Chapter 302

The German army's decisive battle plan is not too complicated. In fact, what they compete for on the European battlefield is hard power. There is not much room for strategy, especially in modern warfare. Of course, France in World War II is an exception!

The key to this battle plan in advance was not to defeat the Chinese and American armies on the left and right, but to be able to break through the junction between the two armies. And this key point was Vitry, Levar-François. This is a small town.

The Seventh Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force is stationed here. Once this point is breached by the Germans, the Germans can quickly advance eastward along the road to Saint-Dizier. Once the Germans achieve this tactical detour, the entire US military will be surrounded by the Germans.

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As for the Chinese Expeditionary Force, a friendly neighboring force of the US military, the situation is better than that of the German army, but it is difficult to withdraw to reinforce the US military. Because in front of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the German army's 25 infantry divisions, under the cover of 300 tanks,

Launched a fierce counterattack against the defense zone of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.

The transition from offense to defense is the most dangerous stage. In order to achieve the goal of annihilating the US military and severely damaging the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the German army placed almost all mobile troops on the eastern battlefield. Under such circumstances, the British and French armies have not yet taken the initiative.

The intention of launching an attack. Even one day after the battle, Pétain rejected the request of US Commander Pershing and mobilized the French First Army of Orleans to reinforce the east. Moreover, in his reply, Pétain stubbornly believed that the main force of the German army was still in the west.

On the battlefield, the counterattack on the eastern battlefield was still a tactical deception.

At dusk on the 11th, a dragon-like German armored force appeared on the outskirts of Vitry and Lewa François, highlighting the most critical point of the entire battle. At this time, the battle situation suddenly became clear and clear.

The main force of the Chinese Expeditionary Force on the road encountered strong German counterattacks from the Champagne Beach front and Welty on the side. The Chinese Expeditionary Force could only switch from offense to defense, and was able to withstand the German counterattacks on the Valtry line.

On the premise that the front group had basically collapsed, the U.S. military on the right built a simple line of defense in Baledik to resist the Germans. At the same time, Pershing gathered his troops and urgently requested reinforcements from the French army.

In the eastern battlefield, the two sides were evenly matched in terms of strength, but the German army was fully prepared and achieved tactical surprise. After the US military encountered a sudden attack, more than 100,000 people were defeated and suffered a huge loss in strength. In addition, the German army invested four soldiers at once on the right.

With ten infantry divisions, the U.S. military would be lucky if it could survive a day without being defeated.

When German tanks appeared in the high-power gun scope, Wu Peifu, commander of the 44th Division, had a bitter look on his face. According to aerial reconnaissance, there were too many German tanks. The dozens of tanks in front were moving slowly forward.

attack formation.

The defense line of the Seventh Army was built in strict accordance with the textbooks of the Army University. The three divisions were not lined up in a row, but one behind the other, with one as a reserve. When fighting for the front line, Wu Peifu was very lucky, and he got it during the lottery.

The word "front" is at the forefront. Since entering the war, the 44th Division has not fought many tough battles. The Seventh Army, with 60% of Beiyang veterans and officers as the main force, is indeed nothing in the eyes of the group army officers.

The main force. The seventh army is really on the line. I really hold back my bad breath and want to fight a good battle.

"Heavy artillery battalion fires!" The German tanks were still five kilometers away, but Wu Peifu did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

Boom boom boom! The heavy artillery battalion of the 44th Division took the lead in firing, suppressing it from a distance. The shells landed in the formation of German tanks. Although there was no direct hit, one tank still stood still and the other German tanks turned around one after another.

Chief of Staff Gao Shuai came over with a phone and said: "Master's seat, the military seat's phone number." Wu Peifu took the phone and said: "Military seat, it's me."

"Wu Ziyu, the commander-in-chief called. The German army is counterattacking fiercely. The US military is fighting hard, and the main force of our army is also fighting hard. We are asked to hold Vitry and Levar Francois, otherwise the situation of the war will be unimaginable. I have expressed my position to the commander-in-chief, even if

Even if the Seventh Army is exhausted, it must hold its position. Ziyu, whether the Seventh Army can succeed depends on this." Lan Tianwei's voice was extremely harsh, and the entire Seventh Army felt a bit like a stepmother.

This time I took advantage of the opportunity to show off.

"Please rest assured, military commander, as long as one of the 44th Division is here, the position will not be lost." Wu Peifu's heart was ignited by Lan Tianwei's words, and he answered firmly. Lan Tianwei's tone relaxed and said: "

How is the situation?" Wu Peifu walked to the gun scope, took a look and said: "The German advance troops have been repelled. I humbly request the heavy artillery brigade of the army to reinforce our unit at any time."

"Okay, I promise you, the military artillery brigade will fire according to the requirements of your department." "Thank you, military officer!"

The menacing German army quickly retreated, and it was almost dusk. Bob, the commander of the German assault group, was somewhat surprised when he received the news from the front. The firepower of at least one heavy artillery battalion showed that at least one infantry division was defending Vitry.

