriorate that afternoon, and the Germans will do all the blockade work during the day on the 24th. The British will be trapped in their capitals. When the weather improves, they will start a full offensive. .

Everything looks perfect, but I didn't expect a mistake the next day after landing. The rain was a day earlier than planned, and the German plan could only be delayed for twelve hours. Anyway, the offensive on the night of the 22nd could not be completed, and Guderian had no temper for this. He and Bock could only stay in the headquarters, and they would go back and forth on the map with a group of staff to see if they could During the day's operation the next day, an appropriate attack route was found and some time was recovered.

Although the Germans could not start the operation tonight, it does not mean that they would stay obediently and do nothing, which is not in line with Guderian's character. A small group of capable infantry and paratroopers were selected, and they formed several reconnaissance teams. They set off overnight to carry out armed reconnaissance in the direction of Canterbury. Their mission was to ascertain the specific conditions of the road, clean up the British strongholds and checkpoints along the road, and lay the front stop for the next day's offensive.

Paratrooper sergeant Hoffman waited anxiously at the gate of the warehouse that was regarded as the ordnance station workshop. There is still a lot of work to be done behind him, but now he is asked to wait another fifteen minutes because the weapons prepared for their team are making final adjustments.

The paratrooper sergeant led four men to drive a British Tilly car. Because of the limited time and weather, they could not replace the car with the German paint. However, I finally managed to erase the original British logo. I painted a huge iron cross on both sides of the door and the front hood. A canvas of the German Air Force's flying eagle logo was painted on the rear rain cover. Although the painting method is relatively abstract, the basic outline is roughly expressed.

Paratroopers like this kind of small motor vehicle between the car and the pickup truck. The wide compartment at the back can store a lot of things and can carry the wounded at the critical moment. In addition to the lack of off-road capability, it is a very good military vehicle. .

Hoffman has nothing to do now. He can only obediently wait for the ordnancemen of the repair company to prepare the weapons to be added to the reconnaissance team. The entire company is busy doing preparations before departure. After that, he will also go to the logistics department to collect spare batteries and spare parts for some radio stations.

"For God's sake, can you be a little faster, comrade." Hoffman looked at his wrist watch again, less than an hour before the last dispatch on the order.

"It will be fine soon. Here are the two machine guns specially approved for your team. Please read the number above and sign this list." The head of the repair station is an old lieutenant, purely technical bureaucrat, he Passed several forms to Hoffman.

"Every weapon that comes out of us has a complete file, we are responsible for our products. But you don’t need to use it too hard. There are only six spare barrels, and we don’t have more. Now everyone is hoarding Gun barrels, but still in the armory warehouse, don’t think about what to take out from here tonight. Sign your name here and here. After the adjustment is complete, you can take the gun away immediately. You can let you first The people took the fifteen pistols away. We just degreased them and replaced the striker. Like the brand new ones, the original Belgian products are very good weapons."

"There are still twenty submachine guns on the list. I don't know if there are any extra replacement magazines." Hoffman put the form on the desk next to him and took out his pen from the pocket in his chest.

"The troops are preparing for combat, and now everything is missing except for bullets. Your paratroopers should be supplied by the Air Force. We will report these supplies to the Air Force by then. All the troops are hoarding ammunition and weapons. The amount is huge, I can only give you forty spare magazines, some of them are repaired, but you have to believe our technology, there will be no problems at all. But if you want additional equipment, it is not without. The key is how much you are willing to pay." The lieutenant wiped the snow-white bazi and said mysteriously to Huffman.

"Anything special, this time our battle mission is heavy." Huffman said in a low voice to the lieutenant.

"I have some private collections, but you know the current market."

"I pay cash." Hoffman pulled a roll of Mark notes from the inner pocket of his coat.

"Well, you follow me inside." The old lieutenant looked around, then turned and walked into the warehouse. Anyway, it's no use worrying now. Sergeant Paratrooper entered the warehouse with the lieutenant.

The head of the repairing machine took the paratrooper sergeant to a 251 semi-tracked transporter. He climbed up the carriage with difficulty and opened the tailgate of the semi-tracked vehicle with difficulty.

"Oh, God." Huffman felt as if he had come to heaven, looking at the various weapons displayed against the inner panel of the carriage.

"This is the latest Atlas automatic pistol in Spain, a replica of the Mauser pistol, but it has good performance, 30 rounds of fire, and fierce firepower. Let’s take a look at this 1911 model made in the United States. The gun can knock down a strong man like you, which was obtained from the French, almost never used, and is also equipped with a hundred bullets for you. When you are done, you can come to me again, we can also provide maintenance and Repair service.". (To be continued.)