Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 15: Battle (9) Growth
"Sir, I think you have seen enough. The soldiers are very grateful for your personal visits to them, sir. You don't need to go any further. The forward position has not been cleared, and it is not safe."
Daogen followed Xu Jun closely, while he looked desperately at Weierle beside him, while quietly dissuading Xu Jun from continuing the unbearable battlefield tour.
Seeing Daogen's suggestion, Weiller shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, saying that he could not do anything about it.
"Dogen."
Xu Jun smiled and saluted a group of soldiers who were standing in the trenches and waving their helmets and rifles cheering at them. He said in a deep voice, "Don’t persuade me, I know I’m What to do. I have to go there and take a look. All of this is caused by me. I have to see for myself how severe this lesson is."
After speaking, Xu Jun walked slowly toward the forward position along the edge of the trench.
"Sir..."
Looking at Xu Jun's back, Daogen lowered his head.
"The commander of the 55th Infantry Regiment of the Guards, Lieutenant Colonel Von. Chatriemans, on behalf of the officers and soldiers of the regiment, salutes the head of state!"
An army lieutenant colonel rushed forward, stood still in front of Xu Jun, and nodded neatly.
"The Fifty-Fifth Regiment performed very well in this battle. I am very satisfied with the courage and bravery shown by the officers and soldiers of the whole regiment in this battle."
Xu Jun raised his hand to salute the army lieutenant colonel a standard military salute.
"Good fight, Lieutenant Colonel."
"Thank you very much, Your Excellency. All for Germany."
Feng. Chatelimans quickly and respectfully returned a military salute.
"Let's go with me and tell me about the fighting situation at that time."
"Yes, sir. However, the forward position has not been cleaned up yet, now there..."
Speaking of Feng. Chatlimans found the head of the Führer's face darkened.
"Your will is the command, please go from here, sir."
The quick-responsive Lieutenant Colonel immediately wisely chose to compromise.
"If **** really exists in the world, I have already booked a room for myself at the lowest level."
Xu Jun looked at the miserable battlefield in front of him and muttered.
Although the body wrapped in the gorgeous marshal uniform is still straight, if someone observes carefully, you will find that the German ruler is shaking slightly now.
"Sir. I don't think it was a wise decision for you to come here... Your Excellency, your loyal soldiers are watching you now..."
Weierle's deliberately lowered voice sounded behind Xu Jun.
The calm and wise chief of staff found Xu Jun's current strangeness, and he immediately reminded the young dictator in a tact and respectful way that this is not a place where personal emotions can be expressed at will.
"Oh... I see, thank you, Weierle."
Xu Jun took a deep breath, then turned his head and nodded slightly at Weirler.
"It doesn't matter, my head of state."
The chief of staff replied respectfully in a low voice.
The German front line looks like a collapsed hell.
Although Xu Jun is fully prepared psychologically, everything in front of him makes him feel that his preparation is far from enough.
He has seen battlefields and death, but the sights he saw before him made him feel that the **** scenes he had witnessed before were nothing.
Xu Jun tried hard to suppress the feeling of vomiting, and walked forward with a pale face.
They have entered the center of the battle. Xu Jun's steps have become heavier and heavier. He doesn't want to know what is stuck on his shiny pair of military boots, and he doesn't want to know the muddy underfoot. What caused it, the strong **** breath in the air had already told him all the answers.
"That is the three-row position. The French foreign corps broke through our first-line position from here. But they can only do this. In the next battle, they couldn't make any further progress."
Daogen said in a heavy tone behind Xu Jun.
"There are so many enemies that hit directly. The three rows of machine guns ran out of spare barrels and they could no longer shoot. After the battle, we found that the two machine guns were still hot.
We are only one step away from saving this, and this is the one step away. . . . When we arrived, there were French infantry everywhere, and I knew that the third row was over. . . . Just five minutes away. . . . "
Feng. Chatlimans said in a low voice, with deep sadness and self-blame in his tone.
"You are not to blame, Lieutenant Colonel. This is not your responsibility." Xu Jun said in a deep voice.
"Lieutenant colonel, I remember that there should be a 20mm machine gun on the three rows of positions. Why didn’t this gun work? Under the cover of the 20mm machine guns, the three rows should easily defend this position. No amount of enemies can easily approach the front trenches."
At this time, one followed Feng. The young army officer behind Chatrimans asked suspiciously.
Xu Jun turned his head and found that the question was originally Wolfland, who was recently transferred from the Fourth Armored Division by Weirler. Feng. Major Liszt. Weierle gave the twenty-four-year-old young officer a very high evaluation in front of Xu Jun and appointed him as the second-level combat staff officer of the Headquarters of the Guards.
