Empire in Progress

Chapter 82: First battle with Cáceres (5)

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Therefore, Lin Wei planned to penetrate the gap in the defense line between the 7th Brigade of the International Column and the 17th Division of the Republic of China and conduct a roundabout operation. Then, with the Italian 4th Division on the front, they first defeated the Republican Army and attacked the International Column from both front and back, hoping to open up the situation.

The Military Police Regiment set up a long snake formation and quietly passed through the gap in the defense line between the 17th Division of the Republican Army and the 7th Brigade of the International Column through the cover of the forest. At 4:30 in the morning, after half an hour of marching The gendarmerie regiment was almost out of the forest.

Spain is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. The territory alternates between plateaus and mountains. The national average altitude is 660 meters. 35% of the country is above 1,000 meters above sea level. Plains account for only 11%. It is one of the countries with the highest terrain in Europe. The southwest and southeast have a humid climate and low terrain. They are one of the few plain areas in Spain and are very suitable for tanks.

Except for the forest, the tanks on the plains immediately no longer behaved like drunkards in the forest, and restored their tough nature. Every tanker knew the danger of this plan, and the current military police regiment wanted to enter. The monkey in the palm of Tathagata's hand will be surrounded by numerous Spanish troops if the Gendarmerie regiment is not handled well. All tank crews tried their best to make the tank drive as fast as possible and reach the destination as soon as possible before the attack.

The definition of idiot and genius is not so obvious. It is also a battle. If you play it well, the center will blossom. If you play it poorly, you will be ambushed from all sides. The famous Han Xin in history was praised as a god after defeating Xiang Yu. But here Previously, 600,000 troops were defeated from the front by just tens of thousands of Xiang's troops.

Now Lin Wei is also taking risks. If he wins, he will receive all kinds of praises. If he loses, being an idiot and a fool may be the most kind evaluation given to him by the Germans. Therefore, Lin Wei cannot afford to lose. Likewise, the Gendarmerie now represents the party. The Guards and Gendarmerie also cannot afford to lose.

At this time, about 17 kilometers away from Lin Wei's troops, the 17th Division of the Spanish Republican Army was resting there. Since the Italian army did not alert the snake and the confidentiality work was done pretty well this time, they still don't know. The gendarmerie regiment was already rushing towards them with murderous intent.

Since the Soviet Union was the only country in the world to support the Republican Army, most of the people in the International Brigade were communists. Therefore, the Communist Party was rising in Spain, and gradually it became a major force dominating the left-wing alliance from a small party. Then they received the first order after the war started. That is to quickly move to the southwest and go to the Balearic Province to assist the 7th Brigade of the International Column in holding on.

After receiving the news, the division commander Lieutenant Bill Nanco immediately ordered the troops to prepare quickly, and then he set off with his troops.

Just two days before the German high command finalized the plan, Biernenko had just arrived from Madrid with the 17th Division of the Republican Army, and he was so frightened that his first order was to rest where he was. He did not even send out reconnaissance troops and Set up sentries. The reason for this was that in his opinion there would be no German troops here at all. Unless they fall from the sky.

At 5 o'clock in the morning on October 13, Lin Wei's military police regiment was only four kilometers away from the 17th Division of the Republican Army. At this time, Lin Wei asked all troops to stop and rest for 5 minutes. The tank crew took advantage of this time to replenish the tanks. Oil, Lin Wei issued an order to the correspondent: "Contact the Condor Legion."

"Leader, the Condor Legion has taken off and is flying towards the Balearic region," the correspondent replied quickly.

"Okay, order, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Battalion and all personnel to attack. We must tear apart the defense line of the Republican Army on the opposite side before they can react."

"Yes, leader." The correspondent immediately informed everyone of Lin Wei's order.

"Coax...", the tank moved forward quickly dragging its heavy tracks, while the infantry followed closely behind the tank with long strides. The monster-like roar of the Stuka could already be heard in the distant sky.

The current position of the Spanish Republican Army is completely defenseless, just like a sleeping virgin who doesn't know that a pervert has broken into the door. There is no guard post, no observation post, oh, nothing. I really don't know if they are coming. On vacation.

Woo... The roaring Stuka dive bombers were like the God of War coming to the earth. They finally let these Spaniards know that it was a time of war, and the place they were in was called a battlefield. Any slight mistake could lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

The sluggish Republican Army finally started its first round of counterattack. A few sparse anti-aircraft guns fired into the sky, but they could not cause any damage to the Stuka, and every bomb dropped by each Skatu represented There are dozens of lives missing from this world.

