Chapter 145 Bayerlein’s helplessness (second update, please subscribe)
It’s hard to say whether Americans can be relied upon, but Li Yian never likes to leave his destiny to others, almost accepting it After receiving the order to guard Bastogne, he immediately ordered Sundelin to lead two search groups from Metz for reinforcements.
"Throw away all the heavy weapons and just bring people here..."
The order couldn't be simpler, which is to reach Bastogne as soon as possible before the German army forms a siege.
There is no shortage of weapons and ammunition in Bastogne. After all, the weapons dropped by the German army in the Ardennes region were more than enough to arm five or six divisions, let alone one division. Almost all of these weapons were transported by search parties to Bastogne.
The only problem is troop strength.
After receiving the order, Sundelin did not hesitate at all and immediately ordered the troops to set off by car. There were no heavy weapons to hinder them, and they did not even need to carry much backup ammunition. The five thousand reinforcements arrived almost on the day of the German attack. Just arrived in Bastogne.
The Bastogne defenders finally broke through 10,000 people!
In the Allied Command in Verdun, Eisenhower did not know that a group of reinforcements had arrived in Bastogne, but he was still trying to strengthen the local forces. In fact, he was letting the retreating US troops stay in Bastogne.
“We have about three battalions there, two of which are artillery, and my suggestion is to temporarily appoint Major Harry Jefferson as acting commander, who will then take over the defense of Bastogne... …”
As soon as a staff officer finished speaking, Bradley said directly.
"At this time, don't make any more extraneous matters. Those Chinese will never accept the command of a major, Ike,"
After nodding in agreement, Eisenhower said.
"How many troops do we have there?"
Bradley said.
"There are about two regiments now, and the German troops they face are three divisions! However, those German troops are not full of troops."
"No matter how full the troops are, there are still three divisions,"
Eisenhower asked again.
"How long will it take for the 101st Division to reach Bastogne?"
In Eisenhower's view, only the US military can hold Bastogne. As for the task force, it is just a temporary emergency. .
"It will take about three days..."
Three days...
Will Germany give them three days?
No one knows the answer to this.
But three days later, the news came.
On the third day of Bastogne, the German army detoured behind Bastogne, cutting off Bastogne's connection with the outside world. The reinforced 101st Airborne Division encountered the German army, and their attack was repelled by the German combat army.
After learning the news, Eisenhower opened his mouth and was stunned for a while. Then he turned his eyes to Bradley and said.
"We seem to..."
"Ike, we must now work hard to open up the road to reinforce Bastogne, which is now the key to this war."
< br>Even people without any military literacy can see how important Bastogne is as the intersection of seven roads and railways. Once the German army captures it, they can drive straight in and penetrate the entire Belgium.
"But can they persist?"
Eisenhower asked.
"Ike, have you read Wedemeyer's report? If the Chinese can fight tenaciously for seven years under the Japanese attack with polished rifles and a few rounds of bullets, they will definitely be able to hold on there. Seven days, seven days..."
Bradley said.
"After seven days, we will definitely be able to open up the connection with Bastogne. All we need now is for them to fight there for seven days."
At this time, Bradley seemed extremely confident, but compared to his confidence, Eisenhower had no bottom in his heart. The bottom was not other things, but the weather.
"The weather..."
Turning to look out the window, although it was sunny in Verdun at this time, it was snowing heavily in the Ardennes area.
“The snowstorm in the Ardennes shows no sign of stopping. Even if our planes fly there, they cannot provide any support.”
“This is exactly the purpose of the Germans. , bad weather weakened our air power, and without air support, the Germans regained their battlefield advantage."
"Can they hold out for seven days without air support?" Eisenhower didn't know the answer, and Bradley didn't know the answer either, but soon they got an answer. The answer was sent from Bastogne, "We have been They were all fighting without air support.”
…
Along with the fierce bombardment, the air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur. , a violent explosion turned the town into ruins. Amid heavy artillery fire, two No. 3 assault guns covered the infantry advance.
