Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 506: French Siam War (1)

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The morale of the 35th Infantry Battalion collapsed, and the troops completely lost control. The soldiers threw down their weapons and jumped off the highway, fleeing in the opposite direction of the attacker. A few brave people tried to continue resisting, but they were immediately hit by the overwhelming firepower of the French army. This is a very common sight in the eyes of the French soldiers, but at that time it was themselves who retreated and witnessed this embarrassing scene again, but the victor was replaced by himself, which really made the French officers and soldiers present sigh.

"viva!" French soldiers stood beside the seized baggage cart and cheered for victory. AMC cavalry tanks roared over the road, chasing the Siamese infantry who fled frantically.

Light tanks lined up in wedge-shaped battle formations, driving the Siamese defeat northward. At this time, the sky was getting darker. Worried about encountering Siamese troops deployed on the flanks, Lieutenant Vaeli ordered the operation to stop. At this time, the remains of more than two hundred Siamese soldiers lay down in the wilderness behind the tank company.

The raid ended with the French victory. The 35th Infantry Battalion of the Siamese Army killed 327 people and captured 270 people, 70% of which were of various types. Wounded.

Half of the entire battalion officers were killed, including the battalion commander and the battalion chief of staff. The Citron sedan, which they used as a shelter at the time, was hit by a 47mm armor-piercing grenade, hiding behind the car and arranging tactics Several of the battalion officers were torn to pieces with the beautiful car.

The armored regiment of the Saigon Division perfectly fulfilled the mission assigned to them by the division commander. They cut the offensive spearhead of the Siamese Army into two parts.

Now the armored regiment occupies the central section of Highway 5. To the east of them is the 12th Cavalry Company of the Siamese Army. This unit is engaged in a firefight with the Shisabong garrison. It seems that they have not noticed that the rear is already something is wrong.

On the west side of the armored regiment is the 20th Infantry Battalion of the Siamese Army advancing along the road. When the battle was about to end, they sent almost one company of reinforcements to the 35th Battalion, but unfortunately they ran into it. An H35 tank platoon that was about to detour from the east was quickly repelled by the fierce firepower of French tanks and accompanying infantry.

At present, the Siamese infantry battalion has stopped marching and deployed a defensive formation on both sides of the road. Obviously the commander hesitated in the battle decision. He was uncertain whether he should launch an attack or retreat.

The commander of the First Armored Regiment of the Saigon Division is Major General Fang Toma. This is a very tough professional soldier. He has been serving in the cavalry since he was a second lieutenant and has accumulated a wealth of training and command. Experience shows that in the battle for the breakthrough of the Weigang line of defense, Tuomao was captured by the Germans in the French theater command. At that time, he was already the chief of staff of an armored half brigade.

Thomas was also promoted to the first level by the War Department after his release. As a reward for his fighting for France, Marshal Petain personally received the same group of released generals promoted as him, and personally told him that he would be taken to the country. Entrusted with important tasks.

Pétain did not lie. Major General Thomas became the commander of the First Tank Regiment of the Saigon Motorized Infantry Division, an organization that the French had never used.

Previously, the basic intermediate armored unit of the French army was a half brigade, with two battle tank battalions in its organization. Tank half brigades are also divided into heavy and half brigades and light half brigades. The former are all equipped with heavy tanks such as Carl B1, and the latter are all equipped with light and medium tanks such as H39. Of course, because of the shortage of tanks, these battalions often mix and match. Enter other H or S series.

If fully loaded, a half brigade of tanks has almost 70 tanks. A heavily loaded half brigade paired with a light half brigade, plus a motorized hunting battalion, then it is a complete French reserve armored division.

Because of the disastrous defeat of the French army on the European battlefield, the French army began to learn the advanced tactics of the German army, which led to the emergence of this new organization of tank regiments.

Three battalion units, mixed with light and heavy tanks, are more adaptable to various battlefield environments than a single tank and half brigade. Commanders can flexibly mobilize their forces for mobile operations.

The most basic company platoon organization is still in accordance with the custom of the French army. The entire tank regiment has 125 tanks, of which 20 are used as spare vehicles for each battalion.

The whole regiment is equipped with the main tank models of the French army before the war. Because the local army is preparing to replace with new tanks, it is extraordinarily generous in terms of old equipment. Toma's commanders are all elite soldiers and generals who have served in the army for many years. Many of them have shared the ups and downs with the generals, scooped a horse spoon in a pot, and used the same paring knife.

