When the 72nd Battalion's attack was blocked, in the southwest wilderness, the 71st "James Hardy" Battalion also launched a feint attack against the enemy in front of them to confuse the audience and prevent the Italian army from determining the direction of the main attack.
The artillery group of the 50th Brigade did not have much ammunition left, so it turned to continuous artillery bombardment with a low rate of fire to bombard the main positions of the Italian army in the southwest.
"...These evil guys shouldn't exist! Are you ready? Destroy them here!"
The Scottish bagpipes sounded, and the "Blue Caps Across the Border" was played. The melodious music penetrated the entire battlefield, and only the thunderous explosions could briefly overpower it.
To some veterans who had participated in the European War when they were young, this music seemed to make them feel like they were back in the bloody Somme River, surrounded by people who were constantly being cut down by German heavy machine guns like wheat. Comrades.
Because they were only responsible for a feint attack for the time being, the 71st Battalion did not need to attack the enemy. In fact, they fell down one after another shortly after leaving the starting position, and then conducted close-in operations under the cover of smoke bombs and dug bunkers on the spot.
It won't be long before they can firmly take root a few hundred meters in front of the Italian army's position, forcing the Italian army to be careful, thereby achieving a containment effect.
In the eyes of the Italians, it is only reasonable to launch an attack from the southwest wilderness. Who would choose to attack more difficult and complex terrain first?
The only strange thing is why the opponent's bombardment is so weak and the density is very low.
"Sir!" Miller hung up the phone, raised his head and said anxiously: "The attack of the 72nd Battalion was blocked. They were suppressed by machine gun fire!"
Zhou Changfeng was not surprised by this and said calmly: "Let the breakthrough team come up."
Previously, the 73rd "Lincoln" Battalion followed his instructions and formed two breakthrough detachments based on the two platoons of Company A. Now it was time for them to come in handy.
Carrying submachine guns, holding rifles, and carrying blasting canisters on their shoulders, nearly a hundred people quickly rushed to the front line after receiving the order.
Wounded Frenchmen were constantly being carried down by stretcher soldiers from the front. Passing by these injured people who were missing arms and legs and in great pain, the soldiers who had been eager to try before seemed to have been given a scoop of cold water - war is by no means a child's play!
"President Jefferson said that all men are created equal, and God has given mankind inalienable rights, the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To protect these rights, we are willing to pay any price."
"We came across the Atlantic to help the Spaniards fight rebellion and aggression and defend the republic. We fight for justice and ask for nothing. God is with us!"
The 72nd Battalion's attack on Hill 109 came from two directions, but this was not the case for the two breakthrough detachments E and F. They tried to launch surprise attacks from other directions.
However, the two main directions of attack were not chosen blindly. Naturally, the smoothest and easiest route was chosen.
Troop E misjudged the difficulty of ascending Hill 109. They used blasting tubes to barely open a passage in the outer minefield. However, they found that the terrain was steep, and in many places they had to climb down and climb up the cliff.
However, their actions were discovered by Italian sentries, and the surprise attack instantly turned into a strong attack!
A hurried squad of Italian troops threw grenades indiscriminately, but this did not stop the American volunteers.
The Italian soldiers suddenly saw several grenades flying over from the bottom of the cliff. After landing, they rolled several times and exploded.
Before they could react after being blown to pieces, several figures rolled up one after another.
Corporal Nathan clipped the MP34 to his waist and knocked down three Italian soldiers who were just getting up from the ground with a fan sweep.
"Tap-tat-tat-" Several other people followed him and fired bravely with their guns, ignoring the bullets that rained down on them.
As more and more people climbed onto Hill 109 from here, in the hail of bullets, the soldiers of Team E used submachine guns, pistols, rifles, and grenades to defeat more than 20 Italian troops who came for reinforcements.
The seemingly impregnable defense line of Highland 109 was torn open from an unexpected place!
Fighting at such a close distance, the breakthrough team equipped with a large number of submachine guns undoubtedly took advantage. Rounds of 9mm Parabellum pistol bullets flew out of the barrel of the exquisitely crafted MP34, easily blasting through the flesh. A wound the size of a thumb was drilled on his body.
While E Troop was causing chaos behind enemy lines, F Troop launched a ferocious assault from one of the two main attack directions.
Second Lieutenant Howard, leader of Squadron F, held a submachine gun and shouted "send them to hell with the flamethrower". Regardless of life and death, he personally covered the flamethrowers as they crossed the fire blockade.
