Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 2: Pentium (Part 1)

　　 The golden sunlight in the early morning is softly scattered on the ground, and the fresh air is filled with a clear plant fragrance with dew. The calm and deep water surface of the Somme is covered with a veil-like mist, and a huge white water bird flies gently against the surface of the water, and the air current fanned by the powerful wings stays on the water surface. A series of beautiful ripples came down. A few early teal ducks burrowed in and out of the lush aquatic grass on the bank of the river. They kept sticking their heads into the water looking for the little fish that spent the night in the aquatic grass, or they raised their heads and screamed to show off to their companions. With his own record, he didn't care at all whether he invaded the serene tranquility in this beautiful scenery like a fairyland.

　　 Is this the battlefield where 1.5 million lives were buried? Although I have watched this early morning beauty countless times, when this dreamlike scenery reappears in front of Lafayette, it can still bring him an uncontrollable touch and the world has become so peaceful. Tranquility, as if war had never happened before, those blood and violence were like things that happened in another world, and had nothing to do with this world. But reality is reality. The cold touch of the steel body of the M1924 machine gun in his hand and the faint smell of gun oil separated him from the beautiful and peaceful world before him. They kept reminding Lafayette. Now he is on the front line of the battle. Maybe in a minute, the heavenly scenery in front of him will turn into **** on earth. Blood and flames will replace the beautiful emerald green as the only color here, and he will also May become a part of that hell, adding a touch of bright red to the remains of this paradise.

　　 "Lafayette, Lafayette." A hoarse voice interrupted the romantic machine gunner's thoughts.

　　 "What's the matter." The machine gunner turned his head and looked at the speaker depressed. That was Sergeant Le Dur, a veteran who fought in the last war. Le Dur's face is always a nonchalant look. He has won several medals in the last war and can be said to be the most experienced person in the regiment. But what is incredible is that he is only a sergeant until now. I heard that it is because he has not been able to deal with the relationship with his superiors. Even the commander of the commander, Lieutenant Colonel De Vadouer, said in private that if the old Ledoux If you were more clever, maybe he would have been an officer long ago, wearing a beautiful dome officer's hat.

　　 "Do you still have butter? Mine is out." Le Dur said to the machine gunner with a smile, he set up a pan and was preparing to make breakfast, in the soup pot on the stove A faint steam had begun to emerge, and a strong smell of food had begun to fill the air, which made the romantic machine gunner unable to help but swallow a few big mouthfuls.

　　 "I have a little more, sergeant." Lafayette hurried to his backpack and dug out his butter can from it.

　　 "Sergeant, what do you want to do today." Lafayette passed the butter to Le Dur.

　　 "Good thing, I got it from the camp kitchen yesterday." Le Dur took the jar and put it aside, then took out a large piece of bacon and at least ten centimeters long from his backpack. Piece of bacon.

　　 "Sergeant, you are so great." Several soldiers who just woke up from their sleep rubbed their sleepy eyes and surrounded the old sergeant. They looked expectantly at the two pieces that had been long-lost. Delicious.

　　"Everyone has it. Don’t look at me like that, Pierce. Damn you, don’t touch the lid, Donovan. Look at you. You guys don’t want to go wash your face, don’t get **** It's in my soup. You slanderers!" Le Duel laughed loudly and drove away the carnivores that had just woke up, and continued his work amidst the cheers of the soldiers.

　　 "Lafayette, did you know?" Le Dur took a sharp folding knife from his pants pocket and started cutting the bacon.

　　 "Oh, what do you know." The machine gunner didn't look back, he asked faintly while looking at the sparkling river water under the sun.

　　"The best way to fry bacon is to use butter. Other frying will lose the special aroma."

　　 "Oh? Is that so?"

　　 "Didn't your mother tell you this?"

　　 "No, my mother fries with pigs." Lafayette remembered the scene of his mother secretly crying in the kitchen on the day he joined the army, and couldn't help sighing. Now he wanted to eat another slice of bacon that his mother had fried, no matter what it was fried.

　　 "Ah, if you are lucky today, let you try the exclusive flavored bacon fried by Uncle Le Dur. I will give you two more slices at that time. Haha..." Le Dur did not find Lafayette. Very abnormal, he continued to make his delicious breakfast cheerfully.

　　 "Hah la la la la..." This is the sound of bacon and bacon being put into the pan, and the unique aroma of bacon and the fragrant smell of butter began to float in the air. "This old Le Dur." Lafayette looked at the dense woods on the opposite bank and smiled.

　　 Cooking food is not allowed in the frontier position. Not to mention raising the fire to cook, even if you want to cook a pot of boiling water. The position where Lafayette is located can not be said to be a position, in fact it is a lonely forward post. Since Marshal Wei Gang announced the fight to the end until the last man was mobilized, the French army's defensive positions have been completely fortified.

