Guderian was very excited after completing his plan. A powerful armored group composed of two-thirds of the German armored force, led by Guderian's 19th Armored Corps, and the three armored groups of the 19th Armored Corps. The divisions marched hand in hand, moving hand in hand like a huge scythe, ready to cut France, Germany's natural enemy, in two. Behind him, the SS Gendarmerie Division and the Reich Division were on the right, and the 15th and 41st Panzer Corps, including Rommel's 7th Panzer Division, were on the left. The armored group troops were taken in three directions. A huge pincer offensive.
During the process of forcibly crossing the Meuse River, the Royal Air Force and the French Air Force once wanted to regain air supremacy. During the process of Guderian and Paul Hausser crossing the river, the joint British and French air forces were ready to defeat the German armored group's offensive in one fell swoop. The most intense air battle since the war broke out over the Meuse River. The British "Breham" bombers and the French army's latest "Breguet" bombers, under the cover of fighter jets, headed straight for the Meuse River. About 5 German troops The fighter jets of the wing took off to intercept, and both sides invested more than 500 aircraft. From noon to dark, there was continuous sound of gunfire on the landing site. Fighters from both sides flew up and down, chasing each other. From time to time, planes were hit and caught fire, dragging black smoke down. Bombs dropped randomly by British and French planes exploded on the river. Water columns soaring into the sky. Not to be outdone, the German anti-aircraft guns continued to shoot down British and French aircraft sneaking in at low altitudes with fierce firepower. The dense ground-to-air firepower network turned British and French aircraft into flames, rushing in one after another and being swallowed up one after another. The melee continued until nightfall. The British and French aircraft that suffered heavy losses were defeated in despair, and most of the German pontoon bridges across the river were intact. In this battle, the Germans shot down hundreds of British and French aircraft, of which 112 were shot down by the German Second Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment alone. 60% of the aircraft sent by the British army were lost.
The air battle over the Maas River completely destroyed the air power of the British and French coalition forces. From then on, air supremacy was firmly in the hands of Germany. The British and French coalition air forces could only operate at night, so Guderian dared to take action in broad daylight. Such a bold move. Moreover, the Meuse River is the last barrier leading to Paris and the English Channel. If it breaks through, Paris can be said to be undefendable, and the vast French plains will be allowed to be galloped by German armored forces.
In this case, Guderian's progress can be said to be extremely fast. At nine o'clock in the morning on May 17, the 2nd Armored Division had reached San Quentin, and on its left, the 1st Division was also approaching Pilonni.
Guderian was swaying as he stepped off the command vehicle, and his whole body seemed to be falling apart. However, anyone could see the smile on his face. The same as him was the older General Paul Hausser.
After the two generals got off the command vehicle, they immediately found a place to sit down. It was very comfortable while riding in the vehicle, but if they had to stay in the vehicle for two days and three nights and still not get off, that would be looking for sin.
However, the arduous and rapid march was not fruitless. At least after the war began, the French Ninth Army, the long-time opponent of Guderian and Paul Hausser, who defended the Ardennes area, was finally defeated by the two men. The French Ninth Army attacked the Sedan Road and forcibly crossed the Meuse River. Although it was defeated by the German Army's new tactics, it still stuck to the German armored group like a candy. Constantly trying to slow down the German armored groups to give the French troops in other areas time to deploy defense lines.
Although it does not pose much of a threat to the armored cluster, it always makes people feel very annoying. Although the French Ninth Army has suffered consecutive defeats since the war began, it is still an army with hundreds of thousands of people. Guderian is not willing to use Germany's precious armored forces for unnecessary consumption.
But there are some things that cannot be avoided if you want to. When they forced the crossing of the Meuse River, the French Ninth Group still seemed to be resisting the impact of the German armored forces. Guderian realized that if the current situation in front of him was not solved, It is impossible to fundamentally solve the predicament that we are facing now if we defeat our opponents. Therefore, after discussions with General Paul Hausser, Guderian's 19th Armored Corps launched the In the battle to pursue the French Ninth Army. This time Guderian was not ready to let go of this nasty brownie.
Under the high-speed pursuit of the armored group, the French Ninth Army was miserable. Some people kept falling behind, but they still could not escape Guderian's pursuit. German Stuka dive bombers appeared from time to time in the sky, making strange sounds. Dive bombers, like tank troops on the ground, desperately pursued the exhausted French Ninth Army. Finally catching up with them in San Quentin, Guderian smiled relentlessly in the face of the hastily deployed defense line.