The ruins were trembling slightly on the tracks of the tank. Standing among the rubble, Zhao Yingshi saw the white figures next to the assault gun rushing towards him. He picked up the STG44 and pulled the trigger.
But the gun didn't fire and the magazine was empty.
"Who has the magazine? Who still has the magazine..."
Because the bullets had been empty in the previous counterattack, Zhao Yingshi could only take out the pistol from his waist. While firing his pistol, he called out to his comrades.
"Da da da..."
A comrade beside him held an assault rifle on his waist and fired at the group of people on the street. At the same time, with the sparse and dull sound of rifles, the German army began to fight back. With the roar of assault guns, the positions of comrades were blown into the sky.
"Damn..."
Seeing a comrade on the left lying in a pool of blood, Zhao Yingshi cursed, ran over, and threw himself next to his comrade for the last time. From his tactics He took out two magazines from the magazine bag of his vest. As soon as he loaded the magazines, he picked up the assault rifle and fired a burst of fire.
A loud "boom" sound came from behind.
Zhao Yingshi looked back. A broken wall had been turned into rubble in the explosion. Several comrades over there were either lying in a pool of blood or buried in the rubble.
"Retreat, you retreat first, I will cover you!"
The soldier lying in a pool of blood roared loudly as he looked at his comrades who were unwilling to evacuate. He even pointed his gun at his comrades beside him. At the same time, do not forget to take out the magazine, take off the tactical vest and throw it to the nearest comrade, because the tactical vest is a life-saving thing. It does stop bullets.
Then the comrades in the pool of blood carried assault rifles and continued to fight. Soon, the rapid gunfire disappeared.
"Ah...!"
The roars and grenade explosions coming from behind made Zhao Yingshi and his comrades roar like dying beasts. Tears had blurred their vision. They didn't know if they could return to Hengshan from here, but at this moment, their tears flowed down because they knew. Comrades died for them.
They are both willing to sacrifice for each other on the battlefield.
With tears in his eyes, Zhao Yingshi just dragged his injured leg and staggered forward numbly.
At this moment, a cannonball exploded not far from him. The huge wave of air knocked him over and knocked him unconscious. He didn't know how long it took for the rumbling sound of cannons to wake him up again. The German artillery still roared.
I don’t know how long it took, but Zhao Yingshi shook his head. I just wanted to get up from the snow on the roadside. Look around. The comrades have left. He touched the two nameplates between his neck and only one was left. Apparently his comrades had mistakenly thought he was dead.
Soon, he ran towards the defense line he was guarding. Perhaps, in the eyes of outsiders, he was dead, but he had to fight for his brothers and for those who were alive. and dead brethren.
Behind him, the Germans who occupied the town were like wounded beasts, licking their wounds. The corpses on the ground and the burning assault guns and tanks inside and outside the town were all reminders. , what a heavy price they paid.
"A charge..."
Looking at the damage report in his hand, Bayerlein couldn't help but complain.
“We charged for four days...”
As a result, after four days of charging, there was almost no progress. The city was still firmly in the hands of the enemy.
What's even worse is that the losses they have paid here have almost reached the acceptable limit. If the losses continue like this, his troops are likely to lose their assault capabilities. After all, the 901 battle group has already been lost here. There are thousands of troops and more than 20 tanks.
After paying such heavy losses, all they gained were a few small and inconspicuous villages.
“Damn it, how could those Chinese be more tenacious than the Russians when they fought.”
Baierlein, who had fought with the Russians on the Eastern Front, sighed with emotion. , he finally understood why the Japanese had been fighting in China for seven or eight years and still had not defeated the Chinese. There was no way. Those Chinese were too tenacious. Not only that, they were a group of fearless warriors on the battlefield.
Just a few days of fighting allowed Bayerlein to understand these soldiers from China to a certain extent.
Having such soldiers is the desire of all officers, and fighting with such an army is absolutely the nightmare of all soldiers.
But even with this understanding, there is no other choice for Bayerlein. He can only order the troops to attack again and again. After all, this city is the only way for them to enter Belgium. Even if the main force is now They have gone around, but it is not a problem for them to be stuck here.
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(End of this chapter)