The Allies did encounter difficulties.
In fact, as early as when Lin Zhu was preparing to lead the prisoners in the concentration camp to revolt, the Allies had already begun secret deployment of troops. At five o'clock in the morning, the British, who were ready to go, were ready to start advancing towards the city of Caen.
At that time, the tanks of the 12th Armored Division were preparing to drive into the planned German troop concentration area, but I don’t know how the news leaked out. The British learned the news in advance, and the tank concentration had not yet been completed, let alone setting up an attack formation. At this time, the British bombardment arrived.
The British's "Epsom" operation was carried out very covertly this time. Except for the top commanders and combatants of the army, ordinary soldiers only officially received the combat order one hour before the war started. In fact, the strict confidentiality work did allow Their attack became unexpected. How could the enemy think of things that none of them could think of?
When the army began to intercept and fire with artillery fire, there was a rumble of thunder in the distance. Those were British "Typhoon" attack aircraft.
The dense bullets and missiles bombarded the German positions almost at the same time, and the Germans were blinded for a moment!
The German commanders quickly judged through the Allied land and air coordination and the number of "Typhoon" fighter jets that the Allied forces' plot this time was destined to be large. After immediately telegraphing to the Caen City Headquarters, they decisively organized Counterattack formation, fought back towards the Allies.
Dozens of "Leopard" tanks quickly drove to the forward position. The counterattack went smoothly at first, but soon fell into a quagmire under the British counterattack.
This is mainly due to the fact that infantry artillery and aircraft bombing were the main ones before, and the Allied main battle forces have not yet been engaged in the battle. Once the British begin to send a large number of "Sherman" tanks to participate in the attack, both sides will inevitably fall into In a stalemate.
The Sherman tank is equipped with a 17-pound high-speed gun. The shells can penetrate the Panther's shell armor from the front. Because the artillery fire on the battlefield was too fierce, the battle between the two sides turned into a mutual shooting between tanks!
Many positions near the city of Caen were lost to the assault of Sherman tanks, and the British were occupying the territories that originally belonged to the Allies inch by inch.
However, the 12th Panzer Division was indeed a formidable unit known as the "SS Youth League". Even when they were driven out of their destroyed positions, these "baby soldiers" continued to resist.
Among them, the soldiers of the 25th Grenadier Regiment were the most tenacious in their defense.
Their most important weapon against Sherman is the anti-tank rocket launcher called Faust. Faust is divided into two types, the one-time use "Iron Fist" and the reusable "Tank Killer". The more widely used one is the disposable consumable "Iron Fist", which is light, flexible and effective. It was first sent to German combat troops in the second half of 1942.
Its appearance on the battlefield once caused a small revolution, allowing a single infantryman located in a long and narrow trench to suddenly reach a position of almost being evenly matched with tanks.
Not only that, it is also the forerunner of contemporary projectile weapons. In terms of simplicity, effectiveness and low cost, it is still comparable to many weapons currently in service. The only drawback is that the range is too short.
The biggest feature of the Faust rocket is that its blasting capability is not enough to destroy the entire
A tank was blown into scrap metal, but the penetrating power was extremely strong. Sometimes Faust would only leave a small molten hole in the armor of the tank, the diameter of which was not as thick as a finger, but at this time there was already a hollow The bullet penetrated the tank armor, and the metallic liquid sprayed out could kill the person in the tank.
This also directly led to the consumption comparison of one German army for one Sherman tank on the battlefield of both sides.
In peacetime, it is difficult to say who is more valuable, a human life or a tank. However, in wartime, this comparison is meaningless. Not to mention a German soldier, even a squad of German soldiers, does not have a Sher. Mann is valuable.
Human lives are numbers, and tanks are also numbers. From a cost accounting perspective, the Germans feel that this deal is really a good deal.
The Allies naturally thought so too, so the battle between the two sides inevitably fell into a tug-of-war.
On June 26, the British marched in like a lion fighting a rabbit, vowing to capture the city of Caen in one fell swoop. However, the attack only lasted half a day, and the huge battle losses caused Commander-in-Chief Montgomery to lower his psychological expectations.
He did not expect that the colonel named Meier in the city of Caen opposite would have such a strong commanding ability, and that the Germans would be so fearless of death.
Throughout the day, the Allied forces lost at least 50 Sherman tanks, but the advancement of the forward positions was not ideal.