　　 The former linear defensive positions marked by dense trenches were abandoned. I heard that this was because the marshal believed that the positions were as fragile as a piece of paper in front of the terrible German armored forces and were not suitable for the current combat. Because of the pattern. He asked all the troops to gather in a series of villages and small towns near the line of defense, and then build strong fortifications there to connect these villages and fortresses into one line. This is the so-called Weigang line of defense.

　　Marshal believes that these consolidated villages and towns will stay there like nails. They can effectively block the speed of the German steel torrent, and can also consume a lot of precious Germans War resources and power. Wei Gang wanted to use this method to stop the Nazis from continuing to advance to the French mainland. He wanted to turn this war into a pure war of attrition, because he knew that there was only one way to stop this crazy German war machine from stopping. .

　　 Wei Gang’s judgment is accurate, his strategy is correct, and the tactics he chose are really nothing to say.

　　The post where Lafayette is located is the first steel line of defense in the Marshal's mouth. . . . It’s a ring in the middle, but no matter how you look at it, it’s a little smaller. Their post was built on a small soil **** only ten meters high, more than thirty meters from the bank of the Somme. From a geographical point of view, it is an ideal place for observation and alert, but it is definitely not an ideal place for defense. Because there are gentle plains near them, this solitary little soil pack stands conspicuously there. It has no military value except for being able to discover the enemy's actions on the opposite shore and setting up a perfect target for the enemy’s artillery. .

　　This is also the reason why the regiment commander set up this outpost here. If the Germans want to attack from here, it is impossible for them to not see this outpost. If the post reports an attack, it must mean that the attack has begun, so that he can have enough early warning time to make all preparations for the battle. There is no other way. He has not received any air reconnaissance intelligence for more than a month. The brothers on his left and right have cliffs towering over the river bank and rolling swamps and hills, and the section of defense he defends is all flat plains, without any geographical advantage to rely on.

　　 It is dangerous to place troops in such an unsafe area, especially without the enemy's exact intelligence. Therefore, Lieutenant Colonel Devadoe strictly obeyed Marshal Wei Gang's orders and concentrated all his troops in the village of Itna, which is 12 kilometers away from the outpost, and built a three-tiered fortification there. Although he was not sure that this would be able to withstand the German offensive, he believed that no matter how strong the Germans were, they would have to pay a high price if they wanted to capture this village fortress. As long as it can delay the Germans' footsteps and allow the troops behind them to get the time to prepare, any sacrifice is worthwhile. For the final victory of France, Lieutenant Colonel De Vadouer is willing to dedicate everything he has.

　　 And Lafayette’s post is the first victim of this strategy. This small post has a solid defensive bunker. A circle of stone walls 50 cm thick and chest-high constitutes the main body of this post. The stone walls were there before Lafayette came here, judging from its dilapidation and weathering, it has stood there for at least a hundred years. The old man in the village said that a Roman army was stationed there. These stone walls are the remains of the fortress built by the Romans. Lafayette thinks very much about this, because this stone wall is indeed unusually strong, but this solidity is based on the fact that the opponent does not have a cannon. Under the bombardment of heavy German artillery, it is no better than one. The wooden house lasted longer.

　　 Lafayette and they had a total of seventeen people, not even a squad, and the highest military officer was the Sergeant Le Dur. Although the life under the leadership of the sergeant was very happy, Lafayette still faintly felt that these people had been exiled in disguise. The lieutenant colonel must want to throw some soldiers who looked unpleasant to the front line as punishment for their past violations. But what makes Lafayette puzzled is how he would be ranked among the exiles. He has always been proud of being a model soldier. It seems that the lieutenant colonel sometimes blinds him.

　　 Although the number of Lafayette’s posts is not large, the firepower is unexpectedly powerful. In addition to manning an M36 rifle, the lieutenant colonel also equipped them with three M1924 machine guns and a 37mm rapid-fire. Cannon, and ammunition is also very sufficient. In fact, the lieutenant colonel does not need to place such a strong firepower here. These weapons should be placed where they are needed more. Lafayette felt that this might be a disguised form of the lieutenant colonel for putting himself in such a dangerous place. Compensation for it. But Lafayette did not believe that he could withstand the German attack with these weapons. This kind of firepower, which is not weak or strong, might find a better reason for the Germans to use artillery to fly this outpost.

　　 "Lafayette, come here, take your share, I will give you a few more pieces of bacon." Le Dur's voice once again pulled Lafayette back from his thoughts Reality. He looked back and saw that a group of soldiers were already sitting around Ledoux, one of them was holding a plate and eating with relish, while Ledoux was holding a plate and smiling at himself.

