Battle of the Third Reich

"Pay attention to the roof of the guard and open fire to that window! 122 blocks the right side road. ⊙." The second row of armoured grenadier vehicles overwhelmed the white wooden fence and washed up the streets of Palem.

Zeissler's plan did not go far beyond the usual. It was still a standard German infantry village attack routine. It's just that the firepower output of the platoon surpasses that of ordinary infantry units by a large amount, and the mobility also makes the latter unmatched.

The paratroopers dispatched an assault squad in advance, lurking to a few tens of meters away from the Polish artillery position with excellent individual skills. The heavy rain and the cold guns on the German positions attracted the attention of the Poles. At this time, they thought that the Germans on the opposite side had been hit hard and no longer had the power to counterattack.

The scene of Clausen’s paratroopers retreating was really embarrassing. The orange flares were still faintly visible in the crevices of the German transport vehicles and armored vehicles. The flames in the engine and the cockpit were still smoldering. The rain poured on the hot steel plate. A stream of white steam. The bodies of the fallen German paratroopers were scattered around the vehicle, and together with the wreckage, it looked like a complete defeat.

The morale of the Polish soldiers was booming at this time, and the officers told them that after the elimination of the enemies in the village, and then turning back to clean up the Germans outside the village, victory had become a foregone conclusion, waiting for them to step forward to pick. The Poles never imagined that the paratroopers outside had already received reinforcements, and also launched a counterattack so quickly.

After reaching the intended location, the potential paratroopers sent back a signal with a signal flashlight, and the armored grenadier company began to advance as planned. The heavy rain helped the Germans a lot at this time. The rain curtain increased the suddenness of the German attack. When the Polish artillery found out that the situation was wrong, the Germans had rushed into the machine gun's range.

The machine guns of the paratroopers and armored vehicles temporarily suppressed the Polish anti-tank guns by the dense barrage. The lurking German paratroopers immediately took the opportunity to launch the raid. Several paratroopers rushed to the road decisively, using grenades and submachine guns. The artillery position that threatened you the most. The successful paratrooper fired two red flares, and the panzergrenadier company immediately launched a full-scale attack.

How to say they are all half-tracked mechanized units, after entering full speed assault. It took only one minute for the half-tracked vehicle to traverse the five or six hundred meters of the field, and broke into the defense line outside the village in the panic of the Polish soldiers. Although the German 251 semi-tracked vehicle has average ballistic resistance, the opponents in front of them have only a rifle with a bayonet in their hands, no matter how brave they are. At most, it can only make a dent in the steel plate of the car body, and scratch some gray paint.

The track car crushed the sandbag bunker, and the German soldiers in the carriage leaned forward, carrying submachine guns and rifles at all the targets they could find. The panzergrenadier company broke through the seemingly strong defense line of the defenders in an instant, and the panicked Polish infantry retreated along the street towards the north of the village.

"133 with paratroopers turned from the right. Blocked the road behind, 134 followed 133 and watched the corners and roofs, and wiped out all the enemies blocking the road. Aimed over there, did you see the window on the second floor?" Three The platoon leader stood beside the machine gunner with a mp40 submachine gun in his hand. He gave orders to his subordinates loudly while instructing the machine gunner.

The streets of Palem are not narrow, and the houses are relatively sparse, so it is not a town suitable for street fighting. The Poles installed an ambush in this place which was not suitable for ambush. The unprepared German paratroopers also suffered heavy losses. But now the situation has reversed. The previous arrangements made by the Poles have already been used by paratroopers. There is no time to do the second arrangement. Moreover, even if there is time, they do not have so many resources.

Arranging those traps has run out of their stored explosives, Solsky originally intended to do a desperate ambush, as soon as possible to give the enemy the greatest damage, and strive to eat one of the vanguard troops of the Germans at one time, so that the British People look at how the Poles are brave and fighting, and give the English guys who humiliated them a loud slap. If Zeissler's armored grenadier company did not arrive. Sorsky's plan might be successful. The German reinforcements did not come so fast. The Polish fell short of the victory before seeing the dawn of victory.

