September 18 was the second day of Operation Market Garden. Now the sun was rising, which was a good sign for the paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Division.
Not only can the enemy's movements be seen clearly, but it also means that the tank troops of the 30th Army will come for reinforcements, which is what the high command has promised in advance.
On the contrary, the Germans concentrated all their frustrations on a group of stubborn people, that is, the Second Battalion guarding the north bank of the Arnhem Bridge.
At this time, Captain Paul, who had completed the reconnaissance mission, ordered his Hohenstaufen Division reconnaissance battalion to return north to Arnhem.
Because, via radio, he learned that a British force now occupied the north bank of the bridge and was equipped with a large number of anti-tank weapons.
Half past nine in the morning.
24 armored vehicles drove onto the reinforced concrete bridge deck one after another.
Munch, who had just woken up, was standing on the rooftop eating military rations. Then, he heard a rumble, a sound that could only be made by heavy vehicles.
So, Monk raised his head. When he saw all kinds of tanks, his spirits were lifted. He grabbed Lu Li and shouted, "Tanks! Those are our ground troops!"
"No, that's German."
Lu Li shook his head, grabbed a PIAT, and started looking for the enemy's personnel carrier.
However, others did not pay attention to Lu Li's actions, especially on the other side of the position, where many soldiers stood up and waved their arms.
It wasn't until the tank's muzzle rotated and faced the headquarters of the battalion that the group of people woke up from a dream and shouted: "Pay attention to concealment, that is the enemy's armored force!"
The black * flag printed under the barrel is particularly dazzling in the sun and makes people shudder.
The time was too short, and many people had no time to react. At the next moment, the barrel began to roar.
Lieutenant Colonel Frost's position was the target of concentrated fire, but the school Lu Li was holding on to was not spared either. Two shells came with a sharp whistling sound.
The explosion sounded on the second floor, and the concussion caused the glass frame to break into countless fragments, and charred wood chips rained down in all directions like festive confetti.
Under the protection of Lu Li, Munch, who was pinned down, did not suffer much damage, but the other soldiers standing on the rooftop were not so lucky.
Another cannonball landed ten meters to the left of the two people. The group of people died on the spot, or were dying, with constant wailing.
After shaking off the gravel and sawdust from his body, Lu Li rolled over to the side and lay on his stomach. He felt that his internal organs had shifted and there was a smell of blood in his nose.
At the same time, Munch, who was shocked and unconscious by the aftermath, opened his eyes and murmured: "I'm dead."
Then, he thought seriously and said, "I can't die, I'm still talking."
"Sir, you owe me five lives in total. How are you going to repay me?"
While speaking, Lu Li held up the PIAT and pointed the sight at a personnel carrier.
With extraordinary skill, the driver sometimes turned sharply to the left and sometimes to the right. Like a dexterous fish, he not only avoided the vehicle wreckage left on the bridge last night, but also crossed two minefields——
It was a Teller-type mine, which was not very powerful, but could effectively prevent the advance of armored vehicles. The soldiers of Company A had specially laid it last night.
Under Monk's gaze, Lu Li pulled the trigger with two fingers, and the armor-piercing bullet came out instantly, hitting the cab, and the front of the car burst into flames.
At the same time, with a roar, the soldiers watching the battle woke up and began to organize a counterattack.
In response, Lieutenant Colonel Frost's machine gun platoon took the lead in counterattacking. The rattling sound of machine guns and the roar of mortars resounded over the city.
For a moment, the scene was in chaos.
It seemed that the whole neighborhood was burning, and a stray bullet accidentally hit the tower of the Church of St. Eusebius. The German snipers who were hiding there to rest suddenly woke up. They stared at the golden hands of the giant clock, which was spinning like crazy. What does it imply?
At this moment, Lu Li stared at the scrapped truck and ordered Monk, who was still in a daze, "Sir, give me the armor-piercing bullets."
"Ah good!"
