Lin Wei's military police regiment was progressing smoothly. All the troops had merged and quickly defeated the Republican Army troops trying to defend. Seeing all this, Lin Wei couldn't help but feel happy.
"Report"
"Speaking"
"The enemy should shrink its forces and retreat to the last line of defense. Leader, what should we do?"
"Should we defend to the death, or wait for help?" Lin Wei muttered. If possible, Lin Wei really didn't want to confront it head-on. This was the worst outcome Lin Wei imagined.
Lin Wei looked at his watch, the pointer was now pointing to six o'clock, "Should it start?"
Yes, it started. At six o'clock sharp, earth-shattering artillery fire began all over Spain. The sky was filled with all kinds of aircraft. The troops armed to the teeth began to perform their tasks and fight. The armies of Germany, Italy, Portugal, Franco's generals, and volunteers from various countries (don't think that only the Republican Army has volunteers) are marching all over Spain to Andalucia, Estramadura, Toledo, Avila, Segovia, Valladolid, Burgos, Leon, Galicia, Asturias, Vitoria, San Sebastian, Navarra, Aragon , Canaria, Balearic attack.
At this time, no place in Spain is safe, and everyone is fighting for their beliefs.
"What? The International Column was attacked by the Italian army? Are other friendly forces the same?" Biernenko shouted. Now he finally understood that it turned out that this was a premeditated general attack, and he was just one in the overall situation. Just little chess pieces.
Only when the Spaniards woke up from their dream did they realize that the Germans' main attack direction was the International Column. They just saw that their combat effectiveness was weak so that they could quickly defeat themselves and then attack the International Column from both front and rear. For them, the news was like a bolt from the blue.
The Italians stormed in front, and the Carabinieri attacked in the rear. The 17th Division of the Republican Army and the 7th Brigade of the International Column were already caught in the middle.
However, Bill Nanke was not panicked. After all, the position of teacher was not obtained by flattery. How could one sit in this position safely without some real talent and learning? Biernenko carefully studied the tactics of the Gendarmerie. When he learned that the Gendarmerie had bypassed the bunker group when attacking the left defense line, Biernenko finally determined that the number of troops attacking his troops was not large, but the equipment was very well-equipped. . An elite force for sure.
Immediately, Biernanke issued an order, ordering all the troops who had retreated to the last line of defense to dig countless trenches in the shortest possible time, hoping to block the attack of the Gendarmerie Regiment and buy themselves time. As he expected, Lin Wei cared about it very much. With the lives of their own troops, the Gendarmerie began to eat away at the Republican Army's defense line bit by bit, and this was exactly the result that Bill Nanco needed.
Lin Wei had been observing the fighting situation ahead. After learning that the Republican Army was standing firm and waiting for reinforcements, Lin Wei had no special reaction and asked, "How is the battle situation now?"
The staff officer next to him immediately reported, "Leader, the Republican Army on the opposite side has abandoned all peripheral positions and reduced its forces to wait for reinforcements. The first and second battalions each attacked several times, but with no major results. It seems that they are still counting on the International Column. Come save them”.
"Oh?" Lin Wei smiled and asked, "How is the Italian army doing? It should have been at war with the International Brigade?"
"Huh? Well, leader, the Italian army has made little progress now and has been held back by the International Brigade. I don't know what the current situation is." The staff officer seemed to be unable to speak.
"Oh, my God", Lin Wei couldn't help but cover his eyes with his hands, "I've known for a long time that spaghetti is unreliable. Fortunately, I'm not with them."
While Lin Wei kept talking bad things about spaghetti, Paul & Hauser found clues from Lin Wei's conversation just now. "Bring the map," Paul & Hauser ordered.
"What's wrong, General?" Lin Wei asked doubtfully.
Paul Housel ignored Lin Wei and started studying on his own. His face became more and more solemn, which made Lin Wei panic. Finally Paul Housel raised his head and said seriously, "Lampard, Now we must defeat the 17th Division of the Republican Army on the opposite side as quickly as possible."
"Why? Apart from any problem?" Lin Wei was puzzled by Paul & Howser's order.
Paul & Howser said, "If I'm not mistaken, you want to win this battle at the lowest cost, right?"
"Of course, there's nothing wrong with that," Lin Wei replied affirmatively.
"Yes, of course there is nothing wrong with that," Paul Houser changed the subject, "But if you end up wiping out the Republican Army with slight losses, but are eventually surrounded, will you still think so?"
"This is impossible," Lin Wei shouted, "The nearby Spanish troops have already been at war with our friendly forces, and no one has come back to support them, so General, the situation you mentioned will not happen at all."
"No, you are wrong," Paul Hausser said while pointing to the map, "It is only one hundred and twenty kilometers from here to Madrid. You must think that you will wipe out the Seventeenth Army before the reinforcements from Madrid arrive. Division commander? You can get here with a quick march in one day. Even if you destroy the 17th Division by then, you will be surrounded and annihilated."
