Chapter 1211 The Hard Fight Has Just Begun

When General Theodore von Hipple entered the headquarters at the Harbor Grace Airport, his face was no longer full of jubilation. Because he knew very well that the Battle of Newfoundland had just begun.

The successful parachute and airdrop was just a good start, and the arduous battle was still to come! According to the intelligence, the Americans (including the British) had more than 250,000 troops on Newfoundland, and it was likely close to 300,000! And they also had a large number of tanks, armored vehicles and large-caliber artillery.

The total force that Hipple had was only 5 air assault battalions and 18 parachute battalions, a total of 23 battalions, with a total force of only 15,000 to 16,000 people. As the killer, there were more than 70 E-25 tank destroyers and Type 4 H tanks each, in addition to dozens of 105mm mountain guns, some 105mm recoilless guns and 80mm mortars.

Such forces and equipment were really not worth mentioning compared to the 200,000 to 300,000 Allied troops on Newfoundland.

But Hipple now has to rely on this airborne force of less than 16,000 people to seize two key ports - Port Grace and Port Carbonier, to create favorable conditions for the smooth landing of the subsequent landing troops.

"Everyone, I think you all know how critical the situation we are facing on Newfoundland Island." Hipple's eyes swept through the temporarily arranged combat meeting room. Several German chief officers on Newfoundland Island, including the chief of staff of the 1st Air Assault Army, the commander of the 1st Air Assault Brigade, and the commanders of the 1st Airborne Division and the 7th Airborne Division, have all arrived. Like Hipple, they have long thrown away the joy of the successful airdrop.

"Although we have successfully landed on Newfoundland," Hipple said, "we have not really gained a foothold, and we are still an isolated army far away from the European continent. If we cannot take Port Grace and Port Carbonier tonight, then we will lose the battle in front of us!"

The occupation of Port Grace and Port Carbonier on the night after the successful airborne and airborne landing was stipulated in the "Operation Columbus" plan. Both ports are located on the west coast of Conception Bay, with a straight-line distance of less than 20 kilometers between them, and both are close to the exit of Conception Bay. Among them, Port Carbonier is particularly advantageous, with a wide sea nearby, about 25 kilometers from the west coast of Conception Bay, and more than 35 kilometers away from the Churchill Naval Fortress near St. John (the fortress is located near the east coast of Conception Bay). Although it is still within the range of the fortress's 406mm cannon, it is far away after all, and it is not easy to hit.

Of course, the huge cannons in the Churchill Fortress must also be destroyed as soon as possible, but that is not the job of Hipple's airborne troops, but the job of the Air Force and Naval Aviation.

"How many troops can you mobilize before dark?" Hipple stared at the map spread on a pile of ammunition boxes and asked his brigade commander and two division commanders.

"General, our 1st Air Assault Brigade can mobilize 3 assault battalions, which can be deployed with 102 E-25 and Type 4 tanks." Skorzeny, the commander of the 1st Air Assault Brigade, replied.

Although only 5 combined battalions of his brigade arrived in Newfoundland, they were the main force of this battle, and the other 18 battalions of paratroopers were the auxiliary troops. However, these 5 battalions cannot all be deployed in offensive operations, because the US military cannot miss this critical time point tonight - the German army has just airdropped (landed) and has not yet established a firm foothold. It is a good opportunity to counterattack and eliminate them. In addition, the German air superiority cannot be exerted at night. If we don't take action tonight, by tomorrow daytime, not only will the German Fokker aircraft and Me262 occupy the sky again, but more paratroopers will be dropped. At that time, the US military's counterattack will be difficult to fight!

However, for the German army, the situation is similar. Now the U.S. troops on Newfoundland have been attacked by surprise, and they are in a state of panic. If it is delayed until tomorrow, the U.S. troops will recover from the chaos, and may also receive reinforcements from the air and sea.

So tonight is very precious for both the attackers and defenders on Newfoundland.

"Three battalions are too few." Hipple rejected Skorzeny's suggestion, "Deploy four battalions!"

"Admiral, the Americans will definitely launch a large-scale counterattack tonight, and it is very likely that they will deploy armored forces. If we only use one synthetic battalion and several parachute battalions to defend, it will be very dangerous." Colonel Koch, Chief of Staff of the 1st Air Assault Army, immediately expressed a different opinion.

"Admiral, I also agree with Colonel Koch's opinion. We should deploy at least two assault battalions and nine parachute battalions to stop the Americans near the isthmus." Major General Karl Lothar Schultz, commander of the 1st Parachute Division, also supported Colonel Koch's opinion.