"I don’t know what happened. But I think the anti-aircraft artillery on this position has made their last effort. When the anti-aircraft gunners died, they were holding rifles and engineering shovel.
As artillery, they have the right to choose to retreat, but they did not do so. Those brave young people were fighting the enemy at the last moment of their lives. Now the soldiers are lying there. If you want to know the truth, you can ask them yourself.
And I remind you that no one has the right to blame those warriors who died in battle, so please pay attention to your words! Feng. Major Liszt! "
Feng. Chatremans cast a gloomy face, his stern tone did not leave any face to the young member of the prominent Liszt family, and judging from his current look, he would have to have Xu Jun and Weierle present. He directly scolded his mother, and the young major was blushing and unable to speak.
"Lieutenant Colonel, don't do this. I apologize for my subordinates for using inappropriate words. Wolfland, you are too careless, you must pay attention to it in the future."
Weierle quickly relieved his men from the sidelines.
"Oh, Chief of Staff, you don't need to be so polite. I just get a little excited when I think of the soldiers who died in battle. It's really rude."
Xu Jun didn't pay attention to the conversation of his subordinates at all. Facing the battlefield, he slightly raised his head, and took a deep breath in the air that was still full of strong sulfur and blood.
"Let's go..."
Xu Jun turned his head and said faintly, and then walked towards the forward position on his own. The officers quickly stopped their discussions and hurriedly followed.
A group of soldiers in a corner of the battlefield were carrying the bodies of the dead. The soldiers separated the entangled soldiers with solemn expression, and then carried the remains of the German soldiers onto the carriage that was parked aside.
The gray military carriage was piled with the corpses of soldiers in blood-stained gray uniforms, and the blood continuously flowed from the gaps in the carriage fence. The ruts of the carriage were full of blood like two red streams. , A non-commissioned officer stood against the wheel with his face covered.
Xu Jun led the officers to the carriage slowly. The group of soldiers had already spotted the officers who came by, but when they saw the face of the officer in front, they were all shocked. The soldiers couldn't believe that this person would actually appear here. Everyone immediately put aside their work and stood at attention excitedly, and vigorously saluted the leader they admired.
Xu Jun raised his hand to salute the soldiers, and then walked directly to the sergeant who was leaning against the wagon wheel.
"Sergeant...Sergeant..."
The soldier on the side reminded him in a low voice, but the sergeant didn't respond. He covered his face with his hands and leaned on the wheel and his shoulders were still shaking. He was crying silently.
"Sergeant, who are you crying for?" Xu Jun asked softly.
"Go away, leave me alone..." the sergeant replied whimpering.
"It's so presumptuous, you don't know who you are talking to! Stand at attention! Do you still look like an Waffen-SS soldier now!" Daogen shouted from the side.
"Huh? Ah! Your Excellency the head of state!"
The sergeant was startled by Dogen's roar. He rubbed his swollen eyes and looked up. He jumped up like a spring in shock.
"Your Excellency... Sergeant... Sergeant Holrent salutes you!"
Sergeant extruded his chest and choked and said loudly.
"Have a rest, Sergeant, who are you crying for."
Xu Jun raised his hand to stop Daogen who wanted to continue to blame, and then asked the sergeant softly.
"My comrades-in-arms, sir. They are all dead, everyone... Now I am the only one left." The tears in Horrent's eyes came out again.
"They are all heroes. They fought bravely to the last moment for Germany. Now they are gone, but their will is still there, their spirit is immortal, and will be inherited by us. This is what we have survived The mission that people must shoulder."
Xu Jun bent down and picked up the helmet that the sergeant threw aside and handed it to his hand, then patted the soldier on the shoulder lightly.
"For your dead comrades, continue their unfinished business with strength. Only until the day of victory, those of us are qualified to cry! Understand? Sergeant Holrent."
"Understand, Your Excellency."
Horrent took the helmet and rubbed off the blood-stained soil with his sleeve, then wiped away the tears and put the helmet on his head.
"Sir, please don't blame yourself too much, it's not your fault." Weierle said while serving Xu Jun a cup of coffee.
"Yes, my head of state, although our losses are great, we have won the final victory after all. Without your plan, we may suffer even greater losses, so please don't blame yourself anymore , You are unfair to yourself." Daogen continued on the side.
"Sir, you have done very well, better than any of us. You still want to lead us to complete our great cause, so please don’t be depressed by this matter, none of us I hope to see you like this. Germany still needs you to revive. Everyone is looking forward to you leading Germany to prosperity."
Hans stood straight behind Xu Jun and said loudly.
"This time is completely my fault. I will take all the responsibility." Xu Jun pushed the coffee cup on the table and stood up abruptly and shouted loudly.
