＜ Episode 163 >
France, 60 km southeast of Paris, the 7th week of the war.
The French Republic was in its greatest crisis since the Great War.
As long as the enemy entered the country anyway, and the British army supplies them with supplies, the fortifications are useless.
In addition, some sections of the Maginot Line, which were covered in shells by the ignorant train cannons, even broke through.
Although Italy invaded Spain, which had originally had bad relations, without prior notice to Germany, it is not a war situation that will change if another Spain is added anyway.
The southern part of France was trampled upon by the Germans, and the troops of the Maginot Line were captured by the Germans without firing a single shot, and the French troops, which had lost most of their air and armored power, were annihilated as they were.
To be precise, it collapsed on the grass.
Terrified, the French army hastily sent the troops they had gathered in the lowlands, especially in the Netherlands, down to the south, but as a result, they called for a series of individual defeats.
There was also a commotion in the rear. Although the exact situation did not spread to the front line, after Gamelin was dismissed, before General Beigang, who was sitting there, took command and grasped the situation, a hidden traitor shot Beigang, but Beigang was not hit and Pateng was killed. Rumors of serious injuries were circulating within the unit.
The upper management did not say anything about Beigang or Pateng’s life or death, but by this point everyone was convinced.
Clearly there is a traitor.
Without a traitor, this catastrophe cannot be explained.
It was the common thought of all.
‘Socialists.’
The National Socialist German Workers’ Party is in a gang with the rednecks in fear who might have put socialism in their name.
And the gangsters shot Philippe Patin, and they’re trying to give this beautiful country back to Germany.
‘I don’t leave it like that.’
Charles de Gaulle nodded.
It is said that the tree of freedom sometimes feeds on the blood of patriots and dictators.
Now that the blood of patriots has been shed, I will sprinkle as much blood as possible on those who co-operate with the dictatorship.
“I thought we were going to fight in Vichy as we had originally planned.”
De Gaulle shook his head at Joffrey’s words.
“It would have been broken sooner.”
Even now, the troops were not properly assembled. Two companies of Char B1 tanks and 10 or so 2C tanks that could not travel because the railroad was blocked were all of the armored force. It was a pity that there were no Somua tanks or Panar armored vehicles, but the mechanization ratio was very high compared to most units.
One regiment of soldiers who are still willing to fight there.
There are a lot of howitzers, but they lack ammunition.
The Charles Special Forces were formed by all of them.
Named after Charles de Gaulle, who was the most popular of all the generals there, who caused the least damage to the German army, and who captured all who gathered there, in a situation where communication with the superiors was not working properly, he somehow broke the German army’s brunt. It was the last French elite, prepared to face the Germans, to buy time to form a defensive line.
“Moving tanks, slap them in the back of the head!”
***
“Schmidt!”
“Yes! Captain.”
“Have you checked all the items in stock No. 1145?”
“I am doing it.”
“Hurry up and help me with this.”
“This…….”
“It’s fervitin.”
Now the Germans were advancing with all their might, literally sucking stimulants and sleeping.
The current splendid battle could only be summed up in the chaos caused by the French army’s self-destruction, and the German army’s reckless rush that did not give them a chance to come to their senses.
Unsure of where the main tribute was, the French army staff had a self-reinforcing unit that concentrated all its troops in order to block the tribute direction, and there was even a confirmation bias in ignoring the tribute by telling the Germans to stop the tribute.
What’s even more absurd is that, the tribute could not be blocked and the hole was drilled. Not long ago, a large amount of Somua tanks, Panar armored vehicles, and other vehicles were captured without a single battle. it was
“The Legion is staring at us without resting for even a second, you know why?”
If you go as far as Paris, the French war will be over, and you will face Russia with all your might.
Therefore, the German forces were required to subdue France and wage a decisive battle with Russia in the least amount of time and with minimal damage. Not only was it a tactical necessity, but it was a strategically murderous schedule.
The driving force that made it possible to maintain it was fuel and fervitin, and supplying them properly was the most important responsibility of the supply unit.
That was then.
“Colonel!”
“Something?”
“It’s French!”
“You will come to surrender.”
“no! The chariot is coming! The troops looked beyond battalion level!”
“What?”
The colonel hurriedly shouted.
“All-in-one battle deployment! Battle Placement! Damn it, call the Luftwaffe and nearby units right now! right now!”
“Yes!”