　　 "Thank you, sergeant." Lafayette walked over and took the plate.

　　 "Why the bread hasn't been delivered yet, it would be better if it can be matched with a little bread." A soldier complained while chewing on the bacon.

　　 As mentioned earlier, cooking food is not allowed in the forward position. The conditions of this post make it unable to store fresh food, and those canned food have been included in the luxury goods catalog in the French frontline troops. Only enough to be enjoyed by the officers, ordinary soldiers like them don't have to have such a dream. Therefore, all three meals a day at this post are delivered by truck from the village of Itna, 12 kilometers away. It is conceivable what the food will become after a bumpy journey. And because of the shortage of supplies, the quality of the food is deteriorating. Every day they can only receive half a kilo of bread and three plates of cabbage and potato broth. Said it is broth, which means that there is a bit of meaty aroma in the taste. It depends on the storage time of the cabbage. Because it is impossible to run three times a day for them, so I sent one day's amount all at once.

　　 For this reason, Le Dur did not know where he secretly got a small stove and a set of kitchen supplies, and started his own small kitchen. At first, Lafayette expressed doubts about this, but when Le Durr smiled and let him choose between delicious and "dog food", Lafayette compromised. It’s actually right to think about it. The military regulations are set up to prevent the enemy from discovering our concealed positions, and my outpost is now standing there in such a big and large look, and I’m afraid of exposing any targets, let alone lighting a stove. What can I do if I put the fire on.

　　 "Just eat yours, can't you stop your mouth with such a delicious thing?" Le Dur smiled and raised his hand to the gourmet.

　　 "I heard the sound of the truck, Donovan, lucky you guy, you will have bread to eat right away."

　　The soldiers stood up and looked at the road behind the post.

　　 "Don't look, everyone pack up, don't let the food delivery guy see these things."

　　Ledur gave a loud order, and the soldiers hurriedly hid their plates carefully in their respective corners. After a while, the messy post returned to its usual mess.

　　 "A few people come here to help, your food is delivered." As soon as the voice fell, a tall middle-aged sergeant walked into the post.

　　 "Sergeant Duval, why are you here?" Le Dur greeted him with a smile and took the sergeant's hand.

　　 "What's the matter, come out to change the air in your officer's kitchen?"

　　"I don’t have that idea yet. This time it’s to show the way for the two new soldiers. The two guys who brought you food had a car accident yesterday and the whole car overturned into an irrigation ditch. He was lying in the hospital now. The lieutenant colonel picked two men from the new soldiers to replace them. They didn't know the way, and I just wanted to come and see you, so I took this opportunity to run over." Shi smiled and replied that he was the head chef of the company. He had squatted in the same trench with Ledoux before, and the relationship between the two was very good in private.

　　 "Huh? What are you doing in front of you? I smell bacon and bacon. Where did you get these private goods."

　　 "Where are these things, do you think I can get those kinds of things?" Le Dur slapped hard.

　　"Don’t give me this set, will my nose not smell these things? I don’t look at what I do. But I really admire you, you can get those things in this place , Even I haven’t seen these for a week or two. I heard that the camp has some inventory, it’s impossible... Forget it, I don’t care about your nostalgia, ask your people to go out for two and help Those two novices brought in the things, and today's quantity is more. They also sent tomorrow's shares." Dewar said loudly.

　　 "What? Pier, David, you two go out to help." Le Dur turned his head and ordered the two soldiers, then he looked at Duwa suspiciously and asked, "Why do you need food for two days? Come here together."

　　"I have no idea about this. I heard that the order was issued, saying that all motor vehicles should be parked in their fortresses for the past two days. No special circumstances are allowed to go out. So the lieutenant colonel ordered us to prepare. The food for two days was delivered all at once." Dewar scratched his head, looking like he couldn't help it.

　　"Is the enemy going to attack?"

　　 "I don't know, the reason is not mentioned above, and I am not easy to ask. But in the past two days, there were indeed a few German planes flying over the village." Dewar whispered.

　　 "Aircraft, we haven't seen a German plane? It seems to have flown from another direction. I don't think it's right." Le Durr said with a serious expression.

　　"I don’t think we need to guess anything. I think our bosses may not know much more than us. I think if the Germans attack us, you should be the first to know, who is You are at the front line. But I think the Germans are unlikely to attack. I heard that they have some trouble now, otherwise they would come over a month ago and they will wait until now. I think the Germans may be It is unlikely that there will be any major moves. Prime Minister Renault delivered a speech on the radio station in Paris yesterday commending the bravery of the French army in the previous stage. I did not feel any danger of approaching from his speech."

　　 "The command headquarters did not issue any warning to us. That made me even more worried. I now have a bad feeling, I always feel that something is about to happen." Le Dur said with a sad expression. .