"Go to hell!"
The soldier carrying the FmW35 flamethrower aimed the nozzle at an Italian bunker that was shooting wildly, and a dazzling bright yellow fire dragon spurted out!
The raging flames, the billowing heat waves, and the heart-rending howls of pain might normally frighten people, but now they make everyone feel more relaxed.
In the burned bunker, some bullets exploded due to the high temperature, crackling like firecrackers.
The Italian soldiers, covered in fire, howled and stumbled out of the bunker. Some were lucky enough to be knocked down by flying bullets, while some were unlucky enough to be burned alive until they lost consciousness.
After removing the key obstacles, the 72nd Battalion was finally able to launch another attack. After being suppressed for a long time, they vented their accumulated anger on the panicked enemy in front of them.
"Long live!!!"
A hint of fish belly white appeared in the sky, and the extremely weak light slightly faded away from the darkness. The Italian soldiers guarding Highland 109 saw countless rolling crowds rushing towards the heights, and were almost frightened out of their wits.
Being attacked from both sides, they could no longer hold on, and the officers repeatedly called for retreat.
After hearing the order to retreat, the soldiers almost turned around and ran back as if they had been given an amnesty. They accidentally fell to the ground and continued to run.
A company of Italian troops who came for reinforcements were scattered by the defeated troops as soon as they arrived at the ground of Hill 109.
"Stop!"
"It's the French...their offensive is too fierce!"
"What? French?!"
"Quickly retreat!"
The panicked soldiers couldn't care less. They just wanted to stay away from the crazy soldiers of the 50th Brigade.
In this way, the reinforcements of more than a hundred Italian troops could not even maintain their own formation, and they were coerced and retreated back in a daze.
At 5:16 local time, the fiery red sun jumped above the horizon, and the first ray of morning light shone on the earth, illuminating everything around Talavera.
The bright red military flag of the 72nd "Montmartre Heights" Battalion has been planted on the 109th Hill at this moment. It is illuminated by the faint sunshine and flutters slowly in the breeze.
Zhou Changfeng knew very well that the sharp and sudden offensive had dealt an unexpected blow to the opponent. Although a breakthrough had been made, the battle was far from over.
He stretched out his index finger and clicked on a place on the map, and ordered in a deep voice: "The 72nd Battalion rests on the spot and reorganizes its formation; the 73rd Battalion prepares to launch an attack on the enemy's garrison; deploy mountain artillery and mortars to Highland 109."
"Xia, what about the 71st Battalion?" Chretien reminded.
"They continue to maintain their current status and contain some enemy forces. If necessary, I will let them switch to a formal attack."
"yes!"
At this point, the Italian army finally realized its situation.
The incoming attack was not the Republican Army, but the International Brigade. Moreover, all their previous actions on the river and in the wilderness were all pretense, and their real purpose was precisely the most difficult thing to conquer, Highland 109!
The most important Highland 109 fell after only holding on for a few dozen minutes, and did not even hold out until reinforcements arrived.
How serious are the consequences of losing the commanding heights? Anyone with any common sense knows things are no longer good.
"We must attack now and retake the high ground, otherwise we will be completely exposed to enemy fire!"
"Counterattack? Do you know their strength? We have no idea how many there are, and there is no point in counterattacking!"
"I think we should retreat..."
"No, if they give up here, they can occupy the heights and bombard Talavera on the other side of the river!"
"Lieutenant Colonel, please request aircraft support. We should confirm the current situation as soon as possible."
The Italian officers at the regiment started arguing. Someone turned red with anxiety, took off his cap, threw it to the ground, and started shouting loudly.
"boom!"
A 105mm high-explosive bomb landed just a few dozen meters away from the regiment headquarters, and the sudden explosion instantly interrupted their argument.
"Stop!" Alchid slapped the table with an angry look on his face, "The battle has just begun. Has the peaceful life for too long made you forget how to fight? Now, go and retake the high ground, and the artillery battalion will support the counterattack."
As the order was issued, two companies of Italian troops were organized to launch a counterattack on Hill 109.
The artillery battalion assigned to the 79th Regiment has very mixed equipment. In addition to 12 70mm mountain guns, there are also 6 105mm howitzers.
From the beginning of the battle to the present, they have fired almost no bullets. Although they have fired more than a dozen rounds at the 71st Battalion, which is responsible for feigning attacks in the southwest, they have never received an official artillery order.