***
“charge! Harpoon them!”
– Kwaang!
The gunfire of anti-tank guns rang out, and a pile of dirt erupted nearby.
– Kaang!
The morale of the French tankers was even higher when they saw a 37mm shell that had been hit by the front armor and had been ricocheted down there.
“attack! Crush them Jerry!”
“Stop the rotten cabbage-eaters!”
There is no way that 37mm can penetrate the frontal armor of a B1 tank. After the shells deflected several more times, the French tanks, which had gained momentum, advanced along with the infantry.
-Tatattattattatta!
The stems of tracer bombs started pouring down. The Germans started firing machine guns.
The commander saw this and immediately turned the turret.
On French tanks with single-man turrets, the commander must load and fire both.
The 75mm gun on the hull has a gunner, but you have to turn the hull to fire it.
-bang!
A 47mm secondary gun destroyed a German machine gun battery.
“Get the anti-tank battery!”
De Gaulle picked up a walkie-talkie and wrote evil.
The characteristic of the B1 tank is that it is a tank equipped with a radio on all vehicles, which is one of the few radios in France.
The problem is that the radio’s performance is worse than that of a Russian-made one.
-…………..
When there was no sound coming from over the network, de Gaulle threw the radio in annoyance and grabbed the periscope.
Shortly thereafter, the periscope was shattered by an anti-tank shell.
It didn’t matter though. I saw the location of the enemy anti-tank gun, so the direction was correct, but the distance was a little different.
De Gaulle, who adjusted the angle slightly, fired the cannon as it was.
– Kwaang!
As if it had been hit, an explosion could be heard from beyond.
– Kaang!
Another impact, it didn’t break through the armor, but it flew from a different direction.
De Gaulle stretched his upper body over the hatch to check the number of enemies.
Four of the batteries had just been smashed, and several German infantrymen were firing anti-tank guns, but it wasn’t a serious threat…
“Enemy tank!”
A few moments later, several bullets passed him.
“German tanks appear! Turn the car around!”
Originally, the B1 tank was not intended for anti-tank warfare.
However, in terms of performance, the German Army’s newest tank, the Panzer IV, is well worth a try.
– Kwaang!
47mm guns flew. The approaching Tank No. 1 sat down with just one room.
The problem was that there wasn’t only one tank.
De Gaulle, who saw a mix of tanks 2, 3, and 4 rushing towards him, grabbed the radio, which was still in poor condition, and gave an order.
“All units! Enemy tanks are approaching!”
There were not many number 4 tanks, and most of them were the 3 and 2 tanks as if they were coming from the rear troops spread nearby, and there were only a few tanks 1.
– Kwaang!
Fortunately, some of the tanks turned around to see if the radio went even though they couldn’t hear it, or if they knew the enemy tanks were approaching even if they didn’t.
Also, the unfortunate Tank 1 was smashed as it was.
Immediately after that, a roar rang out.
An entire enemy anti-tank gun position was shattered and fragments were seen flying into the sky.
The 2C tanks followed them slowly and barely caught up.
The 2C tanks, which used 75mm as their main gun and one of them was equipped with a 155mm cannon, were like monsters to their enemies.
– Kwaang!
However, the resistance of the enemy was not formidable. A B1 tank, covered in enemy artillery fire from the front, was destroyed.
The armor plate fixed with bolts and nuts was not penetrated by the tank 3 shells, but the bolt broke and the armor plate fell off without being able to withstand the impact.
Immediately after that, the tank, which was instantly turned into a ball of fire by a flying shell, sparked a bright yellow flame and was engulfed in flames.
The crew did not escape.
“damn.”
De Gaulle grinded his teeth.
Originally, the infantry had to occupy the enemy camp while the tanks cleared the infantry, but while the tanks were unable to support the infantry as they were fighting the enemy tanks that were running faster than expected, countless brave French comrades were dying.
– aae
In an instant, a siren sounded with goosebumps.
– Aww!
A B1 tank next to it was shattered.
“Stuka!”
Some of the tanks fired anti-aircraft machine guns, but not one or two Stukas rushed in.
A minimum regiment-level force attacked the division’s supply unit, which was in charge of the core mission of the breakthrough.
The situation was quickly reported to Berlin, and Hermann Göring immediately ordered the Luftwaffe to do everything in its power to stop the advance of the enemy forces.