Monk did not dare to look back and hurriedly took out a cannonball from the wooden box and handed it over because he was worried about seeing some terrible scenes.
In the next period of time, Lu Li specialized in attacking troop transport trucks. Steel monsters like tanks equipped with heavy armor. PIAT had limited effect, so it was better to pick on the weak.
The drivers gradually realized that a gunner was targeting them, so they panicked and reversed suddenly, but they collided with the armored vehicle behind them, causing a series of car accidents.
History is so similar.
Just last night, the same was true for the convoy that Lu Li and Captain McKay were in. The number of combat personnel was reduced by half, and a large amount of supplies were lost.
Slips, overturns, gunfire, chaos abounds.
On the bridge, more and more metal debris appeared. In the end, only the leading tank successfully crossed the bridge, while other vehicles and soldiers turned around and returned to the south bank.
In addition, Miller, who escaped by hiding on the third floor, picked up the rocket launcher with the help of Henry and stared at the tank. As it passed by, an armor-piercing shell ripped open the track, and the four German soldiers sitting inside abandoned the vehicle and fled.
The Second Battalion once again repelled the enemy's elite troops. Whether it was the headquarters or other positions, the British paratroopers shouted:
"Hi, Muhammad!"
This was a slogan that the 1st Airborne Division heard the Arabs shout when charging in North Africa in 1942. It was soon quoted by the Red Devils. Everyone felt that this slogan had a magical power and could inspire morale. .
Munch did not join in. He lay on his back on the concrete floor, staring at the sky in trance, while the pungent smell of burning rubber tires lingered on the tip of his nose.
Lu Li opened his backpack and took out the antibiotics he had prepared in advance. He told Monk, who had no fighting spirit, "I guess I won't be able to care about you after a while. Protect yourself."
The reason why he said this was because he saw a bunch of more armored vehicles on the south bank, which were even larger and seemed to be Tiger tanks.
"Boss, I'm sorry..."
Munch sat up and leaned against the concrete pillar. He felt like a cowardly soldier. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was afraid that he would never wake up again.
Lu Li didn't know how to comfort Munch. If it weren't for the blessing of his bloodline, he would have collapsed in the nightmare battles.
Suddenly, a soldier shouted: "The enemy has surrendered!"
The sound became louder and louder, and many wounded soldiers struggled to get up and looked towards the Arnhem Bridge.
It was a German soldier. He was holding a white flag, carefully avoiding the burning vehicles and corpses, and came to the circular position.
Upon seeing this, Lu Li, who was about to give his "last words", paused. He raised his head and lay on the armrest with the equally confused Monk, paying attention to the German soldier who was behaving strangely.
Almost at the same time, Major Gough, who was guarding the house behind, came over and shouted: "Far enough! We hear you, stop!"
A few seconds later, the German soldier raised his head, looked at the school building facing the bridge, and responded loudly: "My general said it is pointless to continue arguing!"
"He was willing to discuss surrender arrangements."
Brutal English was transmitted to the position, and some soldiers spat and cursed in a low voice: "Let him die."
The German soldiers waited for Major Gough to respond. The major shrugged and was about to respond that he did not have this authority. After all, Lieutenant Colonel Frost was the best commander.
Somehow, Monk stood up and said in a British joke tone: "We don't have enough facilities and venues to accept you as prisoners of war!"
"sorry!"
The German soldier was obviously stunned. He almost couldn't hold the white flag steady: "What?"
Munch shouted in front of the entire battalion: "We want to do the same, but unfortunately we cannot accept your surrender."
"Is there anything else?"
As soon as he finished speaking, laughter and whistles sounded, seeming to be taunting the German soldier who was trying to persuade him to surrender——
The guy curled his lips, stood at attention, turned around, and walked toward the south bank, which was now taken over by General Hamel.
A few minutes later, watching the envoy he had sent return with his head bowed, Hamel put his hand on the steering wheel of his car and said expressionlessly: "Eradicate Ping Anheng."
