Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 146: Take a rest

After night fell, heavy rain began to fall in Dover and the surrounding area. This climatic condition had a great influence on the march at night. The Command Department accepted the advice of the landing cluster command and made corresponding corresponding plans. change.

However, the overall strategic framework remains the same, and the command’s plan to pursue quick victory has not changed. As the British judged, Guderian and Bock did not attempt to attack overnight. Although the number of landing troops has reached the standard for the start of the campaign, there is still a lot of finishing work to be completed in the previous battle, and the troops need to rest. In addition, the subsequent landing teams have to be arranged and organized. These tasks cannot be completed in one day. Until midnight, the Dover and Folkestone ports are still a mess.

The German command system has undergone a new change, and Rondestede and his staff joined the landing cluster command. The Headquarters gave this headquarters a new organization. It is very important to maintain a unified command. Especially before a new campaign is about to start, the uniqueness and effectiveness of the command must be guaranteed. This is related to the victory of the entire landing force. Defeat, honor and disgrace, the command and frontline officers have a clear understanding of this.

A brand-new command team has been established. The High Command has given the landing troops the designation of a group army group. At present, Rondstede and Bock are each leading the organization of a group army. Bok continues to hold the highest command of the landing German troops in name, has the power to randomly deal with the problems that arise during the battle, and manage all the combat operations of the German landing troops. However, in general, it is still necessary to obey the command of the command and ensure that the battle is carried out within the framework predetermined by the command. The High Command did not appoint a specific commander of the group army. It is said that this position is reserved for the great head of state, and no one can stop him from obtaining the honor of the British conqueror.

The mood of the German High Command at this time was that fortunate and worry coexisted. The rain came one day earlier than the scheduled time of the German army, disrupting the original sequence of actions for the landing plan. However, due to the full preparation of the German army, reality shows. The heavy rain did not cause much hindrance to the operations of the landing troops. The general command’s expectation can still continue according to the original framework, but there may be changes in time. For example, some scheduled outlying occupation operations can no longer be completed according to the original timetable.

One thing is certain. The heavy rain also caused a lot of trouble to the British army. The British army, which lacks mobile transportation vehicles, struggled in the rain. The only thing that can work effectively in the British transportation system is their railway network. Because the German army can also make use of it, the Luftwaffe’s damage to the British railway network is limited to a few technical hubs in the coastal areas. The transport network with London remains intact.

What made the German command a little unexpected was that the British side did not seem to be as panicked as they expected, and they acted as if they didn’t care about the German landing. so far. The British government still shows no signs of withdrawing from the capital, and a large number of high-ranking officials, including the royal family, still stayed behind in the city.

Churchill is still sending reinforcements to London. The defenders continue to expand their defensive positions on the basis of permanent fortifications outside the city. There is reliable information. The British government is also preparing to organize citizens to build and dig trench systems on the outskirts of the city. All showed that Churchill was determined to defend the capital of the empire. He was ready to fight a protracted trench defense battle with the Germans outside London.

Although it is not clear where Churchill has the confidence and self-confidence, the British do have more variety than the French, which makes the Germans very pleased.

Except for the trench battle. The rest is very good news for the Germans. The most worrying issue for the High Command was that the British would abandon London and move to the north, or even flee overseas to form a government in exile, although it was not a difficult problem for Xu Jun. But it is always a headache. It is the most appropriate solution to be able to kill the trouble in the infancy. Now the British clearly provide this opportunity for the Germans.

In the original plan of the High Command, the German army should launch the next phase of operations on the night of the 22nd. The two armies each set off from Dover and Folkestone and proceeded side by side, preparing to advance 20 kilometers inland in the UK in one night. Take the road straight to the two major cities of Canterbury and Ashford, and strive to win these two important cities before dawn.

The surrendered Lieutenant General Mason and some of his officers were very cooperative. They provided all the information they knew to the German army. These officers were different from those who were captured in Dunkirk. They had already lost After the retreat, what happened in Dover will eventually be revealed to the world. The Germans have no obligation to cover up the scandal for them, so only the German army will win the war. The current British government falls, and Churchill and his party members completely disappear from the British political arena. These talents hope to regain their career and future within the new government fostered by Germany, otherwise they will only have a way to go abroad and find a country that has no extradition treaty with the United Kingdom to spend the rest of their lives incognito.

Canterbury can now be said to be an undefended city. Although there are still a number of army garrison posts and civilian garrison teams around him, these forces are not even a gargoyle before the Germans. The heavy artillery troops stationed in Canterbury may cause some obstacles to the troops’ offensive, but the gap in numbers is still a great barrier that the British cannot cross.

Ashford is also an important railway hub, from where you can board trains directly to London. Of course, this is just a conjecture. The British will block the railway network between Kent and the London metropolitan area, but mastering Ashford is of strategic significance for controlling the southern part of the UK. This hub happens to be on the longitudinal line of the southern railway network. In the middle of the position, the German army can easily use the British rail transport network to transport troops and supplies to the entire southern coastal area by capturing this hub.

At the same time, it is also the logistics supply artery for the German army to launch the London Battle in the future. The efficiency of railway transportation is much higher than that of road transportation, and it will not be affected by the weather and terrain. As long as the appropriate troops are sent to protect it, it can be guaranteed. The safety of the supply of materials, this supply line will be the guarantee of the German army’s ultimate victory.

According to the original plan of the High Command, after capturing the two cities, the German army will continue to forge ahead, and the two armies will continue to advance inland during the day on the 23rd. Meet at Maidstone at noon, spend an afternoon to complete the encirclement of the south gate of London, and break through and occupy it.