　　 "Don't scare me, I don't know what your set is. If you had such a hunch, the above would have transferred you to the Ministry of National Defense, and you need to be in the sun here." Duwa smiled He patted Le Dur on the shoulder, then he turned his head and looked out the door.

　　"Why haven't those guys carried the things in yet, I have to wait to go back and prepare the lunch menu for the company commander."

　　 At this moment, Lafayette, who had been holding the machine gun looking at the other side of the river, suddenly screamed. "Sergeant Le Dur, come here quickly, I think I have found something, the Germans are moving!"

　　 Lafayette’s scream surprised everyone in the outpost, and the soldiers rushed to their shooting holes and looked across the river.

　　"What did you see? Lafayette." Le Dur walked to Lafayette's side and looked across.

　　 "Over there, on the edge of the woods, I see reflections, as if there are people walking around there." Lafayette called out, pointing to the woods opposite.

　　 "Calm down, Superior Lafayette." Le Dur took out the binoculars from the backpack on his waist, and he raised the binoculars and looked towards the woods. Suddenly, what he found made him gasp.

　　 "God..." Le Dur hurriedly adjusted the focus carefully. Then he threw the binoculars into Lafayette's arms, turned and rushed to the telephone set aside.

　　 "What did you see, Le Dur."

　　Duval was frightened by Le Dur's reaction. Not only him, but everyone present was frightened by the old sergeant's reaction. Everyone looked at Le Dur in dismay. Le Dur did not answer the head chef's words, he took off the handset of the phone and then began to shake the handle on the phone desperately.

　　 "Operator, pick me up for the regiment department. Emergency." Le Dur shouted to the phone, then he looked at Dewar with a panic face and said in a deep voice: "The Germans are about to attack. "

　　 "What, what did you see, why did you say that the Germans are going to attack."

　　 "Go and see by yourself." Le Dur replied irritably.

　　 "I'm going to see what makes you so panicked. Soldier, give me the binoculars. What do you see?" Duval walked towards Lafayette.

　　 "I don't know what Sergeant Ledoux saw, but there are indeed Germans in the woods opposite." Lafayette said.

　　 At this time Le Dur began to report loudly on the phone: "Lieutenant Colonel Devadou, I'm Sergeant Le Dur, I found some things, I think the Germans are about to attack us. ...I'm pretty sure, I found the German artillery observation post lurking in the woods opposite us, as well as an innumerable number of infantry...Yes, I can see clearly, the German artillery rangefinder and Artillery observation mirrors... They are calibrating our coordinates, and they may launch shelling on us immediately.

　　 I know the situation now. . . . Doesn't this mean anything? what did you say? I do not understand what you were saying. . . . What? It's too late when they attack. . . . I. . . . I understand, I hope you will be ready for battle right away. I will notify you as soon as there is a new situation. Goodbye, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. "

　　Ledur hung up the phone angrily, and then began to yell: "This **** bureaucrat didn't believe what I said. If you have more precise information, then report to him. He also said that he has not received any such information. It’s a **** of a ghost. He needs any evidence. Will he only believe it until the German shells blow us up?"

　　 "I think you might be right, I saw it too..." Duval turned his head and said.

　　"You can see it too, right? They are very concealed, but they are still a bit worse than their predecessors more than 20 years ago~IndoMTL.com~Le Duel said excitedly to Dewar.

　　 "But it is not certain that the Germans are about to attack us. They may be doing a reconnaissance." Duval said seriously.

　　"Reconnaissance, use artillery rangefinder to reconnaissance?"

　　"It’s also possible. You know that kind of thing works better than ordinary telescopes. Without definite evidence, if I were Lieutenant Colonel De Vadoue, I would say the same to you, you 'S nerves are too sensitive."

　　 "What, you said I'm too sensitive... You..." Le Dur's face flushed all of a sudden, he just wanted to rush towards Dewar, when the sky suddenly appeared This strange sound sounded like a sharp bagpipe, and then there was a violent explosion outside the post, and for a while the whole world began to shake.

　　 "Sergeant Le Dur! The Germans are firing at us!"

　　 Lafayette screamed loudly, and the soldiers shrank to the root of the breast wall and hugged their heads tightly.

　　 "Dewar! Don't you want to see the evidence?" Le Dulle grimly grabbed Dewar by the neckline and dragged him to the shooting hole. At this time, another shell fell, but the accuracy of the shell was a little short, and it slammed into the Somme. After the violent explosion, a thick water column tens of meters high mixed with the silt at the bottom of the river rose to the sky.

　　Ledur held Dewar’s neckline and pointed at the falling water column and roared: "This is the evidence. This is the evidence you want. Now you can tell me, am I what you said? Nervous. You tell me..."