, Levar Francois. Judging from the location where he encountered the obstruction, it was very

It was obvious that more than one infantry division was defending, otherwise it would be impossible to have such a long defense depth. Bob quickly waited for the results of the aircraft reconnaissance, and sure enough, there was more than one division of defense forces in front, and it was also under the banner of the Chinese. From the construction of the fortifications

Judging from the situation, this force did not arrive temporarily.

This result is very normal. Probably only the Chinese Expeditionary Force can think of placing a force in Vitry and Levar-Francois during a full-scale offensive to ensure that the connection with the US military is not separated.

Among the Germans, the one who knows the Chinese team best is probably Bob. The armies of the three countries, Britain, France and the United States, will definitely not think about the counterattack they may encounter when the attack is going well, let alone in Vitry, Levavre.

At least two infantry divisions should be stationed in the small town of Rançois because that would seem like a waste of force.

Since the Chinese were prepared, it would be foolish to simply rush forward with tanks. Before setting off on the expedition, Bob had thought of the possibility of encountering a blocker, so he was prepared with both hands. Behind the sudden tank troops, there were five infantry divisions following behind.

Keep up.

Thanks to God, the German tanks were not marching very fast and the distance between them and the infantry was not large. After it became completely dark, the German infantry followed. Bob immediately held a military meeting and decided to capture Vitri and Leva no matter what.

Francois, otherwise encircling and annihilating the US military would be empty talk.

Using the night time, both sides were making adjustments. The U.S. military seized the time to build fortifications at Bar-le-Duc. Although Pershing, who had suffered a great loss, was deeply resentful of the French army, he learned that a German unit had appeared in Vitry, Leva.

After Francois, he could only report the war situation to Pétain.

Request reinforcements. At this time, the US military cannot take a step back, otherwise the collapse of the entire eastern war situation can be foreseen. Even the US military withdraws to Saint-Dizier one after another, because there are only a few US military logistics troops there, and it is impossible to build an effective one in a short time.

defensive position.

The most fortunate thing for Pershing was that the Chinese Expeditionary Force actually thought of deploying three infantry divisions in Vitry and Levy-Francois. When he first knew about it, he was still laughing at the Chinese for wasting their troops. Now that he thinks about it, he was really wrong.

Ridiculous.

This time Pétain responded quickly. When he learned that a German army had appeared in Vitry, Lewa François, Pétain fully realized that he had been deceived by the Germans. There is no doubt that the situation in the Eastern War was of great significance to the entire Allied Powers.

It is crucial. If they are defeated again, the Allies may not be able to hold on.

Pétain could only ask the US military to withstand it, and said that troops would be deployed from Orleans to reinforce the US military, and at the same time launch an attack on the German defense line in the western battlefield, retake Paris, and march to Reims. There was a key to Pétain's deployment, that is, whether the Chinese and American armies could

Withstand the fierce attack of the German army in the east. Petain was very confident in the Chinese Expeditionary Force, but not so confident in the U.S. Army. Therefore, in his telegram to Cai E, Petain specifically emphasized that he requested the Chinese Expeditionary Force to

It would be nice to reinforce the US military.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force's reply surprised Petain and Pershing. After reconnaissance and a day of defensive battles, the Chinese Expeditionary Force found that the German army in front of them was not as strong as expected. Cai E and others believed that as long as they persisted for two days,

, after consuming the German army's vigor, they can use their reserves to launch a counterattack. Therefore, the US military is required to withstand the German attack at Baldik, and the French reinforcements must arrive within two days.

Unexpectedly, Pétain supported the plan of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and stated that he would transfer the French Third Army to the east for reinforcements, and at the same time dispatch 300 tanks and five 210 mm caliber heavy artillery regiments to reinforce the eastern battlefield.

If the deployment of the Third Army for reinforcements is understandable, the deployment of five heavy artillery regiments is a bit beyond the expectations of the expeditionary force. You must know that the French attach great importance to artillery in war, especially such large-caliber artillery. At first sight,

The army was about to counterattack in the west, so how could it be so kind to transfer heavy artillery? It was later discovered that these heavy artillery units were not transferred to the west in the first place, but were used to defend Orleans and prepare the German troops for possible movement south from Paris.

With the decision made by Pétain, the most difficult thing is the US military. To realize the Chinese counterattack strategy, the US military must form a defensive depth in Baldique and Saint-Dizier and persist for at least five days and nights. In terms of troop strength

Look, it will take at least three days for the Chinese to defeat the German army in front of them. This is still a relatively conservative estimate.

Pershing felt like he was being tricked by the Chinese and French armies, but he had no choice but to accept the task of holding on. Otherwise, if he retreated, the entire US military, even if there were hundreds of thousands of people, would be completely demoralized and defeated.

Falling situation.

In this situation, the point of Vitry-Levois-Francois became extremely important. It was learned that at least three hundred tanks and five German infantry divisions were arriving at Vitry-Levois-Francois.
Chapter completed!