Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 505: Offensive (5)

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The French tank group kept about fifteen kilometers, advancing toward the road.

This tank can also reach a cross-country speed of 32 kilometers. Valier really wants to order the troops to attack at full speed, just like he did in the outskirts of Cruy. The lieutenant knew very well what kind of psychological pressure a high-speed assault tank group would cause to conventional infantry. Few people could maintain the usual calmness when facing these dozen-ton steel monsters that were oncoming. .

But Vaeli must slow down now, he needs to cooperate with the French infantry following the tank. Yes, the French did not know how to peel potatoes from the Germans, and they also learned the German army’s coordination between the two tanks.

In European campaigns, French tanks are usually scattered and assigned to all infantry units, used as an auxiliary firepower for infantry, or as a separate mobile unit, leaving the infantry alone in the theater of operations, so in France On the battlefield, it is rare to see French infantry and tanks attacking together.

In the early days of the war, the French armored forces liked to use platoon-level units, that is, two to three tanks as a small cluster, and then launched a sweeping offensive against the area marked by the superior on the map, which is considered to be an enemy. If you are lucky, they will run into German infantry units without anti-tank equipment, or weakly armored German light tanks. As a result, they will often break out a one-sided battle like a massacre. The French army tanks have also been quite proud. The man’s record caused the German infantry and light armored troops to flee in disarray.

But when the Germans adapted to the French's brainless play, it was the French's turn to flee in embarrassment.

The German infantry will use a small amount of firepower to attract the attention of the French tanks, and then send another unit to roundabout the French army, disperse a small number of French infantry following the tank, destroy or capture the defenseless army.

When the French tanks are exhausted, the German infantry will be surrounded like a pack of wolves, using grenades, cocktails or ambush the clever three-seven door hammers to knock out these French army's elite. If the French tanks want to assemble for defense, often ten minutes later, Stuka full of bombs will appear above their heads.

The generals of the French Army began to seriously consider how to improve the French armored tactics in the prisoner-of-war camp. The set of Charles de Gaulle's obvious papers was flashy, and now the best model is placed in front of us. It is better to directly To study the German Army.

Vaelli has really suffered this kind of loss, and of course he raised his hands in favor of the superior's improvement ideas. This is the first time that the French Army has tested German armor tactics in actual combat. Of course, some French-style adjustments have been added. After all, they are the French Army and have their own glory and traditions.

Vaily’s armored squadron was accompanied by two full rifle companies. In order to allow them to follow the tank troops on the off-road marching, the Saigon Division deployed all the crawler vehicles.

Speaking of which many people don’t know, the French Army also has half-track transport vehicles. This type of ACG5 half-track transport vehicle manufactured by the famous Soma company has been used as a towing vehicle for artillery in the French army. . It is usually used to tow heavy artillery over a hundred millimeters. The rear compartment can also carry eight artillery. The road speed is 40 kilometers per hour, and it has excellent off-road capabilities.

The French Army is equipped with more than 400 such half-tracked vehicles, most of which were captured by the Germans along with the artillery they towed. This time the Germans were not so generous to switch all to the French, and Germany itself lacks such half-track vehicles. So only a part of it was returned, about one hundred and twenty.

Being considered that in the arms trade in Asia, there is a pile of heavy equipment that needs to be towed by vehicles. In addition to the usual Renault tractors, he also specially transferred 40 vehicles to Saigon. As a result, he was transported to Saigon by the Saigon division on the dock. The officials took a fancy to it, and in the end all forty ACG5s were secretly towed away by the Saigon division.

In addition to being used as artillery tractors, the Saigon Division also deployed several models with winches at the front to be used as rescue vehicles for tank troops, and the results were really good. Two such semi-track trucks , Even a freak like Karl B1 can drag.

This time Lieutenant General Lyon won the jackpot. No one thought, or everyone thought about it but couldn't believe that Siam would actually launch a ground attack on the French Indochina Federation.

The reaction of the Saigon Motorized Infantry Division can be said to be quite rapid, mainly because they were relatively close to the location of the incident. At that time, the railway from Battambang to Shisaofeng was only 70 kilometers.