With the cooperation of the 1st Armored Division and the Imperial Division, they quickly broke through this defensive zone that was full of loopholes in a hurry. In just one day, the French troops in the encirclement were divided. After Rommel's 7th Armored Division tore through the French army's defense line, they rampaged inside and destroyed the French tanks that had not yet gathered together to form a force, destroying more than 80 tanks.
The French defenses quickly collapsed due to constant Stuka bombardment and ground armor advances. No resistance can be formed anymore, and the German armored forces can take a rest at this time.
Although their bodies were still very poor, the two generals who were in high spirits were still full of joy. In a sense, their breakthrough has allowed Operation Sickle to be successfully implemented. More than thirty divisions of the British and French coalition forces in Belgium are still fighting fiercely with General Bock's Army Group B. It was impossible to withdraw at all. The forty French divisions on the front of the Maginot Line were firmly nailed there, coexisting with the defense line. Now General Gamelin can only deploy a limited number of divisions from the Maginot Line for defense. The current Maginot Line has completely become an obstacle restricting the French counterattack, but the French army still has to defend it.
"General Paul Hausser!" Guderian looked tired, but still asked enthusiastically, "What should we do next?"
"General Guderian, there are two paths before us!" Paul Hausser analyzed, "The first is to go south to attack Paris and force France to surrender. The second is to go north to the English Channel to encircle and annihilate the British, French and Belgian forces in the north. The armies of the Three Kingdoms, although I don’t know what you will choose, there is one thing we must do right now, which is to cross the Somme first!”
The Somme River originates north of Saint-Quentin in the Aisne department, first flows southwest, then northwest, and empties into the English Channel near Abbeville. The total length is 245 kilometers. There are canals connecting the Scheldt and Oise rivers. The main tributaries are the Afur River, the Unkel River, etc. The mouth of the river is wide. There are livestock and vegetable cultivation industries along the coast, and there are cities such as Saint-Quentin, Peronne, Amiens and Abbeville.
Whether heading south to Paris or heading north to the English Channel, the Somme River is now a hurdle that the German army must cross.
"Well, what can we get by going south to Paris? If the French abandon Paris, all we will get is an empty city!" Guderian said disdainfully, "The top priority is to go north to the English Channel and block the main force of the British and French coalition forces in the north. As a retreat, after encircling and annihilating them, the French will no longer have the strength to resist! Defeating France will become a certainty!"
"Not bad!" Paul & Hauser nodded. In fact, Paul & Hauser thought the same as Guderian. Modern warfare is no longer about capturing cities and occupying territory. The main theme of war is to annihilate the enemy's effective forces (except for Japan in World War II). It can be said that any general who has not burned his head will not choose the former.
"General!" The staff officer in SS uniform ran over quickly and said respectfully to General Paul Hausser, "The leader is calling!"
"Read..." Although he was disturbed, General Paul Hausser, who was obviously in a happy mood at this time, ignored this disappointing staff officer. The staff officer read aloud, "Dear Uncle Paul & Hausser, I, the Netherlands, heard about the mythical advancement speed of you and General Guderian. I have to say that I was severely shocked. But immediately I remembered that I should congratulate you! Uncle Paul and Hausser, now I have good news to tell you. Since the French army on the Maginot Line is now unable to advance or retreat, I asked the head of state for instructions. At C The Viking, Police and Prinz Eugen divisions of Army Group C have separated from the battle order of Army Group C and are currently rushing towards you at full speed. I think with the help of these three armored divisions, you will achieve greater results. , I wish you good luck, Uncle Paul and Hausser, and by the way, there is one more small matter. Now the headquarters has temporarily appointed you as SS Lieutenant General and concurrently as the SS National Deputy Commander-in-Chief!" The staff officer quickly finished reading Lin Wei's words Telegraph, Guderian and Paul Hausser were stunned by the huge surprise.
"This is really good news!" Paul Hausser and Guderian said at the same time, and then they looked at each other and couldn't hold back the joy in their eyes.
"These three armored divisions can do so many things!" Guderian said happily, "I don't worry about our strength at all. Even if the French army that has been cut off by us meets again, I will not Don’t be afraid of them!”
For Guderian, this is indeed great news. Although Guderian has maintained strong self-confidence since the beginning of the war, once there is a more powerful force that can realize Guderian's plan, It will greatly enhance the success of the plan. No general will refuse to increase the power in his hands, and Guderian is no exception.