The sound of bombings was endless, and dead soldiers were lying scattered on the position. The choking smell of smoke and blood made people sick. Scato finished dropping the bombs and fired all the bullets and finally flew away. The Republican soldiers still Before he could rejoice and reinforce his position, he saw an army directly in front of him that shouldn't be there.

Yes, the soldiers of the Republican Army were right. German troops should not appear here. Under normal circumstances, Lin Wei would not take the risk of intervening in the battle. If he did not have too much confidence in the Italian army, Lin Wei would definitely take A sound combat method, even if the Portuguese army is cooperating with his own troops.

Lin Wei had already seen Stuka's masterpiece through the telescope. Integrated air-ground combat was a tactic often used by Germany in history. It had impressive results when it conquered Poland, Belgium, and France. It can be said that the effect was very good. But it doesn’t work when it comes to a country like the Soviet Union, which has a huge territorial defense body and huge war mobilization capabilities. In other words, blitzkrieg and air-ground combat cannot defeat the Soviets. If you want to defeat them, you can only fight hard. Consume it to death.

Lin Wei, who put down the telescope, calmly analyzed the pros and cons and issued an order: "The first and second battalions of the Military Police Regiment were divided into two groups, the left and right, to attack quickly in an effort to quickly separate the enemy. The third battalion, as a reserve team, can be decisive when needed. I will use all my strength in the first wave of attacks, and I must defeat the Republican Army as soon as possible."

Lin Wei was not crazy enough to annihilate a whole regiment and a division. Five thousand people wiped out twelve thousand people. He was simply crazy. All Lin Wei wanted was to defeat them. Lin Wei thought that this goal should not be difficult for the Military Police Regiment.

"Yes, leader"

"Order, with the company as the combat unit, advance in a 'wedge' combat formation!"

"Target 3 o'clock direction, parameter 157/045, enemy artillery position!, fire..."

The subordinate commanders calmly directed the battle. After the experience of the war, these were standard rookies a month ago, but now they have become veterans who have experienced war.

"Report, the enemy's front line positions have been completely occupied. The first battalion attacking from the left has attacked the enemy's second line of defense and has been blocked by the enemy's bunker group. The right wing is progressing smoothly and is attacking the enemy's hinterland."

Lin Wei thought for a while and said: "Order the first battalion to bypass the bunker group, quickly penetrate and attack the enemy's hinterland." At the same time, he connected all the officers and said: "The enemy has a division of troops, and we only have one regiment, so we We must defeat them as soon as possible. Don’t report all the situations to me now. You command the battle according to your own actual situation. Do you understand?”

After speaking, Lin Wei then picked up the telescope and observed the situation on the battlefield, "Well, it's not bad, it's going well."

Paul Housel smiled and said, "Leader, you should give them more opportunities to experience, so that they can grow."

"General, you are right," Lin Wei did not hide his respect.

"What's going on? Who can tell me what's going on? Why did the Germans appear in our position? Why, why... who can tell me?" Major General Biernanko walked back and forth in the headquarters. , his face was very ugly. No one would have thought that a troop would actually come in between his own troops and the International Brigade. When the news reached Madrid, he was dead. He thought of several people who were executed for counter-revolutionary crimes a few days ago. The leader of the Socialist Party, Bill Nanko's face became increasingly ugly.

For a long time, Bill Nanke ignored him, and the staff officers nearby also kept their mouths shut. Bill Nanke became more and more impatient when he saw this situation, saying, "Speak, aren't you usually very good at speaking morally?"

Finally, a staff officer stood up and said: "Division Commander, we are reducing our troops now. According to observations, although the enemy this time is very strong, there are not many in number. We will shrink our troops and hold our position, waiting for reinforcements. We will definitely be able to turn defeat into victory when the time comes." .

Bill Nanke rolled his eyes, thinking that it was as if he hadn't said anything. A division had been forced to wait for reinforcements with an attack force far less than his own. If the news spread, where would he put his face? So Bill Nanke did not agree with it. I didn't object, I just hoped that other staff members could give some constructive opinions, but I was met with silence.

"Report, the enemy has broken through three lines of defense. Commander Monroe on the left wing has been killed. They have basically been dispersed." At this time, the news brought by the correspondent outside the door made the already depressing atmosphere even more depressing. .

Seeing that he could no longer count on these staff officers, Biernenko made up his mind and gritted his teeth: "Contact all the troops that can be contacted, order them to move closer to me, withdraw to the last line of defense, and immediately contact the international column stationed in front of us on the left Seventh Brigade".

"Yes, division commander", the correspondent quickly recorded Bill Nanko's order.