The attack strength of the armored grenadiers exceeded the imagination of the Poles. They did not expect to encounter such a rapid and rapid attack. Tall German armored vehicles don't care much about light weapon attacks. What's more, the Podhall Brigade is equipped with French infantry weapons.

Betty's 1916 rifle, the product after World War I, has a slightly outdated overall performance, but because of the large number of production, the result is that it was still the main weapon of the French Army at the beginning of the war, and there is also sufficient inventory in the ordnance warehouse. When the Polish army was regrouped in exile in France, the French fully recommended this rifle to the Poles. These weapons were brought all the way from France to Norway by the Boulder Brigade, and then from Norway to the United Kingdom. Finally, because of the French 7.5 mm caliber, the British did not give these weapons to the Self-Defense Forces, which also kept the inventory. Ammunition, when the entire brigade was evacuated to a battalion, the bullets became ample, and became the only thing not to be missed above and below the Solsky camp.

Polish soldiers shot in vain towards the gray armored vehicles under the searchlights, but the bullets were repeatedly shot by machine gun shields and armored bodies. They found that they could not stop the advance of these armored vehicles. The battle situation in front of them began to make them desperate. Falling rapidly, the soldiers retreated under the blow of the Germans.

The officers had lost effective control of the troops. The Germans strictly followed the operational rules of the villages and towns. They blocked the road nodes with armored vehicles. The crossed machine guns blocked the entire street. The searchlights on the vehicles illuminated the road. Crossing the road became suicidal at this time, the troops could no longer move freely in the street, the soldiers and the ammunition supply line were cut off, the Polish defense system was cut and fragmented, and the carefully set blocking points were surrounded, and then they were thrown by the Germans. The soldiers and paratroopers each broke down.

The Germans were extremely cold-blooded at this time. They showed no mercy to the enemy. Polish soldiers who were killed were found on both sides of the road. Many corpses were still holding white handkerchiefs for surrender. A squad of German paratroopers carried a bayonet rifle. They followed the main force of the grenadier along the main road of Palham. At the same time, they converged the remains of the parachutists who had been killed before. They searched for their comrades in the heap of corpses. Looking for a possible survivor, he met a Polish soldier who had a breath and made up a bayonet.

Grenadiers always stay in the armored cars, they rely on the body cover. Fire grenade at the building where the Polish infantry is hiding, use the rifle to accurately shoot the exposed Polish officers and soldiers, and at the same time use the violent machine gun fire to suppress the high enemy firepower.

The German paratroopers are diametrically opposed. They are good at assaulting at close range. The paratroopers like to kick the door open, pick up the submachine gun and sweep the two magazines, or directly throw in a few grenades, and then rush to the second floor with the weapon and repeat it as it is.

The Polish machine gunners hiding high in the building lost their retreat at this time, and they were surrounded by the Germans in the shooting bunker. The heavy firepower platoons of armored grenadiers have their own unique means to deal with such targets. They were equipped with a 37 mm anti-tank gun mounted on board.

This small-caliber anti-tank weapon, dubbed the “knocker” by the German infantry, has proved to be suitable only for lightly armored targets. It has been unable to deal with medium-sized tanks in active service. The disadvantage of this weapon on the French battlefield is obvious. German infantry She was almost used to the sound of a clang that her shells were hitting on the armor of enemy tanks, so she was given the nickname of “knocker”.

This artillery became the best weapon to attack enemy machine gun bunkers at this time. The grenadier gunners happily blasted the firepower on the roof with the accurate small gun. The Polish machine gunner and his weapon, which had been suppressed by the German machine gun, had fallen over the roof and hit the roof under the eaves. On the sidewalk.

The Grenadier advanced very quickly, and even Zeissler was surprised when the battle was so smooth. The grenadier company commander was very fortunate to have encountered the bad weather. The paratroopers reported to him that a lot of simple cocktail bottles were piled up in a Polish bunker, but it was raining too much. The Polish soldiers were unable to ignite these weapons. When the paratroopers decisively killed the soldiers, they found that the scene was covered with damp matches.

