The Rise of the Third Reich

Although Guderian noticed the importance of the Mont-Dieu Heights on the morning of the 14th, the troops he sent were still one step behind the French and did not arrive near the town of Stony until the early morning of April 15. At this time, a reconnaissance group of the French 3rd Motorized Infantry Division (composed of two Panhard 178 armored vehicles and a small number of infantry) and the 1st Battalion of the 67th Infantry Regiment (reinforced with two 25mm anti-tank guns and one 47mm anti-tank gun) had already deployed defenses in the town of Stony.

At about 5 a.m. on the 15th, the 13th Light Infantry Artillery Company, the 15th Heavy Infantry Artillery Company and the 640th Assault Gun Company of the "Greater Germany" Flagship began to bombard the town of Stony. At the same time, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the "Greater Germany" Flagship also arrived at their respective offensive launch lines.

The target of the 2nd Battalion was the "Sugar Loaf" commanding heights on the east side of the town - where only a small number of French infantry were stationed; while the target of the 3rd Battalion was the town of Stony. The 8th Armored Regiment of the 10th Armored Division also sent two Type 3 assault guns, four Type 4 tanks and six Type 38t tanks to form a small tank column to guide the infantry of the "Greater Germany" flag team to break into the town of Stoney from the east. Leading the way were two Type 4 tanks, followed by three Type 38t tanks, two Type 4 tanks, three Type 38t tanks and two Type 3 assault guns. The 2nd Platoon of the 11th Company led by Gustav Schwarzenegger walked forward to protect the two Type 4 tanks in the front.

Rudolf Ribbentrop held his Mauser 98k rifle and walked carefully beside a Type 4 tank in the front. The serial number of this tank is 700, and it is the vehicle of Hept Otto, the commander of the 7th Company of the 8th Armored Regiment. It was not the long-barreled F-type (since the quality of the 43-caliber tank gun was still not up to standard, only a very small number of the No. 4 tanks were equipped with a 43-caliber 75mm gun, called the No. 4 F-type, which was specifically responsible for firing black guns during tank battles), but the E-type equipped with a 24-caliber 75mm gun. However, it was also different from the historical E-type. The armor on the front of the vehicle and the front of the turret was 50mm thick, enough to resist the attack of 37mm anti-tank guns at a relatively close distance.

Amid the rumbling sound of the tank motor, Rudolf Ribbentrop and his comrades quickly walked to the entrance of the town. This was his second time to participate in a real battle. The last battle was the forced crossing of the Meuse River on the 12th, but in that battle he did not have the opportunity to fire a single bullet. The soldiers who landed in front of him and the officers and soldiers of the 1st Airborne Private Brigade had already dealt with the enemy.

This time, there should be a chance to kill the enemy for Germany and the leader, right? Just as he was thinking about this, a bright light suddenly flashed in the darkness a few dozen meters ahead, followed by a crisp "bang" sound, and the No. 4 tank beside him shook violently, followed by a spark coming out from nowhere.

"Anti-tank gun!"

"Get down!"

Rudolf Ribbentrop immediately heard someone shouting, and then a very powerful hand pinched his neck and pressed him to the ground. He had just lied down when the sound of the Hotchkiss machine gun firing rang out, and the bullet almost rubbed his helmet!

"Boom boom..."

The No. 4 tank numbered 700 also reacted. It was not damaged, and the 24-caliber 75mm cannon immediately began to show its power. 2 guns blasted away the anti-tank gun firepower point that had just fired, and then it turned the muzzle to blast away the machine gun. Just as the tank was about to start again, another French anti-tank gun ambushed in the dark opened fire.

I only saw an orange-red light hit the front of the No. 4 tank like lightning, and there was another bang, but it was much louder than the previous one. To Ribbentrop, it sounded like a church bell was struck directly beside his ear.

Then there was another huge bang, which almost broke Rudolf Ribbentrop's eardrum.

The No. 4 tank was killed!

Rudolf Ribbentrop, who was lying on the ground, clearly felt a wave of heat rolling over his back. He turned his head and saw that the tank, which looked like a steel monster, was on fire and had been turned into a torch!

At this time, someone pulled him up from the ground and pushed him forward heavily. Rudolf Ribbentrop guessed that it was Lieutenant Schwarzenegger who ordered him to charge! His eardrum was shaken by the explosion just now, and now it was just buzzing, and he couldn't hear anything.

He saw flashes of fire of varying sizes in the darkness ahead, and knew that it was the French rifles, machine guns, and perhaps one or two anti-tank guns firing!

Rudolf Ribbentrop knew that now he had to rely on the infantry to clear the way for the tanks - as an infantryman of the SS Motorized Flag, he knew that the infantry had the duty to protect the tanks (tank soldiers also knew to protect the infantry).