The only thing that made the Major General regret that the place of service was a bit remote, but Petain told him that he only needed to serve four years abroad before he could be transferred back to China. When he returned, Petain promised to be there. He added a star on his shoulder. After four years of promotion to the rank of a general, I heard that there are still battles to be fought, let alone Indochina, even if he is thrown to the South Pole.

"General Lyon's telegram." The communications staff handed the telegram to the general.

Toma’s car is driving a modified Citroen Unocal P107, which is also a half-track transport vehicle that serves in the French Army. It has more horsepower, faster speed and better protection than the Somi MCG. It is also better, and of course the price is more expensive.

The French army is equipped with two thousand half-track vehicles of this kind to tow 70 to 100 mm artillery, because this kind of vehicle is quite mobile, and the road speed reaches 42 kilometers per hour, which is more suitable for towing. Regiment-level artillery conducts mobile operations. Germany seized many of these half-track vehicles, but none of them were returned to the French after the war.

Thomas used what was retained by the French army. At that time, many artillerymen threw away their artillery and drove this kind of off-road tractor to retreat to the rear. Although the rear compartment of this kind of car is not very large, this guy has super load capacity and is very conspicuous in the retreating team, because each P107 is piled with various luggage items of French officers and soldiers, which can be seen from a distance. Like a moving hill. At the same time, this thing consumes a lot of fuel, so the German army picked up a lot of Citroen P107 that were abandoned because they ran out of fuel while pursuing the French army.

This half-track transporter of Toma is a specially modified version. The original canvas canopy has been changed to a metal hard top, a protective steel plate is installed on the outside of the car, and the window glass has also been replaced with bulletproof. Armor cover that can be closed quickly. There is a folding desk, a file box and a safe, and a folding camp bed. This is not a command vehicle, but a mobile home for the commander.

"Notify Malmo of the second camp and let him come to me right away." Thomas picked up the telegram and glanced at it, then pushed the door and got out of the car.

The embers of the battlefield have not gone out, and the air is filled with a pungent smell of sulfur. Thomas walked past a Siamese army’s heavy truck. The melted rubber tires left a large pool of stains on the ground. The burnt truck cab with only the skeleton was curled up with the driver’s scorched corpse, loaded on the truck. The rice was packed in sack. The surface layer had been carbonized, and the bottom layer seemed to be smoldering, so that the carriage was constantly steaming with a peculiar smell of blue smoke.

"Henry, go find two people to dispose of the body and move the car away from the road." Thomas frowned and said to the oncoming chief of staff.

"Okay, General." The chief of staff, Colonel Henry Valentine, was forty-five years old. He was a true young man. He was a fan of Charles de Gaulle, and he was still a staunch admirer of the opponent even in the prison camp.

However, when he learned that Charles de Gaulle had fled France by a British envoy, ~IndoMTL.com~, there were some changes in his thoughts. He believed that Charles de Gaulle's approach to turning to the British was a betrayal of the French nation and nation. If de Gaulle really came to Britain to establish a government of resistance, as in history, maybe Valentin would still find a way to defect to each other, but the problem is that de Gaulle disappeared on the way, and now he is dead or not, who knows What is he going to do in England?

How did Petain give up the opportunity to fall into trouble? De Gaulle, as an active French general, did not apply to his superiors, nor was he approved by the government. He suddenly jumped on a British plane and fled the country, but there are a bunch of witnesses who testified.

"Have you read the above command, how much maneuver can be mobilized now." Thomas took the helmet from the adjutant and handed the cap to the ensign.

"At present, there are at most two companies dispatched, and the biggest difficulty is that supplies can't keep up." Valentin said nonsense with the kid who stroked his jaw.

"Have you counted the losses of the troops?" Thomas stood on the side of the road, leaning on his waist, looking at the wilderness illuminated by the headlights of the tracked cars. The French infantry were clearing the battlefield. The remains were gathered and arranged in the open space, and various guns, weapons and ammunition were piled in a pile.

" Twenty-seven people were killed and 64 were injured. Two of them were seriously injured. This was a brilliant victory. "Valentin smiled and reported:" This is what France needs most now. Victory is even more inspiring."

"This is just the beginning, Colonel." Thomas turned his head and glanced at the excited chief of staff, then turned his gaze to the other end of the road, where the Twenty Siam Infantry Battalion was stationed, and it was brightly lit. The difference is that the Siamese position is now hidden in a cloud of darkness.

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