The platoon leader in the second row first reached the predetermined position. He led ten grenadiers to break up the blocked Polish soldiers. A group of paratroopers rushed out of the hidden building, and the machine gunner lay on the sidewalk and opened a fierce fire at the building on the other side of the street, covering the rest of the paratroopers with the rescue forces. At this time, these paratroopers had been under siege for a full 40 minutes, leaving only 27 people in the entire platoon. They repelled the Polish's five large-scale attacks and caused the enemy to crush their teeth. At least half of the rows of Poles fell on this street, and they created the same number of wounded.

But at this time they were almost exhausted. The two machine guns had the last drum left, and the remaining soldiers had only five bullets each. If the grenadiers arrived in time, they were ready to fight the Poles with the Poles.

At this time the two sides attack and defend the eccentric. The Germans regained the initiative to fight. Zeissler ordered four armored vehicles in the third row to detour to the north of the village. A 222 armored vehicle surviving the paratroopers moved along with the three rows. The heavy firepower blocked the open area in the east outside the village. The second row of paratroopers and armored grenadiers Together, from the southwest to the village, he was gradually advancing toward the village. He was ready to wipe out this hateful enemy completely in this village.

The Polish forces had lost all anti-tank weapons and machine guns at this time, and they were unable to stop the advance of the German armored vehicles. Soon they were rushed by the Germans to the southeast corner of the village. Retreat to the church of St. John.

Major Solsky has lost his usual calmness. Although he thought he was ready to die, he even imagined that the mighty sacrifice of Camp Solsky could be used to evoke the resistance of the Polish compatriots while using them. The sacrifice accused the British of deceiving and oppressing the Polish army. He fancied that he would be included in the glorious history of Polish national resistance, just like those of his predecessors. But when Solsky actually faced death, he found that he was no more brave than an ordinary soldier.

Looking at the desperate eyes of his subordinates, the screams of the wounded who were struggling to survive, Solsky suddenly fell into a panic, he suddenly feared that his decision was wrong, he did not know what he was seeing Is this sacrifice really as useful as originally thought, and is his sacrifice as glorious as those of the ancestors.

But soon he was no longer entangled in his own ideas. An 80-mm mortar shell urged him to make a choice. At this time, the Germans did not directly bombard the church. They just made a warning by shelling.

This exquisite classical building has a long history. Zeissler did not want it to be destroyed in his own hands. Let me say that it will cause bad effects. The Grenadier Company has violated military discipline. They have killed a lot on the road of attack. If the Polish soldier who tried to surrender was a bunch of lawsuits afterwards, he did not want to add more trouble to himself.

"Frank, let the opponents surrender, let them lay down their weapons, we guarantee their safety in life, I will only give them three minutes to consider the time, when the time passes we will immediately launch a full-scale attack, then we will not accept theirs again Surrender." Zeissler sat in the captain's seat and lit a cigarette under the light of the radio.

"We have cleared a house, and the wounded grenadiers have been properly treated." von Clausen climbed into the Zeissler command car, and Nickel gave him the position behind the captain's seat. .

"Thank you, I have asked the Chief Master to persuade those Poles to surrender. Tonight is enough. We need to stop and rest."

"Tonight? It's only two hours before dawn. The second battalion has been deployed to support the regiment. We were beaten this time, and we don't even know how to write this combat report." Crow Sen unloaded the submachine gun from his neck and hung it on the side of the machine gun frame.

"Write what you want, that's the fact, you don't have any mistakes. By the way, the codename of this Polish unit is Red Dragon, they have a good name."

"Company commander, Sergeant Frank came out, the Poles surrendered." Captain Nickel shouted aside.

Zeissler quickly opened the armored cover of the lookout window in front of him, and saw that the door of the church was all opened. The Polish soldiers lined up with rifles and several Polish officers walked in front of the team. Disarm the armed belt.

"Where is your commander?" Zeissler stood with his chest standing in the rain, the young German lieutenant asked his Polish chin with the chin in front of him.

"Major Solsky committed suicide just now. This is his gun. He asked me to hand it over to you." A Polish lieutenant stepped forward and handed a pistol to Zeiss under the stare of the German soldiers around him. Le's hand.

"Vis?" Zeissler looked at the weapon in his hand through the light of the headlight. This is obviously a personalized product. The handle is inlaid with a white coat of arms. There is a red dragon in the middle of the badge. (To be continued.)