Lieutenant General Lyon did not get the latest information, but he keenly felt that Route 5 would be the key to the entire battle. If the Siamese Army’s goal is poetry, there is only this high-grade highway from the border to the city, and other roads simply cannot carry the heavy logistics needed by the army.

The infantry unit of the Saigon Division is still accelerating its assembly. Now only the armored units can set off immediately. The armored vehicles and ammunition are all stored on the flatbed trucks, and the trains have not been unloaded yet.

Lyon knows the principle of the high speed of soldiers, and also knows that the warplanes are fleeting in the war. He believes that if he judges correctly, he may be able to give the Siamese army moving on the 5th highway a backlash.

If this plan is successful, it will be a wonderful raid that can be included in a textbook.

Lyon acted immediately. He ordered the trains to be reorganized so that the armored regiment and a part of the assembled infantry units would start early and unload them at the small station Bavel, 20 kilometers northwest of Battambang. This unit will then abandon the road and head off-road in the direction of Highway 5. The whole journey is about 50 kilometers, which is not too difficult for the armored unit.

Facts have proved that General Lyon’s judgment is accurate, and the tactics he used have achieved great success. The 35th Infantry Battalion of the Siamese Army was attacked by the French armored forces from the flanks. Less than five minutes after the start of the battle, the infantry battalion had suffered heavy casualties.

The AMC35 uses a double turret design that was rare in the French army at that time. This is the main reason why Vaelli was able to stand on the turret and yell. Replaced with the usual single turret, he has only his hands and feet to reload the shells. Portion.

The AMC35’s 47mm artillery has a straight trajectory and a very high rate of fire, making it suitable for the current medium-distance combat. The problem with this type of tank is that all weapons are placed on the turret. When the turret turns to one side, the car body has no positive self-defense capability. At this time, it needs to be accompanied by infantry protection.

All the French infantry in the Saigon Division were put on tropical khaki uniforms specially made for them. The upper body is open-necked and short-sleeved. Originally, a shirt of the same color as the uniform was issued, but the place is too hot and humid. Most people choose to be shirtless or just wear a vest.

Soldiers carry a full set of canvas equipment, while officers and noncommissioned officers are still the original cowhide products. A cowhide ammunition box and an aluminum kettle lunch box with a canvas cover are hung on the French H-shaped strap. Of course, gas masks and infantry shovel are also indispensable. Because they are mechanized infantry, some people are also equipped with pickaxes and engineers to open the way. ax.

The marching backpack must be carried by everyone, but they were all left on the transporter before the war. The soldiers carried only a canvas satchel, which contained gadgets they thought they might need during the battle, such as weapon parts and backups. Ammunition and emergency rations~IndoMTL.com~ Each French soldier also received a German-style first aid kit. The contents were exactly the same as those used by the German Army, except that the items were posted with French instructions. French soldiers like this kind of small bag very much. They have all participated in **** actual combat, knowing that the things in it are really useful and can save their lives at a critical time. Because of the chaos in management, the French army soldiers are more miserable than the Germans most of the time. There are at least two triangle scarves in the medical kits of the German infantrymen. The French infantrymen usually only receive a roll of gauze bandage.

As a motorized unit, all infantrymen received a brand-new MAS36 rifle, and the non-commissioned officer also received a MAS38 submachine gun. Both of these are classic weapons of the French Army. I won't go into details here.

The French infantry were very brave in the offensive. They roared loudly like beasts. While charging with the tanks, they opened fire at the Siamese army on the road with their weapons.

In the beginning, the Siamese army was able to rely on vehicles and road shoulders to fight back. The Vickers water-cooled machine gun they carried caused some casualties to the French infantry, but then those firepower points and shelters became French tank 47 The shooting target of millimeter artillery.

When the French forward approached to a position less than two hundred meters from the road, the defense line of the 35th Battalion of the Siam Army suddenly collapsed. In a blink of an eye, there was panic everywhere in the wilderness on both sides of the road. The silhouettes of Siamese soldiers jumping across.

The French infantry didn't understand what happened at the beginning. When some people looked back, they discovered that the majestic figure of Karl B1 tank appeared in front of the bush, and the subsequent armored units finally caught up.

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