And the results were unfolding before the eyes of the French army.
Stuka had nothing to fear in the sky that had taken over air supremacy. When the 2C tank was also hit directly by Stuka’s bomb, it turned into a huge steel coffin.
However, it was not the Pak 36, which the French scorned, that destroyed the German tank squadrons and sent a warm welcome to the French troops who broke through the outskirts of the German supply base and entered despite the concentrated bombing.
– Aww!
When the shell hit directly, the armor plate of the 2C tank was pierced like a piece of paper and shattered.
“Aww!”
De Gaulle couldn’t think of anything as one of the crew members, set on fire, rolled off the tank and struggled, pulled out a pistol and fired at his head.
what’s happening now….
– Aww!
Another B1 tank exploded. It was clear that he had been shot in the ammunition depot.
It was only then that the target that had killed them became clear. A gun that was camouflaged, but was put in a trench that wasn’t done properly.
Besides, it wasn’t just one.
Four 8,8 cm anti-aircraft guns were left open, waiting for the French army to appear in the trenches.
Whether it was a B1 tank or a 2C tank, even if it hit the thickest part of the armor, it was not capable of blocking 8,8 cm.
“Damn it.”
The numbers were already dwindling.
After all, the terrain looked like a beggar again.
The enemy who occupied the high ground was in a position where if you just hit it, the people who hit it would only be hit, and the enemy was collecting blood from those who fearlessly tried to oppose them with machine guns, artillery shells, and artillery bombardment.
how much is left
At first glance, there were five of them.
B1 2 units, 2C 3 units,
2Cs survived more than I thought, but that wasn’t important now.
Another B1 was destroyed with a flash of light.
“Brother-in-law! Retreat…”
“No, you can’t retreat!”
De Gaulle exclaimed at this.
“Even if we do, there is no guarantee we will survive, and if we do, our infantry behind us will be in danger! now….”
“Brother-in-law! Flag signals from 2C tanks!”
De Gaulle’s face hardened as he looked at the friendly tank that had sent a semaphore signal instead of a bad radio.
– This platoon will cover your vehicle and infantry. retreat
“The bullshit…”
“Brother-in-law, this is not nonsense. If you keep fighting, you will all die! The only thing they can buy you is now!”
It was breathing in the blind spot that was barely created when one 88mm battery was destroyed, but how long will it last?
De Gaulle stared at the enemy line with blood in his eyes.
If it was around the rear base, it would have been possible to quickly defeat it and escape. It was difficult to see that it was completely wrong.
However, the time was delayed due to the faster-than-expected reinforcement of the enemy, the decisive battle of the enemy forces, and, crucially, their dive bombing, which resulted in the loss of most of the tanks they had.
But no matter what you say, in the end, it’s just an ugly self-excuse for the leader.
Anyway, he lost. And since you admit that, all that’s left is to allow even one more soldier to return to their homeland.
The team leader is responsible for the loss. Even if you die while covering the back of the retreating soldiers…
“General, you can win or lose a battle. You are not the only general who has been defeated in the Grand Army! The general must survive to trample those krauts again and put the tricolor flag on Berlin! Now those crew members are risking their lives to save the general!”
A moment of silence passed. Everyone was silent over the sound of German anti-tank bullets hitting the outer armor plate.
“General.”
Joffrey said vigorously.
“You must go.”
“Damn it… Damn it, damn it!”
De Gaulle, who struck the inner wall of the tank with his fist, looked in the direction of the German army as if through a clairvoyance. The skin on the back of his hand was peeled off, so full of anger that he couldn’t even feel the blood flowing.
His anger towards himself for causing many casualties for not understanding the scale of the German army, his anger towards the German army killing his brothers, and the sense of shame he felt when he saw his comrades willing to lay down their lives for himself as a leader.
“Yeah, I’ll go, I’ll go now, and I’ll come back, then I’ll kill all those bastards!”
Of course, not everyone could retreat. About half of the survivors, including three 2C tanks already decided to remain, voluntarily assumed rearguard for the other half.
Their fighting spirit against the Germans with a bayonet when the bullets ran out, and with their bare hands when the bayonet broke, was later recorded in the fighters as ‘the most threatening and impressive counterattack against Germany by the French in all of France’.
However, their fighting spirit did not change their fate. The German offensive was delayed by about three days due to de Gaulle’s counterattack, but the French army wasted those three days.