afterglow

Chapter 392: The new French rifle; the German Society’s initial strategy
"This is crazy! I still can't believe the Germans would choose to put armor there."

This is the most repeated sentence today by the French generals on the front and rear.

Both aerial reconnaissance and ground reconnaissance proved that a large German mechanized force was trying to pass through the Ardennes Forest, with the line stretching for tens of kilometers from beginning to end.

The French generals have objectively recognized this situation and worked hard to deal with it. However, they still cannot accept it psychologically and find it incredible.

The altitude of the Ardennes is not high, with an average of just over [-] meters. However, it is rugged, densely wooded, and full of swamps.

Even a dismounted infantry unit would have to work hard to pass through such a ghost place, let alone a motorized unit or even a mechanized unit.

The engines used in today's tanks have limited power and low power-to-weight ratio. Continuous off-roading with full load can easily lead to engine overheating and gearbox failure. In such a forest with complex terrain, any tank breaking down may cause a serious accident. There was a huge traffic jam for more than ten kilometers.

Not to mention the fuel required for hundreds or thousands of tanks. In this kind of tedious off-road situation, the fuel consumption of the tanks will increase sharply, so a large amount of fuel will be consumed. However, the trucks commonly used by the army have poor off-road capabilities and cannot travel in the wilderness. Driving is difficult enough, how is it possible to drive through the Ardennes?
Now, what the French can comfort themselves is that the German army passing through the Ardennes Forest must lack large-caliber artillery, and tanks alone cannot break through the Sedan defense line.

The Sedan defense line was centered on the Sedan fortresses. They were built along the water, with the Meuse River as a natural barrier, and deployed a considerable number of garrison troops and a series of artillery.

At 5:21 pm on May 17, Berlin time, in a hill in the northwest of the Ardennes Forest...

A search detachment belonging to the Belgian 1st Chasseur Division was trekking through the rugged forest. They led war horses and pack horses, carried rifles, and scanned the surrounding environment vigilantly.

It was near the Belgian border, and they were ordered to pursue it.

The day before yesterday, the German army deployed a small paratrooper force near the border, about three companies. They dispersed and attacked multiple checkpoints and military stations, cutting off telephone lines, causing Belgium, Britain and France to lose control of the Ardennes Forest. Flanking sources of information.

So the 1st Chasseur Division on the border was ordered to eliminate these despicable attackers and re-establish control.

"Captain, that's enough. We have exceeded the predetermined distance."

"No, I can feel them, they're nearby."

The hunch of the commander of this unit was correct. More than 2 people from the 5th Regiment of the German 20nd Parachute Division were hiding here.

Because they were pursued after completing the mission and had to retreat hastily in such complex terrain, many of the three companies of German paratroopers were scattered and could only fight in small groups.

Lieutenant Wolfe is now the only officer among these people, so he naturally assumes the important responsibility of command.

The number of pursuers who persevered along the way was nearly a hundred, several times the number of our own. Therefore, Wolfe was unwilling to confront the enemy head-on and had been leading the team to retreat away from the battle, but he had never been able to get rid of this pursuer.

After discussion, they decided to try another ambush, hoping this time the Belgians would be able to retreat.

The remaining eight S-type anti-infantry jump mines were dispersed in a Z-shape and changed to electronically controlled detonation; more than 20 people were divided into three groups, with two MG34s erected on the left and right sides.

Looking at the wary enemy troops looking around, the German paratroopers lying on their sides not far away were also extremely anxious. Whether they could get rid of these brown candy-like guys depended on this move.

"Beep!"

Suddenly, two short, sharp whistles sounded, and the corporal next to Second Lieutenant Wolfe slammed the detonator lever.

"Bang bang bang bang-"

The projectiles at the bottom of the eight S-type mines were ignited, bounced up almost at the same time, and then detonated at a height of more than one meter. The explosions sounded like a loud "bang" because the intervals were too short.

Hundreds of short steel rods were fired in all directions. At least a dozen Belgian soldiers were beaten into a bloody sieve on the spot. The injured horses neighed tragically, drowning out the screams of the people.

"Deng deng deng-"

Before the smoke and dust caused by the explosion dispersed, the short and dense unique gunfire of MG34 resounded through the forest, and raindrops of bullets swept across like a sickle.

The quality of the 1st Chasseur Division was absolutely qualified. This kind of search detachment had a reinforced squad that went out 100 meters in front to serve as the vanguard to explore the road. However, Second Lieutenant Wolf deliberately let them go.