"From the very beginning, I have been taking risks. This is the case in Arras, this is the case in Dunkirk, and Poland. In Norway, I have always been taking risks. I have achieved success, and I have achieved something that ordinary people can’t match. A distinguished feat. But I didn’t see the huge risks hidden behind this series of successes. If there were accidents in those plans, I would push myself and my subordinates into what kind of situation. I think about it now. I shudder."
Xu Jun shook his head and continued: "I was really dazzled by the previous victories. I am so proud. I take those victories for granted. I really regard myself as an invincible genius. I am. I didn’t think about it. How much adventure is involved in my victories, and how much requires luck. I’m not a military genius, I’m just a stupid adventurer.
Now that I finally drank the bitter wine that I brewed, I almost lost myself and the whole army. If it weren’t for the French people who had run out of oil, we might even have a chance to sit here and drink coffee. There won't be any. That's why I have to seriously review my stupid habit. I must never make the same mistake again, especially when I still bear the destiny of a country.
The stupidity of the commander has to be compensated with the blood of his subordinates. The thought of this makes me feel extremely ashamed and self-blame."
"What you said is wrong, at least not all right, my head of state."
Weierle glanced at the dumbfounded officers.
"Your previous victories did contain a lot of adventure elements, but this does not mean that you are not a great military genius.
At least I know that the entire German Army will never find a second person to come up with your brilliant plan.
You don’t need to deny that the level of detail of your plan is beyond our imagination. I believe that in my life I cannot come up with something that can be compared with your plans.
As a leader, you can't be frustrated by a moment of failure, not to mention that we have won in the current situation. You don't have to feel guilty for the soldiers who died in battle. They died for the revival of Germany. I think they will ascend to heaven with a smile. They left no regrets.
Just like what you said earlier, those of us who have survived have to shoulder their expectations so that we can face these warriors who died in battle. "
Weiller put down the coffee in his hand and continued: "You have more things on your shoulders than any of us. You have the ideals of all of us.
No one wants to see you like this. You shouldn’t be the kind of person who was overwhelmed by a short-term setback. Besides, this time can’t be said to be a setback, but a lesson for all of us.
This allows us to always remind ourselves that every mistake of us officers will cost the brave soldiers their lives.
To talk about responsibility, this is not your responsibility alone, and you have no reason to assume it alone.
Ordering General Guderian to lead the tank troops from the two wings to the French army to outflank this point. I still think it is a correct order. All of us agreed at the time.
It is understandable to mobilize the paratrooper battalion and the mountain battalion to cooperate with the tank troops. It is common sense that tank troops cannot attack alone, not to mention that the troops of the two battalions are good at offensive, and there is nothing wrong with transferring them.
If you follow your intentions, then those of us who did not raise different opinions at the time should bear the corresponding responsibility, and should also bear the main responsibility. "
"But..." Xu Jun raised his head to distinguish, but Daogen stepped in.
"My head, your chief of staff is right. The two battalion defenses can’t be said to be the main reason for our heavy losses this time.
The key issue is that the French tactics used by all of us did not foresee, and no one thought they would use such brutal tactics.
There is also a series of mistakes committed by our frontier troops, and the serious mistakes that have occurred in the cooperation of the various troops are the main reason for our losses.
I think you should look further away now. Your performance is not like yourself anymore. Your edge will not be wiped out by this small mistake. What you have to consider now is a higher level issue, my head.
All of us are willing to give our lives for you, for Germany, please cheer up, for Germany, and for those of us who are loyal to you, all of our expectations are on you alone. . "
With the encouraging and expectant words of his subordinates, Xu Jun’s expression slowly freed from depression, and his body was filled with the original look of fighting spirit again~IndoMTL.com~Weir Le felt the familiar light in Xu Jun's eyes again. He knew that the young head of state had already passed that difficulty, at least temporarily.
A leader needs to have the courage to face failure. This may be natural, but more often it needs to be tempered and nurtured slowly. Watching the young German savior grow slowly in front of his eyes, Weierle thought Can not help but feel an inexplicable touch.
"Your Excellency, the Twilight Campaign has been fully launched, and now it seems that there is nothing we need to do. What is your next plan?"
Weierle asked respectfully.
"Next...Let’s go to Paris!"
Xu Jun looked up for a while and replied.
"Paris?"
"Yes, our battle is not over yet."
After speaking, Xu Jun picked up the cup of coffee from the table and greeted Weierle.
"Our battle has just begun, my Chief of Staff, Your Excellency."
The author noticed that everyone has been waiting for a long time. I’m really sorry. I'm almost cured now. Although the doctor said I still need to rest, I don't seem to have any major problems, so I will continue to write tomorrow. The update will be resumed tomorrow night, thank you for your support~ IndoMTL.com~ Book friends are welcome to visit and read, the latest, fastest and hottest serial works are all at ~IndoMTL.com~