According to the information currently available, the British garrison in Maidstone will not exceed two infantry regiments, and it lacks artillery and anti-tank weapons. It is not an opponent of a large army group at all. This battle will be a crushing battle. Pressure type. The High Command’s opinion is that the integrity of the city is not considered at all, which means that German troops can use firepower to completely level the defense area. The views of the High Command and the Landing Group Command are the same. The German army does not need to spend too much time and troops on this city. The significance of this city to the German army was limited to an important part of the supply line. As the southern gate of London, the vertical line of the Southern Railway ends here. The suburbs of the city are only 50 kilometers away from the city center of London.

As far as the speed of the German army is concerned, this is only two hours at most. According to the scheduled plan, the German army will enter the suburbs of London on the night of the 23rd. According to the previous weather forecast, the weather in southern England will begin to deteriorate that afternoon. The German troops took the rain during the day on the 24th to complete all the blockade work, trapping the British in their capital and wait until the weather improved. Then start a full-scale offensive.

Everything looked perfect, but unexpectedly there was an error on the second day of landing. The rain was one day earlier than scheduled, and the German plan could only be postponed for twelve hours. Anyway, the offensive on the night of the 22nd could not be completed. Guderian didn’t have any tempers about this either. He and Bock could only stay in the headquarters, and together with a group of staff, they calculated back and forth on the map to see if they could find an appropriate one in the action during the next day. Attack route. Regain some time.

Although the Germans cannot start operations tonight, it does not mean they will stay where they are and do nothing. This is not in line with Guderian’s character. Some capable infantry and paratrooper teams were selected. They formed several reconnaissance teams and set off overnight to carry out armed reconnaissance in the direction of Canterbury. Their task was to find out the specific conditions of the road, clean up the British strongholds and checkpoints along the road, and prepare for the offensive the next day.

The paratrooper sergeant Hoffman stood anxiously waiting at the gate of the warehouse that was used as the repair station of the Ordnance Department. There was still a lot of work to complete behind him, but now he was asked to wait another fifteen minutes. Because the weapons prepared for their team are undergoing final adjustments.

The paratrooper sergeant led four of his men and drove a British Tilly car. Due to time constraints and the weather, they could not change the car to a German camouflage, but they finally wanted The method erased the original British army logo, brushed the huge iron cross logo on both sides of the car door and the front heat sink, and painted the Luftwaffe’s flying eagle logo on the canvas rain curtain at the rear. Although the painting method is relatively abstract, the basic outline is roughly expressed.

The paratroopers like this kind of small motor vehicle that is between a car and a pickup truck. The wide compartment behind can stack a lot of things and can carry the wounded at critical moments. In addition to the lack of off-road ability, it can be regarded as a very good one. Military vehicle.

Hoffman has nothing to do now. He can only wait for the ordnance officers of the repair company to prepare the weapons for the reconnaissance team. The entire company is busy doing pre-departure preparations at this time. After the problem is solved, he has to go to the logistics department to get some spare batteries and spare parts for the radio station.

“For God’s sake, can you be a little faster, comrade.” Hoffman looked at the watch on his wrist again, and it was less than an hour before the last dispatch on the order.

“It will be ready soon. These are the two machine guns specially approved for your team above. Be optimistic about the numbers above and sign this list.” The person in charge of the repair station is an old lieutenant, purely technical Bureaucrat, he passed a few forms to Hoffman.

“Every weapon that comes out of us has a complete file, and we are responsible for our own products. But you should not use it too hard. There are only six spare barrels, and we don’t have more barrels. Now everyone They are all hoarding gun barrels, but they are still taking inventory at the ordnance warehouse. Don’t think about getting anything out of it tonight. Sign your name here and here. You can take the gun away as soon as the adjustment is complete. Let your people take the fifteen pistols away. We just removed the oil for them, and the firing pin was replaced. Just like a brand new one, the original Belgian product is a very good weapon.”

“There are still twenty submachine guns on the list. I don’t know if there are extra replacement magazines.” Hoffman put the form on the desk aside, and took out his pen from his chest pocket.

“The troops are all preparing for battle. Now they are short of everything except bullets. Your paratroopers should be supplied by the Air Force. We will report to the Air Force for these supplies. All units are hoarding ammunition and weapons. That group of armor throws The demand for ammunition is very large. I can only assign you another forty spare ammunition, some of which are repaired, but you have to trust our technology, there will be no problems at all. But if you want additional equipment, It’s not impossible. The key is how much you are willing to pay.” The lieutenant wiped off the snow-white moustache and said mysteriously to Hoffman.

“Are there any special things, this time our combat mission is very heavy.” Hoffman said in a low voice to the lieutenant.

“I have some private collections~IndoMTL.com~but you know the current market.”

“I pay cash.” Hoffman pulled out a roll of Mark notes from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Well, you follow me inside.” The old lieutenant looked around for a moment, then turned and walked into the warehouse. Anyway, it’s no use worrying now. The paratrooper sergeant followed the lieutenant into the warehouse.

The head of the repair station led the paratrooper sergeant to a 251 half-track transport vehicle. He struggled to climb onto the carriage and opened the tailgate of the half-track vehicle with great difficulty.

“Oh, God.” Looking at the various weapons displayed on the inner panel of the car, Hoffman felt as if he had come to heaven.

“This is Spain’s latest Atlas automatic pistol, a copy of the Mauser pistol, but it has good performance, 30 rounds in a row, and fierce firepower. Let’s take a look at this 1911 American-made model with great caliber. Strong, one shot can knock down a strong man like you. This is obtained from a Frenchman and has almost never been used. It is also rationed to you with a hundred rounds. When the shot is over, you can come to me again, we can still Provide maintenance and repair services.”. (To be continued…)

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