At about four o’clock in the morning, the 22nd armored division, which was adapted from the SS Skull Division, suffered heavy casualties. About four kilometers west of Red Square, the brave engineers set up a surprisingly small pontoon at the expense of vehicle paving. The first battalion of infantry took the lead in crossing the pontoon to step on the north bank of the river. They quickly built an arc defensive position, while the Soviet defenders on the other side had the same clear understanding of the extraordinary significance of this breakthrough. Before dawn, they formed rounds of attacks, and even the soldiers could clearly hear the "Hula" when they charged.
Teodoro Aichke, commander of the 22nd armored division, only briefly reported to Manstein that "the tanks are crossing the river, but the pontoon bridge has limited endurance and the crossing is very slow".
It is said that Manstein is still the main armored unit of the SS with a heavy face-the "Skull Division" in Adolf Hitler’s era has enviable equipment. After being transferred to the National Defence Force, its scale and grade have been reduced, but it is still better than that of the ordinary armored division of the National Defence Force. After a battle in Lithuania and Latvia in the hinterland of Soviet Russia, the division left 45 tanks when it entered the urban area of Moscow-more than 30 tanks broke down along the way after being repaired, but the overall combat strength of the 22nd armored division was insufficient, and half of the vehicles were extremely tired, which was near the boundary point.
Thinking anxiously about the site, Manstein transferred 20 No.3 tanks and a battalion of mechanized infantry from the 1st Armored Division to move closer to the former SS troops, and at the same time made the 3rd Armored Infantry Division make a final impact on the riverside position in the direction of Red Square.
In the dreary roar, several three-type assault guns piled with sandbags on the front of the car body slowly pushed to the edge of the river bank, lowered the muzzle and aimed directly at the gentle slope on the other side, ready to face the Soviet infantry artillery at any time. Abandoned vehicles were temporarily modified, simply waterproof, wooden carriages, wooden bathtubs, and doors tied with oil drums. They all became tools for crossing the river, and the Kremlin and Red Square seemed to be fascinating monsters. The infantry were magically full of fighting spirit, and a few enthusiasts took off their coats and pants, except for the cover pants.
At 5: 05 in the morning, the attack horn sounded, and the various ministries involved in the war were extremely tired. It was both gratifying and tragic to fight resolutely. The German line crossed the river and the tanks, assault guns and infantry guns and mortars were deployed along the coast, which constituted an unusually dense suppression fire. The Soviet side seemed to be troubled by the mobilization of troops and ammunition supply, and the initial counterattack seemed weak. If the Germans had a decent boat to cross the river, this inflated attack would probably create more support points on the other side.
Moscow river river is not wide or narrow, even in the narrowest part of the river, the German army is simple, Clumsiness makes opponents laugh. Even if it is not stopped, it will take a long time to complete crossing the river. It seems that the German army is at a spent force. In some cases, the Soviet commander decisively sent reserve troops to add positions along the river to defend a team of tanks that were completed before dark. All kinds of models went out from the north side of the Kremlin and drove directly across the Red Square to the riverside position. Although Stalin, the supreme commander of the Soviet Union, did not appear in his familiar reviewing stand, many senior generals in the Soviet camp still insisted on working in the Kremlin at the moment. This unusual courage confrontation is bound to be a classic scene on the battlefield.
The appearance of Soviet tank reserve has played a decisive role in the battlefield situation. It is difficult to swing across the river. Although the Soviet army lost almost all the light tanks, only two v1 and one 34 became the last straw to crush the camel. The German residual tanks and assault guns were forced to leave the magnificent river, and the troops who had crossed the river and were crossing the river also fell into isolation and assistance. They fought for victory and quietly evolved into Sparta’s 300 warriors. For most of them, the Kremlin and Red Square were always out of reach.
It’s getting dawn, and the grey clouds cover the splendid sunrise. Most of the troops of the German 4th Armored Group are still stranded on the south bank of the Moscow River, facing the Soviet almost crazy counterattack and successfully crossing the river. More than 4,000 officers and men and more than 30 tanks and armored vehicles can barely hold on to the bridgehead, which makes them feel desperate. It’s because the Soviet Union dispatched dozens of bombers to build the pontoon bridge and carried out low bombing. Although the German army shot down nine Soviet fighters before and after the fire prevention, this attack finally succeeded at all costs-the German armored forces were in an offensive position and their fate was in jeopardy.
Overnight, the situation took a turn for the worse, which made the commanders of the 4th Armored Group almost desperate. The only news that comforted them was that the 1st Armored Group under the command of Kleist and the 2nd Armored Group under the command of guderian had both broken through the Soviet front after a night of hard fighting, and their vanguard troops still had 9 kilometers and 12 kilometers to Moscow, respectively. If the distance was blocked along the way, it would be a pity that there were at least 200,000 Soviet troops in this seemingly narrow area.
