Chapter 420 Fuel Dilemma

Mechelen is a medium-sized town in northern Belgium with a population of more than 70,000. It is 22 kilometers away from Brussels and 13 kilometers away from Antwerp.

Mr. Mignolet runs a gas station at the southwest intersection of the town. Recently, he has no choice but to close his business.

After the Germans occupied Belgium, they drove their cars and motorcycles to gas stations every three days, but after filling up, they didn't give them a penny.

"At least they didn't cause us any trouble." The wife said with a thankful tone, "I thought they would rob us all."

"Do you think this is a good thing?" Mr. Mignolet replied: "They just don't want to kill the goose that lays the goose to lay the eggs. They are using our supply chain to provide them with gasoline for a long time!"

Mr. Mignolet, who is concerned about the international situation, knows that Germany is under a blockade by the British navy, and Britain intends to "starve" Germany on trade.

Belgian merchants were outside the blockade, and the Germans cleverly took advantage of this to obtain their valuable war resources.

"It's unimaginable!" Mr. Mignolet complained in a low voice: "We are actually funding the Germans. It can even be said that we are helping the Germans occupy and control Belgium!"

"But what else can we do?" The wife replied with a look of horror: "What else can we do after we end the business? Starve to death?"

After a pause, the wife added: "Besides, do you think we have the power to end the business?"

Mr. Mignolet was stunned. He realized that his wife was right. The reason why they were in peace now was because they could bring benefits to the Germans.

Once you really want to end it, the Germans will come looking for you.

But, can it continue like this?

Just when Mr. Mignolet was in a dilemma, a group of tanks rumbled up the road, followed by a long line of cars. They slowed down slowly in front of the gas station and finally pulled over.

Mr. Mignolet looked at such a large team with horror in his eyes: "Look, Dana, it's time to kill the goose and lay the eggs!"

My wife and all the employees in the store looked at these vehicles at a loss. If they were all filled up for free, the gas station would go bankrupt.

At this time, the tank cabin opened, and a mustached captain wearing a helmet popped out. He looked tired and had oil stains on his face.

The helmet was something Mr. Mignolet had never seen before, and neither was the military uniform.

This must be the new German military uniform, Mr. Mignolet thought.

The mustachioed Captain shouted in French: "Hey, sir, do you have any gas? Give us some!"

Mr. Mignolet was stunned for a moment, looked at the long convoy behind and replied: "Sorry, sir, we don't have that much gasoline."

"Add as much as you can." Captain Mustached urged: "We are in a hurry!"

"Yes, sir," Mr. Mignolet replied, thinking that your words were enough.

Then he winked at his wife and employees and whispered, "Just give them some fuel and send them away!"

The wife and the staff understood, and then got busy. Several people rolled the oil drum to the front of the tank, then stood it upright, opened the cover and connected the oil pump.

Mr. Mignolet stepped forward to greet him personally, fearing that the employee would spill the beans and reveal the truth.

The mustachioed captain jumped off the tank. He looked at the town ahead and asked casually: "Are there any Germans here?"

"What?" Mr. Mignolet was stunned, and then his eyes lit up. They were speaking French, French!

"Are you French?" Mr. Mignolet looked at the tank soldiers dubiously.

The employees also stopped what they were doing and looked at the strange soldiers in front of them in surprise.

"What? We look like Germans?" The mustachioed captain had a faint smile on his face.

The soldiers around laughed.

"But!" Mr. Mignolet's scalp was numb: "You, how did you get here? I mean, where are the Germans?"

Captain Mustache asked calmly: "Isn't this the question I asked you?"

The soldiers laughed even more.

Then someone said the answer: "We are the troops of the Shire, sir, have you heard of the Shire?"

"Of course, of course!" Mr. Mignolet was so excited that he couldn't speak coherently: "Charles, who hasn't heard of Charles? You are actually his troops, but I, I didn't even hear the gunfire..."

Mr. Mignolet looked back and forth. Did he miss something?

"Don't doubt it." Captain Mustache said in a relaxed tone: "We are moving too fast, and the main German force is far behind us. You just need to tell me if there are any Germans in the town, and if so, where they are. ?”

"Yes, sir." Mr. Mignolet nodded repeatedly: "There are two teams of Germans stationed at the government building and the police station. They use this method to control the whole town."

"Yeah." Captain Mustachio spread out the map on the tank: "Government buildings and police stations..."

Mr. Mignolet immediately pointed out the location on the map: "Here, and here, there are not many people, the total strength may be less than a hundred."

A trace of disappointment flashed across the face of the mustached captain. He turned his head and shouted to the rear: "Luca, let Jerome take his troops to deal with them!"

"Yes, Captain."

Then two tanks led a group of armored vehicles across the convoy and drove toward the town along the road. The armored vehicles were filled with groups of French soldiers with live ammunition, who were gearing up and ready for battle.

Mr. Mignolet was sure that they were French troops coming to liberate Belgium. He turned around and shouted to his wife: "Danna, bring out all the gasoline, all of it!"

The captain with a mustache joked: "You seemed to say there was not much gasoline left."

"That's for the Germans, sir." Mr. Mignolet replied, with excitement in his eyes.

...

Charles' troops rested in Mechelen, which can also be said to be pre-war preparations.

The biggest problem for armored and mechanized divisions is that they need a lot of fuel, especially tanks, which consume an astonishing 200 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.

When the army advanced to Mechelen, the fuel carried by the army had been almost consumed, and the fuel in the rear could not be delivered for a while because the roads and railways were bombed by the main force of the German army.

In addition, although the "Charles A1" has been improved several times and is interspersed on the road, it needs to be overhauled every 100 kilometers, otherwise there will be few vehicles that can be driven when it reaches Antwerp.

But the fuel dilemma was soon solved.

When the Belgians in Mechelen heard that Charles's troops needed gasoline, they spontaneously organized to transport gasoline from nearby places, and even emptied the gasoline in their own cars.

"There are still 13 kilometers." Charles looked at the gradually darkening sky and had a new idea in his mind.

The Germans knew that tanks had no night combat capability, so they would take it for granted that the French would launch an attack at dawn the next day.

Should we give them a surprise now?