"No, it is impossible for the Spanish army to complete such a rapid march." Lin Wei also knew that he was wrong, and his voice became smaller and smaller.
"Nothing is impossible in this world. With the intensity of your current attack, it will probably be dark by the time you hit the core of the opponent's defense. The opponent can use this time to build enough defenses. By then, everything will be over. It's too late." Paul Hausser's voice was full of hatred that iron cannot be transformed into steel.
"Damn it," Lin Wei cursed fiercely, and secretly vowed to capture this opponent alive to see who made him so embarrassed. "The first and second battalions concentrated their forces to attack the central defense line, and the third and right battalions detoured to the right defense line. , the artillerymen will hit me hard with cannons, shoot all the shells for me, and I will give you new equipment after returning home."
"Boom, boom..." As if in response to Lin Wei's order, the artillery quickly started bombarding. The deafening sound hit everyone's eardrums. The shells were fired one after another for free, trying to hit the opposite position. The Spaniards were like In his dream, he didn't know why the Gendarmerie, which had been so slow just now, launched such a violent attack. Only Biernenko understood that his intentions had been seen through.
"Call the Vulture Legion aircraft to support me and blow them to a pulp for me," the furious Lin Wei gave the order. The staff did not dare to stay longer and immediately went out under the guise of contact, leaving only the breathing heavily. Lin Wei and Paul & Howser.
The attack was launched in a matter of seconds. First came the artillery fire coverage. Although the 105MM and 150MM guns are not very strong. But at this time they did provide strong support to the infantry of the Light Gendarmerie Regiment.
Immediately afterwards, the German Stuka bombers appeared. These black gods of death braved the Spanish artillery fire to accurately drop bombs weighing 50KG-100KG in the opponent's defense zone. Accompanied by huge ones. Gray clouds rose, and the Spanish outer defense line was blown to pieces in an instant, causing chaos. The German military police took advantage of the chaos and launched an attack, using submachine guns and grenades. Engineer shovels and flamethrowers flexibly penetrated various trenches. Go around behind the defense line established by the Spaniards and give the opponent a hard hit.
The soldiers covering the rear pushed Gatling guns and fired at all the Spaniards who dared to come forward. Weapons such as the Iron Fist, which were usually not used, were also used to bombard the bunker group. The effect was not bad, but it was a bit wasteful, but the leader said After returning to China to replenish new ones, there is no need to keep them.
Faced with this cruel and almost crazy offensive and defensive tactics adopted by the German Gendarmerie, the Spanish defenders felt a bit overwhelmed. The other party was like a huge sucker sucking away all their energy bit by bit.
Bill Nanko paced anxiously back and forth in the command room, not knowing what he was thinking about writing. Since he was attacked by the Gendarmerie at the beginning, Biernenko's troops were not very large. Of course, they were still much larger than Lin Wei's. But now, after suffering air strikes and large-area artillery fire, they were faced with the Gendarmerie that broke in from the central defense line. In the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Biernanko felt that the troops were not enough.
"No! The central front must be held. The Central Hotel Heights must not be given up!" After thinking for a long time, Biernanke made the following decision. First, they must increase their strength. Think of ways to stabilize your defense first. Then mobilize troops to kill from both flanks and cut off the retreat of the opponent's attacking troops... "As long as we hold on until tomorrow morning, we will win." Looking at the situation on the opposite side, Biernanke kept comforting himself.
"Damn Germans!" Biernenko shouted loudly. Turning around helplessly. Judging from the current situation, the Germans' intentions are already very obvious. That is to break through the central defense line, force yourself to draw troops from both sides, and collapse your own troops. If only the troops collapse, then for the armored troops on the opposite side, what is left is a one-sided massacre.
Now Bill Nanco has only two options. One is to surrender. However, as a high-ranking official in the military, he is really unwilling to do so. He has money, beautiful women, and status. Surrendering means that his reputation will be ruined. There is another way to retreat, but Bill Nanco shudders when he thinks of the purges taking place in Madrid. Many political veterans have fallen in the brutal purges. Why are they so anxious
In Madrid today, the anarchists and Trotskyists in the left camp are suppressed by the Comintern. I returned to Madrid some time ago and was surprised to find that “politically aware people have realized that this is a lose-lose war between communists and anarchists, far from a war with Franco. “Four hundred people died and a thousand were injured in one left-wing civil war alone. This kind of "armed conflict" between the left "can be seen everywhere across the country." Prisoners of left-wing street fighting were imprisoned, and "the prison was overcrowded." There are also people from the International Brigade being pursued because of "suspicious political experience." The police even took away all the wounded soldiers from their own side of the hospital.
Could such a government be able to stand up to General Franco's army? Are there so many countries behind them? Maybe we will lose this war.