Changing lives on the spot is a taboo in the military. Naturally, Montgomery would not be so stupid as to let his soldiers retreat when encountering difficulties. Instead, he directed the combat troops to change from assault operations to roundabout outflanking, in an attempt to encircle the card with a pincer offensive. hold head high.
But as early as when the riots began in the city, Colonel Meyer strictly ordered the troops outside Caen to strictly maintain their combat positions and strictly prohibited them from leaving their combat positions without permission. For a time, the area around Caen was impregnably defended.
The attack was getting higher and higher.
The pressure on both sides was great, but no one chose to retreat, they just gritted their teeth and persisted silently.
This is war.
The 26th was definitely a dark day for the soldiers defending the German frontline positions.
Grenadiers held the crumbling line, mortar shells exploded in the treetops, heavy machine guns sliced through the position like saw blades, and tanks rushed over, rumbling through the trenches. It was then that the battle line began to waver, and it quickly spread. The Panzerfausts were used up, and a few Shermans were finally hit and smoking, but there were more tanks behind them. The grenadiers had no heavy weapons and could only hold on to their rifles.
In the end, the Germans relied on their willpower and strong tactical skills to stop the Allied advance and defend the defensive line they had held for a long time.
The cost is huge.
The second day, the third day...
The British offensive continued to test the defense line of the 12th Armored Division. The German defense system was gradually destroyed. On the smoke-filled battlefield, there were ruins and ruins everywhere, a desolate scene. Everywhere you can see, you can see dead soldiers from both sides, and the destroyed weapons and equipment are like dead giant beasts, lying lifelessly on the battlefield.
Montgomery's pincer offensive did not succeed. Due to the layers of obstacles of the 12th Armored Division, it was almost desperate to stop the Allies.
The encirclement, although our own casualties were too huge, still hindered the progress of the Allied forces.
This battle lasted for ten days, and both sides were on the verge of exhaustion.
Paying such heavy losses without achieving decent results caused great frustration to the entire Allied Command.
Chide's intention to reach the open land south of Caen was not realized. Under the pressure of the Allied Joint Conference, Montgomery had to withdraw the British troops who were still attacking the city of Caen. This finally gave the Germans a rare chance to breathe.
However, at this time, the German army had fallen into a terrible despair. The will to fight was still there, but the heart was dead.
Colonel Meyer knew how to use troops. Even though his heart was full of despair, orders were orders. Soldiers had to obey orders as their bounden duty. Even he, the chief combat officer, could never escape from battle.
Several telegrams asking for help were sent to Berlin, Germany, at the end of June. Unfortunately, although the German mainland has been trying to reassure him of immediate support, it has yet to see the supporting weapons and equipment, let alone the army.
As the highest commander on the battlefield, Colonel Meyer could only comfort the exhausted soldiers in his own way.
He personally went to the front line, ate and lived with ordinary soldiers, and fulfilled his duties as a commander.
He did not tell the soldiers stationed on the front line that the petrochemical plant in Caen City had been bombed.
In fact, the city of Caen was not peaceful these days. The vast majority of civilians experienced a frightening few days in the air-raid shelter, but the final result was not what they expected.
The Allies did not come, the Germans did not leave, the fire in the chemical plant was extinguished, the electricity and running water seemed to be restored, everything was as if it had never happened, and the order in the city gradually returned to its previous state.
The Germans began to urge people to go home.
The vast majority of people naturally choose to return to their last haven.
Everything was a false alarm, some were happy and some were sad.
However, the settlement of internal unrest has never stopped.
There were more German soldiers on the streets, and inspections in the city became stricter. Some residents were staying at home, but their doors were broken into by the Germans who suddenly arrived, and they were either searched strictly or simply arrested and imprisoned. Entered a concentration camp.
The German counterattack was much faster than Qi Zhen and the others expected.
The original rebel soldiers were of varying quality, especially after being captured by the enemy. Many of them could not bear the words and deeds to force confessions, and forced a lot of things out of them.
Among them were the residence where Qi Zhen and the others were hiding, as well as Ben, the top leader.
The remaining 250 people now have homes and dare not return. After coming out of the air-raid shelter, they can only be broken into pieces, like mice, hiding around the city.
The hospital in the north of the city was closed, which meant that the last stronghold of the rebel army had been uprooted by the Germans. Everything seemed to be developing in a direction that the team did not want to see.
The team also gathered together for the first time after entering the city of Caen.
"The Allied offensive must have encountered huge difficulties. We have to find a way." Qi Zhen knocked on the table, making a loud noise. Mobile phone users please browse to watch Game of Thrones for a better user experience.