It was only now that they were asked to adjust their shooting direction and instead attack Highland 109, which was still under their control twenty minutes ago.
In an instant, more than a dozen explosion points appeared in the small high place. The soil, sawdust, and equipment fragments were scattered in all directions and fell like hailstones.
A cannonball landed right next to the military flag, and the two Frenchmen who went to collect the military flag were instantly swallowed up by the smoke.
The two men were blown several meters away in a bloody mess, the flagpole was broken into several pieces, and the flag was torn to pieces by the shock wave.
"Hold the line!"
"Enemy infantry is approaching!"
The intensive explosions made their eardrums bleed, and the soldiers could only vaguely hear the shouts of others. They staggered out of the shelter, poked their heads out of the trenches, and set up guns and prepared to fire.
Looking around, at least dozens of Italian soldiers were rushing towards them.
The gunshots of MG34 and MG13 are both "thump, thump, thump", but the frequency of the former is much higher.
The crossfire formed by multiple machine guns was almost airtight. The few people in the front were knocked down in the blink of an eye, while the others hurriedly fell down, and then started shooting with rifles and light machine guns.
Immediately afterwards, both sides began to attack each other with rifle grenades. The grenades with wisps of green smoke rolled in the air and flew over a distance of tens or hundreds of meters before landing on the opponent's position and exploding!
The wounded soldiers were screaming in pain, and those who were seriously injured only struggled for a short time and stopped moving.
The fierce fighting here may not be considered a competition of wills, because most Italian soldiers lack the proper faith and sense of honor, and there are only a handful of people who are really willing to risk their lives to come to Iberia to cross their legs.
In just a quarter of an hour, the retreating company suffered 40 casualties. Among them, an 80mm mortar shell that landed in the crowd contributed six.
The angry Italian army once again carried out artillery fire coverage, and then extended the denser artillery bombardment to depth to block the follow-up reinforcements of the International Brigade.
But this still failed to work - the other company that took over the attack took more than twenty minutes to advance one hundred meters, and when it was about to reach a breakthrough, it was driven back to the starting position by the French with bayonets.
The cost of returning without success was more than forty casualties. The company commander, Captain Kasapa, was also beaten into a hornet's nest by MG34, and his entire body was almost smashed.
Zhou Changfeng realized that now was a good time to pursue the victory and ordered decisively: "Move the headquarters forward and set off now. The 73rd Battalion will launch the attack in fifteen minutes, and the 71st Battalion is also ready. Subsequent actions will be judged by the previously determined fireworks signal." !”
The eager American volunteers quickly crossed the artillery blockade near Highland 109 after receiving the order.
Zhou Changfeng and more than a hundred people from the brigade moved to Highland 109 and re-established the frontline headquarters here.
At this time, the 73rd Battalion had already begun to attack the enemy.
Due to our own lack of heavy firepower, this battle emphasizes surprise and sharpness. The faster we move, the more we can disrupt the enemy's deployment.
The Italian army's heavy machine guns deployed on the position have been firing wildly, trying their best to block the 73rd Battalion that launched the attack. At least ten places along the entire front were seen flashing muzzle flashes.
The mortars that had been deployed on the high ground began to suppress the Italian army's positions. Several mountain guns also lowered their muzzles and bombarded the exposed Italian firepower points with as straight a trajectory as possible.
Zhou Changfeng was half-kneeling next to a tree that had been blown down. He saw in the telescope that the operation of the 73rd Battalion was not smooth. After initially breaking through the outer defense line, it was hindered.
Seeing that the position was in danger, the Italian army sent three armored vehicles to support.
Since Companies A and B had no anti-tank weapons, their offensive momentum was immediately halted. At the same time, because of the heavy casualties, they had to stop and hold on to the captured peripheral positions.
Two platoons of Italian troops even launched a counterattack with the support of these three armored vehicles in an attempt to regain their position.
However, the Americans used rifle grenades and heavy machine gun fire to damage one of the armored vehicles. The crew inside got out of the car in panic and fled; the other two armored vehicles did not dare to move forward, and the remaining Italian troops were hit by more than a dozen mortar shells. Then they retreated hastily.
The Italian army's weak defensive counterattack made Zhou Changfeng quite optimistic. He breathed a sigh of relief and ordered: "Okay, now, put the 71st Battalion into battle. The 72nd Battalion will cooperate with the 73rd Battalion to continue the attack and defeat them!"
(End of chapter)