He instinctively put a bayonet on his rifle, then shouted "Long live Germany! Long live the leader!" and began to charge forward with his head covered.

After rushing out a few dozen steps, Rudolf Ribbentrop's hearing recovered a little, and he heard the sound of machine guns, the sound of cannons firing, the screams of dying wounded, and the loud voice of Lieutenant Gustav Schwarzenegger.

"At 11 o'clock, at 11 o'clock, there is an anti-tank gun, let's destroy it!" It was a French SA37 47mm anti-tank gun. When Rudolf Ribbentrop was temporarily deaf, this evil cannon destroyed another Type 4 tank (the tank numbered 711 was not completely destroyed)!

However, the German attack did not stop. The 38t tank behind the two No. 4 tanks bypassed the burning wreckage of the No. 4 tank and continued to move forward. The infantrymen who followed also shouted and charged - they were soldiers of the "Greater Deutschland" flag force, the most elite German supermen!

The supermen quickly approached the French position with guns in hand. At a very close position, Gustav Schwarzenegger and two other veterans who had fought in the Polish campaign threw several grenades.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" Three explosions sounded. Gustav Schwarzenegger took the lead and jumped onto a low wall used as a bunker by the French, and then picked up the MP-38 in his hand. The submachine gun was a burst of fire.

Seven or eight French soldiers soon fell in a pool of blood, and a few turned away in fear. Rudolf Ribbentrop quickly raised his rifle, aimed at the back of one of them and fired without hesitation. . The man then softened and fell to the ground.

This was Rudolf Ribbentrop's first murder!

After the close and bloody battle, he found the body of the Frenchman he had killed and dug out the documents stained red with blood. The man's name was Louis Russell, and he was born in 1921, just like Rudolf Ribbentrop.

Perhaps because the 47mm anti-tank gun was captured by the Nazi supermen, the French soldiers quickly began to retreat. Gustav Schwarzenegger and Rudolf Ribbentrop continued to advance toward the center of the town with the remaining tanks. There they encountered two more Panhard 178 armored vehicles, and a 38t tank was damaged by the 25mm gun on the armored vehicle. However, these two French armored vehicles did not escape. They were then beaten into fireballs by two other 38t tanks.

After losing two more armored vehicles, the French army in the town began to retreat and was quickly driven out.

But the battle over Stoneytown has only just begun! However, while this battle, which can be regarded as the fiercest and bloodiest battle in the entire French campaign, was unfolding, France had already begun to cry.

In the early morning of May 15, Churchill was having breakfast with Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax, War Secretary Eden, and Navy Secretary Albert Victor Alexander, while discussing the situation on the European continent that was getting worse and worse. war.

Since the German armored forces broke through the Sedan-Maas River defense line on the 12th, the war has taken a turn for the worse.

Later on the 12th, another Lutheran army (Hoth's 15th Panzer Corps and part of the following 4th Army) also passed through the Ardennes Forest and successfully crossed the river at Mans.

On the 13th, a large number of German armored forces crossed the river through a pontoon bridge on the Meuse River and began to sweep away the French troops on the west bank of the Meuse River. On the same day, on the Belgian battlefield, two French light mechanized divisions encountered a German armored group at Jean Boulou and started a fierce battle. One day later, these two well-equipped French light mechanized divisions were defeated and retreated to the defensive position of the Dyer River. .

At the same time, the German troops in Belgium also crossed the Meuse River in large numbers. They divided their left wing into three groups to advance toward Mechelen, the center toward Brussels, and the right wing toward Nivelles. They soon advanced to the east of the Dyer River defense line.

On the 14th, British, French and German aircraft fought on an unprecedented scale over the Meuse River. As a result, the British and French air forces suffered a disastrous defeat, losing more than 700 aircraft. The air supremacy on the battlefield had fallen into the hands of Germany!

While the British Prime Minister and three ministers were upset about the current situation, the French Prime Minister made a long-distance call from Paris.

"Mr. Prime Minister," Prime Minister Reno's voice sounded very hoarse on the phone, as if he had just cried. Reno's words immediately stunned Churchill, "We are probably going to lose this battle!"

"What? Lost the battle? But the war has just begun!" Churchill asked quickly, "Didn't you launch a counterattack in the Maas River area? Has the counterattack already..."

"The counterattack has just begun, but..." Renault's voice sounded terrifying, like a person who had a complete mental breakdown.

"I will come to Paris tomorrow!" Churchill knew that he had to go to Paris in person, and he went immediately to make sure he understood the situation. "Mr. Prime Minister, let's meet and talk."