After clearing all the French snipers in the area and making sure that no fish had slipped through the net, Captain Crabbe ordered a soldier to notify the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Grossdeutschland waiting outside the bushes. So far, the mechanized reconnaissance The mission of the company's soldiers has been completed. The cost was heavy, as they suffered the loss of a third of their men. But it cleared the way for the subsequent battle.
Finally, the defensive zone composed of French snipers was broken through, allowing the following soldiers of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment to join the battle. Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler and Lieutenant Colonel Garski led their troops to attack the warehouse area in the northwest and the residential area in the northeast respectively. By this time, although they knew there was no hope of victory, the French troops trapped there were still unwilling to surrender. They have made up their minds to fight the invading German army to the end.
Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler attacked the large warehouse in the northwest. The terrain here was not more complicated than in the residential areas, but the defenders here had much more strength than in the residential areas, because there was a large warehouse near the coast. A hundred-meter-high hill. Although this hill is not very tall, it is enough to give a panoramic view of the entire Abbeville Port.
As long as this hill is in the hands of the defenders, they can continue to persevere. On the contrary, if this hill is captured by the German army, it will undoubtedly be a disaster for the defenders.
For Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler, the more difficult it is for him to prove his talents here, the more challenging it will be for Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler. Almost the entire Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment knew it. Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler and Lieutenant Colonel Garski were at odds with each other, and the two men were competing on various fronts. The purpose was to obtain the position of commander of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment. Everyone knew that the first commander of the regiment, Colonel von Stockhausen, would sooner or later be transferred to a higher position elsewhere. After Colonel von Stockhausen left, who would be the commander of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment became a question that the officers and soldiers had been secretly wondering about.
Although the soldiers did not dare to discuss it in private due to strict military orders, everyone could see what the overt and covert fight between Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler and Lieutenant Colonel Garski was about. Because of this, Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler had to complete the attack on the northwest warehouse area in front of Lieutenant Colonel Garski.
"We rushed to the front of the second battalion to complete the task assigned to us by the regiment commander!" Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler, who has a very flamboyant personality, did not hide his thoughts from the beginning, and told the soldiers in front of him his thoughts in person. . Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler said, "You have been here since our predecessor, the Berlin Garrison. The soldiers under Lieutenant Colonel Garski were drawn from all over the country when the Grossdeutsche Infantry Regiment was expanded. Come on, if we fall behind those new recruits, you may be embarrassed yourself, so we must rush in front of the second battalion to complete our mission, understand?" Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler's meaning is very clear, then If you old people can't even compare to those newcomers, then stop hanging around.
Looking at the people who were very different from just now, Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler said, "Captain Valkvitz, Major Lanzen, your two companies will be the main force of this attack, Major Kruger, you company as a reserve!"
"Okay, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel!" Captain Valkvitz and Major Lanzen both recognized their commander's arrangement and began preparations immediately.
The soldiers who can serve in the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment are all very conceited people. Of course, I can't tolerate being said to be inferior to anyone else, so no matter what Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler's starting point is. Finally, he succeeded in making these very conceited soldiers become interested in fighting.
The prepared First Battalion of Grossdeutschland immediately began its first probing attack. The main purpose of this attack was to explore the firepower points in the warehouse area and the hidden positions of the defenders. The main purpose was not how great the results could be. First there was a simple artillery bombardment. While the artillery was preparing, the soldiers of the First Battalion of Greater Germany, under the command of Captain Valkvitz and Major Lanzen, followed the road to the port and entered the warehouse area.
The alert soldiers slowly entered the seemingly peaceful warehouse area and walked through the large warehouses. Everyone remained vigilant. There was always one person in each group who was always looking around, secretly thinking about the situation. Make a note of the terrain here. And be prepared to retreat at any time, because everyone knows that this attack is just a trial attack. Even the extremely conceited and arrogant Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler did not think that he could capture this area in one go.
As they gradually entered the warehouse area and among the warehouses, the soldiers of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment gradually became more and more scattered. But instead of relaxing, everyone became more cautious. This is the difference between rookies who are new to the battlefield and veterans who have undergone rigorous training.
