The fierce Chinese offensive made him and his men feel overwhelmed. The mountains roared and the tsunami, and the densely packed Chinese soldiers were like a flood, were about to wash them away.
Obviously, the Chinese will never give up as long as they have not occupied this place.
As for Montgomery, there was no other action except encouragement and comfort. Now for Burke, what he needed was not comfort, but the most real support.
However, there were no reinforcements¨
It got dark and dawned again, and then General Burke and his men once again had to face the most terrifying impact from the squadron.
Apart from the exhaustion of the whole brigade, the most disturbing emotion was the despair.
The Tambia Valley is full of Chinese soldiers, and the confidence of the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade, which cannot receive effective support, is rapidly shaking, and many of them doubt whether they can continue to hold on.
Soon, another bad news reached General Burke's ears, and a company of troops once again suffered a terrible blow. Most of them were killed, and all the rest became prisoners.
Now, General Burke knew that the final moment had arrived.
He also knows the importance of his responsibilities. If the Tambia Valley is lost, then the troops commanded by General Montgomery will be most directly exposed to the Chinese attack, and at the same time, the Germans will also launch the most effective attack
, leaving the possibility of collapse of the British army throughout Africa at any time.
General Burke gave up all illusions. The only thing he has to do now is to fulfill the honor of a British officer and hold on here to the death.
The Tambia Valley has been regarded by General Burke as his own tomb.
On March 5, the Chinese ** team once again advanced the front, and troops of the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade collapsed one after another, and the breath of death deeply enveloped this unit.
General Burke began to prepare for the worst. He ordered the destruction of confidential information. If this failed, these information must not fall into the hands of the Chinese.
The sound of gunfire outside sounded very clear. Perhaps Chinese troops began to appear around their brigade headquarters?
Requests for reinforcements continued to come from the front, but General Boerke could only smile bitterly and ask that they must persist alone, and that he did not have any troops to send them.
He made one last request for support to Montgomery. The good news was that General Montgomery had done everything he could to send an infantry regiment and a tank company to reinforce the Tambia Valley. The bad news was that it was bombed by the Luftwaffe.
, this reinforcement force is moving slowly and will not arrive until the 7th at the earliest.
The 7th? General Burke shook his head in distress. Can his troops still hold on until the 7th?
"General, a Chinese captain has arrived and demands to see you immediately."
"Chinese captain?" General Burke was startled, but then he reacted: "He's here to persuade you to surrender, right? Well, let him in."
As General Boerke judged, the captain who could speak fluent English did come to persuade him to surrender. He and General Boerke analyzed the current poor situation of the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade, and at the same time suggested that for the lives of the soldiers
Safety, the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade should immediately put down their weapons, and the squadron will ensure their lives.
"I refuse." Burke's answer was very firm: "Even if the situation on the battlefield is not favorable to us now, I will never order my soldiers to lay down their weapons, and I will not tarnish the honor of the British Emperor."
honor!"
"That's a pity." The Chinese captain said calmly: "General, you must consider what you and your men will face if you reject our kindness. Your troops will be attacked in a retaliatory manner by us. At the same time,
After the St. Maison Infantry Brigade was defeated, we could not guarantee the safety of the British officers and soldiers of the brigade."
"That's our responsibility, Captain!"
Burke seemed very stubborn: "Thank you for your kindness, but my soldiers understood their responsibilities from the first minute they set foot on the battlefield. All their sacrifices are worth it in my opinion."
The Chinese captain did not get what he wanted and left here with some regrets.
However, Burke knew very well that the Chinese were not there to threaten him. They would destroy this place and their own troops at all costs.
Heavy artillery retaliation began.
A large number of artillery shells roared towards the British position, and a large number of German aircraft appeared over the battlefield. The entire battlefield was trembling, and the entire Tambia Valley was trembling.
The British officers and soldiers of the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade were huddled in their own positions. Perhaps General Burke's determination to resist was resolute, but his men were far from having such a strong determination to resist.
The only thing they can do now is to pray that whether they fail or become prisoners of the Chinese, as long as this damn war can end as soon as possible, they will not suffer this terrible torture again.
On the 5th, neither Boelke nor the soldiers of the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade knew how they spent their time. They suffered too many losses, and their positions were almost completely destroyed.
Everyone knows that they can't hold on for another day.
At night, the British position looked very desolate. The injured soldiers made mournful cries. They waited in pain and despair for rescue. Their companions called loudly for a doctor, but the doctor did not come. Instead, a priest came.
There were no doctors left. Just a few hours ago, the medical center was bombed by German planes. A bomb fell on the medical center. As a result, all the doctors and the wounded inside died.
There were Chinese troops on the ground and German aircraft in the sky. When the Chinese and German troops appeared side by side on the battlefield, the power displayed was so terrifying.
What else could the British do? Pray under the leadership of a priest? But prayer could not dispel the threat of death, let alone help them escape from this horrific place.
"God is with you." The priest helplessly scratched a few times in front of the wounded soldiers, as if this would give them strength and lead them away from death.
"Pastor, I miss my mother," a wounded soldier who looked young said weakly.
The pastor leaned down and said, "My child, your mother will hear your call. If you pray to God sincerely, God will fulfill all your wishes."
The wounded soldier murmured, and the chaplain could not hear clearly what he was saying. Then, he became motionless.
"He's dead, pastor." Just when the pastor didn't know what happened, a sergeant major said regretfully.
God did not hear his voice. God did not hear the British voice either.
"Oh God," the pastor sighed painfully: "Someone, please bury him."
"Pastor, there is no one." The sergeant major said numbly: "We are all going to die soon."
The priest stood up and looked at everything around him. There was death and blood everywhere, and the soldiers died one after another in despair. They looked so helpless and desolate.
What else can you expect? What else can you expect?
The illumination bombs launched by the Chinese emitted dazzling light in the sky, seeming to tell the British here that when the sky lights up again, the end of the Saint-Maison Infantry Brigade is coming.
Pray, British. Pray. When the machine of war starts running, no one can stop it, not now and never in the future.
March 6, 1943.
This is a day that the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade will never forget.
Under the cover of German fighter planes in the sky, and with the cooperation of tanks and artillery on the ground, a large number of Chinese soldiers devoted themselves to the battle of annihilation of the St. Meissen infantry!
This will be the last battle in Tambia Valley¨
One by one, the British soldiers fell in a pool of blood. One by one, the British soldiers died after exhausting their last bit of strength.
The battlefield is becoming increasingly narrow for the St. Maison Infantry Brigade, and the shadow of failure is quickly approaching every British person.
When Montgomery's telegram was delivered to General Burke, the general took a cursory glance and then said to his men: "Tell Bernard that we have failed. Soldiers are dying in droves.
We can't survive today anymore. Reinforcements don't need to come."
Yes, there is no need for reinforcements to come. If they come, they will be swallowed up by this terrible battlefield.
From the annihilation battle launched at 6 a.m., gunfire had become sparse by 10 a.m. This meant that the large-scale resistance of the St. Meissen Infantry Brigade was collapsing, and the Chinese had taken control of the valley.
General Burke and his brigade staff were conducting the final resistance there. Now this general who once commanded a brigade only had more than a hundred troops at his disposal.
The Chinese quickly noticed this place. They sent about a platoon of troops to conduct a tentative attack here. Although the attack was quickly repelled, more Chinese troops immediately appeared in front of General Burke.
before.
The Chinese obviously thought they had captured a big prey. They did not use heavy weapons, but patiently built simple fortifications on the outside. They wanted to catch it alive.
Seeing the Chinese soldiers on the opposite side busying nervously but orderly, General Burke understood why he failed.
What he faced was a group of elite and well-trained troops. They were brave and decisive when attacking, but they were so calm when faced with major problems on the battlefield.
The failure was not unjust, General Burke thought in his mind.
After careful preparation, the Chinese attack began.
They advanced here from two directions, using machine gun fire to suppress the British, and then the infantry controlled the situation here bit by bit. If General Berkeley wanted to rely on his own guards and staff to resist the Chinese attack, it would be really difficult for him.
It's something that's unlikely to happen.
"General, we can't go on any longer."
As soon as a staff officer said these words, he let out a muffled groan and fell to the ground. He was hit by a cold gun from the Chinese¨
Yes, I can't hold on any longer. General Burke thought sadly in his heart.
After tenacious resistance, the British here were still unable to stop the Chinese advance. They no longer had to wait for the general's orders, they took the initiative to put down their weapons.
At 1 o'clock in the afternoon on March 6, 1943, more than a dozen Chinese soldiers stood in front of General Burke. The leading Chinese military officer said in less than standard English:
"Sir, you are captured."
General Burke smiled with relief, and then put down the weapon in his hand.
The battle in the Tambia Valley ended with the capture of General Burke. The door to the battlefield was opened. Now the Chinese Army could unscrupulously attack the main force of the British army commanded by Montgomery.
When Montgomery learned that the Saint-Maison Infantry Brigade had been almost completely wiped out, even though he had been mentally prepared, he was still stunned.
St. Meissen is an elite British army. They have performed extremely well on the African battlefield and were able to launch a counterattack even under Rommel's fierce offensive. However, now this army has been defeated by the Chinese.
Now, the Chinese and German troops are about to launch the most direct attack on the Allies. The situation on the entire African battlefield is already in danger for the Allies!
Montgomery could not think of any way to block such an attack. Originally, he had successfully reversed the passive situation of the Allies in the African battlefield and blocked Rommel's sharp offensive. However, when another enemy of the Allies: China appeared on the battlefield,
When I went to school, all of this changed most directly.
May God bless Britain. May God bless Britain?
Montgomery suspected that God was on the side of the Chinese.
"General, this is the last telegram sent by General Burke."
Montgomery's chief of staff placed a telegram in front of him, but Montgomery did not go
No need to read, there is no need to read anything now.
"General, the Chinese are gathering in large numbers."
"General, the German bombing has intensified!"
One piece of news after another reached Montgomery's ears, and he knew that the largest offensive operation on the continent of Africa would soon begin.