Chapter 3 Changes of the Times
Chapter 3o The situation is changing
Dressed in her former school army, holding a beautiful and charming woman, walking in the quaint and lively streets of Nantes with a leisure attitude, feeling the awe of French residents, Logan was immersed in the happy atmosphere he created and slightly drunk …
In the hands of a group of more stable coaches, the German government readjusted its world strategy in the post-German Third Reich period. The eastern and western lines were completely treated differently by ice and fire, and the ideological opposition finally ignited the most violent and tragic battle. Two former huge troops were fighting for life and death in the vast eastern Europe. German rulers in western Europe, close relatives and neighbors, adopted a strategy of combining rigidity with flexibility. The economy gradually resumed the release of prisoners of war in batches, and the most important thing was to reduce taxes and increase food rations, all of which significantly weakened the resistance consciousness of people in various countries.
"What beautiful flowers!"
Avril Lavigne, wearing a lace parasol, stopped in front of an open-air flower stand in surprise. There were a bunch of roses, lilies and lilacs in a simple and natural bamboo basket. This scene reminded Logan of a film he had seen far away, Daisy, which was also a quaint European square, but a beautiful girl with an oriental face was not seen.
Women love flowers as much as food. Logan watched her with great interest beside Avril Lavigne and looked around at different bouquets for a long time before she chose a bouquet of newly blooming lilies.
"Six francs or one mark" said the woman who bought flowers in blunt German.
Logan took a coin out of his pocket and put it seriously in the hand of the French woman wrapped in a headscarf and suggested to Avril Lavigne, "Have a cup of coffee here."
The square was built by the river, and there was a coffee shop in the east and west. On this sunny day, merchants set up umbrellas and coffee tables. The smell of coffee was full of fragrance. Before the fall of the British Empire, due to the blockade of the British fleet, the Germans and the German-occupied areas were once faced with a shortage of materials. Coffee had to be imported first, and restrictions were imposed in the occupied areas. On the other hand, when ordinary French cities returned to normal, it was not difficult to speculate on the sea transportation situation.
Ordered a cup of ordinary black coffee, Logan crossed his legs comfortably, and Avril wrapped the colored paper and put the bouquet on the table. She said happily to Logan, "If possible, I’d rather live here anonymously for a generation."
Logan smiled indifferently. "But you don’t even know simple French."
Avril Lavigne said otherwise, "Is there more and more French people who don’t know German now?" It won’t be long before German becomes the second official language of France. "
Will the German occupation in France last long? Logan dare not talk nonsense. After all, there are examples of American troops stationed in Germany, Japan and other countries for a long time, but a few military bases have not greatly changed the language pattern of these countries. Japanese still speak poor English, and ordinary Germans seem to disdain to learn English specially.
"The more beautiful Hans Day is, the more I think it will end soon." Avril Lavigne looked at Logan with some confusion.
Logan grabbed the woman’s delicate hand. "What’s wrong with you these two days? I don’t remember Avril Lavigne as a person who will easily fall into pessimism. "
Avril Lavigne also held Logan’s hand tightly, but the faint smile contained many complicated components.
Soon after, the student sent steaming coffee and gave two extra German snacks, saying that it was the boss’s little heart to look at the exquisite food in the exquisite utensils, and Logan felt this subtle and indeed changing.
Halfway through the coffee, the street suddenly became noisy. People were competing to broadcast what news and didn’t shy away from the German people around them. When Logan heard them say "king of England", "abdication" and "new king" in French, he knew that they had got the news that George VI had abdicated and the Duke of Windsor had returned to the throne.
"The war is finally over."
Logan was very happy to hear a French man in his forties tell the flower woman that he was wearing a slightly old white shirt and a pair of light blue pants. He should have been in French service before. After the defeat, the size of the French team was rapidly reduced to more than 100,000 people, and a large number of people were laid off. At one time, they were faced with severe livelihood problems. After the explosion of the Soviet-German war, many factories in France were operating at full capacity, and the workers were paid a small salary to ensure the minimum living needs. However, once the war was over, people were afraid of the war and obviously attached to their families.
After drinking coffee with the breeze on the riverside, the two of them walked slowly towards the center of the city. When it was dark, they could take the train back to St. Nazaire, dozens of kilometers away. They listened to the waves at the beautiful seaside villa and ushered in a new day in the morning light.
Near the train, Logan saw tobias pacing back and forth from a distance. Although he couldn’t see his facial expression clearly, he gave people a sense of anxiety when he moved.
There must be something important. Will it be a change in Britain? Churchill intends to go against the sky by himself? Or news from the eastern front?
Logan’s heart suddenly speculated nervously that he had not approached tobias and took the initiative to meet him.