He advocated setting up the defense line near the isthmus leading from the Avalon Peninsula to the main body of Newfoundland, which is about 10 kilometers wide and is also a military stronghold on Newfoundland. It is impossible to occupy it, but the Americans can be blocked there and prevent them from approaching the west coast of Conception Bay.

"We should set up defenses between Whiteway on the edge of Trinity Bay and Grays Harbor Airport near the west shore of Concepcion Bay." Friedrich August Freher, commander of the 2nd Parachute Division Major General von der Haidt put forward his own opinions on the defense issue, "In this way, we only need to defend a 15-kilometer front line, which can save a lot of troops. If the goal is not to defend the defense line, we only need to delay the opponent for 24- For 36 hours, one combined battalion and five paratrooper battalions are enough.”

Hipple held his chin and thought for a while, and finally made up his mind to take a gamble: "We can't seek stability now, we must have enough enterprising spirit."

He glanced at Major General Haidt: "Friedrich, you are responsible for guarding the Whiteway-Grace Harbor Airport line for at least 36 hours. I will give you the 101st Battalion and the 5 paratrooper battalions belonging to the 2nd Parachute Division. "Is that enough?"

"That's enough, Admiral, I promise to complete the mission!" Major General Haidt stood at attention and saluted, and hurriedly left the headquarters with several of his entourage.

Hipple continued to give orders. He said to Skorzeny: "You take 3 assault battalions and 6 paratrooper battalions to capture Port Carbonir. You must capture it before dawn. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Admiral!" Skorzeny replied immediately.

Hipple said to Major General Schultz: "Karl, you follow me, and we will capture Grays Harbor together."

"Okay, sir," Schultz asked. "When do we start our attack?"

"After dark," Hipple replied, "Now go and occupy the starting position, and then launch the attack after dark."

Of course there was a reason for choosing to attack after dark, because the German paratroopers airdropped on Newfoundland were equipped with a large number of infrared night vision devices, not only for vehicles, but also for machine guns. This ensures maximum combat effectiveness at night!

In addition, the German carrier-based aircraft will launch several air strikes before dark, and hundreds of Br.810 carrier-based bombers will be deployed to attack the artillery positions near Carbonir Harbor and Grays Harbor with Hs293 remote-controlled gliding bombs. , striving to destroy the large-caliber coastal defense guns (203MM and 240MM) there.

Time passed little by little in the mobilization of troops and preparations for the attack, as well as the continuous air strikes. Soon it was around 7 o'clock in the evening. Newfoundland, which is located at a high latitude, will experience long days and short nights after the spring equinox. However, by this time, night still enveloped the land and the temperature quickly dropped to close to zero.

French Air Force Sergeant Mitterrand was holding an M1 rifle "picked up" from the battlefield and wrapped in a coat plucked from the corpse of an American soldier. He was sitting in a newly dug paratrooper pit and shivering. Curse under his breath "Brandt the Nazi." As a French Air Force airman, he could have stayed at Port Grays Airport to serve as a garrison with other aircrews (including the crew members of the German ZSO523 assault transport aircraft and other German and French aircrews who parachuted). But Brandt used the excuse of insufficient manpower to keep him in his paratrooper platoon as cannon fodder!

But the curse didn't solve the problem. Mitterrand then thought about it. There are also advantages to being on the front line, so that he can easily escape to the free world! The US military surrendered as soon as they came over, and then went to follow General de Gaulle... He is the real hero of France!

When Mitterrand made up his mind, Sergeant Major Brandt was forcing a smile... He had just been promoted to the front line!

"Great, really great...I am a second lieutenant now." He looked at the appointment letter and military rank sent by the battalion headquarters, and a smile appeared on his face.

Appointment at the front of the line means "military school remediation". After completing the military school training, which will graduate no matter how poor his academic performance is, he is likely to be converted into a professional soldier (the German Wehrmacht officers are also divided into two categories: professional and reserve. Reserve officers will be in He retired after the war, but Brandt, as an elite member of the airborne force, was very likely to become a professional officer), and then he would have to stay in the Wehrmacht for many years.

"Do it well!" said his company commander, a young officer in his twenties, "Herbert (Brandt used his original name in the army as Herbert Ernst Carl Fram), said Maybe you and I will become nobles after the war."

Being an aristocrat was the identity Brandt hated most. He couldn't imagine inserting the annoying "Von" in the middle of his name.

"But before that, we have to hold the line of defense." The company commander, who dreams of becoming a nobleman, then told Brandt the bad news, "We now have to use 121 people to hold the line of defense that is almost 2 kilometers wide, and we may also be attacked. The impact of a large number of American tanks! I think there will be a hard battle, but we will definitely win the final victory!"