Now, when the roar of explosions came from behind them and the roar of machine guns came from their sides, these leading Belgian soldiers were surprised to find that the German army was right under their noses!

Several paratroopers with branches and leaves tied to their steel helmets leaned out half of their bodies and opened fire violently at the Belgian soldiers dozens of meters away with their MP38 submachine guns.

Three people were shot on the spot, and the rest escaped the first disaster because they fell down in time, but then several M24 wooden-handled grenades spun and flew down beside them.

Wisps of green smoke came out from the bottom of the grenade's wooden handle. The terrified Belgian soldiers rolled and crawled to avoid it, but were soon blown to pieces or knocked down by flying bullets. .

After the initial confusion, the main force of the search team at the back immediately came to their senses.

"What are you doing? Don't stay here! Second Lieutenant, take your people to the right!"

The captain leading the team commanded several FM30 light machine guns to fire with all their strength, and the remaining soldiers also fired repeatedly with Mauser M89 rifles.

The reconnaissance troops of the Chasseur Division are already elite, so how could the search team composed of them be passively beaten?
However, this duel between elites lasted very short, because the inferior German paratroopers did not want to fight. After the ambush was successful, they quickly broke away from the battle and continued to retreat to the southeast.

While the frustrated Belgians were treating the wounded and cleaning the battlefield, an officer suddenly shouted.

"Stop, be quiet!"

The soldiers looked at him in confusion, and then a low roar of engines came from above their heads, getting louder and louder from far to near.

Just above them, a fleet of 57 Ju-87B dive bombers and 14 Bf-109D fighters were flying towards the Sedan Fortress.

At this time, the German 3rd Mountain Division was basically ready to attack the Sedan Fortress.

In the previous day and night, the division organized more than twenty squad-level reconnaissance operations and three company-level fire reconnaissance operations, but the results were average.

The French army has been operating here all year round, and most of the locations have been marked and recorded. The artillery on the defense line only needs to consult the shooting marks and Zhuyuan pamphlets to fire directly. The accuracy of the shelling makes people feel as if the shells have eyes. of.

Faced with such a line of defense, how could the troops lacking heavy weapons possibly defeat it?
The barrel suppression artillery available to the 3rd Mountain Division is extremely limited. It only has the GebG36 75mm mountain gun. The remaining infantry guns, recoilless guns, and anti-tank guns are unable to perform the task of destroying strong positions.

This is also the reason why the French are full of confidence, but they obviously made a wrong calculation and underestimated the results of the rapid development of aviation technology.

"Enemy aircraft! Attention! Attention!" "Enter the shelter!"

Facing the sky full of German fighter planes, the French officers and soldiers on the defense line felt half-hearted. The sense of oppression given by the huge fleet of aircraft that blocked the sky and the sun was almost breathless.

The French army is currently equipped with a large number of anti-aircraft weapons including Hotchkiss 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns, and there are also some 25mm anti-aircraft guns. However, due to limited military expenditures, they are not equipped in large quantities.

But how could an anti-aircraft machine gun alone support an effective anti-aircraft umbrella?

Stukas began to perform the classic "death spin" on key targets on the Sedan defense line-dive-drop-bomb-pull-over, and repeatedly cycle bombing and strafing.

The 500kg aerial bombs that were dropped one after another burst into huge fireballs, and the violent shock waves made the earth tremble.

A Schneider Mle-7913 105mm field gun was hit at close range and turned into overturned scrap metal on the spot. The rocking wheel, gun scope, hoe and other parts flew dozens of meters away.

A series of 13.2mm machine gun bullets were fired from the ground into the sky, intertwining into a staggered web of fire, as if trying to trap the German fighter planes shuttled among them.

However, the power of the anti-aircraft machine gun is too weak, and even after hitting multiple shots in a row, the aircraft will still be injured and escape.

Ju-87B dive bombers usually carry a 500kg heavy aerial bomb on the belly and a 50kg light aerial bomb on each wing. The targeted air defense position was immediately attacked by fierce air attacks.

The German pilot flew the plane and dived towards it. The marking lines on the ground and the cockpit glass were aligned to represent different dive angles. When the French anti-aircraft machine guns were in the reflective sight sets, they gently pressed the shooting button. The MG17 aviation machine gun It makes a special "sizzling" sound and pours a long string of bullets on the target.

The screaming and falling aerial bombs and the heavy rain of bullets turned those anti-aircraft positions into purgatory, and the anti-aircraft firepower that had been maintained for a few minutes suddenly fell silent.