"My head is not good," tobias said cautiously, although he knew Avril Logan. "Last night, a lean Soviet armored force completed a detour in the south of Moscow, and the rear joint of our fourth armored group was cut off."
"What? Is Manstein surrounded by Moscow? " Logan’s reaction was very strong, and it was a pity that Mo Deer was captured in Warsaw. If Manstein, together with hoppner and Kleist, became a Soviet-ranked prisoner and the most elite armored group in Germany was surrounded by the Soviet army, it would have an incalculable impact on German morale.
After a brief surprise, Luo Genxun calmed down and came to the 4th Armored Group, which seemed to be alone. However, after several days of advancing, the main German forces were not far away from them, and there were still many troops along the way to protect and consolidate the supply lines. More importantly, the Germans had gained a very obvious advantage in the eastern front, and the Soviet Union had become a trapped beast.
"Don’t worry, if we persist for a day or two, the dilemma will turn into a victory. We must have confidence in it." Logan patted tobias on the shoulder, although his heart was not as calm as his face showed.
"I hope so. I heard that the army has lost a large number of planes and pilots because of continuous high-intensity warfare for more than a week." Although tobias didn’t say it, he pointed his finger at the commander-in-chief of the current army, Kesselring. On the whole, this is a conscientious and capable military commander, but it is far from "phenomenal"
Logan is obviously not interested in exploring this topic in depth. He shook his head. "Commanders have their own ideas. We don’t have to be too concerned. Let’s go back to San Nazaire."
After a pause, tobias patted his head. "Oh, by the way, I got another news from Karen before my head. The Japanese fleet attacked the British colony in Asia at 1 am today, that is, at 6 am local time."
"Huh?" Logan stopped and declared war on the Soviet Union not long ago and launched an attack on Soviet troops stationed in the Far East. At the same time, they even launched a "south" offensive, so they were not worried that the multi-line war would lead to the dispersion of troops.
"It is said that Malaya, Hongkong and Dutch India were attacked. Although Thailand has not yet entered the war, Japanese troops stationed in Thailand also attacked British Burma. The US government warned Sunrise at noon and asked them to stop the invasion immediately," tobias added.
"Ahem, old chap, the more important news is still ahead." Logan turned to look at his loyal cronies, and he knew in his heart that it was not tobias’s primary and secondary measures, but that the primary and secondary measures were not consistent in different people’s minds
Tobias nodded very seriously without refuting.
"It seems that we don’t have much time left for our holiday." Rogan rubbed his hands. It’s hard to say whether he is more excited or more uneasy. According to the current situation, the Pacific War has a completely different head-due to the rise of Germany and the British government in exile moving westward, the US Navy was forced to tie up more than half of its military forces in the Atlantic Ocean, which led to the Pacific Fleet being far weaker than in another historical period, while the Japanese navy has already had a fleet with a very strong fighting capacity by virtue of years of accumulation. The US government may not dare to force Japan to fight against Japan in this situation, but it is more likely to acquiesce in Japan to seize
"What happened?" Avril Lavigne could still see the seriousness of the situation from the grim expression when Logan tobias talked just now, although there was a distance.
Logan didn’t want Avril to get directly involved in this complicated and sinister political affairs. He said optimistically, "I think your grandfather said that the time is coming and we will see him soon."
"Do men have a life goal of climbing mountains?" Avril Lavigne looked lost and angry.
Logan looked these beautiful eyes in the face. "No, Avril Lavigne’s goal is certainly more than this one. They often don’t want to be annoyed with their indulgence when they are in their twilight years. This indulgence is both chaotic and containsno. I promise you that this will be my last attempt to attack the mountain. If it fails, I will take you away to live a quiet life like today."
Avril Lavigne sighed lightly. "I know that at this moment, I can’t avoid my grandmother … Hans said that I hope you can realize your dream and bless you."
This sounds like a farewell to Logan’s heart.
Chapter 31 Autumn
Chapter 31 Autumn
In 1930s and 1940s, St. Nazaire’s fame was attributed not only to its busy and beautiful harbor, but also to its amazing "Normandy" dock. Its appearance can be described as a miracle of flange shipbuilding industry. The displacement of this class of cruise ship "Normandy" reached 340,000 tons, which was the inevitable "Starfish" before the explosion of World War II. At that time, a battleship was not eclipsed in front of it, and it was even more shocking that this former ship actually set an average voyage when crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Time flies. When the autumn of 1941 came quietly, the French Pride Normandy had spent two years in new york Port. There was only a giant dock on the west coast of France. No ship has been built since the war broke out. Ironically, this dock has been a large German naval ship for many times and has been modified for warships captured from Britain. This time, it was the famous fast battleship Gnesenau, and its twin sister scharnhorst was hit by a storm while cruising in the Atlantic Ocean.
On the second day after the "Gnesenau" arrived in France, Logan also welcomed an old acquaintance.

Categories: