Chapter 330 France Don’t Cry 15
Although Guderian noticed the importance of the Monte-Diu Highlands on the morning of the 14th, the troops he sent were still a step later than the French and did not arrive near the town of Stoney until the early morning of April 15th. At this time, a reconnaissance group of the French 3rd Motorized Infantry Division (composed of two Panhard 178 armored vehicles and a small amount of infantry) and the 1st Battalion of the 67th Infantry Regiment (reinforced with two 25mm anti-tank guns and a 47mm anti-tank gun) tank guns) have set up defenses in the small town of Stoney.
At about 5 o'clock in the morning on the 15th, the 13th Light Infantry Artillery Company, the 15th Heavy Infantry Artillery Company and the 640th Assault Artillery Company of the "Grossdeutschland" banner began to bombard the town of Stoney. At the same time, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the "Gross Deutschland" flag force also arrived at their respective offensive starting lines.
The 2nd Battalion's goal 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 3rd Battalion's goal was the town of Stoney. The 8th Armored Regiment of the 10th Armored Division also sent 2 No. 3 assault guns, 4 No. 4 tanks and 6 38t tanks to form a small tank column, guiding the infantry of the "Gross Deutschland" flag force from Stone It breaks into the east side of Ni Town. Leading the way were two No. 4 tanks, followed by three No. 38t tanks, two No. 4 tanks, three No. 38t tanks and two No. 3 assault guns. The 2nd Platoon of the 11th Company led by Gustav Schwarzenegger advanced on foot to protect the two No. 4 tanks at the front.
Rudolf Ribbentrop held his Mauser 98k rifle and walked carefully next to the No. 4 tank at 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 is not the F-type with a long barrel (because the quality of the 43-diameter tank gun is still not up to par, so only a very small number of No. 4 tanks are equipped with the 43-diameter 75mm gun, called the No. 4 F-type, which is specially responsible for fighting against enemies in tank battles. gun), but the E-type equipped with a 24x caliber 75mm gun, but it is different from the historical E-type. The armor on the front of the vehicle and the front of the turret is 50mm thick, which is enough to withstand attacks from 37mm anti-tank guns at relatively close range. .
Amidst the rumble of the tank motor, Rudolf Ribbentrop and his comrades quickly reached the entrance of the town. This was his second time participating in a real battle. The last battle was the forced crossing of the Maas River on the 12th, but in that battle he did not even have a chance to fire a bullet. The soldiers who landed in front of him and the officers and soldiers of the 1st Airborne Private Brigade had already eliminated all the enemies.
Isn't it time to have a chance to kill the enemy for Germany and the leader? Just as he was thinking of this, a bright light suddenly flashed out from the darkness dozens of meters away in front of him, and then there was a crisp sound. The No. 4 tank next to him shook violently, followed by a burst of sparks. I know it came out of nowhere.
"Anti-tank gun!"
"Lie down quickly!"
Rudolf Ribbentrop immediately heard someone shouting, and then a very strong hand pinched the back of his neck and pushed him to the ground. As soon as he lay down, the sound of Hotchkiss machine gun fire rang out, and the bullets almost grazed his helmet!
"Boom boom..."
The No. 4 tank numbered 700 also reacted. It was not damaged, and the 24-fold 75mm cannon immediately began to exert its power. The 2nd gun destroyed the fire point of the anti-tank gun that had just fired, and then it turned the muzzle and destroyed the machine gun. Just as the tank was about to start again, another French anti-tank gun that was ambushing in the darkness opened fire. .
All he saw was an orange-red light slamming into the front of the No. 4 tank like lightning. There was another bang, but it was much louder than the previous one. To Ribbentrop, it sounded like a big church bell. He was hit hard right next to his ear.
Then there was another huge roar, which almost shattered Rudolf Ribbentrop's eardrums.
Tank No. 4 was actually 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 chariot that 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 then pushed him forward hard. Rudolf Ribbentrop guessed that it was Lieutenant Schwarzenegger ordering him to charge! His eardrums were shaken by the explosion just now, and now it was just buzzing and he couldn't hear anything.
He saw large and small fires flickering in the darkness ahead, and knew that they were French rifles, machine guns, and perhaps one or two anti-tank guns firing!
Rudolf Ribbentrop knew that now he had to rely on 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 (the tank soldiers also knew to protect the infantry) .
He instinctively attached a bayonet to his rifle, shouted "Long live Germany! Long live the leader!" and began to charge forward with his head covered.
After rushing a few dozen steps, Rudolf Ribbentrop's hearing recovered somewhat. He heard the sound of machine guns, the sound of cannon firing, the screams of the dying wounded, and Gustav Schwarzenegger. Second Lieutenant Ge's loud voice.
"11 o'clock, 11 o'clock, there is an anti-tank gun there, let's kill it!"
It was a French SA37 47mm anti-tank gun. When Rudolf Ribbentrop was temporarily deaf, this evil cannon damaged a No. 4 tank (this tank numbered 711 and Not completely damaged)!
However, the German attack did not stop. The 38t tank behind the two No. 4 tanks bypassed the wreckage of the No. 4 tank that was on fire and continued to move forward. The infantrymen who followed also shouted and launched a charge - they were the soldiers of the "Greater Germany" flag team, the most elite German supermen!
The supermen approached the French position quickly with guns. 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, and Gustav Schwarzenegger took the lead and jumped onto a low wall used as a shelter by the French, then raised his MP-38 submachine gun and fired a burst of shots.
Seven or eight French soldiers soon fell in a pool of blood, and several people turned around and ran 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 the first time Rudolf Ribbentrop killed someone!
After the close-range bloody battle, he found the body of the Frenchman he had killed and the blood-stained documents. The man's name was Louis Rossel, and like Rudolf Ribbentrop, he was born in 1921.
Perhaps because the 47mm anti-tank gun was captured by the Nazi supermen and shook the people's hearts, the French soldiers quickly began to retreat. Gustav Schwarzenegger and Rudolf Ribbentrop continued to follow the remaining tanks to the center of the town. There they encountered two Panhard 178 armored vehicles, and a 38t tank was damaged by the 25mm gun on the armored vehicle. However, the two French armored vehicles did not escape, and they were then turned into fireballs by the other two 38t tanks.
After losing two more armored vehicles, the French army in the town began to retreat and was soon driven out.
But the battle around Stoney Town has just begun! However, while this battle, which can be regarded as the most intense and bloodiest battle in the entire French Campaign, was unfolding, France had already begun to cry.
On the morning of May 15, Churchill was having breakfast with Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax, War Secretary Eden, and Admiral Albert Victor Alexander, discussing the war situation on the European continent, which was getting worse and worse.
Since the German armored forces broke through the Sedan-Meuse River defense line on the 12th, the war took a sharp turn for the worse.
Later on the 12th, another German army (Hoth's 15th Panzer Corps and part of the 4th Army Group) also crossed 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 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 the German armored group in Gembloux and launched a fierce battle. One day later, these two well-equipped French light mechanized divisions were defeated and retreated to the defense position of the Dyer River.
At the same time, the German army in Belgium also crossed the Meuse River in large numbers, and divided into three groups: the left wing to Mechelen, the center to Brussels, and the right wing to Nivelle, and soon advanced to the east of the Dyer River defense line.
On the 14th, British, French and German planes launched an unprecedented scale of fighting over the Meuse River. As a result, the British and French air forces suffered a disastrous defeat, losing more than 700 aircraft, and the air supremacy of the battlefield had fallen into the hands of Germany!
Just as the British Prime Minister and three ministers were upset about the current situation, the French Prime Minister called long-distance from Paris.
"Mr. Prime Minister," Prime Minister Reynaud's voice on the phone sounded very hoarse, as if he had just cried, and then Reynaud's words stunned Churchill, "I'm afraid we will lose this battle!"
"What? Lost? But the war has just begun!" Churchill asked hurriedly, "Didn't you launch a counterattack in the Meuse River area? Could the counterattack have already..."
"The counterattack has just begun, but..." Reynaud's voice sounded terrible, like a person with a complete mental breakdown.
"I will come to Paris tomorrow!" Churchill knew that he had to go to Paris in person, immediately, to find out the situation. "Mr. Prime Minister, let's talk about it in person."