After this group of aircraft wreaked havoc over the Sedan Fortress for a while, another bomber formation arrived belatedly.

24 Do-17 light bombers, escorted by a small number of Bf-109s, arrived here and began horizontal bombing.

More than 300 SC50 light aerial bombs fell one after another, like a hailstorm.

The German soldiers on the east bank of the Meuse River were contentedly admiring this scene - one after another explosions raised dust all over the sky, and the billowing smoke almost engulfed the French positions in front of them.

"Now is the time! Offensive units prepare for action!"

"Let's go, up, up, up!"

One after another, figures turned over and jumped out of the attack starting position, running towards the rubber boat hidden by the river beach.

The soldiers carried the rubber boat down into the water, released it, and then rowed to the other side together.

The mountain artillery of the 3rd Mountain Division also began to suppress the Sedan Fortress, while the recoilless rifles, infantry guns, and mortars on the front line were always ready to bombard exposed enemy firepower points and directly support our own infantry units.

The MG34s installed on both wings of the offensive starting position also screamed intermittently. These MG34s, which were arranged on tripods and in heavy machine gun mode, suppressed the remaining French troops with long bursts of fire.

With strong air raid support, the 3rd Mountain Division successfully opened a gap in the defense line.

When the follow-up troops arrived to consolidate their positions, the French army also organized four counterattacks, but they failed to work.

The failed counterattack also determined that there was no longer any suspense in this offensive and defensive battle. Most of the artillery and bunkers they relied on were destroyed. The demoralized French army did not take any action for the next dozen hours and was very passive.

The strange situation continued that night. The regrouped German mountain infantry launched attacks in turns from multiple directions, infiltrating and raiding the French positions.

In the early morning of the next day, when the leading troops of the 8th Armored Division broke out of the Ardennes Forest after going through all kinds of difficulties and dangers, they found that they were of no use.

The garrisoned French troops who were fighting independently could no longer hold on and began to retreat one after another. Among them, several company-level units that were divided and surrounded simply threw away their guns and surrendered.

"It's a really nice rifle, full of mechanical qualities, and it must be very sturdy."

Dozens of MAS-36 rifles were piled on the ground, and three German soldiers were playing with some of them.

As a new bolt-action rifle that only started mass production in the past two years, the French plan to use it to replace the old Lebel and Berthier rifles. However, it is obviously impossible to replace such a large number of rifles in just three years. Tan, not to mention that the mass production rate of MAS-36 is low.

The French troops stationed at the Sedan defense line were fortunate enough to obtain several batches of rare MAS-36s, but they became the trophies of others before they even had time to fire a few shots.

With the fall of Sedan, the wedge blocking Army Group Kolombuc was removed.

Now, 5 armored divisions, 4 motorized infantry divisions, and 31 infantry divisions of German troops are continuously passing through the Ardennes Forest, and 50 troops are rolling towards the suddenly open French hinterland...

"...The current war situation is enough to prove everything. The German people, who understand their own strength, can rely on their own strength to crush the illusions of the British and French capitalists and bureaucratic groups."

"...We should speed up the march to Paris. The citizens of Paris are tired of the corruption of the bureaucracy and the connivance of the right-wing forces."

Good news came one after another from the front, and on the morning of May 5, Ernst delivered a speech at the Council of State.

It is difficult for any political group to avoid struggles over opinions, positions, and rights. The differences between the upper echelons of the German Society on the line were mainly concentrated in the beginning 20 years ago, and in the years after the defeat of the British and French intervention forces and the signing of the Treaty of Rotterdam.

Deshe has a relatively clear conclusion on its historical mission - to prove the correctness of the theory and the superiority of the system.

Of course, the premise of everything is to ensure the stability of the regime.

In order to achieve this premise, in addition to establishing a strong national defense force for self-protection, the mainstream view in recent years is that we should take the initiative to liberate the entire Western Europe.

Relatively speaking, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy are relatively easy to solve. The biggest problem lies in the United Kingdom.

As the birthplace of capitalism and the industrial revolution, the declining British Empire still has a powerful fleet, and the consequences of eagerly challenging its dominance at sea will be disastrous.

The opinion of the Ministry of National Defense is that the British Navy should be weakened through the emerging air force, and a series of air force bases targeting Britain should be established on the Western European continent to ensure multi-faceted suppression, supplemented by a powerful submarine force and a break-up fleet, to force Britain to abandon hostility.

In addition, after achieving the land strategic goals, we should focus on building a strong and regular surface ship force in order to deal with possible threats from the Americas in the distant future.

(End of this chapter)