Their hunch was right. With the sound of a gunshot, the defenders hiding in the dark rushed out of the warehouses, corners, and houses where they were hiding, as if they had received some kind of order. They rushed back while using their own guns. Submachine gun shooting. But what they didn't expect was that the soldiers of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment showed no signs of panic at all. As if they knew they would rush out, they methodically used their rifles to fight back with the stormtroopers, and slowly retreated. . The French were also impressed by their superb fighting qualities.
This short battle did not cause actual losses to the German army. On the contrary, when the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment returned fire, many defenders were hit without mental preparation. Because they couldn't believe that there was still an army that could not panic and fight back under their sudden attack.
After the German troops safely withdrew from the warehouse area, Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler immediately summoned the people who had just observed the terrain between the various groups, and based on their descriptions, he immediately drew a topographic map of the warehouse area. We have an intuitive impression of the northwest part of the port.
The roads in the warehouse area are generally not complicated. The roads leading to each warehouse are well maintained, very wide and neat, and no mines or other things have been found. It may be that the defenders here do not have any such reserves. thing. After synthesizing and analyzing all the accounts of these people, Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler asked, "What materials are most of the warehouses made of? Is it wood or metal?"
"Lieutenant Colonel, of course it's metal! Do you think this is Japan?" The speaker was Captain Valkvitz. Captain Valkvitz once stayed in Japan briefly, and the deepest impression he left was that Japan is full of wooden objects. house. So when I heard what Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler said, I immediately said it reflexively.
"So, using a flamethrower is a bit troublesome and not very effective!" Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler said, "At the beginning, we can only attack by force! This is really bad news." No matter who he is, if he can use other When victory is achieved through other methods, no one will stalk them, whether they are Easterners or Westerners, and Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler is certainly no exception. Most people think that the German army is accustomed to head-on confrontation. Generally speaking, this understanding is not wrong, but it does not mean that they will not use other methods to win. Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler is obviously a person who can use his brain.
Now that we have decided to attack by force, we will not worry about it. This is also one of the characteristics of Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler. All that's left is preparation. This time the attack will not just go in to survey the terrain like last time, but will involve actual combat.
There was no artillery fire. After preparations were completed, the infantrymen of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment rushed in directly. After a while, bursts of gunfire rang out in the warehouse area. Both sides had reasons to fight. The port defenders wanted to defend their port and buy time for their troops. The German army wanted to capture the port and encircle and annihilate the British and French forces in the north. They were also racing against time. So as soon as the battle started, his bloody side was immediately revealed.
The defenders rushed out from every hiding place imaginable, on the ceiling/behind the gate/in an uninhabited corner/even in the trash can. It can be said that they are fully prepared. If compared with the Chinese guerrillas conducting tunnel warfare thousands of miles away, they would not be inferior.
Although the appearance of the defenders from unexpected places caught the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment somewhat off guard, the well-trained German soldiers still responded to the battle calmly. No matter where the enemy appeared from, it could not be an excuse for them to retreat. At this time, only the weapons in their hands and their comrades are their best partners.
Time passed little by little, and the infantrymen of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment had forced the defenders into several warehouses on the side of the hill. It was obvious that even in this case, the defenders did not intend to give up. of several warehouses. Even the German army's persuasion to surrender turned a deaf ear. There were even shots fired. When efforts to persuade them to surrender failed, Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler could only order the attack to continue. A few minutes later, under the cover of another grenade, dozens of soldiers rushed into the only warehouse that was still resisting, killing the last few defenders who were still resisting. Only now is the battle over the warehouse district northwest of the port finally over. All that's left is to occupy the commanding heights here, the hills near the sea.
It took Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler half an hour to capture the hill. Like the battle in the warehouse area, the defenders were very tenacious, and almost no living defenders were captured by the German army. While standing on the hill overlooking the port, Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler looked at his watch in the setting sun. Forty-fifty minutes, it took three hours to capture the northwest part of the port. He saw that the residential areas in the northeast were still there. Lieutenant Colonel Kauchler smiled as bursts of gunfire rang out.